The off-road vehicle had plenty of space and was loaded with a lot of camping equipment.

The two drove southeast all the way, and if they got tired, they didn’t need to deliberately look for a town hotel. They could just camp by the roadside and rest well.

Wu Yahui had looked for them for a long time, but when she called and heard that they had embarked on an impromptu trip, she couldn’t help but curse a few times.

Liang Qiuchi knew she was blaming them for leaving without saying goodbye, but the lingering sentimentality dominated most of her feelings, so he patiently listened and comforted her, “We’ll definitely meet again in a while, and I’ll bring you a gift then.”

“Hmph, who cares about your gifts!” Wu Yahui said harshly, “I don’t want anything cheap.”

Liang Qiuchi laughed, “The gift I give you definitely won’t be cheap.”

Only then did Wu Yahui decide to let him off, “Well, that’s sensible.”

She changed the subject and mentioned the reason for the call, “Pei Ji came to San Lorenzo again, probably wanting to talk to you, but unexpectedly missed you.”

She knew where Liang Qiuchi stood on the matter, but she still wanted to persuade him to reconsider.

“We’ve been working together these past few years, going through thick and thin, and finally reaching where we are today. Are you really willing to throw it all away?”

“Yahui, jie.”

“I just think it’s a pity. Pei Ji probably came to see you one last time. You don’t need to rush to reply. Wait until you’ve had enough fun and come back to make a decision. I’ll talk to him and make sure he won’t bother you during this time.”

With that said, Liang Qiuchi could only nod and say “okay”.

There was silence on both ends of the phone.

After a moment, Wu Yahui said, “Enjoy yourselves, remember to bring me gifts, and keep the phone line open.”

After that, she hung up the phone.

Liang Qiuchi sighed helplessly and smiled.

Listening attentively to the whole conversation, Mo Xin absentmindedly flipped the skewers in his hand and asked, “Are you going back?”

Liang Qiuchi shook his head, sat beside him, took the skewers from Mo Xin’s hand, and continued to grill them over the charcoal.

“I really want to take a break,” Liang Qiuchi paused for a moment and said again, “Lugo is actually quite exclusive. Even if I stay for another eight years, I won’t really grasp its core power.”

He didn’t want to get too deeply involved. It was better to seize the rare opportunity now and withdraw early.

Mo Xin looked at him, a little distracted.

Liang Qiuchi seasoned the skewers and handed them to him. “What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

Mo Xin shook his head and said softly, “Just a little regretful.”

“Hmm?” Liang Qiuchi glanced at him again, “Regretful about what?”

Mo Xin said, “That I never truly fought side by side with you on the front lines.”

The only time was that year in the deep forest, when he took the risk to find Liang Qiuchi. As a result, he was seriously injured, and Xiang Bei died unexpectedly… Liang Qiuchi’s life trajectory changed completely.

It was a nightmare-like experience.

The past shadows resurfaced, but were quickly dispelled by the firelight.

Liang Qiuchi grabbed Mo Xin’s hand, his black and bright eyes filled with warmth and a smile.

“What’s there to regret? Haven’t we had enough thrilling days? Let’s just hope for peace and safety in the future.”

Over these years, they had been decisive, experienced life and death, conspiracies and struggles, and had lost their closest family and friends. Naturally, they understood that nothing was more important than peace and health.

Mo Xin grasped his thick hand back firmly and solemnly nodded.

They continued to travel and have fun, taking almost a week to reach the seaside.

It was Mo Xin’s first time seeing the sea.

Liang Qiuchi found it a bit unbelievable.

“The mighty Federal Lieutenant General has never been to the seaside?” Liang Qiuchi asked.

Mo Xin replied, “The navy is not under my jurisdiction, and I’ve always been stationed on the front lines, so I’ve never been.”

Liang Qiuchi nodded, understanding why he had always been eager to see the sea.

Big cities were too conspicuous, so they chose to settle in a coastal town.

Most of the residents in this town made a living from fishing, and there were many ports. It was also not far from the nearby big city, so transportation and daily life were convenient.

Liang Qiuchi found a local fisherman with rich experience, and he and Mo Xin got up early to hitch a ride on the fisherman’s boat to go fishing.

The slightly salty sea breeze, the swaying mast, and the boundless sea were all novel to Mo Xin.

After going out to sea a few times, he found the fishy smell too strong, so he simply bought a small yacht, docked it at the port, and squeezed in among the dilapidated and dirty fishing boats, which stood out.

Liang Qiuchi originally thought that he would eagerly spend ten days or half a month enjoying the novelty of the sea, but before he knew it, Mo Xin dragged him onto the yacht one day and showed him the various food supplies and drinking water stored in the cabin.

There was enough food for half a month, so the two of them wouldn’t have any problems eating.

Liang Qiuchi understood instantly.

“You want to venture out into the open sea?”

Mo Xin, afraid of his opposition, deliberately said, “I checked the weather, and it’s been calm these days, no storms. It’s suitable for a long voyage.”

Seeing Mo Xin’s hopeful eyes, Liang Qiuchi couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

So, after refueling the yacht, the two of them set off for the open sea.

The yacht Mo Xin bought was powerful enough, and soon they entered the open sea. He turned off the engine, letting the yacht drift on the vast sea.

Sitting on the deck with sunglasses on, he felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation in his heart, and the smile on his lips never disappeared.

Seeing him so happy, Liang Qiuchi couldn’t help but feel moved and pulled him into his arms.

The two of them drifted at sea, watching sunrises and sunsets, moonrises and starry skies, chatting and laughing.

There were plenty of recreational activities, such as fishing competitions, swimming, or chasing dolphins and whales, so they never felt bored.

When they were in the mood, they indulged in passionate love-making amidst the rocking waves or exchanged pure and gentle cuddles and kisses.

Without the internet and phones, they were completely cut off from the bustling world.

However, on the seventh day at sea, there was a small incident.

While they were admiring the sunset on the deck and having dinner, a strong motor sound suddenly approached from afar, disturbing their meal.

Liang Qiuchi looked out and saw three speedboats rapidly approaching them.

In the blink of an eye, the other party surrounded their drifting yacht.

The people on the speedboats were excitedly cheering, occasionally interspersed with whistles. Some of them were already trying to board their yacht without saying a word.

Liang Qiuchi and Mo Xin exchanged a glance and understood that they had encountered pirates.

Although the two of them brought pistols, they had limited ammunition. If they really started a firefight, they would be riddled with bullets in less than a minute.

But they didn’t want to surrender without a fight, so they guarded the deck from both sides and kicked anyone attempting to board the ship into the sea.

Seeing that the people on the yacht were somewhat skilled, the pirates fired warning shots.

Surrounded on three sides, Liang Qiuchi and Mo Xin were only two people and couldn’t cover all angles. In the end, they were successfully boarded by the pirates and tied together.

Liang Qiuchi found it amusing and whispered to Mo Xin, “We used to talk about what we’d do if we encountered pirates. Now we’ve actually met them.”

Mo Xin smiled back, “Join them if you can’t beat them?”

Liang Qiuchi laughed so hard that his head almost touched Mo Xin’s, “Should I ask them? See if they’ll accept new members…”

“Hey! What are you two doing?” The pirate leader knocked on the railing unhappily. “You’re still chatting? Do you think the guns in my hand are toys?”

Liang Qiuchi immediately restrained his smile and shook his head, “Of course not, sir.”

Mo Xin shifted to the side, leaning against the bulkhead with a stern face, also saying, “Of course not, sir,” while his bound hands had quietly untied the ropes.

Now they needed to wait for the right moment.

The pirates went into the cabin to search for valuables, leaving only two people on deck to guard.

Sitting on the railing, the pirate leader was unaffected by the slightly rough waves. His sun-darkened skin bore witness to his life at sea. Boredly scanning around, he then gestured at Liang Qiuchi, “You’ve been bobbing around at sea for days. What brings you here?”

Liang Qiuchi glanced at him first then at Mo Xin beside him and answered, “we are eloping.”

The pirate leader: “…Huh?”

Mo Xin smiled again.

The pirate leader spat, jumped up from the railing, and walked to Liang Qiuchi. His thick eyebrows furrowed, giving him a somewhat ridiculous appearance.

“Why do you like to joke so much, buddy? Are you teasing me…”

He raised his foot to kick, but Liang Qiuchi suddenly dodged, and Mo Xin, next to him, pounced on the pirate leader like a leopard, knocking him to the ground.

Liang Qiuchi had already untied the knot, and in a few swift movements, he grabbed the two pistols from the pirate leader’s hands and waist.

His actions were so fast that it was impossible to see how he did it.

The two other guards on the deck didn’t even react to what was happening. They only saw their leader being subdued.

“Don’t move,” Mo Xin took the pistol Liang Qiuchi threw to him and aimed it at the pirate leader’s forehead.

The rest of the pirates rushed out of the cabin and crowded onto the deck. One of them, with a bit of a brain freeze, reported, “There’s nothing valuable here!”

Their leader was so enraged he almost spat blood on the spot.

“Bro, let’s talk this out.”

The pirate leader raised his empty hands, realizing that he had run into some tough customers today. But it was okay; he was always flexible.

“Today, it’s my bad luck. Can we let this slide and just be friends…”

He smiled ingratiatingly.

Mo Xin moved behind him, and he could only catch a glimpse of Liang Qiuchi from the corner of his eye.

The sun was about to sink below the horizon, casting dim light, and he hadn’t really looked closely at the person they had just robbed. Now, with the distance closer, he blinked his eyes, trying hard to see clearly.

“Y-you, you’re Liang Liang Liang Qiuchi?!”

His tone was uncertain, but there was mostly surprise in it.

Liang Qiuchi looked at him, puzzled by his changing emotions. “Do I know you?”

“Not really, but I know you!”

The pirate leader excitedly stomped his foot, completely forgetting that he still had a gun pointed at him. “Hey, you’re my idol! When you betrayed the Federation, I knew you had guts! So I followed you and became a pirate!”

Liang Qiuchi: “…”

Mo Xin glanced at Liang Qiuchi, and the pirate leader turned his head sharply and looked at him too. He became even more excited.

“Isn’t this General Mo?! Damn, today’s my lucky day! Brothers, this is Mo Xin! The living Mo Xin!”

Mo Xin’s finger was already on the trigger, ready to blow this guy’s head off. But he saw him, along with a few of his brothers, all bending over, bowing ninety degrees in a respectful pose.