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墨書 Inktalez
When I heard the sound, I immediately signaled everyone to stop and listen carefully for its source. I wasn't sure if they could hear it, but I could make it out clearly. This time, the sound was distinctly different from the previous two; it was neither a monster's howl nor a beast's panting.
It was a soft, 'oo-oo-uh-uh' sound, not loud at all, almost like that of a whale, yet not quite. It wasn't exactly like a dolphin either. In this dark sea, based on our earlier surveys, there should be nothing here except for the Black Fish. There were no whales or dolphins, not even a trace of seaweed.
The sound seemed neither far nor near, drifting in and out, echoing throughout the cabin as if it originated from every corner. It sent a shiver down my spine; what strange occurrences were happening on this Wreck? My heart raced in my chest.
Li Xin suddenly glanced at me and gestured, asking, "Did you hear that? It sounds like something."
I maintained a serious expression and nodded calmly, gesturing back, "Can you tell where it's coming from?"
Li Xin shook her head and gestured again, "I can't tell; it's too chaotic, almost echoing." Her face looked pale, revealing her level of anxiety. No matter how tough she was, she was still a woman deep underwater in a centuries-old Wreck. The fact that she was holding it together was impressive.
But she was right; the sound did seem to echo—'oo-oo-oo' coming closer and then drifting away again in the Wreck's Passage. It felt like there was a speaker playing somewhere. I wasn't particularly scared; after experiencing similar situations before, one develops a certain immunity. However, this heightened my focus and drained my energy.
Shunzi seemed to be getting more anxious as he leaned closer to me. His arm brushed against mine, and I could feel his body trembling slightly—more accurately, he was shivering.
He hadn't participated in the dives over the past few days and had missed everything we experienced. Even if we explained it to him, he could only imagine; he couldn't share our feelings. Now he finally understood what it felt like—the terror of not knowing the source of fear is the most maddening.
The other sailors also looked uneasy as they observed with their Underwater Lights. The Shandong Giant held his Spear and scanned the dark Passage. Even with all our Underwater Lights on now, there was still no sense of safety. What secrets lay hidden within this Wreck and the surrounding dark waters? Why were there so many inexplicable events? Most importantly, we had no clues to grasp onto.
I wondered how Mai Lao and Jiao Ba were doing—had they safely left or encountered danger? I regretted sending them to explore the ship alone; if anything went wrong, it would be difficult for both of them to escape. I hoped they were doing well.
We floated in place, forming a small circle so we could observe all around us. We waited for about five or six minutes, but the sound persisted without any sign of fading away. The Passage of the Wreck felt especially eerie as if countless eyes were watching us from the darkness.
Aside from the hatch we had checked that was open, all the other hatches around us were tightly closed. I was genuinely afraid that something terrifying might suddenly burst out from those cabins. The seven of us dared not move an inch, as the sound continued to linger, as if it were trying to penetrate our very souls.
Shunzi was getting a bit restless. He nervously gestured to me, "Brother Yi, what should we do?"
Li Xin and the other sailors were also waiting for my instructions. I glanced at the Oxygen Tank; although time was running short, there was still enough left for one more survey. However, if we just left like this, I would feel unsatisfied. We couldn't just stay put any longer.
I signaled, "Let's not worry about the sounds; we need to continue surveying the other cabins."
I was the first to swim forward, and Li Xin quickly followed. Seeing us take action, Shunzi and the other sailors had no choice but to follow suit. We had already surveyed the first three cabins on the left and proceeded to start on the fourth, following our original personnel distribution for exploration.
The Shandong Giant gestured with concern, "How about... we leave first? I have a bad feeling about this."
I shot him a glance. This Big Guy was so physically imposing, yet his courage seemed so small. Let that ghostly sound be; after all, we couldn't see what it was. If we let a mere sound disrupt our progress, then this trip would have been in vain.
I looked into his eyes and firmly gave my command, "Act as if that sound doesn't exist. We need to survey quickly; time is running out."
Seeing my determination, the Big Guy nodded vigorously and turned to lead the other sailors into the cabin. I didn't have time to waste any longer; I signaled for Li Xin and Shunzi to hurry up and follow me as we continued deeper inside. The ghostly sound persisted in echoing around us, and I repeatedly reminded myself to treat it as if it were nonexistent.
But it still existed; the sound continually stimulated my brain, keeping me on high alert. When we reached the hatch of the cabin, I gave Shunzi a look and signaled for him to open it. He nodded and swam over to the hatch.
Li Xin and I positioned ourselves on either side of him. I gestured to him, "Be careful; once you open it, get away quickly." Initially, I had planned to open the hatch myself, but for some reason, I suddenly felt extremely anxious; my heart raced uncontrollably. To alleviate this tension, I had no choice but to let Shunzi take the risk.
Shunzi glanced at me before grabbing hold of the hatch and pulling outward with all his might. The hatch wasn't too tight; after two strong attempts from Shunzi, it creaked open with a series of squeaks. As soon as the hatch opened, Shunzi quickly moved aside while Li Xin and I swiftly raised our spears, aiming at the hatch.
It was eerily quiet; nothing unexpected happened. After waiting for several seconds without any response, I suddenly realized that strange sound had vanished completely. The entire wreck's passage returned to an eerie silence once more.
I glanced at Li Xin, and she gestured to me, 'The sound has disappeared.'
I nodded and waved for the two of them to hurry up. We ventured back into the cabin. This cabin was similar to the one we had previously explored, though it was slightly smaller in size. It was still filled with decaying sacks and scattered rotting food on the floor. I used my Paratrooper Knife to cut through several sacks, but found nothing of value.
I had checked all around the cabin, including above, and there was not a single valuable item or clue. The entire cabin, aside from the debris, was empty; to put it bluntly, there wasn't even a corpse. The only difference this time was that there were no red marks on the ceiling.
Shunzi and Li Xin had also found nothing. Now we could only pray that the other sailors would discover something useful, but judging by the current situation, it seemed unlikely.
We quickly exited the cabin, and the other four sailors had not yet emerged. We waited for a while in the passage until they finally came out from different cabins. Aside from their spears and underwater lights, they were empty-handed as well; it looked like another wasted effort.
I stepped forward and gestured to ask, 'How did it go? Did you find anything?'
The four of them collectively shook their heads. The Shandong Giant gestured, 'It's all just food; nothing else.'
I had guessed correctly; it seemed this really was a cargo ship filled with useless trash. At that moment, Li Xin suddenly gestured, 'We don't have much time left; we need to hurry back.'
I glanced at my Oxygen Tank; there were less than fifteen minutes remaining. We needed to leave quickly, or we would be in trouble. I signaled for everyone to retrace our steps. Just as we were about to leave, my underwater light suddenly began to flicker…
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