Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 908: Melting Wings

Slightly parting the curtains, Zhong Luoyue placed her fingers in a ray of sunlight and immediately felt a burning sensation, as if she were being scorched by flames. She quickly withdrew her hand.

It should have been the time of day when she was most energetic, but there was no doubt that she was unusually drowsy now. Zhong Luoyue yawned, feeling a bit groggy, and glanced at the wardrobe.

Elizabeth was already asleep inside the wardrobe—they had quietly left the hospital before dawn, evading the government and military personnel, and found a reasonably decent hotel to stay in.

“Luoyue? Luoyue?”

At the moment, Zhong Luoyue was making an international call, the other end of the line being in Beijing, China. Due to the time difference, her grandfather, Old Master Zhong, was already asleep, so it was Grandpa Luo, a comrade who had followed Old Master Zhong for half a century through life and death, who answered.

“I’m listening, Grandpa Luo,” Zhong Luoyue rubbed her temples and responded, “I’m just a bit out of sorts, still in a daze.”

There were many reasons to call home. In fact, even before she arrived in this city to attend the banquet at Tu Shenyi’s winery, her bodyguards had been ambushed by the Song family. When her bodyguards were taken to the hospital, the Zhong family back in Beijing had already been informed. The subsequent collapse of the manor and the hospital’s zombie crisis could not be concealed.

“It’s normal to feel out of sorts,” Grandpa Luo said kindly. “Anyone in your situation would feel uneasy. Don’t worry, Luoyue. I’ll arrange for someone to bring you back right away… The Song family has gone too far this time; it’s time to give them a warning.”

“Grandpa Luo, this situation isn’t really the Song family’s fault,” Zhong Luoyue forced herself to focus. “Song Ying was just playing a joke on me. Right now, they’re already overwhelmed. Let’s just watch and see.”

However, Grandpa Luo said sternly, “In business battles between families, whether it's a conspiracy or an open scheme, there are accepted rules. Directly targeting the younger generation violates those rules. The Zhong and Song families have no major business conflicts, only overlapping slightly in the gambling industry. Originally, we kept to our own lanes… But don’t worry, the Zhong family is not without resources. Since you’ve been through this, Old Master Zhong will likely speak to you when you return.”So, there really is something... some hidden, unknown force within the Zhong family. Perhaps a powerful one, but Zhong Luoyue wasn’t optimistic—after all, the Song family had that incredibly mysterious person.

She was too tired. Zhong Luoyue could barely hear what Grandpa Luo was saying anymore. She responded vaguely a few times, and after the call ended, she fell asleep on the table.

She dreamt again of her childhood, when she was lost in a vast forest during military training. She had hidden inside a hollow tree, curled up, terrified.

From time to time, the sounds of wild animals echoed through the forest.

This memory had always been somewhat hazy to Zhong Luoyue, perhaps because she desperately wanted to forget the terrifying experience.

“Are you lost too?”

Suddenly, she heard a childish voice. A small head peeked into the hollow, along with light... firelight.

“I’m lost too. The leaves blocked the sky, and I can’t find the North Star. Can I hide here with you? My dad says it’s safer to hide at night.”

It was a little boy, probably a few years younger than her, holding a torch.

She couldn’t remember clearly... she couldn’t remember.

---

48 hours had passed since the incident—two whole days.

According to crisis management theory, the first 48 hours after an event are the best and most critical time for response.

Recently, a patient who had taken the dangerous drug "Zombie Bath Salts" suddenly went berserk in the hospital. This "bath salt" seemed different from the common version; it was terrifyingly contagious, driving people insane, making them bloodthirsty and violently aggressive—extremely dangerous.

Ouyang Jie lay in his hospital bed, watching the local news, feeling that this explanation seemed unreasonable. Vaguely, Ouyang Jie sensed that things were not as simple as they seemed.

But the government had already controlled the narrative, and rumors in the community were inconsistent. Every hospital worker had signed confidentiality agreements—though they had received some material compensation for doing so. Even so, some rumors had begun to spread.

This was a headache for the crisis managers, but they had already shifted the blame to the so-called "Zombie Bath Salts."

The government’s anti-drug department had called on the public to resist the spread of this illegal drug and not to risk their lives and property for temporary pleasure.

There had been multiple cases of people going berserk and attacking others after taking "Zombie Bath Salts," and the photos circulating of those who had taken the drug bore some resemblance to the zombies involved in this incident. People preferred to believe it was a drug issue rather than something out of a horror movie.

Ouyang Jie turned off the TV.

Since that night, he had been placed in a private ward for various tests and was now awaiting the results. He wasn’t allowed to leave the hospital until then—as for his rights, well, he wasn’t even a citizen of this country.

When he left Tu Shenyi, Uncle Jin had arranged for him to have U.S. citizenship—his current detention was being handled by the U.S. embassy and local government negotiations.

Zhong Luoyue had later contacted him, saying she couldn’t get involved at the moment, and Ouyang Jie understood. However, he couldn’t help feeling a bit resentful that she had left the hospital so quickly.

Given the chaos and danger at the time, her decision to prioritize her own safety made sense… After all, children from prestigious families are taught from a young age to prioritize their survival.

But he had no time to dwell on Zhong Luoyue’s actions. What concerned him more was the situation at the manor.

As time passed, those buried underground would become increasingly dangerous, but the excavation was proving extremely difficult, and many had already given up hope. Ouyang Jie, too, was preparing for the worst.

This trip home, which he had begun with high hopes, now left him feeling like he had lost everything. If life were a gamble, he was now on the losing side.

He hadn’t taken care of himself for days, filled with doubts and anxiety. His face was already covered in stubble, and he looked disheveled.

At that moment, he received a phone call—from an insurance company.

“Is this Mr. Ouyang Jie? A Mr. Jin Wucheng purchased an insurance policy from our company, naming you as the beneficiary. We’ve been informed of Mr. Jin’s unfortunate fate. While we cannot yet confirm whether he is deceased, we felt it was important to contact you as soon as possible. Please prepare accordingly. Of course, if Mr. Jin is still alive, that would be the best outcome.”

“Insurance… what insurance?” Ouyang Jie was taken aback.

"Mr. Jin Wucheng had a safety deposit box at the bank, and according to the agreement, if he unfortunately passed away, only you could open it."

"Uncle Jin... left it for me?"

Ouyang Jie instinctively glanced out the window, suddenly finding the sunlight a bit too bright.

---

Being trapped in a hospital is a frustrating experience, especially with so many restrictions—it's not something one can be happy about… probably.

"Why does this guy not seem the least bit unhappy?"

Faced with Miss Song Ying's question, Su Mei found herself at a loss for how to respond—come to think of it, Su Mei considered herself quite lucky. She survived the collapse of the castle, avoided turning into a zombie, and even escaped the hospital disaster unscathed. But the bodyguard assigned to take care of her hadn’t been so fortunate—people often say, "Great calamities bring great fortune," and perhaps it’s true?

A chance to stay close to Miss Song Ying, something many would fight for.

Due to the need for hospitalization, a bored Song Ying had no choice but to have Su Mei keep her company... She glanced at Mr. Luo Qiu in the pavilion below the inpatient building. Everyone called him "Young Master Qiu," and it seemed he held a position in the Song family equivalent to Miss Song Ying’s status.

"Maybe Young Master Qiu is just a more cheerful person?" Su Mei cautiously offered.

"Even you're calling him 'Young Master'?" Song Ying looked at Su Mei somewhat displeased, which immediately made Su Mei’s face flush with embarrassment.

"Never mind, it’s not your fault." Song Ying shook her head and continued looking at the tablet in her hands, which was filled with documents sent by the company. Unable to go to work, she had no choice but to deal with some business here. However, out of boredom, she began reviewing the Song Dynasty Group’s accounts from the past year—right down to the electricity bills.

"Why am I working even here, while that guy is happily telling stories to kids in the pavilion?"

Indeed, it wasn’t just Luo Qiu and Gan Hong in the pavilion, but also a few children from the inpatient department.

Pretty good at entertaining kids... Song Ying muttered, then suddenly frowned. "Su Mei, what’s going on with the expenses for Chinatown in June last year?"

Su Mei blinked and hurriedly went over to look at the tablet. She examined it for a while but didn’t find anything unusual. "It... doesn’t seem like there’s a problem, Miss Song."

"The figures don’t add up. We’re short by 700,000." Song Ying frowned. "The total is correct, but if you add up all the expenses on the bill, it's 700,000 short."

Mental arithmetic for such a large amount of bills...? Su Mei looked at Song Ying in amazement.

Song Ying furrowed her brow, grabbed the tablet, and quickly marked six different spots in the documents.

"It seems the finance department has been careless." Su Mei shook her head.

But Song Ying suddenly said, "No, it’s not carelessness... someone’s been cooking the books."

"Cooking the books?!" Su Mei was shocked.

Song Ying abruptly stood up. "Let’s go back to the room. Have the company send me the financial records from the last three years, especially those related to Chinatown."

"Got it."

The two of them quickly left.

At the pavilion, Luo Qiu seemed to sense something. He looked up, watching Song Ying and Su Mei walk away.

"Young Master, is something wrong?" Gan Hong asked hurriedly.

"Nothing." Luo Qiu smiled. "Where was I in the story?"

A child in the pavilion quickly answered, "Big brother, you stopped right when Icarus was about to fly toward the sun, ignoring his father’s warning. What happened next?"

Luo Qiu gently replied, "Icarus was too proud. He thought he could fly higher, but the wax on his wings melted from the sun's heat, and the feathers began falling off one by one. Once all the feathers were gone, Icarus could no longer fly and fell into the sea. The waves swallowed him, leaving only the floating feathers on the surface."

"Ah... Did Icarus die? What happened to him?" The children asked in alarm.

Luo Qiu softly responded, "Do you want him to die?"

The children shook their heads vigorously.

"Then, how do you think the story should continue?" Luo Qiu asked with a smile.

"His father, Daedalus, saved him! If I were in danger, my dad would definitely save me!" a little girl said confidently.

"Hmm... He could swim, so he swam to shore and found his father, Daedalus. After that, they lived happily ever after!" a little boy chimed in.

"A whale saved him and brought him to the shore!" another boy suggested.

"He met the mermaid princess and they became friends!" said a little girl.

Luo Qiu listened quietly as the children’s version of the story became more and more fanciful but also more interesting.

Eventually, a nurse came to take the children away for their medicine and injections, leaving only Luo Qiu and Gan Hong in the pavilion.

Gan Hong suddenly asked, "Young Master, Icarus actually died in the end, right?"

Luo Qiu nodded. "The sea buried him, and his body washed up on the shore. His father, Daedalus, found his remains. Later, Daedalus led his people to a new land and lived a good life. But he never found happiness again."

"Then… why didn’t you tell that to the children?" Gan Hong asked, puzzled. "Isn’t the moral of the story that pride leads to downfall?"

"Another lesson from the myth is fatalism," Luo Qiu added. "Daedalus betrayed Talos and escaped punishment, but Icarus, his son, died instead."

"But…"

"Don’t you think that’s too heavy for those children?"

"They’ll grow up and realize it one day, right?"

"Why not wait until they grow up?" Luo Qiu smiled. "If they knew now, there wouldn’t be as many fun and beautiful endings... right?"