Chapter 1069 Slaughter
After the captain was killed, the atmosphere on the ship became tense, and everyone panicked.
The ship sailed slowly at sea, and no one mentioned the overloading issue again. On the surface, it seemed harmonious, but in reality, it was the calm before the storm.
"When we first boarded the ship, we often got together to chat and laugh."
Those who make this trip know full well what it means. There's a high chance they'll go astray, encounter strong winds, and drown at sea, never to return.
Driven by money and the desire for a better life, people take risks, but they remain optimistic and always cling to a sense of侥幸 (a lucky break).
Unexpectedly, a murder occurred just a few days after he left.
Brother Lu couldn't get a clear answer from him about who killed the old captain, and besides, he didn't really trust the troublemaker.
"Brother, out of the hundred or so of you who boarded the ship, only a dozen or so have returned. What about the rest..."
Brother Lu had barely begun speaking when Carpenter Lu was already feeling terrified. On the high seas, surrounded by water, if even the slightest accident occurred, there would be no turning back.
Far from Daqi, in the deep sea, there are no fishermen. Even if you use planks or other materials to float and save yourself, you will be swept into the water by a big wave. No matter how good a swimmer is, he will not escape.
"They're all dead."
Upon hearing this, Brother Lu fell into a deep silence.
The atmosphere was tense for a while before the old captain took over. It was after that incident that he was chosen as the new captain because he was the oldest.
"And then what happened? Did that kind of thing happen again?"
Long sea voyages can be oppressive.
Those who go to sea have long since become indifferent to life and death, but they harbor the侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality) of getting rich quick. In a relatively high-pressure environment, it is easy for people to quarrel and have conflicts, which amplify the worst aspects of human nature. For the sake of gain or loss, they do bad things.
Lin Yuesha estimated that after people on the ship were killed, there would likely be another massacre.
"Yes, it happened again."
The memories were like a nightmare. Brother Lu closed his eyes and said, "After the captain died, on the surface, there was no friction between us, but in reality, we no longer ate together."
At the very beginning of the journey, they agreed that there would be a dedicated cook on board.
The cook, Fatty, was related to the captain. After the captain died, Fatty became taciturn and often hid in the kitchen, tinkering with something.
Brother Lu was thirsty in the middle of the night and went to the kitchen to get some water. He saw Fatty sharpening a knife.
"The fat man's eyes were sinister; I guess he wanted revenge for the captain."
Brother Lu didn't want to meddle in other people's business. After returning to his cabin, he closed the door tightly and was very frightened.
The next day, another familiar face was gone. This time, everyone became even more silent, and no one even mentioned it.
Behind their backs, the troublemaker found them again and told Brother Lu that the missing person had been killed by Fatty and thrown into the sea.
He got up to use the toilet in the middle of the night and saw that the seawater was red and had a strong smell of blood, guessing that the person had died a gruesome death.
The remaining people became suspicious of each other, split into factions, and started forming small groups, fearing that they would be isolated and helpless.
The guilty man, fearing that the fat man might poison the food, insisted on cooking for himself. Brother Lu also took on some of the work, responsible for cooking for himself and about ten other people, including the troublemaker.
After some time on the road, it hadn't rained for a while, and the fresh water on the boat was running low, while the firewood and charcoal reserves were almost gone.
At this critical juncture, the conflict resurfaced, and the mutual dissatisfaction intensified.
"The two groups started fighting because they were complaining that the other was using too much water and firewood, and because of the shortage of supplies."
A dozen or so people on one side started fighting on the deck to vent their frustrations. Eventually, someone got so enraged that he ran into the kitchen, grabbed the fat man's knife, and began hacking at the other side, initiating a bloodbath.
Both sides were bloodthirsty, wishing the other dead. Neither was willing to stop. Someone who tried to persuade them was stabbed twice and died a violent death.
Upon seeing this, Brother Lu quickly hid in the cabin, blocked the door with a bed and other items, and sighed repeatedly.
At that time, he felt like he was in hell, which was already very bad.
Terrified and helpless, he even considered jumping ship, but at that moment jumping ship would be tantamount to suicide.
"Brother, they're already killing each other before even reaching the open sea. How many of them have died?"
Carpenter Lu was deeply distressed upon hearing this, and clutched his chest tightly as he asked.
"Let me continue."
Once there was no more noise on the deck, Lu the carpenter didn't dare go out. Luckily, he had some dry, hard biscuits he had brought from home and some water he had stored in advance, enough to last him for a few days.
This was the best decision he ever made; otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have survived.
"Yes, thanks to your brother's quick thinking, he sensed something was wrong the night he saw Fatty sharpening his knife. Your brother secretly went to the kitchen to get water and then stored it in the cabin."
Before boarding the ship, everyone else brought rice, flour, and other supplies, but Brother Lu brought several large bags of dry, hard pancakes made from wild vegetables, just in case. As it turned out, they saved his life at the crucial moment.
The next day, after there was no movement on the deck, they did not leave their cabins but continued to hide.
A short while later, screams could be heard from outside the cabin.
The fat man killed the troublemaker in a frenzy, ambushing anyone who went out to find water with a knife.
The fat man killed dozens of people, but in the end, he couldn't take it anymore and broke down, jumping into the sea to commit suicide.
A few days later, the smell of blood grew stronger, and the cabin was deathly silent.
After running out of water in the cabin, Brother Lu had to leave. Only then did he discover that the deck was littered with corpses, one of whom still had a faint breath. He was the last person the fat man killed and had witnessed everything.
Despite Brother Lu's efforts to save the person, that person couldn't hold on.
After the massacre, only about twenty survivors remained on the ship.
Most of them were timid and fearful, and kept hiding. Some were not as well-prepared as the Lu family father and son, and some even fainted from hunger.
The ship continued sailing at sea, but encountered a large storm and nearly capsized.
Several days of heavy rain washed away the bloodstains on the deck, and apart from the sharp decrease in the number of people, it seemed as if nothing had happened.
The group gathered together and, for the first time, spoke frankly with each other, revealing their true feelings.
With their future uncertain, and perhaps destined to disappear at sea sooner or later, they might as well work together and continue their journey out to sea.
During the journey, Brother Lu considered turning back, but everyone voted and ultimately decided to continue.
"There were over a hundred people when we arrived, but we left in a short time, with more than half of them missing. How do you explain that?"
Having no other choice, the group had to grit their teeth and keep going. Little did they know that they would disappear for six or seven years.
“Father, elder brother, for the past few years I have been waiting for news from you in the fishing village, always holding onto hope. But in recent years, I have realized that hope is becoming increasingly slim, and I have even accepted this reality.”
Lu the carpenter was very sad. Just when he had given up hope, his father and elder brother returned without warning.
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