[Cruise Ship Carnival] A slaughter before bed

Si Yehan sat casually at a counter, surrounded by music. As mist swirled through the air, the scene around him was not as completely unrestrained as it had been the night before.

He looked at the sights before him, his expression cold and indifferent, then took out the dagger at his wrist and began playing with it. Its blade flashed as it spun in his hand at a steady pace.

Si Yehan raised his eyes to the clock hanging on the gray-white wall nearby and saw that the hour hand was nearly at ten. He casually ordered an iced drink, planning to leave at ten on the dot and find some prey to kill. Then he could sleep peacefully.

Meanwhile, on the fourth floor, the atmosphere was cold and solemn.

The lights were off, leaving the room pitch-black, but the figures of all four people were still faintly visible.

Su Qiuyue lay on the sofa, the smile usually present in her eyes now subdued. She curled her lips in a smile that did not reach her eyes. "The time for the great purge is drawing near. We can make preparations in advance tomorrow. This meeting hall must be heavily guarded. No one may enter it lightly."

The old woman wore a one-piece black robe that covered her entire body, though her hood was down. There were not many black spots on her face. She grinned. "It wouldn't matter if someone got in. I haven't killed anyone in a long time, either."

As she spoke, she took a handgun from inside her black robe, stuck out her pitted tongue, and licked the dried red marks on it. A twisted, bizarre smile appeared on her face.

Yan Jingxing wore an arrogant expression, and there was a trace of disgust in his gaze as he looked at the old woman. "Someone is coming to discuss business with me first thing tomorrow morning. We only need to seal off this meeting hall from noon onward. If anyone dares to enter then, kill them on the spot."

The fat old man sat in his seat, drinking wine from a bowl. The guileless smile on his face looked sinister in the darkness. "There really are quite a few unpredictable factors on this cruise ship. More of those sacrifices will probably die tomorrow night. I wonder if even one person will still be alive after the great purge in the end?"

Yan Jingxing curled his lips. "I don't think there will be a single one. Even if someone among them survives the ghost slaves, I'll kill them myself."

Su Qiuyue, lying on the sofa, raised her eyes to Yan Jingxing. A faint note of amusement entered her voice. "Haven't you had quite a lot of contact with one of those sacrifices?"

Yan Jingxing turned to look down at Su Qiuyue, a smile appearing on his face. "He has some qualities similar to mine. I instinctively feel a slight fear. Before, I was only pretending to get along with him. Some of the things he's done show far too little regard for me. If he lives until the great purge, I'll kill him myself once I'm done using him."

A sliver of moonlight slipped through the window. The fat old man narrowed his eyes and looked at the sea outside, casually changing the subject. "The sea is truly beautiful against the night. What a pity we can't admire it for long. Truly, the moonlit sea stretches through the long night."

The old woman put away her handgun and grinned. "After this batch of sacrifices, we can finally rid ourselves of the curses on us."

The instant Su Qiuyue heard the word "curse," her face darkened. Her voice was naturally devoid of any warmth. "It's a good thing if we can get rid of them. I don't want strange spots and marks growing all over my body in my old age. This fate of being dogged by misfortune should have gone away long ago."

The fat old man pressed a switch, and the room suddenly lit up, revealing everything around them clearly. The seats made a turning sound, and the corridor that had appeared before opened up again.

The fat old man entered the corridor and turned around. "You should all get to bed early. These old bones of mine are getting weaker and weaker. I'm going to sleep first."

The other three nodded, and that brought tonight's conversation to an end.

The old woman also got up and returned to her room.

Su Qiuyue headed out on her own. Her tone rose at the end as she shed her daytime aloofness and spoke to Yan Jingxing. "I'm going to find some fun for the evening. Would you like to come with me?"

Yan Jingxing idly played with the stemmed glass in his hand without looking up. "No. Those people are too vulgar to catch my eye. If you want to play, go by yourself."

Su Qiuyue chuckled twice and returned to her daytime manner, the subdued smile reappearing in her eyes. She walked out of the room in her high stilettos, paying no mind to the discomfort underfoot as she walked.

Small waves rippled across the sea outside the cruise ship from time to time. As a gentle breeze passed, the door to the first-floor entertainment hall slowly opened.

Si Yehan walked onto the deck and looked at the empty expanse without the slightest concern.

Killing someone in the entertainment hall made it easy for others to see him. He did not like that feeling, so naturally he had to come out and search in person.

Whether he threw the body into the sea or simply left it where it was for someone to discover and deal with, either was a better choice.

He enjoyed the light breeze brushing over the sea and watched the waves curling across its surface. The waters nearby were illuminated by the cruise ship's lights, while farther away there was only boundless darkness.

A shadow flashed beneath the surface, and a small fish leaped out of the water before falling back in. The scene was rather strange, but Si Yehan did not stare at the sea for long in the dead of night. After all, there was an unverified killing rule closely connected to the sea against the night.

He walked step by step into a silent corridor. His footsteps were almost soundless, and his figure was hidden in the shadows. The sound-activated lights did not come on.

Finding someone alone, toying with them first, and then hunting them down would make it more entertaining. Now that he had plenty of time, Si Yehan naturally did not mind taking his time torturing someone.

Two sets of footsteps sounded side by side from around the corner of the corridor, one heavy and one light.

Conversation followed. Both of them were full of smiles, and the weariness in their voices had been entirely washed away by happiness.

"Sister Cheng, you have no idea how exhausted I was at work today. But when I saw you, I suddenly didn't feel so tired anymore. The pay on the cruise ship is high, but the work is too exhausting, and we're far from the mainland. I thought I might develop some kind of mental problem after a long time, but I never expected to meet you. If only we could work together."

"Aci, you really do have a happy picture in mind. You need to be careful working on the ship. I've heard some of the VIPs are very vicious. Apparently someone was injured not long ago, then dealt with perfunctorily and sent straight back to land by boat. Let's work hard for a few years, then find a second-tier city to buy a home, settle down, and get married."

Their voices were full of hopes for the future. Neither noticed the murderous intent approaching.

Like a ghost, Si Yehan did not stand motionless where he was, but walked out from around the corner.

The sudden appearance of a person who had made no footsteps gave the delicate-featured man and woman before him a fright. The sound-activated lights came on, illuminating Si Yehan's figure.

Only then did the man and woman, both wearing clothes bearing Tianxia No. 4's name, recover from their fright.

The man frowned and instinctively shielded the woman behind him. Looking at Si Yehan, he asked politely, "Sir, where are you going? It seems the entertainment hall is still in full swing."

Si Yehan ignored the question. He raised his hand and knocked the man to the floor with a punch. The man seemed to do heavy work on the ship and was sturdily built, but he was still powerless to fight back.

Si Yehan had not even used his knife, and one of the man's eyes had swollen up. He instinctively invoked the powerful people behind the cruise ship to pressure Si Yehan, then shouted to the woman, "Sister Cheng, go get someone."

The woman called Sister Cheng was already distressed at the sight, her reason overwhelmed by emotion.

She tried to push Si Yehan away and help the man on the floor, only for a cold flash to slice straight through her palm.

Blood spurted out and splashed across the man's face. His eyes widened at once.