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墨書 Inktalez
The Bearded Man was truly cunning to the extreme; he would have made a perfect traitor. To my surprise, he requested that we send two people into the sea. I volunteered myself and asked for Mai Lao to accompany me, but the Bearded Man refused and instead sent Shunzi with me. However, it was fine; having Shunzi dive with me was the best choice.
In addition to the two of us, the Bearded Man arranged for a few others to join us, led by Landmine, who would search for the wreck's traces alongside Shunzi and me. Despite his burly appearance, the Bearded Man had a keen eye; he could read a Nautical Chart, though I couldn't tell if he truly understood it or was just pretending.
Finally, he had Mike designate a location. Mai Lao glanced at me, and I nodded in response. Then Mai Lao pointed out a spot on the chart. The fishing boat moved forward for a while; we were likely not too far from Malaysia, but I couldn't pinpoint the exact location.
Once the site was determined, the Bearded Man said, "Let's prepare to dive! I wish you all good luck."
I smirked but didn't respond. Soon after, Shunzi and I were untied and began putting on our gear. Once everything was ready, I requested a spear.
However, the Bearded Man replied, "That spear is too dangerous; you shouldn't use it. Landmine, you take the spear while they handle the lighting."
I knew he wouldn't let me have the spear anyway. But that was fine; if anything went wrong underwater, he couldn't blame me. Shunzi and I exchanged a knowing glance; he gave me a subtle signal. I understood that his diving suit likely concealed some hidden tools—this was typical of Shunzi. Although the Bearded Man was meticulous, he overlooked this detail.
Excluding Shunzi and me, there were four people on Landmine's team. Once they were ready, we all jumped into the ocean together. After entering the water, Shunzi and I led the way while Landmine's group followed closely behind us—these four were sent by the Bearded Man to monitor us. Their diving skills weren't very impressive; if Shunzi and I wanted to shake them off, it would be an easy task.
We swam down to the seabed; this area was quite deep—at least forty meters down. Since it was afternoon and sunlight flooded through the water on this calm day, the deep sea appeared a light blue hue. Coral reefs were clearly visible along with various fish swimming around us as we leisurely explored this beautiful underwater scene.
Shoulder to shoulder with Shunzi, we advanced slowly. I glanced at him and signaled for him to stop. Once we halted, Landmine swam over to us, gesturing curiously as if asking why we had stopped moving.
I gestured back to him: 'Six people divided into three groups searching separately.'
Landmine looked taken aback and shook his head vigorously while gesturing that it wasn't possible; we had to search together. It seemed this fool had quite a high level of vigilance! But I needed to split them up regardless.
I answered him in the simplest way possible, gesturing around and then pointing to my Oxygen Tank, conveying a straightforward message: "If we don't stick together, how can we find the Wreck? We won't have enough oxygen."
After pondering for a moment and glancing at his companion, he nodded in agreement. However, he insisted that I team up with him while Shunzi paired with another person. I had anticipated this request, and it was exactly what I wanted. Shunzi exchanged a meaningful glance with me and silently nodded. Then we began our separate searches for the Wreck.
Shunzi and I moved in a front-and-back formation, with him trailing closely behind me as if afraid I might escape. We stealthily advanced for over a hundred meters without safety ropes—perhaps Bearded Man didn't even know such things existed. Since that was the case, we could freely explore the depths of the sea.
Nothing unusual occurred along the way. Just as I was contemplating how to lead Shunzi to his demise, I suddenly spotted a vast area of darkness about thirty meters ahead. The darkness seemed capable of swallowing a person whole. Upon seeing this sight, I hesitated to proceed any further; something felt off. Beneath that expanse of darkness, the surrounding waters exuded an eerie and terrifying aura.
I couldn't comprehend it. Deep beneath the sea was a realm of blue, yet ahead loomed an overwhelming darkness. It felt as if some unknown creature was observing me from within that shadowy abyss. When Landmine noticed my pause, he stopped as well.
I turned to look at him and gestured slightly; he nodded in response, clearly aware of the dark area ahead. If he couldn't see such a large patch of darkness, he would truly be blind.
A sudden intuition struck me: there should be the Ming Dynasty Shipwreck we had been searching for within that dark region. I couldn't explain why, but I had this strong premonition.
I deliberately gestured again and asked Landmine, "Should we go over?" Although I didn't have a Spear in hand, I carried an Underwater Light. Even if danger lurked ahead, I had this guy behind me as a shield.
Landmine appeared somewhat frightened; that vast darkness was indeed unsettling—something that shouldn't exist in the deep sea had manifested before us. After experiencing several unexpected events previously, I had grown accustomed to such phenomena. While fear still lingered within me, I knew I could overcome it.
Landmine glanced at me and eventually nodded. He stepped forward and gave me a push, indicating that I should take the lead. I understood his intention; it suited my desires perfectly.
We swam steadily toward that expansive dark area, one in front of the other. As I approached the darkness, an unprecedented chill enveloped me. This cold seemed capable of penetrating my Diving Suit and skin, reaching straight to my bones. My entire body trembled uncontrollably; this chill was far colder than when I neared the Coffin Corpse—it was a cold that radiated from within.
Slowly, I entered that dark zone, with Landmine following closely behind. I paused first and used my Underwater Light to carefully observe my surroundings; in such a cursed place, who knew what might emerge? If we encountered a Human-Faced Flower, it would spell disaster.
I had expected this area to be pitch black—so dark that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face—but it wasn't as severe as I'd imagined. Although shrouded in darkness, there were still faint outlines of objects visible around us.
I scanned the area, and aside from some plankton, I found nothing that posed a threat to my life. However, the atmosphere around me felt unusually eerie—silent, too silent. It was as if the sea had stopped flowing, suddenly frozen in time.
At that moment, Landmine pushed me from behind. I had no choice but to press on. I had no idea how vast this dark zone was or why the seabed looked like this. What did it signify? Suddenly, I recalled that when we discovered the Wreck before Guangxu's era, there had been a similar moment of darkness. If that were true, then the Wreck should be nearby; it seemed my deduction was correct.
As I pondered these thoughts, a massive shadow darted past my Underwater Light in an instant, moving so fast it was beyond my imagination. I was instantly drenched in cold sweat and dared not continue forward. Although I couldn't clearly see what it was, one thing was certain: it was enormous and likely not a fish. Whales weren't that fast, and sharks didn't have such a large body.
In that moment, my heart began to race. The water felt even colder, and an evil presence permeated the area. I had never felt this tense even when facing the Coffin Corpse. The Underwater Light's limited beam couldn't reveal how extensive this dark region truly was.
Landmine, that fool behind me, probably hadn't noticed my sudden stop. He pushed me again, and I gestured for him to be quiet, indicating that there was something around us. The Underwater Light continued to sweep back and forth; I wasn't afraid of whatever might appear now but dreaded the thought of it ambushing me from behind—if that happened, I would surely perish.
Landmine thought I was just messing with him again and kept pushing me. Finally unable to hold back, just as I was about to retaliate, I noticed a shadow slowly moving behind him. This shadow was darker than its surroundings, making it quite evident. Landmine must have sensed something was off when he saw my expression; he froze in fear.
The shadow drew closer to him. In a panic, I shoved him forward—if someone had to die, it might as well be him first. The shadow lunged at him in an instant. With all my strength, I darted sideways, unable to see what exactly happened next. All I could tell was that Landmine seemed to be bitten by something.
He let out desperate cries for help, but unfortunately, they were nothing more than echoes in the water. Before I could even shine my Underwater Light in his direction, he vanished in an instant. All that remained in the surrounding waters were some bloodstains and an Oxygen Tank along with a Spear; Landmine had disappeared along with the shadow. I stood there dumbfounded as fear surged within me once more.
What the hell just happened? One moment he was alive and well; the next he was gone. Though he deserved his fate, his disappearance made me feel death creeping closer to me as well. What on earth was that shadow? My nerves were on high alert.
I hurriedly picked up the Spear he had dropped while my light continued to scan the area frantically. Glancing at the Oxygen Tank, I estimated there was about half an hour left of air supply. I needed to get out of this cursed place quickly—whatever Wreck awaited me could wait; survival came first.
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