Chapter 267: with translation of chapter title

Dai Linna's thoughts were in chaos, until someone grabbed her and dragged her inside; she was so frightened her whole body tensed, already prepared to fight for her life.

"It's us, Miss Dai Linna."

Hearing the familiar voice, Dai Linna slowly relaxed her breath, but then her gaze froze; the sight before her made her whole body tremble, unable to make a sound.

"Dead, someone's dead!"

"Miss Dai Linna, are you alright?" Captain Bern noticed her gaze and immediately had someone cover the corpse on the floor.

Calling it a corpse isn't accurate; it's a desiccated dry corpse, with thin skin stretched over the bones, like a yellowed sheet of paper.

The man's clothes were somewhat disheveled, a white rose emblem tied at his waist, hanging loosely; looking upward, one could faintly make out some facial contours.

Dai Linna clutched her mouth tightly, never expecting to see this scene.

Looking aside, Captain Bern and the crew were staring at her; she barely swallowed her scream: "He, he's dead?"

Captain Bern nodded: "When we found him, he'd been dead a long time; this man is Louis, a crew member—you probably haven't met him."

Unexpectedly, Dai Linna stiffly shook her head: "No, I've seen him."

In a daze she recalled yesterday's events—that drunken man, who at the time was with a gorgeous woman**, which she disliked greatly.

Dai Linna tensed her body, but she never imagined that after just one night he would turn into such a desiccated corpse!

What on earth happened?!

Not only her; at the same time, this was everyone's feeling—since they boarded this ship, the first night had already seen a death!

Who knows how many people stared at the desiccated corpse with trembling legs, their backs breaking out in cold sweat, terrified that the next victim would be themselves!

At the same time, the livestream's viewers were also drawn in; upon seeing the corpse on the ground, the barrage of comments froze instantly, and the livestream couldn't even add a mosaic, causing many to feel creeped out, as if their bodies were electrified.

【Holy shit, save me! This isn't the pure love I wanted! How did my pure love movie turn into a suspense film!】

【So thrilling, so exciting, the person upstairs, keep it down—you should know better; this is a ghost ship, a ghost ship needs someone to die to show its power, right?】

【【Scared】【covering eyes】【peeking through fingers】【then closing again】 This is too exciting!】

At that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open; a man in uniform glanced at Dai Linna, suddenly furrowed his brows, and while everyone was on edge, he ambiguously smiled.

He turned and left again.

Dai Linna: "???"

Her mind was full of question marks—what was that guy doing?

Captain Bern, well‑versed and knowledgeable, explained: "Maybe it's the ship's inspector, just checking the situation."

Dai Linna breathed a sigh of relief, but felt she'd missed something; she stared fearfully at the corpse on the floor, her head about to explode.

Ahhh, she's just a pleasure‑loving young lady who only wants to live well! Perhaps it was wrong from the start—she shouldn't have left her circle.

Dai Linna: π_π

The surrounding crew were all discussing how to handle this, with no attention to spare for these things.

Suddenly, Dai Linna widened her eyes in terror, tears welling up; not only her, but the livestream viewers were also startled by the sight.

The dark floor suddenly opened a big mouth, with a hiss, swallowing the corpse; the scene was terrifying yet silent.

【Ahhh he he he, he was eaten by the ship!】

【Ahhhhh save me! What kind of ship is this! Is it a monster!】

Dai Linna's scalp went numb; she wished she could faint right then, but her earlier training kicked in—her body swayed, yet she wouldn't pass out.

At that moment, the crew noticed the corpse had vanished; they were instantly terrified, cold sweat pouring down their backs.

"Where's Louis? Why—why is he gone?"

Everyone's gaze fell on the speaking Dai Linna; her face was ashen, devoid of any color—this expression was all too obvious.

Dai Linna's lips trembled as she weakly pointed at the empty floor: "He, he was eaten, eaten!"

After speaking she covered her mouth, her wide‑round eyes staring at the bewildered others, as if realizing her words were ambiguous, she added: "I saw it myself……he was eaten by the floor!"

No sooner had she spoken than everyone's eyes nearly popped out, staring at Dai Linna in disbelief; even Old Bern couldn't help but say: "Dai Linna, are you seeing things?"

His words were met with Dai Linna's firm denial; her trembling finger pointed at the floor, and as she spoke each word with certainty, everyone felt a chill run halfway down their bodies.

"What in the world is going on? Since we boarded this broken ship, everything's happened! Why don't we gather together so we can look out for each other?"

Some objected, shouting: "Gather together? What if we're all wiped out at once? By then none of us would escape!"

That made sense.

This isn't like before, when everyone had different posts; now we can't even find the ship, we're stranded on this terrifying ghost ship, and no one can convince anyone else.

So they split up—those who wanted to stick together did, those who wanted to stay apart did.

The livestream viewers watching them each hold their own opinions were nearly laughing in anger.

Behind the screen they couldn't empathize with the crew; instead, thanks to the excellent editing, it felt more like a movie, with the actors' performances really good—playing their parts so stupidly!

Many have a hatred of stupidity and don't have the patience for these unimportant cannon fodder, but through this incident, the omniscient viewers discovered something!

【Why does that person have no expression at all?】

【With such a huge murder case, are the other people on the ship really this indifferent?】

【Holy shit, didn't you notice? That person just passed by the open door, glanced inside, and had no reaction whatsoever!】

【What's more, he didn't even look this way! I saw clearly—he gave the young lady an ambiguous glance, definitely thinking dirty thoughts!】

【No way, with such a huge corpse, he didn't notice it?】

【Maybe… the people on the ship simply can't see it; they're not indifferent, they just don't know!】

These words made people think deeply and feel terrified.

The viewers could notice these things, yet a group of people remained completely in the dark, perhaps because the on‑scene environment hypnotized them, making them seem to have never considered these possibilities.

Dai Linna clenched her talisman, and when she returned to the cabin, Jester had already awakened, tidying up; seeing Dai Linna, he froze for a moment—he had thought she'd already left.

Seeing her return, he couldn't help but say: "This is the lower deck, a mixed crowd; you're a young lady, don't just run around recklessly—if something happens, I won't know what to do."

Daelina blinked, her mind clicking; hearing Jest's words, she instantly sensed something was wrong and tentatively asked, "You didn't hear any strange sounds, did you?"

Her urgency surged like a tide, she stared intently at the man before her, desperate for an answer.

Jest asked blankly, "What sound?"

He rubbed his lower back, having lain hard on the ground all night; his body felt a bit off, but as a young man with good constitution, the discomfort soon faded.

Jest said seriously, "I didn't hear any strange sounds; I slept fine tonight. What's wrong?"

Daelina's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

This confirmed her suspicion, yet she tensed to the limit, for the truth was so brutal it nearly choked her.

Others had no idea about the dead, nor would they ever know; this reminded her that she was on a ghost ship, surrounded by spirits.

Her hand trembled as she looked at Jest, wondering if her brother had also become a ghost.

In the deathly silent space, Daelina suddenly turned and stumbled outward, drifting like a broken kite, utterly unaware where she could run.

Seeing her like that, Jest thought he'd misspoken, and worriedly chased after her; though he didn't know this strange girl, she seemed unwell.

Thinking this, his heart faintly ached.

In the hall came a burst of laughter and merriment; the wealthy elite of high society threw an extravagant ball to while away time.

The elegant ladies and gentlemen locked gazes; some noticed the uninvited guest at the banquet, sneering at this disheveled miss, her stumbling, clumsy, vulgar demeanor—surely a slut from steerage!

A slick-haired, powdered-faced man stepped forward, bowing with a smile to Daelina: "Miss, may I have this dance?"

Though Daelina wore simple clothes, her radiant face and gem-like eyes were striking; her modern aura gave her confidence and an unconventional bearing.

Looking at the man's gentle, modest smile, the blood drained from her pallid face, fear creeping over her eyes as if she'd seen a ghost.

She turned her head around; her heart pounded with terror, every face around her began to warp—so horrifying, like beasts ready to devour.

She turned and fled without mercy, as if a horde of evil spirits pursued her.

A misstep nearly sent Daelina tumbling from the upper deck; the hard wooden planks below meant a fall could kill or break her in half.

In an instant, a pair of large hands grabbed her waist and arm, yanking her back from the low rail.

Seeing the familiar face, Daelina's heart sank with relief—it was Dick, who had come after her.

Jest watched anxiously as the self‑destructive little girl opened her mouth to speak, when a sudden pain gripped his chest.

He lowered his head to see a fluffy golden head; Daelina wailed in his arms, "Brother, I'm so scared."

"Brother, let's go home… sniff… brother, please take me home!"

She was terrified, her trembling body like a tiny quail, still just a little girl.

Jest patted the girl's head, soothing her: "Don't cry, don't cry."

A fresh sea breeze brushed their cheeks; the girl's sobs drew a crowd of onlookers.

Including Anna, the sudden loud cry made her freeze mid‑stroke; a blot of red appeared on her unfinished canvas, she furrowed her brows at the stray mark, then glared angrily toward the source.

"Plop—"

Her fine brush slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.

Anna's eyes welled with tears as she gazed blankly at her distant lover, whose face instantly flushed; the distance could not stop their longing from reaching each other.

The two locked eyes from afar, their intimate, ambiguous tension leaving no room for others to intrude.

Jest and Anna gazed at each other from the deck; nearby, Miss Wendy lay low, inching along the deck, while not far off a proud spotted dog lay, Harlan's loyal, lovely eyes fixed on the adorable Wendy.

The dog's heart was about to melt.

Together they looked like two dogs reflected in a mirror, snuggled close; unless you knew them, you could hardly tell them apart.

Miss Wendy flicked her ears: "You said you found a fun spot, right? My master will be here soon—can you take me there?"

Hearing her, Harlan snapped to attention: "Yes."

He raised his paw to his ear, tapped it, gave a non‑standard salute ∠(｀ω】*): "I'll take you there right away."

The two seemingly twin dogs staggered into a run, weaving past passenger after passenger.

Ling Yue stood on the deck, hand in hand with her boyfriend; the protagonist's vicinity was a hotspot for plot events, and since she still wanted to uncover the truth, she lingered near Anna in her daily routine.

Suddenly, she paused, her eyes flicking toward the sea beyond.

"Ahhhh!"

"It flew! It flew again!"

Under the sun, the calm sea turned glass‑blue, rippling shimmer like sheets of golden scales.

Bringing her view closer, Ling Yue saw an oval‑shaped creature bob up and down with a thud.

She looked over, and her face instantly fell into a big embarrassed, awkward expression.

Two sleek, glossy bottlenose dolphins shook their heads and flicked their tails; the object they tossed up and down finally revealed itself—a poor sea turtle.

"Spare me, spare me! Xiao Zuzong, I'm gonna puke!"

The turtle screamed at the top of its lungs, legs flailing, wailing nonstop as it was batted about like a ball; unlike the suffering turtle, the dolphin brothers were ecstatic, laughing uncontrollably.

"Fun~ fun~"

Ling Yue seemed to see their mouths split in grin; without doubt dolphins are the most healing creatures, yet now she felt a prickle on her scalp, praying for the hapless turtle—these weren't cute dolphins, they were clearly two little devils.

"Brother, humans, humans!"

A childish voice rang out; for some reason, Ling Yue felt a sudden chill in her chest.

At that moment, the turtle, tossed back and forth, hit the water with a thud and darted away, eager to escape the dreadful place.

A tail blocked the poor turtle's path; a slightly larger dolphin darted ahead, asking, "Why are you running? Weren't you having fun just now?"

Ball‑turtle: "QAQ"

"Happy, happy, especially happy… sniff sniff… look, I'm crying from joy T﹏T"—it couldn't outswim the dolphins, and if it didn't obey, its fate would be worse than being kicked like a ball.

"Turtle me, I'm really done for!"

It shut its eyes in fear, but the expected punishment never came; the turtle poked its head out, cautiously opening one eye a slit, and instantly relaxed.

Ling Yue is the one who's worried.

Two dolphins, at a direction not too far nor too close from the ship, surfaced half their bodies, lifted their heads to look at her, as if gazing at something rare; the sea breeze carried the voices of the dolphin siblings——

"Wow wow wow! It's really a human, brother, come quick!"

"The petite dolphin happily wagged its tail, the azure sea water slapped by it making pattering sounds; its brother remained calm, lightly responding with an "En.""

"If you ignore the tail wildly pat‑patting,"

Ling Yue: "……"

She was hesitating whether to greet them when the dolphin sister suddenly pushed forward the little turtle just now, which let out loud cries.

The dolphin sister smiled and emitted a melodious call toward her: "Beautiful human, look at me! Look at me!"

They actually put on a performance for Ling Yue right there—slapping the dolphin, the little turtle dizzy and turning, crying "ayaya" nonstop, as if they thought Ling Yue liked it.

Ling Yue: "Stop it."

She really couldn't bear it, directly stopping the siblings' game; at that moment, the dizzy sea turtle lay on the dolphin's head, its short, stout, powerful limbs extending from its shell, limp and drooping its head.

The sea turtle clan isn't as fond of humans as dolphins are, but now the turtle that saved its life can swear that humans are its favorite for life!

"Wuu wuu wuu, thank you for saving my little turtle, QAQ"

"If I get the chance, I'll treat you to super‑delicious beautiful jellyfish!"

Ling Yue hurriedly waved her hands: "No need, I don't like jellyfish."

The scene fell into dead silence for a moment.

Upon learning she could understand animal speech, the two dolphins went absolutely crazy with joy, chatting with Ling Yue one after another, from "What do you humans like to eat? Want me to bring you something?" to "Humans are so cute, can we touch you? QWQ"

They practically became walking question marks; Ling Yue chatted intermittently when suddenly the dolphin sister, holding the turtle, exchanged a few glances with her brother, glided a few steps, and said: "Cute little human, this turtle is my brother's and my favorite pet……"

When Ling Yue heard that, she sensed trouble; sure enough, the next moment she heard the dolphin sister say: "May I give it to you?"

It blinked its big eyes, really giving its all to attract a human.

Before Ling Yue could answer, a voice sounded: "I'm willing, I'm willing!"

It turned out to be the turtle perched on the dolphin, excitedly waving its claws—no, flailing its paws—so much that it seemed it wanted to fly straight into Ling Yue's arms.

Ling Yue couldn't help but rub her forehead; wondering what she'd do with a turtle, she politely refused, and the two little dolphins looked dejectedly at the human rejecting their gift, their tails unable to wag.

With watery, big eyes, it stared at Ling Yue blankly, looking utterly pitiful.

Ling Yue's heart softened: "Wait, I'll keep you company."

The dolphins didn't grasp her meaning, staring blankly; the next moment, their eyes burst with intense spirit.

The beautiful human leapt down from the high steamship, long black hair, delicate fair skin, and as she fell, the seawater stirred up a few ripples.

Ling Yue watched the two dolphins without getting her clothes wet.

She had seen dolphins before, more than once; judging by their size, they seemed like juveniles, and indeed they were—no wonder they had such soft, childish voices.

She reached out and stroked the dolphin sister's smooth little head, which nuzzled her with a soft "Mmm," saying, "So soft and warm~"

"Brother bro I've sucked in a fragrant, soft human!"

The brother dolphin rushed over, placing his round big head under Ling Yue's palm: "Look, I've sucked in one too!"

The siblings exchanged a glance; just moments ago they'd been getting along, but now they both let out a cold snort, as if slipping into a cold war.

The reason, it seems, is because of her.

Ling Yue couldn't help laughing out loud; the sea turtle lingered, gave her a glance, then slipped away unnoticed.

Humans are nice, but compared to freedom, freedom is still the most important!

"Little turtle, I managed to escape from the little devil's tail—what great fortune, destiny, and craftsmanship! If I told the other sea turtles, they'd surely be jealous to death!"

It slipped away quietly, leaving a string of colorful little bubbles.

Jun Jun, who also jumped down, seemed forgotten—the dolphins not only didn't get close to him, they were actually a bit afraid of him.

"Dolphin sister: "Good heavens, I've never seen such an ugly human!""

"I don't want to play with him at all!"

Jun Jun showed no reaction; Ling Yue rubbed her nose resentfully, thinking… maybe Jun Jun isn't even human?

She casually said a couple of lines, preparing to change the subject.

Hearing the human say she was a minor, the little dolphin puffed up proudly: "What's wrong with being a minor? Mom said I can already hunt!"

"Human, do you like eating fish? I'll go catch some for you!"

"The dolphin sister refused to be outdone: "I'm going too, I'm going too!"

"Suddenly, it seemed to recall something; its tail gave a slap: "Where's my turtle? The turtle I wanted to give to the little human?"

"It must have run off! Let's chase after it quick!"

Watching them come up with one idea after another, Ling Yue followed them swimming; her seaweed‑like black hair floated in the water, rippling light shining on her lovely face, the tranquil underwater world seemed to gain extra brilliance because of it.

"Save the dolphin! Save the dolphin!"

Ling Yue startled, the fleeing sea turtle darted over, swimming and shouting; upon seeing them, it became even more excited: "Come save the dolphin!"

Ling Yue: "What do you mean?"

The panting sea turtle gulped a mouthful of seawater: "I… I saw a little dolphin heading toward the propeller!"

Ling Yue's heart jolted; the propeller—she naturally knew that even the dolphins closest to humans, when they first saw her, dared not approach the steamship lightly, because the suction beneath the hull and various things could easily harm dolphins.

This is hard‑won wisdom bought with the flesh and blood of countless sea creatures; every mother tells her child: never get near a human's big ship, or else the mother will never see her child again.

The dolphin siblings jumped in surprise, glanced at each other: "Is it a little dolphin smaller than us, with a slightly crooked tail? Didn't you stop it?"

The sea turtle: "How do you know? As for stopping…" Its voice drooped: "I told it not to go there, but it wouldn't listen, and I couldn't hold it back!"

The two dolphins looked at each other: "That must be our little sister!"

"We have to go save it!"

Saying that, they dove toward the underside of the steamship; their tails were simultaneously entangled by something—Ling Yue's reward for previously helping the albatross, the first time she'd manipulated seawater, a thin, icy‑blue current both supple and strong, like a ring looping around the two little dolphins.

Compared to the massive cruise ship like a mountain range, they were tiny as two specks of dust, and there was a powerful suction at the hull; one careless moment and they would be twisted into a bloody pulp.

Ling Yue shook her head: "I'll go find it; you wait here."

She lightly tapped her fingertip; the fine current, faster than a person, was like countless transparent tendrils, and as Ling Yue's thought stirred slightly, she finally found the little dolphin in the pitch-black hull.

Behind it was the frantically spinning propeller, the seawater vortex sucking and pulling it, like a gaping bloody maw.

The little dolphin trembled with fear, frantically wagging its tail, twisting and turning as it tried to escape.

It was utterly remorseful: "Wuu… Mom… Mom… Miao Miao will never play again…"

At the critical moment, countless tendrils ensnared the little dolphin; it widened its sparkling eyes, gazing at the transparent current, and—whoosh!

The whole dolphin had already been pulled from the hull and tossed beside its siblings, swaying dazedly in the water; at that time, Ling Yue hadn't even swum over yet.

Little dolphin: "……"

Anxious siblings: "……"

"Miao Miao, come over here; we promise not to interrupt your little tail!"

"Waa waa waa, Mom, come save Miao Miao quickly!"

Ling Yue: "*^_^*"

Such a commotion naturally attracted the dolphin mother; upon seeing the dolphin family surfacing, Ling Yue realized that a pod of dolphins was lingering here.

Recalling her recent experiences, she thought the plot setting was indeed quite like Titanic, so she asked the dolphin mother: "Are there any glaciers around?"

The dolphin mother shook her head: "No, there aren't any at all!"

"This is the calmest area; how could there be something like a glacier?"

Ling Yue pressed her lips; the rescued little dolphin bashfully wagged its tail, and taking advantage of her inattention, it stole a fragrant kiss!

Ling Yue touched one side of her cheek.

It shyly hid behind its mother, involuntarily poking out its little head: "Mom, I… I kissed the beautiful human QWQ."

"Soft and smooth!"

Not to mention the little dolphin; for the dolphin tribe that naturally likes two-legged creatures, who wouldn't want to get close and cuddle with Ling Yue? Its gaze had just fallen on the beautiful human when a hard-bodied figure blocked its view.

Jun Jun blocked its line of sight; he definitely did it on purpose. The treasure he had secretly hidden in his box, now seen by others, emitted a sour aura that seemed to spread for ten li.

Ling Yue, puzzled, took his hand; his warm palm wrapped around her.

The dolphin mother exploded: "I knew it, I knew it! You're jealous! How can humans' possessiveness be greater than ours dolphins? Forget it, I won't kiss anymore; I can tell at a glance you're a jealous husband!"

Ling Yue: "……"

She glanced at the man beside her; he remained expressionless, utterly unguilty.

The underwater story ended; she surfaced and also learned some dolphin insider news, knowing they would live here for a while; for some reason, Ling Yue suddenly had a thought.

She quietly let out a sigh and bade farewell to the reluctant dolphins.

In this ghost ship incident, Ling Yue became a complete bystander.

She was the most sober, and she never expected that this journey would turn into her own love period.

When the male and female leads were in the throes of passion, they too were in love; under the setting sun's romantic afterglow, the two leaned on each other on the deck; at the hall's ball, Ling Yue slightly tilted her head, they hid in a hidden corner and kissed each other.

Ling Yue hooked her arms around his neck; her soft fingers felt the bulging veins, and beneath her fingertips they throbbed one after another, like flickering flames scorching her skin.

At the ball, the graceful dance continued; as the music suddenly soared, the swaying overskirt resembled a multitude of splendid flowers.

Anna and Jest stepped on the polished, mirror-like marble tiles, one by one, dancing gracefully; in their eyes there was nothing but their lover.

On one side, a pursuer shot resentful glances, chasing their graceful dance steps; the anger in his chest flared ever more intensely, like a prairie fire.

Ling Yue touched the man's neck; his neat, round, translucent nails tinged pink, she jabbed them sharply into his pale flesh; the man seemed not to feel it, tightening his grip on her waist: "Yueyue… Yueyue…"

His murmurs entered her ears, like countless threads of affection entwining her heart.

When the ball ended, Ling Yue touched her lips; they were hot and swollen, prompting her to instinctively kick the man's shin, but he looked concerned at her foot: "Does it hurt?"

In an instant, Ling Yue's face flushed red and she grew angry from embarrassment, scolding him: "Shut up!"

【Why did the streamer's lips suddenly turn red?】

【Oh wow, that's gorgeous—do you have lipstick in that shade? I'd definitely buy it!】

【Never mind that—I just saw the admirer who lost to Jest earlier suddenly gather a few people and sneak off to first class!】，: ，。