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Deep Sea Labyrinth
墨書 Inktalez
Amid the incessant ringing of the alarm, I was jolted awake from my dreams. I opened my bleary eyes, reached for the cigarettes on my bedside table, lit one up, and took a few greedy puffs, letting the nicotine circulate through my body. Instantly, I felt more alert.
I relished this feeling. After a moment, I rolled out of bed and walked over to the window. I opened it to gaze at the vast ocean outside. The sunlight streamed in, warm and comforting. Looking at this city that was both strange and familiar, I smiled; today was another beautiful day.
I glanced at the clock—it was already past eight in the morning. A new day had begun, and work awaited me. I got dressed, grabbed my keys, and headed out.
My name is Jin Zhongyi, originally Aisin Gioro Zhongyi. I am a descendant of the Manchu royal family, with ancestors who were regents during the Late Qing period. After the establishment of the Republic of China, my family began to decline. By the time it reached my grandfather's generation, our situation worsened further; we had lost our former status and identity. After the founding of the nation, by my father's generation, what remained of our royal lineage had vanished completely, leaving us as ordinary citizens. The past had become history.
I was born in Northeast China, near the Greater Khingan Range, embodying typical traits of a Northeasterner. Now twenty-eight years old, I had once been a Marine Corps member. I served five years in the military, believing I could achieve something significant. However, during a mission that led to our team's failure, I was discharged early—a significant blow to my life.
After leaving the service, I was assigned to a state-owned enterprise with decent benefits. Initially, things went well, but within a few months, I could no longer tolerate my superiors' attitudes. Eventually, during another drinking session, I struck one of them. The injury was severe enough that he spent over a month in the hospital recovering, and as a result of this incident, I was fired.
My father scolded me relentlessly; after all, this was a lifelong job that I had ruined for myself. Despite his efforts to pull strings and find me another position, nothing suitable materialized.
To spare my parents further worry, I decided to venture out on my own and build a career. Thus began my solitary journey to this unfamiliar Seaside City—five years have passed since then.
These five years have not been particularly smooth sailing for me; however, they have been manageable! For someone like me—without a diploma or any technical skills—making a mark in society has proven quite challenging.
When I first started job hunting, it felt like hitting brick walls everywhere; either they required diplomas or experience. The skills I'd learned in the military were utterly useless in civilian life. The only job that fit was as a bodyguard, but I wasn't keen on making a living at such perilous work and ultimately abandoned that idea.
Then one day, I learned that a Security Company was hiring. Initially interested in applying until I saw their pitiful salary offer! Living in this big city with such pay would leave me nearly broke after paying rent.
Later on, a friend introduced me to work as a sailor on an Ocean Vessel primarily engaged in fishing. The pay was high—over ten thousand yuan each month! Without hesitation, I agreed—not just for the lucrative salary but also because during my military service, I often went out to sea and felt somewhat familiar with it.
I suppose you could say that I have a deep love for the ocean! So I worked there for three full years until one fateful voyage when our fishing boat encountered rough seas. The merciless ocean sank our vessel; including the boss, there were over twenty crew members aboard—only two of us survived.
The rest perished in those unforgiving waters. My fellow survivor and I managed to endure through sheer willpower and some luck until rescuers arrived just as we were on the brink of exhaustion.
From that day forward, I stepped away from being a sailor and have not ventured out to sea since. Although the ocean can be ruthless, it has never instilled fear in me; even after leaving my sailor days behind, I've chosen to continue engaging with it in other ways.
I am currently a Diver, and I have been working in this field for two years. My main task is to harvest Sea Cucumbers, and in our local jargon, we refer to ourselves as Divers. Although it is not as dangerous as being an ocean sailor, it is still quite a demanding job.
One of the most important reasons I chose this profession is the high salary. I desperately need money; for someone poor like me, living well in this Seaside City means finding ways to earn more.
When I rode my motorcycle to the port, our small fishing boat was already docked there. From a distance, I saw a tall, thin boy waving his hand and smiling broadly as he shouted, "Brother Yi, good morning!"
His name is Shunzi, and I have known him for four years. He is the only sailor I have trained myself, and our relationship is quite complex—friends and mentor-student at the same time. Most importantly, he is also a survivor from that shipwreck we experienced together. I believe that if we hadn't supported each other back then, we might have become just another piece of debris lost in the sea.
Since the day we were given a second chance at life, this big boy has liked to follow me around. When I decided to become a Diver, he resolutely came along with me. As he puts it, wherever I go, he follows; he feels safe wherever I am.
Shunzi is three years younger than me and stands nearly six feet three inches tall. To me, he is a natural-born sailor; his physique resembles that of a professional swimmer—muscular all over. Coupled with his bronze skin and innocent childlike expression, he gives off a sunny and handsome vibe.
After parking my motorcycle, I leaped onto the boat and patted his shoulder, saying, "No one gets here earlier than you! You're always the first one here, right?" This kid is particularly enthusiastic about everything—a typical case of overflowing youthful energy.
With a beaming smile, Shunzi nodded. At that moment, Lao Chang shouted loudly, "Alright! Now that everyone’s here, let’s set off! The weather is great today; we should have a good haul." As he spoke, he started the engine, and the fishing boat slowly left the port and headed out to sea.
Lao Chang is our Boss. He used to be a Diver himself many years ago for over a decade before he had some money saved up and decided to get out of the business to start trading seafood instead.
In the past, every household by the seaside had Divers among them. Nowadays, there are fewer people in this line of work because it is not only labor-intensive but also carries certain risks. Those who can afford it have started their own businesses. Shunzi and I have been doing this for two years now, which is relatively rare these days; most of the old Divers have moved on to other ventures. Even if they are not Bosses now, they no longer work in this field.
After about twenty minutes of sailing, Lao Chang looked around and said, "Alright, this seems good."
The four of us Divers began preparing; including Shunzi and me, there were four Divers in total. The other two were newcomers who had only been working for just over a month. I took off my jacket and started putting on my Diving Suit. Since it was springtime, I didn’t need to wear thermal clothing underneath, which made things easier.
If we were diving in November, wearing thermal clothing under the Diving Suit would be essential; otherwise, the underwater temperature could freeze you to death. In fact, the peak season for Sea Cucumbers is from October to December; other times are considered off-season.
Diving during peak season can be deadly serious; every year when October arrives, my head starts to ache from dread—it’s incredibly tough work. By December, when you come up from diving, your body can feel like it's freezing solid.
I put on my Diving Suit, adjusted my goggles, slipped on my fins, and hung two mesh bags around my waist for collecting Sea Cucumbers. Once I strapped on the Oxygen Tank, I was ready to go.
I glanced at Shunzi, who was already suited up. He casually strapped a Paratrooper Knife to his calf and looked up at me, saying, "Safety first."
I smiled and nodded; he was always so meticulous. That Paratrooper Knife was a gift from me. The other two Divers had a bit more trouble than Shunzi and I did. They had to carry nearly thirty pounds of lead weights to help them dive better. Many Divers had been doing this for over a decade and still relied on those weights.
Shunzi and I didn’t need them. Even without the Diving Suit, we could dive just fine; lead weights were more of a burden for us—quite heavy, in fact.
Once everything was ready, we started to stretch our bodies. The pressure underwater was immense; once submerged, the Diving Suit clung tightly to us as if we were in a vacuum, making movement cumbersome—even turning my neck felt tiring.
At least this would help somewhat. The sea breeze was mild today, perfect for diving. If it were windy, visibility underwater would be nearly zero without lighting—everything would be murky, which could be quite frustrating.
Lao Chang saw that we were all set and reminded us, "You guys stay safe. Loyalty and Righteousness—put in some effort; I'll be waiting for you on the boat."
I gestured to indicate that everything was fine. Shunzi gave me a thumbs-up, and I nodded back before flipping into the water. Soon after, I heard the splash of the other three entering the water. Besides us four Divers, only Lao Chang and his son remained on the boat. His son was a good-for-nothing who only knew how to chase girls; he rarely spoke to me.
Once submerged, Shunzi and I descended slowly while the other two Divers sped ahead. Diving itself consumed energy; I wondered why those two were in such a hurry.
Shunzi and I stayed close together as we dove deeper. Numerous small fish and Plankton swam past us. To be honest, the initial excitement of diving was exhilarating, but as time passed and the novelty wore off, it became less thrilling.
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