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At that moment, my heart jolted in fear, and my body instinctively took a step back. Cold sweat instantly drenched me as the female corpse stared at me with wide eyes, her gaze resembling that of a dead fish. Her once beautiful face had turned grotesque, and I could even hear a faint 'hissing' sound escaping her lips.
I was transfixed by her eyes, which seemed to possess some kind of magical power. I wanted to leave, but my body was unresponsive, leaving me standing there in a daze. After what felt like an eternity, I began to feel dizzy, and a sharp pain pierced my chest. What was happening to me?
Just as my consciousness started to fade, I felt someone shove me hard to the ground. I fell into the seawater, and as the water splashed against my face, I slowly regained my senses. I lay in the water for about half a minute before finally seeing who stood before me.
It was Jiao Ba; he must have been the one who pushed me. He hurried over to help me up and asked, "Are you okay, Brother Yi? Is everything alright?"
I shook my head and replied, "What just happened? It felt like I was being controlled."
"You can't keep staring into that corpse's eyes; it could kill you," Jiao Ba said urgently, clearly aware of what was going on.
But now wasn't the time for explanations. I glanced back at the coffin where the corpse lay; her eyes were now closed. Could it be that she opened her eyes because I tried to pry open her right hand? Was there something hidden within it? My curiosity deepened.
Jiao Ba urged me to leave quickly, but I had to take a look. I returned to the coffin and attempted once more to pry open the corpse's right hand. Jiao Ba shouted beside me in desperation, "Brother Yi, hurry up! You'll anger her!"
Ignoring his warnings and not looking back into the corpse's eyes again, I summoned all my strength and finally managed to pry open her right hand. Sure enough, she was clutching a small jade pendant. My eyes lit up; this item must be valuable. As I grabbed the pendant and turned to leave with Jiao Ba, suddenly the seawater beneath us began to churn violently.
The water rolled and bubbled ominously around us. Confused by the sight before me, I wondered what was happening.
Jiao Ba noticed the change in the surrounding water as well; he quickly shone his flashlight around. That was when I saw a swarm of dark creatures lurking beneath the surface. They multiplied rapidly, but with the limited light from the flashlight, I couldn't tell what they were.
"What... what are those things?" I asked in terror.
Jiao Ba stammered, "We're... we're doomed, Brother Yi! It's... it's Bloodsucker Worms."
Bloodsucker Worms? There was no time for further thought; I shouted, "Run!" Grabbing Jiao Ba's arm, we bolted toward the hatch. But as we reached it, we froze in shock—the entire corridor of the ship's cabin was already swarming with Bloodsucker Worms. The incessant 'squeaking' echoed throughout the wreck.
Jiao Ba's face fell as he lamented, "I told you not to come here! Now we're both going to die."
"Shut up! We're not dead yet!" We slowly backed away as our path forward was blocked. Grabbing the flashlight from him, I searched for any chance of escape; we had to find a way out or we would surely perish here. With the beam of light from the flashlight, I spotted a significant breach nearby—the wreck had long been corroded; perhaps this was our only way out.
Jiao Ba shouted anxiously, "Brother Yi! Think of something quick! We're going to die!"
I turned my head and saw the Bloodsucker Worms slowly approaching us. It seemed like they knew we were about to run, and in an instant, they sped up and charged toward us. I grabbed Jiao Ba's arm and turned to run, shouting, "Break through here and charge out!"
We ran like mad, using all our strength to crash into the barrier. However, with our feet in the water, it was clear we couldn't muster much force. The impact didn't even breach the hull. The cries of the Bloodsucker Worms grew closer, and I shouted in anger, "Hurry up! Hit it harder!"
Jiao Ba and I slammed our bodies against the barrier again and again, ignoring any pain; anything was better than dying here! Just as we were about to be overwhelmed by the Bloodsucker Worms, there was a sharp crack, and finally, the hull broke open. Our bodies tumbled out into the vast sea.
Jiao Ba seemed dazed by the impact and started sinking. I rushed over and lifted him up, shouting, "Move! If you don't want to die, wake up now!"
Jiao Ba seemed to regain some awareness as we quickly swam toward the fishing boat. Although I didn't feel any pursuit from the Bloodsucker Worms behind us, I still couldn't afford to be complacent. We followed the Lifeline and finally managed to climb onto the fishing boat. Thank goodness I had let go of the Lifeline; otherwise, who knows what would have happened.
We clambered onto the fishing boat in a disheveled state and collapsed onto the deck. I lay flat on my back, gasping for breath, while Jiao Ba lay beside me, panting heavily. We had narrowly escaped death once again! It seemed that fate still had a soft spot for me.
After catching my breath, I sat up and said, "That was close! We almost died again."
Jiao Ba complained from the ground, "My dear brother! Next time, I'm not listening to you at all. Do you know if we had been even a moment later, we would have been devoured by those Bloodsucker Worms?"
I laughed and patted his arm. "Alright, alright. We're out now, so stop complaining."
Jiao Ba sat up as well and said, "Brother Yi, have you noticed that things are getting more complicated? It's beyond our control now."
I nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're right; it is indeed complicated! I've been wondering who that man in black really is. What is his purpose hiding among us?"
Jiao Ba sneered slightly and said, "Who knows? But I do know one thing: Jenny's Nautical Chart is probably not as simple as it seems. By the way, Brother Yi, that man in black jumped out of that window; this could help with our analysis."
I shot him a look. "Do you think he's an idiot? He jumped out of the kitchen window; there's nothing to investigate there. If we suspect anyone besides us two, everyone on this boat becomes a suspect."
Jiao Ba chuckled softly. I casually asked, "By the way, what happened to me earlier? Why did I lose control when I was staring at that female corpse?"
Jiao Ba thought for a moment and replied, "I'm not sure either. I suspect she released some kind of energy. But I'm certain that the talisman placed by that man in black played a role; without it, you and I might have died there."
I pondered over the deaths of those five divers—could it be related to that female corpse? Didn't Li Xin say they died from a heart attack? When I stared into her eyes, my heart nearly stopped too.
Jiao Ba frowned and said, "It's not impossible. The deaths of those five are hard to investigate, but who exactly is that female corpse?"
Hearing him say that, I suddenly remembered the item I had taken from the female corpse. I quickly took it out to show him. "Can this help you?"
"Did you get this from the female corpse?" Jiao Ba asked me.
I nodded. He took the jade pendant from my hand and examined it. A few seconds later, his expression changed dramatically as he muttered to himself, "This... this is from the Dragon and Phoenix Pendant, the Phoenix Pendant."
"What? Dragon and Phoenix Pendant? I thought it was some kind of treasure. Turns out it's just an ordinary item." During my time in the Qing Dynasty, there were also Dragon and Phoenix Pendants, but anyone with a bit of wealth could own one; it wasn't anything special.
Jiao Ba smiled and said, "You don't understand. In the early Ming Dynasty, the Dragon and Phoenix Pendant was not something just anyone could possess. Only members of the royal family could have it. The dragons were ranked; the emperor's dragon pendant is different from that of a prince. The Queen's Phoenix Pendant is also different from a concubine's Phoenix Pendant. Each level has strict distinctions; officials and commoners shouldn't even think about it."
I was startled and asked, "So you're saying this female corpse must be someone from the royal family?"
Jiao Ba looked at the jade pendant again and said, "Definitely. However... this Phoenix Pendant only has one half, so I can't determine her exact identity for now because a prince's wife can also possess a Phoenix Pendant."
I narrowed my eyes and asked, "If that's the case, could it be that the man in black is after this Phoenix Pendant?"
Jiao Ba glanced at me and said, "That's very possible. There must be a huge secret hidden here. Brother Yi, keep this jade pendant safe for now. Once we find the other half, we should have our answer."
I took back the pendant, stood up, and said, "Even if we can't find it, the man in black won't be able to resist either. Don't mention tonight's events to anyone; let's pretend nothing happened."
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