Escape the Infinite Chambers

“But where exactly could this woman be hiding?” Feng Yu Lan ruminated on the issue; he even tried putting himself in the other’s shoes, but in the end, it was pointless. The difference between a male’s thinking and a woman’s mind was too great. Feng Yu Lan felt that his brain wasn’t brilliant enough to divine the thoughts of a woman.

“There’s no need to think so hard on where the woman hid. Didn’t this note explicitly point it out?” Luo Jian flipped over the sheet of paper he found on the observation deck and presented the back of the note to Feng Yu Lan for him to read that single sentence:

【The navigator was the last to die. Stationed at the highest platform, he stood on the lookout, gazing at the murderer’s back.】

“This…I seriously don’t understand it, ah.” Feng Yu Lan pulled at his disheveled hair in frustration, “There was nothing to see from the observation deck except for the sea and the deck of the entire ship. And on the deck there was only a dead body. What murderer? There was absolutely no murderer in sight.”

“No! The murderer is located at the deck!” Luo Jian resolutely and unhesitatingly contested, “She’s beneath the deck!”

“Underneath the deck?”

“You might not be aware of this, but on some ships, there are secret hatchways built on the deck. Pull open the plank and there will be a narrow space set between the top and bottom layers that one can enter. Most people don’t know of this, but my grandfather worked as a seafarer so he knew about this.” Luo Jian explained.

“It’s similar to those ancient imperial tombs, the ones built specifically for royalty, where the burial artisans furtively constructed a secret passageway to escape. The age of navigation was considered to be the one of the cruelest eras. The pirates forced shipbuilders to hang on the mast after they finished crafting their ships. Many of these craftsmen, who were adept in creating secret passageways and doors, built these unknown spaces to hide themselves in order to escape from their imminent deaths; and these spots were also good for storing food and other stashes.”

“Does this ship also have a secret door?”

“I don’t know. We just have to go back to the deck and check it out.” Luo Jian glanced at the entrance of the great cabin.

“But outside, there’s that…” Feng Yu Lan recalled that unfamiliar man on the deck. Although he only took a quick glimpse of him when they were standing face-to-face, Feng Yu Lan could clearly remember those pure red eyes glinting in the dark like rubies, those dark crimson eyes that was darker and redder than a flowing river of blood. Obviously, these weren’t the eyes of a human being.

A simple recollection of the Stalker made Luo Jian’s heart thump rapidly; his heartbeat rapidly increased. He couldn’t understand why he was so unlucky; he had already encountered this Stalker twice. Hold on…the Stalker?

Unable to restrain himself, Luo Jian suddenly reached out to feel the circular tattoo on his neck. The serpent bit its own tail; it devoured its own self. As everyone already knew, the shape that resulted from a serpent swallowing its own tail was a circle. In many ancient historical documents, this ouroboros represented infinity, rebirth. There was no beginning, there was no end; it was an endless cycle, a never-ending reincarnation.

It seemed that this tattoo epitomized the significance of these mysterious chambers. And he feared that this was also the Stalker’s purpose. To hunt and kill forever, a purpose such as this? Luo Jian touched his tattoo, cold sweat dripped down his spine. If his surmise was correct, then this tattoo was left by the Stalker. He deliberately left him alive and allowed him to escape the first chamber, then he immediately followed him to the second chamber, just to toy with this ignorant, feeble prey.

Luo Jian staggered backwards at the thought; his complexion was unnaturally pale. Feng Yu Lan was flustered, his heart was filled with panic. He stretched his arms and grabbed Luo Jian, comforting him, “Hey, Ah Jian? What’s the matter with you? Is the wound hurting again?”

Luo Jian didn’t respond. He raised his head, his brows scrunched with overwhelming anxiety, and he worriedly looked up at Feng Yu Lan. Since Luo Jian was being targeted by the Stalker, would Ah Lan, who was inexplicably dragged into the chamber with him, be implicated? Would he possibly…die?

Die?

Just like the corpse in that box, decomposing until there were only white bones left behind; no longer would his beautiful image be preserved, no longer would anyone be able to lay eyes on his lovely visage, completely abandoned in the dark corner, forgotten by everyone, vanished from the world, ripped away from Luo Jian’s life.

Luo Jian extended his hand and tenderly stroked Ah Lan’s cheek. Feng Yu Lan’s cheek was smooth to the touch; he still had a fair amount of baby fat. He was apparently taken by surprise by Luo Jian’s sudden actions. His face flushed pink, and he awkwardly stuttered, “Aiyo~ If you’re confessing, then I won’t refuse!”

Luo Jian’s face turned black, and he immediately raised his fist and gave Feng Yu Lan good knock on his head.

“Wuwu…painful, painful…” Feng Yu Lan, once again, covered his head with his tiny hands and discontentedly grumbled, “What’s up?! Hit me again!”

“Ah Lan!” Luo Jian’s expression suddenly turned grave, forcing Feng Yu Lan to listen to him seriously. He lifted his head and watched Luo Jian with big, shining eyes, like a sweet child.

“In this chamber, I can’t guarantee your safety.” Luo Jian wrapped his hands around Feng Yu Lan’s and gripped them tight; he sternly enunciated, “So…you must learn to use every means possible to ensure your survival! Even if you have to abandon me!”

Presumably, Luo Jian never used such a solemn and heavy tone to speak to Feng Yu Lan before, which was why Feng Yu Lan was stupefied for a moment. He could only stare at Luo Jian, completely dumbfounded. Then, he suddenly shook his head hard and angrily roared, “Are you kidding me?! You’re telling me to give up on you?! Luo Jian! Is your head filled with water1 or lard?! Have you fed your IQ to dogs?!”

Feng Yu Lan’s roar was quite imposing, it intimidated Luo Jian. He faltered, bowed his head, and confessed, “I just don’t want you to die…”

“And I don’t want you to die either!” Feng Yu Lan’s voice was so determined and powerful; his shouts suppressed Luo Jian’s timid voice. Luo Jian’s head was harshly lifted by the other, but he quickly lowered his head back down, feeling aggrieved.

Feng Yu Lan took a deep, ragged breath and forced himself to calm down. He brooded over how he should word what he wanted to say, then finally looked to Luo Jian and announced, “I know I’m not as smart as you are. In fact, my biggest fear is that you believe that I’m dragging you down. I’m afraid that you think I’m a burden or that you have no other choice but to take into consideration your brotherly role whenever you’re with me, that you’re forced to take care of me even though you despise it. And if that’s truly the case, I think you’d be better off abandoning me.”

“It’s not…” Luo Jian immediately retorted, raising his head. But he was soon interrupted by Feng Yu Lan.

“I know! I don’t know much about this chamber, and I can barely even help you. I’m nothing like you, not nearly as good as you…”

“Ah Lan, you’re very good, much better than me! You don’t need to think like this! Your English is better than mine, and without you, I wouldn’t have been able to figure these clues out!”

Without warning, Feng Yu Lan seized Luo Jian’s hand and forced him to pose like they were in a match, with their wrists tight against each other, like some kind of martial arts hero2. And with an arrogant grin, he declared, “Then let’s make an oath!”

“Make what oath?”

“An oath to never betray each other!”

For some people, verbal promises were never true promises. They would vow something, only to turn away and forget about it, perhaps disregard it entirely. Violating an oath was like skipping a regular meal, completely normal. It was common for oaths to flow carelessly through people’s mouths; people casually made promises all the time, just like the clouds drifting in the skies—there were more and more that appeared by the day.

In fact, many people had this kind of trouble. You couldn’t say that you were perfect, that you’d never break any vows or agreements that you’ve made. However, there were certain vows that you’d value greatly, that you’d place above your own life, as these promises were ones that you and others have solemnly sworn to, oaths that’d be deeply embedded into your bones, that’d take over your soul, that’d never be forgotten, and naturally, would never be broken.

This was precisely Luo Jian and Feng Yu Lan’s oath at this time.

The downpour at sea had stopped, but the surroundings were enveloped by the thick fog; the hull of the ship swayed slightly with the undulating waves. Staying here for a long time made people dizzy and nauseous. When Luo Jian and Feng Yu Lan walked out of the great cabin, they discovered that the Stalker had vanished from the deck. They didn’t know where he disappeared off to, but at least knowing that he wasn’t here gave the two individuals a little peace of mind.

“Look around to see if there’s a secret door; they’re generally located in obscure places, like the corners.” Luo Jian and Feng Yu Lan assigned each other tasks to start searching every spot on the entire deck, meticulously checking every plank. This task was undoubtedly daunting. To say this ghost vessel was large wasn’t necessarily true, but to say it was small would be definitely be false. In addition, it was hard to see with all this darkness and fog, and the likelihood of monsters and the Stalker appearing was high. It was extremely risky separating from each other, but if they didn’t split from each other, it would take a longer time.

Nevertheless, Luo Jian ultimately decided not to separate from Feng Yu Lan. After all, they only had one oil lamp. If he couldn’t even see a shadow of Feng Yu Lan’s figure, Luo Jian would feel uneasy. So they both started searching from the bow of the ship, felt every plank all the way to the stern and, eventually, found a secret hatch hidden in the corner of the aft-most part. They tugged at it, and the board was soon pulled open.

Stairs and dark tunnels stared back at them from the inside; it was pitch-black. Just looking at this made Luo Jian and Feng Yu Lan feel frightened. They two people gaped at the black hole for such a long time; at last, Luo Jian gulped hard and summoned his courage, taking the lead and advancing forward. He held the lamp with his knife; the blade scraped against the walls, tracing long lines and issuing a slight scratching noise. But in this quiet, narrow staircase, those sounds were ear-piercing.

“Why are you making that sound?” Feng Yu Lan asked behind him, expressing bewilderment.

“We’re not dark creatures. Darkness and silence aren’t advantages for us; rather, we’re disadvantaged. We need to remind our enemies of our arrival, show that we’re armed and prepared for battle.”

The dark stairwell wasn’t too long, and they soon reached a long corridor. They way before them was still shrouded by darkness, but Luo Jian rejoiced at this gloomy tunnel that appeared to be perfectly straight, without a single fork in the road. There were no more external factors that would change the course of their attacking and escaping.

The tunnel came to a dead end, and at this point, there was a door to the room. There wasn’t a lock on the door, so he cracked it open just a bit. It was dark inside. The door appeared to be untouched by anyone for centuries. Moss grew all over the place, and it was cold and slippery; this feeling was similar to touching the skin of a monstrous serpent. Goosebumps travelled up Luo Jian’s arm from his fingers.

But he finally braced himself and pushed the door open.

The room behind the door was narrow, much narrower than the constricted, enclosed room Luo Jian was trapped in during his first chamber experience. The room was empty except for the single rope hanging down in the middle of the room. A corpse was hanging from the rope. Revealed under the light of the oil lamp, at first glance, it was incomparably terrifying. It scared the living daylights out of Luo Jian and Feng Yu Lan, and they clung to each other, shivering.

The body gently swayed back and forth along with the bobbing ship. Wearing a long, white gown covered in dust, thick and long cascading locks, naturally scattered over the shoulders, flowing down like a waterfall, the figure before them was, no doubt, a woman.

“Is this really a woman?” asked Feng Yu Lan after seeing the hanging body. He seemed to believe there wasn’t any danger lurking, so he leaned in to take a closer look. The woman’s corpse was, indeed, nearly decayed. She was just a pile of dead bones and head of unkempt hair. But Luo Jian dared not relax his vigilance, and he dragged the inquisitive Feng Yu Lan back to his side, reprimanding him.

“Don’t be so impatient to reach a conclusion. Maybe she’ll also come back to life, seeing as she may be the last murderer.”

“But this is just a dead body. How can we possibly find out where the ‘door’ is from her.”

“Find if there’s another note.”