Chapter 47.1 Real and Fake
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Qi Ming came for what? Did the boss invite him to look at the moon too? Lin Zhaohe found it strange that Qi Ming didn’t open the door right away. He glanced outside through the peephole.
Indeed, it was Qi Ming. He stood outside the door, smiling at Lin Zhaohe. “Lin Zhaohe, open the door.”
Lin Zhaohe asked in surprise, “What do you want?”
Qi Ming: “I need to talk to you about something.”
Lin Zhaohe: “What is it?” He saw Qi Ming standing by the door, hands behind his back, with a pale face and black eyes fixed on him. It gave Lin Zhaohe a weird feeling, no matter his expression or demeanor.
“You open the door first,” Qi Ming said slowly. “Let me come in and talk.”
Lin Zhaohe didn’t move. He hesitated and asked, “What do you have in your hand?”
Qi Ming replied, “Nothing.” As he said that, he suddenly pressed his eye against the peephole, trying to see what Lin Zhaohe was doing inside. Lin Zhaohe felt a jolt in his chest when he saw Qi Ming’s eyes magnified through the one-way mirror. He exclaimed, “What are you doing!”
Qi Ming didn’t answer.
Lin Zhaohe was freaked out. “Qi Ming? Are you alright, Qi Ming?”
“Lin Zhaohe,” Qi Ming called out, “open the door.” He began knocking on the door forcefully, and the intensity increased, almost turning into a pounding.
The door shook, and Lin Zhaohe shouted, “What are you doing? Stop banging—Are you really Qi Ming? What are you?”
He quickly took out his phone and tried calling Qi Ming, but to his surprise, the phone actually rang outside the door. It meant that the strange person outside was indeed Qi Ming.
“Qi Ming, what’s wrong? Qi Ming?” Lin Zhaohe confirmed the person’s identity and became even more scared. “What do you want?”
Qi Ming didn’t respond but kept repeating, “Open the door, open the door,” as if he was out of his mind.
Lin Zhaohe didn’t dare to open the door for someone like that. He could only crouch in the corner, trembling, and tried calling Zhuang Lao and the others, but no one answered. The person who had just invited him to admire the moon had suddenly disappeared…
The terrifying knocking sound continued for a while before finally stopping. Perhaps realizing that Lin Zhaohe wouldn’t open the door, Qi Ming’s voice gradually faded away.
Lin Zhaohe heard the silence outside and let out a sigh of relief. However, in the next moment, he suddenly caught a whiff of a strange smell—a scent of gasoline. At the same time, he heard clanking sounds from outside, as if someone was using a hammer to strike his door.
Lin Zhaohe rushed to the door and peered through the peephole. That single glance left him stunned.
The person who had been knocking on the door, Qi Ming, was now holding a wooden board and a hammer. He was nailing the board onto Lin Zhaohe’s door. Next to him, there was a half-empty bucket of gasoline, which was seeping through the door crack into the room…
“What are you doing??” Lin Zhaohe nearly lost his mind at the sight. He shouted, “Qi Ming, what are you doing?”
Faced with Lin Zhaohe’s accusation, Qi Ming remained expressionless. “Why are you so disobedient? If only you had come out obediently, why didn’t you listen to me?” He continued his actions without pause, and within moments, he sealed Lin Zhaohe’s door with the board. Then, he bent down and picked up the half-filled bucket of gasoline. “It’s all your fault, for not listening to me.”
Lin Zhaohe’s eyes widened in rage. “Madman—you want to kill me! Stop it!!”
Unfortunately, his shouting couldn’t halt Qi Ming’s actions. Qi Ming grinned, extended his hand, and poured the remaining gasoline onto the door.
Lin Zhaohe pounded on the door, trying to wake Qi Ming up. “Wake up, Qi Ming! You’ve gone insane!!”
Qi Ming: “No, Lin Zhaohe, it’s you who’s gone mad.” He took out a lighter from his pocket, snapped it open, and ignited a flickering blue flame. “Do you know? You’re the one who’s gone crazy.”
As the words fell, Qi Ming tossed the lighter, and the gasoline doused on the door ignited in an instant. Flames rapidly spread along the carpet, engulfing the entire room within moments.
Knowing he couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted anymore, Lin Zhaohe realized he might die here if he didn’t act swiftly. He didn’t attempt to wake Qi Ming anymore, swiftly turning back to the bedside. From his backpack, he retrieved his concealed gun, swiftly turning around and aiming directly at the door lock. Several shots shattered the door into pieces before the fire grew more intense, and he dashed out.
Qi Ming had been waiting outside for some time, and when he saw Lin Zhaohe rushing out, an eerie laugh escaped his lips. He brandished a knife and lunged at him. Lin Zhaohe had no choice but to open fire. However, he didn’t aim for Qi Ming’s vital points but instead shot at his limbs.
Even after being shot, Qi Ming seemed impervious to pain. His speed didn’t falter, and the blade of his knife nearly grazed Lin Zhaohe’s skin. With a swift kick, Lin Zhaohe knocked him down and fired several shots at his feet, nearly shattering Qi Ming’s knee. Only then did Qi Ming cease his assault.
“Qi Ming, you’ve truly gone mad.” It was far from pleasant to be attacked by a comrade. Lin Zhaohe’s eyes reddened, gasping for breath. “You really… want to kill me.”
Qi Ming’s feet were completely shattered, lying on the ground like an emotionless puppet. His pitch-black eyes remained fixed on Lin Zhaohe, while murmuring, “Lin Zhaohe, it’s you who’s gone mad…”
Unable to bear looking at him any longer, Lin Zhaohe turned away and started walking. He knew he had to find Zhuang Lao. Zhuang Lao’s place would surely be safe.
Zhuang Lao’s room was nearby. Lin Zhaohe knocked for quite some time, but there was no response from inside. Fearful that something might have happened to Zhuang Lao, Lin Zhaohe dialed his number, but the call went unanswered.
“Lin Zhaohe.” Just as Lin Zhaohe pondered where Zhuang Lao might have gone, someone called his name from not too far away.
Lin Zhaohe turned his head, surprised to see Lu Xiaotian.
Lu Xiaotian’s eyes widened, looking somewhat afraid as she gazed at him. “What… what happened to you?”
It was only then that Lin Zhaohe realized his body was covered in blood. He swallowed hard and said, “Don’t be scared. Something happened just now.”
Lu Xiaotian: “What happened?”
Lin Zhaohe intended to gesture towards Qi Ming, who was lying on the ground not far away, and explain what had happened. However, when he turned back, Qi Ming had mysteriously vanished without a trace. Only the horrifying pool of blood remained, and even the fire Qi Ming had started in his room was gone…
Lin Zhaohe shook his head vigorously, momentarily unsure if the experiences he had witnessed were real or mere illusions.
“Are you alright?” Lu Xiaotian asked cautiously. “How did you get injured on your face?”
Lin Zhaohe: “Huh?” He reached up and discovered a gash on his face, likely inflicted by Qi Ming earlier.
“It’s nothing, just a minor injury,” Lin Zhaohe licked his parched lips. “Have you seen Zhuang Lao?”
“No,” Lu Xiaotian said. “I heard some commotion and came out to take a look… Do you want to rest in my room for a while?”
“Let’s go.” Lin Zhaohe indeed felt the need to rest for a bit.
The two entered the room, and Lu Xiaotian handed a towel to Lin Zhaohe. She also brought medical supplies and food for him.
Lin Zhaohe sat still, unmoving.
Lu Xiaotian: “What happened?”
Lin Zhaohe: “Just now, Qi Ming came to my room, attempting to set me on fire.”
Lu Xiaotian: “Ah?” Her eyes filled with disbelief. “Is it true? You look pale. Have some food.” She placed a red velvet cake in front of Lin Zhaohe. “Replenish your energy.”
After experiencing such a fright, eating something sweet indeed had a soothing effect on the soul. Lin Zhaohe picked up the cake and took a bite. However, as he chewed, his expression suddenly changed drastically. He spat out the cake with a sharp “ptui” and shouted, “Lu Xiaotian!”
The cake he had spat out contained blood and several sharp blades. Thankfully, he didn’t swallow them directly. Otherwise…
Upon hearing Lin Zhaohe’s furious shout, Lu Xiaotian couldn’t help but giggle. A peculiar smile appeared on her sweet, round face, similar to Qi Ming’s. “Lin Zhaohe, why are you so angry? Isn’t the cake I gave you delicious?”
Lin Zhaohe had blood all over his mouth. He stood up and took a few steps back, looking at the girl before him as if she were a monster. “What… what are you all…?”
“I’m Lu Xiaotian,” the girl blinked innocently, her expression full of wickedness as she spoke the most malicious words. “Qi Ming is useless. He can’t even kill a lunatic.”
Lin Zhaohe raised his gun, aiming it at her.
“Are you going to kill me?” Lu Xiaotian said. “Are you going to kill Lu Xiaotian?” As she spoke, she pulled out a sharp knife from behind and slowly approached Lin Zhaohe. “Go ahead, shoot me in the heart!”
Lin Zhaohe’s chest heaved uncontrollably. He was using every last bit of his strength to restrain himself from pulling the trigger. The person before him might be Lu Xiaotian, but something must have happened to her to make her like this. If he were to shoot, he might end up killing the real Lu Xiaotian.
Lin Zhaohe turned around to leave, but he heard the sound of Lu Xiaotian chasing after him. She held the sharp kitchen knife and rushed toward him with a radiant smile, seemingly confident that he wouldn’t dare to shoot.
Clenching his bloodied teeth, Lin Zhaohe aimed at her feet and fired, using the same approach as he did with Qi Ming. Lu Xiaotian was also knocked down to the ground.
The girl twisted her limbs, but her smile remained unchanged. She tilted her head, fixing her gaze upon Lin Zhaohe, and spoke as if cursing, “Lin Zhaohe, you can’t escape.”
Lin Zhaohe ignored her and ran frantically.
At this moment, the strange phenomena around him became even more pronounced. The once lively ship cabin was now devoid of any people.
The lights above his head went out, and the only sound echoing in his ears was the lonely footsteps of Lin Zhaohe himself. He felt as though he was walking in an unending dream, where everyone looked exactly like his friends but always wanted to kill him.
He reached the deck without encountering any obstacles along the way. Lin Zhaohe saw the pitch-black night sky.
The moon that had been hanging high in the sky was nowhere to be seen. Darkness enveloped everything, and only the sound of the waves crashing against the ship could be heard.
Lin Zhaohe repeatedly dialed Zhuang Lao’s number, as if grasping at the only lifeline after drowning. However, there was no answer on the other end of the phone.
On the deck, there were surprisingly a few passengers standing sparsely. They stood in the darkness, resembling puppets. The sight startled Lin Zhaohe as soon as he stepped onto the deck.
“Is anyone there?” Lin Zhaohe didn’t dare to approach them and cautiously inquired, “Is there anyone… still alive?”
The passengers seemed to have heard Lin Zhaohe’s voice. Slowly, they turned their heads. However, their faces lacked the features that humans should possess. They were blank voids. They started to shuffle towards Lin Zhaohe.
Startled, Lin Zhaohe took several steps back and bumped into someone’s arms.
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