The one knocking on the door isn't Gu Xiang from before, it's a new crew member. He used to run errands on another ship, and Zheng He remembers everyone calling him Four Fingers.
It was said that one of his fingers was chopped off by a loan shark at a gambling house.
Four Fingers and Zheng He were on good terms, often making jokes when they met. But now he was bowing his head, too shy to look into Zheng He's eyes. After swallowing a big mouthful of saliva, he held up the open food box in his hand, as if to steel himself, and shouted loudly, "Big Sister, it's time for lunch!"
The stench of dead fish hit them like a ton of bricks, and Zheng He couldn't help but cover her nose. She furrowed her brow and asked, "Is this all you prepared for us?"
Inside the food box was a massive, bloody fish head. As Four Fingers lifted the box, the fish's eyes glinted with an eerie light, staring directly at Zheng He.
Despite the smell of fish that lingered in the cabin even after killing a bunch of them, Zheng He had no complaints about the fish head. Nothing was more healing than a pot of steaming fish head and tofu stew on a winter night.
However, this massive fish head with huge sawteeth and even unscratched scales clearly would not appear in Zheng He's recipe.
At her dissatisfied query, Four Fingers trembled slightly, his back bending even lower, but he dared not speak.
Zheng He took a step back half a step and asked, "Is there nothing else to eat on the ship?"
"Is that all there is?"
Four Fingers trembled with fear. It's just a fish head she wants, isn't it?
Why not a fish head?
Does it have to be a human head!
If you want a human head, find one yourself! What do you ask him for?
He's no longer a virgin! It's neither tender nor flavorful! It's dirty and smelly, and very difficult to eat!
Four Fingers closed his eyes tightly. Before they set off, he had stuck dozens of yellow talisman inside his short jacket, and these talismans were sky-high in price at the Fairy's Orchard.
Written by immortals, they must be effective!
I'm wearing yellow talismans and have wooden peppers tied around my waist, nothing can harm me against this evil spirit!
Inwardly, he silently cheered himself up. Four Fingers bit his lower lip and didn't let the evil spirit notice his twisted and trembling face.
"Four Fingers, why are you shaking all the time?"
"Are you sick?"
Zheng He curiously touched Four Fingers' arm. As soon as she touched him, Four Fingers seemed to have held back for a long time and suddenly couldn't hold it anymore. He retreated several steps abruptly, stumbled and fell to the ground, with his eyes tightly closed and muttering, "Driving away evil spirits and binding demons, protecting life and guarding the body, wisdom purity, peace of mind and spirit······"
"Evil spirits can't harm me!"
"Ha ha! Evil spirits can't harm me!"
He crawled on the ground with his eyes closed, and he crawled out eventually.
Leaving Zheng He and the fish head that had rolled onto the ground looking at each other in bewilderment.
[Achievement Unlocked +1]
[Current Escape Value: 84%]
The escape value has increased again?
Zheng He suddenly remembered something from his diary:
“Someone is sick on board.”
She shivered.
Indeed.
It's not just a little sick.
She turned to Zheng Dangan and said a few words, locked the door tightly, wrinkled her brow, picked up the strange fish head and put it back into the food box, then took the box and walked outside.
This is the first time she has walked out since last night.
There was a countdown in a faint blue at the bottom right of her vision:
【60:01:22】
It was 60 hours until Zheng He's heart was found.
And the three murderers.
Before leaving, Zheng He took the axe that had accompanied her in her battles against fish.
The axe had an impression on it, which was obviously not the original owner's.
Holding the axe and the food box, she walked into the sunlight.
On the deck, some crew members were already working. Thinking of herself as a vice-captain, she pursed her lips and, with the remaining memories, raised her eyebrows and walked over in a captain's manner.
"Hello?"
For some reason, every crew member who saw her paled as if they had seen a ghost.
However, she had clearly changed into a different outfit and covered the large hole on her chest.
The original owner's face was also kind and gentle. What was there to be scared of?
"Who threw the axe down below yesterday?"
Zheng He raised the axe and tried to lift a friendly smile.
The crew members were all big and strong, but in front of her, they were all like quail, and some of them even dared not look directly into her eyes.
Is there no normal person on this cornerwood river dragon?
Zheng He sighed, "No one wants to admit it?"
"I······"
One crew member stepped out trembling.
The other crew members looked at him as if they were looking at a hero.
"Admitting is enough. I'll pick it up this time, but you can't make the same mistake again, okay?"
The crew member nodded, shrinking his neck.
Zheng He sighed with satisfaction, "It's a law that iron tools in the sea will bring misfortune. This must be remembered."
"Since you've broken the taboo, there must be a punishment. This time, I'll punish you by making you hold this and stand on the deck for half an hour······No, half an hour!"
"It's for a deterrent effect."
Zheng He handed the axe in front of the crew member.
The crew member stared at the axe, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and his face grew paler. He quickly looked up at Zheng He and then closed his eyes resolutely, as if he was picking up a bomb.
Though I don't know why he's so afraid of me, his attitude is very serious, and it seems that he knows he's wrong.
Zheng He nodded in satisfaction and turned to look for food.
[Achievement Lost -2]
[Current Escape Value: 82%]
The crew member who picked up the axe knelt down on one knee after Zheng He left.
But he clutched the thing in his hand tightly, fearing it would fall to the ground.
All the crew members on the deck trembled with fear at the sight of the axe.
Having lived and worked on the sea, they had seen many things, but what happened today still made them all pale with fear and looked as if their lips were purple and their faces were green.
In their eyes, this was not an axe but a pale and elongated human arm with neatly cut edges.
