Thinking about it, Zhang Haiyan suddenly had a bright idea. Seeing that the sentry had not walked far, he immediately called him back.
“Wait a moment.”
Zhang Haixia, hiding in a corner, felt uncomfortable. Just as he was about to come out, he was called back by Zhang Haiyan and shrank back again to hide.
The sentry walked back, and Zhang Haiyan pretended to fiddle with the jars and bottles on the cabinet, still not turning around, and said, “There’s something I didn’t tell you. But I thought about it, and given the current urgent situation, I can’t keep it hidden any longer.”
“Please speak, Deputy Officer.”
“Do you know someone named Zhang Haiyan?” Zhang Haiyan asked.
The sentry had no idea, shaking his head, “I’m not aware, sir.” Zhang Haixia in the darkness also frowned, not knowing what he was up to.
“This person is affiliated with the Nanyang Maritime Office, under the jurisdiction of the Office of Foreign Affairs, specifically the Nanyang Archives. He specializes in investigating strange cases on the Nanyang sea routes and is a well-known expert. The person you just saw on the Panhua Reef is him. He is my lifelong nemesis, and I have lived in his shadow for a very long time.”
The sentry was clearly confused and hesitated for a moment, “Oh.” He cautiously replied, “I understand, sir. But didn’t you just say that he is one of Zhang Qishan’s men?”
“I didn’t want to scare you. This Zhang Haiyan is a thousand times more troublesome than Zhang Qishan. I mentioned Zhang Qishan instead of Zhang Haiyan to avoid frightening you.” Zhang Haiyan lowered his voice, trying not to laugh. He glanced at Zhang Haixia, who rolled his eyes in the darkness.
The sentry was evidently more afraid of Zhang Qishan at this point and was completely disoriented. “So—what you mean is—”
“Blow that rock apart for me. We can’t delay. No matter how powerful what’s inside is, we need to finish our work tonight and get out of here!”
The sentry looked puzzled, “But—”
“I’ll take full responsibility. I’m ten thousand percent sure that Zhang Haiyan has already infiltrated us. If we can’t complete our mission tonight, we’ll all die here.”
The sentry had no choice but to nod and quickly retreated, looking very well-trained. Zhang Haiyan turned back and closed the door, saying, “You see, being too well-trained has its drawbacks. If you treated me like that, I would have kicked you out long ago, and this trick wouldn’t have succeeded.”
Zhang Haixia came out, almost unwilling to talk to Zhang Haiyan. After thinking for a moment, Zhang Haiyan pulled out the steel needle from his throat, “Of course, ordinary people wouldn’t believe that someone could have such a thick skin. I admit I have a talent for it.”
“There are so many captives here. If you give orders recklessly, you could endanger everyone,” Zhang Haixia said.
“This place is heavily guarded, and these soldiers are well-trained. Plus, we are most afraid of the automatic pistols that almost everyone is equipped with, and there are hundreds of laborers down there as hostages. Are you still thinking about getting out of this unscathed?” Zhang Haiyan took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. “In this situation, we’re all dead if we don’t stir up some trouble; we won’t have any chance otherwise.”
Zhang Haixia checked the body that the deputy officer had dealt with earlier, “Things aren’t as simple as you think. What do you think is being kept under the ship?”
“Water ghosts? Sea demons? Nezha? Ao Bai?”

“The Dragon King of the East Sea is called Ao Guang.” Zhang Haixia put on a pair of rubber gloves from the side, then noticed a mask nearby, put one on himself, and took a few more to stuff into his pocket before prying open the mouth of the corpse on the table. It was a skeletal female corpse, an individual from Southeast Asia, who had suffered from long-term malnutrition. Her hair was yellow, her eye sockets deeply sunken, and she was barely recognizable as human, with her body and feet covered in wounds from barnacles on the rocks.

The female corpse’s mouth was completely ruined, her teeth a mass of yellow stains and black calculus. It was evident that her tongue had been cut out, exposing her throat, which was stuffed full of salt. Zhang Haixia sniffed the air and his expression grew grave: “You’d better take back your orders.”

“Why?”

“This corpse is likely one of the passengers from ten years ago, forced to dig here. But she didn’t die of starvation; she died of illness. The salt and the medicinal liquids were used for disinfection, which means these laborers would get sick and die during the digging process, and this officer believes that this illness could be contagious.”

Zhang Haiyan pondered for a moment: “Are you saying there are no living monsters on the plague ship? On the plague ship—”

“There’s only the plague.”

It was the ‘Five Dou Disease,’ the plague that spreads and manifests the fastest.

Zhang Haiyan took a deep breath, immediately putting the golden needle back in place while rummaging through the phone book beside him. He said to Zhang Haixia, “Help me make a call, I need to tell them to stop—”

Before he could finish, there was a loud bang outside, and the entire ship shook. All the bottles and jars were knocked over, and the corpses outside swayed precariously. The two of them managed to steady the female corpse.

They exchanged glances when suddenly someone shouted from the deck: “It’s blown through, it’s blown through!” Countless footsteps began to echo, as if a multitude of people rushed over to take a look.

“It’s over.” Zhang Haiyan dashed out, climbed up the stairs, and reached the deck, which was crowded with people—both laborers and soldiers. The guards at the top were no longer paying attention to their posts, all looking toward the center of the reef. As Zhang Haiyan squeezed into the crowd, no one noticed him.

The heat from the explosion at the center of the reef still lingered, and some laborers were slowly approaching. It was clear that the hole created by the explosion was rapidly exchanging air with the outside; smoke was being sucked into the hole and then expelled. The visible smoke and dust had already spread throughout the entire ship. Zhang Haiyan felt a sting in his eyes and a surge of fear. Many people began to cough.

Zhang Haixia helped him put on a mask from behind and then handed him a pair of gloves.

“Did I cause trouble?”

“No, you were right. Regardless, we’re all doomed, but now it’s time to clean up the mess. If we don’t go to hell, who will?” He patted the disinfectant in his hands, with three or four barrels at his feet. “Let’s go.”

“I know I was reckless; don’t say more. I need to reflect on my actions.” Zhang Haiyan picked up a barrel, and the two pushed their way through the crowd.

Zhang Haixia said, “What you did isn’t recklessness; signing a contract to sell yourself to the South Seas is what’s reckless. Do you know what your godmother is like?”

“I have my reasons for that.”

“You have your reasons because you’re stubborn enough; why isn’t she stubborn with me?!”

Two people arrived at the rocky area, where the scorching hot air from the explosion still burned. Some began to realize what was happening, but seeing them carrying disinfectant and acting completely at ease, everyone assumed it was an arrangement by the officer, so no one spoke up. The two approached the edge of the large hole, and Zhang Haixia first poured a bucket of disinfectant down. Listening to the sound of the liquid, it didn’t seem particularly deep below. Then they applied the disinfectant to their masks and covered their bodies with it. They exchanged a glance and jumped down.