It was a booklet with yellowed covers and creased pages, evidently kept on someone's person for a long time. Zhang Yuanqing flipped to the first page and discovered it was a maritime logbook. The very first entry was dated March 1987, filled with entirely uninformative drivel.
The first few days at sea: Ah, the sea, my home! Every time I am cradled by the rolling waves, it feels like returning to a mother's embrace, like a warrior arriving at the battlefield meant for him.
Half a month at sea: Eating fish until I throw up. Life at sea is dry and dull. I miss Julie from the Pink Bar so much. Her plump breasts and big white ass haunt my dreams all day long, and her moans sound so lovely.
A month at sea: Damn it, today even the boatswain's backside looked plump and enticing. When will this mission end? I want to go home.
Sure enough, no respectable person keeps a diary. Zhang Yuanqing flipped rapidly through the pages, occasionally looking up toward the doorway to listen for any sounds in the corridor.
Soon, he came upon the entry dated August 12, 1900:
"The mission of this voyage is to salvage a comet that crashed into the southern ocean. The men's morale is not very good. Although the Coalition Government manipulated public opinion to suppress the rumors of sea monsters, talk of sea monsters in the South Sea continues to spread through the coastal towns, fishing villages, and trading companies down south. They say the comet was cast down into the mortal realm by the devil, and that any living creature coming near it will be corrupted by demonic power.
"Others claim that extraterrestrial life is concealed within the comet, and that sea monsters were created by aliens as the first step toward destroying the earth. In any case, whatever the truth, this mission is utterly dreadful. Fortunately, before reporting back to the unit, I emptied my load into Linda six times—a full six times! An unimaginable record. Even if I fall in the line of duty, I have no regrets.
"There is one very strange detail: if we are salvaging a meteorite from the deep sea, why use a cruise liner? Although the ship has been refitted and equipped with torpedoes, its tonnage isn't large enough to carry heavy salvage equipment. Are we supposed to rely on frogmen to salvage it from the deep sea?"
August 16:
"Oh God, what happened today is something I will never forget for the rest of my life. We encountered merfolk in the South Sea. They had a semblance of human form, but they were hideous—covered head to toe in scales, with repulsive fish heads and bulging eyeballs practically popping from their sockets. Their hands and feet were tipped with sharp claws that let them scale the hull of the liner.
"Now I finally understand why a refitted cruise ship was deployed instead of a warship or a heavy salvage vessel. It is because the bishops, nuns, and priests of the Holy See are angels blessed by God. They possess the power to combat demons—summoning raging gales, churning the ocean, and unleashing thunder and lightning. Those grotesque, terrifying merfolk were as fragile as children before them.
"How I wish I had powers like theirs and a body as powerful as theirs! Then I could sleep with women every night. No, I would sleep with six women a night!"
The entries that followed were largely uneventful, filled with daily routines and Stephen Simpson's commentary on the Holy See's nuns.
From these notes, Zhang Yuanqing learned that among the Holy See's Spirit Realm walkers were two nuns—a Wind Mage and a Siren, deduced from the abilities they had displayed.
As for their level, they were likely Saints.
Thriller Cruise was a "small-scale" dungeon, so there weren't many Spirit Realm walker NPCs, meaning they were all likely key figures.
In an S-rank dungeon intended for Level 6 Saints, NPCs at the Transcendent stage would not appear.
The Wind Mage who had attacked him the previous night was named Isabella. Lieutenant Stephen's evaluation of her was: An angelic face radiating a sacred aura, tempting a man to defile her shamelessly.
The other Thunder Mage was named Peggy. Stephen's evaluation of her was: A devilish figure. One wiggle of that peach-shaped rump makes me want to run to the head and shoot off some nucleic acid.
However, both stunning beauties possessed supernatural might, so the soldiers aboard could at most indulge in silent fantasies late at night, paying silent, erect tribute beneath their bedsheets.
It was not until August 25 that Zhang Yuanqing finally found valuable information:
"We survived a harrowing day. An octopus larger than the cruise liner, tentacles that blotted out the sky, swarms of fishmen, sea serpents over twenty meters long, fish with baby-like limbs that spat venom, shells that wept like women and stirred up maddening desires... Heavens, no one would believe today's battle if I spoke of it, but I swear on my grandmother's honor that every word is true... I survived entirely on luck. God protected me, and of course, so did the cruise liner's abundant arsenal.
"The meteorite on the seabed was salvaged. It is without a doubt a demon seed cast down to earth by Satan. It resembles an egg, fully five meters tall, its surface covered in pores and blood vessels, pulsing like a heart. The first moment I laid eyes on it, I felt a second personality emerge inside my body, and I felt my flesh and blood emit bizarre sounds as though developing a mind of their own. I wasn't the only one who felt this way; many soldiers vomited on the spot or clutched their heads in convulsions.
"Fortunately, the Holy See's angels quickly doused it in holy water, purifying it with water blessed by God. The Cardinal took it down into the lower hold and strictly forbade the sailors from approaching. It is to be transported to the Holy See and guarded by God. I hope the voyage home goes smoothly!"
August 27:
"What is happening? For two consecutive days, I have heard bizarre whisperings. I heard someone pacing back and forth in the corridor outside my door. The footsteps were mechanical, like an unconscious corpse. I reported this to the captain, but he reassured me it was merely an aftereffect of being tainted by demonic aura a few days ago, and that a good night's sleep would cure it."
August 28:
"...During lunch today, I heard Anthony died suddenly of illness and went to heaven. The news came too abruptly. Such a young life cut short, not in battle, but from disease. May there be no sickness in heaven. I wanted to go see him, but the captain said Anthony died of a contagious disease and his body had already been cast into the sea. Alas, he won't even be able to return home. I hope I won't hear those strange sounds again tonight."
August 29:
"Last night I heard footsteps in the corridor again—a rustling sound, like some kind of arthropod crawling. I didn't dare go out to look. In the morning, I found slime on the walls of the corridor... I reported my discovery to the captain. He took it very seriously and promised to look into it thoroughly."
August 30:
"The captain suddenly changed his attitude today. He said my mental state was poor and that I was hallucinating. How is that possible? He didn't investigate it at all..."
August 31:
"Two more comrades died of disease. The captain ordered the crew to undergo daily physical examinations in the sickbay to prevent infection. I think the sickness might have been brought by the demon seed. Didn't the Holy See's Cardinal purify it? I must bathe thoroughly these days and maintain good hygiene. I want to make it home alive. There is more and more slime in the corridor..."
September 1:
"Another man died of disease today. What's more, everyone has grown so strange—an indefinable strangeness. They are familiar comrades, yet I constantly feel they are strangers. While on patrol tonight, I saw Justin and William standing dazed on the deck. I chased them back to their quarters. Their condition was odd, as if charmed by a demon, strange and frightening. There was slime where they had been standing..."
September 2:
"Justin and William have turned into monsters!! Just now, I secretly followed them to the communal showers, and I saw it! I saw scales growing over Justin's body, and slimy tentacles sprouting from William's tailbone! Heavens, they've become terrifying creatures just like the sea monsters! I have to tell the captain, tell the captain—"
September 3:
"Something is wrong with the captain. Something is wrong with the captain. God, protect me..."
The diary ended there. This final, brief entry was written in crooked, shaky scrawl. When Stephen wrote those words, his mind must have shattered.
He couldn't even hold the pen steady.
Hiss... Putting himself in Stephen's shoes, Zhang Yuanqing felt a sudden surge of despair on his behalf.
After reading the diary, the sequence of events became crystal clear. Once the "demon seed" was salvaged, the protagonist Stephen began hearing mysterious, terrifying whispers every night and discovered his familiar shipmates falling victim to corruption, undergoing grotesque transformations.
Among them was James, who was both a lieutenant and the ship's captain.
And most likely, the Holy See's contingent in the lower hold as well. Being closest to the "demon seed," they were undoubtedly the first to be corrupted.
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly recalled the telegram exchanges between the cruise liner and Naval Headquarters. It was on August 30 that the captain ceased communicating with headquarters. Yet in the diary, on the 29th, Captain James had still solemnly promised to investigate the slime.
By the 30th, however, he had uncharacteristically brushed Lieutenant Stephen off.
The details lined up. The captain had been corrupted on the 30th, turning into a monster that appeared normal on the surface but was thoroughly deranged underneath.
"The diary ends on September 3, and September 4 was the day I entered the Spirit Realm—which was yesterday. Hiss, Stephen most likely died on the 3rd, and I took over his identity.
"The captain is corrupted, the Holy See's team is most likely corrupted as well, along with a portion of the crew—and that's the most conservative estimate. The worst-case scenario is that the crew of the entire ship has been corrupted..."
At this thought, Zhang Yuanqing felt his scalp tingle.
I really dropped straight into a wolves' den!
"So, if I had acted rashly yesterday and forced open the captain's drawer, or if I had forcibly stabilized the dreamscape today, would I have shattered the current equilibrium and caused the crew members to mutate on the spot?
"Good thing I kept my wits about me and didn't act recklessly, figuring everything out in just one day.
"If the entire crew has already mutated, my situation is looking pretty dire. The nuns are Saints, that Cardinal is at least at the peak of Level 6, and on top of that, there's the demon seed in the lower hold... Tsk, it truly lives up to an S-rank dungeon, dropping me right into a den of wolves.
"Should I lay my cards on the table now, or pretend to know nothing and hide for a few more days? Let me think..."
***
In the lower hold.
Wearing his double-breasted captain's uniform and naval cap, James descended the stairs to the entrance.
The two Knights did not stop him, allowing him passage into the lower hold.
James walked among the stacked clutter, cargo, and tools under the dim glow of gas lamps, coming to a halt before the small mountain of flour sacks.
In a low voice, James said, "I've tested him. It seems he's already noticed something amiss."
From behind the mountain of flour sacks came an aged voice:
"Faster than I expected... Hold the ritual!"
James pondered for a moment and said, "Tonight, then. I've assigned him to patrol tonight. When the time comes, I'll arrange for men to forcibly restrain him."
"I will have the Knights outside assist you," the aged voice replied.
***
"The main boss is likely the demon seed, the sub-boss is the Cardinal, the Holy See's Spirit Realm walkers are elite mobs, and the other mutated crewmen are regular mobs. Before tackling the boss, I should clear out the minions.
"In that case, I can't show my hand yet. I'll first find a chance to take out the captain and crew, or kill the Holy See's elites, before heading down to the lower hold for the final showdown against the boss.
"Aren't I on patrol tonight? I can use the opportunity to pick off some of the monsters."
Zhang Yuanqing was a decisive man, and a plan quickly took shape.
The Holy See's Spirit Realm walkers likely wouldn't leave the lower hold; they were enemies to be dealt with last.
He would eliminate the crew and the captain first, then focus entirely on the foes in the lower hold.
Judging by the ship's circumstances, the demon seed's role in this dungeon was probably that of a potent source of corruption.
It possessed the ability to empower Aberrants and corrupt a Spirit Realm walker like him, rather than acting as a direct combatant.
Otherwise, the demon seed would have already taken form as a monster and gone on a slaughtering spree.
Therefore, moving forward, he had to stay vigilant against the demon seed's mutation abilities and guard against becoming corrupted himself.
Chapter 707