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墨書 Inktalez
I rowed the boat, my mind swirling with chaotic thoughts. To be honest, I was feeling pretty damn frustrated. My original plan was to go out to sea and make some money, but not only had I failed to earn anything, I had nearly died several times. What kind of situation was this? Now I had lost contact with the fishing boat and had no idea when I would find it again. Not only was I exhausted, but my stomach was also growling with hunger.
There was nothing to eat in this lifeboat—just a bit of fresh water and some gauze for emergencies. If only I could have a bowl of hot handmade noodles right now, it would make me feel so much better. I never thought I would find myself worrying so much over a meal.
The small boat continued to drift on the sea, rocking back and forth. That night, I was so worn out that I felt like I might collapse. The three of us—Jiao Ba, Mai Lao, and I—took turns rowing. Shunzi wasn’t in good health, so we didn’t make him row. It wasn’t just about rowing; sometimes the waves would crash down, flooding the small boat with water, and we had to scoop it out little by little. We hardly got any rest that night; we were completely exhausted.
We gritted our teeth, enduring fatigue and hunger until the sun rose high the next day. Finally, we spotted a fishing boat not far ahead drifting on the sea. Jiao Ba was ecstatic and shouted, “Brother Yi! Mai Lao! Look! It’s a fishing boat! It’s a fishing boat! We finally found it!”
I was equally excited as I exclaimed, “Oh my God! We finally found it! We didn’t come out here for nothing!” Hope surged within me; I could finally escape the torment of hunger.
At that moment, Shunzi stood up in excitement. I threw my arm around his shoulder, and he looked at me with gratitude written all over his face. After drifting on the ocean for an entire night, our little boat had held up against the odds. We had to thank the Sea God for looking after us! If he had turned against us and unleashed a tsunami or something, our little boat would have capsized, and we would have been done for.
However, Mai Lao remained calm as he gazed at the fishing boat ahead. “Wait,” he said. “That fishing boat isn’t ours; it looks like Bearded Man’s.”
I froze for a moment and took a closer look. The fishing boat was still some distance away, and I couldn’t see clearly. How did this old man have such sharp eyesight?
After examining it closely, Jiao Ba confirmed, “It really doesn’t look like our fishing boat.”
As we slowly approached the fishing boat, I finally saw it clearly—it indeed wasn’t ours but belonged to Bearded Man. Stunned, I said, “Damn it! It’s really not our fishing boat! So where is ours? Where did it go?” I scanned the surrounding waters but couldn’t find our fishing boat anywhere; only Bearded Man’s vessel floated in the middle of the sea.
Upon hearing this, Shunzi’s excitement vanished instantly; his face turned pale. “Brother Yi,” he said anxiously, “our fishing boat hasn’t sunk, has it?”
I shot him a glare and replied, “It can’t be that easy to sink! No way.”
"Let's go up and take a look. I feel something is off," Mai Lao said, increasing his rowing strength as our little lifeboat slowly approached the fishing boat.
Mai Lao made a gesture and whispered, "Everyone, be quiet as you board." After he finished speaking, he grabbed the edge of the boat and leaped up, leaving the three of us stunned. This old man was indeed very skilled—much more impressive than I had imagined.
He turned back with a smile and said softly, "I'm used to it; I climb boats all the time."
The three of us exchanged glances without saying a word, then quietly climbed aboard one after another. Shunzi was injured quite badly, so Jiao Ba and I had to help him up. Once we were on the boat, I realized it was eerily quiet—really quiet. There wasn't a sound at all, as if no one were there.
"Why is it so quiet?" I asked suspiciously.
"It is quite silent. Let's split up and search. We'll gather on the deck in a bit," Mai Lao replied before quietly heading toward the bow of the boat.
I nodded to Jiao Ba and led Shunzi toward the stern. We thoroughly checked every corner at the back of the boat but found no one. This was strange; logically, the Bearded Man should have left someone on board! Why was there not even a shadow in sight?
Shunzi whispered, "Brother Yi? Is there really no one on this boat?"
I thought for a moment and shook my head. "Let's go to the deck."
When we reached the deck, Mai Lao was already there. "What did you find, Mai Lao? Is there anyone over there?" I asked anxiously.
Mai Lao shook his head. "No, I've checked all the cabins—there's not a single person."
"No one? This is damn strange. Where's Jiao Ba?"
Just as I was getting worried, Jiao Ba rushed over in a hurry. I turned to ask him, but the result was the same—no one at all. The four of us turned the entire fishing boat upside down but couldn't find a living soul. Where had everyone gone? The boat just drifted on the sea, and who knows how far it had traveled; it probably wasn't even in its original position anymore.
I couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn it, this is ridiculous! There's not a single person on this fishing boat, and even our own boat has vanished. What the hell is going on?"
Mai Lao placed a hand on my shoulder and said, "Calm down. Let's analyze the situation slowly, and we'll figure it out."
Jiao Ba squinted and said, "I have a feeling... our fishing boat must have left us behind. What do you think, Mai Lao?"
"Left us behind? No way! Jenny can't be that heartless!" Shunzi asked incredulously.
After hearing Jiao Ba's words, I calmed down and thought it through. It actually made some sense: "Mai Lao, I believe Lao Ba is right. Jenny knows we followed the Bearded Man to the Wreck. After the Wreck separated from the fishing boat and lost contact, could she think we all died there?"
Mai Lao furrowed his brow and after a moment said, "That's a possibility. She might think we were killed, but it's also possible someone wanted to distract us and go salvage on their own."
"Distract us to go salvage alone? What do you mean?" Suddenly, I felt like I was starting to understand something, but I couldn't quite articulate it.
"It's simple. Look! The Bearded Man only took part of his crew to the Wreck while leaving some behind to guard Jenny and the others. Now that the Wreck is destroyed and our fishing boat is gone, it's clear that his other men are on the same boat as Jenny," Mai Lao explained, though he didn't say it outright, I understood.
"So you're saying... maybe one of Bearded Man's men wants to keep everything for themselves, or perhaps one of us has that idea?" Jiao Ba asked what I was thinking.
"Yes, that's exactly it," Mai Lao nodded.
Jiao Ba smirked and said sarcastically, "Well, they're wasting their time. This Nautical Chart is in my hands; what do they have to find the Wreck with?" As he spoke, he pulled the Nautical Chart out from his pocket.
I was stunned at that moment; Mai Lao looked equally surprised. I remembered clearly that the Bearded Man had taken this Nautical Chart away! How did it end up back in his hands?
"Jiao Ba" noticed my confusion and said, "I got this from the Bearded Man. Do you really think my reputation as Jiao Ba is just a joke? Not many dare to call themselves tomb raiding experts without some skill."
I realized that he must have taken it during a life-and-death struggle with the Bearded Man. I grabbed the Nautical Chart and examined it; it was indeed genuine. However, another thought crossed my mind: "What if someone can remember this Nautical Chart? Wouldn't that make it unnecessary?"
As soon as I finished speaking, both Jiao Ba and Mai Lao's eyes lit up. Shunzi suddenly chimed in, "Yeah! Jenny should be able to remember it, right?"
"You suspect her?" I countered Shunzi.
"Not exactly, but this nautical chart belongs to her family. Who else could possibly remember it?" Shunzi said rather foolishly.
Mai Lao chuckled and said, "As long as someone can understand the Nautical Chart and has seen it a few times, they can almost always remember it."
"Mai Lao, what should we do now? Should we chase after them?" At this critical moment, we had to rely on the Old Man since he was the sailing expert.
"No need to chase them; we wouldn't catch up anyway. I believe they are headed for the Ming Dynasty Shipwreck. As long as we can find the exact location of the wreck, we can locate them. What do you think, Loyalty and Righteousness?" Mai Lao said earnestly, turning his gaze toward me.
I awkwardly smiled and replied, "You can make the decision."
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