Forcing people off the ship? Looks like there really is something wrong with this cruise ship. Lu Mingran exclaimed "Eh?" and immediately replied:
"You don't think I'm just here to join in the fun like them, do you?"
"What else?" Old Yan stared at him. "This ship doesn't go to any country or stop anywhere along the way. It just keeps drifting at sea. Did you come aboard just to drift?"
This was different from what the system had said. According to the system, the ship should take Lu Mingran to a small island. Now, Lu Mingran was a little confused.
In her confusion, Lu Mingran didn't forget to ask Lao Yan, "What's wrong with this boat?"
"There's already a dead person up here."
A week ago, the younger brother of one of the guys in their department signed up to be a volunteer on this cruise ship to help set up some scary scenes. He's been gone for a week without any news.
The young man began to feel uneasy. Then one night, he had a dream in which his younger brother stood expressionless on the deck of a cruise ship, with his back to the sea, looking at him.
The weather was clear and the sea was blue, but the younger brother's ashen face was frightening to look at.
He called his brother's name and took a step to get closer, and then he woke up.
He heard something banging against the bedroom door. Although the young man had seen many paranormal events while working in this department, he was so frightened that he dared not get out of bed that night.
The next morning, he found a helmet at the door. If he wasn't mistaken, it was his younger brother's favorite helmet for riding his motorcycle, but the color had changed; it used to be black, but now it was red…
Last night, it was this helmet that kept knocking on the door.
At that moment, the young man immediately realized that his younger brother was in grave danger.
That's why Lao Yan and the others boarded the ship.
Lu Mingran felt a chill run down his spine after hearing this, but he still had a mission to complete, so he could only bravely say, "I'm here because I have my own things to do. You can't send me away."
Old Yan stared intently into his eyes, as if trying to ascertain the truthfulness of his words.
After a long while, Old Yan patted his thigh and said, "If you want to stay, fine. You can stay in my room; it's safe here."
Having said that, Old Yan cast a spell the instant he stood up. He walked towards the door, and as soon as he opened it, he saw his two henchmen standing there like idiots, eavesdropping.
"Xiao Zhou, Xiao Chen, come with me to look around somewhere else."
Old Yan closed the door and hurriedly left with his men.
The system then popped up and kindly reminded Lu Mingran, "He locked you in this room."
Yes, Lu Mingran has already discovered it. To be honest, he quite likes it this way—a luxury suite, with food and drink and no need to see ghosts. It's great; he's completely satisfied.
But no, the stuff on this cruise ship is definitely not something Lao Yan can handle by himself.
"He did bring two men with him, but those two are complete idiots," Lu Mingran said with a pained expression.
“Oh,” the system chuckled, “but you’re pretty silly too, Xiao Lu.”
"No."
Lu Mingran said very seriously, "I am a useful fool."
System: "...Okay, I understand."
Lu Mingran, who was now touching her face, thought to herself, "Old Yan isn't the male lead, but he's appeared. So, is Xu Lingqiu, who lives in the same supernatural world as him, nearby?"
Unfortunately, Lu Mingran was locked in her room and couldn't go out to search for her on the cruise ship. Helpless, Lu Mingran wandered around the room and finally sat down at the piano, pressing a few keys.
It was out of tune and a mess, but that was one thing. As she played, Lu Mingran heard that familiar sound again.
The singing was still that woman's voice. Humming, the lyrics indistinct. It sounded especially eerie at night.
Lu Mingran suddenly realized something terrifying.
This room has an ocean view, its own balcony, and large windows, which means that he can definitely see anyone outside.
Thinking of this, Lu Mingran stopped moving his fingers. He tried his best not to look at anything behind him, and when he saw Lao Yan's box, he ran over to it, hoping to find something to defend himself.
Logically, this room should be safe, but Lu Mingran still wanted to find something for self-defense. He recognized the suitcase; it was the same suitcase Lao Yan had brought when he first met him.
Lu Mingran opened the box and, sure enough, saw the small peach wood sword. She happily held it in her hand.
At the same time, he inadvertently noticed two white porcelain dolls lying on one side of the box.
Chapter 87 Want to fight a mysterious creature? No way (3)
The white porcelain doll in this box is really eye-catching.
Lu Mingran stroked one of them, his heart trembling. Seeing how well Old Yan was doing now, he had thought that the man had actually let go.
But no, that's not the case, is it?
A wave of shock and bittersweetness washed over Lu Mingran, causing him to ignore the soft singing outside. But it didn't matter; the cruise ship would always find another way to attract his attention.
A hiss—followed by the sound of a short circuit, the room plunged into darkness.
The sudden power outage startled Lu Mingran, who jerked her head up and immediately gripped the small peach wood sword in her right hand. The singing had stopped, but an unknown sense of oppression surged from all directions, making it hard for Lu Mingran to breathe.
Lu Mingran tried moving towards the door, thinking that if something really happened, he might as well smash the door down; maybe that would work. But just as he was thinking this…
There was a knock on the door.
A woman's voice came from outside:
"The woman who was singing should be here."
...
"By the way, Xu Lingqiu, didn't you say you were going to retire from the life of a criminal?"
Xu Lingqiu.
Upon hearing the name again, Lu Mingran felt an urge to return to her old trade and sell a few jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes).
————————
For an expert like Xu Lingqiu, breaking the spell on the door wasn't difficult. He could also tell that the people living in this house weren't ordinary, and he hesitated.
The door finally opened. The moment the door opened, the room lights suddenly turned on.
Lu Mingran stood at the door, facing the person outside.
In that world, Lu Mingran and Xu Lingqiu didn't meet very often, and later she had to use an alternate account to approach him. Lu Mingran thought Xu Lingqiu wouldn't recognize her, but that wasn't the case; Xu Lingqiu was clearly taken aback when he saw her.
Then, a girl appeared in Lu Mingran's line of sight, closely following Xu Lingqiu.
Compared to before, this girl has definitely developed a more melancholic air.
Xiao Shuang, the one whose body contains the spirit of her deceased brother.
————————
Xiao Shuang did not board the ship with Xu Lingqiu.
A week ago, Xu Lingqiu took on his last client's order. The client was an elderly man, well over seventy, who was lying in a chair and could barely speak. Xu Lingqiu squatted down beside him and listened to him speak. The old man tremblingly handed her an old photograph of a cruise ship and a newspaper.
The photo shows a cabin on a cruise ship, where the elderly man's youngest daughter stands smiling radiantly at the camera. Coincidentally, the newspaper also published a photo of a cabin scene.
Xu Lingqiu noticed that there was a purple thermos cup that her youngest daughter had brought herself on the table next to her. The same thermos cup was in the photo in the newspaper, and even the position of the cup was the same.
He looked up and saw that the newspaper was from a recent issue, one of the more recent ones, and that this issue featured a special Halloween carnival program.
Two years ago, the old man's daughter boarded the Jenny cruise ship, and that ship never returned.
Two years later, the furnishings on the Pumpkin ship were strikingly similar to those on the vanished cruise ship.
Xu Lingqiu agreed to the old man's request, and also decided that this would be his last job.
To Xu Lingqiu's surprise, he ran into Xiao Shuang after boarding the ship.
Xiao Shuang said she came to visit, just like the other young people, looking for fun. However, her brother's spirit resided within her, so when she heard the woman singing, she realized something was amiss and followed the sound. Xu Lingqiu, worried about her, followed behind her.
Then something even more unexpected happened to Xu Lingqiu.
He met an old friend from long ago here. Although they had only met a few times, Lu Mingran had left a deep impression on him.
Upon seeing Lu Mingran, Xu Lingqiu blurted out, "That person is here too?"
It seemed that Xu Lingqiu also remembered Lao Yan. Lu Mingran nodded and said, "Yes, this is Lao Yan's room."
"I remember you were fired by him. How come you're his assistant now?"
“Yes,” Lu Mingran said calmly, “I left him ten years ago, and now I’m unemployed and looking for new jobs.”
While the two were chatting, Xiao Shuang couldn't help herself and kept looking inside, trying to find the woman. However, there were too many things in Lao Yan's room that were not good for ghosts, and the spirit in Xiao Shuang's body couldn't stand it, so she dared not go any further inside.
Ten years later, Xiao Shuang was more gloomy than before, and Xu Lingqiu's temperament had also changed somewhat. He was wearing the same hat he wore when he first met Lu Mingran, still pulling the brim low, but his eyes and brows showed more calmness.
"you……"
Lu Mingran was about to say something more when a baby's laughter rang out, followed by a broadcast:
"Dear passengers, it's time to go back to your rooms and rest. We have a surprise for you."
"There's a small shovel in each room. Guess what it's used for? Try peeling off the wallpaper, and you'll be surprised!"
The door was still open, and Lu Mingran could hear excited sounds erupting from elsewhere. Many people were rushing into their rooms, eager to unwrap their surprise gifts.
As for the three of them, none of them made a move.
Xiao Shuang glanced at Lu Mingran, then at Xu Lingqiu, and tilted her head: "Aren't you two going back to tear down the wallpaper?"
"I'm here to help you find the female ghost."
After saying that, Xu Lingqiu looked at Lu Mingran.
Lu Mingran turned around and looked around the apartment, then sighed and said:
"It's not that I don't want to tear it, but look, this presidential suite is too big."
"Sigh, it's not good for Lao Yan to live in such a big suite; he can't enjoy this kind of happiness."
The tone was one of serious concern.
————————
When Lao Yan returned, he found the door open. He thought something had happened to Lu Mingran, but he saw three people squatting at the door. He recognized all three of them.
Lu Mingran, Xu Lingqiu, and... Xiao Shuang?
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Old Yan noticed the small shovels in each of their hands. Before he could ask anything, Lu Mingran handed him a small shovel.