"Hahaha, as expected of Teacher Andre, you saw right through my intentions in one glance," the Russian man laughed as he entered.

"And you are?" Andre looked at the man at the door with surprise.

The Russian stopped disguising himself, took off his baseball cap, revealing a face with sharp features, deep brown eyes, and short blond hair, looking remarkably energetic.

"Beckham?" Xiao Feiyang asked in amazement.

I was left speechless, wondering what this guy was thinking, how Beckham could possibly be here.

But taking a closer look, I had to admit, the man did bear a resemblance to Beckham.

"What Beckham? My name is Aleikham, a student of Teacher Andre..." the Russian said with a smile.

"You claim to be my student, but I don't recall you," Andre asked, puzzled.

Aleikham warily retreated out the door, glanced around to confirm they were alone, then flashed a hearty smile again and said, "I knew you wouldn't remember me, Teacher, but you haven't changed a bit from thirty years ago."

Andre frowned and said, "Thirty years ago..."

After a moment of thought, a realization dawned on him, and he said, "Could you be..."

Aleikham nodded. "Teacher, you remember. My name in the Luoraveyt language is BEY. Thirty years ago, you established the first school in Chukotka, and there were only five students. I was one of them. Even though the Chukchi people didn't fully embrace your approach to scientific education, your theories profoundly influenced my entire life."

Andre burst into loud laughter, stepped forward, and embraced BEY. "Thirty years makes such a difference; I almost didn't recognize you. You were the brightest among all the students back then."

At that moment, Xiao Feiyang whispered in my ear, "Did 'influencing a lifetime' mean leading him down the path of smuggling?"

I shot him a look and said, "Don't talk nonsense."

BEY continued, "Back then, because the clan opposed you opening a school, my family brought me back to help with fishing and reindeer herding. Later, I heard you left the village for Moscow to chase your dreams. Though I always missed you, I never had the chance to see you again. Now, as the clans in the village have more contact with the outside world, they realize you were right about establishing the school. You will surely receive a grand welcome when you return."

Andre roared with laughter and asked, "That’s wonderful. How is your father, Old Rabirovich?"

BEY nodded. "He is very well. Since you left, my parents often mentioned you. When they heard I was going out into the world, they insisted I find news of you and bring you back."

Andre nodded, showing great relief, then asked the question that concerned us all: "By the way, how did you end up with Ivan's crew? That man is no good."

BEY made an 'oh' sound. "It’s not what you think, Teacher. I'm not Ivan's subordinate. After leaving my hometown, I attended the police academy in Moscow. I am now a special investigator for the Moscow Police Headquarters, specifically tasked with going undercover to investigate Ivan and his gang. To understand their trade routes and catch them all in one sweep, I spent three years in China. I now have sufficient evidence, and I will certainly bring that villain to justice upon my return."

Andre's eyes widened, and he stroked his beard proudly. "As expected of my student, haha. I imagine that spending three years in China wasn't just about gathering Ivan's evidence; your Chinese is quite good, too."

BEY scratched the back of his head, saying sheepishly, "Ah, I slipped up without realizing it. I never thought there would be a day I could converse with you in Chinese."

After speaking, BEY looked at us and asked, "Are these your friends, Teacher?"

Andre nodded. "More than friends; they have even deeper ties to us Chukchi people. I will explain everything to you shortly."

BEY nodded. "I don't have much time; if I'm not back soon, Ivan will get suspicious. I came here today with urgent news for you: Ivan has conspired with Boss Xie from China to bring about your demise. Ivan took money from Boss Xie to throw you into the sea to feed the sharks, but thankfully, I overheard it. I will arrange for you to escape by sea tomorrow; please be ready."

With that, he stepped back to check the doorway. "I've placed your gear and weapons in the drawer. I must go now; be careful."

After saying this, BEY slipped out and vanished down the corridor.

Andre watched him leave, then gently closed the door.

Following his instructions, we opened the drawer of the cabinet and, sure enough, found pistols, cell phones, and my Yin Yu short sword inside. There was also the baton Xiao Feiyang had been carrying when he left.

We each secured our belongings. I checked my phone—no signal at all.

Xiao Feiyang gritted his teeth and said resentfully, "I knew that six-fingered Lu Jinfat wasn't a good person. He's truly malicious, wanting us to die far from home, so our families won't even find our bodies."

I shook my head. "He has no need to do this. We were already captured by him; killing us would have been easy enough. But bringing us all the way here to kill us seems unnecessarily extravagant. I think Xie Yuting must have some other motive."

Andre nodded. "Indeed, this isn't that simple. This Xie Yuting was never an easy person to deal with."

Speaking of Xie Yuting, my curiosity was piqued again, so I asked Andre, "Mr. Andre, since you even know about my background, and you seem very knowledgeable about Xie Yuting, perhaps you could tell me who exactly he is?"

Andre laughed while shaking his head, retorting, "Do you know what the most terrifying human nature is?"

I shook my head. "No."

Andre clapped my shoulder. "It's greed. Young man, I have already told you so much. Some things cannot be gained just by asking others; you need to find the answers yourself. Furthermore, not every secret in this world has an answer, because the person who knows the answer to some secrets is instantly inviting disaster upon themselves. Xie Yuting’s roots run deep. If I told you his identity and you decided to oppose him, it would only harm you."

I frowned slightly. "Very well, I won't press you further. I will find the answer myself."

Andre nodded. "I prefer dealing with wise people."

While we were talking, Xiao Feiyang had picked up a loaf of bread from the cabinet and was chewing it, mumbling, "Aren't you guys hungry? Come eat."

Andre patted my shoulder. "Eat something and get some sleep early. Tomorrow will definitely not be an easy day."

I nodded. The three of us gathered by the cabinet, ate a simple meal, then turned off the lights and went to sleep.

Because I had been unconscious for three days and three nights previously, I felt no sleepiness lying on the kangka.

Adding to that, the storm tonight was incredibly fierce. The ship pitched and rolled violently in the huge waves, though there was no danger of sinking.

The deck was filled with the cacophony of roaring thunder and relentless rain; I couldn't tell how heavy the downpour was.

I drifted through myriad thoughts, half-asleep, somehow enduring until dawn.

Seeing the time on my phone—already six in the morning—I sat up from the kangka, preparing to find something to do.

But just then, the room door suddenly opened. A bald, obese Russian, who looked as round as a gourd, led four or five burly men inside.

"Wake up, wake up, Chinese!" the fat Russian clapped his hands and shouted loudly in heavily accented Chinese.

Then, one of the strong men behind him flipped the dim electric light switch in the room on.