Yamato, who hadn't noticed Chizhao's expression, recalled everything he had experienced during the day, his voice low: "Today, I successfully entered a shipyard controlled by Gato. It was almost entirely filled with islanders he had captured from various parts of the island, forced to build ships for him day and night."
Their emaciated bodies, pale skin, and the scenes of flogging were still vivid in his mind. Yamato frowned, suppressing his emotions, and continued: "The overseers there are mostly thugs hired by Gato. Although they don't seem like Ninja, they should be part of a criminal organization. I suspect they're also involved in drug trafficking."
Hearing this, Chizhao finally took a closer look at Yamato under the lamplight.
Wood shavings were mixed in his neat short hair, and the clothes on his shoulders were severely worn.
He must have carried very heavy timber.
"Since it's day and night, Captain, if you're not there, will they discover you?"
Chizhao looked at Yamato, her tone filled with worry.
Yamato smiled calmly: "It's fine. Shipyards are all wood. Creating a Wood Clone is quite easy."
Everyone then breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Although we found one of Gato's factories, we didn't see him personally. Do you have any new progress or discoveries on your side?"
His gaze turned to the others sitting around. Sai and Fu Yamanaka exchanged glances and smiled slightly.
The meaning was clear: 'You're better at speaking than I am, so you go ahead.'
So Fu Yamanaka smiled helplessly, straightened his body, and slowly began: "Sai and I rescued an old man who was about to commit suicide. From him, we learned that his family had been fishing for generations."
"Because of Gato's monopoly, he ordered them to deliver all fresh seafood they caught to him every day. If they didn't deliver on time, or didn't meet his requirements, he would destroy their fishing boats, which they relied on for survival, or even take their lives."
Chizhao hadn't expected Gato to go to such lengths. She thought he was already detestable enough in her memories, but it turned out this was merely the tip of the iceberg of his evil deeds.
"Now Sai and I are working for the old man, helping him fish and looking for an opportunity to get close to Gato."
Yamato nodded, then looked at Chizhao and Torune.
"So, Chizhao, what did you two gain today?"
Torune looked at Chizhao. After all, he had slept all day and knew nothing. If he had to say he gained anything, it would only be those two pitiful copper coins.
With a 'clink,' two copper coins rolled onto the table. Under the dim white light, Chizhao said with an innocent expression: "I gained two copper coins!"
"Eh!?"
Shocked, Torune immediately pulled Chizhao away from the others, lowering his voice to question her: "Didn't you go to gather information today? How can it really be just these two copper coins?!"
If that were the case, wouldn't it make it seem like the two of them accomplished nothing?
Chizhao smiled and took Torune's hand from her neck, then returned to the table: "Of course it's not just these two copper coins. I also inquired about the story of a man called 'Hero' on this island a year ago."
Hearing that there was indeed other information, Torune secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
So Chizhao recounted the story from her memory about how Gato had taken away the island's courage:
The night outside was deep, and crickets chirped merrily in the woods, lengthening the night's loneliness.
"So that's it. I didn't expect there to be such a story on this island."
Yamato let out a soft breath, his broad shoulders relaxing.
The Gekko streamed through the window, falling on his face, reflecting a faint hint of melancholy and contemplation.
Everyone's gazes met in the Gekko, and a hint of fatigue and drowsiness appeared on their faces.
So, Yamato made a timely decision: "Let's stop here for today. Everyone should continue with the current plan, and if there are other situations, we'll make separate arrangements. Dismissed, go get some rest."
As Yamato's words fell, today's intelligence summary finally came to an end.
Chizhao let out a big yawn, rubbed her dry eyes, picked up her sleeping bag and gear, and slowly walked upstairs to her room.
The house Yamato built could indeed accommodate all of them, but as Chizhao lay in her sleeping bag, she tilted her head to look at the three people also wrapped in sleeping bags, who had somehow ended up beside her, and her mouth twitched speechlessly.
"Hey... don't you three all have your own rooms? Why are you all here in mine now?"
Torune, lying to her left, slowly spoke: "The two of us were assigned to a team, so it's only right that we act together."
That seemed to make a little sense. Then she looked at Fu Yamanaka next to Torune: "Fu? We're not in the same team, are we?"
Fu Yamanaka looked at her over Torune, his yellow pupils covered with a layer of cool Gekko, and he smiled gently: "Torune and I have always been very good partners in the Root Organization, so I'm used to sleeping with him."
This....
You two brothers really have a good relationship...
"Then Sai, what's your reason?"
Sai, on the right, had his eyes tightly closed, his pale skin seeming to glow softly in the Gekko.
He slowly opened his dark pupils, meeting Chizhao's questioning eyes for a second, then his hand in the sleeping bag gently touched the area over his heart.
"My heart tells me I want to be with you."
Sai's voice was low and gentle, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.
Chizhao hadn't expected Sai to say such ambiguous words so directly. The alert Fu Yamanaka immediately sat up, taking his sleeping bag and squeezing between the two of them.
"Sai, since the two of us are in a team, I'll stay closer to you."
Although Fu Yamanaka's expression was gentle and his tone calm, that subtle hostility once again spread between the two of them.
Torune, on the other hand, looked utterly peaceful. Wrapped in his warm sleeping bag, he tilted his head to glance at Chizhao, a satisfied smile curving his lips before he closed his eyes.
Sai still didn't quite understand Fu Yamanaka's actions; he just felt that the other person seemed to care a lot about him.
Are there many kinds of feelings between boys too?
"Thank you, Fu, you're a good person."
At this moment, the room was filled with a subtle atmosphere.
Seeing Fu Yamanaka inexplicably given a 'good person card,' Chizhao slowly typed a '?' in her mind.
Then she carefully observed the meaningful smiles they exchanged with each other.
An incredibly explosive thought flashed through Chizhao's mind.
Sai and Fu.....
No way.....
The temperature on her face suddenly rose. Chizhao shook her head, trying to dispel the scene that shattered her worldview, burying her face in her sleeping bag, her heart tense.
What kind of strange development is this.....
This part wasn't in my memories!
Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it.
Otherwise, I won't be able to look at them directly anymore.
"It's getting late.... Go to sleep, good night."
After saying that, Chizhao tightly closed her eyes, trying to keep her mind blank.
She heard Torune's even breathing, a muffled "good night" like a murmur.
Then came Fu Yamanaka, his voice soft and calm: "Good night~."
Sai blinked gently, his gaze focused on the ceiling in front of him, carefully savoring the deep meaning contained in those two words.
Then, he tried to imitate their tone, softly whispering two words: "Good night."
As his words fell, the entire room seemed to be gently embraced by the soft Gekko. All the noise and disturbances subsided, leaving only peace and tranquility lingering in the air.