The next morning.
The lake had returned to its deathly silence.
The restless schools of fish from the night before had vanished, as had the two flickering red lights.
Even the fog that had risen over a man's height had shrunk back to the water's surface, turning once more into that thin, lead-gray veil. It lay obediently over the lake, perfectly still.
Rakshasa Lake was like someone who woke up and immediately denied everything they had done.
It disavowed all of last night's madness without a trace.
"This damn place really is two different things in the day and at night." Shen Boxia stood by the dock, curiously surveying the deep-blue expanse before him.
Jin Shanba was inspecting the Fishing Boats nearby.
There were five in total.
Each had been hollowed out from a single log, crudely made as if by primitives.
He stepped on each hull in turn. The first four all creaked loudly; with a little more force, he could probably have stomped straight through them.
"Damn it."
"These shitty boats are like waterlogged cardboard."
After looking them over.
Only the last one, though it looked fairly old as well, seemed sturdy enough.
And it was not small, either.
It should have no problem carrying five or six people.
"This one will do."
Jin Shanba patted the gunwale. "Don't touch the others. They'll probably fall apart the moment they hit the water."
"Alright."
"This is the one." Jiang Qiao emerged from the stone house.
He intended to leave the lake and take a look around.
"Mr. Jiang."
After inspecting the boat, Jin Shanba hesitated. "In the past, leaving the lake wasn't really a problem. It's dangerous during the day, but as long as we're careful, it should be manageable."
"But those lights last night..."
"I think we should