Chapter 1220: Star Sea (25)
Wang Chen crawled out of the ventilation duct and landed steadily on the floor.
He found himself in a kitchen, a very large one, surrounded by various automated cooking appliances.
Each deck of the cruise ship had a large central kitchen to provide passengers with a variety of meals, and budget-conscious people could order free fast food directly from their cabins.
Of course, the taste couldn't compare to the paid organic food.
Due to a high degree of automation, not many staff were needed, so when Wang Chen jumped down, he didn't see a single person.
But he did notice the surveillance cameras hidden in discreet locations.
Ordinary people wouldn't easily spot these cameras, but thanks to the sharp intuition brought by his powerful Divine Soul, Wang Chen destroyed them all in the shortest time possible.
After dealing with the surveillance in the kitchen, Wang Chen left and ran outside.
However, he quickly returned and opened the door to the cold storage.
The cold storage was also very large, with piles of pre-made meals stacked high, and the temperature was minus sixty to seventy degrees.
A normal person, without special warm clothing, would freeze to death in less than half an hour in this space.
Wang Chen didn't have such clothing either.
But he closed the cold storage door from inside and burrowed into a pile of food boxes.
Curling up in the darkness, his back pressed against the ice-cold metal wall, Wang Chen closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing, forcing his body into a state of hibernation.
Gradually, his breathing became extremely subtle and prolonged, with his heartbeat slowing to several minutes per beat, and his body temperature aligning with the surroundings.
At this point, Wang Chen had essentially turned into a big ice block.
Bang!
Soon, the door to the cold storage was opened from the outside, and a pirate in combat armor barged in aggressively.
He scanned the area, his helmet visor flashing a faint red light, searching for signs of life.
But the pirate found nothing, so he cursed under his breath and retreated.
And shut the door again.
Meanwhile, Wang Chen, hidden in the pile of boxes in the corner of the cold storage, remained completely unresponsive and unaware.
Without knowing how much time had passed, he suddenly opened his eyes.
A flash of light flickered in the darkness.
Wang Chen's breathing and heartbeat quickly returned to normal, the frost on his body surface melting away, and the temperature of his skin instantly reached that of a normal person.
The surrounding chill was isolated by a layer of invisible force.
The next moment, Wang Chen activated his personal terminal.
The holographic screen flickered slightly, displaying a normal signal connection—communication had been restored.
Wang Chen felt a sense of relief.
The restoration of communication meant that the crisis had been resolved, otherwise, he would have had to continue hiding here, not knowing how long he could endure and having no control over his fate.
Out of caution, Wang Chen accessed the public network of the cruise ship using his personal terminal and quickly found the relevant information.
Seven hours earlier, a task force from the third fleet of the Imperial Garrison Army of the Gold Lion Star Cluster had stormed the Distant Star cruise ship and engaged in fierce combat with the pirates who had seized the ship, eventually annihilating the enemy and regaining control of the vessel.
Not only that, the third fleet had also sunk five pirate warships, achieving a brilliant victory.
The internal systems and order of the cruise ship had now been fully restored, and damage assessments and equipment repairs were underway.
Meanwhile, the owner of the Distant Star expressed the most sincere apologies to all passengers and stated that they would compensate for all passenger losses, including mental distress!
Having browsed through the information on the public network, Wang Chen left the cold storage with peace of mind and made his way back to his cabin.
The first-class cabin area was bustling, with many staff, aided by repair robots, replacing damaged walls, and even many sections of flooring were being replaced.
As for the bodies of the pirates, they had all been cleared away, not a drop of blood could be seen on the ground.
Soon, all traces of the battle would be gone.
Wang Chen returned to his cabin, sat back on the bed, and let out a long breath of relief.
Although the entire ordeal was fraught with danger, he still deeply felt that his current strength was too weak and he needed to become stronger to truly protect himself.
The technology of the interstellar era posed too many threats to him!
Previously, Wang Chen had relied entirely on his rich combat experience, strong combat will, and a bit of luck to narrowly escape the peril, ultimately having to huddle for survival.
Ultimately, it was due to his insufficient strength!
Ding dong~
Just as Wang Chen was deeply reflecting on himself, suddenly the screen on the cabin door lit up automatically, showing the scene outside.
A visitor had triggered the doorbell.
Wang Chen saw on the screen a pair of strangers, a man and a woman, both in uniform, with prominent badges on their chests.
He felt a slight shudder in his heart and immediately got up to open the door.
The woman standing at the door smiled and asked, "Hello, are you Mr. Wang Chen?"
"Yes."
Wang Chen nodded, "May I ask who you are?"
The woman pointed to the badge on her ample chest and said, "We are special investigators from the Imperial Security Bureau's Gold Lion Star Cluster branch, here to investigate the pirate attack. We have some questions we need you to answer. Please cooperate."
The special investigator from the Imperial Security Bureau had a beautiful appearance, looking in her twenties, her smile warm like a neighborly sister, in stark contrast to the stern-looking middle-aged man next to her.
But Wang Chen wouldn't really mistake her for a neighborly sister.
It's important to know that the Imperial Security Bureau is a feared entity, one of the most famous institutions of the Holy Light Empire.
The Imperial Security Bureau is directly under the Royal family, loyal only to His Majesty the Emperor, reputed to be the most faithful watchmen of the Holy Light Great Emperor.
The bureau's badge is composed of an eagle, a hunting dog, a nine-pointed star, and a scepter, the latter two symbolizing the Empire and the Emperor.
For hundreds of years, the watchmen of the Imperial Security Bureau have captured and executed countless traitors, spies, impostors, and criminals endangering the Empire's security, effectively maintaining the Empire's rule and stability.
Due to their harsh and ruthless methods, the reputation of the Imperial Security Bureau among the populace is mixed, but more often inspires awe and fear, even capable of stopping a child's nighttime cries!
Ordinary people, including Scholar Families' nobles, would undoubtedly feel uneasy if suddenly approached by people from the Security Bureau.
Without any guilt in his heart, Wang Chen didn't deliberately feign fear, nodding and saying, "Alright, please come in."
Once the two investigators entered, he closed the door and brought over two bottles of mineral water.
The middle-aged man declined, but the female investigator accepted, "Thank you."
Wang Chen smiled, "What would you like to ask?"
The female investigator didn't answer directly, instead opening her personal terminal and projecting a holographic screen.
She showed Wang Chen a segment of surveillance footage!
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First update delivered.