Clues

"In 1900, the Second District hasn't even launched yet. There's no way they could recognize me as a Star Official, let alone connect that to Lieutenant Haas," Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself as he lay on his bunk in the quarters. Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to see what the extraterrestrial meteorite truly looked like, though judging by the heartbeat-like thumping, it was likely some form of living entity. The Holy See's Spirit Realm walkers had been staying in the lower hold the entire time, keeping watch over that thing. "If only I could get a look, I'd know what that fallen object really is and what the Holy See's people are doing," Zhang Yuanqing sighed. Just then, his spiritual intuition stirred inexplicably, sensing that something was peering at him from the unseen. Zhang Yuanqing rose at once, strode out of his quarters, and stepped into the corridor. The cramped passage was dead silent. From behind the doors on either side came steady breathing and snoring. An hour ago, they had still been in their rooms gambling and playing cards; now, all had fallen asleep. —Sailing was tedious, monotonous work. Aside from the soldiers on watch duty, the others were permitted to drink in moderation, and gambling fell within the realm of permissible recreation. Zhang Yuanqing stood in the quiet corridor, surveying his surroundings with a grim expression. The sensation of being watched had vanished. *What the hell...* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled under his breath. He returned to his quarters and shut the door. Not daring to sleep, he sat by the desk near the window, waiting for dawn. "Tomorrow I'll probe the Holy See people. If they aren't on the same side as the captain, I can just take control of him directly. That's a bit aggressive, though—it could easily trigger a major crisis..." As he turned things over in his mind, his gaze drifted aimlessly around the room. As he looked, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized something was off. This room was far too clean. Aside from a few sets of lieutenant's uniforms and some toiletries, there was practically nothing in it. How could a normal person's room be so completely devoid of belongings? Even the poorest soldier would have a lighter, cigarettes, and photo booklets of female starlets, yet his room contained nothing of the sort. "Is it because Lieutenant Haas is just a temporarily generated character, so everything about him is a blank slate? If not, the implications are chilling..." It was simple. The room's state meant either his guess was right, or... everything related to Lieutenant Haas had been thoroughly wiped away, which was why it was so barren. If that were the case, Lieutenant Haas's identity was far from ordinary. Yet considering that mysterious feeling of being watched earlier, he forced himself to hold back. Taking off his shoes, he lay down on the bunk, staying vigilant against the unknown gaze lurking in the dark. Time crept by. The sky outside the window gradually brightened as warm sunlight bathed the ocean, setting the entire water's surface rippling with sparkling light. Dawn had broken. Feigning high spirits, Zhang Yuanqing picked up an iron washbasin containing a toothbrush and towel and headed up to the deck to wash. Lining the ship's railings, sailors and soldiers squatted to wash up, crudely discussing women's breasts and hips while looking forward to some intimate instruction once they returned to port. The moment they saw Zhang Yuanqing approach, the chatter stopped instantly, and everyone brushed their teeth and washed their faces in silence. Zhang Yuanqing swept a glance over the naval soldiers and chuckled. "Where has your respect for a superior officer gone?" Scrambling to their feet in a fluster, the soldiers hastily saluted, barking out "Sir!" and "Lieutenant!" Zhang Yuanqing pressed his hand down with a smile, gesturing for them to carry on, and squatted down himself to brush his teeth and wash his face. *They're terrified of me, and it isn't the ordinary fear a subordinate has for a superior...* Zhang Yuanqing kept his face blank, but inwardly he grew increasingly certain that something was wrong with this role of Lieutenant Haas. After finishing his wash, Zhang Yuanqing went to the ship's mess for breakfast. Midway through his meal, a soldier armed with a rifle approached and said, "Lieutenant Haas, the captain requests your presence." "What is it regarding?" Zhang Yuanqing took a sip of warm milk. The soldier shook his head. Unhurriedly finishing his toast, bacon, sausage, and fried egg, Zhang Yuanqing drained the remaining warm milk from his cup. Only then did he rise and follow the soldier out of the mess hall. Passing through the cabins and up to the second deck, the two came to a halt outside the captain's office. The soldier knocked on the door, then turned and left. "Enter!" Captain James's voice called from within. Zhang Yuanqing pushed the door open and stepped inside. He saw the middle-aged man who served as both lieutenant and captain seated behind the desk. Deep blue eyes looked his way, and a steady voice carried an underlying authority: "Did you sleep well last night, Lieutenant Haas?" "Not particularly well. I was missing my mistress back at the Pink Bar." Zhang Yuanqing shrugged. "Lord, I've been on this ship for over twenty days. I think about women every day. Fortunately, in a week at most, we'll be back home." As he said this, he noticed Captain James's expression grow a shade graver. "I summoned you here to inform you that starting tonight, you will be joining the patrols until we return to Port Sully," Captain James said. "Yes, sir!" Zhang Yuanqing snapped to attention and saluted. James nodded in satisfaction. "Dismissed." Zhang Yuanqing turned to leave, but suddenly paused and looked back. "Captain, my tobacco cravings kicked in last night, but I couldn't find even a shred of tobacco in my quarters. You know I can't live without smoke. Without it, I won't be able to carry out my patrol duties properly." James was taken aback for an instant, then nodded. "I'll have a sailor bring a few packs of cigarettes to your room." Watching Lieutenant Haas's departing figure, James's blue eyes were as deep as the sea. *A man who can't live without cigarettes—how could his room have no tobacco at all? Lieutenant Haas's room really was cleared out.* Walking along the deck, Zhang Yuanqing let out a soft chuckle. Of course, if Lieutenant Haas were merely a temporarily generated persona, there would be no need to care about such details. However, with his emotional sensing ability, Zhang Yuanqing had already confirmed that the sailors and soldiers were terrified of "Lieutenant Haas." That meant this role came with its own backstory. Looked at another way, if a Spirit Realm walker overlooked the soldiers' fear and the overly sanitized room, they would miss crucial clues. With that in mind, Zhang Yuanqing decided to verify things further. Turning a corner, he stepped inside the cabin to find the logistics department's supply office. The man in charge of the supply office was a potbellied, gray-eyed fellow with a receding hairline and sagging skin. The moment Zhang Yuanqing walked in, he shuddered violently and stood up in obvious agitation and unease. "L-Lieutenant Haas, how may I help you..." Before he could finish, Zhang Yuanqing snapped his fingers, pulling him into an illusion. Within the illusion, the gray-eyed man pulled a crew roster from the document shelf and checked the inventory supplies of cigarettes, liquor, cheese, vitamin C, and other provisions. Bypassing the dazed clerk standing frozen where he was, Zhang Yuanqing walked to the wooden shelf and took out the personnel roster. The roster ran for a full ten pages, listing over five hundred people. Nearly half of the names had been crossed out in red ink. *So many dead?* Zhang Yuanqing flipped back to the first page and looked at the top of the list. At a glance, his brows knitted tightly together. There were only two lieutenants on the list: Stephen Simpson and Watt Ricardo. There was no "Lieutenant Haas" at all. *I saw Lieutenant Ricardo yesterday, but I haven't seen Stephen Simpson. And there are only two lieutenants aboard the ship...* Zhang Yuanqing narrowed his eyes. Setting down the crew roster, he turned toward the gray-eyed clerk trapped in the illusion. *Snap!* At the sound of the snap, the middle-aged man thudded to the floor, falling into a deep sleep. Zhang Yuanqing's body vanished from the room, entering the man's dream. "Lieutenant Haas?" The gray-eyed man appeared disoriented. He had clearly been working, yet in the blink of an eye, Lieutenant Haas was standing before him. Zhang Yuanqing cut straight to the chase: "Where is Lieutenant Stephen Simpson?" Upon hearing those words, the clerk's face twisted in sheer terror, turning as white as paper as his plump frame trembled uncontrollably. "Where is Lieutenant Stephen Simpson?" Zhang Yuanqing repeated. The middle-aged man shook even more violently, his lips quivering and facial muscles twitching as though some horrific memory had been unearthed. The dream began to tremble, teetering on the verge of collapse. This was a person's subconscious defense mechanism against extreme fear. Zhang Yuanqing hesitated for a second between stabilizing the dream and retreating, then chose the latter. *Pushing further feels like it will trigger an adverse reaction...* He leaped out of the dream, ignored the slumbering clerk, and walked straight out. He was not a Spirit Realm walker of the First District; Toxic Chemists had neither illusions nor dream abilities. Forcing his way through a dream to extract information might trigger a crisis prematurely. And he was not yet prepared. Returning to his quarters in the lower deck, Zhang Yuanqing found two packs of cigarettes and a box of matches sitting on the small desk. He lit an unfiltered cigarette and took a practiced drag. Amid the drifting wisps of blue smoke, his thoughts churned. *Two lieutenants on the ship. Lieutenant Stephen vanished, and a Lieutenant Haas appeared... Could my role be an imposter standing in for Stephen Simpson?* *The room was cleaned out. Why clean it? Ah, I understand. Lieutenant Simpson left something behind, and the sanitized room was the dungeon's hint to the Spirit Realm walkers...* Zhang Yuanqing tossed the cigarette aside and surveyed the room once more. He exhaled a breath of yin energy, which condensed into a chubby, adorable infant. "Ah-ba..." Little Doubi waved his little arms, hugging Zhang Yuanqing's calf and looking up happily at his master and surrogate father. It had been a long time since he last played with his master. "Find anything valuable in this room." Zhang Yuanqing patted the baby's sparsely haired head and tossed out an empty promise. "Once we get out of here, I'll let you play video games." Hearing this, Little Doubi looked as though he had been injected with adrenaline. His little face turned dead serious, and he cocked his head, looking around eagerly. After breaking into the Saint stage, Little Doubi's treasure-seeking ability had advanced significantly. Zhang Yuanqing was eager to see what he could turn up. Little Doubi spun around in place, then suddenly floated up into the air and drifted over to the desk. Grabbing the two packs of cigarettes, he offered them up to his master like treasures. *Taking up smoking at your age?* Zhang Yuanqing gave his bouncy little butt a light smack. "Not those. Keep looking!" Disappointed, Little Doubi set down the cigarettes and raised his head, seemingly sensing for something. A dozen seconds later, he climbed down from the desk and scurried under the bed, staying there for quite a while. Zhang Yuanqing dragged aside the wooden chest holding his clothes and bent down to look. Little Doubi was right beneath the bed, craning his neck up toward the underside of the bed frame. Following his gaze, Zhang Yuanqing spotted a palm-sized notebook fastened to the bed boards with yellow adhesive tape. *Left behind by Lieutenant Stephen?* Reaching under, he peeled off the tape and pulled out the small booklet.