Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 861: Letter

Liu Jianguo unscrewed the cap of his tea bottle. A faint smell of wolfberries rose with the steam as he took a small sip. His gaze remained fixated on the young woman who was being consoled by the female officer in the distance.

She was the same woman who was saved from the river earlier. Having been a police officer for so many years, Liu Jianguo had met his fair share of people, but he had never seen a woman quite as beautiful as this one.

She seemed to be a high school student at first glance, definitely not older than seventeen or eighteen. However, her looks were far from that of an ordinary high school student.

Her eyes were crystal clear, her eyebrows arched delicately like the curve of a willow, and her long lashes fluttered softly with each blink. Her porcelain fair skin had a fair pink hue, while her thin lips looked alluring, like that of rose petals.

Paired with her glamorous figure, her appearance drew the attention of everyone in the station—whether they had come to file a report or were staff here.

Liu Jianguo couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Perhaps this was what the younger generation meant by someone having the face of an angel and the figure of a devil.

"Uncle Liu, I checked our database. There's no record of anyone named Gao Zhiming. He might not be from our city," Zhou Tao said with a hint of confusion on his visage.

Liu Jianguo tightened the lid on his tea bottle and turned toward his junior and also team partner. "To be honest, I'd like to meet this guy myself. How trashy must a guy be to let down such a beautiful girl."

"Yeah... She looks so pitiful," Zhou Tao said, allowing his eyes to drift toward the young woman. A pang of pain flickered through his gaze, and without realizing it, his feet started to inch toward her.

Seeing his expression, Liu Jianguo gave him a light slap on the shoulder. "Hey, maintain your image. Don't forget what uniform you're wearing."

Just then, the female officer who had been speaking with the young woman rose to her feet and approached Liu Jianguo and Zhou Tao.

"She says her name is Anna."

"An English name? How are we supposed to track that? Did you manage to get her real name?"

"She didn't say. Apart from her name, she wouldn't give any other useful information. I've tried all sorts of ways to try to get more intel from her, but nothing works. It seems like she hasn't fully recovered from her heartbreak," the female officer replied.

Liu Jianguo pondered for a moment before saying, "By the way, when I brought her in, I saw that she was holding a red box. What's in there? That could be a clue."

The female officer shook her head. "No idea. She wouldn't let me see it. She's not a suspect, after all. And judging from her appearance, she seems like a high school student. I can't possibly just snatch it from her. It wouldn't be nice if I made her cry."

Why? Why must we cower in the shadows of the gods? Why must we humans live like ants afraid of being crushed? The Light God, the Foundation, every single event I had encountered in the Subterranean Sea has only fueled the defiance in my heart. So, I want to try.

Are you surprised? Surprised that I would agree with your viewpoint? Yes, I actually always did. I just didn't agree that you should be the one to do this. It's too dangerous.

Especially during the later days. You became more and more extreme, and obsessed. You even sacrificed two million people in exchange for more power. I had a premonition then that if you were to stay in the Subterranean Sea any longer, it would lead to a disaster. Perhaps, there might come a day when we would fight each other.

What are gods? None of us know the answer to that. When we gain the formidable power of a god, are we the ones controlling the power or are they controlling us through the power? Or worse, what if we become a completely alien existence?

It's a huge gamble. We have no idea what the outcome will be. The stakes are too high and I couldn't let you do it, so I'm doing it.

You used to say you never wanted to be the ant at the mercy of others. Now that you're back on the surface world, no one can threaten you anymore. I'm sorry that I am showing my love in such a twisted way. But there's no choice; I mean, you chose me.

I know that you'll still hate me after knowing everything. I accept that. So live peacefully up there, free from everything. Don't think about the Subterranean Sea anymore. I'll handle everything down here.

And if, by some miracle, I succeed, our family will reunite again, my dearest love.

Charles Reed

Anna's hands trembled as she clutched the letter before her. She read the letter again and again, her eyes scanning every single character. Slowly, she raised the letter to her mouth.

The taste of squid ink was unpleasant, but Anna chewed on the letter with all her strength, a cold, vengeful glint suffusing her eyes.

With a loud gulp, she swallowed the pieces of paper in her mouth.

"Live peacefully on the surface?" Anna muttered under her breath. "Dream on! You think you can make me give up by stripping away all my power? Never!"

Anna stood up and turned to one of the nearby officers, asking, "Excuse me, may I know where's the restroom?"

"Oh, it's just down the corridor on the left."

With a faint smile on her lips, Anna thanked the officer before walking toward the corridor. The black diamond ring on her ring finger gleamed like a dark star under the corridor lights.