American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 383 The Truth Comes to Light! (10,000 words, content difficult to break down.)
Lin Yu'an sat quietly at his desk for a long time until the last sliver of crimson sunset outside the window was swallowed up by the deep night.

He forcibly suppressed the fragments of memories about war, codes, and mysteries in his mind, and pulled all his thoughts back to the luxurious and tranquil room in front of him.

She got up quietly and went back to her bedroom.

The huge floor-to-ceiling windows were left undrawn, and the dazzling city lights of Miami, like a galaxy reflected on the ground, bathed the room in a dreamlike glow.

Raven was still fast asleep, like a kitten curled up in its blankets seeking absolute safety. Perhaps sensing the emptiness beside her, her brow furrowed slightly in her sleep.

Lin Yu'an carefully lay back down beside her, as his still slightly cool body drew near.

As if finding a lost haven, Raven instinctively rolled over and buried herself even deeper into his arms.

She reached out and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest, letting out soft, contented breaths.

Lin Yu'an's body stiffened for a moment, then he reached out and hugged her tightly.

The warm and soft touch in my arms, the faint scent of her luxurious shampoo wafting from her hair... it all felt so real and beautiful.

This genuine beauty formed an incredibly stark contrast to the cold, death-laden secrets in his mind.

Exhaustion, like the deepest ocean current, finally swallowed him completely. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

[The next day, 6:00 AM]

Your biological clock is more punctual than any alarm clock.

Lin Yu-an opened his eyes almost the instant the first rays of dawn pierced the Miami skyline.

At almost the same moment, Raven in her arms trembled a few times with her long eyelashes and woke up.

The two looked at each other, carefully examining each other in the soft morning light.

Gone was the weariness that followed the fading of passion, and the grogginess of first awakening. Their eyes were exceptionally clear.

Raven's cheeks still held a faint blush from sleep. Her blue eyes, in the morning light, were as pure as the sky after a rain, without a trace of impurity.

She looked at Lin Yu'an, her eyes no longer filled with the confusion and dependence of her excitement, but instead with a look of inquiry and a deeper connection.

"Good morning," she said first, her voice slightly hoarse from just waking up, yet exceptionally pleasant to hear.

"Good morning," Lin Yu'an replied, his gaze involuntarily falling on her beautifully shaped shoulders, which had slipped off the silk blanket as she lay on her side.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became somewhat subtle.

Everything that happened last night played silently in their minds, like a movie that had been muted.

It was not only a release of passion, but also a profound affirmation and imprint of each other's lives after experiencing life and death.

"I'm going to take a shower." Raven seemed to sense the escalating intimacy as well. She sat up, the silky blanket slipping off her body to reveal a large expanse of healthy, radiant wheat-colored skin.

She showed no embarrassment whatsoever, simply grabbed a bathrobe and draped it over herself, then walked barefoot toward the bathroom.

Lin Yu'an looked at her slender yet powerful back, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

A few minutes later, as he was looking out the window at the distant sea, the bathroom door was quietly opened a crack.

Raven peeked out from behind the door, her golden, wet hair clinging to her cheeks and neck like seaweed, water droplets slowly sliding down her beautiful collarbone.

A smile, a mixture of provocation and slyness, graced her face. "Washing alone is a bit of a waste of water."

Lin Yu'an looked at her and smiled.

Without uttering another word, he got up and walked towards the warm space filled with misty water vapor.

……

(Not recommended for adults under 60 years of age)

……

When the two emerged from the bathroom again, more than an hour had passed. They were both wrapped only in soft bath towels, their hair still dripping wet.

A thoroughly enjoyable morning workout evaporated the last trace of awkwardness and distance between the two of them.

Raven took two bottles of chilled orange juice from the minibar and handed one to Lin Yu'an.

The two of them, barefoot and wrapped in bath towels, leaned against the huge floor-to-ceiling window, watching the city below gradually awaken.

The sunlight cast long shadows of them.

They all tacitly avoided discussing the future.

They didn't ask, "What is our relationship now?", nor did they talk about their respective families and pasts.

As if by unspoken agreement, on this morning when they had just been reborn, they only wanted to be their purest selves, a man and a woman who had just experienced an adventure and were enjoying a moment of peace.

"What time is our flight?" Raven took a sip of orange juice and broke the silence, bringing the conversation back to reality.

"The earliest flight is at 10 a.m.," Lin Yu'an replied. "We have two hours to pack our things, have breakfast, and then go to the airport."

“Okay.” Raven nodded.

The two quickly finished their breakfast and then began packing their already limited luggage as fast as they could.

At 8:30 a.m. sharp, they arrived at the hotel’s magnificent lobby on the first floor, dragging their suitcases, ready to check out.

Just as Lin Yu'an handed the room key to the front desk and was waiting to settle the bill, a middle-aged woman in a black suit with a capable demeanor walked quickly out of the manager's office next door.

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Lin."

Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen turned around and saw the room service manager, whom they had bumped into in the elevator lobby of the penthouse suite yesterday.

"Good morning, Manager Isa," Lin Yu'an replied politely.

"Good morning, Mr. Lin, Miss Montgomery." Isa had an impeccable professional smile on her face.

"I'm so sorry to bother you as you're about to leave. I just received a report from housekeeping that a staff member discovered a minor issue during the room check."

Raven's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Lin Yu'an instinctively, her cheeks beginning to flush slightly.

Isa, seemingly oblivious to her embarrassment, continued in a calm tone:

"The waiter discovered some...unremovable natural pigment stains on a Frette brand Egyptian cotton sheet in the master bedroom."

"According to the hotel's regulations, such soiled linens are usually destroyed directly."

“However,” Isabella bowed slightly, took the carefully wrapped items in a black frosted paper bag with the hotel logo from a waiter behind her, and handed them to Lin Yu’an with both hands.

"We believe it is a pity to destroy such an item that may hold fond memories."

"Therefore, it underwent the fastest professional cleaning, disinfection, and ironing, and is now presented to you both. We hope it will be a unique souvenir for your trip to Miami."

The entire process took place in the bustling hotel lobby. Isha controlled her volume perfectly, and her words were elegant and appropriate, without the slightest offense or gossip.

Instead, it is full of utmost respect for guests' privacy and a tacit humanistic care.

Lin Yu'an took the paper bag, which still retained a trace of the warmth from being ironed. For a moment, even he had to admire the service artistry and amazing efficiency of this top-notch hotel.

“Thank you, Isa.” He looked at Isa and nodded. “Please also thank your hotel for their hospitality.”

He took his wallet out of his pocket, pulled out a thousand-dollar bill, and handed it over.

"This is to thank the attentive waiter and to you."

“It’s our pleasure to serve you, sir.” Isa accepted the tip gracefully without hesitation. “Have a pleasant journey, both of you.”

After saying that, she bowed again, then turned and disappeared behind the office door.

Lin Yu'an and Ruiwen stood there, looking at each other in bewilderment. Ruiwen's face was as red as a ripe tomato, and she wished she could disappear into the ground immediately.

Receiving such a "gift" in the hotel lobby is just too...exciting.

Looking at her incredibly adorable, embarrassed expression, Lin Yu'an finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.

He took the suitcase from her hand, and naturally took her hand with his other hand, and walked towards the taxi waiting outside the hotel.

“Come on, my explorer,” he whispered in her ear with a hint of teasing amusement. “It seems that sometimes the unexpected events of the civilized world can catch us off guard more than the venomous snakes in the jungle.”

Raven was led by him, feeling the warmth and strength from his palm. Her embarrassment was gradually replaced by a shy and sweet feeling.

She didn't struggle; she just buried her head even lower.

And so, in the bright Miami morning light, the two walked hand in hand toward the airport.

Miami International Airport (MIA), 9:15 AM

Airports are always bustling with noise: passengers dragging suitcases, announcements urging passengers to board, and the unique scent in the air that's a mix of coffee, perfume, and other aromas.

It quickly pulled Lin Yu'an and Ruiwen into the fast pace of modern life.

They successfully checked in and then arrived at the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) security checkpoint.

“Please put all electronic devices, coats, and shoes in the basket.” A tall Latino security officer directed the queuing passengers in a cold, emotionless tone.

Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen tacitly placed their backpacks, watches, and cell phones onto the conveyor belt.

Just as Lin Yu'an took off his coat and was about to walk through the metal detector gate, the security guard reached out his hand, signaling him to stop.

"Sir, please raise your arms. We need to conduct a random supplementary examination."

Lin Yu'an nodded and calmly raised his hands.

Another, younger security officer, armed with a handheld metal detector, began to scan him from head to toe.

"Drip-drip-"

When the detector swept across Lin Yu'an's waist, it made a slight sound.

"Sir, what is here?"

"Belt buckle," Lin Yu'an replied.

The security officer nodded, then used his gloved hands to conduct a quick touch check around his waist and pockets.

The entire process was professional and efficient, a routine that happens countless times every day at the airport.

However, just as the security guard bent down to check his ankle and then stood up to let him through—

An unintentional action struck Lin Yu'an like a bolt from the blue, deeply impacting the depths of his memory!
As the security guard stood up, the short-sleeved shirt of his blue uniform slid up an inch because of his outstretched arms.

Just that one inch away, a faded, somewhat blurred tattoo was revealed on the inside of his forearm!
boom--! ! !
In that instant, Lin Yu'an's brain felt as if it had been struck by an invisible bolt of lightning!

He remembered!
He had indeed seen this pattern of lily petals and a five-pointed star!

Just a few days ago! In the Dominican Republic!

In that stuffy, rum- and cigar-scented tavern in Samana! There was José, the dark-skinned, wrinkled old fisherman!
At the time, José was wearing a faded linen shirt, which was slightly translucent under the dim light.

He remembered that he had inadvertently glimpsed a faded tattoo on José's arm.

It was a portrait of a young girl, her face blurred, full of the feel of a bygone era. At the time, he simply assumed it was José's daughter or a lover from his youth and didn't think much of it.

But now, that overlooked scene in his memory has been magnified countless times in an instant!
He remembered it clearly! The tattooed girl was wearing a necklace around her neck!
The pendant on the necklace is not a cross, nor a heart... but a small, yet clearly detailed, Bosnian lily with a five-pointed star!

Its design was a miniature version of the emblem on the "Storm" Brigade flag that he had seen on his computer!
"Sir? Sir? You can go now." The security guard's voice pulled Lin Yu'an back to reality from his huge shock.

"...Oh, okay, thank you." Lin Yu'an forced down the turmoil in her heart, nodded to the security officer, and quickly walked through the security gate.

Reaching the other end of the conveyor belt, he mechanically put on his coat and picked up his backpack, but an unprecedented storm was raging in his mind.

He felt a chill run down his spine.

The answer had always been right in front of him!

The mystery he had been pondering and searching for but could not solve, the key figure who might connect all the clues—he had actually met him long ago!

What is the connection between José, who seems to be just an ordinary, hospitable local fisherman, the Stormbringers, and the KGB's secret?

Is he a descendant of the Stormbringers? Or... is he himself a "ghost" forgotten in the Caribbean?
"Lin? What's wrong? You look even worse than when you were in the hospital." Raven had already packed her things and came over, looking at him with concern.

"I'm fine." Lin Yu'an shook his head. He couldn't reveal a word about this even more alarming new discovery for the time being.

“It just suddenly struck me,” he said softly, looking at the diverse faces coming and going in the airport, “that the world is much smaller…and much more complex than we imagine.”

Lin Yu'an picked up his backpack, took Ruiwen's hand, and walked towards the boarding gate.

He realized with absolute clarity that sometimes, knowing the truth does not bring the joy of solving a mystery.

In his study at the Miami hotel, when he racked his brains but came up empty-handed, he felt only a pure, intellectual frustration.

But at this moment, when the fragments of the truth slammed into his face in such a dramatic way, he did not feel the joy of sudden enlightenment.

Accompanying this was a heavier and more complex emotion: a sense of powerlessness.

And the old fisherman named "José" instantly transformed from an insignificant background figure into his highest priority and extremely dangerous investigation target!
Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, Americas International Airport (SDQ), Day 14 of the voyage, 3:00 PM

As the plane's landing gear touched the runway and the cabin door opened, they once again felt a warm breeze carrying the scent of tropical flowers and the humid ocean.

They're back again.

Compared to their hasty departure, which resembled a flight from disaster, Lin Yu'an and Ruiwen appeared much calmer at this moment.

The two did not check any luggage, only carrying simple backpacks, and quickly walked out of the airport arrival hall.

Amidst the noisy crowd holding various welcome signs at the exit, a tall and familiar figure instantly caught their attention.

Captain Mike stood there, wearing a clean Hawaiian shirt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a freshly shaved beard that gave him a neat and tidy look.

He didn't hold up a sign; he just leaned quietly against a pillar, but his unique aura as an old captain, which couldn't be concealed, made him stand out like a lighthouse.

"Dad!" The moment Raven saw her father, all her strength and composure melted away. She ran forward and gave Mike a tight hug.

"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're back, my sweetheart." Mike hugged his daughter tightly, his eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, gleaming with barely suppressed excitement.

He could feel that although his daughter in his arms was still slender, she seemed to have gained an inexplicable composure compared to when he left.

He released Raven, took off his sunglasses, and carefully examined her. Although the girl's face still showed signs of fatigue from the long flight, her complexion was rosy.

The fear that had been there before was gone from those blue eyes; instead, there was a new kind of clarity, like a gemstone that had been washed clean after weathering the storm, and a deeper depth.

Mike suddenly felt that his daughter seemed to have changed in just two days.

It was a change that was hard to describe in words. She lost some of the carefree and flamboyant nature of a young girl, but gained a unique charm that blended calmness and resilience.

It's like a flower that grows in a greenhouse. After experiencing a sudden storm, although the petals are still covered with raindrops, the roots and stems become even more upright and powerful.

“It seems the Miami sunshine is more effective than doctors.” Mike thought that his daughter had truly matured and grown up after experiencing this major crisis.

He patted his daughter on the back, then stepped forward and gave Lin Yu'an a hug that was just as tight, a hug between men.

"Welcome back, Captain."

"Mike, thank you for staying," Lin Yu'an replied with a smile.

Without much small talk, the three quickly got into the mud-covered LC80 parked by the roadside. Mike started the car and drove smoothly toward Samana Port, the direction where the North Star was located.

The car merged onto the coastal highway back to Samana, with familiar coconut palms and the azure sea visible outside the window. Raven leaned back in the seat and quickly fell into a deep sleep, completely relaxed.

In the front seat, Mike was focused on driving, while Lin Yu'an's gaze, seemingly casually, fell on Mike's calloused arms.

After a moment of silence, Lin Yu'an asked in a casual tone, seemingly unintentionally, "Mike, that old fisherman who was drinking with us at the bar the other day... his name is Jose, you seem to know him quite well?"

“Jose? Oh, you mean that old guy?” Mike laughed. “More than just familiar, we’ve been friends for over a decade. He’s a living legend in this area.”

"Oh?" Lin Yu'an showed just the right amount of curiosity.

"Don't be fooled by his fisherman's attire; that bar is actually his property."

While turning the steering wheel, Mike said, "I heard from the other old guys that Jose isn't a local. He seems to be from Eastern Europe, but nobody knows exactly which country."

"Around the 70s, he sailed alone in a dilapidated boat across the ocean to the Dominican Republic and settled there."

The 70s! Eastern Europe!
Lin Yu'an's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged.

"He came in the 70s? Then he must be quite old, right?"

"By the timeline, he must be at least ninety years old now. But look at his body, it's as sturdy as a rock. If you didn't know his background, you would think he's only sixty or seventy at most."

“He was a real monster,” Mike exclaimed. “It’s a pity he had no children and lived his whole life alone. But he was a very nice and generous man.”

"I met him in 2004 when I sailed alone to the Caribbean for the first time. My boat had a minor malfunction, and he helped me fix it."

Mike recalled, "From then on, every time I went to the Dominican Republic, I would visit him at his bar and have a glass of the best rum. He always said that his friends on the sea were his family."

Lin Yu'an finally asked the question that concerned him the most.

"I think I remember... he had a tattoo on his arm, didn't he?" He pretended to try to recall. "It was too dark at the time, I couldn't see it clearly, but it looked like... a girl's portrait?"

"Ha! You've got a sharp eye!" Mike laughed. "That's right, there is one. I've asked him several times if she was his lover from his younger days."

"However, every time the tattoo is mentioned, his expression becomes very strange. He never answers directly, just shakes his head, then silently takes a big gulp of rum and stares blankly at the sea in the distance. Over time, we old friends all know that this is a taboo subject for him, so we stop asking."

"Is that so... It seems like he has a story to tell." Lin Yu'an nodded and didn't press further.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in him?" Mike glanced at him in the rearview mirror, somewhat puzzled.

Lin Yu'an leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and looked somewhat tired.

“It’s nothing,” he said softly, “it just suddenly came to mind.”

Silence fell again inside the car, broken only by the roar of the engine and the howling of the sea breeze.

But Lin Yu'an's heart could no longer find peace.

An Eastern European elderly man in his nineties who is still agile.

A mysterious immigrant who settled in the Caribbean during the 70s, just as Operation Swift was being planned.

One of them tattooed the Stormbringer's emblem on his arm and regarded it as a living fossil that was a taboo for his entire life.

All the clues, like iron filings attracted by a magnet, frantically pointed to the same person.

That seemingly ordinary Samana tavern, and its owner José, will be the only key to unlocking the secrets of that Croatian poetry collection, and even the entire Swift Network!
He had to devise a foolproof plan to pry open the mouth of this old man who had guarded the secret for half a century.

The LC80 traveled smoothly on National Highway 3, which connects Santo Domingo with the Samana Peninsula.

This road, known locally as the "Caribbean Corridor," is one of the country's most important economic arteries.

It was four o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was at its hottest. Sergeant Juan Pérez of the National Police Force felt that the shirt under his bulletproof vest was completely soaked.

He stood on the scorching asphalt road, the air thick with car exhaust and the sweet, cloying scent wafting from the sugarcane fields not far away.

One hundred meters ahead of him, a makeshift checkpoint consisting of traffic cones and roadblocks had been set up for two hours.

This was a joint operation between the National Drug Control Bureau (DNCD) and the police, codenamed "Scorpion Hunt".

Juan was already used to this.

Dominican Republic, a country hailed as a Caribbean paradise, has another identity behind its sunshine and beaches—a golden transit point for South American cocaine destined for North America and Europe.

Every day, countless speedboats, fishing boats, and even private planes transport Colombian drugs here, like ants carrying food, and then through various channels, they flow to wealthy consumer countries.

And these police officers, who receive meager salaries, are the poor souls standing on this giant conveyor belt, trying to pick up a few grains of sugar that have fallen.

"Something's up!" came the voice of the observation post over the walkie-talkie. "An old, military-green Land Cruiser with a roof rack looks very heavy and is driving towards you."

Juan immediately perked up. These modified, powerful, and adaptable heavy-duty off-road vehicles were among the most popular modes of transport for those transport teams.

He nodded to the DNCD agent beside him who was leading a sturdy German Shepherd. The drug-sniffing dog, its tongue lolling out, let out an excited growl.

A few seconds later, the mud-covered LC80 slowly drove into the inspection area and pulled over to the side of the road as Juan gestured.

“Checkpoint.” Mike glanced at the heavily armed police officers and the sharp-eyed police dog by the roadside and said calmly.

Lin Yu'an had already slowed down. He glanced at Ruiwen, who was a little nervous in the back seat, and gave her a reassuring look.

"Mike, you didn't bring Glock with you when you came out, did you?"

"No, I hid them on the boat."

"That's good, we don't have any other contraband."

At that moment, Juan and the DNCD agent with the police dog walked over from the left and right, respectively, and Juan knocked on Mike's car window.

Mike rolled down the car window, and a wave of heat rushed in.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Juan greeted in heavily accented English.

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, quickly scanned every person and every corner of the vehicle. "Routine check. Please show your identification and vehicle documents."

His gaze lingered for half a second longer on Lin Yu'an's calm Eastern face and Raven's clearly American blond hair.

Mike calmly took out the car rental contract and his passport from the storage compartment.

"We are American tourists who came here to film a documentary."

Just then, the DNCD agent, with his drug-sniffing dog on a leash, began to sniff around the vehicle.

The drug-sniffing dog is extremely professional; it starts from the front of the car and sniffs its way to the back.

As it passed the trunk, it suddenly stopped, sniffing intently at the gap in the rear door, and letting out a few questioning growls.

The agent holding it instantly turned serious!
"What's wrong?" Juan asked immediately, his hand already on the hilt of his gun.

The atmosphere inside the car froze at that moment.

"Open the trunk!" the DN-CD agent commanded in an unquestionable tone.

Mike glanced at Lin Yu'an, and seeing him nod slightly, he pressed the unlock button on the trunk.

The agent opened the trunk door, and the drug-sniffing dog immediately jumped up excitedly, sniffing frantically at the diving equipment and tactical backpacks piled inside, which were covered in mud and smelled of seawater.

Juan's heart was in his throat. Had he really caught a big fish today?

A multinational transport team consisting of an American and a mysterious Asian? That's an incredible achievement!

However, after excitedly sniffing around, the drug-sniffing dog seemed to have lost its target.

It barked twice at a waterproof bag full of wet clothes, then nudged an empty side-mounted gas cylinder with its nose.
Ultimately, it seemed to confirm that what had piqued its interest was simply the strong salty smell of seawater and the aroma of some kind of marine plant, rather than the smell of any drug it was familiar with.

It jumped off the car, wagged its tail at its trainer, and seemed somewhat disinterested.

A hint of disappointment flashed across the DNCD agent's face.

Juan breathed a sigh of relief, unsure whether it was disappointment or relief. He took Mike's passport and glanced at it.

“American citizens…” He nodded, then looked at the other two, “Where are your documents?”

Raven handed over her American passport. Lin Yu'an, on the other hand, handed over a dark red Chinese passport with a gold national emblem on the cover.

When Juan saw the Chinese passport, a subtle change appeared in his eyes.

In this country, Americans are like gods because they bring dollars. The Chinese, on the other hand, are increasingly seen as a newly rich and unapproachable group.

He had heard his boss complain more than once after drinking that the Chinese companies that came here to build roads and ports under the Belt and Road Initiative all had embassies backing them up, making them even more difficult to deal with than the Americans.

An American white man driving an expensive SUV, plus a Chinese man who looks to be of high status... This combination is definitely not something a lowly policeman like him can mess with.

His attitude instantly changed from being businesslike to being much more polite.

"Alright, alright." He quickly returned the three passports and waved to the DNCD agent who wanted to conduct further checks. "They're just some adventurous tourists. Don't waste time, let them go."

He even gave Mike a professional smile: "Sir, Madam, have a good time in the Dominican Republic. Drive carefully."

Mike calmly took the passport, nodded to Juan, and rolled up the car window.

Lin Yu'an restarted the car and slowly drove away from the checkpoint.

In the rearview mirror, he could see that the police dog was still somewhat unwilling, watching the car drive away.

"That scared me to death..." Raven, sitting in the back seat, let out a long sigh of relief. "That dog... it just now..."

Lin Yu'an calmly explained, "That waterproof bag contained a Glock. It must have smelled the gun. Luckily, Mike left the Glock on the boat."

This close call made them realize more deeply that they were navigating a land full of unknown rules and potential dangers.

[Samana Port, Day 13 of sailing, 7:00 PM]

When the weathered LC80 finally came to a slow stop at the dock in the port of Samana.

The last rays of the setting sun were bathing the white hull of the Polaris in a warm and captivating orange-red hull.

"We're back." Mike turned off the engine, his voice carrying a hint of relief.

The three got off the vehicle and immediately saw their home, the Polaris, which resembled a sea fortress.

The ship's navigation lights were already on, and the deck was spotless. The two local men that Ricardo had sent to watch over the ship were smoking on the swimming platform at the stern. When they saw them return, they immediately stood up and waved enthusiastically.

A strong sense of homecoming instantly enveloped them. After paying the agreed-upon "care fee" and sending the two men away, the three finally stepped back onto the sturdy teak deck of the North Star.

"Ah—" Raven dropped her backpack, sprawled out in a starfish shape on the sofa bench outside the cockpit, and let out a sigh of extreme satisfaction.

Mike smiled and took three bottles of chilled beer from the cooler, handing them to Lin Yu'an and Ruiwen.

"A toast to...our return alive." He raised the bottle.

"To the living!" Lin Yu'an and Ruiwen also raised their bottles and gently clinked them together with him.

The cold beer slid down their throats, taking away a trace of their fatigue. None of the three spoke, they simply leaned quietly against the ship's railing, savoring this hard-won peace after the ordeal.

After a brief celebration, they began packing the small amount of luggage they had brought back from Miami and preparing for their next departure the following day.

Raven hummed a little tune as she took out her clothes and toiletries from her backpack and put them back in the wardrobe in her cabin.

As she was about to put the black paper bag with the Fontainebleau Hotel logo into the locker, Mike, who had been helping her, suddenly spoke up, somewhat strangely.

"Sweetheart, if you're buying bed sheets, why don't you just go to the mall and buy a brand new set?"

Raven's hand, holding the bed sheet, froze in mid-air.

Mike, oblivious to his daughter's odd behavior, continued to offer his opinion: "Fontainebleau is a top-tier hotel, but the hotel's bed sheets can't be guaranteed to be brand new."

This question, like a precise bolt of lightning, instantly struck that unspeakable secret!

Just as she was so embarrassed she was about to turn to stone, Lin Yu'an, who was checking the navigation computer nearby, also overheard their conversation.

His heart skipped a beat!
He couldn't imagine what Mike, who doted on his daughter, would do if he knew what happened that night in Miami.

Would he angrily pull out a Glock from the cabin and shoot himself in the head? Or would he immediately turn the ship around and throw himself into the sea to feed the sharks without saying a word?
For a moment, Lin Yu'an even felt that facing the KGB's nuclear device was much easier than facing Mike's problem at this moment.

The air seemed to freeze.

“Uh… that… is because…” Raven stammered, her brain working frantically as she tried to concoct a plausible lie.

Finally, in a moment of inspiration, she chuckled and said in as natural a tone as possible:
"Oh, Dad! You really are something! It's because I slept on that sheet that night and it felt so comfortable, much softer than the ones on our ship."

"So when I checked out the next day, I casually asked the hotel if I could buy a set of the same style, and they just gave it to me for free. It didn't cost me anything."

“Oh, I see.” Mike didn’t doubt it at all. “Then when we get back to Fort Lauderdale, we’ll buy a few more of this brand’s clothes to replace the ones at home.”

A crisis that could have triggered a "family war" was thus averted by Raven with a clever lie.

Raven quickly stuffed the bed sheet, which held so many secrets, into the deepest part of her closet, as if that would seal away everything from that night.

"No problem. Lin also said he slept very well last night. If Lin comes to our house as a guest, he should like these sheets."

As she spoke, she glanced at Lin Yu'an out of the corner of her eye. She saw his hand, which was holding the coffee cup, tremble almost imperceptibly.

He slowly drank the last sip of coffee, forcibly calming his still slightly racing heart. His face remained as calm and composed as ever.

"Alright, now that we're all back, let's get ready for our departure tomorrow as soon as possible." He naturally changed the subject, bringing the atmosphere back on track for the voyage.

"We need to replenish our fresh vegetables and drinks; this amount of supplies will definitely not be enough if we go to Cuba."

Mike nodded. "That's right. We'll need at least another twenty gallons of bottled water and some fruit that can be stored for a long time. I plan to go shopping first thing tomorrow morning."

"No need to wait until tomorrow." Lin Yu'an looked at the sky. At this moment, the port's nightlife was just beginning, and the town's lights were even more dazzling than during the day.

He picked up the car keys and said to Mike and Raven, "I'll go to town myself and buy everything I need. You two get some rest, especially Raven, you just woke up and then drove for several hours."

"Are you going alone?" Raven asked, a little worried.

"Don't worry," Lin Yu'an smiled, "I'm just going to buy some water and fruit, I'll be back soon. I'll also return the car while I'm at it."

Mike didn't think much of it and patted him on the shoulder: "Well done, Captain. Go and come back quickly."

"no problem."

Lin Yu'an waved to the two of them, turned around and walked down the gangway. The mud-covered LC80 quickly started up and disappeared into the exotic and noisy night at the dock.

Raven and Mike watched him leave, both assuming he really was just going to buy supplies.

But only Lin Yu'an knew that his real destination was not some night market.

He drove the car out of the dock area, stopped at a deserted street corner, and turned off the headlights.

In the darkness, he sat quietly for a few minutes, going over all the information about José in his mind again.

Then, he restarted the car, turned it around, and drove towards another alleyway that led further to the old town by the sea.

He planned to visit this "living fossil" who might have been guarding the secret for half a century.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(Some of you probably guessed it was José by now.)
(End of this chapter)