Chapter 963: Sanzi's Secret
Translator: Sean88888 Editor: Elkassar1
Although Sheyan did not extinguish the holy flame with the realm's help, he still did not have enough utility points to repair his body, falling short by more than 20,000 points. The nightmare realm wasn't unreasonable in this regard. Just like the way there were public hospitals and private hospitals in the real world, there were free treatments in addition to paid treatments.
Paid treatments were, of course, fast and convenient. On the other hand, free treatment required a long waiting time.
If the injury was so severe that the contestant still had not fully recovered under free treatment by the time the contestant had to enter the next world, the realm would simply send the contestant into that world after ensuring that the fatal wounds were healed.
Sheyan patiently waited in the returning space. He summoned Jinkuang only to find that the guy had fallen asleep again. Although Sheyan's recovery speed was increased thanks to his military rank, he had still used up almost all the time he was allowed to stay in the realm before he finally regained his body.
The moment he entered his personal room, with no time to take a breather, he was already kicked out by the realm back to the real world.
Back in the real world, Sheyan could not get in touch with Zi, Brother Black or Reef; they obviously still had yet to come out from their nightmare world. Sheyan thus had the time to recall the experience of his battle with the Cardinal. In retrospect, it was a really close call.
Unfortunately, the rewards for the Golden Side Mission were not available to him yet. Despite the fact that the mission was shown as "(completed)", it was currently greyed out. It seemed that some of the rewards for the Golden Side Mission could not appear in the real world.
This may sound strange, but it's not impossible. The rewards for a Golden Side Mission were normally extraordinary. There could possibly be some high-end medicines that required a General military rank or above to exchange for, and could not be brought out of the realm. If Sheyan could retrieve the reward now, it would no doubt be too big of an advantage for him.
At this time, Uncle Dasi came up slowly from downstairs. His posture was a little stooped and he had a slight cough. The half-lit cigarette in his hand provided a tiny red spark in the dim ambience of dusk.
When Sheyan saw Uncle Dasi, he immediately got up and offered his seat.
Uncle Dasi sat down and took a few puffs of the cigarette before he said, "You've really changed a lot in the last couple of years."
Sheyan smiled and took a few sips from his drink, "I haven't changed, Uncle Dasi. I'm still me."
Uncle Dasi pondered for a long time and shook his head as he said, "That feeling.... Oh, it's not the same at all. Maybe you've grown up. Everyone grows up eventually. Sanzi's changed too. Lately, he shuts himself in his room all day. I rarely see him talk or smile. He seems to be worried about something."
Sheyan's mind had been occupied by all kinds of problems in the nightmare realm before this. Now that he heard Uncle Dasi talk about Sanzi, he immediately said, "Isn't he in love? It's normal for young people to have some relationship problems. "
At that moment, Aunt Di Gu also came upstairs carrying a plate of cut pineapples. When she heard Sheyan's words, she said, "You've been out a lot lately so you haven't talked to Sanzi much. To me, he doesn't look like he's having relationship problems. Young boys at his age are easily influenced by their peers. It's okay if it's just some the usual troubles, but what I'm afraid of is drugs."
Sheyan was surprised. He really had overlooked this matter. Men, especially young men, would easily succumb to prostitution, gambling and drugs. The most problematic one among those three was undoubtedly drugs.
Young men would only go crazy for women when they were young. After being exposed to women for a while, they would naturally be able to control their lust. How many men older than 30 have you seen getting severely depressed from breaking up?
A gambling addiction is also a very dangerous problem, but in the end, it's only a mental addiction. When there's no more money for gambling, most people would go look for more work to earn money.
But drug abuse causes addiction both physiologically and psychologically! There are many people who wish to overcome their drug addiction, but it's very rare to find someone who can give it up once and for all.
Sheyan took a deep breath and asked Aunt Di Gu, "Is Sanzi really taking drugs? Did you see him do it, Aunt Di Gu?"
Aunt Di Gu frowned as she recalled, "I didn't see him do it, but Sanzi has been behaving very strangely lately. He's always in a hurry to go out again when he comes back for dinner. I heard he rented his own boat which he parks at the west side of the dock. He's always on the boat and avoiding us."
"He rented his own boat?" Where did he find the money?" asked Sheyan in surprise.
Uncle Dasi was the one who was surprised this time. He asked, "He didn't get it from you? Sanzi said you gave him a large sum of money and said you're preparing to open an internet cafe or something."
Sheyan was stunned for a moment. He now truly believed that Sanzi's probably hiding something from him. But when he saw the worried look on Uncle Dasi's face, he immediately said, "Oh yeah, I did. He hasn't finished preparing it yet? Don't worry, I'll ask him about it."
Uncle Dasi nodded and showed a look of relief, "I'm glad you'll have a talk with him. Sanzi has always looked up to you. He never listens to what I say but he'll definitely listen to you."
Sheyan patted his uncle's arm and assured him, "Don't worry, just leave it to me. Aunt Di Gu, I'm going to look for Sanzi now. Do you know where he is?"
Aunt Di Gu replied, "Two hours ago, I saw him going to the dock. He's probably on that boat he rented. That, or he's in the internet cafe."
Sheyan got up and stretched for a bit. The bones of his new body cracked as he moved around. He thought about it and realised that Sanzi had been getting very suspicious lately. His behaviour could no longer be explained by women problems. Since Sheyan finally had some free time today, he was determined to get to the end of it.
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The waves slapped the shore vigorously, dropping the foam and sediment in it on the land, then retreated slightly before pouring back in with a surge.
Sheyan put a straw in the coconut in his hand and happily sucked the coconut juice inside while he traveled along the gravel road at the dock. The dock was currently packed with boats of all sizes. Although the storm was still hundreds of kilometers away, no one wanted to risk it.
The dock was bustling with activity. Cigarette-smoking fishmongers were everywhere in sight. Although many boats had returned halfway, it was rare for them to return with nothing. During the calm before the storm, some of the fish would seize the time to find food. A lucky fisherman may find the net he cast stuffed full of fish.
The noisy bargaining, the dirty water mixed with the blood of fish, and the pungent fishy smell surrounded Sheyan. Such a messy environment was supposed to be unpleasant, but it all felt so familiar and comfortable to Sheyan. This was especially the case having just escaped from the cruel power of the Cardinal. The environment made Sheyan feel peaceful and calm. He gradually felt more relaxed. Only now had he truly recovered to his peak state, mentally and physically.
After standing on the dock for a while, Sheyan enquired with several people who all told him that Sanzi should be having fun in the "clubhouse" on the dock. The clubhouse was an old four-storey building, with snooker tables, Internet cafe, women and bars -- all the things men would like.
But Sheyan did not find his target there. He pondered for while and decided to check on the boat supposedly rented by Sanzi.
His first impression of the boat was that it was in tatters. Then, he noticed that the boat was actually quite large with its big-bellied hull. It could hold quite a bit of cargo.
Few things related to the sea could escape Sheyan eyes. Sheyan could tell from the signs on the ropes and anchor that the ship had not set sail for at least a few months.
Despite the shaky sea, Sheyan easily jumped onto the bow of the boat. The cabin door was locked, but it could not hinder Sheyan's determination to move forward. There was no compartment in the 100 square meters or so cabin. It didn't smell like mold either, which was enough to show that Sanzi was often here.
On the floor, Sheyan was surprised to find fitness equipments such as iron dumbbells, which seemed to be one of the reasons Sanzi was hiding here, but it should not be the main one.
Then, Sheyan detected the smell of blood and decay. He walked forward, bypassing a heap of moldy sails and rotten wood, and found the bloodstains on the ground. The blood had piled up into a thick layer, which indicated that the spot had not been scrubbed or cleaned at all.
After that, Sheyan found a strange thing in the corner -- a broken crib. And the inside of the crib was full of rats!
Big, strong adult rats!
These rats, with their tails at least thirty centimeters long, had eerie blood-red eyes. They quietly and neatly squeezed inside the crib, laying there motionless. They looked strangely meek.
But as soon as Sheyan approached them, all the rats opened their mouths simultaneously and bared their sharp, white fangs. They screeched and glared viciously at Sheyan. Any ordinary person who saw them would no doubt cry out in fear.