The improvement in strength was clearly due to the Mystic God Pearl.
This item was indeed extraordinary, especially for a powerful figure like Chen Fan, who had grown up on the battlefield. Its effect on enhancing battle intent was immense.
What Huangfu Xi said was not an exaggeration; the Mystic God Pearl indeed had a miraculous effect on Chen Fan.
However, for Chen Fan, the matter remained strange.
He had never met Huangfu Xi before, yet Huangfu Xi was willing to lend him such a rare artifact as the Mystic God Pearl. It was truly difficult to understand.
Although Huangfu Xi had provided a plausible reason, Chen Fan remained suspicious.
He even suspected that Huangfu Xi's actions might have been at Wu Zhao's behest.
Even though Huangfu Xi possessed an unusual demeanor, his relationship with Wu Zhao was still uncertain.
As he pondered, his phone rang.
He took it out and was momentarily stunned.
The phone screen clearly displayed a name: Du Fumin.
His visit to the Mayflower cruise ship was precisely to see Du Fumin, to learn Wu Zhao's true identity from him.
Finding Luo Yao and Du Sisi earlier was also an attempt to lure Du Fumin out, but it had failed.
Unexpectedly, Du Fumin had called him directly?
He pressed the answer button, but there was silence on the other end.
"Du Fumin?" Chen Fan spoke first.
"Chen Tianjiao, I am in the repair cabin on the middle section of the second floor." After a few seconds of silence, Du Fumin spoke and said, "I have five minutes. After five minutes, the offer will expire."
"What do you mean?" Chen Fan asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Five minutes, then it expires." Du Fumin repeated, and hung up the phone.
Chen Fan mused that this might be another trap, an elaborate setup to lure him in.
However, if he could meet Du Fumin, Wu Zhao's identity would no longer be a secret. Chen Fan saw no reason not to go.
He walked into a corridor next to the helideck. Not far in, there was a staff-only elevator.
He wasn't rushing, but he wasn't dawdling either.
If Du Fumin genuinely wanted to meet him, a delay of a minute or two would not matter; Du Fumin would still be waiting for him to show up.
If it were a trap, going any faster would be useless.
He pulled out a staff card he had picked up earlier and entered the elevator, heading directly to the second floor.
The Mayflower cruise ship counted its floors from the bottom up. The first and second floors were not guest decks but rather various machine rooms.
Fortunately, his staff card granted him access to the second floor. As the elevator doors opened, he saw two crew members.
"Who are you? No one other than the crew is allowed in here!" A crew member stepped forward to stop him.
Chen Fan casually flicked his hand, knocking out the two crew members. He glanced at the layout map in the corridor and headed straight for the repair cabin.
There were quite a few crew members on this floor. Some didn't react to Chen Fan's presence, while others shouted and rushed forward to question him. Chen Fan, too lazy to conceal himself, knocked them all down.
He entered the engineering and repair cabin. The space inside was vast, perhaps as large as two football fields.
Mechanical equipment extended from below, and various huge pipes looked extremely complex. Steam billowed from some areas, accompanied by rumbling noises.
He quickly navigated through the machinery, searching for Du Fumin.
To his surprise, he actually saw Du Fumin.
On the northeast side of the repair cabin was a door leading to an outer corridor. Du Fumin stood by the door, looking hesitant and indecisive.
Upon seeing Chen Fan, Du Fumin did not show relief. Instead, he offered a wry smile and said, "Chen Tianjiao, why did you come so quickly?"
Chen Fan said indifferently, "Didn't you summon me here?"
Du Fumin smiled bitterly and said, "My time is limited; I have to leave immediately."
Chen Fan frowned and asked, "First, tell me, who is Wu Zhao!"
"Wu Zhao..." Du Fumin hesitated.
"What? You've found me, and you still won't tell me? Du Fumin, do you want to die?"
Du Fumin sighed deeply and said, "Wu Zhao is Wu Shao. Chen Tianjiao, I truly don't think highly of you."
"Then why did you ask me to come out on your own?" Chen Fan asked coldly.
"That's because I have to leave myself a way out," Du Fumin said.
Chen Fan scoffed, not believing his words.
From his perspective, Du Fumin seemed more like a loyal follower of Wu Zhao, a devoted companion. Now he claimed to be leaving himself an escape route?
"Wu Zhao is actually Wu Zhaohui." Seeing Chen Fan's disbelief, Du Fumin dropped the bombshell, "You've been investigating his identity all along, but couldn't find out.
Chen Fan's expression greatly changed, "Wu Family's third young master, Wu Zhaohui? Wu family's illegitimate son?"
When he saw Wu Zhao at the Jiuwu Club, he had had similar suspicions and had asked Wu Zhaoyang about it.
However, Wu Zhaoyang had called Wu Zhaohui at the time, and he was in Shanghai, not Beijing, so Chen Fan had let the lead go.
If what Du Fumin said was true, had he missed the real clue?
"Why would I lie to you?" Du Fumin sneered, "You can ask Wu Zhaoyang; he already knows some things."
Chen Fan immediately recalled Wu Zhaoyang calling him when he left Beijing today, saying he had something to discuss.
He now believed Du Fumin's words to a large extent.
"My time is very limited," Du Fumin said. "I'll tell you the important intelligence."
"Wu Zhao has grand ambitions. He intends to join forces with the Great Onmyoji of Sakura Country to capture the Hero Alliance, you, the Feng family, and the Four Seas Gang all at once!"
Chen Fan's expression was shocked.
"In the northwest corner of the cabin, there is a sword, the lost Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi of Sakura Country," Du Fumin said. "This sword was brought onto the cruise ship by Wu Zhao's subordinates as a bargaining chip for trade with those Sakura Country martial artists. I stole it and put it here. You can take it later."
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Can't you see?" Du Fumin smiled bitterly. "Wu Zhao wants to overthrow the old order and create a new order controlled by him."
"The Earth Fiends, Fei Zheng'en, and the Hero Alliance are all his partners, but they belong to the old order, so they must be eliminated!"
"The Feng family and the Four Seas Gang are also like that."
"So do you think my Du family is an exception?" Du Fumin's tone was forlorn. "The seven great clans, including the royal family, are all part of the old order."
"His intelligence is like the sea, and his abilities are unparalleled. But in his eyes, everyone is just a chess piece; he is the one playing the game. He wants to create a new situation, a fair and just world, like the Great Harmony."
"Similar to Kunlun, he said he had been there, where people lived in peace and contentment, with pure spirits."
"But the secular world is different. People's hearts are filled with desire, and power is held by a small minority. This minority is insatiable. For their desires, and to maintain their power, they are cold and cruel, long devoid of sympathy and empathy."
"He says the world shouldn't be like this!"
Chen Fan was speechless.
It sounded absurd and ridiculous, but based on his understanding of Wu Zhao, it seemed plausible.
"There's no more time. Whether you believe it or not, I have to go." Du Fumin said. "If I delay any longer, he will become suspicious of me."
"You stole the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, aren't you worried about being exposed?" Chen Fan asked, narrowing his eyes.
"He gave me this sword to keep," Du Fumin said. "I put it in Luo Yao's room, and you found it and took it."
Chen Fan was taken aback.
"This is the only explanation so far. It's a bit far-fetched, but it's better than nothing," Du Fumin said. "Whether I'm exposed or not doesn't really matter. Wu Zhao is an extremely arrogant person. He won't kill me if he knows I've betrayed him. On the contrary, he'll keep me alive to watch him sweep away all obstacles and realize his ideals and ambitions."
"On the other hand, if he achieves his goal, the Du family will lose all their power and be reduced to an ordinary family."
His expression indicated that, more than anything else, the loss of power for the Du family was unacceptable.
This was also the typical mindset of top aristocratic families.
After saying all this, Du Fumin wasted no more time and turned to leave.
Chen Fan did not stop him. He narrowed his eyes, considering the truthfulness of Du Fumin's words.