and her face was pressed against the cold mirror, touching the face on the other side.
But the face in the mirror had transformed into a child's face, a bloody, mangled mess, cut by something unknown, its features indiscernible.
Only a pair of bloodshot, crimson eyes stared intently at Wen Xiang Yuan.
Wen Xiang Yuan's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She felt an urge to scream, even to run.
But as she clearly saw the little girl's face, she remembered how Amy, not wanting to be separated from her father, had secretly snuck onto the ship and hidden, only to be cut by something unknown and die alone in a place no one would ever find.
And her father, year after year, day after day, had never given up hope of finding her.
These thoughts flooded Wen Xiang Yuan's mind in an instant, scattering her fear.
Her scream caught in her throat, transforming into a mournful sob.
The face in the mirror, almost unrecognizable, was pressed against hers, and the malice in its crimson eyes visibly solidified, then slowly dissipated.
Wen Xiang Yuan remained motionless in that pose, while the horrifying entity in the mirror gradually reverted to her original appearance.
A pretty girl with a slightly chubby face and emerald green eyes.
Wen Xiang Yuan moved her lips, wanting to speak but holding back, yet the girl in the mirror spoke first.
“You found me, Sister.”
“Can you do me a favor?”
Nan Yue stood on the deck outside the dining room, watched Wen Xiang Yuan hurry towards the lower hold, raised an eyebrow, and followed her.
“Boss.”
Wen Xiang Yuan's expression seemed subdued, and Nan Yue sensed she was very sad.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need to find Amy.”
Wen Xiang Yuan looked up at Nan Yue, her expression hesitant, “I know it’s a bit adventurous… but I want to…”
Nan Yue understood. “Alright, I’ll go with you.”
She added, “Of course I trust you, but it’s always better to be careful in a mission. Is it okay if I come along?”
Wen Xiang Yuan paused for a moment before breaking into a wide smile. “Thank you, Boss!”
Finally, Nan Yue and Wen Xiang Yuan found Amy's body in a transfer machine behind the kitchen.
It was a box-like basket, controlled by ropes and manpower. More precisely, it was used to put freshly caught fish into, then lowered by ropes to the bottom of the ship, submerging them in the sea to keep the seafood fresh, and pulled back up when needed.
“This one? It broke a long time ago.”
Hearing they wanted to open the transfer machine, a nearby crew member stammered an explanation.
“Devil’s Bay has no shortage of seafood, so we stopped using this transfer machine.”
“And it’s stuck somewhere, we haven’t been able to retrieve it.”
Nan Yue was silent for a moment. To retrieve the iron box from the transfer machine, they would have to go into the sea.
They already knew the seawater could be the greatest danger; even washing up usually led to ink stains. If they went into the sea…
“Boss, I’ll go. I’m a good swimmer.”
Wen Xiang Yuan’s expression was calm. “And I’m not worried about the seawater.”
Nan Yue knew what she meant; even if she died, it wouldn’t be true death.
But death was frightening, and Nan Yue, selfishly, didn’t want Wen Xiang Yuan to experience that pain.
Yet she also felt Wen Xiang Yuan’s resolve.
Wen Xiang Yuan surely knew that a ghost’s request shouldn’t be easily granted, but she still agreed.
Whatever the reason, Nan Yue couldn’t stop her choice.
“If you can’t solve it, come back as soon as possible,” Nan Yue said, bending down to tie the rope securely around Wen Xiang Yuan’s waist. “Just do your best.”
Wen Xiang Yuan nodded seriously. The small transfer machine was forcibly pried open by two crew members, and the pungent smell of seawater made those nearby recoil two steps.
Wen Xiang Yuan leaned inside; it was pitch black. She bit down on a flashlight, then… splash, Nan Yue heard her drop into the water.
Nan Yue stood rooted, holding the rope. Though she appeared calm and composed, she could feel her heart racing.
Finally, she felt two tugs on the rope. Without hesitation, Nan Yue stepped forward and began pulling it in.
The crew members nearby initially wanted to help, but then realized the tall girl had more strength than them and could pull the person up by herself, so they stood aside.
Nan Yue had almost reeled in the rope. After feeling it, she told a nearby crew member, “Activate the transfer machine.”
Her aura was so strong that the crew member didn't dare to argue. He thought the transfer machine had been broken for too long to work, but his hand still pressed the valve open.
“Rumble, rumble, rumble.”
The machine, long dormant, roared to life. The crew members exchanged glances.
That incredibly beautiful girl… could she fix machines too?!
With the sound of dripping water, the iron box of the transfer machine was retrieved.
The crew members eagerly peered inside. A flash of light appeared, and Wen Xiang Yuan was still biting the flashlight, drenched, her formerly exquisite hair plastered wetly to her face.
In her arms, she held a small skeleton.
“Ah… ah…”
The crew members turned and saw Joseph staring wide-eyed and unblinking.
Then, suddenly, Joseph lunged forward, snatched the skeleton, and burst into uncontrollable sobs.
Though he couldn't form complete sentences, his hoarse wails made all the crew members on board secretly wipe away tears.
Nan Yue took off her outer jacket and wrapped it around Wen Xiang Yuan. “Let’s go.”
Wen Xiang Yuan remained silent. They left the space entirely to Joseph, who had finally found his daughter after years of separation.
Nan Yue followed Wen Xiang Yuan back to their room. She told Wen Xiang Yuan to quickly rinse off and dry herself. Wen Xiang Yuan was swift, showing no signs of giving up just because she had been in the water.
When she emerged, a lingering trace of sadness remained on her face.
“Sit down.”
Wen Xiang Yuan sat on the bed, and Nan Yue took a hairdryer to dry her hair.
For a moment, only the sound of the hairdryer filled the room.
“Click.”
Nan Yue turned off the hairdryer. Wen Xiang Yuan was still lost in thought.
“Tell me, what happened?”
Wen Xiang Yuan looked up at Nan Yue. Nan Yue was tall, and as she looked down at her, her gaze was very gentle.
Wen Xiang Yuan suddenly felt a pang of sorrow.
“Amy loved playing hide-and-seek. She knew Joseph couldn’t hear, so their game always ended with her appearing before her father if he couldn’t find her within five minutes.”
“But that time, she hid in the transfer machine. A crew member mistakenly thought there was seafood inside and lowered the iron box, and Amy drowned in the water.”
“Later, during a storm in Devil’s Bay, the unrecovered iron box was struck by rocks and got jammed on a propeller at the stern of the ship, making it impossible to retrieve. The transfer machine was completely ruined, and Joseph could never find his daughter.”
Rate on N.U.
