Chapter Twelve: Where Did the Ship Go?

When Eggy called out like that, Longzi instantly became alert. He followed the direction Eggy was pointing and saw, about fifty or sixty meters away, a large tree above the ground and two thick black lines.

The sight gave Longzi a strange sense of familiarity, but for the moment, he couldn't quite place it. It was winter, and by five o'clock the sky was already dim, making it impossible to determine if those lines were snakes or not.

The two of them mustered up their courage and approached cautiously. When they were about ten meters away, they discovered that the "snake" wasn't a creature at all, but rather two lengths of rope. The ropes had been cut cleanly. Seeing this, Eggy was the first to exclaim:

"Hey, aren't these the ropes that tied up Shuai Chao and Chen Zhao? Where did those two go? Did they just vanish into thin air? Are they playing around?"

"Can you be serious for once?" Longzi smacked Eggy on the back of the head.

Eggy's eyes filled with stars from the blow; he clutched his head, wailing. Longzi ignored him and looked around. Suddenly, a thought struck him and he said,

"Eggy, isn't this the spot where we landed?"

He sounded dubious.

"Let me see... Hmm... It does look familiar. Yes! This is exactly where we first arrived. Look, there's even the patch I peed by the tree!" Eggy nodded to himself, certain.

"Disgusting."

"But, where are those two?" Eggy suddenly realized, as if his reaction was delayed. He slapped his forehead and said, "I must not be fully awake yet. My soul was probably snatched away by that spider demon earlier!"

Eggy tried to push the blame onto the spider demon, but Longzi was actually more concerned about something else.

"That's not the real issue. The real question is—where's our boat?"

As soon as Longzi said this, Eggy started looking around frantically, but, sure enough, there was no sign of their boat.

"Where did it go? It was definitely nearby, and now even the dinghy is gone." Eggy was starting to panic. How would they get back now? He was growing anxious.

"Don't worry yet. The ropes were cut cleanly, definitely with a sharp tool. Maybe Shuai Chao and Chen Zhao needed the dinghy urgently and took it back." Longzi paused, then added, "What worries me is something more serious. The sea around the reef island shouldn't be that rough. What happened to make them leave in such a hurry?"

Longzi realized that Old Ji wouldn’t have left the island for no reason. There must have been some sudden event that forced him to prioritize everyone’s safety.

“These cut ropes—most likely, Old Ji and the others came looking for us, found Shuai Chao and Chen Zhao, and took them back. Besides, since you and I came out with Captain Nuo, we’re relatively safer than the others. But they don’t know that Captain Nuo has been separated from us for quite a while.” Longzi glanced at Eggy and continued, “Still, from the look of things, everyone is relatively safe. By the way, Eggy, check around the big tree—see if Old Ji left any messages.”

Eggy circled the tree three times to the left, three times to the right, kicked at the trunk, but found nothing.

“There’s nothing here, but…” Eggy hesitated.

“But what?”

“Well, actually, there’s something I want to say. Have you heard the saying, ‘the young lotus just peeks out of the water’?”

“Get lost!” Longzi cursed immediately.

“It’s just, I really have to go. It wants out.” With that, Eggy waved his hand and slipped behind the tree to relieve himself.

“Can you take a dump more quietly? First it’s your farting, then your grunting. And how long has it been since you last went? It reeks—it’s drifting all the way over here!”

Wrinkling his nose at the stench, Longzi made his way to where the dinghy had been moored. He remembered clearly that they had tied it to the roots of a tree. But what he saw now was that the roots seemed to have been hacked at, all broken apart. Looking more closely, under the broken roots, he spotted a floating bundle.

At first, they’d only been focused on the tree and people, and the bundle had been hidden by roots and coral, making it impossible to notice. Longzi took out his trusty tool—the Shadow Claw—pressed the lock in the middle, and with a swish, it grabbed the bundle securely.

He fished out the wet bundle and carefully unwrapped the plastic bag, tossing aside the foam. After turning the bundle over and over, he finally found what he was looking for—a letter.

He slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the note inside. The handwriting was clear—Longzi recognized it at once as Old Ji’s.

“Nuo,

Something unexpected happened. We encountered a mysterious creature and had no choice but to leave for now. I’ll have the boat anchored on the opposite side of the island, waiting for your return.

—Ji”

The brief message matched his earlier suspicions. But Longzi wondered—what kind of creature could have driven Old Ji and the others away? Should the two of them try to regroup with Captain Nuo first, then go to the other side of the island? Or head straight to find Old Ji?

While he was pondering, his back was suddenly slapped, startling him.

“Find any treasure?” Eggy crept up silently and gave him a sudden smack. Longzi, so close to the shore and standing on slippery ground, slipped and nearly fell into the sea, but Eggy grabbed him in time and yanked him back.

Eggy was always strong, a fan of Bruce Lee and his own muscles, so in a pinch he managed to save Longzi.

Both of them were shaken, gasping for breath. Longzi, fuming, yelled, “Are you brainless or possessed? Did a donkey kick your head?” He kept scolding Eggy for his poor timing. Normally, Eggy never saw Longzi so worked up, and he wondered why he was so irritable today.

“Forget it. Let’s go! Old Ji is waiting for us on the other side,” Longzi snapped, still not having calmed down.

“I, uh, have one more thing,” Eggy said meekly.

“What?”

“I just finished my business, used some leaves, but my finger poked through by accident. Do you mind if I wash my hands before we go?”

“You—! Unbelievable! Fine, wash up! And when you’re done, carry this bundle!” Longzi pointed at the bundle he’d just fished out.

“Alright, will do!” Eggy rubbed his hands on the damp plastic and foam, then wiped them back and forth on his pants. Watching this, Longzi felt only disgust and nausea.

Just then, a familiar and very clear voice crackled through the walkie-talkie.

“Longzi! Longzi!” After a bit of static, “Eggy! Eggy!” The device kept repeating their names, calling out for them.