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墨書 Inktalez
The wreck was not as bountiful as I had imagined. We had explored almost every corner of the two decks, yet we found nothing of significant value. Instead, a sense of unease crept over me; it was far too dark inside, and the thought of the floating corpse we had just seen sent chills down my spine.
Shunzi also seemed uncomfortable. He gestured for us to head back. Mai Lao nodded in agreement, signaling that there was one last cabin to check before we returned to the fishing boat. The oxygen supply was running low, and we had at most half an hour left.
The three of us swam forward again, reaching the last cabin at the stern of the ship. As we approached the entrance, my heart raced. I had a nagging feeling that something terrifying lay within. Despite my years of military training and my belief that I feared nothing, I found myself gripped by fear.
Mai Lao stepped up to force open the hatch, but it was tightly sealed. It was clear he was struggling, so I quickly moved to assist him. Together, we exerted our strength, but this time the hatch remained unyielding. Seeing our efforts were futile, Shunzi hurriedly set down his light and joined us.
With all three of us pushing together, our faces turned red from exertion. The resistance from the deep sea was overwhelming, and such excessive effort drained our energy quickly. After several attempts, the hatch finally began to budge, creaking open a narrow gap.
As soon as that gap appeared, I felt a powerful pressure surging outward from within, causing the surrounding water temperature to drop significantly. A shiver ran through me, and I glanced at my companions; they looked equally affected and quickly swam aside.
We waited for about ten minutes until the water temperature gradually returned to normal. The chilling current seemed to have dissipated. We exchanged puzzled glances, wondering why there had been such immense pressure inside that cabin. Mai Lao signaled for us to try again.
We gathered at the hatch once more and pushed with all our might. This time, it slowly opened wider, but the space remained small—only enough for one person to squeeze through sideways. No matter how hard we tried afterward, it felt as if the hatch had been welded shut; it wouldn’t budge an inch.
Exhausted, I felt as if my hands were about to detach from my body. A glance at my oxygen gauge revealed that we were running out of time; we needed to hurry back. I gestured for us to proceed and prepared to go in first. I tossed my spear to Shunzi and grabbed his light before attempting to turn sideways into the cabin.
However, the space was too cramped. As I tried to enter, I got stuck on the oxygen tank behind me. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get through. Mai Lao and Shunzi came over to help, but it was no use; the oxygen tank was wedged right at the hatch's entrance. To get inside, we would have to remove it first.
Mai Lao looked at the entrance and gestured, saying, "Let's use the light to check the situation inside first."
I picked up the flashlight and took a look. Due to the limited angle and visibility, I couldn't see anything particularly valuable. In front of the cabin entrance, I vaguely noticed what seemed to be a cabinet inside, but I wasn't sure. Mai Lao and Shunzi, who were behind me, observed for a moment as well, shaking their heads to indicate they couldn't see anything either. It seemed we had to go in.
Suddenly, I thought of a way to extend my arm into the hatch first and then use the underwater light to observe the surroundings. I quickly turned sideways, stretching my arm holding the flashlight into the cabin while awkwardly pushing my head in as well. This cabin was much darker than the others; it felt like an endless abyss. The visibility here was barely about a meter. What on earth was going on?
I swept the light back and forth but still saw nothing. Just as I was about to pull my arm back, I suddenly caught sight of a face appearing before me in the beam of light. This face was so distorted it was beyond description; all the muscles had rotted away, and there was no jaw. Those lifeless eyes stared intensely at me as if trying to convey some kind of message.
I was frozen in shock by this sudden sight. The worst part was that this face had only a head—nothing below it. For a moment, two or three seconds passed before I could react. When blood rushed to my brain, I jolted awake and let out a scream, quickly retracting my arm.
My sudden movement knocked Mai Lao and Shunzi behind me aside. I guessed that Shunzi's oxygen tank hit his head because he covered his head with one hand while using the other to gesture at me, asking, "What happened? You scared me!"
Mai Lao also gestured, "Did you see a ghost? Why are you in such a hurry?"
I gasped for breath; down in the deep sea, none of us could speak. The silence was somewhat terrifying—I could almost hear my own heartbeat. Surrounded by dark water, we were inside a wreck at the bottom of the sea. I couldn't explain anything right now. I gestured, "Let's go back first; we're running low on oxygen."
Seeing that there indeed wasn't much oxygen left, Mai Lao nodded. The three of us began to swim back along our original path. I had no desire to linger here; that floating face was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen—more frightening than any corpse I'd encountered before. What secrets lay hidden inside that ghost ship's cabin?
Ever since I boarded this fishing boat, I had been encountering one incomprehensible thing after another. The ocean truly is an unknown world, and wrecks possess an irresistible allure. Although I felt some trepidation inside, my curiosity remained strong; I had to see what kind of world existed inside that cabin.
On our way back, Mai Lao casually picked up something from the first cabin—a ceramic item or something similar—though its original appearance was unrecognizable due to being covered in moss and some unknown marine plankton.
After we left the wreck, we swam quickly upward. When we broke through the surface of the water, I noticed that the sun had not yet set; the sunset still illuminated the sea surface with a golden hue, creating a beautiful scene. I was captivated by this sight for just a moment before reality hit me again—the pressure from the wreck beneath the deep sea weighed heavily on me.
When the three of us returned to the ship, Mai Lao handed the ceramics he had brought out to Jiao Ba. After cleaning the porcelain vase, Jiao Ba examined it closely for a moment and said, "Yes, this is indeed from the Ming Dynasty. Based on the craftsmanship and patterns, it should be from the Yongle Period, which is when Zheng He sailed to the West."
Upon hearing Jiao Ba's words, Jenny's eyes lit up. "Really? So that means we've found a Ming Dynasty shipwreck!"
"This item definitely dates back to the Yongle period. Although it has been on the seabed for many years, the shape of the vase remains smooth, delicate, and elegant—there's no doubt about it. However, whether the wreck itself is from the Ming Dynasty, I can't conclude just yet. It would be best to salvage the wreck so I can examine other items," Jiao Ba said as he adjusted his glasses.
Every time this guy looks at antiques, he has to wear a pair of glasses. I reached out and took a look at the vase myself. "It really is from the Ming Dynasty, but this doesn't seem like something that came from the palace, nor does it appear to be a common household item." Although I wasn't as skilled as Jiao Ba, I knew a thing or two; my grandfather had quite a few Ming Dynasty artifacts back in the day, but they were all lost during the Sino-Japanese War.
"Wow, Brother Yi, you're impressive! You can tell that much! You're right; this isn't something from the palace, but it's definitely not common folkware either. Most likely, it came from an Official Kiln—items loaded onto ships during Zheng He's voyages," Jiao Ba said seriously as he looked at everyone.
"Mai Lao, when do we start salvaging?" Jenny asked eagerly. Her face was filled with excitement; despite appearing to be the captain on the surface, she actually knew very little and relied on Mai Lao to make most decisions.
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