The place was completely empty. I activated my Heavenly Eye and scanned the deck several times—forget living creatures, there wasn't even a trace of a ghost.
It was only when we set foot on the deck of the ghost ship that I realized the world before my eyes was completely different from what we'd seen earlier through the fog. Just the deck alone was unimaginably vast. The ship stretched nearly two hundred meters in length, and spanned sixty to seventy meters in width. That's not even counting its four-tier vertical structure. Honestly, you could call it a small aircraft carrier and it wouldn't be an exaggeration. Was this really a sea vessel built during the Ming Dynasty?
Yet the entire deck was deserted, and age had left its mark in decay. The wooden planks were already brittle and worn. Just walking a few steps would cause them to creak loudly underfoot. We had to tread carefully—no telling when a misstep might land us through the floor into the level below.
Sun Fatty trailed behind Xiao Heshang, pacing back and forth across the deck a few times. When he didn't spot anything unusual, he began talking more and more: "Did the Ming Dynasty really have ships this big? This wasn't the kind of boat Zheng Chenggong took to Taiwan, right? Hao Tou, Master Xiao, and Director Gao... maybe they mixed up Zheng Chenggong with Zheng He? That fog just now made the ship look creepy as hell, but now that we're aboard—it's just a boat. They say it's a ghost ship, but I don't see any ghosts. I mean, come on, not even a single ghost flame to set the mood?"
I was getting seriously annoyed. Sure, I knew he was just talking to steel his nerves, but those last couple of lines still rubbed me the wrong way. "Sun Dasheng, could you at least try to read the room? You know what kind of luck you have. None of the good stuff ever happens to you—only the bad, and never just once."
Sun Fatty flashed a grin at me, but before he could get a word out, a burst of blue ghostly flame suddenly shot up from a crack beneath his feet.
He'd jinxed it with his own words. The color drained from Sun Fatty's face as he dropped hard onto the deck in fright. Given his two-hundred-and-sixty-pound bulk, the wood beneath him gave way with a loud crack, and his entire rear end sank into the deck.
As he struggled to get up, another two crack-crack sounds followed—splinters flying as two withered, deathly pale hands suddenly stretched up from beneath the floorboards to grab his left arm and leg, trying to drag him down. These hands weren't just for show—they had strength. The downward pull, combined with Sun Fatty's weight, caused more surrounding planks to cave in.
Everything happened so fast. The closest one to him was Xiao Heshang. He reached out and grabbed the collar of Sun Fatty's shirt, slowing his descent. But before he could act further, two more emaciated hands shot out from beneath the floorboards at his own feet, grabbing tightly onto his ankles.
Just when I thought Sun Fatty was going to get pulled under, a glint of silver flashed in his hand—it was a short, gleaming dagger. He shifted slightly to the left and slashed down with the blade. A flash of white light passed—completely silent—and the withered hand clamped around his left arm was cleanly severed.
The hand hit the deck, paused for a second, and then spurted a jet of dark red blood. Sun Fatty didn't stop there. Using the momentum from the first cut, he hacked down at the hand gripping his thigh. Again, the same clean arc, another hand fell lifeless to the deck. Two separate howls—sharp, chilling—rose up from beneath the floorboards. I'd been about to jump in and help, but clearly, he didn't need it.
With the hands no longer holding him, Sun Fatty braced his arms against the deck and gave a mighty heave with his legs, pulling his massive body out of the hole. It was a swift and clean move—despite the chaos, not a single beat was missed. And I say this as someone with years of special forces training: even I might not have pulled it off better than he did.
But that dagger in his hand... it looked so familiar. Then it clicked. It was the one Wu Rendai had used back at the girls' academy. After Wu Rendai passed out, Sun Fatty had done a little scavenging—guess I underestimated his nerve. He actually kept the weapon.
Meanwhile, Xiao Heshang had dealt with the hands clinging to his ankles. He had already pulled out a small wooden stick—about the size of a cigarette—from his pocket. There must've been phosphorus inside, because the tip sparked to life with just a brush of the wind.
Holding the smoldering stick, Xiao Heshang touched it gently to each of the pale hands. He didn't even press hard. The points of contact charred instantly, forming two blackened dots. Smoke rose from each one, followed by a faint flicker of flame. The hands trembled violently, and Xiao Heshang quickly freed himself.
Just as he stepped back, Pojun opened fire—two clean bang-bang gunshots. The bullets pierced straight through the centers of the hands, forcing them to retreat beneath the deck.
"There's something down there!" Sun Fatty shouted as he rushed over. That's when I noticed—he had the dagger in one hand, and in the other, the compact crossbow Wu Rendai had used at the academy. With that gear strapped to him, even Xiao Heshang and Hao Wenming were giving him a new kind of look.
I turned to Hao Wenming. "Hao Tou, what do we do now?"
Hao Wenming glanced briefly at Xiao Heshang, his expression slightly twisted. "What can we do? Not to put too fine a point on it, but our boat's already sunk. From here on out, we're playing it by ear."
I'd thought that if he dared to board a ghost ship, he must've had a plan. But hearing him say that made my heart sink. I looked at the gaping hole in the deck that Sun Fatty had left behind. "So what's our first step?"
Before Hao Wenming could answer, Sun Fatty came storming over again—clearly, he had taken the first step already, and the wrong one at that.
He didn't even look at Xiao Heshang this time and made a beeline for Hao Wenming, eyes wide in frustration. "Hao Tou, what the hell is under those floorboards? If I hadn't been born lucky, they would've dragged me under!"
"It's not that serious," Xiao Heshang said calmly, walking over as well. The four of us stood together now, while Pojun continued to stand guard with his pistol trained on the deck. I noticed something in Xiao Heshang's hand—he was carrying the two severed, withered hands. No wonder I kept thinking something looked off—I thought I was seeing double.
Xiao Heshang handed the hands to Hao Wenming, who took them without hesitation. He gave one a glance, and his brow immediately twisted into a knot. He looked like he wanted to say something, but instead, he shot me a quick look before passing one of the hands my way. "Lazi, take a look. Tell me if you notice anything strange."
Why me? I'm not a forensic expert. Why couldn't he just say it himself? I suppressed my nausea and took the hand. The blood at the severed end hadn't fully clotted yet—it was still dripping. Disgusting barely even covered it. I was pretty sure I'd never be able to eat pig's feet or chicken claws ever again.
The hand was unnaturally pale—whether from loss of blood or centuries sealed inside the hull, I couldn't tell. Wrinkled, yes, but still faintly elastic in texture. It didn't feel like a corpse's hand. Most importantly, when I peered at it with the Heavenly Eye, I sensed no death energy at all. And the way the flesh and muscle looked at the wound—this wasn't a dead person's hand.
But calling it the hand of a six-hundred-year-old living person? That didn't sit right either. I mean, sure, I'm not ruling out immortality—not with two suspected cases back in the Bureau—but even if you were immortal, would you still get your hand chopped off so easily by Sun Fatty?
I must've looked conflicted, because I still hadn't said anything. Hao Wenming and Xiao Heshang were still calm, but Sun Fatty had already grown impatient. "Lazi, seriously, what's there to see? They're just a couple of creepy claws."
He was getting on my nerves too. Feeling a little mischievous, I grinned. "Dasheng, why don't you take a closer look?" And with that, I tossed one of the severed hands at him.
Caught off guard, Sun Fatty reflexively grabbed it—and immediately turned green. "Ugh—blegh!" he spat, flinging the hand as far away as he could. It landed squarely in the hole he had crashed through earlier. Perfect shot.
"Great Sage, don't you think your reaction was a little…"
Before I could finish my sentence, a commotion erupted from beneath the floor, as if something was being fought over below. The sudden noise ratcheted our already taut nerves up another level.
I drew the short sword my Third Uncle had given me (the handgun had no bullets, and I'd left it at the Bureau). Sun Fatty and Po Jun pointed their crossbow and handgun at the hole. Hao Wenming and Xiao Heshang didn't take any action, but their eyes were locked on the opening. Xiao Heshang even undid the buttons on his coat—something was tucked at his lower back, and judging by his stance, he was ready to draw it the moment anything went wrong.
The sounds from beneath the deck lasted two to three minutes, then abruptly stopped. But this kind of silence felt ominous—like the calm before a storm.
Taking advantage of the momentary quiet, I hurriedly asked, "Chief Hao, what exactly is down there?"
Still staring at the hole Sun Fatty had made, Hao Wenming replied, "Hard to say right now. The claw Da Sheng chopped off wasn't dead, but it wasn't quite alive either. Not to brag, but I do know of certain beings that are neither human nor ghost... though whatever it is, it shouldn't be on this ship."
"Heh…"
Xiao Heshang suddenly chuckled and muttered just three words: "The Undying Ones?"
Hao Wenming blinked. That term wasn't something he'd learned through official channels at the Bureau—he hadn't expected anyone else to know about it. He turned toward Xiao Heshang.
"Advisor Xiao, you've heard of the Undying Ones?"
Xiao Heshang snorted. "You've only been in the Special... the Bureau for how long? Still, I'll give Fatty Gao some credit—he actually told you about the Undying Ones."
Hao Wenming's face turned a bit awkward. I took the opportunity to ask Xiao Heshang, "Master Xiao, what exactly are the Undying Ones?"
I had originally planned to ask Hao Wenming, but since this now involved Gao Liang, he'd likely clam up. So I shifted my target.
Seeing there was no movement on deck, Xiao Heshang relaxed a bit and began to explain:
"The Undying Ones are said to be a byproduct from when Liu An, the King of Huainan, attempted to craft an elixir of immortality. Toward the later stages of his alchemical work, he thought he had succeeded. His test subjects stopped aging, and even began to regrow teeth and blacken their hair. Overjoyed, Liu An chose an auspicious day to take the elixir himself.
But a few days before he was set to do so, they discovered that the subjects rapidly deteriorated once they stopped taking the elixir—literally withering before their eyes. They all died off in quick succession.
Naturally, Liu An didn't dare take the concoction himself. That particular formula was scrapped. After the King of Huainan 'ascended,' the recipe spread among the folk. It was said to grant immortality while it was being taken, but the moment someone stopped, they'd die almost instantly—like drinking poison for sustenance.
There's a legend that someone managed to live over 300 years using the formula, but in the end, he too died because the ingredients couldn't be fully gathered."
Xiao Heshang grinned, as if he had more to say, but just then Po Jun shouted,
"Something's moving down there!"
Right as his words left his mouth, a palm-sized, pitch-black creature shot out from the hole.
Po Jun raised his gun—
—but Sun Fatty held out an arm to stop him. "Don't shoot! That's our rat!"
The little creature scurried across the deck straight toward Sun Fatty. Once it got close, we could see clearly—it was none other than the Wealth Rat. It scrambled up Sun Fatty's pant leg and perched on his shoulder, squeaking and bouncing with excitement. Who knew what had it so worked up?
"Fatty, there's something in its mouth."
Xiao Heshang stepped over and peered closely, noticing the rat's cheeks were puffed out. It was holding something in its mouth. He reached out to pry it open, but the rat bared its teeth in defiance, clearly ready to fight. Xiao Heshang hesitated and motioned for Sun Fatty instead.
Turns out the bond between Fatty and the Wealth Rat ran deeper than we'd thought. He merely held out his palm by the rat's neck, and the creature obediently opened its mouth, spitting the item into his hand.
The object wasn't gold or jade. At first glance, it looked like a small, beige stone. But up close, its material was hard to identify—it resembled plastic more than metal or gemstone. Sun Fatty frowned as he examined it and turned to the rat on his shoulder. "Did you grab the wrong thing?"
Unlike Fatty's dismissive attitude, Xiao Heshang's eyes went wide. "Fatty, let me see that! Quick! Hand it over!"
The more anxious Xiao Heshang got, the more leisurely Sun Fatty became. "Master Xiao, don't be so nervous—you'll scare my rat. Seriously though, what is this thing that's got you so worked up?"
"If you don't hand it over, how the hell would I know?" Xiao Heshang snapped. "Quit yapping and give it here!"
His last two words were practically a shout.
Seeing that he was genuinely agitated, Sun Fatty finally passed the stone over. "Fine, take a look, just don't go slipping it into your pocket."
"Cut the crap," Xiao Heshang snatched it and turned it over several times in his hand, his eyes growing brighter with each pass.
Hao Wenming stepped closer for a better look. He examined the "plastic" stone for a moment, looking uncertain, then asked,
"Advisor Xiao… is that a Ghost Core?"
Xiao Heshang gave a slight "Mm" as a response. That was all Hao needed. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the object. Judging by the two of them, it was clear this "plastic" thing wasn't just some trinket.
They were both too focused to explain further, so I turned to Po Jun instead.
"Da Jun, do you know what a Ghost Core is?"
But he looked just as puzzled. "No idea. First I've ever heard of it."
Just then, the Wealth Rat on Fatty's shoulder suddenly squeaked loudly. Before Fatty could react, it launched itself at Xiao Heshang.
Everyone jumped. The rat moved with uncanny agility, completely disproportionate to its plump body, and scrambled up Xiao Heshang's arm in a flash. Xiao Heshang froze, afraid to move, and called out stiffly,
"Fatty! Get your rat off me! I think it's gonna bite!"
Sun Fatty grinned. "Nah, no way…"
He didn't get to finish the sentence—Xiao Heshang let out a scream as the rat sank its teeth into his hand.
With a shout of pain, Xiao Heshang reflexively opened his palm. The little beige Ghost Core dropped to the ground. Midair, the Wealth Rat snatched it between its front paws, twisted its body, and landed neatly on all fours.
Then it ran back to Sun Fatty and placed the Ghost Core into his palm again. After that, it chattered at him in a string of urgent squeaks, like it was warning him not to hand the thing over so casually again.
I stood dumbfounded. I'd always thought the rat was a lazy lump, but now it moved with precision and purpose. Just like its master—hidden depths indeed.
Po Jun looked just as stunned. "Da Sheng, how'd you train this thing? I've heard of rats trained to steal money or food stamps, but yours is on another level!"
"Train?" Sun Fatty started boasting. "This rat's a divine creature from the heavens. The first in the zodiac, the original model for all rats. Dragons, tigers—they all come after it. The God of Wealth's personal emissary, sent from the heavens to help me strike it rich. What can I say, Da Jun? It's fate. You mortals can only watch and envy.
And another thing—any treasure the Divine Rat gives me is mine alone. Whoever touches it, misfortune follows. No offense, Master Xiao."
Xiao Heshang's face flushed red, but he just gave a cold "Hmph." Hao Wenming had already bandaged up the bite.
I seized the chance to ask, "Chief Hao, what is a Ghost Core, exactly? The Wealth Rat brought it up from the Phantom Vessel of the Blood Sea…"