The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 108: They’re About to Make a Move Against Me
Chen Qinghan used to never dare to find someone to ’fish for law enforcement’ with him, because he had to consider their safety.
Encountering someone like me, a tough nut that can’t be cut or chopped open, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Actually, when I saw Qi Xiuyuan holding the Black Candle, I vaguely guessed that those girls who returned missing their memories might have been afflicted by witchcraft.
A Tomb Raider who once intruded into my ancient tomb, where witchcraft was rampant, told me many successful cases of witchcraft causing harm, and also talked about the differences between Eastern and Western witchcraft.
In Western witchcraft, Black Candle is often used, supposedly having strong curse power, and some even use it to break up lovers.
Chen Qinghan said Qi Xiuyuan’s group specializes in investigating mysterious events or cases that cannot be explained by common sense.
"There are no problems with the diving equipment, so I’ll go back and discuss with the others to see if they can dive in to take a look," Qi Xiuyuan directly decided, "You two wait in your room, I’ll find you when we’ve made a decision."
Chen Qinghan didn’t object, and I stayed silent. After she turned and left, I nudged Chen Qinghan with my shoulder, "Didn’t you notice? Asking us out is just for show; putting the Black Candle in our room is the main point."
Chen Qinghan murmured in agreement, "Make sure to protect the evidence."
I patted my coat pocket and made an OK gesture. We didn’t return to the room as Qi Xiuyuan suggested. Since the Black Candle had burned briefly in that room, to be safe, I led Chen Qinghan to Bi Shi’s room instead.
Bi Shi wasn’t in the room, and the door wasn’t locked. I guessed she was with He Su.
Despite such a big event happening on the ship, she didn’t seem to care. I didn’t see her figure around the corridor or deck.
When the time roughly matched, Chen Qinghan and I returned to our own room. Within two minutes, there was a knock on the door.
Qi Xiuyuan stood at the door; this time, it was Chen Qinghan who opened it. She smiled at him, "Qinghan, you’re very tired, aren’t you? Just stay in the room and rest; leave the investigation to us."
Chen Qinghan didn’t say a word before Qi Xiuyuan took it upon herself to decide he was tired. Chen Qinghan reacted quickly, nodded along with her words, and turned back into the room.
Inside the room, there were no lights. I hid in the dark, watching Qi Xiuyuan at the doorway flash a sinister smile.
This time, she held a white candle in her hand, and the candle had a strange smell.
After Chen Qinghan went back in, she blew out the white candle, took out a flashlight, and acted as if nothing had happened, shouting into the room, "Miss Leng, we should get going."
Her flashlight beam also moved into the room, casting across the living room but not finding anyone. She stood at the door, shouted again, but had no intention of entering.
I crouched in the gap between the porthole and the sofa, naturally avoiding the flashlight beam. I slowly stood up, emerging from the shadows.
Qi Xiuyuan’s face showed a hint of confusion; she probably didn’t understand why I was squatting in the crack between the sofa and the wall instead of sitting comfortably on the sofa.
I was, of course, doing it to easily observe her first reactions and expressions. When it comes to acting from the shadows, I have more experience than she does.
She believed she had ’hypnotized’ Chen Qinghan and called me out alone, definitely getting ready to make a move.
I bought a pinhole camera from the store, which also has a recording function, and activated the device the moment Chen Qinghan opened the door.
She said her people had agreed to dive again to check the turbine. Since it was late night, the tourists on the deck had mostly returned to their rooms to rest.
Beside the railing on one side of the deck, indeed stood a few people, including that elite man.
Additionally, there were four others: two wearing the black-and-white uniforms of the ship’s staff, and two dressed as ordinary tourists.
At their feet were two sets of diving equipment. Seven people and two sets of gear, without a doubt, one set is for me.
She targeted many girls but was never caught, indicating her cautiousness, and she wouldn’t make the foolish move of directly pushing me into the sea to feed the fish.
If something were to happen while diving, others could testify for her that I volunteered to dive. Qi Xiuyuan, being on the ship, wouldn’t be able to do anything to me.
I looked at the other four besides the elite man, each with serious expressions, poker faces.
She could ’hypnotize’ Chen Qinghan, so she could likely hypnotize others as well.
"Qinghan said you’re good in water, why not show them what you can do? I didn’t anticipate underwater tasks; these guys barely know dog paddle," Qi Xiuyuan said with an embarrassed face, politely urging me to dive.
"Sure, let’s go. Qinghan said you and your team members win Worker of the Year every year. Turns out, it’s just so-so. This skill level...tsk, how did you earn those rewards? Seducing with your looks?" I said, provocatively sneering at the men.
They still didn’t react, not even a change in their gaze, giving me a good idea about them.
"Miss Leng, do you have to speak so harshly? Xiuyuan meant no harm, yet you keep targeting her. Even if you’re straightforward, it’s a bit much," the elite man said coldly.
"I just doubt her capability. Maybe I was harsh, but it’s brutally honest. Acting on the sea, isn’t it unthinkable to not have considered the risk of falling overboard? What if you need to escape by jumping into the sea? As the leader, is it her lack of foresight, or do these people have special connections with her despite inadequate abilities, here just to mix in some experience?"
Not waiting for the elite man to speak, I interjected, "Seven people and only two sets of diving suits, isn’t that too many slackers? Is this team formation reasonable?"
Though I joined this mysterious department as a newbie, I certainly have no camaraderie with them.
Besides, I wanted to test if there was anything odd about these people. A normal person being spoken to like that would inevitably show some kind of reaction.
The elite man’s reaction is a normal response. Qi Xiuyuan didn’t speak, but her expression changed subtly—she didn’t get angry, but instead showed a face of tolerance, even a bit of smugness in her eyes.
Does she think I’m like a grasshopper after autumn, not going to jump around for long?
"Hmph, it’s you who got in through connections, am I right?" the elite man switched tactics, trying to provoke me with reverse psychology.
"That’s clearly reverse psychology, isn’t it? You want me down there so badly—what for? No one else provokes me, just me. Why? Ganging up on the newbie?"
"Alright, I’ll go down with you," Qi Xiuyuan finally spoke.
"Fine, you’re Qinghan’s senior, trustworthy. I feel more at ease with you going down with me." That’s what I was waiting for. If she doesn’t go to the ’crime scene’ personally, how could I capture evidence of her crimes?
