Chapter 130: Boarding

“Is that a Western iron ship? How do these pirates have such a ship?”

Zuo Zhicheng asked, “Have you seen this kind of ship before?”

“Yes,” Jiang Qing said. “A few years ago, some Western merchants came to Xinlu Port. They sailed on this kind of ship. It’s said that these ships are already very common in the West. They don’t use human strength but something called a steam engine.”

Zuo Zhicheng nodded without saying a word. With a flick of his right hand, he threw the grappling hook upward. With his current arm strength, it was very easy for him to hook it onto the ship’s edge.

“I’ll go up first. If there’s no problem, I’ll pull you up.”

Jiang Qing nodded and watched as Zuo Zhicheng grabbed the rope and climbed up like a wisp of smoke. In the cold sea, the only sound was the constant noise coming from the passenger ship.

Jiang Qing watched the edge of the iron ship nervously, worried that Zuo Zhicheng might have encountered some danger. The time alone in the sea felt incredibly long.

It wasn’t until a minute later, when Zuo Zhicheng’s head appeared, that Jiang Qing unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

Zuo Zhicheng motioned for Jiang Qing to hold on tight. Then, he pulled the rope and lifted her out of the sea. Once both of them were on the ship, they began to take off their diving suits and wrapped them in a bundle. This made it easier to move and prevented the water on them from revealing their traces.

Zuo Zhicheng said, “I looked around nearby. Most of their people should have gone to the passenger ship. Let’s find a place to hide.”

When Zuo Zhicheng said he had looked, he had actually used his Infrared Vision to scan the area, which was much more effective than ordinary scouting methods.

They wrapped up their clothes, with Zuo Zhicheng leading and Jiang Qing following, slowly making their way deeper into the hull of the iron ship.

Since most of the pirates had gone to the passenger ship, and with Zuo Zhicheng’s Infrared Vision and his amazing infiltration skills, moving around the ship before the pirates returned was as easy as playing.

Half an hour later, Zuo Zhicheng brought Jiang Qing to the bottom of the iron ship’s cargo hold. The outer part of the hold was filled with food, fresh water, and various weapons and gunpowder. The deepest part contained large boxes of unknown contents, and it was here that Zuo Zhicheng and Jiang Qing hid.

Once they reached this spot, Zuo Zhicheng finally relaxed a little. “We’ll stay here for a while and wait for them to return to the island before we go down.”

Just then, a soft thud suddenly echoed in the cargo hold.

The sound was sudden and inexplicable, startling Jiang Qing. She grabbed Zuo Zhicheng’s shoulder and asked, “What was that sound?”

“Sounded like something knocking,” Zuo Zhicheng said, a trace of suspicion flashing in his eyes. He turned to look—the sound seemed to have come from behind a row of boxes.

“I’ll go check.”

Jiang Qing patted his shoulder and said, “Let’s go together.”

Zuo Zhicheng thought for a moment and nodded. “Stay behind me.”

With that, the two of them walked toward where the sound had come from. Behind a row of cargo boxes, they saw a square, all-white coffin covered in a thick layer of coral, algae, and mud, as if it had been lying at the bottom of the sea for a long time.

But what was most unsettling was the black chains wrapped around the white coffin, as if trying to lock something inside.

Seeing such a strange scene, Jiang Qing swallowed nervously and asked, “What is this?”

Although they were on a Ghoul ship and had found a locked coffin, Zuo Zhicheng didn’t seem afraid. He said calmly, “It looks like a coffin?”

“A coffin?” At this, Jiang Qing gripped Zuo Zhicheng’s arm even tighter. “Why is there a coffin here? That sound couldn’t have come from it, right?”

Zuo Zhicheng wasn’t sure. Logically, a coffin should hold a dead person, and dead people shouldn’t make sounds.

Just as the two of them were puzzled, a harsh, sharp noise came from inside the coffin. The sound was so unpleasant and piercing, like someone inside was scratching the coffin lid with their fingernails, making anyone who heard it feel extremely annoyed and depressed.

But as soon as the sound was made, Zuo Zhicheng and Jiang Qing understood clearly. They looked at each other and had the same thought.

“There’s something inside the coffin.” Zuo Zhicheng drew his Dagger and slowly pushed Jiang Qing back.

“What are you doing?”

“I need to check it out. Otherwise, it won’t be safe hiding here.” Zuo Zhicheng slowly walked toward the coffin. In his Infrared Vision, he couldn’t see anything inside.

He thought to himself, ‘Is it another cold-blooded creature? Something like a Corpse Human?’

Jiang Qing stood behind Zuo Zhicheng, watching him step closer to the coffin. Her heart filled with anxiety and worry, and she couldn’t help but urge him, “Why don’t we just leave it? Whatever’s inside is locked up. It can’t bother us.”

Zuo Zhicheng didn’t answer Jiang Qing, nor did he stop. He never drifted with the tide or retreated when faced with difficulty. Taking the initiative and eliminating all unexpected factors was his style.

Just as he reached the coffin, another impact sound came from inside. This one was especially strong, making the chains wrapped around the coffin rattle loudly, as if some terrifying beast were lurking within.

This impact also caused the coffin lid to tilt slightly, revealing a narrow gap. Standing in front of the coffin, Zuo Zhicheng was the first to sense a foul stench rushing toward him. It smelled like a mixture of burning plastic and feces.

The smell was so intense that Zuo Zhicheng, worried it might be harmful, retreated quickly after just a whiff. As he passed Jiang Qing, he grabbed her and pulled her away, stopping only when they were more than ten meters from the coffin.

Although Jiang Qing hadn’t smelled the odor, the loud noise had still frightened her greatly. Her face pale, she stared at the coffin, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

Zuo Zhicheng stood to the side, his eyes fixed on the coffin, and said softly, “Something’s coming out.”

Hearing this, Jiang Qing felt extremely scared, but her curiosity drove her to turn and look at the coffin.

What she saw made her gasp in shock.

From the gap, a withered, pale hand stretched out. It looked as if it had been dried for hundreds of years, completely devoid of moisture. The fingernails on the hand were about four to five centimeters long, as if they hadn’t been trimmed for months.

Under the gaze of the two, the hand remained motionless after extending, as if it had always been there.