Chapter 114: The Mother-in-Law Seems Poor

The Shadow Shuttle sliced through the night sky like a black lightning bolt, gliding silently over mountains, rivers, and seas at a speed surpassing all current aircraft, racing toward its target zone in the Mediterranean Sea. Inside the cabin, save for the low hum of the engines, there was utter silence. Lei Zhan and his team were using every moment to finalize their equipment checks and review tactics; the atmosphere was grim.

Qin Feng sat in the command seat, most operations now handled autonomously by the AI Navigator. He closed his eyes to rest, yet his consciousness remained linked to the Shadow Shuttle's detection system—like a vast radar scanning the expansive airspace and sea surface, searching for the cruise ship named Poseidon Lines.

Yet, at this moment of intense tension, an extremely untimely encrypted communication request from Chen Ming pierced through the Shadow Shuttle's internal channel.

Qin Feng slightly furrowed his brows. At this hour, Chen Ming should know he was on an emergency mission—unless it was a matter of life or death, he would never interrupt.

He answered the call.

"Director Qin, sorry to disturb you," Chen Ming's voice carried a hint of embarrassment—and something unspoken—"It's… about Miss Lin."

Miss Lin? Lin Wan'er?

Qin Feng's mind conjured the image of a delicate, gentle face—his college first love, a sealed memory deep within his heart, tinged with quiet regret. Back then, his family was poor; he felt unworthy of Lin Wan'er's privileged background. After graduation, they went their separate ways, and contact gradually faded. Later, when he gained the System and rose through the ranks, he buried this youthful affection deep in his memories.

What happened to her?

"Wan'er? What's wrong with her?" Qin Feng's voice remained calm, yet a faint trace of concern slipped through.

"Miss Lin is fine. It's… her mother, Aunt Wang," Chen Ming struggled to phrase it, his tone growing stranger. "She somehow found out about your current… situation. This afternoon, she came directly to headquarters, hoping to… meet you. The reception desk stopped her according to protocol, but she refused to leave, saying it was a matter of great importance concerning Miss Lin's happiness…"

Chen Ming paused, as if struggling to speak, then forced himself to continue: "I had someone look into Miss Lin's recent circumstances. Her father's business failed years ago; the family fell into ruin and accumulated heavy debts. Miss Lin now works as a clerk in an ordinary company, earning a modest income. Aunt Wang… she seems to be in severe financial hardship. This visit to you—she likely came because…"

Chen Ming didn't finish, but the meaning was clear. The former "prospective mother-in-law," upon learning of his meteoric rise, had come knocking—not for anything else, but to ask for help—or, more bluntly, to beg.

Qin Feng fell silent.

This was… an unbearably real, bitterly ironic twist.

Just as he was about to travel thousands of miles to confront the world's most dangerous Mercenaries and rescue another woman entangled in complex ties, the mother of his youthful "white moonlight" had shown up—because of poverty.

Fate, sometimes, loved to play cruel jokes.

The cabin remained quiet. Though Lei Zhan and the others couldn't hear the conversation, they sensed the subtle shift in atmosphere.

After a moment, Qin Feng spoke slowly, his tone unreadable: "Tell her I'm currently occupied with urgent matters and cannot meet. Have her leave her contact details. When I return, I'll have someone reach out to learn the full situation."

He did not refuse outright, nor did he immediately promise anything. For Lin Wan'er, he still carried a thread of old affection and goodwill. If her family truly faced an insurmountable crisis, he wouldn't mind offering help within his means—as a final closure to that love that never came to fruition.

But this must wait until he resolved the immediate, pressing crisis before him.

And the manner and extent of any help must be carefully measured. He did not want this assistance to become charity—or invite greater trouble.

"Understood, Director Qin," Chen Ming exhaled in relief and immediately complied.

The communication ended.

Qin Feng refocused his attention on the forward detection screen, casting aside the fleeting thoughts of youth and reality.

Right now, he needed all his focus to prepare for the coming battle.

The Shadow Shuttle accelerated again, like a deathbringer of the dark, hurtling toward its prey.

And on the other side of Earth, the woman who might once have been his "mother-in-law" likely waited, anxious yet hopeful, for his reply.

Poverty could make a person abandon dignity.

But power demanded constant clarity and boundaries.

Qin Feng knew well: the world he now inhabited was worlds apart from the world of Lin Wan'er and her mother.

A measured help was kindness; too much entanglement might harm both sides.

All of this would be handled after he rescued Rose and returned safely.

Now, his world held only mission and objective.

"Target signal detected! Coordinates confirmed! Poseidon Lines cruise ship, bearing XXX, distance 150 nautical miles!" The AI Navigator's voice rang out, calm and precise.

A flash of cold light gleamed in Qin Feng's eyes.

"Descend altitude. Activate optical camouflage and full-spectrum silence. Prepare for contact."

"Command confirmed."

The massive Shadow Shuttle melted into the night sky and sea, slipping soundlessly toward the luxurious cruise ship—glittering with lights, yet brimming with hidden danger.

A bloody rescue mission spanning thousands of miles, wielding future technology, was about to erupt violently upon that romantic Mediterranean Sea!