Chapter 70: The Mad Deeds of a Madwoman

Little Ma was deeply unsettled. He didn’t dwell on how he could receive text messages here—perhaps the Sea God’s satellite relay device had been hacked. He had no idea who this ghostly, mysterious figure was, nor what attributes they possessed, but instinctively sensed that their warnings had been useful. So, he paused, hesitating.

Elsa and her party had already boarded their boat. Before entering the cabin, Elsa turned, craned her neck, and glanced once more at the “Great Demon King” standing on the Sea God, who was watching her departure. She noticed that his expression was oddly strained.

After a moment’s indecision, Little Ma made up his mind. He felt that, as the Great Demon King, he shouldn’t follow her—he could only command her. So, with no clear purpose and a tentative attitude, he waved lightly at Elsa, then resumed staring indifferently at the sea.

Elsa couldn’t help but laugh. “You couldn’t keep your cool after all, could you? I knew it—no matter what, you’d have to show some sign.”

Though she didn’t know how this man would treat her upon boarding, she had no other choice. She told her assistant and bodyguard, “Take the boat out yourselves. Don’t wait for me; he doesn’t like my people near him.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

After Elsa was sent aboard the Sea God, her subordinates piloted their nine-hundred-horsepower speedboat away, cutting through the waves.

Elsa tied up her hair, standing quietly beside Little Ma to enjoy the sea breeze. At least he’d shown some sign of intent, which made Elsa feel a bit more at ease.

But after a while, he still said nothing, just gazing absently at the twilight sea.

“Not speaking again? Do you really dislike me that much?” Elsa thought that if she’d known he’d behave like this, she might as well have left.

Just then, another group of her subordinates who had remained on the Sea God rushed over, their faces stricken with alarm.

It was unclear what had panicked them, but upon seeing Elsa still here—not on the speedboat—they relaxed somewhat.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so flustered?” Elsa frowned.

The leader approached, leaned in, and whispered, “The Pearl speedboat seems to have had an accident. Once it moved beyond visual range, it disappeared from the radar.”

The Pearl was the speedboat that had just departed.

Elsa’s expression changed drastically. In her understanding, this meant the Pearl had been attacked and sunk, her subordinates lost with it.

It couldn’t be an inside job or a timed explosive—Elsa was confident her security protocols were nearly flawless. Otherwise, such a thing would have happened hundreds of times already. Nor could it be ordinary pirates or gang attacks; on the open sea, with a fifty-five-knot vessel, it couldn’t have been easily caught or blocked.

So Elsa narrowed her eyes, concluding there was only one possibility: the Americans, on a nearby destroyer, were behind it.

She couldn’t yet discern what was implicated—there were too many uncertainties. According to her original plan, Elsa should have been on that boat, heading to a destination.

The Great Demon King had summoned her back to the Sea God, as if he knew something was about to happen.

That wasn’t surprising. In fact, the Great Demon King had always been omniscient since childhood; how he managed it, nobody knew.

Now Elsa had a question—was this the Great Demon King’s warning?

Unable to figure it out, Elsa simply asked directly, “You specifically called me back, and the Pearl has disappeared. Is this your way of intimidating me, a warning?”

Little Ma hesitated for a moment, still not knowing what had happened, and answered coolly, “No.”

Elsa was a little taken aback. He rarely explained or responded, but when he did, at least he never lied. This, to Elsa, was a matter of honor and credibility, so she believed him, feeling somewhat warmed. It meant he did have feelings—he knew what was coming but chose to save his little aunt.

The trouble was, she couldn’t get any more information out of him. He truly disliked speaking. What was hard to understand was: without his nod, would the Americans dare act recklessly?

Idly speculating was pointless. Elsa grew irritated and said, “Fine, I won’t ask anything else. Just one question—do you permit retaliation?”

Little Ma still didn’t know what was happening, nor what she meant. He found it amusing; of course one should strike back when trouble arises. So, tentatively, he nodded.

Elsa’s face darkened. She strode to the side, whispered to a special assistant, “I’ve got authorization. Get me through to the Kremlin. If I don’t make this ship of Americans suffer, it’ll be my loss!”

The special assistant looked bewildered but dutifully produced a dedicated satellite phone, connecting and handing it nervously to Elsa.

Elsa rattled off her instructions, then hung up and announced loudly, “In fifteen minutes, two modified Tu-160 electromagnetic bombers will launch from the Far East Air Force Base. This sea region may experience some mysterious events. Set sail—get the Sea God into Chinese territorial waters as quickly as possible to avoid the ‘storm.’”

What!

Little Ma, even if he didn’t know what he was caught up in, was utterly shocked. This was no movie set—anything involving this family never boded well. What on earth was happening? This woman seemed not only manic but also a little unhinged.

Recalling the ancient dictum that kings never jest, Little Ma felt awkward about retracting his “order.”

Hearing there might be a storm, he dared not remain. Without saying a word, he turned and slipped away. The greatest advantage of this body was never needing to explain anything.

Little Ma took Jiang Yaowen and Feng Chenchen, boarded Jiang Yaowen’s yacht, and sped away. The world seemed increasingly perilous—especially at sea. Only within the administrative zones of a great country did safety exist; at least trouble wouldn’t be catastrophic.

Ni Feihong needn’t be worried; Little Ma had seen her leave earlier with Xu Meihui.

Thus, the Great Demon King departed without another word.

Elsa, however, did not hesitate. She concluded that these bizarre events must be connected to Ma Jiaohong and the CIA.

Ma Jiaohong was the Great Demon King’s beloved younger sister, always allied with the CIA, and Elsa’s lifelong nemesis.

Therefore, her response could only be limited and not too extreme. This time, they would employ electromagnetic and strong sonic attacks on the American sailors. When these half-disabled men returned home and collectively sued the Navy, with the help of media and film hype, it would surely make those bastards miserable.

Meanwhile, the Great Demon King’s nod sent a signal: it was now permissible to begin limited retaliation against Ma Jiaohong’s relentless advances. This was what mattered most.

“At least I’ve gained something,” Elsa thought, exhaling in relief.

As for why the Great Demon King, who always protected his little sister, had acted thus, Elsa found it natural. It was the favorite “art of balance” of a ruler. Besides, his years of mysterious absence had perhaps contributed to the increasing number of strange incidents within the family...