Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Unconscious Companion

The two crew members nodded solemnly and returned Ghostface Zhang’s salute. They donned their wetsuits from the gear, and Kaleidoscope adjusted the equipment. At that moment, the water settled again, becoming tranquil.

The two of them leapt into the calm water, their bodies arching gracefully. Ghostface Zhang moved closer to the monitor, his eyes fixed intently. Beneath the surface, the Azure Dragon Fish swam frantically toward the mouth of the cave, as if fleeing some disaster, as though behind them lay an abyss. They ignored the two men entering the water, and many fish, swimming too fast, slammed into stone pillars, dazed and sinking to the bottom.

Ghostface Zhang shook his head after watching, a sense of incredulity crossing his face. Suddenly, something seemed to occur to him. He widened his eyes, staring at the screen where the Azure Dragon Fish darted back and forth, and muttered quietly, “Old Seven Sha, you said animals have a sense of territory, didn’t you?”

Dragon King was confounded by the abrupt question, staring blankly before nodding, “Yes, Third Brother.”

“This isn’t good!”

Just as Ghostface Zhang finished speaking, the monitor suddenly emitted a piercing noise, as though hit by some powerful interference.

“What’s happening?” Kaleidoscope was stunned.

Before anyone could react, the electronic display flickered like a broken television, static snow crawling across the screen.

Ghostface Zhang sat before the monitor, his face grave. He said nothing, made no sound, but instead pulled out a cigarette and lit it. As he pressed the lighter, the figure in the black cloak quickly slapped his hand away. Instantly, the monitor stopped flickering with a soft “pop,” as if the power had been cut.

“What are you doing?” Interrupted in his act of lighting a cigarette, Ghostface Zhang appeared deeply dissatisfied, his expression dark.

“Master Zhang, you almost killed us all just now,” the black cloak said in a tone that sounded almost like a joke.

Ghostface Zhang paused, steadying himself. “Really? I didn’t know.”

The black cloak smiled, “Master Wan, didn’t you notice either?”

I turned to Kaleidoscope, who was already hiding on the third boat, watching our boat with terror. At the black cloak’s words, Kaleidoscope looked embarrassed, scratched his head, and said nothing, as if tacitly admitting it.

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“The monitor was about to collapse from unknown electrical interference. Lighting that cigarette would have triggered an explosion,” the black cloak continued.

Ghostface Zhang was taken aback. “Is it really that serious?”

The black cloak nodded. “Master Wan, you agree, don’t you?”

Kaleidoscope gave a sheepish smile and nodded, “The lady is right, but I…”

He was about to say he hadn’t expected it either, when Ghostface Zhang strode over and landed a heavy punch on Kaleidoscope’s fat belly. Kaleidoscope groaned, spitting out all the compressed biscuits he’d eaten during their break.

“What’s wrong? I just wanted to escape, what’s the problem?” Kaleidoscope cried hysterically.

“No!” Ghostface Zhang said coldly, and without warning, delivered another blow to Kaleidoscope’s head. With a terrifying thud, Kaleidoscope collapsed onto the deck.

At that moment, doubts began to stir in my mind again. The Nine Gates of Beijing truly harbored secrets, each with their own agenda. Could it be that Kaleidoscope was the traitor the black cloak spoke of? Perhaps, to escape, he sabotaged the monitor, using Ghostface Zhang’s smoking habit to trigger an explosion and kill everyone, fleeing the scene. But then, Ghostface Zhang would also be suspect; could he really have failed to notice the monitor’s problem? He was, after all, Ghostface Zhang of the Nine Gates—how could he be caught off guard by such a trick? The only possibility was that he was feigning ignorance, using the incident as an excuse to knock Kaleidoscope unconscious. But if he were the inside man, there’d be no reason to risk his own life—the monitor’s explosion would kill him first. All this left me even more confused; this team truly was a collection of conflicting motives.

A sudden splash echoed from the water, and everyone turned to see one of the crew members struggling, desperately calling for help.

“Hurry! Lower the rope!” Ghostface Zhang shouted to his men.

They fumbled for a climbing rope, lowered it from the boat, and when the struggling man grabbed hold, those on deck hauled him up. Ghostface Zhang saw he was struggling, quickly took the rope from his crew, and with a strong pull, hoisted the man onto the deck.

The crew member, back on deck, seemed mentally exhausted. Ghostface Zhang handed him a blanket, but he didn’t seem to notice. After about five minutes, he finally emerged from his stupor, but kept gasping for breath.

“Th-th-three, Master Zhang, th-this…” The man could barely speak.

Ghostface Zhang gestured for him to collect his thoughts and asked, “Where’s the other crew member who went down with you?”

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The man, still shaken, stared fixedly at the now turbulent water, as if something had deeply traumatized him.

Ghostface Zhang, confused by the man’s expression, patted his back to calm him. “Don’t panic, don’t panic.” He handed him a packet of biscuits, but the man ignored it, his vacant eyes still locked on the rushing water, as though he’d lost his memory.

Dragon King studied the man, then walked over and tapped his head, but the man didn’t react. Dragon King looked at Ghostface Zhang, “Third Brother, what should we do?”

Ghostface Zhang seemed helpless; it appeared he’d made yet another misjudgment. If this continued, how could he lead such a disparate team?

Just when everyone felt powerless, the black cloak squeezed forward, looked at the man on the deck, and said, “Master Zhang, I have a method. May I try it?”

Ghostface Zhang didn’t reply, only glanced at the crew member lying on the ground like a walking corpse. Dragon King, however, seemed distrustful of the black cloak, looking at her with a mix of hostility and disdain, “Miss, which line do you belong to? Shouldn’t you show your credentials?”

The black cloak understood; the business beneath the Heavenly Lake belonged to the Nine Gates of Beijing, and she was an outsider, not meant to interfere. She hadn’t wanted to get involved, but Ghostface Zhang had coerced her into joining. Shaking her head, she smiled wryly, ignoring Dragon King’s question, and turned to Ghostface Zhang, “Master Zhang, if the Nine Gates don’t welcome outsiders, I’ll leave with Autumn Boy.”

Hearing this, I was secretly delighted. If Ghostface Zhang agreed, I’d be free—out of the tiger’s den at last. But I doubted he’d let us go.

As expected, Ghostface Zhang turned and glared at Dragon King, speaking gravely, “She’s my guest. Are you saying you don’t welcome her?”

Dragon King, terrified that Ghostface Zhang was about to lose his temper, quickly nodded.

The black cloak, seeing Dragon King’s shifting attitude, smiled again and looked at Ghostface Zhang, “Leave it to me.” She stretched out a hand wrapped in bandages, gripping the back of the crew member’s head with five fingers. With a sudden force, a crisp crack echoed—a chilling sound of bone grinding. The crew member cried out in agony and fainted.

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