The tapping sound was intermittent, like the footsteps of an old man in his twilight years, who had to stop and rest every few steps.
Even Su Huilan was now filled with doubt and surprise.
Although you can't tell anything just by listening to the sound, this is a ship that has been dead for hundreds of years. It just came out of the Spacetime Stasis Zone, so there couldn't possibly be any living creatures inside.
"I told you I wasn't dreaming! It was him, it was them down there! They're not dead!" Alice said.
"Perhaps something got into the ship," Mrs. Larry said.
Su Huilan thought it was unlikely. The boat was moored on the lake, with a clear view of all around. Although the boat was old, it was still well-sealed. Even if there were some monsters in the water, it would be impossible for them to enter the boat without making a sound. Besides, apart from fish, there didn't seem to be any large animals in the lake.
"Ah, right, the helicopter cabin!" she suddenly remembered. "Since Ivan and his men were able to find new weapons and engine oil there, there might be something else hiding inside."
"You mean a creature from the Stasis Space?" Mrs. Larry recalled that Crow had said he had seen a shadow in the passageway of the soldiers' barracks on the lower level.
"It's hard to say for sure," Su Huilan said.
Alice suddenly exclaimed, " Ghost! Their Ghost! These people died and came back to life! They are all Ghost!"
She became somewhat delirious, like Madman, " Those Russia... those two Russia are suspicious. They're the ones who dumped the captain's body. They're suspicious... otherwise, how could they have discovered the helicopter was new just by dumping a body? They must be possessed by Ghost! They're not themselves anymore, yes, that must be it!"
Su Huilan said, "Madam, why don't you accompany Alice to the deck? Getting some Sun will make you feel better. I need to go down and take a look; things seem a bit strange."
Mrs. Larry said, "Should we wait until everyone gets back before we talk about it?"
Su Huilan thought for a moment, then decided to go down and assess the situation first. She said, "They are negotiating with the savages. If things go smoothly, all is well; if not, the situation could be dire. This ship has become our base, and I have to make sure nothing goes wrong here. Don't worry, Madam, there will be no danger."
Mrs. Larry said, "Then I'll go with you."
"No, you mustn't go, madam! I beg you!" Alice pleaded.
Su Huilan also said, "Madam, you should stay with Alice. Besides, Qingmu and the others might be back soon. Things over there are more important. You are a linguist and archaeologist; they might need you."
Mrs. Larry nodded and said, "Then be careful."
They went back onto the deck.
Su Huilan took two pine resin torches, lit them with the flint Ivan had left them, and then drew her pistol to check it over.
The pistols were left to them by the men for self-defense; Su Huilan and Alice each had one, while Mrs. Larry resolutely refused to accept them.
Alice suddenly grabbed Su Huilan's arm, which was holding the gun, and said in a trembling voice, "Don't go! They'll eat you!"
Su Huilan felt the strength of Alice's fingers, which were almost digging into her flesh. She suddenly felt that Alice's reaction was a bit excessive. Logically speaking, someone who had experienced so much since entering Ramla shouldn't have such a strong reaction no matter what she encountered.
What could have caused her to act so strangely? Had she really seen Lieutenant Colonel Halsey, who had come back from the dead?
"It's alright, Alice. Just stay on deck and soak up some Sun. Anderson and the others will be back in a bit."
Su Huilan removed Alice's hand and called to the cat, " Hanran, let's go!"
The cat meowed once and followed Su Huilan down to the lower cabin.
Mrs. Larry helped Alice to the side of the boat and leaned against the railing. A gentle breeze blew, and the lake shimmered with light.
There was no movement on the distant lakeshore; I wondered how the negotiations were going.
Mrs. Larry noticed that Alice's breathing had calmed down and her complexion had improved, so she asked, " Alice, are you feeling better?"
Alice said, "I'm much better, madam, but I'm still scared..."
The lady said, " Alice, tell me, what happened to you just now? You couldn't have really seen Lieutenant Colonel Halsey. I was right next to you, I wasn't asleep, there was no Lieutenant Colonel Halsey at all!"
"I don't know, madam, I really don't know." Alice looked flustered. "Perhaps, as you say, I might have been dreaming, but the dream was so real. I saw him; he was sitting there, and he even glanced at me. His eyes were empty, there was nothing in them, it was terrifying!"
"It was just a dream, don't think about it, it's okay."
"But you heard the sounds from down there too, didn't you?"
Mrs. Larry frowned, seemingly also wondering what was making the sound.
" Professor Su has gone down; she will find it," she said.
Alice shook her head and said, "She's just a woman; she can't handle them. They are Ghost of time and space, resurrected zombies..."
" Alice!" Mrs. Larry interrupted her, "You've followed me on so many archaeological expeditions, visited so many ancient tombs, how can you still spout such nonsense! The dead don't come back to life, and there are no ghosts in tombs. As a scientist, you must arm yourself with science. All evil resides only in your mind. Let the sunshine into your heart, and you won't have so much fear!"
"No! Madam, you mustn't be lying to me!" Alice said. "You and Mr. Yeger conducted research on resurrection a long time ago. I've seen Mr. Yeger's manuscripts. The Maya civilization, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient Babylon civilizations all believed in the resurrection of the dead. The Egypt pharaohs even the Mummy themselves for this purpose... You... you even conducted experiments..."
"Shut up!" Mrs. Larry's face darkened. "What are you talking about, Alice! This is just research, the beliefs of the ancients. We respect all beliefs and behaviors in the course of civilization, but we shouldn't abandon our own beliefs or disrupt our own actions because of it. Life and death are problems that humanity must face but currently has no solution to. If we want to understand the history of human civilization, we must confront it directly."
Alice said, "Madam, I didn't mean anything by it, I'm just afraid! We'll grow old and die here, and we'll never be able to go back..."
"Don't despair, Alice! There's still hope!" Mrs. Larry said, glancing towards the lakeshore and sighing inwardly. "Even if we can't go back, we've already learned so many secrets about the universe, the spirit, and humanity... As the ancient China sage Confucius said, 'If you hear the truth in the morning, you can die without regret in the evening!'"
Alice said, "Let's go ashore and find them."
Mrs. Larry said, "Alright, you go ashore to find Anderson, I'll go down to the cabin to keep Professor Su."
"No, madam, I don't want to be alone. What if I can't find them?"
"Alright then, I'll take you there first."
They got off the lifeboat and rowed towards the shore.
The lake's surface shimmered briefly, like a light bulb suddenly experiencing a surge in current, causing it to brighten, before immediately dimming again.
Mrs. Larry's vision blurred for a moment, and she asked with concern:
Alice, are you alright?
"I'm alright, madam, but I can't see!"
"Don't be afraid, it's just temporary blindness caused by strong light, it will be fine in a while."
The light gradually returned to normal. The three Sun in the sky still hung there as before, neither too bright nor too dim, as if the intense light reflected from the water had nothing to do with them.
Their small boat was almost at the lake shore. However, this was not the shore they wanted to reach.
"Oh no! How did we end up on this side of the lake? Row back!"
A series of howling sounds came from the shore, and a group of savages rushed out of the woods along the bank...