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墨書 Inktalez
It was my first time on a boat, and I was still getting used to it. I had dozed off without realizing what time it was, and when I was awakened by the sound of barking outside, I was momentarily confused, thinking I was in my own bed at home. It wasn't until I opened the door and stepped outside that I realized I was on a ship.
The vessel was quite large, and the swaying wasn't too intense; the ship had a good stabilizing mechanism, so I didn't feel seasick. Instead, the gentle breeze made me feel quite refreshed. Stretching my arms, I walked onto the deck and saw a Golden Retriever running around and barking excitedly.
According to the rules, pets weren't allowed on board directly and had to be shipped separately. However, I couldn't figure out how this dog had made it onto the boat. During the journey, I heard that Zhao Mingkun had rented out this yacht, which meant that if he could bring a dinosaur aboard, it probably wouldn't be an issue.
The ship was spacious, but there weren't many people on it. Aside from the crew and restaurant staff, there were only a few dozen passengers. This made me reflect on the evils of capitalism; having such a large ship with so few people felt extravagantly luxurious, almost like having just one passenger on a train.
Onboard, there were not only Asians but also quite a few Caucasians. The person playing with the dog was a white man who was tossing a ball for it to fetch. The two of them looked lively as they played together on the vast deck. After casually asking Zhao Mingkun some questions, I learned that aside from his group, there were also some scattered tourists onboard—wealthy individuals who preferred fewer people around them and paid generously for this experience.
These affluent guests were headed to Italy and had boarded the yacht together. At that moment, a flock of seagulls flew overhead; while others didn't react much, I felt a surge of excitement. Aside from one previous occasion when I had been on a ship during a competition, this was my first real sea voyage. That earlier trip had been short and uneventful; this time would be different as we were set to sail for about twenty days before reaching our destination.
The weather was pleasant, and many people had come up to the deck to soak up some sun. Having passed my English Level 6 exam in college, I could understand what these foreigners were saying and engage in conversation with them. It turned out they were tourists visiting China and were taking this yacht back home or traveling to Europe to enjoy a carefree life at sea.
The man with the dog had a Chinese name—Mai Lang—but I didn't know who had given him that name. He was a native Italian, handsome and incredibly romantic. I heard from his stunning Brazilian girlfriend Franco that Mai Lang owned an internet company and looked to be around thirty years old—young and accomplished. Franco mentioned that Mai Lang loved keeping pets; in fact, he hadn't just brought his dog along but also a cat and a parrot he had brought from Brazil. True to her hospitable nature, Franco invited us to see his cat and parrot.
With nothing else to do on the ship, I decided to join them without hesitation. When we arrived at their quarters, I saw an oddly hairless cat that looked rather unattractive and somewhat sinister. Mai Lang explained that this breed was called Sphynx Cat from Canada. A Golden Retriever from Finland, a Sphynx Cat from Canada, a parrot from Brazil—what an eclectic mix!
The Macaw seemed quite intelligent as Franco approached its cage and said, "EU te amo," which means "I love you" in Portuguese. To my surprise, the parrot echoed back, "EU te amo," bobbing its head adorably as it spoke. Its belly was yellow while its back was blue with green-tipped wings—a truly beautiful sight.
Mai Lang mentioned that this parrot was currently in its sensitive period regarding language acquisition; sometimes all it took was for someone to say something once for it to remember perfectly. He had an idea of teaching this little creature how to say "I love you" in various languages. Since he happened to meet me on the boat, he asked if I could teach it how to say "I love you" in Chinese.
To my astonishment, I became an impromptu tutor for a Brazilian parrot aboard the ship! Repeating "I love you" word by word, within just a few minutes, the parrot learned it—complete with my distinctly northern accent—making it all the more amusing.
Then, I heard the parrot speaking "I love you" in English, Italian, Portuguese, and Chinese in turn, which made me marvel at its ability to master four languages—it's even better than I am. Mai Lang happily rewarded the parrot with some nuts, and the parrot bobbed its head and said, "Grazie!"
After that, we chatted a lot. I taught them how to speak Chinese, while one taught me Portuguese and the other Italian, which nearly made my head explode. During mealtime, they naturally invited me to join them for dinner, suggesting I could bring my girlfriend along. When Zhao Mingkun came looking for me, she was mistakenly identified as my girlfriend, which left me quite embarrassed, but there was no way to explain that I had actually been kidnapped.
It was mealtime, and there were quite a few people dining in the restaurant. Through the tempered glass, I gazed at the sea outside, feeling a sense of indescribable emotion.
Thus, we spent several days on the ship. My relationship with these foreigners was better than with those around Zhao Mingkun because those people hadn't come out of their rooms since boarding the ship; aside from meals, they seemed to be hiding away. I couldn't help but admire their ability to be alone; I’m someone who would explode if I didn’t talk for a day.
Besides this foreign couple, there were many interesting people on board. An elderly lady in her seventies had spent about five years traveling around the world. She was British and one day suddenly realized that she wanted to see the world; if she didn’t act soon, she might never get the chance. So she packed her bags and set off. Despite being seventy years old, she was still quite spry and showed no signs of physical ailments—her eyesight was sharp and her hearing keen.
One thing she said stuck with me: she remarked that it took about the same amount of time to explore all of Europe as it did to travel across China. At that moment, I couldn’t help but feel proud of my vast and culturally rich homeland. Each province in our country has significant differences in dialects, culture, and customs. Speaking of which, I guess I can consider myself someone who has mastered multiple languages!
There was also a man from Japan who was quite amiable; his partner was an American Black girl who seemed to have a natural talent for rap—she could rap about anything she saw at lightning speed, making it impossible for me to understand what she was saying. The Japanese man's English had a peculiar accent that reminded me of grilled meat.
The remaining individuals were less distinctive; aside from a few foreign bosses who looked like businessmen whom I wasn't familiar with, everyone else quickly bonded together. Those traveling in China admired its culture; some were returning home while others were heading to Europe.
I shared historical stories I'd accumulated over the years with these people, captivating them completely. They also shared fascinating stories from their own countries and lives with me. As we delved deeper into our conversations, I learned a lot about them.
After more than a week of this wandering around, one day when I went to find Mai Lang, I discovered that his parrot had already learned to say "あなたのことが好きです" (I love you in Japanese). It seemed that if Mai Lang continued traveling around Europe by car with this parrot, it would soon be ready to apply for a Guinness World Record.
During this time, I hadn’t been idle either. A dozen foreigners had become my students; now when I called out a phrase, they could immediately respond with the next line.
"Group leader!" I shouted.
"Send the red envelopes!" they responded to me.
And so, ten days passed. In about ten more days, we would be heading to Italy, and my mood improved significantly during this time. Zhao Mingkun also relaxed her vigilance towards me; when there was nothing else to do, she would hang out with us. This ship felt like a melting pot of cultures, truly a blend of different backgrounds.
During the day, we would sit together on the deck, watching the sea. It was my first time seeing whales spouting water and schools of fish jumping around. Under the guidance of the chubby one, we even ate a live octopus and successfully tossed a ball into the water, almost causing a Golden Retriever to leap into the sea.
Throughout these days, I was secretly observing Zhao Mingkun and her companions. I discovered that Zhao Mingkun seemed not to be in contact with the outside world or the organization behind her. During this time, she hadn’t mentioned anything about that organization to me, which surprised me.
However, I had a nagging feeling that they were plotting something, just waiting for the moment we arrived in Italy. Yet no matter how hard I tried to figure out what they wanted me for, I couldn’t come up with anything. I prided myself on having some talent in solving cases, but aside from that, I was just an ordinary person. With only ten days left until we reached our destination, I would soon find out what they wanted from me.
But as those ten days passed, I couldn’t help but wonder about the situation with the Special Investigation Team. Were Juan Juan, Dezi, and Mary taken back to the department? Had they managed to clarify the case in Jing City? Were they able to clear Liu Fangqing's name and uncover the truth behind everything?
The more I thought about these matters, the more confused I became. Since I was already here, I decided to make the best of it. I had considered reaching out through Mai Lang or other foreigners to pass along some information for me, but after careful thought, I abandoned that idea. Could Zhao Mingkun really trust me so easily? I couldn’t guarantee that none of these people were part of her organization, secretly watching me without showing it.
On my first trip at sea, I encountered a well-known Bengal Aid Worker. Young and impulsive, but too poor to really make a move until the First Mate told me that a bag of instant noodles could get you through a night with a group of women... It was quite an intense experience.
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