A small and ancient black-awning boat drifted across the water. Its hull was coated in cinnabar-red lacquer, traced with strange, dark patterns. At a single glance, it was clear this was no ordinary vessel.
An expression of pure ecstasy immediately broke across Zhang Chao’s face. “They’re here for us! Teacher Lin is here to pick us up!”
Lu Xincheng couldn’t help but roll his eyes. What exactly did this kid manage to understand?
As the boat drew closer, they caught sight of the person on board. Only one person was sitting there. He wore a school uniform and looked like a student; he was a boy. He wasn’t any of the people who had just left this area.
“He is not here for us,” Wen Yaozhi said, his voice cold.
The boy on the boat shouted toward the shore, “Zhang Chao, get on the boat.”
Lu Xincheng raised an eyebrow slightly. “Is he a classmate of yours?”
Zhang Chao nodded. “He is my desk-mate.”
“Something is fishy,” Lu Xincheng observed from a distance. A black-awning boat was not something that should appear in a school, and the person on it was not exactly a living human.
While he was lost in thought, Zhang Chao had already started walking toward it as if possessed. Lu Xincheng was a beat too slow and did not have time to grab him. Just as Zhang Chao was about to leap onto the boat, a long arm blocked his path.
“Do not go down there.”
Zhang Chao froze. He watched as Wen Yaozhi, who had stopped him, jumped onto the boat himself.
“What are you doing? He is here for me! Ah!” Zhang Chao’s eyes suddenly widened.
A short piece of peach wood had been driven cleanly and decisively into the heart of the person on the boat. Zhang Chao let out a terrified scream and collapsed to the ground. Wen Yaozhi pulled out the short peach-wood dagger, and the boy’s body dissipated into the air like grains of sand.
Wen Yaozhi turned back. The murderous intent in his eyes had not yet faded, making him look like a cold-blooded teenage assassin. “Who did you think was coming for you?”
Zhang Chao sat in silence.
“You should thank Wen. He really was helping you,” Lu Xincheng said, his gaze shifting toward the boat. He paused.
Wen Yaozhi took off his school uniform and temporarily moored the boat to the shore. “You cannot get on this boat. This is the Evil God’s boat; it is a vessel to hell.”
Du Ye looked panicked. Since the torrential rain began, his mental state had spiraled downward. His voice trembled through clenched teeth. “I have seen a boat like this before. There were two children sitting on it. In the blink of an eye, the boat sank under the water and never resurfaced.”
Wen Yaozhi’s gaze swept lightly over Du Ye, completely unmoved by his words.
“Are you going on the boat?” Lu Xincheng’s eyes met his in mid-air, his gaze flickering slightly. “Do you know where this boat will take you?”
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
After all, he was only in the third year of junior high, which is an age for being bold and adventurous.
“The water is the domain of evil spirits. Are you sure you want to do this?”
The night wind brushed the stray hairs on the boy’s forehead. His dark eyes were calm. He nodded silently.
Lu Xincheng seemed somewhat helpless. “Alright then, go ahead.”
Wen Yaozhi lowered his head, his hands slowly reaching out to untie his knotted school uniform. His long lashes lowered, hiding a flash of darkness in his eyes. Just as he was about to board the boat, a voice came from behind. “Wait.”
Wen Yaozhi paused.
Lu Xincheng coughed lightly. “The more I think about it, the more uneasy I feel.”
Wen Yaozhi stared at the adult man, who was significantly taller than him. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but a faint light shimmered in his eyes.
“The boat fits exactly two people,” Wen Yaozhi said, meeting Lu Xincheng’s gaze.
“But there are four of us.”
A minute later, they successfully intercepted another boat. Du Ye and Zhang Chao quickly boarded one. Lu Xincheng glanced at them.
“Are you two taking one? Or should I swap with you?” Du Ye was tall and sturdy, and the little fatty was growing horizontally; it was indeed very crowded.
The two of them glanced at Wen Yaozhi and shook their heads like rattle-drums. Lu Xincheng laughed and let it be.
When Lu Xincheng stepped onto the small black-awning boat, the hull swayed and he stumbled. Wen Yaozhi was quick and caught him.
“Thank you, Wen.”
Wen Yaozhi nodded.
Once the boat was carrying two people, it began to drift steadily across the water as if equipped with an automatic navigation system. The two boats sailed one after the other into the pitch-black night.
“Teacher Lu, your body is very cold.” Because the boat was cramped, the two were sitting very close. Wen Yaozhi looked sideways at the person beside him.
Lu Xincheng gave a bitter smile. “I have a heavy Yin energy. Since I was a child, I could see things ordinary people cannot and hear things others cannot. That is why I was isolated by my classmates, and teachers did not like me either.”
Wen Yaozhi remained quiet.
Lu Xincheng continued, “So, I vowed to be a good teacher when I grew up, to never let my students be bullied. I did not expect to encounter something like this right after arriving at the school.”
Wen Yaozhi asked, “Even if the student has already turned into a ghost, you do not plan on giving up on him?”
Lu Xincheng nodded. Wen Yaozhi fell silent.
“There are good and bad people, and the same goes for spirits,” Lu Xincheng said. “So, not all spirits should be hunted.”
Wen Yaozhi’s heart skipped a beat. He looked at the person beside him; an indescribable sense of familiarity surged in his heart.
Lu Xincheng did not respond to the intense gaze, keeping his eyes forward. “If I remember correctly, Teacher Lin and the others left in this direction. I wonder if they made it safely.”
Wen Yaozhi finally looked away. He glanced to the side; the floodwaters were surging, with large waves crashing from time to time. “It will likely be difficult for them to be safe.”
Lu Xincheng was silent.
The situation on the water was indeed terrible. Fortunately, the black-awning boat seemed to have its own barrier, creating a shield that prevented even a single drop of water from splashing onto the boat.
“I hope we can catch up to them.”
Deep in the flooded area
A school desk drifted precariously on the water. Its iron legs were already battered, and the wooden tabletop was riddled with holes from the torrent.
Lin Dusheng regretted getting on it as soon as he had. The current was rapid, and large waves struck frequently. Their boat was like a lonely, thin leaf, liable to capsize at any moment. Although they later found some branches in the water to use as oars, finding direction on this black water was nearly impossible; they could only drift with the current.
A massive wave crashed over them. After a chorus of screams, everyone was soaked from head to toe.
“Where is Zhenzhen? Zhenzhen is gone!” the girl with the ponytail cried out.
Her name was Feng Yu. Zhang Zhenzhen was her desk-mate and best friend.
“She must have fallen into the water.” Feng Yu looked frantically into the waves, but the dark surface showed nothing but the receding swells. She could not accept that her best friend had disappeared without even a cry for help. Looking around, she urged the others anxiously, “Help me find her! She fell in!”
The desk was not a real boat; floating on this water made it incredibly easy to flip. Everyone on board was treading on thin ice. No one responded to Feng Yu. They sat in tense silence, gripping the frame tightly.
Feng Yu looked toward Lin Dusheng for help. “Teacher Lin…”
Just then, she noticed something flash in the water near Lin Dusheng. Looking closer, it was a reflection from a lens. The pink frames were all too familiar to her.
“That is Zhenzhen’s!” Feng Yu pointed toward the glasses, screaming, “Zhenzhen!”
Everyone looked over. A bit further away, the white waves around the girl, Zhang Zhenzhen, were tossed aside as she struggled to swim toward the boat.
“Go over there, hurry!” Feng Yu paddled hard with the half-broken branch in her hand. She used every ounce of strength she had. She threw away the branch and put both hands into the water, trying her best to push the boat in that direction.
The distance between them was barely ten meters. Yet, in this moment, that short distance felt like a chasm. The splashes from the girl were getting smaller, and less of her was visible above the surface. Feng Yu watched helplessly as her dear friend’s face slowly sank.
In just a few dozen seconds, the girl vanished completely from the surface. Under the wind and waves, every trace of her existence was wiped clean.
The pink frames floating on the water were picked up by a pale hand. After wiping away the water droplets, Feng Yu tucked them into her school uniform pocket. She did not wail, nor did she scold her indifferent classmates.
Perhaps because she was too calm, Lin Dusheng could not help himself. He patted Feng Yu’s shoulder comfortingly. “It is not that the students and I did not want to save her. The situation is special right now. I believe you can understand your teacher.”
Feng Yu looked up, her eyes red, having forced her tears back. She bit her lip and gave a sensible smile. “I understand. The teacher has to consider the safety of the majority.”
Lin Dusheng was momentarily stunned by her look, then nodded, relieved. “That is the spirit.”
She turned away and did not speak again. The other students were also terrified, and a long silence followed. Suddenly, a girl discovered something. “Look, it seems like a boat is coming this way.”
Everyone looked where she was pointing. A dark-red black-awning boat was exceptionally striking in the night. The boat drew closer to them.
“There is no one on it,” the girl who first saw it said with joy. “Can we go over there?”
The boat sailed very smoothly, looking much safer than their school desk. Although the hull was quite narrow, it should fit two people.
Lin Dusheng remained silent. This boat looked perfect, but the more he looked at it, the creepier it felt. First, a boat of this appearance should not be at school. Second, its speed was a bit too fast, as if it had a motor, yet there was clearly no one driving it.
The longer Lin Dusheng looked, the more his hair stood on end. He would absolutely not board that boat. However, no matter what, the boat they were currently on would be safer with fewer people.
Thinking of this, Lin Dusheng nodded. “Alright. The boat is small; it should be fine for two girls.”
“Teacher, I found the boat first,” the short-haired girl said, raising her hand.
Lin Dusheng nodded. “Wang Dimeng is one. The other,” he looked at the remaining two girls, “Feng Yu, you go.”
Feng Yu shook her head. “I am not going.”
Lin Dusheng looked at the other girl. “Then Li Shuya, you go.”
The baby-faced girl shook her head timidly. “I want to stay with the teacher.”
Lin Dusheng’s eyes flickered behind his lenses for a moment before returning to Feng Yu. Feng Yu’s stance was firm. “I am staying here.”
Since neither girl wanted to go, Lin Dusheng sighed helplessly. “Dimeng, forget it then. I would not feel right letting you go alone.”
Wang Dimeng was persistent. “It is okay, Teacher. I can do it alone.”
As they spoke, the boat drew nearer. Based on its trajectory, it would pass right by them. There would be a chance to get Wang Dimeng on board as they crossed.
“Alright, get ready,” Lin Dusheng handed the thickest branch to Wang Dimeng. “Adjust your direction once you are on and keep up with us.”
“Okay, Teacher.” Wang Dimeng nodded.
As the two vessels crossed, Wang Dimeng boarded the black-awning boat. After sitting down firmly, she gave Lin Dusheng an OK gesture. Lin Dusheng smiled and nodded at her. The next moment, his expression shifted slightly.
“Ah!” Wang Dimeng let out a soft cry.
She had not moved a muscle after boarding, yet the boat suddenly turned around on the spot. She was terrified and tensed up. The boat changing course for no reason was indeed strange, but nothing else unusual happened. The boat began sailing steadily back the way it came.
Lin Dusheng and the others followed behind the black-awning boat. The three of them were still paddling with great effort. Wang Dimeng sat on the boat, leisurely looking around. The boat was fast and stable. When a few waves hit, the three on the desk were a mess again, while the black-awning boat ahead did not even wobble.
A hint of regret appeared in Lin Dusheng’s eyes. He turned back dissatisfied toward the two female students. “There are only three of us left. We need to work harder.”
“Okay, Teacher Lin,” Li Shuya nodded earnestly.
Feng Yu did not respond. She stared intently at the boat that had already pulled ahead of them. It was strange. Although the middle of the cabin was not large, it could fit two people. Normally, if a person were sitting alone, they would instinctively sit in the center to maintain balance. Wang Dimeng, however, was not in the center; she was sitting on the right side. She left the left half of the seat empty. From the back, it looked completely uncoordinated.
At that moment, another sudden wave struck.
“Ah!”
Along with a scream, Feng Yu tightly gripped the desk and stool. After the wave passed, another person was missing from the boat. Feng Yu looked at the empty spot beside her. Lin Dusheng, sitting in front, also turned around. His face was grim. His glasses were gone, and he messily pushed back the wet hair from his forehead.
To make matters worse, the desk was starting to show signs of breaking. It likely would not hold much longer. But it was too late to change boats now; the black-awning boat was already a significant distance away.
Lin Dusheng’s gaze turned ruthless in an instant. He reached out to push Feng Yu. If only one person remained on the boat, it might last a bit longer, long enough to find a sturdier vessel.
“Teacher Lin!”
A distant voice caused Lin Dusheng’s predatory hand to stop abruptly. He turned. Two black-awning boats were drifting toward them. On the front one, a gray-haired youth waved at him energetically. Beside him sat a cold-looking, rebellious teenager who did not even look up at him.
Looking at the second boat, there was only one person, the new PE teacher. He remembered the surname was Du. Lin Dusheng’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Little Lu!” Lin Dusheng said joyfully. “I knew you guys would be saved.”
As they drew closer, Lu Xincheng pulled back his smile, his gaze full of shock. “Teacher Lin, what happened here?”
Lin Dusheng lamented, “The wind and waves were too strong along the way. Although I did my best, I could not protect the students.”
Beside him, Feng Yu let out a cold sneer. Lin Dusheng turned his head, his gaze like a sharp blade, the threat in his eyes undisguised. Feng Yu did not speak, but the look of disgust on her face could not be hidden.
“Teacher Lin, your boat is about to sink,” Lu Xincheng said, looking worried.
Lin Dusheng wore a troubled expression. “Yes, I am afraid it will not last much longer.” With that, his eyes darted toward the boat Du Ye was on. “I see that boat in the back seems to have room for one more person.”
Lu Xincheng glanced back. Lin Dusheng could not see Zhang Chao’s ghost, so theoretically, there was indeed only one person on that boat. The two black-awning boats maintained a steady speed and were about to catch up to Lin Dusheng. Lin Dusheng knew this was likely his only chance of survival. He suppressed his anxiety and forced himself to stay calm.
“If we want to save ourselves, we must contact the outside world. The highest building in the school is the administration building. The radio station on the top floor should not be submerged yet. If we get there…”
As he spoke, Lin Dusheng pulled a large bunch of keys from his pocket. He saw Lu Xincheng’s puzzled look.
“See? Keys. I have the keys to the radio station. There is a radio there.” He shook the keys and held them out. Lu Xincheng reached out and took them. “Which one? Is it this one?”
“Yes, yes,” Lin Dusheng nodded repeatedly.
“I see. Thank you, Teacher Lin!” Lu Xincheng turned and gave him a solemn nod.
Lin Dusheng froze, not quite reacting to what Lu Xincheng meant. The next moment, Du Ye on the trailing boat had already pulled Feng Yu onto his vessel.
Lu Xincheng waved at Lin Dusheng, the large bunch of keys glinting cold and silver in the night. His face was full of sincerity. “Teacher Lin, do not worry. We will fulfill your dying wish and protect the children. You are a great hero; we will remember you forever!”
Wen Yaozhi, sitting beside him, also turned his head. He looked expressionlessly at the nearly enraged Lin Dusheng, then shifted his gaze to the person beside him. The corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
So, you can infuriate someone to death without hitting or scolding them, just by being sincere. Truly impressive.
Lin Dusheng felt as if he had been struck by a heavy club. But he quickly regained his senses. Before the boat could pull away, he gathered his strength and leaped toward the black-awning boat. His face was distorted from the effort. Seeing that he was about to land on the boat, he felt a surge of ecstasy.
The next second, his feet did not land on solid wood.
“Ah!”
With a scream, Lin Dusheng fell directly into the freezing floodwaters. The fierce waves instantly engulfed him. Boundless resentment and rage poured into his body along with the water. Lin Dusheng sank deep into the bottom of the water.
In the depths, a massive dark shadow slowly opened its eyes. As if drawn by something, it twitched its hideous nose, where every giant, uneven pore oozed black mud.