“Let go of me, let go.”
The little girl’s voice was crisp and pleasant, but she had surprising strength. She thrashed her arms, trying to break free from Lynch’s grip, so violently that Lynch began to worry she might dislocate her shoulder.
“Shh, shh. Look closely, I am a human, not a monster.”
Lynch glanced nervously at the corridor outside. Fortunately, the deep ones had all rushed out to battle, and the girl’s voice hadn't alerted any enemies.
The terrified girl calmed down upon hearing this. She stopped struggling, her beautiful eyes darting around as she stared at Lynch’s face for a long moment, as if verifying whether he was telling the truth.
“Are you really… a human?”
Only then did Lynch have a chance to look at the girl closely.
She looked somewhat familiar, but no matter how he searched his memory, he couldn't recall where he had seen her.
The girl spoke with a strange, exotic accent. She was wearing a brightly colored, pleated skirt with an exotic flair. Her long, golden flaxen hair hung loose behind her back, and her large, brown eyes held a hint of something eerie… Oh, crap.
Lynch only had time to pull his top hat back onto his head before a shadow descended from above.
The child hadn't believed him at all; she had snatched another clay pot from the corner and smashed it down with all her might.
Do children in this world come with an innate skill for smashing heads with clay pots?
And is everyone in this world insane? Why are there so many pots in the ship's cabin?
Before his internal complaints could even finish, he was struck. Fortunately, he had donned his hat, which was imbued with the property of absorption, acting like a helmet.
That is why one should never leave home without a helmet.
The pot shattered into pieces, but his head was fine, save for the shards of ceramic covering him. The little girl stared blankly at Lynch, as if surprised that he was completely unharmed.
After dozens of days of experience, Lynch knew exactly how to deal with unruly children. He dragged her over, pinned her to the floor, and gave her three solid smacks on the bottom. Seeing her pout as if about to cry, he immediately scolded in a low voice, “Shut up. Look closely, have you ever seen a monster as normal as me?”
The girl blinked, staring at Lynch. The wariness on her face gradually thawed, and she suddenly let out a wail, throwing herself into Lynch’s arms.
Lynch stiffened, nearly pulling his pistol.
The eerie environment and the strange child filled him with caution. But she was just a child, and he couldn't bring himself to push her away. He maintained his vigilance, patting her back gently while prepared for any sudden movement.
The child’s body was soft and warm, completely different from the cold deep ones. Feeling the girl trembling in his arms from fear, Lynch’s heart softened. He let her cry for a while before pushing her away, hardening his heart to ask, “Now, tell me clearly: who are you, and why are you here?”
“I, I…” The girl wiped her tears, glancing at Lynch from the corner of her eye. After choking back sobs for a moment, she whispered, “I was on the ship with my mom and dad for a trip. Then, suddenly, many fierce monsters crawled out of the sea. Mom and Dad hid me inside that crate, and they…”
Boom.
As she spoke, the ship shuddered violently. The girl turned deathly pale with fright and, acting on habit, dove back into Lynch’s arms.
Feeling the child trembling like a frightened kitten, Lynch could almost feel the terror she had endured hiding here alone for days. Though he was anxious, he could only pat her back and comfort her softly.
“They said they would come back to pick me up soon, so they ran off. But I waited for many days and they never came. The sailor uncles on the ship also disappeared. There were only those monsters from the sea outside, and I didn't dare to leave. I just hid here waiting for Mom and Dad… Wuu wuu, Uncle, I’m sorry, I shouldn't have hit you. I was wrong. Can you take me to find Mom and Dad?”
Though he was burning with impatience, seeing the child cry until she could barely breathe, Lynch gently rubbed her head.
It seemed his guess was right; she was just a passenger. She had run into pirates, and her parents had likely died alongside the crew during the attack. Where could he possibly find them?
The problem was, how could he tell her?
Should he tell her that her parents were dead? Or take her to the first mate's cabin to see the bodies in the hole?
No, he wasn't that deranged.
Lynch sighed and comforted her softly, “I’m sorry, Uncle doesn't know where your parents are, and there isn't time to look for them right now. Those monsters will be back soon. How about this: I’ll take you out first. Once you are safe, if there is a chance, I will help you look for your parents, okay?”
He had expected to spend some effort convincing her, but the girl was surprisingly obedient. Though reluctant, she nodded and said in a crisp voice, “Hmm… okay. Are we leaving now?”
“Uncle still needs to find something. Wait for me a moment.”
“What are you looking for?” Curiosity flickered in her eyes, despite the lingering tears.
“A small wooden box. It should be in the hands of the monster leading them. Do you know where that monster lives?”
Lynch had only asked subconsciously. Since she had been hiding here, she couldn't possibly know. But unexpectedly, the girl widened her eyes and replied crisply, “In the captain’s quarters.”
“Hm? How do you know?”
“That day I heard monsters fighting outside, and I heard them shouting that they were going to the captain’s quarters to reason with the boss.”
The little girl was quite observant, remembering such a detail so clearly. However, Lynch frowned and muttered, “The problem is, I’ve already checked there. I didn't find the wooden box. Could the leader have taken it with him?”
“There is a hidden compartment in the captain’s quarters. When I played with Grandpa Captain, he showed me the treasures inside.”
A secret compartment? Lynch took a deep breath, his eyes lighting up. If the leader of the deep ones had found the compartment, he might truly have hidden the important item inside.
“I’ll take you there, Uncle.”
The little girl took Lynch’s hand enthusiastically and dragged him outside. Though he found her sudden enthusiasm strange, he didn't think too much of it. He simply scooped the little one up and ran toward the captain’s quarters.
The captain’s quarters remained unchanged, just as eerie as before. As they entered, Lynch put the girl down. She looked around, then suddenly smiled, “So it really was left here.”
Saying this, the girl ran to the bed and pulled out the doll from underneath, hugging it to her chest.
Hm? Lynch suddenly realized why she looked familiar. She looked almost exactly like the doll, or rather, the doll had been made in her likeness. No wonder she was so happy to find it; it seemed she had dropped it under the bed when she used to play with Grandpa Captain.
“Thank you for helping me find my doll, Brother.” The little one said happily, then pointed to the broken cabinet. “Last time I saw Grandpa Captain press something inside the cabinet, and then it opened a small compartment.”
Finally, there was a lead. If all went well, he could really find the gem before the deep ones returned.
Lynch felt a spark of hope and walked quickly to the damaged cabinet to inspect it carefully.
He felt around but found no mechanism. He thought carefully: if a child could find where to press in the cabinet, it should be obvious. Thinking from her perspective, if he were her, and he walked in to see… wait.
Lynch suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, for he realized something.
In such an eerie room, even he had been startled. How was it that this child wasn't afraid?
Is this actually a normal child?
Realizing this, Lynch abandoned all caution and dove to the side at maximum speed. A moment later, a massive force struck from behind, slamming into the cabinet and smashing it to pieces.
As he rolled, Lynch looked back and saw the little girl had climbed onto the table. She was crouching beside the basin of churning green liquid, a strange and sinister smile on her face, as she pressed the doll—which looked exactly like her—into the green liquid.
“Thank you, Uncle. Now, I will send you to see your mom and dad.”
The next moment, the water began to churn violently, and an increasingly intense pressure emanated from the basin.
Rate on N.U.
