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墨書 Inktalez
Back in the Rest Cabin, I lay on the bed pondering this matter. Among the three other sailors, Changshan was the most low-key, but it was precisely those who were understated that could be the most frightening.
My mind was muddled with chaotic thoughts, yet tonight, there was an important task at hand. I needed to check a certain place—the mysterious Storage Room.
Since I boarded the ship, I had never entered it. Jenny and Mai Lao had never opened it either. What secrets were hidden inside?
Coupled with that so-called dream from that night, my curiosity grew even more intense. Ever since I got injured, I had been looking for an opportunity. Previously, I couldn't get out of bed, so this matter had been postponed time and again, but it lingered in my mind. Tonight, I planned to uncover the truth.
In the dead of night, around eleven o'clock, Jiao Ba and Shunzi were fast asleep in the Rest Cabin. Jiao Ba's snoring was particularly loud, rumbling like thunder.
Yet I remained awake, eyes closed as I waited for the right moment. After a while, I figured Jenny and the others must be sound asleep too. Slowly, I got up and dressed. Before leaving, I glanced back at Jiao Ba and Shunzi; they were both sleeping like logs.
I gently opened the Hatch and made my way towards the Storage Room. The corridor was dimly lit, reminding me of that nightmarish dream—especially the scene of blood everywhere. Although I knew it was fake, recalling it still sent chills down my spine.
Due to my injuries not being fully healed, I walked slowly and cautiously to avoid drawing attention with my footsteps. Despite not having far to go, I felt as though I had traversed a long march.
I arrived at the familiar Passage where two Storage Rooms flanked either side. The Hatches remained tightly shut. After standing in the middle for a moment in a daze, I followed the plot of my dream and headed left.
At the door, I twisted the doorknob with force but found it locked—this was different from my dream. I exerted a bit more strength but still couldn't open it. With my injuries, I dared not use all my strength to turn the knob; instead, I needed to find something to pry open the Hatch.
I pulled out a small knife from my pocket—a keychain knife—not very big but should do the trick. During my time in the army, I'd learned how to pick locks from a buddy who was quite skilled at it; I picked up some tricks along the way.
Inserting the knife into the keyhole, I tried a few times until—click!—the Hatch lock popped open. I was surprised at how easy it was. Slowly pushing open the Hatch revealed complete darkness inside, but as it opened, an unpleasant odor wafted out—something akin to machine oil.
The switch on the wall was still broken. I fished out a flashlight I'd prepared earlier and turned it on as I stepped inside. The Storage Room wasn't empty; there were some cans of machine oil and maintenance tools scattered about—pliers and boards among other things—arranged haphazardly.
I searched carefully; aside from some rags and screws, there was nothing else of note. This truly was a Storage Room; no wonder it remained unopened—besides Maintenance Workers, hardly anyone would come here.
As I was about to step outside, I felt as if someone was approaching. I listened carefully at the door and indeed heard faint footsteps. Who could it be at this late hour?
I quickly and quietly closed the Hatch and turned off the flashlight. Grabbing a large wrench, I crouched down and hid to the right of the Hatch. The footsteps grew closer, and I strained to listen as they stopped right outside the Hatch, then suddenly fell silent.
If I said I wasn't nervous, that would be a lie; my heart felt like it was in my throat, and cold sweat trickled down my forehead. My greatest fear was that this person had been tracking me ever since I had overturned the Qing Dynasty.
My body still hadn’t fully recovered, and if I were to encounter one of those men in black, wouldn’t that spell disaster for me? Even if he didn’t intend to kill me, a couple of kicks would surely incapacitate me; I had no strength left to fight back.
Just as my anxiety peaked, the handle of the Hatch turned, and it slowly creaked open. Bathed in the light from the Passage, I saw a figure stealthily enter.
With the wrench in hand, I remained hidden behind the Hatch. If it truly was one of those men in black, I was confident that a swing of this wrench would knock him out cold. I gripped the wrench tightly, preparing for a surprise attack from behind.
“Brother Yi, Brother Yi, are you there?” The person called out softly as he stepped inside. Upon hearing his voice, my racing heart finally calmed down; it turned out to be Jiao Ba.
“Stop calling me! I'm right here!” I said as I stepped out from behind the Hatch with the wrench still in hand.
“Damn! You scared me! Why were you hiding back there with that thing? Planning an ambush?” Jiao Ba quickly turned around, clearly startled.
“Of course! How was I supposed to know it was you? By the way, how did you follow me?” It suddenly struck me that he had come along after all.
Jiao Ba grinned mischievously. “Hehe, actually, I knew when you got up. Even though I looked asleep, I could sense any movement. When I saw you heading this way, I figured you were coming to this Storage Room.”
I shot him a glare. “What are you making a fuss about? If you hadn’t called my name, I might have knocked you out with this wrench.” I had intended to go alone but hadn’t succeeded; given my injuries, stealth was impossible.
“What do you mean making a fuss? I'm just worried about you! You’re not in good shape; what if you run into trouble? At least with me around, I can help,” Jiao Ba said seriously.
I glanced at him and sighed. “Alright then, let’s go together.”
"Is this it? Have you found anything, Brother Yi?" Jiao Ba asked me.
"Not yet, let's check the other Storage Room," I replied. We stepped back, closed the Hatch securely, and headed towards the Storage Room on the right.
The Hatch on the right was also tightly locked. I tried the same method as before, and after a short while, I managed to pry it open. Jiao Balang and I pushed the Hatch aside and cautiously stepped inside. It was still pitch black, and just as I was about to pull out my Flashlight, the lights in the cabin suddenly turned on.
I quickly turned my head to see that Jiao Ba had switched them on. "Why use a Flashlight when we have lights?" he said with a smile as he walked over.
"I completely forgot about turning on the lights; I thought it would be like a scene from a dream," I said, putting away my Flashlight and closing the Hatch behind us. Then I began to look around.
Although the lights were on, the cabin remained dim, with bulbs flickering intermittently. It seemed like there was a chance of power failure at any moment. The slight swaying of the ship caused the bulbs to sway as well, making my head ache.
This Storage Room was small and had no windows; all four sides were sealed tight. Inside were some sheets and blankets, both new and old, along with various daily necessities. I rummaged through them but found nothing special—just ordinary items.
"Brother Yi, there's nothing here. Just ordinary stuff," Jiao Ba said as he searched through the items.
"Let's keep looking; search carefully. We might find some clues," I suggested. Logically speaking, if that man in black wanted me to discover something, according to the dream's narrative, this Storage Room shouldn't be empty.
Just as I was pondering this, I accidentally uncovered something from a pile of worn-out sheets—it looked like a piece of black clothing. I picked it up for a closer look, and suddenly my eyes lit up. "Lao Ba! Lao Ba! Come over here and check this out!"
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