Devil's Bay (5)

Steve burst into laughter. "Of course not. Brave explorers don't pick their timing, do they? Rest assured, your adventure won't affect the others."

Steve kept repeating the same few phrases. He clearly possessed a massive passion for the Devil's Bay; otherwise, he wouldn't have risked his life to enter this place ten years ago.

Rather than say he was maliciously watching the scavengers' plight, it was more accurate to say he was anticipating the arrival of true heroes brave enough to take risks.

As Nan Yue and the others walked back, Wen Xiang Yuan whispered, "This cruise ship is indeed very strange. You can't say it's not luxurious because the design is fluid and the art pieces are chosen with high taste."

"But if you call it high-end, the layout of the guest rooms and the choice of wallpaper are bizarre. Forget living in them, they're uncomfortable just to look at."

Nan Yue agreed. Although she didn't have Wen Xiang Yuan's level of artistic appreciation, she could feel the dissonance as well.

For example, while the service, meals, and facilities were all perfect, the doors were rusted.

It gave off a feeling that... the ship wasn't being properly maintained at all.

Nan Yue and the others encountered Gu Xiang Kai and Zhu Xi Ning on the deck. The two had gone to the lower decks to search for clues.

By now, the sky had turned dark, and the cruise ship was lit up. It didn't hinder normal movement; in fact, it could be described as brightly lit.

However, aside from this ship sailing on the sea, the surroundings were a void of pitch-black darkness.

"There's no moon."

Nan Yue looked up at the sky. Perhaps due to the unique geographical location of the Devil's Bay, there was nothing in the sky.

No moon, no stars... only a pitch-black curtain.

The Devil's Bay seemed to be sailing through total darkness.

"The lower decks are indeed the cargo hold and crew quarters. There's no cargo; it's quite empty."

"The crew members we met didn't chase us away. They seemed to let us look around as we pleased."

Zhu Xi Ning tilted her head. "We ran into a few scavengers who were also down there checking things out, but no one seemed to find anything."

She thought for a moment and added, "I can't say it's completely fine... but anyway, I feel like it's a bit... too clean."

"They didn't block us at all. One crew member even opened his door when we wanted to see their room."

"Even if we weren't here for an adventure, that's far too enthusiastic for simple guests. I suspect that exploring the ship itself is part of the adventure missions, which is why they don't interfere with us."

Zhu Xi Ning's reasoning was very clear, and Nan Yue felt there was a high possibility of this being true.

Gu Xiang Kai had remained silent. He only spoke with some hesitation after Nan Yue called his name.

"There's one more thing... it's too clean."

Nan Yue raised an eyebrow. Zhu Xi Ning, who had gone down with him, looked thoughtful upon hearing his words.

However, Wen Xiang Yuan didn't react immediately. "Why is it strange for it to be too clean?"

Gu Xiang Kai explained, "The crew members are all men. Generally, places where men congregate aren't that sanitary."

Not to mention they were sailors who performed heavy physical labor daily, exposed to the sun and wind, and lacked fresh water.

Wen Xiang Yuan touched her face. "This is positioned as a luxury cruise. Maybe the crew is required to be clean."

Gu Xiang Kai laughed. "You haven't lived with many men. Back in City State 66, I stayed in the lowest-class inns. Even with the landlord's rules, very few people followed them."

"Let's put it this way: it's not hard to make yourself look presentable, but it's very strange for a living area to be spotless without even a hint of an odor."

Among other things, the usual crew staples—cigarettes and strong liquor—were nowhere to be seen by Gu Xiang Kai.

His perspective was quite specific. As a woman, Zhu Xi Ning hadn't noticed it at first.

But after Gu Xiang Kai pointed it out, both she and Nan Yue agreed that this was a problem.

Wen Xiang Yuan clapped her hands. "Right! There's one more strange thing. I felt something was off just now but couldn't remember what it was."

"They don't have any scent on them!"

Three confused faces turned toward Wen Xiang Yuan.

"White people have a very strong body odor, so they usually use heavy perfume to cover it up, but they don't have any."

Gu Xiang Kai scratched his head, which looked very round because of his short buzz cut. "Is that a thing?"

Wen Xiang Yuan nodded with certainty. "Yes. Based on their appearance and way of speaking, they are definitely white people, like the ones we see in movies."

Gu Xiang Kai let out an "ah" of realization. "So they're supposed to have body odor."

Wen Xiang Yuan shrugged. "They do. Some people find it very hard to get used to."

"Oh, Wenwen," Zhu Xi Ning suddenly called out to her. "We didn't find those lifeboats you mentioned earlier either."

"You said they're usually tied to the hull, right?"

Wen Xiang Yuan nodded. "Yes. Lifeboats must be in a conspicuous place to facilitate the evacuation of guests in case of an accident. It's impossible to hide them elsewhere."

She looked around. "The ship has no lifeboats and no lifebuoys. This is completely irregular. They don't take the passengers' lives seriously at all."

Nan Yue wanted to laugh a little at that sentence. It sounded both logical and somehow misplaced.

Gu Xiang Kai had been watching their surroundings. He noticed the bald man had been squatting at the bow of the ship for a long time.

After a thought, he walked over, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and handed it over.

"Brother, I've seen you squatting here for a while. You okay?"

Long Qinghe turned and saw the cigarette in Gu Xiang Kai's hand, revealing a simple smile.

"Oh, a good smoke. Thanks."

Long Qinghe and Gu Xiang Kai lit their cigarettes at the bow. He smiled. "Brother, your team is quite strong."

Gu Xiang Kai was amused. "You can tell?"

Long Qinghe's gaze swept over Nan Yue and the others standing not far away, without lingering too long.

"That tall girl is the leader, right? She has quite the presence."

Gu Xiang Kai nodded. "My boss."

"I saw you weren't doing too well when we entered the mission. Have you adjusted now?"

A bitter smile appeared on Long Qinghe's face. "Hah, I really do get seasick. I just took some medicine. I didn't even eat much for dinner."

Gu Xiang Kai expressed his understanding. Once you've done enough missions, you eventually run into one that targets your weaknesses.

"Seeing you squatting here, I thought you were feeling unwell again."

Long Qinghe was a smart man. He gestured for Gu Xiang Kai to come closer. "Come look at this."

Gu Xiang Kai followed Long Qinghe to the bow, appearing casual but remaining behind him, wary of any foul play.

Long Qinghe seemed unaware of Gu Xiang Kai's concerns as he squatted back in his previous position. "Look."

The spot Long Qinghe pointed to required leaning over the railing slightly to see. Just as Gu Xiang Kai was about to move, he felt a pat on his shoulder.

"I'll do it."

Nan Yue walked to the side, gripped the railing with both hands, and leaned her body out.

Gu Xiang Kai's movement techniques weren't as good as Nan Yue's, nor was he as agile, so he didn't fight for the spot. He simply stood by, ready to guard against Long Qinghe.

"That is..."

Nan Yue squinted slightly in the light from the ship. Beside her, Long Qinghe spoke.

"They're barnacles."