super battleship

Chapter 10: The Ghost Ship

"Why are you here?" Chu Xiaoxiao finally snapped out of her daze, disbelief coloring her voice.

"Instead of dwelling on that, I think it’s wiser for us to get out of here, don’t you agree?" Nie Yun replied with a playful wink.

...

At the edge of the "sunken ship," the leader cautiously approached, his flashlight sweeping the area. Finding nothing amiss, he called out, "Old Third! Are you there?"

Dead silence.

"Old Third, if you're there, answer me!" he called again, but still received no response.

The leader cursed under his breath. The only satellite phone was with Old Third, and with no cell signal here, he had no choice but to investigate further.

Gun in hand, body crouched, he carefully stepped into the sunken ship. Just then, a distant gunshot startled him.

His heart raced as he took a few steps toward the tent, but saw no sign of Old Second. Panic set in; he had no idea what was happening.

He glanced back at the dark cabin and then toward the tent, quickly making a decision.

"Damn it!" he cursed as he rushed toward the tent.

But halfway there, a sight that filled him with rage appeared before him.

The sound of the speedboat's engine roared to life!

In the leader’s furious gaze, the speedboat rapidly reversed into the sea, turned around, and sped away.

"Old Second! You treacherous bastard!" The leader was nearly exploding with anger!

He was convinced that Old Second had taken advantage of the situation to escape with Chu Xiaoxiao, intending to keep the entire 10 million for himself. Day and night, he had guarded against everyone, but it was the traitor within that he had failed to see!

By the time he reached the tent, the speedboat was already a hundred meters out, beyond the range of his handgun.

"Damn you! Old Second, if I ever get my hands on you, I'll tear you apart!" The leader roared in fury.

As he cursed, a whiff of blood carried by the sea breeze hit his nostrils. Startled, he turned to look and saw the shadow of a pair of outdoor boots illuminated by the edge of the floodlight's beam.

The leader found the boots familiar. Shining his flashlight, he saw a body lying in a pool of blood. It was Old Second!

"What… what’s going on?" The leader was utterly bewildered. He turned abruptly toward the direction of the speedboat. The person piloting the boat wasn’t Old Second!

Could it be...

A chill ran through him as the image of Old Third’s honest face surfaced in his mind.

Did he deliberately make noise to draw me away, then double back to kill Old Second and escape with Chu Xiaoxiao? Could such a meticulous plan have been conceived by that loyal, simple-minded Old Third?

"Old Third… I never imagined the one hiding the deepest would be you!"

For a moment, the leader was overwhelmed with sorrow. Being betrayed by someone he trusted so deeply left him feeling utterly desolate. Years of brotherhood—was it really worth less than a mere 10 million?

He slumped to the ground, staring blankly at the dark sea, feeling as though he couldn’t muster the will to move.

After a long while, footsteps suddenly echoed from the darkness beside him.

The leader stiffly turned his head and saw Old Third emerge from the shadows, his face beaming with joy. He held his pants with one hand and clutched his head with the other, looking somewhat comical. But the leader couldn't find it in himself to laugh; his mind was in complete disarray.

What… what’s going on?

Seeing the leader, Old Third’s face lit up with delight, "Boss! Finally, I’ve found you! Let me tell you, I just had the most terrifying dream! There was this ghost ship, and the anchor on board, it…"

Before Old Third could finish, the leader embraced him tightly, choking up, "Old Third! Thank God it wasn’t you! It wasn’t you!"

Old Third was utterly bewildered, then suddenly realized his situation. His body broke out in goosebumps as he quickly pushed the leader away, clutching his pants waistband tightly, "Boss, I… I’m not that kind of guy…"

The leader’s face darkened instantly...

Not long after, the two brothers exchanged stories of their strange encounters, sensing that something was amiss.

"Let’s go check that ship!" the leader growled, grabbing his gun.

When they reached the spot where the "sunken ship" had been, they were dumbfounded. There was no ship—nothing, not even a trace.

"Boss… do you… do you think we’ve… encountered a ghost ship?" Old Third stammered.

"Don’t talk nonsense! Can ghosts shoot and kill Old Second?"

"But a ghost knocked me out! I still have a lump on my head. And when I woke up, my belt buckle had flown off. Boss, do you think I was… by a ghost…"

*Thunk!* The leader smacked Old Third’s head. "What kind of blind ghost would take a liking to a fool like you?"

Though he was trying to be stern, the leader couldn’t deny the creeping fear in his heart. He quickly turned and strode away from the eerie place.

"Maybe it was a female ghost? After all, I’m still quite the catch… Hey, Boss, wait for me!" Old Third muttered as he hurried to catch up, unwilling to be left behind.

...

In the darkness, the two brothers continued their conversation.

"Boss, are we still waiting here for the employer? Without a boat, we can’t leave."

*Thunk!* Another smack to the head.

"You i***t! If we stay and the employer’s people come and take their anger out on us, who will we cry to for justice?"

"So… what should we do?"

"We grab our things, head into the island's interior, and hide. Once they leave, we’ll figure out how to signal for help and catch a ride back to the mainland."

...

Shortly thereafter, a medium-sized speedboat arrived at the beach.

A middle-aged man with a hawk-like face disembarked, frowning, "What’s going on? We haven’t even located the meeting point yet, and the scout still hasn’t reported in!"

One of his subordinates, drenched in sweat, stammered, "Brother Feng, there was definitely a sunken ship here before. I was just here two days ago! But… but now it’s gone, and we found a body here. It’s Old Second from the ‘Desperados,’ shot in the chest, already dead!"

"Dead? Have you contacted the other two?" Brother Feng’s frown deepened, a murderous aura beginning to emanate from him.

The subordinate, trembling, replied, "Brother Feng, we haven’t been able to reach them. Could it be… an inside job?"

Brother Feng snorted coldly, "Hmph! This bunch of fools, a ragtag crew! Hiring professional mercenaries would have been more reliable! Let’s go!"

As the group followed Brother Feng back to the boat, he suddenly stopped and cast a sidelong glance at the subordinate who had reported.

"Who… gave you permission to board?" Brother Feng asked, not bothering to wait for an answer before turning and leaving.

The subordinate panicked, "Brother Feng, give me another…"

*Bang!* One of the men beside Brother Feng had already drawn his gun. With a single shot, the subordinate’s words were cut off permanently.

...

Not far from the beach, behind a large rock, Old Third wiped the sweat from his forehead, still shaken, "Boss, you were right. These people are cold-blooded killers. We nearly got silenced ourselves!"

The leader’s face was grim as he watched the speedboat depart, as if he were watching 10 million slip away…