Chapter 19: Escaping the Ghost Ship (VI)
The Stalker wasn’t interested in whether Feng Yu Lan had escaped. He merely turned his head slightly and swept an indifferent glance behind him. He also couldn’t care any less about Luo Jian attacking him with his knife. Without wasting a breath, he skillfully parried the weapon with his hand and struck down on Luo Jian’s wrist. Luo Jian’s entire arm became numb, and then the other effortlessly s.n.a.t.c.hed the knife away from him.
His weapon was taken away, but in truth, Luo Jian thought this was a given. He wallowed in regret for only a second, then immediately started looking for an opportunity to escape.
Luo Jian never believed he could actually defeat the Stalker.
The strength of this Stalker was directly proportional to his level of fear, immeasurable. In fact, it wasn’t just his strength that was great; even his combat expertise was infinitely superior to Luo Jian’s. The difference between Luo Jian and this man was far too great that it only left Luo Jian in despair. Just take a look at Luo Jian; he never even had the courage to stand in front of the other in the first place.
“I have to leave! I have run away fast!” Luo Jian uttered to himself. Luo Jian had lied to Feng Yu Lan. He had absolutely no way of prying the whereabouts of the ‘door’ from the Stalker’s mouth! Such a thing was plain impossible for Luo Jian! Don’t tell him that the chamber wouldn’t easily allow him to escape; the one who wouldn’t easily let him escape was the Stalker in front of him!
The only reason why he made Feng Yu Lan flee by himself was because Luo Jian feared implicating him. The Stalker’s att.i.tude towards Luo Jian was somewhat abnormal. Luo Jian’s couldn’t quite put his finger on it, he couldn’t read the other man’s thoughts, but he vaguely sensed that the other was only chasing after him; there was no need to worry about his life being at stake. But there wasn’t any s.p.a.ce for variabilities is his original plan; Luo Jian had no choice but to adapt and do things according to the situation.
However, there was no such thing as an easy escape for Luo Jian. The Stalker rushed forth, swiftly caught him, and at once, pressed him to the ground, his hands and feet were firmly bound. It was a futile to struggle. The man was too powerful, and Luo Jian was sensible, so he decided to give up on pointlessly resisting. He stared at the Stalker with wide eyes.
At this moment, they were only a breath away from each other; an inch closer and their noses would touch.
The Stalker grinned wickedly from seeing Luo Jian gape at him from beneath.
Luo Jian was no stranger to this grin. He had seen this kind of smile before, as it was on the face of a crazed killer that he’d seen back in the real world. Even when he’d been arrested and when he’d been taken into the armored vehicle and transported to the execution grounds, the murderer still maintained a demented, creepy smile on his face.
And the Stalker who faced him grinned exactly like that.
He must’ve grown up surrounded by blood and slaughter. Luo Jian thought as he stared blankly at the man.
How else could he have such a callous grin? Luo Jian could easily and distinctly perceive the other’s malice, his unquenchable thirst for blood. He was like a voracious beast lurking in the darkness, vowing to never stop until it reached its goal, until it captured its prey. As long as it opened its jaws, you’d be able to catch a glimpse of its piercing fangs, seemingly desiring to devour you in the very next second, swallow you whole until you settled at the bottom of its belly. Just the thought of this was hard to stomach.
But this man’s appearance was truly peerless. Even this murderous smile could look so attractive when it was on his face. Luo Jian stupidly gazed at the Stalker. His heart pounded wildly against his chest, intensifying with each pa.s.sing second, nearly suffocating him. He couldn’t believe how silly he was. How could his heart beat like this for the enemy?
The Stalker just pressed his body against Luo Jian’s; he didn’t move for a very long time. Luo Jian paused. He suddenly felt that this might be his chance to properly communicate with the other. So he cautiously opened his mouth and hesitantly questioned, “You…what do you want to do?”
The Stalker didn’t say a word, he didn’t answer back. It was as if he didn’t understand what Luo Jian was asking. He c.o.c.ked his head to one side and blinked his beautiful crimson eyes. This unexpected action was so adorable, Luo Jian felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest; heat rushed to his face. Then, he asked another question.
“What’s your name?”
Unfortunately, the Stalker still didn’t reply. He seemed particularly absorbed by Luo Jian’s lips opening and closing. He eagerly gazed at them, and at last, he was unable to restrain himself. He leaned in closer to Luo Jian’s lips, brushing against them with his own, then gently bit down, without licking. Luo Jian immediately tensed up from that. He flushed a deep red, his ears turned pink, his body trembled, his mind was in chaos, and then he suddenly began to move furtively, wanting to climb out from under the Stalker.
The Stalker reached out with his hands and dragged him back, embracing him tightly in his arms.
“You…What do you want to do in the end?” Luo Jian was getting irritated. Just what did this guy want to do? He wouldn’t let him go, and he kept kissing him and hugging him. It was just like…Luo Jian’s face burned even hotter. This was unconditionally illogical! This must be some sort of conspiracy! He mustn’t be deceived! He had to find a way to escape from here!
Just then, the dead woman who was hanging abruptly shrieked. The penetrating sound resounded in this narrow room; it was deafening to the point that Luo Jian felt like his eardrums would pop. The dead woman’s body quaked, her bones harshly grated against each other. The Stalker raised his head and apathetically glanced at the female corpse.
Only one second.
Luo Jian couldn’t see how the man did it. He just felt something flash before his eyes, and then the female corpse screeched in anguish before she was suddenly torn into pieces, becoming a mere pile of fragmented bones on the ground. Her shredded skirt scattered around, flowing through the air. It was as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured on top of Luo Jian’s head, instantly waking him up from his daydream. His blood ran cold in the Stalker’s embrace.
How could he just forget about it? This guy was the most dreadful Stalker. The boss had repeatedly warned him that if he ever encountered a Stalker, he should use every means to run away. He absolutely mustn’t come into close contact with one. He mustn’t be arrogant and think he can defeat one. So far, all of those foolish players who believed they were strong enough to challenge a Stalker never returned. None of them lived.
Luo Jian paled, he shivered, and he frightfully peeked up at the Stalker’s face. The other person also withdrew his gaze from the woman’s corpse and looked down at Luo Jian. The human in his embrace was trembling. He thought he was cold so he wrapped his arms tighter around the male. However, Luo Jian was still shivering, his teeth, chattering. He was afraid, extremely afraid.
The Stalker couldn’t understand the mind of humans’, but he could clearly recognize that the other person was terrified. He contemplated for a moment, then suddenly pulled out a long, flexible item from his pocket and wrapped it around Luo Jian’s left wrist. Luo Jian eyed the thing, and his face turned even whiter. Holy s.h.i.t, it was actually a snake!
It was slender snake with black and white stripes! Approximately the width of one’s finger, there the snake was on Luo Jian’s arm, encircling his wrist several times! This clever little snake was certainly the son of that bigger serpent. It wrapped itself tightly around Luo Jian’s wrist. Luo Jian tugged on its tail, but the small snake just twisted its body, before settling back down, still coiling tightly around Luo Jian’s hand, never letting go.
f.u.c.k my life, what do you even want to do?! Why’d you give me a snake? Are you making me raise it? Is it poisonous? I’ll die if I’m bitten! At this moment, Luo Jian felt that his dark days were looking even grimmer. He pitifully peered up at the Stalker and begged, “Big brother, I can’t raise a snake and all. I beg you to take it back!”
The Stalker didn’t pay any heed to Luo Jian. He rounded his arm around Luo Jian’s waist and immediately picked him up. Tears streamed down Luo Jian’s cheeks. He, a man who was 1.78 meters tall and weighed 60 kilograms1, was easily carried bridal-style! Just what kind of cruel joke was this?!
The Stalker strode out of the pitch-black room with Luo Jian in his arms; he didn’t forget to bring the unstable oil lamp with him, and then strolled back to the deck. The fog at sea was even thicker than usual. Not a single ray of light shone, and the inky darkness shrouded everything before one’s eyes. Even with the light from the oil lamp, it was still difficult to make out anything five meters away, but fortunately, the rain had stopped.
Where was Ah Lan? Luo Jian looked around him at the gloomy weather that evoked feelings of despondency. He probably shouldn’t have let Feng Yu Lan escape first, it worst decision he could’ve made; to think he just left him alone on this depressing, desolate ship. Luo Jian could already imagine how much Ah Lan cried, how he wretchedly sobbed, how he miserably trembled in the corner.
I have to find a way to leave this Stalker and find Ah Lan…but before that, maybe I can try to find out where the door is. Luo Jian held his chin as he pondered, but he’d completely overlooked the snake that was twined around his wrist. Luo Jian’s action seemed to make that snake uncomfortable, and it twisted its body. The icy sensation sent shivers up Luo Jian’s spine.
“Can you put me down?” Luo Jian just couldn’t get used to being held like a princess in the arms of the bigger man; he carefully glanced at the Stalker and obediently waited.
But, strangely enough, the Stalker hadn’t spoken a word to Luo Jian since the very beginning. He didn’t even make a small sound. It was like he didn’t have a voice, almost like he was mute. Luo Jian observed him for a long while and finally realized something wasn’t right. This man…could it be that he couldn’t speak?
No no no, perhaps…he didn’t speak the human language?
Luo Jian recalled what the boss had said to him before. He reminded Luo Jian not to consider Stalkers as human beings. He mentioned they were simply a group of monsters, inhumane monsters that only had the appearance of humans. Luo Jian had originally thought the boss was describing how cruel these Stalkers were, but now, it seemed that the boss may have been stating facts.
What he said was true, these monsters were really just monsters, not humans. They didn’t speak the human language, perhaps they could speak it, but they disdained learning it. In their eyes, humans were mere prey to hunt down, to kill just for fun, nothing more.
This speculation left a chill in Luo Jian’s heart. Regardless, these Stalkers were not to be messed with. But it was a bit strange. Luo Jian thought that when he met the Stalker again, the Stalker would be the first to stab him with a knife and leave him for dead. However, he never expected this scene; it made Luo Jian feel extremely embarra.s.sed.
They couldn’t communicate orally, so whatever Luo Jian said was pointless. The Stalker already looked like he wasn’t planning on putting him down. And so, Luo Jian laid down his heart, firmly deciding to go along with the flow! Wherever he went, he’d observe the situation at every step!
Thereupon, the Stalker carefully held Luo Jian and carried him to the hold of the ship. He walked slowly inside, carefully treading on the floorboards. His footsteps issued a sharp, heavy thud. Luo Jian’s timid heart also shuddered with every reverberating stomp.
Where will he take me? Luo Jian wondered. He was feeling conflicted; the depressing environment and his fear of the unknown added to his chaotic mind. Luo Jian thought about a lot of things at the time. He thought about that piece of paper from the chamber, about where Ah Lan could be right now, about the door’s key that was in his pocket, about where the door to the exit was…many, many things ran through his mind. And his very last thought was about that Stalker.
The Stalker lowered his head slightly and looked down at Luo Jian. In that moment, the depths of his bewitching crimson eyes seemed to flash with an almost imperceptible tenderness.