Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the Deck.

Beside me was Chao Ge, equally drenched. My face stung; it seemed he had slapped me a few times to wake me up.

Seeing that I was conscious, he grabbed me and said, “Meng Chuan, you owe me your life, you hear? Hurry up and get some hot water into him!”

“Surviving after being soaked in the water for that long… you’re one lucky bastard.”

The wind and waves had died down considerably. The sky was still overcast, but it was clear that daylight had arrived.

The Captain walked over then. He looked at me without saying a word, then shouted, “Count ’em again! See if any other grandsons are missing.”

Chao Ge stood up and pulled a soggy pack of cigarettes from his chest pocket. He tried to light one, failed, and tossed it to the ground. “Damn it, not only are we not missing anyone, we’ve got an extra one.”

The Captain froze, seemingly confused by what Chao Ge meant.

Just then, a bald man standing next to Chao Ge spoke up.

He was a newcomer who had joined the ship at the same time as me, and we shared a cabin. We usually called him Xiong Liu.

“Captain, there’s… there’s an extra woman.”

“She’s not wearing anything. She’s stark naked.”

Xiong Liu swallowed hard, a predatory, beast-like glint shimmering in his eyes.

She appeared to be Chinese.

By the time I saw her, she was already huddled on the only decent-looking bed in the Captain’s Cabin, wrapped in a military greatcoat she had gotten from somewhere.

A pair of pale legs peeked out from beneath the coat, drawing the greedy, invasive stares of the men outside the door.

The Captain and Chao Ge were questioning her, but no matter what they asked, she only shook her head.

The Captain looked up at those of us crowding around. Thinking our presence was making the woman feel unsafe, he waved Chao Ge over to drive us away and then shut the door.

To everyone’s surprise, Chao Ge was kicked out shortly after.

He was cursing under his breath, grumbling that Huang Rongfa-the Captain’s real name-wanted to keep the prize all to himself.

Chao Ge lit a cigarette and wandered off toward the Deck, muttering to himself.

Seeing Chao Ge leave, Xiong Liu immediately pressed his face against the door to listen to what was happening inside.

When the others asked what he heard, Xiong Liu listened for a moment and frowned. “The girl sounds like she’s crying.”

“Is the Skipper bullying her?”

Lao Lu looked anxious. He was one of the veteran crew members, nearly forty years old and still a bachelor.

Xiong Liu quickly shushed him, signaling for Lao Lu to stay quiet, and continued to press his ear against the door.

But for a long time, no further sound could be heard.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and the Captain stepped out.

Seeing Xiong Liu sprawled on the floor and the others lingering, he couldn’t help but bark, “What the hell are you lot doing?”

Xiong Liu scrambled up with a greasy smirk and pointed inside.

Lao Lu spoke up then. “Skipper, that… that woman… what’s the deal?”

“I don’t know,” the Captain said impatiently, pulling the door shut behind him.

“Captain, what are we going to do with her? Is she staying in your room?” Lao Lu pressed, refusing to give up.

“Stop asking. I don’t know.” The Captain left the group of us behind and headed toward Chao Ge on the Deck, seemingly intending to discuss something with him.

From a distance, we heard him mutter a single sentence:

“Damn it, it’s eerie.”