I saw everyone panic and turn their heads away, not looking at the broken ship, and I had no idea what was happening. In this unclear situation, I didn’t dare to act on my own and hurriedly turned my back like them. The woman trembled and said to me, “No matter what happens, don’t turn your head. Even if something touches you, pretend you don’t know.”

Upon hearing this, cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and I asked, “Don’t scare me. What could possibly touch me here?” She shot me a glance and whispered, “It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not; you’ll find out soon enough. Now, quickly turn your head away!”

Seeing the seriousness in her expression and the fear on the faces of the other crew members, I felt she wasn’t just trying to frighten me. I quietly asked, “You have to tell me, what exactly is it?”

The woman made a gesture for silence and said, “Shut up! It’s the ghost of someone who died unjustly, come to collect a debt.”

The more she said this, the more scared I became. My neck involuntarily wanted to turn around to take a look, but I quickly pinched my thigh, tensing the muscles in my neck as if they were in a cast.

The ship was rocking violently in the wind and waves, and the deck creaked as if it were about to fall apart. I grabbed two iron rings on the ship’s railing, bracing my backside against it, but my upper body kept swaying. My neck couldn’t move, and I felt like a weeble wobbling back and forth, almost getting thrown off a few times.

At that moment, I could already hear the sound coming from the so-called ghost ship, creaking as if someone were walking on the deck. I was soaked from the seawater, and combined with my cold sweat, it was very uncomfortable. I couldn’t help but softly ask the woman, “Why does it sound like someone is walking on the deck? Did you see it wrong just now?”

The woman looked very frightened and motioned with her lips. Following her gaze, I saw that the glass of the ship’s hold clearly reflected what was behind us. A fishing boat, similar in size to ours, was swaying behind us, getting closer and closer. I could see it more clearly now; soon I noticed that the ship was covered with a layer of white, cotton-like sea rust. Judging by its thickness, it must have been submerged in the sea for decades. I couldn’t understand how such a ship could still float on the surface, and there was even a light on it.

The ghost ships in novels are usually very dilapidated but still capable of sailing, but this one was definitely completely derelict, looking as if it had just risen from the seabed. My mind raced as I recalled reports I had read about ghost ships; none of them mentioned anything like this.

As the ship drew closer, I sensed something was off and quietly said, “Miss, this doesn’t seem right. That ghost ship looks like it’s planning to ram us! Shouldn’t you tell the captain to full throttle and escape?”

The woman also seemed a bit scared, her hair plastered to her face, and she didn’t even think to brush it aside. She said, “When it’s time to escape, the captain will take care of it himself. Our two ships are about the same tonnage; I’m not afraid if it rams us. Just hold on tight and don’t fall off.”

I couldn’t tell if her tone was meant to remind me or mock me, so I replied, “I’m just worried that he might jump ship and run away, and then we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.”

“Stop trying to sow discord here. This fishing boat is the lifeline of those fishermen; they wouldn’t leave it even if it meant death.” The woman was getting a bit angry. “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll push you overboard!”

Hearing her so fierce, I decided to keep quiet and focused my attention on the ghost ship reflected in the glass. I estimated that at its speed, the collision wouldn’t cause much of a jolt (later I realized this was a foolish thought), and gradually calmed down.

The ship drew closer, and I could see clearly that there was nothing on it. I had expected to see some terrifying sights, so I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. The ship was coming in fast, almost right up against ours. I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and braced myself for the impact.

In an instant, the sounds from behind suddenly stopped. I waited for about ten seconds, thinking that even if it wanted to collide ten times, it should have done so by now, but there was still no movement. I felt puzzled. At that moment, I heard the creaking sound of the deck coming from behind me. My heart raced a little, and I cautiously opened one eye to look at the glass of the ship’s hold. The ghost ship was now parallel to us, and there was nothing behind me.

I let out a sigh of relief and glanced to the side. I saw the woman next to me, just like me, staring at the glass of the hold, frozen in fear. I sensed that something was off. Looking closely, I noticed that two withered hands were draped over her shoulders.