CNC: Chapter 23

Everyone confirmed it again. There were now 12 living people in the banquet hall but the waiters were carrying four white cloth stretchers.

The red-haired youth bluntly asked, “If there are the two bodies of the 0309 aunts, who are the other two bodies…?”

“Open it and we will know,” Ye Chang answered calmly.

The red-haired youth gave him a complicated look and stopped talking.

Were newcomers so fierce now?

The group approached to take a look and found that the white cloth on the four stretches was mottled and stained with blood. There was even blood soaking the white cloth and dripping down, creating a bloodstain.

The group instantly turned pale. They couldn’t help recalling the bloody death methods in last night’s stories.

The waiters placed the four stretchers side by side next to the drowned corpse. They neatly faced the French windows to the west. Then all the staff members closed their eyes and muttered words in a pious and solemn manner. They seemed to be praying.

Everyone in the banquet hall watched silently in horror.

After a long time, the old captain turned to face everyone. His eyes were enthusiastic. “Sorry for delaying the time. We are welcoming the passengers who will join us forever.”

He smiled politely and respectfully. “This is the honor of dusk.”

Just as everyone was afraid to make a sound, Chi Nan stepped forward and spoke politely to the captain and waiters standing in front of the corpses. “Sorry, please let me pass.”

The smile on the captain’s face froze. “Excuse me, this guest…”

Chi Nan told him calmly, “I want to see the corpses.”

The captain was stunned for a few seconds before mechanically moving to the side and making a ‘please’ gesture to Chi Nan. The moment of downtime made it seem like this NPC had never met a guest who actively wanted to see the bodies.

Just as Chi Nan wanted to step forward, Ye Chang was one step ahead of him. “I have gloves on so it is more convenient. Don’t get your hands dirty.”

His voice was very soft and he even gave a gentle smile.

Ye Chang crouched down and lifted the blood-stained cloths one by one. Once the corpses under the white clothes were exposed to the sun, those in the banquet hall kept exclaiming.

Even the most experienced woman with a big chest couldn’t help taking a breath and silently moving her gaze away.

The deaths of the two middle-aged women were truly tragic…

The two corpses were cut in half vertically and placed neatly, one of the left and on the right. This was why they filled up four stretches. It seemed as if a brutal tool like a chainsaw was used to segment the body pieces. It wasn’t known if they were dismembered after death or if they were directly cut to death.

Chi Nan also saw it but his expression remained unchanged at the bloody corpses.

There was only Ye Chang who was calm with him, although the other person said in a perfunctory manner, “It is terrible.”

Chi Nan noticed that the hands of the four half-corpses seemed to be holding onto something. Ye Chang also saw it with him and thought of something. Then he directly opened the body’s curled hand.

The boy in the couple was fortunate that he had covered his girlfriend’s eyes one step earlier. However, he himself couldn’t stand it. He covered his mouth and retched loudly.

The red-haired youth and middle-aged man also cocked their heads excessively as they forced themselves to face the bloody corpses in order to see the clue.

“West?” Ye Chang quickly opened their hands and found they were holding a mahjong tile.

“Return to the west.” The two women were divided into four halves, each holding a ‘West’ tile. This was the story about mahjong that was told last night…

Everyone took a breath. The bodies of the two middle-aged women and the four mahjong tiles confirmed their previous speculation. The death trigger of this instance was the seemingly random selection of horror stories that they told themselves to make them a reality.

This instance was very cunning. Even if there was no death condition, it could create one. For example, drowning people in the bathtub. For example, there were two people missing from the mahjong board so they were cut in half…

Ye Chang covered the corpses again with the white cloth and disposed of the gloves in the trash can. He looked at his hands in the sunlight. They were very clean but he didn’t seem satisfied. “I had better go to the bathroom and wash my hands.”

“I’ll go too.” Chi Nan had held back all morning but the tear ducts that were about to move almost couldn’t hold on.

Everyone saw the two of them go to the bathroom after inspecting the corpses and thought they were also ordinary people. In the face of the bloody corpses, they couldn’t help vomiting.

It was just that they could hold it back.

The bathroom was next to the banquet hall. Chi Nan walked straight into a cubicle. After making sure that the door was locked, he sat on the toilet and shed tears wantonly.

Perhaps it was too quiet but any small movements could be heard clearly. He tried to prevent himself from sniffing. He let the tears fall quietly before carefully wiping them clean with a handkerchief.

Around 10 minutes later, the sound of water in the sink stopped. Chi Nan pretended to flush the toilet and he left the bathroom. Just as he stepped out of the bathroom door, he saw Ye Chang leaning against the wall and fiddling with his pocket watch.

“Are you waiting for me?” Chi Nan was a bit surprised.

Ye Chang’s lips curved up in a smile. “Yes, people just died and I don’t want to act alone.”

He closed the pocket watch and placed it in his jacket.

“Then let’s go back.” Chi Nan prepared to head toward the banquet hall.

“What a minute.”

Ye Chang suddenly called out to Chi Nan and Chi Nan paused. “Why…”

Before he could finish speaking, his green eyes trembled. Water immediately gathered and big teardrops rolled down from the corners of his eyes.

There was a chill on his neck. Ye Chang had raised a hand and pressed it to the side of his neck. He rubbed it with his fingers and his fingers were stained with a hint of red.

“This place was dirty.” He stretched out his blood-stained fingers to Chi Nan. “I don’t know when it got on you.”

Chi Nan’s eyelashes trembled. Tears continued to roll down as he remained silent for a moment. “Thank you.”

He finally recovered from the shock of being touched suddenly and took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears on his face.

“I react like this when someone touches me. It is a physiological reaction so don’t care about it.” He wiped his tears while explaining sincerely. He didn’t intend to continue the topic.

Ye Chang stared deeply at him before retracting his gaze. Then he turned and walked back to the sink.

There was the sound of water and the blood stains on his fingers were instantly washed away.

Chi Nan also walked over, turned on the tap and washed his flushed face as well as his blood-stained neck.

It was Ye Chang who turned off the tap first. He raised his head and stared at Chi Nan’s wet face in the mirror. “Sorry, I touched you without permission and…”

He paused and chose his words carefully. “Made you cry.”

Chi Nan’s actions paused. He was a bit surprised by this description and also slightly dissatisfied.

Still, he just said casually, “It doesn’t matter.”

Neither of them spoke a word since.

The setting sun outside sprinkled on Chi Nan’s eyelashes that weren’t completely dried.

Ye Chang couldn’t help looking a few more times. His lips curved slightly like he was satisfied with his masterpiece.

***

Back in the banquet hall, the sisters who previously fainted had woken up. They held each other and sobbed non-stop. Several girls gathered around to persuade them while the others looked at them with sympathy and anxiety.

On the one hand, they were sad about the two girls’ loss. On the other hand, they were anxious to get more clues.

An hour later, the sisters were finally able to breathe a bit and the woman with a big chest immediately seized the opportunity to ask, “Did you receive any strange calls last night?”

The sister with shoulder-length short hair nodded and spoke in a hoarse voice. “At around 3 o’clock in the middle of the night, I answered the phone in a daze. The other person didn’t speak but there was a strange sound from the phone, similar to…the sound of water flowing when diving… I was a bit scared and kept asking who it was, but no one answered me… after a while, I suddenly felt very uncomfortable as some type of water rushed through the phone and grabbed me. I felt like I was suffocating underwater… I couldn’t breathe… I was so scared that I immediately hung up the phone!”

“After I hung up, I gasped for a while before I could catch my breath. Ah Qing was awakened by my movements.”

Ah Qing was the girl with the ponytail. The dead girl was called Ah Yu and the short-haired girl who just spoke was called Ah Xue.

Ah Qing huddled in the corner, holding her legs with her arms while squeezing together her fingers nervously. “I had a dream. In the dream, we were still young and living in a courtyard. We played hide-and-seek together. I was the one with closed eyes and I counted down from 10 seconds in my heart… I looked back and Ah Yu and Ah Xue were gone. I went to look for them. The courtyard wasn’t big but I couldn’t find them no matter how I looked…”

She shivered suddenly. “I saw that the sun was about to set. I walked around the yard by myself and felt lonely and sat… Just then, I heard Ah Yu’s voice calling my name from afar. Ah Qing, Ah Qing, I am at your feet. Look down and you can find me.”

“She kept calling my name so… I lowered my head. There was a well under my feet. Ah Yu’s face was floating at the bottom of the well…”

“She floated in the water with her eyes wide open, looking at me and laughing.” Ah Qing’s face was pale and she couldn’t stop trembling while pulling at her hair.

In such an atmosphere, Hei Cha’s nerves also collapsed and his emotions went a bit out of control. He kneeled in front of the two sisters with red eyes. “I’m sorry! Blame me for telling such a story last night. Blame me… if it wasn’t for me…”

He choked up, his hands clenched into fists and his entire body shaking.

Chi Nan wasn’t good at comforting people. Moreover, comfort would be painful at this time. He just quietly crouched down beside Hei Cha and handed him a clean handkerchief.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall was terrible and even the expression of the seemingly fearless woman faded.

The old captain was still standing beside the corpses like a gentleman. “Don’t be sad. Staying on the Dusk Ship forever is the best choice for all guests.”

“F*k your crap!” Hei Cha abruptly stood up to go and punch the captain, but he was held back by the red-haired youth and middle-aged man grabbing him.

“Don’t be impulsive! He is an NPC. What is the use of you hitting him? There is also a chance of triggering something worse. It is important to find clues first.”

The old captain showed no intention of dodging and just stood there calmly. “Strange things will always happen when wandering at sea. No matter what, we must remain in awe and abide by the rules. It is only in this way that the Dusk Ship can sail smoothly and return you home.”

The expressions of several veteran sleepwalkers changed. Why did this sound wrong? Remain in awe and abide by the rules?

So they were going to continue telling horror stories tonight?!

“Otherwise…” The old captain spread out his hands and looked apologetic. “By the way, I must tell the guests one thing.”

He looked at the group happily and smiled mysteriously. “Those who tell wonderful stories and let their peers stay here will win the favor of the Dusk Ship and get rich rewards.”

The moment he said this, the entire atmosphere changed.

The eyes of the group quietly changed…

In other words, the more people they killed, the more favorability they would get.

The first point to increase favorability had appeared.