Both Sides of the Sea

At some point, heavy clouds rolled over the layered mountains to the northwest and descended upon the sea, vast and mighty as an army bearing down on the battlefield. Yet in the blink of an eye, they turned into a tattered rag riddled with holes, unable to hold back the abundant moisture above. Water poured down in torrents, forming a sweeping downpour that shrouded the entire Cruise Terminal in misty rain.

Ronan yawned. "Well, there goes the traditional farewell wave."

Mo Ya shot him a sidelong glance. "It's not a maiden voyage. Why would there be all that pointless ceremony?"

Neither of them was wrong. Even though the pier had an enclosed Viewing Platform built specifically for this purpose, none of the cruise passengers were likely to feel like braving the pouring rain for some departure ritual.

It was now 12:15 p.m. Mo Ya had still spent quite a while handling the formalities, and only after her luggage had been checked in, with nothing left but boarding, did the pace suddenly slow.

Since it was a workday, aside from Lady Luo Shuqing, who had specifically taken leave to accompany them, Ronan was the only one who had come along. Even now, most of his attention remained on the bodyguard profiles sent over through the Spirit Wave Network as he made his final deliberations.

"Don't get hung up on the details. Two or three doesn't make much difference. Wild Jujube is a woman, so she can accompany the ship from here. Gao De has to clear his equipment through customs, so he can fly directly to Ban City afterward. Add Cat's Eye to the mix—radar, meat shield, fire support—and it'll be pretty much perfect."

"Let's do as you say. That Wild Jujube has already arrived at the pier, right? ...All right,