These must have been prepared by the military, right? Are they accomplices? Lin Cuicui couldn't decide. This could also be a threat.

"Girl, what's wrong? Hurry up and get on the boat, it's about to depart." Wei Xin was a little anxious. The long journey was over, and only this last hurdle remained. She absolutely would not allow Lin Cuicui to back down.

Lin Cuicui smiled as she boarded the boat, saying, "Sister-in-law, this boat reminds me of when our family first arrived here. Ah, time really flies."

Wei Xin had no time to chat with her now, so she just gave a perfunctory reply, "Isn't that right? We're all here to join the army, and none of us are far from our hometowns. As long as we're doing well, it doesn't matter where we are."

Lin Cuicui smiled and agreed, standing with Wei Xin by the railing. The sea was right behind them; at least one side was safe.

The boat slowly pulled away from the shore, and Lin Cuicui leaned against the mottled railing, counting the buoys. They couldn't start operating as soon as they boarded; they had to get as far away from the southern island as possible so that reinforcements wouldn't arrive too quickly.

Lin Cuicui subtly surveyed the people around her; many extended friendly gestures towards her. However, Lin Cuicui couldn't tell whether they were human or ghost. She knew she lacked keen observation skills and didn't know which people were truly good.

So she decided to rely on herself as much as possible. If she couldn't rely on herself, she could only choose to trust those she instinctively wanted to trust. Ultimately, her goal was to go home. To find those bad people, and then she could go home in peace.

As Lin Cuicui tried to absorb spiritual energy, she counted the floating floats. When she counted to the 179th float, the old woman selling sweet soup suddenly staggered, and the brown liquid in the copper bowl splashed onto her skirt.

"I'm so sorry!" The old woman apologized in her southern dialect, but her withered fingers quickly traced three dark red finger marks on Lin Cuicui's skirt.

As Lin Cuicui looked down, she caught a glimpse of a half-piece of indigo cloth hidden under the other person's fingernails—the same color as the cloth that had fallen from the duster when the owner of the grocery store they had just passed was dusting off.

Lin Cuicui was startled. Could it be that Wei Xin tripped over her foot to deliver a message? This was too unbelievable. She had sensed something was wrong, but she genuinely had no idea what Wei Xin was doing.

Is tripping someone up a form of communication? What message is she trying to convey? Shouldn't their plans be pre-arranged?

Lin Cuicui lowered her head in thought, but the old lady didn't give her a chance. "Oh dear, young lady, I'm so sorry. This dress looks brand new. And my legs are so weak, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright." Lin Cuicui had just taken a half step back when the old woman tried to grab her, but Lin Cuicui shifted to the side. "Auntie, it'll be fine after it dries, it's really nothing."

The old woman grabbed at empty air and said anxiously, "How can that be? Girl, I have another piece of clothing in my bundle. It was a bit cold this morning, so I took an extra one. Come with me to the cabin and change."

"It's so cold outside, you'll catch a cold if your clothes get wet."