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墨書 Inktalez
As we were about to head back, I faintly heard a strange sound, like some kind of beast gasping for breath. It was a rhythmic 'huffing' sound, not loud at all, but it was clear, as if it were right next to my ear. I couldn't tell where it was coming from.
At that moment, I suddenly felt a wave of panic wash over me. Every hair on my body stood on end. I feared that the thing I dreaded most had come to pass—the shadow that had killed Landmine might be lurking around us, watching us with blood-red eyes.
I gripped my Spear tightly, ready for action at any moment. Everything around me seemed to freeze in time. The 'huffing' sound continued to echo in my ears, driving me close to the brink of madness. If that creature showed itself now, I could at least fight it head-on; but as it stood, I could only hear it and see nothing, which was pure torment.
Jiao Ba and the other two sailors seemed to have heard the sound as well. They began to look around nervously, their expressions tense. One sailor even held his Spear up, scanning the area anxiously. The Breathing Apparatus was bubbling away, clearly a sign of their accelerated heart rates due to stress.
Suddenly, Jiao Ba nudged me. Startled by his sudden movement in my heightened state of tension, I turned and shot him a glare, gesturing angrily, "Damn it, you scared me!"
With a serious expression, Jiao Ba gestured and asked if I had heard the sound.
I pointed to my ear and gestured back, "Of course! The sound is right next to us."
The four of us wasted a good five minutes without daring to move an inch, just floating there in the depths of the sea. It wasn't until the beast-like huffing faded away that I finally allowed my nerves to relax. Jiao Ba and the others did the same; they lowered their Spears as well. After such intense tension came an overwhelming fatigue, as if we had been granted a reprieve before execution.
But then I suddenly realized something: could that beastly breathing have come from the gaping hole in the ship's hull? With such a large opening, could something be hiding inside? As this thought crossed my mind, I spun around sharply to look at the hole again. It was still empty—nothing but darkness. The gap resembled an abyss from hell, as if it could reach out with claws at any moment to drag me into oblivion.
I steadied myself and shone my Underwater Light into the hole once more, but it remained pitch black; nothing was visible. The light seemed insignificant against the vastness of the ocean surrounding us—just darkness upon darkness—only an overwhelming sense of despair and fear remained. My oxygen supply was running low, yet I felt an urge to investigate further; something about this place felt off.
At that moment, Jiao Ba pulled at me from beside and gestured urgently, "We don't have much time; let's hurry back."
I glanced at the Oxygen Tank; there was less than ten minutes left. There was no choice but to head back. Just as the four of us were about to leave, I thought I saw something moving in the black hole, but it vanished in an instant, returning to its previous calmness. I couldn't tell if it was just my imagination or if there truly was some kind of creature lurking inside.
There was no time to investigate further; we had to hurry back as the oxygen was running low. At this depth in the ocean, a lack of oxygen could quickly lead to suffocation and death. We began to swim faster upstream, planning to pass over the white Plankton again.
As we approached those white creatures, Jiao Ba signaled for us to slow down. We resumed our leisurely pace, and just like before, those things showed no reaction, continuing to drift aimlessly. After about five minutes, we finally exited that area. The oxygen was dwindling fast; we only had a few minutes left. Thankfully, we managed to escape; otherwise, it would have been disastrous.
Mai Lao and the others were waiting for us at the original spot. Upon seeing us return safely, he urged us to ascend quickly. We shot up towards the Sea Surface without delay; we couldn't afford any more holdups. Just as our oxygen was about to run out, we finally burst through the Sea Surface.
Once out of the water, I yanked off my Breathing Apparatus and took deep breaths of fresh air. The sea breeze was strong today, causing waves to crash against my body one after another. The moon was nowhere in sight, only a few stars twinkled faintly in the sky. I lay back on the Sea Surface for a moment to rest.
Jiao Ba soon emerged from the water as well. He ripped off his Breathing Apparatus and gasped, "Damn it! That was close! Brother Yi, how are you doing?"
I straightened up and shook my head at him. "I'm fine. What about everyone else?"
While we were talking, Mai Lao and the others also surfaced. "How's everyone? Is everyone okay?" Mai Lao shouted over the crashing waves as he removed his Breathing Apparatus.
We all raised our hands and waved them to indicate that everything was fine since we didn't have the energy to speak loudly anymore. At that moment, the lights from a fishing boat shone down on us. Before long, we could hear the rumbling of its engine getting closer as it pulled up beside us.
Shunzi waved from the boat, and soon a Lifeline was lowered. Mai Lao was the first to climb aboard, followed closely by other sailors. Jiao Ba and I brought up the rear. Once I got on board, I noticed that all the other sailors had collapsed on the deck; it was clear they were exhausted after two deep-sea explorations in a row. Even Mai Lao wasn't an exception; he sat on the deck panting heavily.
I stretched my neck and loosened my tense body when Jenny came over with some fresh water. "Everyone drink some water; you've all worked hard."
After taking a sip of water, Jenny asked, "Mai Lao, how did it go? Did you find anything?"
"Not yet. I haven't gone into the cabin; I was surveying at the stern and didn't find any useful information or any signs of damage," Mai Lao said, holding a cup of water and looking at me. "How about you?"
I replied seriously, "We didn't find anything at the bow either, but on the right side of the bottom at the bow, we discovered a gap—a very large one."
"A gap? Is it a collision gap?" Mai Lao asked, puzzled.
"It looks like it should be a collision gap. The exposed area of the gap is at least three meters high," Jiao Ba chimed in from the side.
"Three meters high? That's quite a large gap. It's possible that the wreck hit a reef and sank; there's nothing strange about that," Li Xin added, trying to sound knowledgeable.
I glanced at her and scoffed, "What the hell are you talking about? Where would there be reefs in this sea area?"
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