22: Chapter 22 The Mysterious Shadows in the Haunted Cabin, Secrets in the Log

Stepping onto the broad, dilapidated deck of the "Sirens Wail," a chilling aura seemed to seep into their very marrow. Compared to the relatively open gangway area, the interior of the cabin was a true nightmare. Low ceilings, a labyrinth of corridors, countless closed or half-open cabin doors, and the omnipresent scent—a mixture of decaying wood, sea brine, and a deeper, more profound resentment—formed a massive three-dimensional maze.

"Star Rail, try to map the internal structure!" Li Mubai ordered, but the light-and-shadow map projected by his sprite [Star Rail] was full of distortions and gaps. "The interference is too strong. The resentment energy of the undead is severely affecting perception. I can only outline the general contours and the few areas with the strongest energy reactions."

Exploration progress was greatly delayed. Every fork in the road could lead to a dead end or a more dangerous area, and every corner could hide a lurking killing intent.

"Watch your step!" Qian Xiaomin's cry of alarm rang out. Relying on [Agility Enhancement], she narrowly avoided a section of the deck that had suddenly collapsed, revealing rusted iron spikes below. It was clearly a malicious trap.

"Logic Core, analyze similar structures!" Wang Jingjing immediately had her sprite scan the surrounding area. Sure enough, three similar weak points were discovered nearby. "These traps... they don't look like natural decay; they seem intentionally set, taking advantage of the hull's aging."

Even more troublesome were the undead. They no longer just charged from the front; instead, they would suddenly crawl out from behind broken walls, through holes in the ceiling, or even from the shadows beneath their feet!

Once, as the team passed through a narrow passage filled with rotting barrels, the barrels on both sides suddenly exploded. Several Elite Skeletons wielding short axes and moving with exceptional speed rushed out! Their bones were sturdier, the ghost fires in their eyes were as solid as torches, and their attack power far exceeded the cannon fodder on the deck.

"They're elite units! Defend!" Zhao Hu stood at the very front, but the interference effect of his [Roar] was greatly reduced against these enhanced undead. A rusted axe slammed heavily into his blocking bracer, sparks flying, causing him to let out a muffled groan.

"They have energy protection at their joints!" Zhang Hao quickly analyzed, as [Silver Star] marked the faint spectral light flickering at the skeletal joints of these elite undead. "Physical attacks are even less effective! Zhou Mei, increase the interference! Sun Yu, concentrate fire to burn the joints!"

Zhou Mei's [Tuning Fork] vibrated to its limit, the sound waves causing the elite undead's movements to stutter noticeably. Sun Yu's flames shot toward the marked joint nodes with surgical precision. Zheng Gang's shield was already teetering after multiple heavy blows.

"Lin Wan!" Li Mubai shouted.

Lin Wan understood and [Qingyu] scattered a large swath of vibrant green light. Although it couldn't purify them, when it landed on the elite undead, it hissed like strong acid. They let out agonized mental Roars, and their offensive slowed. Seizing the opportunity, everyone focused their fire and finally managed to smash the elite undead to pieces with great difficulty.

After the battle ended, everyone was panting heavily. Zheng Gang was particularly exhausted, his shield temporarily impossible to maintain. The difficulty of the exploration far exceeded their expectations.

"We can't go on like this. We'll be drained dry before we even find the target," Li Mubai said with a grim expression. "We must find a shortcut or key information."

Just then, the team arrived at a relatively intact oak door on the upper-middle level of the hull. Carved onto the door were entwined sea serpents and skulls; this seemed to be... the Captain's Cabin.

"There's a strong energy residue inside, but no active undead reactions," [Star Rail] reported.

Carefully pushing open the heavy wooden door, a scent of stale parchment and dust wafted toward them. The Captain's Cabin was a mess, but a large, bolted-down navigation table remained fairly intact. Scattered across the table were some navigational instruments and a thick logbook sealed with black wax and covered in a thick layer of dust.

"Silver Star, scan the logbook and try to decipher it," Zhang Hao immediately ordered. He had a premonition that key information was hidden within.

[Silver Star]'s eyes emitted a fine blue light that swept over the logbook, quickly performing page scanning and character recognition analysis.

A moment later, Silver Star projected the deciphered key information into the team channel:

[Logbook (Excerpt of Remnant Pages)]

...We captured her, that treasure from the deep sea. Her song can calm storms, and her tears... no, it is the 'heart of the ocean' around her neck that contains incredible power... It can allow us to control the ocean, even... harness death?

...The First Mate has gone mad; he is obsessed with the power of that pearl. He is secretly studying black magic, using the lives of the crew for evil rituals... He wants to turn us all into immortal undead sailors who follow his command! He succeeded... and he failed... We are dead, yet 'alive,' trapped in this eternal cage...

...She hid the pearl; it is right by her side. The First Mate cannot find it. He has locked her in the Detention Cell on the lowest deck, binding her with black magic and torturing her day and night to force her to hand over the pearl... But she only weeps in silence... Her tears... they make our Souls feel as if they are being burned...

...I must stop the First Mate... He has sealed his own heart along with that evil magic core into the Figurehead... Only by destroying that heart can we be liberated... and only then... can she be released...

The logbook ended abruptly there; the following pages seemed to have been torn out.

The amount of information was massive!

Target Confirmed: The [mermaids tears] is the pearl "heart of the ocean" worn around the Little Mermaid's neck.

Little Mermaid's Location: Locked in the Detention Cell on the lowest deck.

The Mastermind: It is the mad First Mate. He controls the undead through black magic, and his core is fused with the ship's Figurehead.

Key to the Hidden Quest: You must not let her cry; otherwise, it will trigger a "Soul Burning" effect against the undead (which would likely affect all nearby spiritual bodies, including the Hosts).

Potential Path to Completion: It seems they can try to destroy the heart within the Figurehead to directly dismantle the undead threat, thereby safely rescuing the Little Mermaid.

A light of realization flashed in Zhang Hao's eyes. At this moment, all the clues were integrated by his [Logical Connection] Talent.

"Everyone, we have two possible objectives. First, go directly to the bottom-deck Detention Cell and try to get the pearl and save her without making the Little Mermaid cry. Second, go to the bow first and try to destroy the First Mate's heart to solve the problem at its root."

Both paths were fraught with unknown dangers. If they faced the imprisoned Little Mermaid directly, how could they ensure she wouldn't cry? If they challenged the Figurehead that served as the undead core, how would they deal with the inevitably powerful guardian?

The choice now lay before the ten members of the [Dream Society].