The Sunken City
After watching the video repeatedly, Lu Ban was quite certain that there were indeed some buildings on that island.
However, these buildings have a very unique shape, unlike normal buildings, and are more like some kind of obelisk or a twisted tower.
Under normal circumstances, architects would not build houses like this, let alone on the open sea where storms rage. Such houses would withstand greater wind resistance and might sway or even collapse when a typhoon hits.
However, the island remained unmoved amidst the wind and rain, enduring the raging wind and waves, only appearing and disappearing due to the torrential rain.
At the end of the video, accompanied by surging waves, the ship left the vicinity of the island and disappeared below the sea surface; no one knows what it was.
Lu Ban glanced at the comments.
Are there houses on this island? Do people live on it?
[That's impossible. If people really lived there, there should be a port or something, and the captain should know what kind of island this is.]
This is normal; there are many islands in the ocean that aren't marked on maps, and this is probably one of them.
I've heard it said that some islands are normally submerged, only rising to the surface during certain special periods due to tidal changes.
Could this island have once been inhabited, but sank to the bottom of the sea due to geological changes, and only recently resurfaced?
[Experts say this was caused by underwater volcanic activity; volcanic eruptions spewed lava to the surface, forming islands!]
Could there be some fish-men up here? Is this the place called Atlantis?
Atlantis is in the Atlantic Ocean, but this is the Pacific Ocean!
He was clearly not the only one who noticed the island's anomaly; opinions varied widely, with some even involving mystical things like Mayan civilization and crystal skulls. The discussion quickly veered off-topic.
Lu Ban wasn't particularly interested in islands in the sea. The reason he paid attention was mainly because the "buildings" on these islands gave him a strange and unsettling feeling, much like the tower made of flesh and blood he had seen in the Drywater Town of the Night Country. It seemed like a projection of some evil yet great will on this planet, filled with an indifferent, grand, and cold texture.
"If you have the chance, you can go to the Pacific Ocean to look for this island. Maybe you can get some inspiration from it."
Lu Ban knew very well that even if strange things might be attracted to each other, and he might encounter all sorts of strange things while staying in Jiangcheng, the world was vast. To learn more about the secrets of this world, he had to leave his home and go out into the wider world. He couldn't learn anything by just staying at home.
After looking at his phone for a while, Lu Ban put it down, closed his eyes, and soon fell asleep to the melodious tunes of the Spring Festival Gala playlist.
South Pacific Ocean, Pohnpei Island, "Stars" cruise ship, captain's cabin.
Captain Johnson Gustave had a nautical chart in front of him, and his eyes showed deep worry.
"Although we have received supplies, the storm along the route is still raging. It's unrealistic to try and get through the storm, and waiting for it to pass will add several more days to our voyage."
The South Pacific is prone to storms in autumn. When there is no land, these low-pressure cyclones will draw in large amounts of seawater, lowering their own temperature and forming one super storm after another that is rare on land.
This year's storm is exceptionally strong. According to the weather forecast Johnson received, the lowest temperature in the clouds at the center of the typhoon was even close to minus sixty degrees Celsius, which means that this storm will be unprecedentedly powerful.
Currently, Pohnpei Island is outside the storm zone. As far as the eye can see, one can see the dark clouds in the distance and the deep purple lightning hidden within them. Any ship that enters that storm zone at this time is courting death.
Not to mention, Captain Johnson also saw that.
"I never expected to encounter that island. It seems Li was right this time; it's not a good time to travel."
He recalled the calendar his Eastern wife had flipped through before their trip, which read "Not suitable for travel." He had scoffed at the time, but little did he expect it to come true.
If the "Stars" were just a cargo ship, Captain Johnson would only worry about whether some unruly pirates would come knocking. But this was a cruise ship carrying four thousand passengers, and the people on board needed to consume resources for eating, drinking, and using the toilet.
Now, the voyage is only halfway through. If it continues to be this exhausting, Captain Johnson will probably have to turn back early.
Moreover, he encountered that "ominous island" in the storm.
This is a legend passed down among sailors who travel in the Pacific Ocean. Somewhere in the Pacific, there is an island left behind by a prehistoric civilization. The island is usually submerged by the waves and lies below the sea level. However, at certain times, during a huge storm, the island will emerge from the sea. Without exception, any ship that sees that island will encounter trouble or even sink.
Captain Johnson didn't believe these claims. He preferred to think that the island, which was actually underwater, was much larger than it appeared, and that there were similar reefs on the seabed in that area, which caused ships that saw the island to run aground and malfunction, thus giving rise to such a legend.
"Only."
Perhaps due to the mental stress caused by the long voyage, several people on board, including sailors, have become mentally unstable, emotionally unstable, and have experienced hallucinations. Captain Johnson decisively isolated these people and ordered the ship's doctor to administer sedatives to them.
Rumors began circulating among the crew that these men had met their doom because they had seen the island, and a sense of unease spread.
Captain Johnson's current thought is that the storm will subside as soon as possible so they can reach their destination.
"Hopefully, nothing else goes wrong."
He watched the storm escalate and sighed.
In the morning, Lu Ban opened his eyes, checked the time, and it was exactly eight o'clock.
The melody of "Let Us Row Our Boats" still echoed in his ears. Surprisingly, Lu Ban did not feel any chest tightness or shortness of breath. He looked down at himself and found that the mist had disappeared.
Getting up and drawing back the curtains, Lu Ban saw the golden sunlight shining on the earth, leaving behind a dazzling display. He went to the living room and quickly understood why the morning felt so refreshing.
The two wisps of mist were pressing down on Qin Tiantian, like two sleeping cats. Qin Tiantian, who was lying on the sofa, had already kicked off the blanket that Lu Ban had kindly covered her with. The hem of her shark-themed loungewear was lifted up, revealing her flat stomach and navel.
She looked Affliction; she was probably having a nightmare!
Lu Ban called her name.
"It's so heavy."
Qin Tiantian uttered something in her sleep.
The two plumes of mist remained motionless, still anchored on Qin Tiantian's flight deck.