Zhang Keying seemed to read my mind and immediately fell silent. She stayed quietly by my side. I looked out of the boat, not knowing what I was thinking. Perhaps at that moment, I just hoped this trip wouldn't be plagued by Conan's presence again, and that I could spend it peacefully with Zhang Keying.
When the boat was halfway through the journey, I suddenly discovered a letter in my luggage that hadn't been there before. I was very curious. Who on earth had given this to me?
I first placed Zhang Keying's head on the cushion of the adjacent seat. Then, I carefully turned sideways and opened the envelope. It had a few lines of text. The content was brief, but upon reading it, cold sweat broke out all over my back.
"Detective He, hahaha, it's me again. Do you know who I am? I am someone who will make you fall into a nightmare forever. Enough of the nonsense. This time, during your trip, I will abduct someone on the boat. If you can't stop me, then this person will be in danger. Haha, I will make you feel the powerlessness of a so-called detective. Prepare to face judgment!"
I clenched the letter tightly, my whole body trembling. Who had sent this to me?
This was an outright challenge, and it was aimed directly at me.
That person seemed to hate me deeply and wanted revenge, proving they were more capable than me.
The other party seemed to know me, but I had no recollection of them. This time, they had openly told me what they were going to do.
Was it a criminal I had apprehended in the past? I messaged He Xin, asking if any criminals had been released recently. She said many, and listed some names, but I didn't think any of them were the one.
I immediately put the letter away, not wanting anyone here to see it, and even less wanting Zhang Keying to discover it. Otherwise, she would be terrified.
I didn't want this trip to leave any trauma for her, as it would be detrimental to her future work.
While I was feeling anxious, Liu Yuning sent me a message: "Great Detective He, did you get on the boat? Don't be too intimate with your childhood sweetheart, or if I find out you've done something I wouldn't approve of, I won't let you both off!"
I felt a wave of awkwardness, but my mind was still preoccupied with what had just happened. I replied, "Don't worry. But there's a situation here."
I told Liu Yuning about the challenge letter. She immediately replied, "Why don't we dispatch the police right away and guard the boat? Otherwise, it will be very troublesome if someone gets abducted."
"No rush. With me here, I won't let a single hair on anyone's head be harmed," I replied, thinking to myself that this was a cruise ship with no other exits, surrounded by the ocean. If someone were to abduct a person in such a situation, it would have to be someone on the ship. But to take that person away would still be impossible.
Even if they jumped into the sea, such an obvious move would easily be noticed.
I thought that the person was definitely bluffing. If they wanted to abduct someone, it wouldn't be on the ship.
I didn't dwell too much on the matter, though I certainly didn't let my guard down. The ship had been sailing for about two hours when Professor Huo suddenly appeared in the cabin with a microphone and announced, "Dear students, we are two hours away from our first tourist destination, Rainbow Island. If you need to rest, please do so quickly. Upon arrival, after checking into the hotel, we will immediately visit the nearby specimen laboratory."
"Okay! Professor Huo, you should rest too!" Several girls said with concern.
"Yes, thank you," Professor Huo replied and turned to leave. The students, perhaps too excited, couldn't sleep at all. They were all taking pictures with their phones, whispering, or playing mobile games, listening to music, and eating. Only a few of us had rested.
Just as the cruise ship was nearing Rainbow Island, for some reason, the ship's lights suddenly went out. Everyone cried out in surprise. The students took out their phones and shone them around, asking what was happening.
Teacher Huang came in immediately. "Everyone, please don't panic. There's a slight issue with the ship's electrical equipment, but the staff is already working on repairs. It should be restored soon!"
"Oh my, how could this happen? It's so scary! I thought the ship was going to sink!"
"Don't talk nonsense. Does a ship sink that easily?"
"Everyone, don't worry. Everything will be fine soon. What are we here for, to get so flustered over a small thing? Really!" A person who seemed to be the class monitor commanded from a nearby seat. Soon, the students stopped their chatter.
I looked at Zhang Keying beside me. She was also awakened by the commotion and asked me what was happening. I explained briefly. I looked around, suddenly feeling uneasy. I asked Zhang Keying to stay in her seat, and I began to walk around the cabin. However, Zhang Keying quickly followed me.
Seeing us move, Teacher Huang didn't dare to say anything. She recognized us, especially Zhang Keying's identity. No one here dared to say anything to her.
After walking around for a while, I found no one missing and breathed a sigh of relief. I felt that the person was definitely bluffing and wouldn't cause any trouble. I was about to return to my seat to rest, but just as I turned to move, a loud splash came from the stern of the ship!
Many students stood up in surprise, curious about what had happened. They all wanted to go to the stern to see. Professor Huo also appeared in the cabin. He exchanged a look with Teacher Huang and immediately headed towards the stern. Zhang Keying and I followed closely.
When we got outside, we found no one there. Huge waves were crashing against the boat. I noticed a melted rope on the railing of the stern. I lowered my head and smelled it – there was the scent of nitric acid. The rope seemed to have been corroded by nitric acid, causing it to break.
Something seemed to have been tied to the end of the rope. When we reached the stern, we saw many bubbles appearing on the water, as if someone had fallen into the water!
"Professor Huo, what is this?" Teacher Huang's terrified face was filled with anxiety.
"Damn it, what is this?"
I was also frightened now, because I had received a challenge letter earlier. Could the person who fell into the water be related to this letter? Perhaps I should have told Professor Huo and the others about this earlier. Now, the person was probably already taken away.