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墨書 Inktalez
We had everything ready, with the Spear and Underwater Light replaced, and we checked all the gear we were wearing. To minimize danger, each of us carried a sharp knife. I still had my Paratrooper Knife close at hand; while it might not be of much use, it could save my life in a critical moment.
This time, Shunzi would also join us in the water. Our numbers were dwindling, and he had no choice but to dive in. Over the past couple of days, Shunzi's injuries had improved significantly, so he should be fine going underwater.
Just before we were about to enter the sea, I asked Mai Lao, "Mai Lao, should we check the ship again?"
Mai Lao replied with a serious expression, "I'll check the ship. You take the others to survey the cabin."
"Are you sure you can handle it alone? How about I go with you?" I was genuinely concerned. Although this Old Man was capable, he was getting on in years and going alone posed risks if anything unexpected happened.
"How about this: let Shunzi come with me," Mai Lao suggested, calling Shunzi over and explaining the situation. However, Shunzi hesitated and seemed reluctant to go, implying he wanted to stick with me.
At that moment, Jiao Ba chimed in from the side, "Mai Lao, I'll go with you."
I shot a glance at Jiao Bayi without saying a word. He looked back at me and nodded slightly. It was perfect for Jiao Ba to accompany him; at least someone would be there to look out for him. Besides, Jiao Ba would keep an eye on Mai Lao. If Mai Lao went into the ship alone, who knew what secrets he might be hiding? But Jiao Ba's eagerness was somewhat illogical; he had changed recently and was almost unrecognizable compared to before.
Mai Lao smiled and said, "Great! With Xiao Ba accompanying me, it's even better. Everyone else get ready to dive."
Just as we were preparing to enter the water, Li Xin suddenly burst out of the cabin shouting, "Wait a minute!"
I turned around and was taken aback because Li Xin was also wearing a diving suit—no, more accurately, it was a shark-proof suit. It was made of tightly woven stainless steel wire mesh. While it looked cumbersome and heavy, this type of suit could prevent attacks from smaller sharks. However, it wouldn’t be effective against larger ones like the Great White Shark or that so-called Sting Horse Colt we encountered earlier.
I hadn’t expected there would be shark-proof suits on our boat. If each of us had one of these suits—though clumsy—they could increase our safety by at least thirty percent. Perhaps that sailor who died from being struck by steel wire rope wouldn't have perished if he had one.
Thinking about this made me quite angry. I glanced at Jenny and said, "Why didn’t you give us shark-proof suits? If we had those, we wouldn’t have lost so many people." After all, Jenny was the captain; she should know more about the equipment on board than anyone else.
"I... I didn’t know there were shark-proof suits," Jenny stammered as she looked around awkwardly. From her expression, she didn’t seem to be lying.
Li Xin shot me a glance and said, "This is my personal gear; it has nothing to do with Jenny. I brought it myself."
Mai Lao looked at Li Xin and asked calmly, "What are you planning to do?"
"What else can I do dressed like this? Of course, I'm joining you all in diving," Li Xin replied casually but with a serious undertone.
I was a bit confused. What did she want to dive with us for? Besides, could she even swim? I hoped she wouldn't end up drowning; if she died, it wouldn't matter to her, but it would be a hassle for us to retrieve her body. That would definitely be her fault. I snorted softly, not wanting to engage with her.
At that moment, Jenny chimed in, "Yeah, Li Xin, why are you trying to tag along? I won't allow you to dive." Jenny's expression changed immediately; it seemed she was genuinely upset with Li Xin's decision.
"Jenny, didn't we agree on this when we came? I can join in the diving too. Besides, we're short on personnel, so I'm here to help out. I might as well take a look underwater and see if there are any strange things down there," Li Xin said while looking at Jenny. But to me, it felt like she was addressing me directly, especially when she mentioned 'to avoid some people gossiping.' It was clearly aimed at me.
"Can you even dive? Don't end up drowning," I said bluntly. However, thinking it over, if she had her diving gear with her all the time, it seemed she must know how to dive. This woman was not simple; I really needed to challenge her sometime. The more I looked at her, the more suspicious she seemed.
"Why don't you just take care of yourself? Just don't die first," Li Xin shot back coldly.
"Alright, alright, let's all keep it down. Li Xin, since you want to dive with us, you'll have to follow my instructions. Go with Loyalty and Righteousness to the cabin and listen to their commands. Xiao Ba and I will head into the ship," Mai Lao finally agreed to let her dive.
Li Xin shot me a glance before turning back to Mai Lao and said, "No problem, I'll follow your arrangements."
"Mai Lao, you're letting her stick with me? ...I..."
"Enough! It's settled," the Old Man interrupted before I could finish my sentence.
Since he had spoken, I couldn't refuse. I glanced at Li Xin and forced a smile. "Miss Li, you better take care of yourself; I don't have time to protect you."
"Hmph, just take care of yourself and don't hold us back," Li Xin retorted with a cold stare.
This woman really had some fire in her words. "Alright, enough chatter. Let's dive!" Mai Lao shouted and jumped off the fishing boat first.
We followed suit and jumped into the water. As we descended into the deep sea, the water felt surprisingly warm tonight for some reason. Li Xin's swimming skills were impressive—much better than I'd expected—almost on par with the other sailors. Underwater, her speed was no less than ours; this woman truly had some skills. It seemed she wasn't just an ordinary person; everyone here was quite remarkable, and I was starting to feel overwhelmed.
We were already familiar with the route to the wreck site and soon arrived near the Dark Sea Area. Mai Lao instructed everyone to stay alert and be cautious of our surroundings. Including Li Xin, there were nine of us in total. We all held our spears tightly for illumination as I readied myself mentally and focused intently on what might happen next. Hopefully, everything would go smoothly this time without encountering any Sting Horse Colts or those nasty creatures again.
Mai Lao led the way into the Dark Sea Area. I quickly followed with the others, just like before. Once we entered, we waited for a while to let our eyes adjust to the surroundings before continuing onward.
The water here remained cold and calm, exuding an aura of death. Even with the volcanic eruptions outside, I imagined this place would still look the same. I was curious about what could have caused this sea area to become like this. Was it merely because of the Wreck?
After about ten seconds, Mai Lao signaled us to move forward. The nine of us swam at a steady pace, getting closer to the Wreck, which gradually became clearer. I stole a glance at Li Xin. From her expression, I could see surprise and excitement, along with disbelief. She even quickened her pace. I couldn't help but smirk internally; she could be excited now, but once trouble struck, that enthusiasm would vanish.
The white creatures continued to linger around the Wreck. Suddenly, Mai Lao slowed down. I, along with Shunzi and Jiao Ba, quickly reduced our speed as well. Only Li Xin kept pushing forward without slowing down.
At that moment, the white elongated creatures suddenly surged toward Li Xin as if they had gone mad. Surprisingly, she remained oblivious and continued charging ahead. The white creatures darted toward her like water snakes.
Perhaps sensing danger at last, she turned around and began swimming back quickly. However, the faster she swam, the quicker those white creatures pursued her. Mai Lao widened his eyes and gestured frantically, ‘This is bad! We need to stop her!’
Driven by instinct to save her, I rushed forward. Just as the white creatures were about to reach her, I grabbed Li Xin's arm and halted her abruptly. As soon as she stopped, the white creatures returned to their original state.
Her Breathing Apparatus was bubbling furiously. I shot her a glare and gestured, ‘Are you crazy? You almost got us killed.’
Li Xin responded with hand signals, ‘How was I supposed to know? You didn’t explain anything clearly before.’ Her sign language was quite good; I understood perfectly.
I looked at her helplessly and gestured, ‘Follow me and listen to my commands.’
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