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墨書 Inktalez
If I hadn't rushed out just in time, we would have been in serious trouble. Although Li Xin couldn't stand me, he still nodded obediently. I gestured for everyone to follow my pace.
We slowly made our way toward the Wreck. Just like before, those white, elongated creatures showed no reaction. Once we passed them, we were very close to the Wreck, its entire form looming in front of me.
Suddenly, a thought struck me. I stopped and turned to Mai Lao, gesturing, "Should we check out that Black Fish at the gap?"
Mai Lao nodded and quickly signaled for the others to head toward the gap at the bow of the ship. When we arrived, I was taken aback—the area outside the gap was empty, nothing but dark seawater. The Black Fish, known as the Sting Horse Colt, was gone. Its body had been floating there before, but now it was nowhere to be seen. What was going on? Could it be that thing never actually died?
I gestured to Mai Lao, "What happened? Where's the Black Fish's body?"
Mai Lao shook his head lightly. I glanced at the others; aside from Li Xin and Shunzi, everyone else looked a bit panicked—even Jiao Ba was no exception.
"What should we do?" I signed to Mai Lao.
The Old Man looked at me for a long moment without giving any response; clearly, he was also at a loss. Jiao Ba then gestured, "That thing might not be dead. We need to be extra cautious."
Damn it, who doesn’t know to be careful? But if that thing suddenly charged at us, we’d be done for. Even with so many spears thrown at it before, it hadn’t been killed—it really was tough as nails. But thinking it over, even if it wasn’t dead, it must have been seriously injured; otherwise, why hadn’t it reacted when we got close?
Still, a sense of dread crept over me; after all, that thing was massive. The other sailors were also anxious, continuously signing questions about what to do next.
In the end, Mai Lao made a decision. He indicated that we should ignore that creature for now and proceed with our plan—splitting up while staying vigilant. We would regroup outside the Wreck in an hour.
There was no other choice; since we were already down here, we had to proceed. We couldn't let that big fish delay our progress. Mai Lao and Jiao Ba swam towards the boat, and I led the others as we prepared to head towards the deck.
Before we set off, I reminded everyone to follow orders and not act recklessly. I wasn't doing this for anyone else but for Li Xin. Knowing her temperament, I was genuinely worried she might cause us trouble. Plus, with her wearing so much gear, her movements underwater would be limited. That shark-proof suit was heavy, and I could only imagine how tiring it was for her. If we needed to speed up, it would become a real hassle.
We first swam upstream to the upper end of the wreck before heading towards the deck. The area around the wreck was chillingly cold, and the darkness enveloped us, instilling a lingering sense of fear. The underwater light scanned our surroundings as I gripped my spear tightly, keeping my mind as calm as possible.
As I directed everyone, I knew there could be no room for carelessness. The Black Fish could be lurking in some corner around the wreck, watching us. I had steeled myself for a fight; if it came down to it, I was ready to go all out.
After about fifteen minutes of swimming, we finally reached the deck. Fortunately, the journey had been smooth without any incidents. I signaled for everyone to spread out and check for anything that could threaten our lives on the deck. Using the underwater light, I carefully examined every corner.
To my left beneath the deck, I spotted something very familiar—a large Human-Faced Flower. It was even bigger than the one I encountered with Heizi for the first time. The flower bud alone was about the size of a well opening, emitting a dim red glow as it nestled in the darkest corner. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't notice it at all.
Such a large Human-Faced Flower could be dangerous if we accidentally startled it; its green toxins could easily engulf half of the wreck. This shipwreck had likely been at the bottom of the sea for hundreds of years. After encountering it several times now, I seemed to have grown accustomed to it and felt less anxious than before.
I called over the others and warned them to be extremely careful not to touch this thing; otherwise, we would all perish here. Upon seeing the Human-Faced Flower, Li Xin displayed a look of surprise and confusion. She gestured to me and asked, "What is this...?"
I didn't have time for idle chatter; I quickly brushed my hand across my neck and answered succinctly. Shunzi kindly reminded Li Xin from beside her, gesturing, "Human-Faced Flower—it's very dangerous."
Li Xin simply nodded calmly and returned to her usual demeanor. There was no time to admire this eerie thing; I hurriedly signaled everyone to move towards the hatch of the ship. We swam over to the wreck's hatch, which was significantly larger than that of the Qing Dynasty Shipwreck.
I glanced up at the cabin above; there were two levels in total. Although it looked completely different now, one could imagine how grand it must have been back in its day. This massive wreck would keep us searching for quite some time.
I approached the hatch and tried to open it; it was tightly sealed, accompanied by a chilling draft that seeped into my body, instantly making me feel cold all over. I couldn't help but shiver and tried my best to relax my mindset.
I exerted all my strength, but the Hatch remained immovable. As I increased my effort, I found it impossible to grip; the Hatch had no handles to hold onto, and several times I lost my grip due to excessive force. I quickly called over Shunzi and the others, and together we grasped the Hatch. I instructed Li Xin to signal us, and when we counted to three, we all pushed with our combined strength.
As our force concentrated, I felt the Hatch beginning to shift. However, just as this sensation arose, we all simultaneously lost our grip again. After several more attempts with no success, it became clear that the Hatch was sealed too tightly; it was impossible to open it barehanded. This wreck's Hatch was far more troublesome than that of the Qing Dynasty Shipwreck.
Shunzi, looking anxious, gestured to me, "Brother Yi, what should we do?"
I told him to remain calm while I thought of a way to open it. But how could we do that? At that moment, Li Xin nudged me and gestured, "Find something to pry it open."
Her words reminded me—yes, if we could find something to create a gap, as long as our fingers could fit inside, we would have a chance to open it. With this thought in mind, I quickly pulled out my Paratrooper Knife from my leg. Then I called Shunzi over; one of us would work on the top of the Hatch while the other focused on the bottom, with the other sailors waiting nearby.
I forcefully wedged the Paratrooper Knife into the gap of the Hatch. I glanced at Shunzi; he gave me an okay gesture, clearly ready. Nodding in response, we both began to pry at the Hatch simultaneously. After several attempts, we finally managed to create a narrow opening.
I signaled Li Xin with my eyes; she quickly called over the other sailors for assistance. Now that there was a gap for our fingers to fit into, it became easier to work with. We all held our breath and pushed back with all our might as the Hatch emitted creaking sounds and slowly began to open.
At that moment when the Hatch cracked open, I distinctly felt a powerful cold current rushing out from within. The once calm dark waters began to ripple. I glanced at the others; they shared my sensation—the cold current was so strong that it made our bodies float.
Inside the Hatch seemed to have a counterforce as if it were resisting us; any slight decrease in our strength caused the Hatch to shift back slightly. As it gradually opened halfway, the intensity of this cold current made our grips on the Hatch loosen more and more.
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