What’s going on? I grew suspicious—the sound made me feel an indescribable sense of oppression and discomfort, to the point where I could barely breathe. After pausing for a moment, the sound continued. I finally couldn’t stand it any longer, held my breath, and quietly walked around. It felt like the source of the sound was below the lower deck, and I could hear it more clearly now—it was the painful moaning of a young girl.

Who could it be, locked up beneath the cargo hold? Annie looked at me with eyes full of confusion; we both saw curiosity and a hint of fear in each other’s gaze. After hesitating for two seconds, Annie pointed downward—clearly, curiosity had gotten the better of her. She was asking if I wanted to go and find out.

It was only at this moment that I reacted in anger—Uncle Quan, Hei Pi, and Cai hadn’t let me off at all. They actually dared to commit such a murderous act so brazenly, in broad daylight.

But at this point, anger was useless. I was floating in the water. Even though it was already June, the sea felt bone-chillingly cold. I didn’t know if it was because of the current or the time of day. My body became extremely stiff, my limbs completely unresponsive, almost cramping up. Luckily, I grew up by the sea, so I didn’t panic too much in situations like this. Gritting my teeth, I forced my body to move. After a while, I finally found footing in the water, kicked hard a few times, and managed to swim to the side of the boat, grabbing on tightly with my hand.

Just then, I heard cries for help not far away. I turned to look—the businessman who had fallen into the water apparently couldn’t swim and was struggling desperately, already swept quite a distance away by the waves. He seemed unable to hold on any longer, and his cries were fading. Compassion welled up in me. As a physician, I couldn’t bear to watch someone drown before my eyes. I took a deep breath, clenched my teeth, and kicked hard in the water, thinking that since I was already down here, I might as well save him first.

In the distance, passengers on the side of the boat were waving and shouting something, but I couldn’t make it out in the water, nor did I have time to care. A wave crashed over me, pushing me under. When I surfaced and wiped my face, I saw the businessman struggling in the water not far away. I could no longer hear his cries—he was bobbing up and down, his face twisted in terror, bubbles constantly escaping from his mouth.

When I reached him, his eyes were tightly shut and his teeth clenched. Rescuing someone in the sea is extremely dangerous, so I didn’t grab him right away. Instead, I cautiously circled behind him, hooked his arms, and swam toward the small boat.

By the time I was just a few steps from the boat, I had no strength left. The icy seawater seemed to have a powerful pull, dragging my body downward. I reached out to the sea scavenger on the sampan, but suddenly, the unconscious businessman twisted around, rolled his eyes back, and grabbed my leg, trying to drag me down into the water.

“Damn it…” I shouted, but couldn’t hear my own voice. Seawater flooded my mouth, my lungs felt like they were exploding with pain, and everything before my eyes turned blue. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I vaguely saw something odd below the waterline of the Fuchang—something didn’t seem right.

The underwater part of the ship looked different from all the others. The hull was much thicker than the rest, and from this angle in the water, an ominous feeling suddenly rose in me—this was practically a giant, living coffin!

I didn’t know why it gave me that feeling. My body was sinking uncontrollably, memories flashing through my mind like a silent movie. My whole family, sitting around the table for New Year’s Eve dinner when I was a child—I had already forgotten their faces, but now I remembered them clearly; my sister’s panicked eyes when we were separated; my uncle’s slow, heavy steps as he left; Grace Carter’s charming smile when we met in secret… then, slowly, it all became blurry again.

It was like a dream—I didn’t know how much time had passed. Suddenly, sounds became clear again. I was thrown onto hard ground, and in the midst of sharp pain, I instinctively lay flat. Salty seawater gushed from my nose and mouth, and tears and snot streamed down my face. Groaning, I struggled to open my eyes, and in a daze, I saw a pink embroidered shoe. In the biting cold, I suddenly sneezed and sat up straight.

But I didn’t see the woman wearing the pink shoes. Instead, it was the bearded Frank Grant squatting in front of me, water dripping from his shorts and hairy calves. When he saw me sit up, he looked disappointed. “Damn it, good people die young, but troublemakers live forever. I knew this pretty boy wouldn’t die…” Hearing the way he was hoping for my immediate death, anger surged in my heart. This hateful sea scavenger—I hadn’t provoked him, so why did he have such a strong prejudice against me?

A wise man knows when to bow his head. I knew it would be ridiculous to argue with Frank Grant on the boat, so I just ignored him and slowly knelt on the deck. At that moment, a cotton handkerchief was handed to me from behind. I turned to look and saw Annie, her eyes red. She said softly, “Thank goodness you woke up. You scared me to death…”

Chapter 9: Strange Sounds