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墨書 Inktalez
“Loyalty and Righteousness...Loyalty and Righteousness, are you okay?”
“Brother Yi...Brother Yi, wake up!”
I don't know how long it has been, but in my hazy state, I seemed to hear someone calling my name. I groggily opened my eyes. There were many people around me, but their faces were too blurry for me to see clearly; I could only hear their voices.
“You're awake! Just wake up, and everything will be fine.” The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.
I was so tired; all I wanted was to rest. I didn't want to know anything else, and my eyes instinctively closed again.
Dreams came one after another, replaying recent events in my mind like snippets from a movie, each segment playing out in my dreams.
I even dreamed of the two female corpses; they kept chasing me because I had taken something from them. I ran for my life, but there was nowhere to hide, only the impending arrival of death awaited me.
Then I saw the Cat-Eyed Man in Black again. His face was still so familiar, but his smile was no longer sunny; it was sinister and evil, a smile that sent chills down my spine...
Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in my Rest Cabin. The sunlight streaming in was bright and warm. Just as I tried to sit up, the pain in my abdomen forced me back down.
I looked down at myself; bandages were wrapped around me, and it seemed like there were splints inside the bandages. It appeared that my ribs were indeed broken. My right hand was also bandaged, making me look almost like a mummy.
I struggled to sit up and surveyed the Rest Cabin. I was alone; I had no idea where everyone else had gone. My head still throbbed, and I couldn't tell how long I had been unconscious.
At that moment, the ship's Hatch swung open, and Shunzi walked in carrying a tray. “Brother Yi, you're awake! How are you feeling? Do you feel better?” He set the tray down quickly and rushed to sit by my bedside.
I nodded gently and said, “Yeah, I'm fine now. How long have I been out?”
“Not long—just two nights. It's a little past one in the afternoon now. You must be hungry; would you like something to eat?” He helped me lean back against the pillows.
"Yes, I just need some porridge. How about the others?" I asked him, looking on.
Shunzi's face looked a bit grim as he replied, "Aside from Scarface being dead, everyone else is fine. Bearded Man's fishing boat was destroyed, and the female corpse along with the coffin sank with it. It's a pity we ended up with nothing this time; not only did we lose a life, but we didn't gain anything either." As he spoke, he placed a bowl of porridge in front of me.
I took a small sip of the porridge. "The rest doesn't matter as long as everyone is okay. Where did Jiao Ba and the others go?"
"They're all on deck getting some fresh air. Jiao Ba went over to Mai Lao; it seems they're discussing what to do next," Shunzi said softly.
"Oh, I see. Shunzi, let me ask you, given how serious things have gotten this time, didn't the other sailors ask to go back?" With Scarface dead, how could Big Guy and the others remain calm? Six people had already died since we set out to sea; thinking about it was quite terrifying.
"At first they did, but then I don't know what Mai Lao told them. They agreed to stay for now and see how things go. However, Big Guy said they wouldn't be going back to sea again," Shunzi said helplessly.
I nodded and sighed. "It's no wonder; after so many deaths, who would want to take that risk?"
Shunzi sighed too. "Yeah, things are getting more and more serious. With so many people dead, it’s really hard to think about."
I looked at this big boy in front of me, unsure of what to say. Shunzi was still the same—sunny and honest, his smile as warm as ever. But every time I saw him, I couldn't help but remember that strange dream. I didn't know what it meant, but why did it have to show me his face?
I also recalled that day when Jenny and the others came looking for me and Jiao Ba on Bearded Man's fishing boat. Shunzi had claimed that I was calling him; how could that be possible? Who was lying between us?
"Shunzi, let me ask you something. That night you said I called for you in the middle of the night—what did you mean by that?" I stared at him.
"Brother Yi, it really was you calling me that night. You told me to go find you in the Storage Room. When I got there, you weren't there; later you weren't in the Rest Cabin either. I was worried about you and that's why I notified Jenny and the others," Shunzi said with an expression of grievance, as if he were being wronged.
"But I really didn't call for you. Could it be that you misheard?" I looked into his eyes, wanting to see through him, but I didn’t find any murky gaze.
"Brother Yi, I'm telling the truth! How could I lie to you? But why it turned out this way, I don't know," Shunzi said a bit agitatedly.
I patted him on the shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Alright, alright, it's all over now. Let's not bring it up again."
Shunzi nodded, but his eyes were a bit red, glistening with unshed tears. He looked up at me and smiled, saying, "Brother Yi, you should sleep a little longer. Li Xin said you broke two ribs and need to rest for a while. I'll go help you take your clothes outside to dry."
Shunzi walked out with the clothes in his arms. Watching his departing figure, I suddenly felt quite guilty. That night, I had yelled at him in anger, and now I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
Shunzi had been through thick and thin with me; he was a brother I had known for years. Yet here I was, troubled by a dream. It really shouldn't have been this way.
But Shunzi had been acting strangely lately. That night, I hadn't even called for him—so why did he say that? What was hidden beneath all of this? I just couldn't understand it; thinking about it made my head ache.
Just as I lay down, planning to sleep a bit longer, Jenny pushed open the hatch and walked in, her face still wearing a smile. "You're awake? Feeling better?"
"Much better. How did you know I was awake?" Seeing her come to check on me stirred an inexplicable warmth in my heart.
"I ran into Shunzi on the deck; he told me. You're lucky to have fallen into the sea instead of off the ship—otherwise, it might not have ended so well," Jenny said as she walked over and sat on a stool beside me.
"Heh, I've always been lucky like that; just never seem to catch a break," I replied. If only I had been born two or three hundred years earlier, I could have at least been a minor lord by now. I pulled out a cigarette, preparing to light it.
Jenny snatched the cigarette from my hand and said, "Patients should focus on resting; why are you still smoking? You say you have no luck—why do you think that?"
I glanced at her. Should I tell her about my background? No, there wasn't much to say. "Yeah, we’re broke and powerless; I still don’t even have a wife. Do you think that's lucky? I'm practically pitiful," I said with a sorrowful expression.
Jenny playfully hit me and laughed. "Even after all this, you're still joking? You must be feeling better."
I chuckled lightly. "If it were any worse, I'd be saying goodbye to this world."
Suddenly, Jenny's expression changed as she said, "Loyalty and Righteousness, I really want to ask you—since we set sail until now, so much has happened and so many people have died. Have you ever felt afraid?"
"Of course, I'm human too. Watching the people around me die one by one fills me with fear, fear that I might be next. It hurts deeply, especially the death of Scarface; it was simply tragic." The memory of Scarface's demise still haunts me to this day.
"I'm sorry, Loyalty and Righteousness. It's my fault they died. If I hadn't insisted on keeping them around, maybe they wouldn't have perished. Sometimes I think about it, and what I did was really unfair," Jenny said in a low tone, clearly feeling the weight of her emotions.
I slowly took her hand and said, "It's okay, don't dwell on it. It's all in the past now. I know you're hurting, but they died due to unforeseen circumstances. Who could have predicted that so many strange events would suddenly occur? Even I couldn't accept it at first."
Tears streamed down Jenny's face as she wiped them away and regained her smile. "I'm sorry; I lost my composure today."
I shook my head with a smile. "No need to apologize; you're still as beautiful as ever."
Before we could exchange more words, Jiao Ba burst through the door. "Brother Yi, you're awake! Oh, look who's here—Jenny! You two look like you're having a romantic moment!"
It was only then that I realized I was still holding Jenny's hand. I quickly released it and said, "Get lost! Don't talk nonsense; Jenny just came to check on me." This guy had to come in at this moment and ruin everything.
Jenny stood up awkwardly and said, "Um... I just came to see Loyalty and Righteousness; don't misunderstand."
"No misunderstanding here! You two carry on; I'll step outside for a bit."
Jiao Ba turned to leave, but Jenny grabbed his arm and said, "Wait! Loyalty and Righteousness isn't feeling well; you should take care of him. I have something to attend to, so I'm heading back." Before either Jiao Ba or I could respond, she opened the hatch and left.
I glared at Jiao Ba and said, "You ruined the mood completely."
Jiao Ba sat down beside me with a grin. "Brother Yi, looks like you've got a chance! Jenny seems quite concerned about you; your injuries weren't in vain after all."
"She's just showing concern out of humanity and friendship; she doesn't mean anything more than that." I figured Jenny's visit was merely out of goodwill.
Jiao Ba patted my shoulder and said, "Don't worry; there will be bread, and there will be milk."
I shifted in my seat and said, "Alright, enough with the small talk. What did you discuss with Mai Lao?"
"Oh right, I almost forgot to mention it. Mai Lao called me over to discuss our next steps. We're facing a big problem now; we've reached the last stop on this Nautical Chart. As you know, this chart isn't complete, and it looks like all our efforts might go to waste," Jiao Ba said, furrowing his brow in frustration.
"I see. Show me the Nautical Chart," I replied softly.
Jiao Ba pulled out the chart and said, "I've brought it along to study it closely."
I took the Nautical Chart from him and examined it. At the end of the chart, there was a circle indicating our current location, but it was indeed the last stop; there were no further instructions, just a downward arrow that appeared to be hand-drawn.
"Who drew this arrow?" I asked Jiao Ba, recalling that it hadn't been there before; it seemed like a recent addition.
"I think that arrow has always been there. Who would draw it for no reason?" Jiao Ba casually replied.
"Are you sure it wasn't added later? Is it part of the Nautical Chart?" I pressed again.
"Brother Yi, what are you getting at? It doesn't matter who drew the arrow; the key point is that it's useless," Jiao Ba said slowly.
I thought carefully for a moment and said, "Let's not worry about who drew it for now. Just considering this matter—downward? Does that mean it's underwater? Or perhaps below the Wreck?"
Suddenly, Jiao Ba became excited. "Exactly, Brother Yi! Now that you mention it, there's a large gap beneath the Wreck, right? We've never ventured into the deepest part. Maybe... we could find some information we need in that gap."
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