Task 31

Qiao Yuyan was speechless. "Where on earth are you getting these rumors? When did I ever break Gu Zhixu’s leg?"

"You didn't?" The person on the other end sounded confused. "But it’s all over the dark web. They say Fable not only successfully completed the mission to steal intelligence from the Gu Corporation but also broke Gu Zhixu’s leg..."

"Enough," Belen interrupted their gossip. "Let’s talk business."

Qiao Yuyan cleared her throat and asked seriously, "What’s the situation with the Gu family’s cruise ship?"

"It’s just a standard tourist cruise ship, nothing special—wait?" The person stopped mid-sentence. Nothing but the sound of typing could be heard through the headset.

Qiao Yuyan didn't rush them; she waited quietly.

A moment later, Belen took over. "On the night of the 26th, an auction will be held on the ship, hosted by Gu Zhixu’s aunt. Reliable intelligence confirms that Gu Zhixu himself will attend."

What a coincidence. Qiao Yuyan stroked her chin. "Does Gu Zhixu have full control over this ship?"

The head of the intelligence department, who had been gossiping earlier, chimed in, "Fable, don't underestimate Gu Zhixu. He has absolute control over all of the Gu Corporation's assets; this ship is no exception."

Qiao Yuyan remained noncommittal. As long as he had control, that was enough. Although she didn’t know why Gu Zhixu would spread rumors that his leg was broken, Fable was not someone to be manipulated so easily.

After some thought, she formulated a preliminary plan. "Get our team an identity to sneak onto the ship."

As soon as she finished speaking, the line went dead silent.

Belen cleared his throat. "I’m sorry, but you’ll have to act alone this time."

Qiao Yuyan was bewildered. "What?"

The head of the logistics department whispered, "The thing is, Fable, we only have one set of the special gear capable of bypassing the DK organization’s latest radar detection."

Qiao Yuyan was expressionless. "How many people are they up against?"

The person on the other end sounded guilty, their voice dropping even lower. "The DK organization has deployed two teams this time, totaling ten people."

Qiao Yuyan smiled slightly. "So, you’re suggesting I take on ten people by myself?"

"There’s more..."

"There's more?" Qiao Yuyan raised her voice.

"The Little Prince was kidnapped by the Chief of the Sari Royal Guards, and the Chief has three—no, four people with him." The voice from headquarters grew thinner.

Qiao Yuyan sneered. "Are you joking? I’d have to go alone, without any equipment, swim to that island, and then face fifteen armed militants? Do I have a death wish?"

"Actually... only fourteen of them pose an actual physical threat," the person tried to argue.

"Is there really a big difference between fourteen and fifteen?"

Logistics chuckled weakly. "Hehe, don't worry, Fable! Our logistics department will do everything in our power to support you!"

"And our intelligence department too..."

"Hmph, remote support? By the time you arrive, you’ll just be coming to collect my corpse." Qiao Yuyan was unmoved.

Headquarters took turns trying to persuade her for a long time, but Qiao Yuyan refused to budge. Just as they were wearing her down, Belen spoke bluntly: "The bounty offered by the King of Sari is 100 million dollars. If you complete this mission solo, you get a 30% cut."

Qiao Yuyan did the math in her head. 30% of 100 million...

Her eyes lit up, and she straightened her posture. "30 million dollars?"

Belen didn't explain further, simply asking, "Are you in or not?"

Qiao Yuyan frowned, subconsciously biting her finger. The mission was undeniably dangerous, but the reward was too tempting. As the saying goes, wealth is found in danger. If she pulled this off, she could move her retirement plans up by several years.

After weighing the risks, she made up her mind. "I'm in!"

The atmosphere at headquarters instantly lightened. "Gosh, how could we have forgotten the most important part?"

"Exactly, we wasted so much time for nothing."

Belen chuckled. Just as he was about to end the call, Qiao Yuyan shouted, "Send me the mission file!"

"You got it!" the head of the intelligence department replied loudly.

The call ended, and Qiao Yuyan waited patiently. Soon, a notification popped up on her phone with an encrypted file. She opened it to find the full details of the kidnapping compiled by the intelligence team.

Sari is one of the few remaining absolute monarchies. The King holds supreme power, and his will is the law of the land. Although Sari is small in size, it is a massive energy exporter, making its citizens wealthy and prosperous. It is also one of the few countries that still practices polygamy.

Strangely, the powerful King of Sari is deeply devoted to his wife. Despite being unable to conceive naturally for over a decade, he refused to take another wife. It wasn't until this January that they welcomed a child via IVF.

The mastermind behind the kidnapping is the Chief of the Royal Guards. The Chief had an affair with the Little Prince’s wet nurse. If they were commoners, marriage would be normal, but the Chief’s wife is the King’s own sister. In Sari, despite the legality of polygamy, the dignity of a royal princess is inviolable. Upon discovering the affair, the Princess was furious and ordered the wet nurse’s execution. To protect his lover, the Chief abandoned his family, recruited three of his subordinates, conspired to kidnap the Little Prince, and fled.

They are currently demanding a 200 million dollar ransom, threatening to kill the prince if the King refuses. Furthermore, they warned the King and Interpol that any attempt to approach would result in the prince being fed to the sharks. The King, insulted, would rather pay a mercenary than give in to the kidnappers. Moreover, the notorious DK organization is involved—given their lack of integrity, the King fears they would kill the boy regardless of payment.

Qiao Yuyan looked at the timeline. The kidnappers fled to the island on the 23rd and gave the King five days, meaning the rescue had to happen by the 28th. As for the armed forces, the person the intelligence team omitted was the wet nurse. However, Qiao Yuyan wouldn't underestimate her; someone bold enough to have an affair with a princess's husband and participate in a royal kidnapping was no simple character.

After a final check, she closed the file, and it automatically deleted itself.

As she began her preparations, an encrypted message arrived from logistics: "Flora will meet you in the Kingdom of Jinli on the 25th to assist you with boarding."

She couldn't go empty-handed. Since guns and ammunition were strictly controlled in the Xia Kingdom and GSC could not transport weapons in, she had to board from a country along the ship's route. Qiao Yuyan opened her satellite map to study the island's terrain. She always prepared thoroughly, creating multiple contingency plans to ensure she could handle any emergency.

As she discussed a third action plan with logistics, Jiang Yunxi knocked on the door. "Yanyan, time for lunch."

Qiao Yuyan checked the time—it was nearly noon. She sent a message to logistics to discuss later.

Downstairs, Jiang Yunxi sat alone at the table, surrounded by dishes that smelled delicious—all of Qiao Yuyan’s favorites. Qiao Yuyan sat down, but before she could pick up her chopsticks, Jiang Yunxi asked, "Yanyan, do you want to go to Emerald Island?"

"Are you going, sister?" Qiao Yuyan asked casually.

"Yes. I originally planned to go on vacation with Lingchen," Jiang Yunxi sighed with regret. "But he’s been so busy with work that he can't get away. He told me to take you instead and have a good time."

Qiao Yuyan frowned. Given Huo Lingchen’s obsessive personality, he would never let her sister travel alone. She joked, "Is your husband really willing to let you go alone? He usually wants you by his side every second."

Jiang Yunxi blushed, playfully hitting Qiao Yuyan’s hand. "You silly girl, we’ve been married for a long time now. Besides, I’ve been busy too. It was Lingchen who arranged everything and insisted we go enjoy ourselves."

Qiao Yuyan’s suspicion deepened. What was Huo Lingchen planning? She glanced at the original novel’s document in her mind, but it remained silent. She suppressed her unease. "When are we going?"

"Lingchen set the departure for the 27th, returning on the 30th," Jiang Yunxi replied.

Qiao Yuyan did the math. Today was August 24th. She would be in Jinli tomorrow to board the Gu family ship. The flight distance between the island and Emerald Island was about two hours; she should be able to make it to meet her sister on time.

"Sister, Aunt hasn't been out in a while either. You two go ahead. I have some business abroad to handle tomorrow, but I promise I’ll be there on the 27th to meet you," Qiao Yuyan said.

Jiang Yunxi looked disappointed. "Is it something very important? Should I ask your brother-in-law to push back our trip so we can go together?"

Qiao Yuyan waved her hand. "It’s fine, sister. It’s just some personal business my foster mother needs me to handle. It won't take long."

Since Huo Lingchen had personally arranged the trip, it wouldn't be easy to change. Regardless of the outcome of her mission, she would make it to Emerald Island. She wanted to see what Huo Lingchen was really up to.

Seeing Qiao Yuyan’s determination, Jiang Yunxi smiled again. "Alright then, Mom and I will wait for you on Emerald Island."