Chapter 498

"..."

In a dark corner of the cargo hold, a faint blue flame lit up first, and Seeing Pei Ye's figure walked into the light.

The black cat was squatting in this corner, looking down at the ground.

"This level really didn't find any passage downward." The black cat raised its head, and the faint blue thread of fire returned to its small paw, "Every place is seamless."

Seeing Pei Ye stomped on the floor, and a dull sound echoed back.

"You said they cleaned up everything after unloading those things, leaving nothing behind?" Seeing Pei Ye tilted his head, "... But at least one should be able to find something wrong."

"What?"

"Zhang Er's confession—he said that night the ship opened a door on the side and moved down over a hundred large vats, so there should at least be a side door."

"Didn't find one."

"The more detailed description was near the water level, perhaps it was this third level."

"There are no side doors on the first, second, or third levels."

Seeing Pei Ye frowned slightly.

"I just checked the water level," the black cat tapped the cabin wall, its emerald eyes looking at him, "it's right outside, just level with the floor of the third level."

"There are no side doors in the entire space above the water?"

"None."

The rainy night Zhang Er saw seemed like a dream.

Seeing Pei Ye looked at the kitten: "Then you didn't find anything, why did you call me over?"

The black cat tapped the cabin wall again: "But someone else found it."

"Hm?"

Seeing Pei Ye narrowed his eyes and looked. On the cabin wall next to the black cat, a circular bright piece the size of a thumb was embedded.

Seeing Pei Ye clamped it with two fingernails and pulled it out slowly... It was actually an iron awl over a foot long, hollow at the end, dripping with a few drops of water.

"..."

"It hasn't been nailed in for more than three days. Besides us, someone else on the ship is testing its waterline."

This was indeed a dark, remote corner where no one stepped. If someone was doing something here, they must be carefully avoiding all ears and eyes.

The black cat took a few more steps forward and stretched out its paw to push away a heavy, giant wooden box, revealing a more obvious purpose.

A square dug out—the solid wood floor had been cut open bit by bit, as if trying to dig downward, but it was only a foot thick before it was blocked by a gray, cold iron surface.

Ships avoid being top-heavy, so it wasn't appropriate to have another empty hold below the water surface, but it wouldn't go so far as to add iron for weight. Seeing Pei Ye looked at this iron color for a moment and suddenly understood—the third level indeed had no stairs to the fourth level, because the fourth level could only be opened from the side; the side, of course, couldn't be seen because the fourth level's side door had already sunk into the water.

The "Nan Jin Feng" was very clear about its load capacity. When the first three levels were fully loaded with cargo, the fourth secret hold was pressed into the water; when it needed to use the fourth secret hold, it must have unloaded the first three levels of cargo and dismissed the boatmen.

Now it was fully loaded and heading south. Throughout the entire voyage, the fourth level would not surface.

'So the things imprisoned in those iron vats are only moved onto the ship after the cargo is unloaded?'

Seeing Pei Ye frowned, thinking, and couldn't help but tilt his head and ask: "Where is the destination of this ship?"

However, the kitten hadn't answered yet when a nervous voice came from behind: "D-don't move!... Who are you talking to?!"

Seeing Pei Ye turned his head. In the dark corner, a youth was standing tense, pressing his wrist and raising his arm toward him, his somewhat purple lips tightly pursed. He was dressed as a runner on the ship, wearing a headscarf and barefoot, with only his arms covered by the drooping long sleeves, beneath which a cold, sharp iron light was vaguely visible.

However, when his gaze fixed on this face, Seeing Pei Ye truly paused for a moment.

The youth didn't react to the dim light, bowed his body again, and shouted in a low voice: "What are you doing here?! Raise your hands!"

"... Zhang Piaoxu?"

"... Ah?"

Seeing Pei Ye pinched a flame to his own face: "Pingkang Ward, remember?"

The youth stared at him, his pupils dilated, and he slowly lowered his arm, but the next moment he seemed to remember something and subconsciously hid his arm behind his back.

Seeing Pei Ye didn't mind and looked him up and down: "Why are you in this place?"

"..." Zhang Piaoxu moved his body, first twisting to look back vigilantly before walking in two steps, "You, why are you here?"

"I came to investigate this ship." Seeing Pei Ye didn't hide it, turned back to look at the traces caused by the youth's efforts over these past few days, and asked curiously, "How can you move this large cargo box?"

The box pushed away by the black cat was taller than a person, and its length and width were even more exaggerated. Seeing Pei Ye asked himself if he could move such a heavy object when he was in the First or Second Life Realm.

Zhang Piaoxu looked somewhat unnaturally at his carefully concealed efforts all exposed to this person, pursed his lips, and looked away: "... I have my own ways."

Seeing Pei Ye followed his gaze and saw a few wooden triangles and cylinders and other small parts tucked away in the corner, looking like they had been whittled and polished by hand. He thought that he must indeed have a way to struggle with it.

"What is below this, do you know?" Seeing Pei Ye raised his foot and stomped on the ground.

Zhang Piaoxu shook his head: "Everything is sealed tight; the cabin door is only on the side."

He hesitated for a moment: "I've been following this ship for more than ten days and secretly heard something. Someone who came back from the South with the ship said that on the way, they heard something bumping and roaring at the bottom of the ship, which lasted for half a quarter of an hour. Later it became quiet, and the big ship captain said it was a big crocodile."

"It's definitely not some big crocodile." Seeing Pei Ye narrowed his eyes, "What do you think it is?"

"... How would I know what it is?" Zhang Piaoxu's body stiffened again.

"Fine." Seeing Pei Ye withdrew his gaze, "I'm going down to take a look. Since you've been hanging around here for these days, do you have any experience?"

Zhang Piaoxu was stunned, his purple lips moving: "The water is very cold."

"..."

Zhang Piaoxu took three dried chili peppers from his waist and handed them to him.

"... Couldn't you have bought some wine?"

"Wine is expensive." Zhang Piaoxu was somewhat annoyed, "Don't chew it if you don't want to."

Seeing Pei Ye sighed, stepped on this exposed iron surface, and vermilion jade quality flowed from under his feet, covering the gray, cold surface. The foot-thick iron casting slowly sank within a dozen breaths, melting into a cold, dark hole.

Zhang Piaoxu widened his eyes, looking at him in disbelief.

"Many thanks for the kindness, but I won't be swimming." Seeing Pei Ye said, looking at him earnestly before going down, "Don't follow me now; find a safe place and leave quickly."

After speaking, he turned and leaped down, raising his hand to light a fire to illuminate the surrounding scene. Then, without a half-breath pause, there was a tight sound of wind behind him, followed by a "splash." Seeing Pei Ye turned his head; Zhang Piaoxu was already frantically beating at the hem of his clothes, which had caught fire.

Seeing Pei Ye didn't linger on him for a second look, slowly scanning his surroundings. It was like another world; faint white mist was actually permeating here, cold dew drops condensed on the iron walls, and the fishy smell of water and the fishy smell of blood wrapped around him at the same time.