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墨書 Inktalez
As I was about to set off, a sudden realization struck me. Logically, our fishing boat should be nearby the Wreck, but now, there was not a single trace of it—no boat, not even a shadow. All I could see was the vast expanse of the ocean, and the water appeared pitch black, sending chills down my spine.
If I couldn't find the fishing boat, I would still face death. The endless sea stretched out before me, with no land in sight. The sky was devoid of anything but stars, leaving me without any means to determine direction. If Jiao Ba were here, it would be easier; he could read the stars to find north and south. But I lacked that skill.
I floated on the Sea Surface, trying to remain as calm as possible. Despite being in a perilous situation, my mind was racing with questions. Why had that female corpse rotted away? What had caused her to suddenly transform into something resembling a vampire? What had the Bearded Man obtained from her?
Could that object be like the jade pendant, harboring unspeakable secrets? Or perhaps it could unveil some hidden truth? I felt a twinge of self-loathing for not having taken what the Bearded Man possessed; after all this trouble, it seemed I had accomplished nothing.
Then there was Mai Lao's sudden disappearance. Given how tightly guarded he was by the Bearded Man's men and the ship brimming with firearms, how had he managed to escape unnoticed? If Jiao Ba hadn't suddenly asked about him, I might not have realized he was missing at all. This old man was indeed extraordinary. How had he even thought to come and rescue us?
Questions piled up endlessly, yet no matter how much I analyzed them, I couldn't grasp a single clue. Even when we faced death, that figure in black did not appear. Was it possible he wasn't even on the ship?
No, he must still be aboard. When I learned of Mai Lao's sudden disappearance, there was a moment when I suspected he might be the one in black. But then I reconsidered; logically speaking, those who seem most suspicious are often not guilty. If he truly were the figure in black, he wouldn't have exposed himself so blatantly.
Conversely, those who draw less attention and remain low-key are often more likely to be the masterminds behind everything—like Li Xin. From the very beginning, she maintained an icy demeanor that kept everyone at bay. Yet her deliberate attempts to conceal herself only made her more suspect.
When the Bearded Man first boarded our fishing boat, Li Xin was easily subdued. At that moment of urgency, I hadn't had time to analyze what was happening. Now that I floated on the Sea Surface, my mind cleared significantly, allowing me to see things more clearly.
According to Jenny, Li Xin was an absolute expert. For someone skilled in various martial arts techniques, how could she have been so easily captured? Even if she ultimately failed to resist, there was no reason she shouldn't have had a chance to fight back! At that time, none of the Bearded Man's men were injured; it was clear that Li Xin had offered no resistance whatsoever.
An expert with exceptional skills should have reacted when outsiders invaded her territory; her calmness seemed highly unusual. Although I lacked concrete evidence to prove Li Xin was indeed the figure in black, something about her felt deeply secretive.
However, judging by their physique and characteristics, neither Li Xin nor Mai Lao, nor anyone else on the entire ship, seemed to meet the requirements of the man in black. I just couldn't understand it; can a person's body shrink or grow? I couldn't make sense of it, so it seemed I would have to be more careful in the future.
After filtering through these thoughts in my mind, about half an hour had passed. I dared not move recklessly; if I went in the wrong direction, I could easily end up without a grave. My only hope was to patiently wait for Mai Lao and Jiao Ba to find me; that was all I could do.
I adjusted myself to the best state possible, floating on the Sea Surface, trying my best to remain still. The waves came crashing one after another, making it difficult to maintain my original position. Alone on the sea, I drifted aimlessly, silently counting the time. It had probably been about an hour, yet I still hadn’t seen Mai Lao or Jiao Ba, not even a passing boat.
I began to feel restless. If this continued, I would soon be fish food. I decided to take a gamble; I chose a direction that felt right and started swimming steadily forward. Regardless of whether I could find a fishing boat, I couldn’t just wait here to die.
After swimming for a while, I faintly saw a glimmer of light ahead and even heard shouting. But what were they shouting? I couldn’t make it out at all; the sea breeze was strong, and the waves were fiercer than before, making it hard to hear. Plus, my body was exhausted, and my calves were injured. For a moment, I thought I was hallucinating.
I mechanically swam forward as the light grew brighter. Then I heard voices calling out: “Loyalty and Righteousness... Loyalty and Righteousness, where are you?”
“Brother Yi! Brother Yi!” It was Mai Lao and Jiao Ba’s voices.
Hearing their shouts felt like grasping a lifeline; my energy surged instantly. I stretched out my hands and waved frantically while shouting: “Mai Lao! Lao Ba! I'm over here! Over here!”
But they seemed not to hear me at all. Exhausted from fatigue, I didn’t even have the strength to shout loudly anymore. I kept waving: “Lao Ba! Lao Ba!... I'm here! I'm here!”
The light drew closer and closer until I heard Jiao Ba's voice: “Mai Lao, there’s someone over there! Quick, let’s go check it out!”
I continued waving my hands but couldn’t produce any sound. When the light finally reached me, Jiao Ba shouted: “Damn it! Mai Lao, it’s Brother Yi! It’s Brother Yi!”
“Quickly go pull him up!” Mai Lao's anxious voice called out.
I vaguely saw a small boat stop beside me. Jiao Ba leaned over, grabbed my hand, and shouted, "Brother Yi, are you okay, Brother Yi?"
Even though he held onto my hand, I couldn't manage to get up. I had no strength left; after several attempts, I still couldn't make it. I almost pulled Jiao Ba into the sea with me. At that moment, Mai Lao suddenly jumped into the water. He supported me from below while Jiao Ba pulled me from above, and together they managed to get me onto the small boat.
Afterward, Mai Lao returned to the boat. I lay there with my eyes closed, resting. I was utterly exhausted, feeling as if my bones were about to fall apart.
"Brother Yi, Brother Yi, how are you? Don't scare me, brother!" Jiao Ba's panicked voice rang in my ears. I wanted to respond to him, but I had no strength left at all; I couldn't spare any energy to deal with him.
"He's tired. Jiao Ba, give him some water and let him rest for now," came Mai Lao's voice. Then I felt someone helping me sit up and giving me a bit of water to drink. In truth, I wasn't so weak that I couldn't drink water at all, but I was indeed too fatigued. I didn't want to waste even a little bit of energy. After drinking some water, I collapsed back onto the boat and drifted off into a light sleep...
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