A soldier in naval uniform entered, holding a gas lamp in one hand and a flashlight in the other. The dark captain's cabin was illuminated with a warm glow. He moved the gas lamp, scanning the cabin with his eyes, and found no anomalies. Then he stepped out. The warm light faded gradually, accompanied by the sound of his footsteps. Zhang Yuanqing, having taken a night stroll, returned to the desk and glanced again at the drawer. The desk had two drawers—one fitted with a bronze lock, the other without. After a moment's thought, Zhang Yuanqing opened the drawer without a lock, revealing the telegrams exchanged between the Haiyan and the Irish United Nations Navy headquarters. However, the telegrams were encoded, and Zhang Yuanqing could not decipher them. Although the Lingjing system featured automatic translation—converting languages and texts into his native tongue—the encoded messages fell under the category of decryption, beyond the scope of automatic translation. After prolonged contemplation, Zhang Yuanqing practiced the Star-Transcendence technique and dissolved into starlight. A few minutes later, the starlight rose again in the captain's cabin, and he returned, now holding a code manual he had retrieved from the telegraph room. In this era, telegraphic communication relied on codes—divided into two types: the "general code," which used the well-known Morse code, and the "special code," typically employed during wartime, characterized by its temporary and original nature, and difficult to decipher without a codebook. Although the Haiyan was carrying out secret missions, it was no longer wartime, and there were no dedicated interceptors monitoring the telegrams. Thus, Zhang Yuanqing suspected that the code used on the telegrams belonged to the standard Morse code. If, however, it had been the special code, decryption would have become significantly more challenging. Seated at his desk, he flipped through the manual, reading and decoding the telegrams in the dark cabin. Half an hour later, Zhang Yuanqing completed the decryption and fully understood the message. The first telegram dated August 12, 1900: "The Sea Swan has set sail, all going well, mission complete!" August 14: "The Sea Swan is going well, mission complete!" August 16: "The Sea Swan has been attacked by merfolk; two crew members lost, mission complete!" August 18: "The Sea Swan is going well, mission complete!" "... August 25: "Successfully recovered an extraterrestrial object; the Cardinal has sealed it; the Sea Swan is preparing for return voyage, mission complete!" August 26: "The Sea Swan is en route back; all going well, mission complete!" ... Telegrams were sent every two days, brief in content, with responses from the naval headquarters equally concise—typically "Received," "Understood," or "God bless." Only on August 25, the day the source of contamination was successfully recovered, did the Sea Swan send an additional telegram. The last telegram arrived on August 30th, the fourth day after the extraterrestrial object was recovered. The telegram was interrupted on August 30th... Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brows: "Have the subsequent telegrams been deliberately withheld, or has James stopped sending telegrams to headquarters after August 30th?" Telegrams had been sent so frequently before the mission was completed, yet after completion, they ceased entirely. How strange! The background briefing had mentioned that the Haiyan vessel went missing unexpectedly during its return journey, and James had unilaterally severed communication with the Naval Headquarters. Unexpected disappearance—this was the first hint. But why had James done this? Zhang Yuanqing couldn't quite figure it out. Moreover, as he reviewed the stack of telegrams again and again, something felt off—he kept sensing an inconsistency. After a moment's reflection, he realized where the issue lay. The Haiyan departed on August 12th and successfully recovered an extraterrestrial object on August 26th, a process that took 14 days. Yet during the day, Zhang Yuanqing repeatedly asked Captain James when they would arrive at port, and each time James replied it would be in 15 days. Today is September 4th. According to a single-trip duration of 14 days, they have just five days left to reach port. Thus, the core mission is simply to survive for five days. The details now align perfectly. Let us return to the point: Captain James has terminated the telegraphic communication, deliberately misleading Zhang Yuanqing about the return date—this man must be involved in something suspicious. Zhang Yuanqing arranged the telegrams neatly and placed them back in the drawer, then turned his attention to another drawer locked with a copper latch. There is no doubt that this drawer contains something even more significant. With the background of the copy now clarified and Captain James’s inconsistencies established, the next course of action is now clear—investigate the reasons behind Captain James’s unusual changes. These clues are likely hidden within the drawers of the desk. Zhang Yuanqing stared at the bronze lock, yet hesitated. It was easy enough to damage it—just a simple pull—but he worried that such an action might trigger an unfavorable chain reaction. Now it was clear that the haunting cruise ship was an exploration-type S-tier instance, where all information had to be discovered through active exploration. This kind of instance typically meant that dangers were hidden within the exploration process itself. Once exploration went awry, crises would strike instantly. Zhang Yuanqing glanced at his inventory. The purple-gold set was now veiled in a dark curtain, indicating it was unusable. He murmured to himself, "Better stay steady..." and decided to follow his heart's instinct. ——An S-tier instance at the peak of Level 6. Even with his dual-class expertise at Level 6, he might not survive without the master artifact. Moreover, this was the flagship instance of the First Region's Mortal Poisoner, and none of his gear or skills offered any counter-effect against the distorted powers. In Lingjing Xingzhe, there's a saying: "Whenever you drift, you're nearing death." "If we break the copper lock, James will definitely notice someone entering the captain's quarters overnight—this might unsettle him and bring the crisis forward. I still haven't fully grasped what happened after we recovered the extraterrestrial object. Right now, we should focus on discreet investigations rather than making any traceable actions." "After all, the main objective is simply to survive for five days—our timeline is quite flexible..." As the thought formed, Zhang Yuanqing snapped his fingers, activating the Star-Dash technique to return to the bedroom at the lower deck. The bedroom featured an oval window, beyond which the sea surface was dark, its waves faintly rippling. Recalling the extraterrestrial object sealed at the lower deck—capable of distorting living organisms—Zhang Yuanqing sensed a profound sense of impending danger and watchful presence lurking beneath the dark sea. "Captain James seems off, but what is his purpose?" Still needs to be investigated... There are two factions on board—the naval forces and the spiritual travelers from the Church. Are the Church members aligned with James? If not, as long as they're not allies, I'll have ample room to maneuver. I can potentially bring one of them on board as a teammate. Zhang Yuanqing thought it over, then activated his night-walking ability once more, quietly leaving his bedroom, passing through the narrow dormitory corridor, and reaching the end of the staircase. He headed down to the second basement level. He wanted to investigate the area beneath the deck to better define the Church team. During the day, the Church knights had sealed off that section, not yet fully understanding the background of the quest, so they hadn't chosen to engage directly. Now, based on the information he had gathered, Zhang Yuanqing could reasonably infer what lay beneath the deck. The extraterrestrial object recovered from the deep sea was precisely there, sealed by the Church's Cardinal. Zhang Yuanqing decided to observe the Church's spiritual travelers discreetly and also examine the mysterious object to determine exactly what it was. He descended the stairs with steady strides, the sound of his footsteps absorbed by the night. Soon, he reached the entrance to the lower deck, where two knights in silver armor, holding long cross swords, remained on guard. Zhang Yuanqing passed between them, the disciplined knights ignoring the intruder entirely. At the same time, beyond a dozen meters ahead, where piles of flour had formed small hills, flickering candlelight was visible. The pulsing rhythm of the heartbeat came from behind that candlelight. "What kind of heartbeat is this—so intense?" Zhang Yuanqing advanced cautiously, moving closer to the mound of flour. Just then, he heard a gust of wind, followed immediately by a sharp, piercing cry from the left. Without hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing lunged forward and narrowly avoided a slashing wind blade coming from that direction. "Who's there?" a clear, youthful female voice exclaimed. Had the wind mage spotted me? Zhang Yuanqing turned and began to run, simultaneously glancing to the right. Ten meters away stood a young woman dressed in a white nun's habit. Gold embroidery adorned her chest, collar, and sleeves. She had beautiful golden hair, emerald eyes, an elegant oval face, a high nose, and a refined, striking beauty. The white-nun wind mage continuously waved her hands, generating a series of wind blades to pursue the fleeing enemy. Though she could not see the intruder, she could sense their position, speed, and the precise strikes of each gust of wind through the feedback of air currents. Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing made a swift decision—avoiding the second wave of wind blades, he darted behind a damaged lifeboat and immediately activated the Star-Elusion technique, stepping away from the floor. Given the current situation, staying put would only mean being surrounded; for safety's sake, he would leave now and address the matter tomorrow. He instantly summoned the Star-Elusion technique, with brilliant starlight first illuminating and then fading away. The wind mage, dressed in a white nun's habit, furrowed her brow, scanning left and right, carefully sensing the surroundings, only to find the intruder suddenly gone. "Isabella, what happened?" The elderly voice came from behind the mound of flour. "There's an intruder!" replied the nun named Isabella, her voice as clear and melodic as a yellow oriole. "But she just vanished." She frowned. "A spirit? A wraith?" "The older voice said, 'But I haven't sensed any undead presence. If it were an undead, you wouldn't be able to detect it.' To have managed to bypass the knights and enter here silently—only the undead could do that." Isabel explained. "Starlight? Invisibility?" The experienced and seasoned archbishop pondered for a while, "I haven't heard of such a skill. Tell Captain James about this and let him handle it."