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墨書 Inktalez
Upon seeing the severed arm, it reminded me of the previous Qing Dynasty Shipwreck, where several divers had also lost their lives. This so-called Ming Dynasty Shipwreck had also been visited by divers, as evidenced by the oxygen tank and this severed arm. Among the many bones here, there might be other divers' remains as well. But what connection did they have with each other?
I quickly took the severed arm and, along with Li Xin, went to find Mai Lao. When Mai Lao saw the severed arm, he appeared equally shocked. He gestured to me, asking, "Where did you find this?"
I pointed back to the previous location. Mai Lao nodded and gestured again, "Someone got there first."
At that moment, Jiao Ba strolled over, holding a hat and a piece of corroded clothing. At first, I didn't understand what he meant, but upon closer inspection, I realized that both the hat and the clothing were exclusive items of Qing Dynasty individuals. Only during the Manchu period did people wear hats similar to straw hats. Although the pattern on the clothing was hard to discern, just based on the hat alone, it was enough evidence to suggest that a Qing Dynasty person had been here.
Mai Lao took the hat and examined it closely. His eyes seemed glazed over as if he were pondering something. The items we had discovered so far indicated that perhaps two or more groups had already found this wreck before us, but at a great cost; we could only wonder how many lives had been lost.
Jiao Ba then noticed the severed arm in my hand and the oxygen tank in Li Xin's grasp. He gestured to me, asking, "Did you find these here?"
I nodded and pointed behind me, indicating that it was nearby.
At that moment, other sailors began to return. The Shandong Giant had discovered a broken spear, while the others had come back empty-handed. This spear further confirmed that there were indeed other divers' remains nearby; however, there were too many bones for us to search through in our limited time.
Mai Lao held up the spear retrieved by Big Guy and gestured to ask, "Is everyone back?"
I looked around at everyone but suddenly realized one person was missing. I scanned again and confirmed that Shunzi was absent. Where could he have gone?
I hurriedly gestured to everyone, asking, "Where's Shunzi? Has anyone seen him?"
The Shandong Giant pointed ahead and gestured, "He should be over there."
I quickly called everyone over, a sense of foreboding lingering in my heart. Did Shunzi discover something, or did he already know what was hidden here? My mind was racing with uncertainty.
We swam over with the Underwater Light, and soon I saw Shunzi with his back to us, busy with something. I waved the Underwater Light in his direction, and he hurriedly turned around, gesturing for us to come closer. Once we reached him, I signaled and asked, "What’s going on? We’ve been waiting for you."
Shunzi pointed behind him. "Look at this."
I didn’t quite understand what he meant at first, but I carefully shone the Underwater Light in that direction. The moment I did, a chill ran down my spine. In front of me stood a large iron door. I remembered clearly that the area was surrounded by Bones; I hadn’t noticed this door when we first entered.
Shunzi must have uncovered it by moving those Bones aside. I took a closer look; the door was massive, at least three meters high, with a surface that resembled ancient bronze. There were protruding patterns on the door that I couldn’t decipher—somewhat human-like yet distorted and strange, exuding an eerie and sinister aura, as if it were a gateway to hell.
The door consisted of two panels closed together, with two handles in the middle. Between the handles was where a Lock should be, but now it was missing. Instead, a Spear was wedged inside.
Another Spear. It seemed this iron door had been opened before by someone else. Coupled with the severed arm and Oxygen Tank we had seen earlier, it suggested that those who had come to this Wreck were in such a hurry to leave that they resorted to jamming the door shut with a Spear.
What had these people encountered that forced them to flee so hastily and leave part of their lives behind? And what lay beyond this massive iron door? Could it be that so-called Sting Horse Colt?
A sense of ominous foreboding washed over me. I began to feel uneasy; perhaps there were terrifying creatures lurking in the silent depths below. I kept reminding myself to stay calm—stay calm.
I gestured to Shunzi again and asked, "How did you find this?"
Shunzi made a motion with his hands as if separating something. "I uncovered it from the Bones."
I had guessed correctly. But how did Shunzi know there was an iron door here? Was it just coincidence, or did he know all along? The mystery surrounding this big boy deepened; a veil of secrecy seemed to obscure his face.
I glanced at the others; Mai Lao and Jiao Ba looked equally astonished upon seeing the iron door. Mai Lao even reached out to touch it, while Jiao Ba meticulously examined every corner of the door with his Underwater Light.
I gestured to Mai Lao, "Shall we go in?"
Mai Lao glanced at me and indicated for me to open the iron gate. Just as I removed the lock from the Spear and was about to open the door with him, Jiao Ba rushed over to stop us. I was a bit confused and gestured to him, "What are you doing?"
He gestured back, "Follow me." Jiao Ba stepped back a few paces and beckoned for us to come over. I still didn't quite understand what he meant, but we followed him nonetheless.
When we reached Jiao Ba, he pointed behind us, signaling us to turn around and look. As I turned, illuminated by the light in my hand, I finally understood what Jiao Ba meant. From this distance, the large iron gate resembled an ancient mansion.
The humanoid figures that protruded from the iron door were now clearer; they depicted two beast-headed humanoids. Their heads resembled neither bull nor horse, displaying a fierce expression, wielding weapons with furrowed brows and glaring eyes, one on each side—like guardians of the gate. This was the first time I had seen such strange gatekeepers.
What should have been an imposing iron door now appeared even more bizarre and sinister, especially the eyes of the two half-beasts on the door. No matter how I looked at them, it seemed they were staring right at us; it felt like they were watching from every angle. I couldn't tell if it was just my imagination.
When the Underwater Light shone on the top of the iron door, I saw two large, prominent characters in deep red: "Forbidden Area."
Forbidden Area? What did that mean? Was it dangerous, or did it hold treasures inside? I glanced at Mai Lao; he had also noticed the words above. I signaled to him that time was running out—I had checked the Oxygen Tank earlier and noted we had less than twenty minutes left.
However, Mai Lao quickly made a decision. "Let's go over and open the door."
We returned to stand before the large iron gate. Mai Lao and I each grabbed a handle on either side of the door and exchanged glances. He nodded, and together we pulled hard on the iron door...
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