Real and Fake Crew

After searching to no avail, Jiang Su, unwilling to give up, scoured the Windbreaker once more.

The result remained the same as before; the compass showed no movement, confirming that there were no evil spirits or demons aboard the fishing vessel.

Jiang Su was at a loss as to how to proceed with the investigation.

However, during his search, Jiang Su still discovered many suspicious points.

If this fishing boat had truly traveled through time, why was the hull so dilapidated while the crew member remained young?

This clearly did not align with the logic of time travel!

If it were truly a time-travel event, shouldn't the Windbreaker have returned to the port exactly as it was when it set sail?

Yet, the current situation was that the fishing boat was covered in rust and moss, its fuel tank dry, clearly having weathered decades of storms.

From this perspective, the boat did not look like it had traveled through thirty-two years of time, but rather like it had endured thirty-two years of wind and rain.

But if the Windbreaker hadn't traveled through time, another problem arose.

The crew member Wang Heng was twenty-four years old before setting sail; why did he remain twenty-four after returning from a thirty-two-year disappearance?

Could it be that only Wang Heng had traveled through time?

And that he had traveled thirty-two years while on the Windbreaker?

That didn't make sense!

While deep in thought, a flash of inspiration struck Jiang Su.

He suddenly felt that perhaps the crew member Wang Heng had been affected by supernatural forces.

He might even have been possessed by an evil spirit or demon.

This would easily explain why Wang Heng returned after thirty-two years still twenty-four, while the Windbreaker was in such a state of disrepair.

Feeling that the crew member "Wang Heng" might be the breakthrough, Jiang Su decided to focus his next steps on him.

After exiting the port, Jiang Su deactivated the effect of his Invisibility Talisman.

He hailed a taxi along the way and, following the clues from his mission prompt, headed straight for Langya City First Hospital.

After getting out of the car, Jiang Su took the elevator to the inpatient department on the third floor, stopping in front of room 309.

Just as he was about to enter, a man in a black uniform blocked his path.

"What are you doing? You can't go in here!"

"Why?" Jiang Su asked, stunned.

"I'm not at liberty to say, you just can't go in!"

Glancing at the uniform the man was wearing, Jiang Su suddenly realized that this place might be under surveillance.

So, he decisively apologized and walked away.

A moment later, having spent another 50 Soul Power and 50 Divine Power, Jiang Su tiptoed back toward room 309.

In stealth mode, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

The room was simply furnished; apart from a medical device, there was only a hospital bed and a chair for a companion.

Lying on the bed was a man with a melancholy look in his eyes.

He turned his head to look over, his gaze meeting Jiang Su's just as he deactivated his invisibility.

"When can I be discharged?" the man asked, looking at Jiang Su.

Clearly, the man had mistaken Jiang Su for someone working with the guard outside.

"There's no rush for that. I need you to cooperate with our investigation; we will notify you of your discharge date once the investigation is complete," Jiang Su said, pulling the chair to the bedside and sitting down, then fixing his gaze on Wang Heng.

At this moment, the compass showed no reaction, leaving Jiang Su feeling incredibly disappointed. This proved that Wang Heng's youth after his time travel had nothing to do with demons or evil spirits.

So, what am I supposed to do now?

Jiang Su fell into deep thought.

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Su's expression turned grave, and he looked at Wang Heng.

"Confess from the—ahem, Wang Heng, right? Tell me about the situation as you know it!"

"Didn't I already tell you people about this before?"

"Then tell me again, and be cooperative!" Jiang Su said with a serious, professional air.

Wang Heng nodded helplessly and began to speak:

"Our fishing boat set sail in the summer. When we were about 30 nautical miles out into the East China Sea, we encountered a school of cod. Everyone was quite excited and preparing to start fishing. But halfway through, a violent storm suddenly whipped up on the sea, with thunder and lightning. Our boat was tossed about, and then I saw a huge black shadow emerge from the seabed. I could vaguely see countless giant tentacles, and then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was in the hospital!"

"That's it?" Jiang Su asked, stunned.

"That's it!"

Damn it, do they really think I'm Conan? What kind of crappy clue is this!

The situation Wang Heng described was consistent with his mission brief, offering no other leads.

At this point, Jiang Su had no idea how to proceed with the investigation.

He was certain that this ghost ship incident was indeed a supernatural event, but Jiang Su had no clue how to proceed with the investigation.

Just as Jiang Su was feeling helpless, heartbroken, and even contemplating writing a suicide note in advance, he suddenly remembered something.

As a Night Watchman, he was also a player, and the Analysis function could be used in reality.

Although he wasn't good at deduction, he had a cheat code.

There was no harm in trying.

Jiang Su immediately looked up at Wang Heng, opened his game interface, and activated the Analysis function.

Instantly, the man's information appeared before Jiang Su.

Wang He (Male): 24 years old

Character Details: An unknown dancer and actor, skilled in disguise, whose greatest dream is to get ahead and become a superstar admired by thousands.

Height: 178cm

Personality: Bold and meticulous, hypocritical, self-righteous.

Seeing the character information, Jiang Su was stunned.

Wasn't this guy the missing crew member Wang Heng? How did he become Wang He?

Could the Analysis function be malfunctioning?

Jiang Su couldn't help but frown.

Based on the existing intelligence, it was certain that the man in front of him was indeed the missing crew member Wang Heng.

Although the information read by the Analysis function stated that this person was an actor skilled in disguise, DNA testing and confirmation by family members were not things that could be bypassed by mere disguise.

Therefore, this lead should have been solid, with no room for doubt.

Yet, the Analysis function indicated that this person was not Wang Heng!

So, where was the problem?

Jiang Su felt a massive headache coming on, feeling as though his brain cells were insufficient for the task.

After using the "Analysis function," Jiang Su realized that the ghost ship incident did not seem as simple as he had thought; there were many eerie points hidden behind it.

Just as Jiang Su was feeling incredibly sorrowful and once again considering writing a suicide note, a notification rang in his mind.

[Night Watchman Prompt: Clue obtained. Target Wang Heng's information has changed. Initiating network search for "Wang He." Once the search is complete, the information will be sent via text message.]

Amidst Jiang Su's confusion, his smart virtual phone made a sound.

After pulling out his smartphone, a smile appeared on Jiang Su's face; now he finally understood what was going on.

Without any hesitation, he turned the phone toward "Wang Heng" and, pointing at the picture on the screen, asked:

"Can you explain to me what this is all about?"

Seeing the picture on the phone screen, the man's face turned deathly pale in an instant:

"You... how did you know!"

The man in the photo looked exactly like the Wang Heng standing before him.

However, his hairstyle and attire were completely different.

When he was first discovered, the man was wearing an old-fashioned sailor suit, and his hairstyle was a short cut popular over thirty years ago, as if he had come from the last century.

But the Wang Heng in the photo was dressed very trendily, wearing beach shorts and sporting a slicked-back hairstyle, grinning and posing for the camera on a beach.

The newly acquired clue caused the Night Watchman system to run automatically, beginning to search for updated information via the network.

It then found a photo of a person who looked exactly like the man in front of him, and this person's identity was none other than Wang He.

Therefore, the Analysis function had not malfunctioned; the man in front of him was indeed an impostor.

However, Jiang Su still had many questions in his heart.

Since he was an impostor, how could Wang He pass the DNA test and be identified by Wang Heng's family as the Windbreaker crew member who had been missing for 32 years: Wang Heng?

Carrying his doubts, Jiang Su looked at Wang He and said:

"Start explaining. You don't need me to tell you that leniency is granted to those who confess, while those who resist will be dealt with severely!"