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We returned to the Rest Cabin, and Shunzi fell asleep shortly after lying down. Jiao Ba, on the other hand, tossed and turned in bed, lost in his thoughts. Since we set sail, Jiao Ba had changed quite a bit; usually talkative, he had become quiet and rarely joked around these days.
“Lao Ba, can't sleep?” I asked casually, feeling a bit uncomfortable seeing him like this.
“Yeah, I've been having trouble sleeping these past few days, damn it,” Jiao Ba's hoarse voice came from across the room. Our beds faced each other, with Shunzi above me and another sailor above Jiao Ba. This Rest Cabin could accommodate six people and was relatively decent.
“Wow, you can’t sleep too? What’s bothering you?” I asked with my eyes closed.
“What could possibly be bothering me? I just want to make more money so I can end this miserable life sooner. Brother Yi, you have no idea; I’ve been feeling a bit seasick. It’s been over a month at sea; how can I stand it?” Jiao Ba complained.
“Seriously? So all this fuss is because of seasickness? I thought it was something major! Alright, go to sleep already! Don’t waste this precious time,” I said, but I wasn’t feeling sleepy at all.
Jiao Ba sighed and said, “Hey, Brother Yi, do you think we’ll make it back safely?”
“Why do you ask that?” Could it be that Jiao Ba sensed danger too? People like him who were tomb raiders often had a sixth sense about things; I just couldn’t grasp it.
“Damn it, I'm just feeling anxious. Ever since I saw the female corpse in the coffin, I haven’t felt at ease. Ah forget it, Brother Yi; you should get some rest too! I'm going to sleep now.” After saying that, Jiao Ba fell silent.
I could guess what was on his mind; he just couldn’t say it in front of the other sailors in the Rest Cabin. If he spoke out of turn, it could easily shake everyone’s morale. We all wanted to finish up and go home quickly, but now we had no choice but to continue. Like Jiao Ba, ever since seeing the female corpse in the coffin, my sleep had been poor as well. That woman kept appearing in my dreams.
Several times she startled me awake; each time I woke up drenched in cold sweat. To be honest, I was starting to lose interest in this venture. But thinking about the treasures we might find compelled me to carry on. Since I couldn’t sleep, I decided to take a walk instead. Quietly getting out of bed, I opened the Hatch and headed up to the deck.
As I stepped onto the deck, a beautiful figure caught my eye at the bow of the ship. Why wasn’t she sleeping? An idea struck me; I wanted to scare her a little. With a wicked grin, I quietly approached her and suddenly shouted, “Hey! What are you doing?”
I thought my loud shout would scare Jenny into a scream. Unfortunately, I miscalculated; she merely shuddered slightly and then turned to look at me casually, saying, "Hey, you're so boring! If you think it's dull, just jump into the sea to cool off."
Leaning against the railing, I took out a cigarette, lit it, and after taking a puff, I replied, "Come on, I never said I was bored! It's you who’s out here in the middle of the night catching a cold breeze instead of sleeping."
"Is it wrong for me to have insomnia?" Jenny replied nonchalantly.
I took another drag from my cigarette and chuckled, "Wow, what's going on? Why are there so many insomniacs tonight? Or is it that all you graduate students love to lose sleep?"
Jenny shot me a glance and said pointedly, "Hey! Are you implying something? Trying to mock me?"
I laughed heartily and said, "Not at all! I just noticed you looking so lonely out here in the middle of the night, braving the sea breeze without a care for the cold." I took off my jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Jenny didn’t argue but tightened my jacket around herself and said, "Don't think that by doing this I'll develop any feelings for you. You might as well give up on that idea! You're just not my type."
I tossed aside my cigarette butt and exclaimed, "What is this all about? Don't worry, I’m not thinking anything like that."
Jenny smiled and said, "You're quite different from what I imagined."
"How am I different? Is it because I'm a bit more handsome in person?" I replied shamelessly.
"Why can't you ever be serious? Can you please act a little more mature? Let's talk about something real," Jenny shot me an exasperated look, clearly fed up with my banter.
I immediately put on a serious face and said, "Alright, alright! I promise to be serious from now on. I'm all ears."
Jenny smirked slightly and said, "That's better. Actually... when I say you're different, it's because of everything that's happened these past few days. On the surface, you seem fragile, but in reality, you're quite resilient. At critical moments, you even show a fearless spirit. That's impressive..."
"Stop right there. I'm not that kind-hearted. Sometimes, if I don't make a decision, not only will they die, but I will too." My tone was light, but my gaze was resolute.
Jenny suddenly chimed in, "In these days at sea, two people have already died. I really don't know what else might happen. I feel terrible about those two sailors who lost their lives."
At this point, her eyes were a bit red. I could tell she was genuinely upset. Although we didn't share much of a bond, after all, these were two lives lost! They were people I had seen die right before my eyes, and they worked for me. Anyone with a shred of conscience would feel remorseful.
I tried to comfort her, saying, "No one wants anything bad to happen. It’s just unfortunate circumstances. Don’t think too much about it; we’ll salvage the Wreck and return safely." Even as I said this, I knew it sounded hollow.
"But I can't shake this bad feeling inside me. Even though I haven't seen the female corpse in the coffin, every time you mention it, I feel uneasy all over. Loyalty and Righteousness... Am I being too selfish? Am I disregarding everyone’s safety just to salvage the Wreck?" Jenny's face looked pale; it was clear she was troubled.
I forced a smile and replied, "There's nothing selfish about it. I'm out here for money too; you're salvaging the Wreck for your family. Everyone has their own needs. As for the corpse in the coffin, I doubt it's that terrifying. It's just a dead person; even if it's some Demon Worm Corpse, what can it do? Jiao Ba is just hearsay; it’s not that serious." I was spouting lies while deep down, I was terrified.
After hearing my words, Jenny put on a smile and handed me my jacket. "Well, everything will go smoothly. Thank you! Now... I'll return your coat; I should head back."
I took the jacket from her and nodded. "No need to be polite; I'm always at your service. Good night, beautiful."
Jenny chuckled lightly and turned to leave. Watching her retreating figure stirred some thoughts in my mind, but any lewd ideas quickly vanished. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Since no one was here to enjoy the moonlight with me, I'd have to appreciate it alone. Sitting on the deck, smoking and feeling the sea breeze against me while gazing at the vast darkness of the ocean, what filled my heart was no longer excitement but resignation and fear. I hoped everything would go smoothly...
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