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墨書 Inktalez
When Big Guy returned to the cabin, he began to persuade the other sailors who were planning to leave. Mai Lao glanced at me and quietly asked, "Did you explain things to Big Guy?"
I replied without showing any emotion, "Sort of, at least he's willing to give it a try."
"I hope we can keep these sailors. Our numbers are dwindling, and if they all leave, we won't be able to continue with the work," Mai Lao said, looking worried.
Big Guy was negotiating with them while we occasionally chimed in. After more than an hour of discussion, we finally managed to convince them to stay for the time being. However, they had one condition: once the Wreck was salvaged, they wanted to be allowed to leave.
Jenny exchanged a glance with Mai Lao, who nodded in response. "Alright, I promise you that once the Wreck is salvaged, I'll send you back," Mai Lao assured them. Although Jenny was reluctant, there was no other option; it was already a good outcome that the sailors agreed to stay temporarily.
With the internal conflict settled, the next step was to discuss matters regarding the Wreck. Mai Lao called everyone into the dining room to deliberate on what to do next.
Old Man spoke first, "Does anyone have questions about this investigation?"
"Of course! There are plenty of questions," I said casually as I took a drag from my cigarette.
"I want to know what exactly happened in that forbidden area. How did people die so suddenly?" Li Xin asked with a furrowed brow.
Shunzi chimed in, "I'm curious about those treasures. What were they? How could they suddenly turn into a cloud of black smoke?"
Jiao Ba maintained a serious expression and said, "Everything else is fine, but I want to know where that Sting Horse Colt went. As long as that thing is alive, I can't find peace."
"Yeah, there are too many strange occurrences with this Wreck..."
"I agree. Ever since we entered the Wreck, bizarre events have been happening one after another. This Wreck is truly terrifying," everyone started talking over each other. It was chaotic and hard to make sense of it all, but one thing was clear: everyone was filled with confusion and fear regarding what had happened inside the Wreck. They all wanted answers, myself included.
"Everyone quiet down; let's take it step by step," Mai Lao shouted with his booming voice, and everyone fell silent.
He turned his gaze towards me. "Loyalty and Righteousness, let's go through everything step by step and analyze it together."
I nodded and began to recall everything that had happened. "Let's start from our dive at the Wreck. First, there was that strange Large Wooden Box, which was the first thing I noticed. Then I saw those bizarre images again, and after that, I found the hidden compartment beneath the large box. But why was the inside of this big box empty? Logically, it shouldn't be empty. Could it be that someone took the contents before us?"
Shunzi suddenly chimed in, "That seems likely, Brother Yi. When you were under the hidden compartment, didn't you find a severed arm of a modern Diver and an Oxygen Tank? Doesn't that prove that someone got there before us?"
"Yes, I think so too. Someone must have taken the contents. An ancient Wreck wouldn't have modern equipment; clearly, someone got there ahead of us. But how did they find the Wreck? Jenny, are you sure this Nautical Chart hasn't leaked?" Mai Lao looked at Jenny with a sharp gaze.
Jenny quickly shook her head. "No, no. Before we set sail, aside from my family, no one knew about this Nautical Chart."
I scoffed lightly. "Then how did the Bearded Man know? Someone must have leaked it."
Jenny's expression turned grim. "I... I don't know about that. But I really haven't told anyone."
Jiao Ba suddenly chuckled coldly. "Hmph, stop speculating. There was only one thing inside that large box; even if someone had been there before, it wouldn't have been something they could take."
"Why?" Jiao Ba's words puzzled me. What could possibly be something that couldn't be taken?
Jiao Ba glanced at me and smiled. "It's simple, Brother Yi. Can't you figure it out? The pattern on top of the box explains everything."
Pattern? I recalled the design on the Large Wooden Box—it depicted a horse with spikes all over its head, looking very strange. Suddenly, it hit me. "Are you saying... what's inside is a Sting Horse Colt?"
As soon as I finished speaking, everyone turned their questioning gazes toward Jiao Ba, and I did too. Although the box was large, it couldn't possibly fit that Black Fish; it was over seven meters long—how could that be possible?
Jiao Bayi said seriously, "That's right, it's a Sting Horse Colt. I know you're all skeptical about how such a large Black Fish could fit inside the box."
"Then please explain it to us," I said to Jiao Ba.
Jiao Ba crossed his legs and spoke leisurely. "Actually, it's quite easy to explain. The Sting Horse Colt must have been made from a young horse before being placed in the box. Once the ship sank to the bottom of the sea, it would have been released. After hundreds of years of growth, it naturally could grow to such a size. Moreover, I suspect... this Sting Horse Colt was intentionally left behind by the ship's owner to guard the Wreck."
After listening to Jiao Ba's words, I seemed to understand a bit more. I glanced at him and said, "Well, what you said makes some sense. What do you think, Mai Lao?"
Mai Lao adjusted his glasses and replied, "Yes, I think it's about the same. Loyalty and Righteousness, please continue."
I continued, "The issue with the large box has been resolved. Next, we need to address those strange influences we encountered. According to what Lao Ba said earlier, we are seeing an illusion caused by... no, that's not right. It's a kind of possession that leads to these visions. The main question is, how is this produced?" I almost referred to it as a toxin but quickly corrected myself.
Jiao Ba rubbed his forehead and said, "Hmm? I've thought about this too. Let's put this matter aside for now. Brother Yi, please go on; let me think for a moment." With that, Jiao Ba dismissed the topic, seemingly reluctant to discuss it further.
I continued, "Alright, take your time to ponder that. Moving on, we discovered an underground layer beneath the Wooden Box. Behind the wooden door in that layer, we found a large number of Bones, including a modern Diver's severed arm and the hat worn by the Qing Dynasty Person you found, Lao Ba. One thing puzzles me: while the presence of a modern Diver can be explained, how do we explain the Qing Dynasty Person?"
Shunzi casually remarked, "Maybe they were also there to salvage Wrecks. Remember when we first discovered the Qing Dynasty Shipwreck? Mai Lao mentioned that they might have been there for salvage operations." Shunzi's words sparked something in my mind; our findings from this dive were substantial. I needed to find time to analyze everything carefully. I felt many things could connect, but right now I couldn't articulate it or say anything.
I turned my gaze toward Mai Lao. The Old Man remained silent, but Jiao Ba suddenly interjected, "I don't think so. That hat doesn't prove anything. Even if a Qing Dynasty person were diving for salvage, they wouldn't wear a conical hat underwater."
"That's not just any hat," Mai Lao suddenly chimed in.
"Not a hat? Then what do you think it is?" Jiao Ba turned and smiled at him.
Mai Lao chuckled softly and said, "I suspect... this object was used as a weapon for killing."
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