Chapter 252: Setting Sail

April 1st, April Fools’ Day. Many fans began commemorating Leslie Cheung, who passed away on this day. The originally playful atmosphere turned sorrowful. Choosing to leave this world on April 1st carries a certain philosophical, metaphysical weight to it.

April 1st, 9:00 AM, filming began. I brought Little Rascal and the kitten, along with Xie Xiaoyu, to the auction hall.

The golden urn was the fifth item up for auction.

Hua Changsheng, Hammer Lord, and Hua Jueye sat in the front row. Next to them was an agent hired by Dai Hao, who was seated nearby. Dai Hao pushed Dai Zhong into the fourth row. Yu Qian wasn’t present—instead, two of his capable subordinates were there, one holding a satellite phone in use.

I scanned the room for a while but didn’t spot Gu Xiulian. I wasn’t sure if he had come or was hiding in disguise. I’d seen Gu Xiulian at Ocean Park before, but I still didn’t know what kind of zombie he had brought with him. I also wondered if he was responsible for the recent murders.

Guo Furong wore oversized sunglasses and sat in the middle of the third row, flanked by Guo Jue and Sanjin. Sanjin had changed into a black Adidas tracksuit, wore a cap, and also sported black sunglasses, sitting quietly below.

I sat in the very last row. Zhao Banshan had helped me sell a painting for four million. I planned to use this money to compete with the other two families. Though the amount was small, I was willing to try.

The first four auction items were quickly sold. When the fifth item—the golden urn—went up for bidding, the starting price was 150,000. Dai Hao quickly raised it to 300,000. Hammer Lord, unwilling to back down, pushed it to 700,000. Guo Furong then raised it to 900,000.

I was still waiting. While Sotheby’s had sold items for hundreds of millions before, a Tang Dynasty golden urn starting at 150,000 and skyrocketing to 900,000 in moments was already considered high. But the bidding war wasn’t over yet. Hammer Lord raised his paddle—2,000,000.

Guo Jue glanced at Hua Jueye before raising the bid to 3,000,000. These guys were absolute beasts. I only had a 4,000,000 Bank of China check. Hesitating for a moment, I shouted, “2,010,000!” The crowd erupted in murmurs. Dai Hao, seemingly provoked, countered with 2,030,000. The bidding frenzy escalated, quickly reaching 3,000,000.

Hua Jueye chuckled as he looked at Guo Jue.

Guo Furong seemed ready to give up. Even at 3,000,000, this golden urn was already priced at the peak for gold artifacts. The original appraisal of 150,000 suggested that experts didn’t consider it a particularly finely crafted piece.

The price had already hit 3,000,000.

Guo Jue raised his hand—3,100,000. Dai Hao countered with 3,500,000. Gritting my teeth, I shouted, “4,000,000!” Not long after, Dai Hao raised the bid to 5,000,000.

Dai Hao had one thing in abundance—U.S. dollars. The old man was determined to win, raising his paddle relentlessly. Guo Furong made her final move, pushing it to 6,000,000, whispering to Guo Jue that this was her last bid.

Dai Hao raised it again to 6,500,000. I was out of the game. Standing up, I left the hall with Xie Xiaoyu, waiting outside the entrance. At this point, I only hoped Hua Changsheng could secure the golden urn. Combined with the silver urn Hua Jueye carried, the Hua family’s bargaining power would increase significantly.

At the entrance, a security guard in a suit held a walkie-talkie.

Upon closer inspection, it was none other than the legendary thief, Yanzi Li San. I walked over and asked, “Here to steal something?” Yanzi Li San looked at me, surprised that I had recognized him.

“Just here for fun,” he muttered under his breath.

In the end, Dai Hao dropped 13,000,000 and walked away with the golden urn. Yanzi Li San grinned and said, “Follow me. I’ll show you something.”

I knew something interesting was about to happen. Yanzi Li San led me away from the building, turning into an alley where he handed me a box. He told me to wait until he was gone before opening it. Inside the box gleamed a golden urn—identical to the one I had seen in the auction.

“In the world of deception, there’s a man named Xiao Buquan. In the world of theft, there’s a man named Li San,” Yanzi Li San said before vanishing into the crowd, leaving no trace behind. I was stunned. The entire auction had been a rollercoaster, yet the golden urn had already been stolen by Li San.

Though Li San hadn’t fully explained, the implication was clear—he had been entrusted by Xiao Buquan to steal the golden urn and deliver it to me.

I quickly secured the urn.

Yanzi Li San’s skills were nothing short of miraculous, truly a master of Chinese arts.

I pulled out my phone and called Inspector Huang: “Yu Qian has started the transaction. Dai Hao’s account will definitely transfer out 13,000,000. Be ready to freeze it.”

Inspector Huang replied, “I’ve also received a tip.”

“Yu Qian has committed murders in China too. He must face justice.”

Hanging up, I hailed a taxi with Xie Xiaoyu and left Admiralty, heading straight to the Northern District. If things went south, we could cross the border into Shenzhen’s Luohu District.

April 2nd was Cold Food Festival. Three days later would be Qingming Festival. After bringing the jade corpse to Hong Kong and obtaining the golden urn, I still hadn’t received a response from the person who had sent the signal. That afternoon, I called Hua Changsheng. He expressed regret over failing to buy the golden urn. I didn’t tell him it was already in my possession—I feared someone might target me. I had made all necessary preparations. If crossing the border into mainland China wasn’t possible, I’d take a speedboat to Shenzhen at night and then head north back to Jiangcheng.

More and more, I felt this was all part of a grand conspiracy.

Using the golden urn to pit factions against each other, with seven powerful zombies gathered in one place—violence was inevitable.

On the evening of April 4th, my seven-day tourist visa had already expired by two days. Staying in Hong Kong was now illegal.

I called Inspector Huang again, asking about Yu Qian and Dai Hao. These drug lords were heavily armed. Yu Qian had been fatally shot in a fierce confrontation, while Dai Hao had seemingly vanished. Fortunately, one of his accounts had been traced, and negotiations with Swiss banks were underway. Investigations revealed that a man with half his face disfigured was a prime suspect in several murders, but his whereabouts remained unknown.

I warned Inspector Huang: “First, tell your undercover agents to stand down immediately. Dai Hao is exceptionally ruthless. Second, increase patrols—zombies will roam at night. If possible, give every night patrol officer a piece of dried cow dung—it helps ward off zombie attacks.”

Inspector Huang said he’d consider it before hanging up.

Night fell—the eve of Qingming Festival. Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a message, instructing me to leave my room. A car would pick us up, and all answers would be revealed once we boarded.

I had been hiding in the Northern District for a while. Had the mastermind behind all this found me? I was stunned.

Outside, a black phantom-like car awaited, its driver expressionless. As we got in, unease settled over me. The ghostly driver, the eerie silence—was this an invitation from the King of the Underworld?

The car stopped at the Ao Gang Pier, where we boarded a sizable ship. I wasn’t the first to arrive. The first person I saw on deck was Gu Xiulian.

“Gu Xiulian,” I spat. “You framed me for murder!”

Gu Xiulian smirked. “What are you gonna do? Sick your dog on me?”

I shot back, “My Little Rascal wouldn’t even bother with you.”

Gu Xiulian stood silently on the deck, ignoring me.

By midnight, more people had boarded the ship.

Dai Hao and Dai Zhong arrived.

Hua Changsheng, Hua Chongyang, and Hammer Lord came aboard.

Guo Jue brought the silver-armored corpse, Sanjin.

Guo Furong was the Fragrant Corpse.

Accompanying her was a mummified skeleton.

I had Xie Xiaoyu with me.

Gu Xiulian stood beside a stone coffin, presumably housing another zombie.

All seven corpses were present.

Hua Changsheng spotted me and called out, “Xiao Qi! Haven’t seen you in days. You doing alright?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I was just about to head back to the mainland.”

Hammer Lord sneered. “Good. One less person to compete with.”

Xie Xiaoyu strode over and slapped Hammer Lord twice. He shrank behind Hua Changsheng, not daring to speak again.

Hua Jueye chuckled, the silver urn at his waist swaying. “This little girl’s got quite the temper.”

Guo Jue called out, “Hua Jueye, you here for the show too?”

Hua Jueye grinned. “I’ve been keeping an eye on your Sanjin. Since he’s here, I had to come. I’d love to devour him whole.”

Guo Jue scoffed. “You’ll choke on it. Want me to kill a dog for you instead?”

Little Rascal barked angrily at Guo Jue’s taunting gaze.

The ship was crowded now. Aside from a few stone-faced men in suits, there was no sign of the captain.

Dai Hao, furious after being hunted by the police, shouted, “Who called us here? Bring out your boss! If not, I’ll burn this ship down!”

Gu Xiulian added, “If no one shows up, I’ll torch it too. If we don’t set sail soon, I’ll start killing people!”

Sirens wailed in the distance—police cars were closing in. More vehicles arrived; marine police would likely be deployed soon. If they blocked the pier, the drug lords and murderers would have nowhere to run.

A row of zombies stood ready.

I stepped aside and called Inspector Huang, urging him not to approach. Seven zombies were waiting on the ship—human sacrifices for a ritual departure were part of their customs.

Inspector Huang replied, “The arrow’s already on the bowstring. We can’t back down now. Bullets will take them down.”

It was no use arguing. I told Xie Xiaoyu not to engage.

Just then, Xue Youniang, her face sharp as a serpent’s, finally appeared and announced, “No rush. We’re about to set sail.”

Hua Changsheng and I exchanged startled glances—we hadn’t expected Xue Youniang to be behind this.

The kitten meowed softly in response.