There was a ghostly figure just now.
A living person cannot appear and disappear out of thin air.
"What? That's impossible. If there were ghosts nearby, I would definitely be able to sense them." Mu Ling shook her head.
Su Cheng didn't think she had misread it. As she continued searching the next area, she heard Eck and the others climbing onto the ship.
Without pausing, she turned and walked towards the direction where the ghostly figure had suddenly appeared.
Push open a door, and follow the stairs down the corridor to the guest rooms.
There are about 30 rooms on both sides of the corridor, all with their doors wide open. The corridor and walls are stained with blood, and there are cobwebs in the corners.
Su Cheng went into each room and looked around; they were all in a mess, and most of them showed signs of a struggle.
Only the doors to the guest rooms at the rear were closed, and there were knife marks on the doors.
Su Cheng pushed the doorknob; the door was locked from the inside.
This is when the electronic laser cannon comes in handy.
A red beam of light shone around the door lock, drawing a circle, and the door handle and the wooden board around the lock completely fell off.
But at the same time, the corner of the cabinet that was blocking the door was also revealed.
With the door unlocked, Su Cheng pushed the debris behind it, creating a gap large enough for her to enter.
As she entered the room, the pungent smell of dust made Su Cheng sneeze, and there was also a stuffy, indescribable odor in the air.
The room was dark and the windows were closed. Dust was floating around, but it was much cleaner than the other rooms, with no signs of a struggle.
More importantly, there was a slight bulge on the bed.
The bulge on the bed didn't seem to be alive. Su Cheng pulled back the covers, and dust billowed out. Sure enough, it was a curled-up skeleton lying there.
The skeleton was dressed in a silk nightgown and, based on its body shape, appeared to be a female corpse. She was the only "left-behind" corpse among the 30 rooms.
Why is she the only exception?
Su Cheng frowned, put on her mask, and looked under the bed. There was nothing there except clumps of dust.
She then went to the bedside table, which was unlocked.
Since ancient times, tables and cabinets have been treasure troves for hiding clues.
Su Cheng half-squatted down, pulled up the drawer ring, and was about to pull out the drawer when a pair of pale, slender hands pressed her down.
She turned her head, and following her arm to her body, a pale-faced female ghost in a long dress appeared beside the bed.
She sat demurely, her eyes lifeless and devoid of any sharp malice or murderous intent. Her presence seemed solely to prevent Su Cheng from rummaging through her belongings.
Su Cheng withdrew her hand and took two steps back, absolutely certain that the female ghost was the afterimage that had appeared earlier.
The female ghost meant no harm. Since there is room for communication, there is no need to start a fight immediately.
Moreover, Su Cheng was very curious as to why the female ghost could appear suddenly without making a sound, without being noticed by Mu Ling or her.
Mu Ling scrutinized the female ghost and, through her thoughts, said to Su Cheng, "I can't sense any ghostly aura on her... but she's not angry either, which is really strange."
After a long silence, Su Cheng spoke first, "No offense intended, I just want to know what happened on Blue Count five years ago."
The female ghost's eyes flickered slightly, and she opened her pale lips to utter only two hoarse words. "Disembark."
A note from the author:
I'm late! I'm late!
Chapter 93
"Why do you know so much?"
"..."
When asked the crucial question, the female ghost seemed to freeze, her pale face turning sinister, her fingertips pressing against the counter without moving.
Su Cheng recited the incantation for Soul Attraction, intending to use her old method, when the system suddenly popped up a message: [Unable to lock onto the Soul Attraction target].
Unable to lock?
Su Cheng took another look at the female ghost sitting there like a wax figure.
With a weak soul body, at most at the level of Remnant Soul, there is no ability to prevent skills from locking onto the target.
That is, what item she has that could interfere with the Soul Attraction lock?
If the Soul Attraction Technique is unavailable, what about the Fire-Attracting Art?
After thinking about it, she gave up the idea.
She didn't really want to escalate the situation when the other party meant no harm.
If the items in the cabinet are of limited value, and the female ghost has been killed, it is highly likely that she will not have obtained all the information.
The ghost's earlier words, "get off the ship," could be considered a warning. But her current silence suggests either that she's touched on some taboo, or that she feels telling her would be pointless.
We've only just boarded the ship, and there's more to explore than just this room.
The female ghost clue can be explored later.
After thinking it through, Su Cheng stopped asking questions, turned around and left. As she opened the door to go out, she turned back to see that the female ghost sitting on the bedside had disappeared.
There was no trace of the female ghost in the entire house, but Su Cheng was certain that she was still inside.
Can you see her?
Su Cheng asked Mu Ling beside her, and received a negative answer.
It's quite rare to find a device that can block the ability to see Yin-Yang Eyes and other supernatural entities; I wonder where the female ghost got it.
After leaving the cabin, Su Cheng and Mu Ling split up and searched for Blue Count efficiently.
Eck and his three companions had already boarded the ship and were each exploring the large vessel from different locations.
Following the commotion, Su Cheng found Eck in the captain's cabin, who was looking through Captain Blue Count's navigation records.
"Any clues?" Su Cheng knocked on the door.
"Well... take a look for yourself." Eck's expression was strange as he picked up a notebook and handed it to her.
The notebook's owner Ross, who was the captain of the Blue Count Ship.
The first few pages of the notebook were Ross's records of his daily life after setting sail. He seemed to be an introverted person who only wanted to vent his emotions freely in the notebook.
The first three pieces mainly express resentment towards the extravagance of the nobility and sadness over the hardships of the lower classes, revealing a strong sense of pessimism.
It wasn't until the fourth entry, which was the fourth day after setting sail, that a clue appeared in the notes:
04
Today is the fourth day since Blue Count entered the sea, and there are still three days until he reaches the sea area I am heading to.
Three days later, Blue Count will bid farewell to the world. This luxurious ship has a lifespan of only seven days, what a pity.
05
Today is the fifth day since Blue Count set sail. I have increased my speed because of a certain unpleasant passenger.
He looked down on people from humble backgrounds, but he never imagined he would fall victim to such a person.
Two more days, and once we're further apart, I can make my move.
My dear family members, although I will never see you again, as long as you can live a good life with the compensation money, then everything I have done will be worth it.
06
Last night we encountered a small storm, and I have to admire the Blue Count's resilience; it was completely undamaged in the storm!
What a strong and brave child it was! It's just a pity that the time it came into this world was predetermined.
We arrived at an unfamiliar sea area. I didn't know where this was, but it was definitely off the course I had planned.
07
It's astonishing that thieves have appeared on the ship! The ship's security team is not to be trifled with; wealthy people value their lives highly, and even if their weapons are confiscated before boarding, they will still send someone to protect them.
That's why I need to be even more meticulous and careful with my plans.
08
It seems Blue Count can't leave this sea area; no matter how far he goes, he always returns here... I remember that pile of reefs two nautical miles from the ship!
I haven't told anyone... Being trapped in a loop is just too unbelievable!
But to be honest, since Blue Count isn't going to return, making this sea area his final resting place isn't a bad idea.
Ha! Let the nobles live in fear when they find out!
09
Chaos broke out on the ship; the nobles seemed to be arguing over thieves and the loss of valuables. How interesting.
They demanded to turn back, were incredibly grumpy, but since they didn't know how to sail, they could only fret helplessly, hahaha, their annoyed expressions were hilarious.
10
Things are worse than I imagined. My ending for everyone was to sink to the bottom of the sea with Blue Count, not to be bloodied and slaughtered!
They threw people into the sea and then jumped in; they've gone mad!
Blue Count is no longer safe; the situation is out of my control, and it seems the contents of the cargo hold are useless...
That concludes the content in the notebook.
Aside from dried bloodstains, Ross's body was not found in the captain's cabin.
Su Cheng leans towards the same conclusion he and the notes state: that she was murdered and thrown into the sea.
The story behind the notes is already quite obvious:
Ross became the captain of Blue Count with ulterior motives. He did not intend to send Blue Count back, but rather to kill all the passengers en route using some kind of object.
This item was located in the cargo hold.
But before he could put his plan into action, the ship became trapped in a loop in the waters, and the passengers suddenly began killing each other.
Blue Count "sank" in an unexpected way.
"What's your opinion on Ross's mental state?" Eck asked cautiously.
"Do you believe he wrote these notes while he was mentally unstable?"
"That's right! How could the ship get stuck in a loop? And what was the motive of the criminals who killed someone, disposed of the body, and then committed suicide?"
After finishing his analysis, Eck added, "But I'd also like to hear your thoughts."
After these encounters, Su Cheng's performance has exceeded Eck's previous understanding of her.
The abilities she displayed during her fall into the sea were unlike those of ordinary people; she was even more imposing than the top knights he had seen in the merchant guild.
Su Cheng put down her notebook. "I don't think he has any mental issues. There might really be something wrong with this area. Have you tried sailing this boat?"
Eck looked at the helm, his brow furrowing. "I checked the masts and sails on deck; the ship should be moving, but it's stopped..."
"It's as if something underwater is holding it back?"
Eck looked up, his eyes brightening. "That's right, that's what I meant. But the key is that the ship didn't drop anchor. If there were anything unusual underwater, we should have noticed it when we boarded."