MMB Chapter 44 Departure into the Mountains, the Editor-in-Chief's Appreciation
Chapter 44 Departure into the Mountains, the Editor-in-Chief's Appreciation
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
The birdsong in the rainforest woke Fang Jianqiu.
He opened his eyes, sat up from the floor mat, and stretched his stiff neck.
"Hmm~~~"
A soft, seductive moan came from the small bed next to her.
Fang Jianqiu subconsciously turned his head to look.
Sarah had just woken up.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her fiery red hair cascading loosely over her shoulders, her hands raised above her head as she stretched languidly.
With this movement, her already tight short-sleeved shirt was stretched to its limit, and her slender waist bent backward into an amazing arc, showcasing the incredible flexibility of her body.
Her full breasts rose high as she raised her arms, trembling and swaying as if they were about to burst out of her clothes.
This scene is incredibly impactful.
After stretching and yawning, Sarah lowered her arms and rubbed her sleepy eyes with her hands like a kitten washing its face. She turned her head slightly to look at Fang Jianqiu sitting on the ground, her voice soft and languid, still nasal from sleep:
Good morning, Jianqiu~
She looked nothing like her usual mature and sophisticated self; she resembled a Persian cat that had just woken up and was asking its owner for a hug.
"Yes, good morning."
Fang Jianqiu felt a tightness in his throat.
Looking at Sarah's charming, languid, and unguarded appearance, he was already raising the flag in broad daylight, and now it was even more difficult for the flag to be lowered.
"Sarah, if you still want to sleep, then go back to sleep. It's still early."
"Hehehe, I'm fine."
Sarah put down her hand that was rubbing her eyes, her keen eyes catching the unusual thing about Fang Jianqiu's body.
She rested her hand on her smooth thigh, propped her pretty face up with one hand, and a few strands of hair fell from her forehead, covering half of her eyes, but unable to hide the playful smile in them.
She stared at Fang Jianqiu's outward appearance with a smile, as if admiring an interesting work of art.
"However... Jianqiu does seem quite energetic." She parted her red lips slightly, her voice clearly teasing. "Jianqiu, do you need my help?"
As she spoke, she raised her slender right hand, gently touching her index finger and thumb together, and gestured 3.14159 in the air...
"...Just don't make things worse."
Fang Jianqiu took a deep breath and slightly adjusted his belt to avoid being too constricted.
"I have to go out with Brother Xiao today, so I'll have to trouble you to stay and take care of Xiao Lin and the others."
After saying that, he didn't give Sarah a chance to continue teasing him. He grabbed his coat, pushed open the door, and left the house.
Sarah's giggling came from behind.
As soon as Fang Jianqiu stepped out of the house, Sarah tidied her clothes and followed him out.
Outside in the open space, Xiao Yuanshan was squatting next to a wooden tub, washing his face and brushing his teeth with the cool stream water.
"Good morning, Brother Xiao."
"Good morning, Brother Fang, and Miss Sarah."
The group greeted each other, and Fang Jianqiu and Sarah each fetched water and quickly washed up.
After washing up, Fang Jianqiu walked to Xiao Yuanshan's side and said:
"Brother Xiao, we're leaving now. Sarah will stay here and take care of Xiao Lin and the others."
Xiao Yuanshan nodded upon hearing this, but then glanced at Sarah, who was combing her hair beside him, with some concern.
"Well... it's certainly good to have an adult looking after her, but if something happens to Sarah here alone, can she, a woman, manage?"
Although Fang Jianqiu said yesterday that Sarah was his friend, Xiao Yuanshan had never seen Sarah fight, so he still regarded her as the kind of delicate foreign girl who needed protection.
Upon hearing this, Sarah stopped combing her hair.
She smiled, said nothing, and simply pulled the heavy revolver from her waist.
This weapon, which Xiao Yuanshan believed only a strong man could wield, was as light as a chopstick in her hands.
With a flick of her wrist, the revolver spun rapidly between her fingers, becoming a black afterimage. After spinning several times, it came to a steady stop in her palm, without the muzzle even wobbling.
"Don't worry, Grandpa Xiao."
Sarah put the gun back in its holster, a confident smile on her face.
Xiao Yuanshan stared in disbelief, and it took him a while to come to his senses before he gave a thumbs up.
"Amazing! Amazing! As expected of Brother Fang's friend, a hero and a heroine go hand in hand. I, this old man, was blind!"
Now that there was such a guardian deity protecting the house, Xiao Yuanshan was completely at ease.
"Let's not delay, Brother Xiao, shall we go now?" Fang Jianqiu said.
"Yes, that settlement is quite far away, in a bay on the other side of the mountain. The road there is difficult to travel; it's all mountain roads, not suitable for horseback riding. Riding a horse is actually slower."
Xiao Yuanshan pointed to the distant mountains.
"If we go now and walk quickly, we should arrive before noon. However, we'll still need to get a horse."
"Why bring a horse?" Fang Jianqiu asked, somewhat puzzled.
"It's not for riding, it's for carrying things."
Xiao Yuanshan explained:
"Those smugglers all have their own jobs to do, and their schedules are unpredictable. Even if we go there, we might not be able to leave immediately; we might have to wait an extra day or two for a boat. Besides, that place lacks medical care and medicine, so it's always necessary for us to exchange some necessities with them, or trade goods for information. This horse is just a pack animal."
Fang Jianqiu nodded, acknowledging Brother Xiao's thoughtful idea.
"Okay, whatever you say."
Fang Jianqiu then led out his black horse and placed the prepared supplies and the bag of gold coins in the saddlebag on the horse's back.
Everything is ready.
The two men, leading their horses, bid farewell to Sarah and then plunged into the misty rainforest, heading towards the coast beyond the mountains.
......
Honolulu, the office building of the Evening Post.
John Smith, the editor-in-chief who weighs over 250 pounds, is currently slumped in his oversized leather chair.
Time to go back to work.
He sighed, bracing himself on the armrests, and struggled to pull his massive frame out of the chair to pour himself a glass of whiskey to perk himself up.
Just then.
"Bang!"
A loud bang.
The thick, solid wood door to the office was pushed open with extreme force, the door slamming heavily against the wall with a sickening thud.
The commotion was so loud that it not only startled the employees outside, who craned their necks to look, but also made John, who was about to stand up, tremble all over. His legs went weak, and his 200-pound frame slammed back into the chair, making the pen holder on the table jump.
"Fuck! You fucking quit?!" John yelled, clutching his heart which was pounding in his chest, both shocked and furious.
He looked up and saw a guy wearing round-framed glasses, an old suit, and who was usually invisible at the newspaper office, striding towards him.
The kid was waving a stack of photos around as if they were some priceless treasure.
His face had an unusual, almost morbid flush, and his eyes gleamed with an excited light, as if he had been injected with chicken blood.
John didn't recognize the man's name at first, but judging from his attire, he figured he was one of his employees.
Seeing the kid's crazy appearance, John's heart started pounding.
Is this kid working himself to death? Or has he suffered some kind of shock and is trying to take revenge on society? This is bad; I'm too big to outrun a madman like this.
He swallowed hard, just about to say a few kind words to calm this "madman."
But the employee didn't give him a chance to speak at all.
Lem strode to the desk, but instead of pulling out a knife or a gun, he slammed the stack of photographs, still smelling of developing solution, onto the desk.
"Editor-in-Chief John! Take a look at these!"
Lem was breathing heavily, his eyes fixed on John, his voice hoarse but full of power.
"This is a golden goose that will make the Evening Post a fortune! This is a bomb that will turn the whole of Honolulu upside down!"
As expected of a journalist, Lem used just one short sentence to accurately capture John's curiosity and dispel his concerns about his personal safety.
As long as they're not here to kill someone, that's fine.
John breathed a sigh of relief, swallowing back the curse he was about to utter. He glanced suspiciously at Lem, then reached out his chubby hand and grabbed the photo on the table.
The first picture shows the horrific state of the overseer who was dragged to his death.
The second picture shows the corpses scattered all over the ground in front of Hans Manor.
The third image is a close-up of Hans himself, his eyes wide open in death.
The fourth picture is of the cavalry graveyard on that rocky beach, which resembles a battlefield.
The fifth one...
John glanced at it once, and his expression immediately went out of control.
If the sudden intrusion had only startled him, his expression now was one of pure shock and horror. His pupils contracted sharply, his mouth opened wide uncontrollably, and his small eyes, which had been somewhat closed due to his obesity, now stared like copper bells.
"This...this is..."
His hands began to tremble, not from fear, but from extreme excitement. As a veteran media professional, he knew all too well what these photos meant.
This is the big news he's been dreaming of! This is the super scoop that could make the Al-Aftonblade's sales increase tenfold!
"Everyone! Listen up!"
John sprang up from his chair with surprising agility, unlike a man weighing over 200 pounds. His earlier clumsiness in getting up seemed like an illusion; he was now like a beast eyeing fresh meat.
He yelled at the employees outside the door who were still confused about what was going on, his voice shaking the windows:
"Everyone! Stay and work overtime today!!! Anyone who dares to leave will be fired! We need to create a big news story! Get this page ready as quickly as possible!"
After shouting that, he suddenly turned his head and stared intently at the ordinary employee in front of him. At this moment, Lem was no longer an invisible person in his eyes, but a living god of wealth.
"Good job, lad!" John asked forcefully, his tone even carrying a hint of admiration. "Have you thought of a title for this report?"
Lem had thought about it countless times on his way back, and upon hearing the editor-in-chief's question, he immediately replied excitedly and in a hoarse voice:
"I've thought about it! I've thought of several!"
"Bloody Revenge: The Last Judgment of the Vipior Plantation!"
"The Demise of Eighteen Elite Cavalrymen: One Man Is an Army!"
"And... 'Demons & Vampires: A Bloody Meeting in Hell!'"
"Also, Editor-in-Chief, my name is..." Lem was just about to take the opportunity to promote himself so that the editor-in-chief would remember his name.
Before Culham could finish speaking, he was interrupted by John's hearty laughter.
The fat man slapped the table, his face shaking with laughter:
"Haha! This title is great! Especially the last one, it's explosive! Eye-catching! Let's use this one!"
"Alright, enough talk! Go and write up the report! The more detailed the better, the more sensational the better! Include everything you know! If you don't have it, make it up! I trust you know what to do!"
"As for your name..."
John waved his hand and said with great pride:
"Just write it in the most prominent place in the news article! Right below the headline! Then everyone in Honolulu will know that you wrote this report!"
That one sentence alone made Lem's blood boil, and he felt like he was on fire.
This is the right to be credited on the front page! It's an honor that many journalists strive for their entire lives!
"Yes, Editor-in-Chief!"
Lem shouted, turned and ran, striding out of the office, his back looking several sizes taller than usual.