Chapter 266: Chapter 265: Yermak Chapter 266: Chapter 265: Yermak “On December 15, 2020, the weather was overcast. Today, a new journey was about to begin.”
In the dim, damp cabin, Zhang Erya sat cross-legged on a single bed. The bed, barely more than 40 centiters wide, was mostly occupied by her belongings.
This tiny cabin, just a few square ters in size, would be her ho for the next month or so.
The conditions in the cabin were exceptionally crude, and the air was filled with a rotten, unpleasant odor.
To save money and ti for this operation, this decades-old icebreaking vessel was rely reinforced on the outside, while the interior remained outdated. The wiring was arranged in Rash Country’s brutally simple style—it was simply a ss.
Large patches of the cabin wall’s coating had peeled off, revealing the rust-stained iron beneath. The welded spots on the ceiling were covered with large, dark water stains, and liquids dripped occasionally, making the entire floor very damp.
To save on energy consumption, the use of electrical devices by the crew was strictly limited on the ship, with that round porthole on the cabin wall serving as the only source of light during the day.
Zhang Erya turned off her mobile phone and placed it under her pillow. Before each mission, she would record cryptic ssages like this in her private notebook. The text would sync to her online phone as soon as she hit the save button. Even if soone discovered this mode of communication, they would only think it was a casual diary entry.
After completing all this, she changed her position and hugged her knees, staring blankly at the circular window on the cabin wall. In the dim cabin, her skin appeared even paler.
Since the cabin was on the lower level, the porthole was subrged most of the ti. The sound of ice hitting the hull mingled with the ocean waves, forming a deep symphony. It was only during the rise of colossal waves that she could briefly see the gloomy and oppressive sky.
Such an environnt had little effect on Zhang Erya. During her missions, she had encountered environnts that ranked within the worst ten she had ever experienced.
Definitely within the worst ten.
Knock, knock!
The sudden knock on the door tightened Zhang Erya’s heart. She slowly lowered her arms and reached for the knife pouch on her thigh, her gaze wary as she stared at the slightly yellowed cabin door.
“Who is it!”
“Yelena, the boss wants you to co over.”
This was a strange man’s voice, one Zhang Erya was sure she had not heard before. She remained silent for a mont and replied softly, “Understood, I’ll change my clothes and co.”
“Then hurry up.”
The cabin fell silent again. Zhang Erya listened intently, making sure the man had left before she took her hand off the knife pouch.
Just the thought of the person she was about to et furrowed her brow once more.
The man ntioned by the voice was the head of the Rash Country branch of the Holy Origin Society, who reputedly showed no emotion and had a penchant for killing people.
Even more terrifying were the rumors circulating secretly within the branch that he liked to eat humans.
Having changed her clothes, Zhang Erya touched the knife pouch on her thigh, took a deep breath, and opened the door to step out.
The “Yermak” icebreaker, a vessel the Rash Country had given to the Holy Origin Society through a third-party country, was part of their cooperative agreent. The entire ship bore signs of age, except for the top-level hall, which had been newly renovated.
Standing in front of the dark red solid wood door of the hall, Zhang Erya heard vague noises inside. She cald herself, grasped the doorknob, and pushed the door open to enter.
As soon as she opened the door, a strong sll of tobacco and alcohol hit her. The large hall was filled with smoke, and about a dozen tall Slavic n were playing a loud drinking ga. These were primarily the Holy Origin Society’s operatives for the mission, about on the sa level as her previous team leader, Voraf.
Zhang Erya frowned slightly; she wasn’t fond of the sll of vodka mixed with body odor.
“Yelena.”
Noticing her arrival, a man as burly as a wild bear waved at her, and the gazes of other n also turned toward her, filling the entire hall with whistles and lewd, sleazy laughter.
Zhang Erya, without straying her eyes, moved between several dining tables, dodging several would-be grope attempts, and headed towards the main table in the hall.
“Boss, did you call for ?”
Zhang Erya kept a cold expression on her face; the others were not surprised since this was part of her persona as Yelena, a woman devoid of emotions and insane.
While speaking, she quickly scanned over the table, where besides the bear-like big boss, there were two other n.
One of them was a delicate-looking young man with Eastern features, slender in stature, finely dressed, giving off the aura of a young scholar.
This man was the deputy head of the regional branch, reportedly an immigrant who moved to Rash Country during his childhood.
Thump thump thump.
The leading man, holding a bottle of alcohol, gulped down half the bottle and then ripped open his shirt to reveal his red skin and dense chest hair. He looked emotionlessly at Zhang Erya: “I heard Voraf and his group all got killed?”
As the boss spoke, the noise in the hall lowered, with everyone’s focus on Zhang Erya. Voraf’s reputation here was significant.
“Yes.”
“Oh? And why are you still alive?” The bear-like leader scratched his ssy chest hair, picked up a carving knife, and sliced a bloody piece of beef onto the floor.
A brown bear pet sprinted out from behind him.
The brown bear tore at the beef while eyeing her, as if tearing at her flesh.
Zhang Erya couldn’t help but shiver.
Turning her gaze away, she remained silent for a mont before speaking, “I was out buying food and fortunately escaped the attack.”
Hearing her words, expressions varied among the crowd: so faces showed schadenfreude, others who were uninvolved continued drinking, and so ogled Zhang Erya’s bodily curves with sleazy gazes. Only one person had a look of hatred and stood up, slamming the table.
“You’re lying! You must have caused my brother’s death. I always told him not to trust you since your origins were unclear, but he never listened,” the muscular man broke down, kneeling and crying, “Boss, please let kill her to avenge my brother.”
The leader waved his hand impatiently, and two n ca forward, grabbing and gagging Voraf’s brother despite his struggles.
The atmosphere in the hall was tense; everyone’s eyes were lasered on these two, eager to see how the boss would handle the situation.
“So say you killed Voraf, what do you have to say for yourself?” the leader asked, spearing a large chunk of at with his knife and stuffing it into his mouth, a dribble of blood staining his beard.
Zhang Erya took a deep breath, her gaze firm as she faced him: “I, Yelena, swear my absolute loyalty to the Holy Origin Society, I would never harm a comrade!”
“Oh!” The leader calmly nodded, casually wiping the bloodstain off his mustache, then squinting one eye, he aid the steak knife at Yelena.
Zhang Erya’s heart pounded alarm bells, a chill running down her spine; her chest heaved rapidly yet her gaze remained steady and confrontational.
“Boss.” Just as the leader was about to throw the steak knife, the silent Eastern man beside him reached out and held his big hand.
“I can vouch for Yelena.”
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