The ship came to a halt before the port. As the players stood still on deck, waiting for the bridge to build itself, a voice commanded from the upper deck.
"Lower the bridge! What are you waiting for? Has hunger eaten away at your brains, too?"
Was that - Thanh Van's eyes sparkled like two gems when he gazed up to see sergeant Kruger stand behind the wheel, as majestic as ever, even in his filthy attire.
Christof bristled. He too had noticed the looming man. His thin lips pursed, ready to complain.
"Try to stay in character." Sergeant Kruger hissed between his teeth as he walked past them, nodding at Thanh Van briefly. "Remember the rules. Don't cause suspicion!"
"A-aye, captain!" The players muttered, haphazardly tossing the planks together. The first few were ready to leave when the captain barked once more.
"Are the goods gonna carry themselves out? What do I pay you for? Get to work!"
The players knew Kruger was the highest rank in this scenario. So for now, it was best if they did as he said. Hai Le patted Christof over the shoulder, soothing the guy's annoyance. The sooner they got this scenario over with, the sooner they could leave.
Solemnly, the E and D ranks fell in line and under sergeant Kruger's administration, they unloaded the cargo in record time.
On the sidelines, Thanh Van had no interest in helping. His attention had pulled down at the port.
Two lone figures stood just far enough that they were nothing but a blur to the people on the ship - but still close enough that Thanh Van could feel their gazes boring into him through the faint layer of mist.
But that was not the only stare he felt at the moment. A faint smile pulled at Thanh Van's lips as the cool blue eyes settled on his back.
Sergeant Kruger was not blind. He had noticed both senior Wu and Ruan An loitering about, one sullen like the weather behind them, the other frail, wet and cold - a rain-whipped, abandoned puppy.
And sergeant Kruger adored puppies. His heart trembled almost unnoticed.
"You two, follow me." The sergeant didn't wait for them to answer before he half-dragged them down the bridge and onto the port by their napes.
Ah, too easy to be a beauty. Thanh Van sighed in his heart when his feet hit the port.
Meanwhile, senior Wu stayed silent, gaze lost in the distance, shoulders hanging dejectedly. Even being so close to a hunk seemed to go unregistered by him.
"Captain Kruger." A man in a grey long robe motioned the players to come closer.
A long brass cross hung over his chest, a forced smile on his gaunt, greyish face. Mousy brown hair retreated towards his nape, the bald peppered with cold sweat. "Thank you for enduring these long, excruciating days. You must know the church has been quite anxious with everything that has been going on…"
Sergeant Kruger merely nodded. They could only quietly observe and let the NPC tell them everything they needed to know and memorise each word and facial expression.
"I and the bishop have come to greet you instead of our mayor and archbishop." The priest cowered before the cold glare of the captain, some of the sweat racing towards his brows. "We have met a great tragedy, the baby boy - the mayor and his wife are in mourning-"
"Father Pierre." Long fingers gripped the NPC's shoulder, nails digging into his robes, silencing him at once. "These men have suffered enough. Let us welcome them into the land of God, and not delay any more. Let them bathe and rest."
"O-of course, your grace. Captain, the bishop has spoken. Please, let us walk." The priest hurried to motion them to enter their humble village.
Kruger and other players carried the boxes to the village, each shooting a curious look at the bishop's way as they passed him.
When Thanh Van tried to follow the captain, the long, flowy white robes appeared before him, blocking his way.
"Tell me, child. What is thy name?" The deep voice beckoned, a note of playfulness and danger mixed within.
Thanh Van took his time to raise his gaze. Shyly, the long lashes fluttered, the wind-chafed cheeks tinting red. Slowly, he tilted his chin, craning his long and slender neck. When their gazes finally met, the amber eyes were molten lava, wanting to devour him whole.
So, this guy wanted to play games with him? Game on, handsome. Thanh Van smiled in his heart. Let's see who falls on his knees first before God, Thanh Van, or CEO Kim Jihun?
Somehow, Thanh Van feared he might cringe to death first just by acting all cute before all these men. Bravely, he held his fawn eyes wide, lashes fluttering.
"Sergeant Kruger is no longer here. No need to act coy with me." Kim Jihun offered. On this port, there were only the two of them.
However, instead of showing his true colours as Kim Jihun had hoped and expected, the green eyes blinked wider - confused about what he was saying.
This little vixen! Kim Jihun wasn't one to back down. One way or the other, this little demon will show his true colours, and Kim Jihun will be there to witness the shell of beauty and fragility crack.
"We have not met." Ceo Kim's slanted eyes thinned, a smile playing on his plush lips. "CEO Kim Jihun of Kim enterprises."
The green eyes merely blinked at him, and for a second, Kim Jihun wondered if this beauty was also deaf. There had not been a single white lotus in his vicinity whose eyes didn't flash with greed upon hearing about the Kim enterprises, a globally acknowledged technological powerhouse - especially when the one before them was the CEO himself!
"Um, Ruan An," emerald eyes blinked, cheeks tinting an alluring cherry shade now. "Just An, your grace. Is there something -"
"An?" Right on cue, the sergeant's commanding voice boomed ahead. "Do I pay you to loiter around? Get over here this instant!"