CNC: Chapter 20 Part 1

The Dusk Cruise Ship was shining brightly and it lit up the dark sea in an instant. It was completely different from the gloomy and desolate ghost ship that everyone imagined.

At the same time, there was the reminder sound from the system.

[In order for all sleepwalkers to experience the ‘Dusk Cruise’ in an immersive manner, the system will be offline while the dream is in progress. The favorability settlement will be unified after the dream is cleared. Every sleepwalker, please explore the dream on your own. I wish you a happy sleepwalk.]

A few newcomers looked up with a bit of anticipation in their eyes.

“It doesn’t seem too terrifying…”

“Yes, but it looks expensive.”

“Oops, I don’t have any money…”

The expressions of the veterans were more complicated. Some looked relieved while others frowned. They were more worried than seeing a ghost ship.

Hei Cha took out the motion sickness medicine and put it in his mouth. “I don’t know if the mechanism on the cruise ship will be the same as Zi City, allowing us to eat and drink for free.”

“I have a backpack full of snacks. We won’t starve even with no money.” Chi Nan patted the backpack behind him.

Chi Nan always felt someone staring at him and he turned his head to confirm his. His eyes met the young man who just arrived. For a moment, Chi Nan felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

It wasn’t the appearance. It was some type of indescribable feeling… However, this type of feeling was fleeting. The young man stood under the cruise ship with his eyes hidden under the reflective lenses, making his expression unclear.

Chi Nan seemed to see the other person waving this way.

“Hello.” The young man took a few steps forward, standing in front of Chi Nan and Hei Cha in a slightly embarrassed manner. “Excuse me, can I borrow some motion sickness medicine?”

“There is no need to be polite. We brought a whole bunch of medicines. If you need anything during the trip then just say so.” Hei Cha directly placed two boxes of motion sickness medicine in the young man’s hand as well as a bottle of essential balm.

“Thank you.” The young man took the medicine with both hands and introduced himself. “My name is Ye Chang. The system told me that I needed to come here to take the Dusk Cruise and I can gain favorability points in the nightmare instance to exchange for wishes. Even so, I still don’t understand what is going on…”

“You came late just now and didn’t hear it. I will tell you the rules of the Nightmare World carefully when we board the ship.” Hei Cha saw that this person looked like a student who was easy to get along with so he took special care of the other person. “I am called Hei Cha. This green-eyed guy is called Chi Nan.”

The eyes of the two people met again and Chi Nan saw his reflection in the lens of Ye Chang’s glasses.

“Have we met before?” Chi Nan asked bluntly.

Ye Chang thought about it seriously. “No, if I have seen you, I must have an impression of you. Why?”

Chi Nan shook his head. “It’s nothing. I am wrong.”

“By the way, my boarding ticket seems to be a double room. Is this random?” Ye Chang pulled out his ticket and showed it to the two people.

“0303B, you and Chi Nan are in the same room.” Hei Cha looked at the ticket and smiled. “The luck of this newcomer is very good.”

Chi Nan glanced lightly at Hei Cha before answering Ye Chang’s question, “We’re not sure about the mechanism of the room allocations. It is likely to be part of the rules.”

“I see.” Ye Chang pursed his lips in a slightly embarrassed manner. “If we are going to be in the same room, it is better for me to explain it in advance. I am bent.”

He came out of the closet too suddenly and it took Hei Cha a moment to understand. “Eh? What bent? Where is the bend?”

Ye Chang shrugged. “I like men. I have met some males before who cared about sharing a room with someone like me, so I have to make it clear.”

Hei Cha was still confused and Ye Chang said considerately, “The two of you know each other before. If you want to live together then it is fine. I can stay anywhere.”

The straight male Hei Cha didn’t know what to say but Chi Nan’s expression didn’t change. “We have to look at the specific rules before deciding to change rooms or not.”

“Then…” Ye Chang looked at Chi Nan. He wanted to talk, only to stop.

Chi Nan shook his head. “I don’t mind.”

Ye Chang smiled and his eyes curved up nicely behind the lens. “Thank you.”

Hei Cha was full of emotions. Did a high school student come out of the closet so easily these days? Sure enough, the times had changed.

Or perhaps good-looking people were more unscrupulous… He glanced at Ye Chang’s side profile which could be harmful to people and secretly tsked. If he looked like this, his sexual orientation would probably be ignored.

At this time, the others also noticed the matter of the double rooms. They flocked to find their roommates while boarding the cruise ship.

Since it was a double room and men and women weren’t in the same room, the triplet sisters were forced to separate. The young couple also couldn’t stay together and they were quite dissatisfied with the allocation of rooms.

The most aggrieved person was Hei Cha. In the end, he was the only one who couldn’t find a teammate.

“What is going on? It seems that I’m the only one alone…”

The red-haired youth next to him was thoughtful. “This time, the number of sleepwalkers is odd but double rooms are arranged. Perhaps your roommate had an unexpected accident and couldn’t come.”

The lady with big waves sneered. “It is hard to say. Perhaps one of our 15 people is a ghost.”

The moment she said this, the group fell silent. They looked at each other before finally, the green-eyed Chi Nan became the most suspected target. Many unfriendly gazes were cast in his direction.

The protective Hei Cha blocked Chi Nan behind him. “Don’t make this guess. I’ve been with him previously.”

“What’s wrong with your eyes?” The red-haired young man asked sharply and finally expressed everyone’s thoughts.

Chi Nan pondered for a moment before finally saying, “Cosmetic contact lenses.”

He found it was too troublesome to explain so he used the simplest reason to explain it.

Everyone, “……”

“What a delicate boy.” The woman with big waves laughed. “I was just casually guessing just now. There is no need to be suspicious of each other yet. Just keep an eye out.”

The red-haired youth apologized. “Don’t mind it. In the nightmare instance, everyone is risking their lives. If there are any questions, I will ask it directly.”

Now everyone gathered to discuss the matter of changing rooms.

Ye Chang turned to Hei Cha. “If you are alone, we don’t have to consider your roommate’s ideas when changing rooms. It is convenient.”

Hei Cha just wanted to say something to Chi Nan when an old but powerful voice was heard from the end of the pier. “Dear guests, your travel rooms have been pre-arranged and you aren’t allowed to change rooms. I am sorry if this causes inconvenience to anyone.”

They all looked toward the source of the sound and saw an old man in a white uniform bowing deeply toward them. “I am the captain of the Dusk Cruise Ship. Welcome. In the next few hours, I sincerely hope that every guest can enjoy this wonderful holiday at sea.”

The old captain spoke so sincerely that the moment he looked up, the guests seemed to see a sparkle in his eyes.

“Wait a minute.” The girlfriend of the couple was unwilling. “Why can’t we change it? I am here with my boyfriend. Can’t we stay together?”

The old captain smiled politely. “I’m sorry, ma’am. These are the rules of the Dusk Cruise. Please understand.”

The girl tried to say something else but was stopped by the woman with a big chest. “Don’t ask. This should be the rule of this nightmare instance.”

“Then what if I want to change it?” The girl was a bit angry.

The woman with a big chest spread open her hands. “Then die. The other two people who changed rooms will be forced to be buried with you.”

The group fell silent. The girl was so scared that she whimpered and her boyfriend immediately came over to comfort her. “Forget it. Our rooms aren’t far away. If something happens then call me.”

Just as they were discussing the rules of changing rooms, a loud sound broke through the night sky as the cruise ship departed.

At almost the moment of departure, the dark sky suddenly opened up as if a black cloth covering the sky was torn apart. The end of the sea showed a round sunset that hung above the horizon. The afterglow shone on the calm sea and sparkled brilliantly.

It was sunset—dusk.

Chi Nan hadn’t seen the day since regaining his vision. At this moment, he couldn’t help staring at the setting sun and the sea in a slightly dumbfounded manner. His eyes were a bit wet.

Fortunately, the sleepwalkers who had been in the darkness for a long time were attracted by the magnificent scene in front of them. Almost no one noticed that Chi Nan’s eyes were red.

Only Ye Chang seemed to glance over casually. The sea breeze blew his hair from his forehead as he lowered his head and his lips rose in an imperceptible arc.

“It’s so beautiful…” Hei Cha sighed from the bottom of his heart. “The long-lost sunset.”

“I don’t remember how long it has been since I’ve seen the day…”

The old captain looked at the admiring guests with satisfaction. “The scenery along the Dusk Cruise is beautiful and unique. I believe you will fall in love with this journey.”

“Excuse me, how many days is this trip? The date of arrival isn’t indicated on the ticket.” Chi Nan was pulled away from the shock of the sunset and asked.

The old captain didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked deeply at the blood-red sunset and spoke slowly, “Once the sunset falls below the sea level and night arrives then the Dusk Cruise will end.”

Hei Cha was puzzled. “It is over when it gets dark? But isn’t sunset only 20 minutes?”

The old captain smiled. “On the Dusk Cruise Ship, the time of the sunset is always determined by the guests.”

“……?”