Chapter 37 The Storm Arrives
"Ugh—" you let out a muffled groan. Luckily, your body hit a soft enough mattress, otherwise your ribs might have broken!
The cruise ship swayed back in the opposite direction in an instant, tilting almost 45 degrees!
Before you could even figure out what was happening, your hands instinctively gripped the bed legs tightly. Thank goodness, they were firmly nailed to the ground!
Even so, your tensed core and arched body are still forcibly dragged to the other side along the angle of the tilted floor.
The storm roared outside, and the sound of giant waves crashing against the hull was deafening, mixed with the sound of the wind, as if the entire ship had been thrown into a furious abyss.
What kind of storm must it be for a giant oil tanker of this size to shift so drastically?
Could it be a tsunami?!
You silently spat a few times, "Don't be a jinx!"
At least you can still keep your composure now, but the other small pieces of furniture and ornaments have long since lost their secure place.
The exquisite glass coffee table slid down towards the wall of the room, crashing to the ground with a loud, sharp sound before shattering into countless fragments. The vase, picture frames, and tall floor lamp on the table also fell to the floor like dominoes, shards of porcelain and glass scattered everywhere. The lampshade rolled into a corner, the light flickering as if about to go out.
The cruise ship is still tilted like this. If it tilts to the other side, your head will become a sitting duck for the debris.
Raise your eyebrows, roll your eyes upward, and barely see the pillows and blankets on the bed slip off to the floor to one side.
It should be enough.
You stretched out your hand and tried, but even with your muscles stretched to the limit, it was still a little short.
With a click of your tongue, you had no choice but to use your fingertips to grip the edge of the bed and carefully move it little by little towards that side. Then, you stretched out your leg, your toes almost cramping, and finally managed to hook and clamp the blanket to your side.
In the blink of an eye, you managed to wrap yourself up, and the boat tilted to a different direction.
After a series of loud crashes, besides the shards and debris, you could also feel some larger pieces of furniture hitting you. Thanks to the blanket cushioning the impact, you weren't injured.
With the bed against my back this time, although I couldn't stand steadily, I was able to stand up by holding onto the edge of the bed.
Shake the blanket a few times to remove the crumbs, then wrap it around your feet in a few patterns. This will at least protect your feet after you've lost your indoor slippers, preventing you from stepping on the mess in the room.
By the way, how is Xiaoming?
Keep in mind that the bathroom is a small space, and she had just been taking a shower. The incident happened so suddenly that it would have been terrible if she hadn't been able to stand properly and had bumped into the edges of the marble fixtures.
"Xiao Ming—" You had just opened your mouth when a dazzling flash of lightning streaked across the window, followed by a deafening clap of thunder almost simultaneously.
The curtains had already torn a crack after being shaken several times. At the same time, the power went out completely and the whole room was filled with blinding white light, making the walls and overturned furniture look incredibly grotesque.
Not only inside the house, but a series of lightning bolts finally allowed you to see the situation outside:
The waves outside the window were like the claws of a monster, pounding wildly against the glass. The transparent glass trembled violently as if it would be torn apart by a tremendous force at any moment, and the seawater would rush in and swallow everything.
The luxury suites are located on the top floor of the cruise ship!
Even if you rationally know that the cruise ship is tilting towards the balcony, seeing this still sends chills down your spine.
All the terror that comes from ghosts and monsters turns out to be so easy when faced with the angry natural phenomena.
A moment of despair almost engulfs you; it's a fear etched into your genes.
The sea was so deep and so black.
Huff, huff, huff.
calm.
Modern cruise ships almost never capsize due to waves, and this is no ordinary cruise ship.
You can feel your legs trembling, and your knuckles are white as you clutch your arms tightly. Hang in there, the storm won't be the biggest danger tonight.
Haha, no one else can comfort themselves like this except you.
Another violent jolt sent my body crashing heavily against the wooden panel as I straightened up, and pain immediately spread throughout my body.
You grimace and repeatedly tell yourself, "It's a miracle I didn't fall on broken glass," to brainwash yourself.
Stay calm, take a deep breath, and take it slow.
Holding onto the bed with one hand and reaching for the few remaining pieces of furniture in the room with the other, you slowly made your way towards the bathroom.
The floor seemed ready to slip at any moment as it swayed, and your center of gravity shifted constantly. Every step felt like battling a storm, as if you might be suddenly thrown to the side at any moment. But your adaptability remained as good as ever, and you gradually figured out how to maintain your balance.
With toes turned outwards and a slight squat, engage your glutes and thighs, while your waist and abdomen provide a counterforce in the opposite direction as you sway. Whew, not bad, I can walk like this.
The bathroom door, just a few steps away, feels like dozens of steps away, and you have to dodge small pieces of furniture that spin around the room like dice.
"Xiaoming!" you shouted, trying to make her hear you amidst the roaring waves and wind.
You knocked on the bathroom door a few times—actually, you pounded on it because you couldn't control the force as lightly as you would normally—and the entire door frame creaked and groaned as the ship rocked.
A moment later, Xiaoming responded from inside the bathroom, his voice slightly weak.
"I'm here! What's wrong? The boat... ouch... why is the boat rocking so badly?" Her voice sounded distant through the door, muffled by the howling wind, but you could hear her occasional groans. She must be injured.
"There's a storm. We don't know yet if it's a normal severe natural event or if it's related to the dungeon design," you said.
I originally wanted to call Xiaoming out, but then I thought that while it's good to stick together in times of crisis, it might be safer to stay in a small room like the bathroom with something to hold onto than to be outside.
"It's okay, you can stay in the bathroom. Just wait until the storm is over to see—hey, did you bump or hurt yourself anywhere? Are you alright?"
"I'm okay, I'm holding onto the sink drain. I'd better get out of the bathroom quickly, at least I can see what to do next once I'm outside," Xiaoming replied after a while.
That's true. "Then hurry up and come out while things are still relatively calm!" The noise on your end was even louder, making it hard for you to even hear your own voice, so you were shouting every word. "It'll save me from ruining my voice like this. I feel like I'm going to lose my voice tomorrow," you said with a wry smile.
Struggling to maintain his balance, he gripped the door frame tightly to avoid being thrown far away by the next violent sway.
No sooner had she finished speaking than Xiaoming pushed open the door and peeked out. A small wave created a perfect jolt, and she stumbled into your arms, tumbling back to the bedside with you, where she fell down with a thud.
"Ouch!" Xiao Ming cried out in pain.
You then realized that Xiaoming's arm was pinned under you, so you quickly got up, grabbed the bedpost, and checked on her: "Are you alright?"
"Finally, it's my turn to get injured," Xiaoming said with a dry laugh, rolling up her sleeves and the hem of her shirt to show you the bruises on her body.
"As long as the bone isn't broken, that's fine." You have a very content and happy spirit.
It's like riding a pirate ship right now, the ship is rocking back and forth, I wonder if Xiao Fang, who gets carsick, is okay.
Anyway, you and Xiaoming are practically half-hugging each other now, leaning against the edge of the bed, as close to the ground as possible, your hands gripping the bed frame tightly. You're snuggled together, your breaths filled with each other's scent, and you finally feel a little more at ease.
"We'll be fine... As long as we get through this, everything will be alright." You always subconsciously want to comfort others.
Xiao Ming chuckled and nodded. You all know this is just useless nonsense, but having something to hold onto is better than complaining and blaming others.
But the storm showed no signs of abating; instead, it intensified, with the roar of the waves and the rumble of thunder intertwining, making it almost impossible to think.
You endured it again and again, but this environment still made you feel uneasy.
"The question now is, is this storm the challenge we're about to face, or is it just creating an atmosphere for the real challenge?" Xiaoming asked.
“We can’t go out either. If the glass—” you gesture toward the balcony, “breaks and seawater floods in, it might be a good thing. If we can just endure the seawater rushing in, we can probably get through it. If it’s just for atmosphere, then there’s no immediate danger, and we can still bear it.”
Before he finished speaking, a low "click-clack" sound came from the corridor outside.
You and Xiaoming exchanged a glance, both seeing a look of astonishment on each other's faces.
What you say comes true; indeed, one should remain silent.
Prick up your ears, and the sound in the corridor sounds more and more like metal being twisted and torn apart by immense pressure, with a very rhythmic quality.
Collapse, collapse, collapse.
As a child of the Flower Kingdom, you also learned a musical instrument, which happened to be the violin. In your mischievous childhood, you once cut the violin strings. Back then, it sounded like this, snap snap snap, like a spring.
Is the entire building gradually collapsing? That's unbelievable! How are you going to deal with that?
"Don't say anything, don't ask anything." You put on a mask of pain, closed your eyes, and tried to avoid Xiaoming, whose lips were moving as if he was about to speak.
"What's that sound?" Xiaoming asked directly, ignoring all your excuses.
The clicking sound grew clearer and clearer. Listening carefully, it seemed to be coming only from the corridor. But whether it was due to excessive mental stress or something else, you felt that the same sound was sometimes above your head and sometimes below your feet. The same sound was everywhere, and every sound came from all directions.
You imagine those sturdy steel plates twisting and breaking under pressure. Are the steel beams connecting the ship's compartments also like those in a building? You don't know, but such a scene is already forming in your mind:
The entire ship was like a fish that had been skinned and gutted, decaying and disintegrating from the inside out.
According to the cruise ship's rules, no one is allowed to go out after midnight, but in the current situation... the sound seems to be alive, calling you to go and find out what's going on.
Staring intently at the door for a moment, thanks to Lightning, you notice that the door has been slightly deformed by the repeated impacts, dented inwards, revealing a small crack.
Xiao Ming also noticed this, and following your gaze, she understood your intention. She gently tugged at your sleeve and whispered, "It's best not to investigate. I'm almost certain the real danger is in the corridor. Considering the rules, it might just be a distraction. If you go to investigate, you might fall into the trap."
You disagree.
You feel that the changes happening in the corridor must be incredibly important, and if you miss them, you'll miss the chance to clear the level.
He simply nodded, indicating that she didn't need to worry: "I'll go take a look, just a quick glance, it shouldn't be a big problem. If taking a look brings trouble, then this crack in the door will be our biggest crisis tonight."
“You…” Xiaoming didn’t know how to persuade you. “Don’t disbelieve me. We veterans all have some kind of ‘feeling’. These feelings may be subconscious based on experience, and they work most of the time. I feel that the one outside is very dangerous, but as long as we stay indoors and avoid the impact of the storm, we should be able to get through tonight safely.”
Xiaoming's words, on the contrary, made your doubts and anxieties feel like needles pricking your heart.
How would you explain having a completely opposite feeling? It's a feeling that compels you to lean out, slowly crouch by the door, and get close to the crack, trying to see what's outside.
This is certainly not some kind of manipulation; it's your feeling, just like how you've always managed to find one of the right options by relying on 99% reasoning and 1% intuition.
You resolutely let go, maintaining the balance you had just practiced, and slowly moved toward the doorway.
Very good, very good, that's it.
Collapse, collapse, collapse.
Click, click, click.
"Don't look!" Xiaoming said.
Your eyes are already fixed on the slit.
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