"What did you say—Endless Naraka? What do you mean it's over?" I pulled my gaze back from the now calm surface of the sea and turned to Yang Xiao. "Can we still bring the two of them back?"
Before speaking, Yang Xiao glanced at Gui Bugui. Seeing that the old man wasn't paying attention to us, he sighed softly and said, "'Endless Naraka' is what those from the Underworld call it. People in the living world refer to it as the Avici Inferno, or sometimes the Hell of Eternal Torment. Only the most wicked and utterly unforgivable souls are cast into that place. In Endless Naraka, there's no concept of time or space. The only thing that awaits is endless suffering—so endless, even total annihilation is a luxury they're denied." As he spoke, Yang Xiao kept stealing glances toward Gui Bugui.
Thinking back to what just happened, I finally understood why Lin Feng had fought so desperately to escape from Hao Zhengyi. But knowing that the gate to the Endless Naraka had been opened by Crow, I couldn't help but see a glimmer of possibility. "So you're saying Hao Zhengyi dragged Lin Feng into hell with him? But it was Crow who opened that gate—if he could open it, then it should be possible to come back out, right?"
"That won't happen." Before I could finish, Gui Bugui walked over and cut me off. He glanced at Yang Xiao with a sly smile, then turned to me and said, "The Avici Inferno is a death loop. Not even a golden immortal descending from the heavens could make it out once they're in. Isn't that right, little Yang?"
Yang Xiao's face was stiff with awkwardness, but he forced a smile and replied, "Second Uncle Gui is absolutely right."
Seeing the look on Gui Bugui's face, and thinking back to how unexpectedly Ren San had stepped aside earlier, it suddenly hit me. I turned to the old man and said, "You were the one who deflected the twin blades, weren't you? You already knew Hao Zhengyi planned to drag Lin Feng into death with him. You deliberately stopped the boat here to make it easier for Crow to open the gate to Endless Naraka!"
Gui Bugui squinted at me for a moment before answering, still with that same smile: "You're mistaken. I was trying to stop them too, but who knew I'd intercept your swords by accident? Looks like fate wanted that half-ghost to fall into Endless Naraka."Though that's what he said, the sly glint in his eye told a different story—almost as if he were saying, You guessed right. I absolutely let them fall into hell on purpose.
They were clearly invited by Wu Ren'di to capture Lin Feng and Hao Zhengyi, so why would they do something like this? Looking at Gui Bugui's aged, frail face—and recalling his and Ren San's expressions when they'd spoken of Wu Ren'di earlier—a thought suddenly flashed through my mind:"Did Director Wu tell you to do this?"
My question caught Gui Bugui off guard for a moment. Then he chuckled and replied, "I didn't think the little dimwit had it in him to piece that together."Just as I thought I'd guessed correctly, he added with another laugh, "Too bad you had the right idea but followed the wrong clue. You're still wrong."
Seeing the bewildered expression on my face, Gui Bugui continued, "Even if you guessed wrong, I won't let your 'moment of enlightenment' go to waste. Let me be straight with you—though Ren San and I aren't physically present at your so-called Bureau, everything that happens there is as clear to us as day. Like I said before, I just wanted to see who could manage to lock Wu Mian in a cage." As he spoke, Gui Bugui's smile faded slightly, giving way to a rare look of sorrow. "What a shame… I was hoping to meet him—thought we might even become friends. Sigh. I suppose helping him fulfill an unresolved wish is the least I can do."
I was still stunned when a loud ship's horn suddenly sounded from the direction of the Marine Surveillance Vessel. Looking over, I realized a new ship had emerged behind it. Both vessels honked in unison and began heading toward us. I'd been so focused on the sea, I hadn't even noticed when the second ship appeared.
The new ship was packed with more than a hundred people. Despite the distance, I immediately spotted Sun Fatty in the middle of the crowd, holding a pair of binoculars and peering toward us. He was surrounded by investigators from the Bureau, and I could even sense Shao Yiyi's presence from the cabin behind him. Sun Fatty hadn't been exaggerating: aside from Director Wu and Hao Wenming, the other two teams that had been dispatched elsewhere were here too. The Bureau had truly mobilized all its forces. Though… wasn't that a little too fast?
Seeing the new ship didn't elicit much of a reaction from Gui Bugui. He allowed someone to help him back into his seat. Ren San jumped onto the chair beside him, lounging lazily as he glanced at the approaching vessel and spat in its direction. "Finally decided to show yourself, huh? Hiding all this time—weren't you worried you'd suffocate?" His words made me think—could it be Sun Fatty's ship had been nearby all along, just keeping out of sight?
When the two vessels were about seven or eight hundred meters from our yacht, they suddenly stopped. A small motorboat was lowered from the new ship, with only two people aboard. Steering the boat was Sun Fatty himself, and beside him—surprisingly—was Nicholas Hugo, the head of Room Three.
I hadn't expected them to have the guts to come over personally. Sun Fatty maneuvered the boat to the side of the yacht, and without hesitation, both men climbed aboard using the exterior ladder.
As soon as Sun Fatty stepped onto the yacht, he started shouting, "Lazi! Not to brag, but can you introduce me? Who's the great deity that helped our Bureau settle such a major grudge?"
Though he was speaking to me, his beady little eyes were already locked onto Gui Bugui and Ren San. Before I could even respond, Gui Bugui chuckled and beat me to it. Looking at Sun Fatty's round face, he said, "Director Sun Desheng?"
Sun Fatty had been waiting for that cue. Grinning from ear to ear, he hurried over and grabbed Gui Bugui's hand on the armrest. "Just call me Xiao Sun! Honestly, on this boat, titles like 'Director' don't mean a thing."
At that moment, Hugo stepped forward from behind Sun Fatty, his expression awkward and a bit embarrassed. He peeked around Sun Fatty, offered Gui Bugui a sheepish smile, and said, "Mr. Gui, I'm truly sorry. Everything you instructed me to do—Director Sun already found out. I'm afraid there's no more use in continuing. But for the love of God, please believe me—I didn't say a word. Heaven knows how he figured it out."
Now I understood why Gui Bugui could claim to know everything about the Bureau—Nicholas Hugo was his planted informant! No wonder he was always hanging around Room Six, and why Gao Liang treated him like a thief in his own home.
Gui Bugui just smiled and said, "Don't make it sound so dramatic. What should be known is already known. You've done well over the years. As for Moyes... I grieve for him too. May he return to your God in peace."
Then Gui Bugui turned to Sun Fatty. "Director Sun, I must say—for someone as young as you, and someone who had never met me, you've managed to read my thoughts quite well. When I was your age, I certainly didn't have a mind as sharp as yours."
"I was just guessing," Sun Fatty replied with a squinting grin. "Got lucky and guessed right. At first, I couldn't understand why Director Wu seemed so indifferent to Director Gao's case. Then it hit me—Director Wu had a backup plan. A man who's lived as long as he has is bound to have a few old friends to call on. Friends like you and the young gentleman here—far more effective than a thousand troops."
"You mean me?" Ren San asked lazily from the chair, half-lifting his eyelids to glance at Sun Fatty. Before the latter could reply, Ren San turned to Gui Bugui and added, "Old fart, why does this fatty look so familiar? It's a pity he's not quite fat enough—no momentum. Not enough presence. Why don't we take him home and fatten him up for a couple of years?"