After searching without success, Jiang Su refused to give up and searched the Windbreaker from bow to stern once more.
The result was the same as before. The compass showed no reaction, confirming that there were no evil spirits or monsters aboard the fishing boat.
Jiang Su was at a loss about how to proceed with the investigation.
Still, he had discovered plenty of suspicious details during his search.
If the fishing boat had really traveled through time, why was its hull so dilapidated while its crew remained young?
That clearly made no sense!
If this was truly a time-travel incident, shouldn't the Windbreaker have returned to port exactly as it had been when it set out to sea?
But the boat was now covered in rust and moss, and its fuel tank was dry. It had clearly weathered the elements for a long time.
From that perspective, it seemed less like the boat had traveled through time by thirty-two years and more like it had endured thirty-two years of wear and tear.
But if the Windbreaker hadn't traveled through time, there was another problem.
Before setting out to sea, crewman Wang Heng had been twenty-four. Why was he still twenty-four when he returned after disappearing for thirty-two years?
Had only Wang Heng traveled through time?
And had he traveled thirty-two years into the future aboard the Windbreaker?
That made no sense!
As he pondered the problem, a thought suddenly struck Jiang Su.
He realized that perhaps crewman Wang Heng had been affected by supernatural forces.
He might even have been possessed by an evil spirit or a monster.
That would explain why Wang Heng had returned after thirty-two years still looking twenty-four, while the Windbreaker had fallen into ruin.
Thinking that crewman "Wang Heng" might be the key to solving the case, Jiang Su decided to focus the next stage of his investigation on him.
After leaving the harbor, Jiang Su deactivated the Invisibility Talisman.
He hailed a taxi along the way, then followed the clues in the mission prompt straight to Langya City No. 1 Hospital.
After getting out, Jiang Su took the elevator to the inpatient ward on the third floor and stopped outside Room 309.
He was just about to go in when a man in a black uniform blocked his way.
"What are you doing? You can't go in there!"
"Why not?" Jiang Su asked, stunned.
"I can't give you any details. You're just not allowed in!"
Glancing at the man's uniform, Jiang Su realized that the room was probably under surveillance.
He promptly apologized and walked away.
A short while later, after spending another 50 Soul Power and 50 Divine Power, Jiang Su crept toward Room 309.
In invisible mode, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside.
The room was simply furnished. Apart from a medical device, there was only a bed and a chair for visitors.
A man with a melancholy gaze lay on the bed.
He turned to look over just then, and his eyes met Jiang Su's as Jiang Su deactivated his invisibility.
"When can I be discharged?" the man asked abruptly.
It was obvious that he thought Jiang Su was with the man guarding the door.
"There's no rush. We'd like you to cooperate with our investigation. We'll let you know when you can be discharged after it's over." As Jiang Su spoke, he pulled the chair up beside the bed and sat down, then turned his attention to Wang Heng.
The compass showed no reaction at all. Jiang Su was deeply disappointed. This proved that Wang Heng's youth after traveling through time had nothing to do with monsters or evil spirits.
So what should I do next?
Jiang Su fell into thought.
After a moment, his expression grew serious. He looked at Wang Heng and said:
"Confess and you'll be treated leniently—cough, cough. You're Wang Heng, right? Tell me what you know."
"Didn't I already tell you everything?"
"Then tell me again. Cooperate!" Jiang Su said solemnly, doing his best to look the part.
Wang Heng nodded helplessly, then began:
"Our fishing boat set out to sea in the summer. We were about thirty nautical miles into the East Sea when we came across a school of cod. Everyone was excited and getting ready to start fishing. But halfway through, a gale suddenly swept across the sea, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder. Our boat pitched wildly on the waves. Then I saw a huge shadow rise from the seabed. I could make out countless enormous tentacles. Right after that, I passed out. When I woke up, I was in the hospital!"
"That's it?" Jiang Su asked, stunned.
"That's it!"
For fuck's sake, does he think I'm Conan? What kind of lousy clue is that?
What Wang Heng had said matched the mission description exactly. There were no other clues.
By now, Jiang Su had no idea how to proceed with the investigation.
He could tell that this Ghost Ship incident really was a supernatural case, but he had no clue how to investigate it further.
Just as Jiang Su was at a loss, his heart heavy with sorrow, and even considering writing his will ahead of time, he suddenly remembered something.
As a Night Watchman, he was also a player. He could use the analysis function in the real world!
He might not know how to solve mysteries, but he had a cheat!
There was no harm in trying.
Jiang Su immediately looked up at Wang Heng. He opened the game function panel and activated the analysis function.
The man's information appeared before him.
Wang He (male): 24 years old
Character details: An unknown dancer and actor, skilled at disguises. His greatest dream is to rise to the top and become a superstar admired by millions.
Height: 178 cm
Personality: Bold yet meticulous, hypocritical, conceited
Jiang Su was dumbfounded by the information.
Wasn't this guy the missing crewman, Wang Heng? How had he turned into Wang He?
Could the analysis function be wrong?
Jiang Su couldn't help frowning.
Based on the information available, one thing was certain: the man in front of him really was Wang Heng, the missing crewman.
Although the information retrieved by the analysis function said that he was an actor skilled at disguises, there was no way he could fake a DNA test or fool his family into identifying him.
So that clue should be certain. There couldn't be any doubt about it.
And yet the analysis function said the man wasn't Wang Heng!
So where was the problem?
Jiang Su felt like his head was about to split. His brain cells couldn't keep up.
After using the analysis function, Jiang Su realized that the Ghost Ship incident wasn't nearly as simple as he'd thought. There were many more strange details behind it.
Just as Jiang Su was overwhelmed with sorrow and once again considered writing his will ahead of time, a prompt sounded in his mind.
[Night Watchman prompt: Clue obtained. The target's information has changed from Wang Heng. Searching online for information about "Wang He." Once the search is complete, the information will be sent by text message.]
As Jiang Su wondered what was going on, his smart virtual phone chimed.
He took out his phone, and a smile appeared on his face. Now he finally knew what was going on.
Without hesitation, he turned the phone toward "Wang Heng," pointed at the picture on the screen, and asked, "Can you explain what this is?"
The man's face turned deathly pale as soon as he saw the picture on the screen.
"You... How did you know?"
The man in the photo looked exactly like the Wang Heng before him.
But his hairstyle and clothes were completely different.
When they had first found him, the man in front of Jiang Su had been wearing an old-fashioned sailor's uniform and a short haircut popular thirty years ago. He looked like someone from the last century.
But the Wang Heng in the photo was dressed in trendy clothes. He wore beach shorts, sported a slicked-back hairstyle, and grinned for the camera on the beach.
After the new clue came in, the Night Watchman system automatically began searching online to update its information.
It found a photo of someone who looked exactly like the man before him. That person's identity was Wang He.
So the analysis function hadn't made a mistake. The man before him really was an imposter.
But Jiang Su still had plenty of questions.
If he was an imposter, how had Wang He passed the DNA test and convinced Wang Heng's family that he was the Windbreaker crewman who had disappeared thirty-two years ago?
With that question in mind, Jiang Su looked at Wang He and said, "Explain yourself. You know the saying: confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely. I don't need to spell it out for you, do I?"
Before you continue