Sun Fatty stood on the deck, resting his hands on the rail as he gazed at the Phantom Vessel: "Nothing unusual, Lazi. Honestly, I don't see—what the hell! What's going on under the boat?" He shuddered violently the moment he looked down, goosebumps erupting all over his skin.
Centered around our vessel, the sea within a radius of twenty to thirty meters had turned a deep blood-red. The closer to the hull, the darker and thicker the water became. The portion in direct contact with the ship's underside looked more like blood plasma than seawater. Inside that crimson water churned countless pale, worm-like creatures, entwined and clustered together in lumps, resembling blood-soaked tofu curds. They rolled and writhed with the waves, like maggots drawn to the scent of blood.
Suppressing his nausea, Sun Fatty turned away, hand over his mouth. Looking back at me, he asked, "Lazi, what the hell is in that water? Just one glance and I almost puked—never seen anything that disgusting."
That blood-red sea and those maggot-like creatures… I had a vague recollection of reading something similar in the archives. But now that Sun Fatty had asked, the memory frustratingly refused to surface.
At that moment, Po Jun walked over. He had already seen the anomaly in the water and looked pale as a sheet. He glanced toward Hao Wenming and Xiao Heshang in the control room—both had dark expressions, speaking in hushed tones.
Seeing I couldn't recall the answer, Sun Fatty redirected his question: "Dajun, you should know, right? What's under the ship?"
"Bloodsea," Po Jun replied with just one word.
Sun Fatty blinked in confusion. "What? Dajun, what kind of sea?"
I immediately understood. "You're saying that's a Bloodsea? Then those worms… are they Bloodsea Worms?" Even as I asked, I hoped he would deny it.
Po Jun let out a long breath and nodded slowly. That one confirmation sent a chill straight to my core.
Sun Fatty looked between us. "Come on, say it straight. What the hell is a Bloodsea?"
Po Jun glanced back toward the silent pair in the cockpit and finally explained, "Bloodsea is a rare paranormal phenomenon found in the ocean. There are fewer than three documented Bloodsea incidents in the Paranormal Investigation Bureau's archives. But…" He paused. "There's never been a ship that returned after encountering one."
Sun Fatty's eyes widened. "The ships all sank? How?"
Po Jun shook his head. "No one knows. All I've seen are satellite images—first, pictures of Bloodsea appearing around the vessels. Then, in the following images, the ships had vanished beneath the waves. Survivors who made it out couldn't explain what caused the sinkings."
He continued, "There was once a salvage company that attempted to recover those sunken ships, but the vessels used in the operation also sank without warning. For a long time afterward, those sea regions became hotspots for maritime disasters. There's no hard evidence tying them to the Bloodsea, but no one's been able to explain the accidents either."
Sun Fatty glanced down again, now somewhat braced for what he'd see—but still couldn't handle it. "What about the worms? What did you call them again?"
"Bloodsea Worms," said Po Jun. "A Bloodsea doesn't always come with Bloodsea Worms. But wherever Bloodsea Worms appear, there is always a Bloodsea."
Sun Fatty asked anxiously, "So you're saying… these worms are even worse than the Bloodsea?"
Po Jun gave a quick glance toward the Phantom Vessel in the distance. "If it's just a Bloodsea, most ships sink but their crews usually make it out alive. But if Bloodsea Worms are involved—then it's usually the ship and everyone aboard that go down together."
Hearing that, Sun Fatty asked, "So what do we do now?"
Before anyone could respond, the boat suddenly fell eerily silent. The engine cut out, and the propeller behind us stopped turning. Our vessel sat dead in the water, while the Phantom Vessel loomed ever closer.
With the engine down, chaos erupted in the control room. The captain bolted toward the engine compartment, while Hao Wenming and Xiao Heshang finally stepped out onto the deck. Both stood silently, eyes locked on the approaching ghost ship.
Po Jun looked like he was about to ask something, but Sun Fatty beat him to it. "Director Hao, Master Xiao—what now? Should we consider abandoning ship?"
Xiao Heshang looked at him and replied, "There's no lifeboat on this ship, Fatty. What are you gonna abandon it with, swim back to shore?" "Seriously, what now?" Sun Fatty asked again.
Xiao Heshang gave the ghost ship another look and said calmly, "We'll deal with it when it gets here."
The vessel drew closer. Just then, we heard a strange "shh-shh" sound from below the hull, like hundreds of people walking through dry sand. Po Jun, standing at the railing, peered over the edge.
"Director Hao! Come look at this!" he called. "Something's wrong underneath!"
We all rushed over. The sea below was still blood-red—but the pale worms were gone. All that remained in the water were scattered bubbles.
"Where are the worms? Dajun, where did those Bloodsea Worms go?" Sun Fatty asked, scanning the ocean.
Po Jun frowned. "They vanished while I was watching. Hao, did you—"
"They're under the ship! They're climbing up from the hull!" I interrupted. At first, like everyone else, I'd focused on the edges of the Bloodsea. I had glanced at the underside, but nothing had seemed off.
But after repeatedly checking the surroundings and finding nothing, I had inadvertently looked down again—and that's when I spotted a single white speck on the hull. It grew rapidly, multiplying into a massive cluster—the Bloodsea Worms. The very same creatures we had just seen in the water were now crawling up along the ship's bottom. Wherever they moved, the steel plates of the hull corroded beneath them, leaving trails of rust in their wake.
"Damn it, those worms are boring holes under the ship!" Xiao Heshang glanced down at the Bloodsea Worms' movement, then spun around and dashed straight to the wheelhouse. Don't be fooled by his age—he was almost seventy—but his agility was astonishing. Just seconds later, he emerged from the wheelhouse, carrying a gas can in each hand.
"Lazi, take this." Xiao Heshang handed me one of the cans. After I took it, he added, "Pour the gasoline down and burn those worms to death!"
I hesitated. "Won't that set the ship on fire too?"
"Cut the crap," Xiao Heshang snapped. "You think this ship is made of wood? Just pour it! Keep wasting time, and the damn thing's really gonna sink!" As he spoke, he had already started pouring gasoline down below.
I stood at the side of the boat, hesitated no more, twisted the cap open, and began pouring gasoline down onto the Bloodsea Worms.
In just moments, the two cans were emptied, and most of the Bloodsea Worms were doused in gasoline. Just as we were about to ignite it, I saw something shocking. With a loud crack, a whole cluster of Bloodsea Worms had corroded straight through the steel hull, disappearing inside the ship.
Not long after the Bloodsea Worms entered the ship, it suddenly jolted, then began to tilt. The captain ran out of the wheelhouse, yelling, "We're taking on water! The ship's a goner—I'm officially abandoning ship!"
"Abandon ship? You actually have lifeboats?" Xiao Heshang asked.
"There are two inflatable rubber rafts," the captain explained. "My crew's already retrieving them. Once they're inflated, we can use them."
"Not to jinx it, but none of us are getting off this boat," Hao Wenming interjected.
The captain's expression changed. He understood what Director Hao meant. While we were scrambling to deal with the Bloodsea Worms, the Phantom Vessel had already approached. It was now only two or three hundred meters away, slowing down, steadily drifting toward our sinking ship.
"L-Leaders... what... what should we do now?" the captain asked, his voice trembling.
"We'll take it one step at a time," Hao Wenming replied. "Get the rubber boats ready. We might need them." As he spoke, the ship rocked again, the tilt worsening. It was obvious to everyone: the ship didn't have much time left.
And then, the Phantom Vessel fully pulled alongside us. Strangely enough, as it approached, the Bloodsea around it parted, forming a clear path through the red waters.
Everyone onboard—including the captain and the crew—stood frozen on the deck, staring at the Phantom Vessel. Though the heavy fog still lingered, the distance was close enough that we could see shadows constantly moving about on the ghostly ship's deck.
Suddenly, a wide gangplank extended from the Phantom Vessel, the other end landing on our deck.
Sun Fatty looked at the gangplank and muttered, "What the hell is this supposed to mean? Not saying, but… are they inviting us over?" No sooner had he spoken than something began thrashing in his pocket. The Wealth Rat was squeaking madly inside. Sun Fatty reached in and pulled it out.
The Wealth Rat looked utterly terrified, trembling violently. "What's with you? Scared stiff?" Sun Fatty loosened his grip slightly, but the moment he did, the rat squirmed free, jumped to the deck, then dashed onto the gangplank, and in a flash, ran straight into the Phantom Vessel.
"Get back here—!" Sun Fatty rushed to the edge of the gangplank and stopped there, staring as the rat vanished aboard the ghost ship. Only then did it dawn on him—back when they first saw the Phantom Vessel, and again now—the Wealth Rat hadn't been shivering out of fear. It had been trembling with excitement. Something on that ship was luring it in.
Watching the rat disappear, Sun Fatty turned and yelled at Xiao Heshang, "What the hell is going on?!"
"Why're you yelling at me? Your wife ran off," Xiao Heshang replied flatly. He'd watched the rat scamper aboard, looking first surprised, then contemplative—exactly the kind of expression he'd worn in Hong Kong when he saw Ma Xiaolin's private collection.
The captain had no idea why a rat running off would trigger such a strong reaction from Sun Fatty. But seeing the ship tilting faster, he didn't have time for the drama. "Sirs, what now? Do we abandon ship or not? Decide quickly—we don't have much time!"
Xiao Heshang ignored the captain. Instead, he squinted at Sun Fatty and said, "Fatty, the gangplank's down. Got any objections to changing ships?"
Sun Fatty looked at Xiao Heshang, then turned to Hao Wenming. "Director Hao, not saying, but… what do you think?"
Hao Wenming had been staring at the Phantom Vessel the whole time, paying no mind even to the Bloodsea Worm incident. Hearing Sun Fatty's question, he calmly replied, "I'll go with Advisor Xiao's decision."
Xiao Heshang nodded, then looked back at me and Po Jun. "Nobody knows what's on that ghost ship. Whether to go aboard or not is up to you. Two choices: come with us, or get on the lifeboat with the captain and his men."
Po Jun immediately declared he'd stick with Hao Wenming.
"Master Xiao, the sea below is still the Bloodsea. How are the captain and his men going to leave in a rubber raft?" I asked, realizing the practical problem.
Xiao Heshang didn't answer. Po Jun replied instead, "Lazi, the Bloodsea's receded. When the Phantom Vessel approached, the Bloodsea moved aside."
The Bloodsea retreated? My attention had been fully on the ghost ship, but now that Po Jun mentioned it, I noticed it too—the Bloodsea really seemed to avoid the Phantom Vessel. Wherever it moved, the crimson waters dispersed.
When did Sun Fatty become the star of the show, and Po Jun and I ended up as background characters? Sun Fatty kept shooting me exaggerated winks. "Lazi, our 'rat' went in there. Not saying, but there's something on that ship attracting it." He emphasized the word rat with special force, just to make sure I didn't miss his implication.
Drifting at sea with the captain didn't exactly inspire confidence. "Yeah, we'll go find your rat and come back," I replied, then turned to Xiao Heshang. "Master Xiao, once we're on the ghost ship, how do we get back?"
"I already notified Fatty," Xiao Heshang said. "He's sending backup. Nothing major should happen on that ship—if something was going to go wrong, it would've happened the moment it appeared. Besides, you think I'd let anything happen to you? With your grandpa and me being who we are?"
Finally, we watched as the captain and his remaining crew launched the rubber rafts and began floating away. Hao Wenming took the lead, stepping onto the gangplank. One by one, we followed and boarded the Phantom Vessel.