novelEscaping the Ghost Ship (III)
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Chapter 16: Escaping the Ghost Ship (III)
"What about the key?" Once he was satisfied and stopped tormenting the other with his relentless tickling, Luo Jian began searching Feng Yu Lan's whole body, and he eventually pulled out a worn key, which resembled one of those old-fashioned, large keys, from his pocket. Back then, Luo Jian wasn't able to take a good look at the key because he was struggling too much as he tussled with the livecorpse.
"Which door will this key fit into?" Feng Yu Lan also leaned in to study the key. The surface of the object seemed to be plated in gold. Although it was old and worn, it still seemed to be valuable. Looking closely, one would be able to distinguish narrow engravings, seemingly carved by hand, on the key, but the characters were too small to see. Luo Jian and Feng Yu Lan scrutinized the writings for a long time, but they still couldn't identify what had been written.
"I'm not sure if there's a magnifying glass on this ship that can help us see what's written on it." Feng Yu Lan stated.
"Hmm, where would a magnifying glass most likely be?" Luo Jian tapped his chin and pondered.
"Actually, there's no need, we just have to find a telescope." Feng Yu Lan seemed to have thought of a brilliant idea, and he laughed excitedly."Ships normally have telescopes, and they can also be used as magnifying glasses."
"I remember seeing a telescope in the captain's cabin. It hung right next to a painting, and it looked like it hadn't been touched in a long time since it had a lot of dust covering it." Luo Jian recalled the time when he rummaged through the great cabin. To his surprise, he was able to clearly remember every detail and moment, the actions that he made, the places that he searched through, the items that he overturned. It was just like a video playback. Everything was so clear.
"The captain's cabin again..." Feng Yu Lan shifted awkwardly. He thought about that stranger who might still be on the deck and the monster that had been killed in the corridor near the captain's cabin. Both of them were really close to the great cabin. In any case, going back was too dangerous. The gutless Feng Yu Lan peeked at Luo Jian, waiting.
But this time, Luo Jian didn't spare a glance at Feng Yu Lan. He frowned and touched the wound on his arm; a sharp, shooting pain travelled through his body. In fact, the wound always ached, but now, this stinging pain became more apparent, excruciating, as if it had suddenly intensified.
"What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" Feng Yu Lan couldn't help but worry about him.
"Ahh..." Luo Jian faintly groaned to himself, took a moment to compose himself, and then shrugged it off, "It's nothing. Just the injury on my arm hurts a bit."
"Let me take a look." Feng Yu Lan wanted to pull Luo Jian's sleeve up, but he was stopped by him. Luo Jian shook his head and said, "It's not serious, but there's something I need to tell you. Ah Lan, remember this. Any injury that a person receives in the chamber will completely heal once the person returns to the real world. No wound will be left behind. So, no matter how many times we bruise our bodies and injure ourselves right now, as long as we escape from this chamber within the time limit, even if we're on the verge of dying, we'll survive."
"Likewise, if there are any injuries that a person receives in the real world, those injuries would heal once he enters the chamber; it'll always leave us in our best condition, right?" Feng Yu Lan subconsciously touched his waist, where his knife wound had vanished without a trace.
"That's right, that's how strange these supernatural chambers are, and some settings are rather...user-friendly1?"
"But what's the significance of these chambers' existence? I mean...why did it pick us? Why did it arrange these trials for us?" Feng Yu Lan asked the main questions he wanted to know the answers to. He learned a lot about these chambers from Luo Jian, but most of it wasn't comprehensive, so it only gave him a vague idea of this mystical space.
"Who knows? Even I don't understand the main reasons." Luo Jian stood up, patted his legs, shoved the key into his pocket, and clapped his hands, "Well, we only need to survive."
In order to get a telescope, Luo Jian had to drag Feng Yu Lan back to the great cabin. When they approached the corridor, Luo Jian suddenly paused and stood before a pool of thick blood, looking pensive and frowning deeply. Feng Yu Lan didn't react for a moment, then he wondered, "What's wrong?"
"That monster resurrected." Luo Jian face exposed a strange grin.
Feng Yu Lan recalled that horrifying, large, feline-looking creature and immediately broke into a cold sweat. Shaken, he questioned, "But that's not possible! You dismembered it, so how can it come back to life?!"
"I don't know how it happened, but the body's gone." Luo Jian simply responded."The rules in the chambers are peculiar, abnormal. There are many things that are unconditionally impossible in the real world, but here...anything is possible."
That eerie smile remained on Luo Jian's face as he spoke, and Feng Yu Lan, who stood at the sidelines, felt his blood run cold at the sight. He watched him with pure terror in his eyes.
"It seems that when the creature revives, it becomes stronger. When I first encountered it, I was able to kill it easily, even though I lacked real experience. But the second time, I sensed that its strength and speed increased tremendously. But currently, I don't know what it'll become now that it has resurrected again. We'd better hurry and find the exit, otherwise this will never end."
The only clue they had at this stage was the key in hand. Tiny words were engraved on the key, and only by reading these words would they be able to find a way out. Soon after, Luo Jian returned to the great cabin with Feng Yu Lan. The captain's cabin didn't appear any different; it was like no one but Luo Jian had been here.
When Luo Jian entered the room, he dashed straight towards the telescope hanging on the wall. He took it down and checked it for any faults. Feng Yu Lan shut the door securely behind him. The two men held the oil lamp and squeezed together. Both uncomfortable, they looked through the telescope that they used as a magnifying glass. The carved words gradually came into view, one by one:
【The murderer buried the sole exit. If you wish to live, kill them. 】
Feng Yu Lan scratched his head and sighed, "We're just going in circles, back to the original question. Who is the murderer? Is it the captain? The navigator? Or one of the two surviving sailors?"
"Perhaps everyone's a killer?"
"Why do you say that?"
"This pirate vessel couldn't find a way out in this fog. The entire ship was chaotic. Everyone on board was panicking, and according to the description in the logbook, something happened on August 9th. We don't know what happened, but we can assume that it was a taboo subject for all. This matter may have even aggravated the members, corrupted their minds. In this situation, no one was able to keep composed and rational. And there might've been other reasons too, such as a lack of food and water. They probably couldn't continue providing necessities to the people."
"The captain may have, indeed, instigated the crewmates, leading an attempt to attack the others, but his actions were just the start, a fuse. And this fuse sparked a massive fire, filling everyone's heart with an appetite for destruction."
"Thus, one after another, the crewmates began killing each other. There was a tacit agreement that those who died would be crammed into boxes, piling them up high, while the rest were simply insane, madmen who had survived and engaged in the struggle for their lives. The captain wanted to record everything that had occurred on board when he was killed. One of the additional sailors was killed by the other, and the one who had survived was the ultimate victor. They killed the navigator and hung his body up on the high observation deck.
Luo Jian slowly narrated; his chronological order of events based on inferences and what was already given was quite rational. When he came to the last word, he paused, then remarked, "Now that we can imagine what went down, what would the only ending left for the last, remaining survivor be?"
"Suicide?" This was the first thing Feng Yu Lan thought of."This ship obviously didn't escape from the fog. All of the members on board were dead as a doornail. All of the food and water would eventually be consumed, and in addition, the loneliness and despair was probably unbearable. Apart from suicide, I can't think of any other ending."
"What place would they possibly commit suicide?" Luo Jian inquired.
"I don't know." Feng Yu Lan shook his head."It honestly depends on the individual's mentality. If it were me, I would choose the deck. Even if I couldn't see a ray of light in this thick fog, I wouldn't want to die alone in a dark, miserable place."
"And if it were a woman?" Luo Jian suddenly opened his mouth and cracked a smile.
"A woman?" Feng Yu Lan had to admit that he didn't consider the gender of the sole survivor. In his understanding, there were few women who were actual pirates.
"If it was an extraordinarily beautiful individual, whose heart was consumed by revenge, who loathed everything, and at the same time, possessed these contradictory feelings of low self-esteem and high pride, reveling in self-confidence yet wallowing in self-abasement, perhaps someone who was also religious, an individual with a warped personality, hiding within this deceptive fog, silently killing many members on board. Such a woman...where do you think she would choose to die?"
Feng Yu Lan frowned for a very long time, then tentatively answered, "Perhaps, I would find a place where others can't see me, or rather, a place that no one could find? But...Luo Jian, why do you think the last survivor is a woman?"
"Because of the first victim inside the wooden box on deck. He had a photo on him of him and his wife."
Feng Yu Lan suddenly thought of the old photograph that was wedged between the pages of the journal.
"You think his wife could also be on this boat?"
"Possibly. I'm simply taking some guesses here. The incident detailed in the logbook on August 9th, the page that was ripped off, may have been related to his wife. Perhaps she was subject to oppression, or maybe even..." Luo Jian minded his words and lowered his voice into a hushed whisper, "...something might have happened with someone, and it was soon discovered, one way or another, spreading around and making everything known to many on board, if not everyone. The poor woman's husband didn't know how to avenge his own wife. He probably mocked and ridiculed the captain of the ship and, naturally, might've done something else too. In the end, he became the first victim..."
"Then, this wise, deceptive woman pretended to keep her calm, trying her best to survive with these bunch of wolves. Maybe she also paid with something, for instance...her body? She beguiled several men, instructing them to cause turmoil on board in her stead, and vowed to kill everyone?" Feng Yu Lan interrupted Luo Jian, adding on to his speculations.
Luo Jian nodded."Just as she desired, everyone died. She might've felt guilty deep in her heart, perhaps at a loss. Her husband was a devote Christian, so she reckoned that since she premeditated many murders, she betrayed their Lord. Therefore, she wanted to hide in a place where the light couldn't reach her, completely ridding any trace of her existence from this world."
"But wouldn't she jump into the sea to commit suicide?"
After taking a quick glance at Feng Yu Lan from the corner of his eye, he replied, "The very first hint given to me on my note was to not jump into the ocean. We can see a lot from that line. That said, the woman definitely did not jump into the ocean."
"Okay, what should I address you as? The Whimsical Emperor of Analysis2?"
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