The cockpit fell into a strange silence. Just when Nellie began to question whether everything that she saw before was fake, Han Lu spoke.
“Sorry, my companion disappeared when he went diving. We were worried that we would not convince the Self-Defense Forces to save him if we said that it was just a simple accident. That’s why we fabricated such a bizarre story. I hope it can attract your attention. The photos were forged by a friend very skilled at Photoshop.”
“Now it makes sense.” The naval chief nodded when he heard the words, “Although you lied to us, as I said, for humanitarian reasons, we are still willing to help you to look for your friend. Now, you can tell me where did your companion go missing?”
“Of course.” Han Lu pointed the direction.
The patrol boat then turned around and drove in the direction that Han Lu pointed. When they arrived there, several divers grabbed their diving equipment and dived into the sea. However, it was now sunset, and they still could not locate Zhang Heng.
The naval chief said to Han Lu and Nellie, “It looks like we’ve had a fruitless search today. We will pay close attention to the nearby coastline. Maybe the tide will send your companion’s body to the beach. By the way, how many days are you planning to stay on the island?”
“I will stay until my visa expires,” Han Lu said.
“Okay. I will send someone to the hotel to notify you as soon as I have something new,” the naval chief replied.
After that, the patrol boat sent Han Lu and Nellie back to the island. Nellie then looked at Han Lu. There were a lot of things she wanted to ask, but she did not know where to begin. She hoped that Han Lu could take the initiative to explain to her what was going on with whatever she had told the naval chief.
The Self-Defense Forces were their best hope in finding Zhang Heng. However, Han Lu had pointed out a random spot to them. As for the photos that she took, Nellie finally came to a realization. If everything she saw was a hallucination, then there was no way she could explain the carvings she saw on the tunnel’s wall.
And now that those photos were in the hands of the Self-Defense Forces, Nellie realized that the only evidence that could prove she wasn’t lying was no longer with her. And now, she understood why Han Lu cared so much about those photos. Han Lu, however, never mentioned those photos again, and it puzzled Nellie.
Nellie hoped that Han Lu could explain her actions, but instead of that, Han Lu said, “It’s getting late. I’m going back to the hotel. You should go home too. Thank you for your help today.”
Those words took Nellie by surprise.
“Just like that? What do you plan to do after this?”
“As I said, I will stay here for a while and wait to see if there is anything new,” Han Lu said.
“Then… good luck. You can come to see me if you need any help. You know where to find me,” Nellie said. In the end, she did not ask the questions that she wanted to ask. So, she went home like a worrywart.
And Han Lu also turned around and walked back to the hotel.
After returning to her room and closing the door, Han Lu immediately took out her mobile phone and found Shen Xixi’s contact information from her address book. Zhang Heng had introduced her during the death dream incident; hence Han Lu could only contact her now because she was the only other person who knew about the dark world besides Zhang Heng. As for Fan Meinan, Han Lu did spend a few days with her, but she did not leave any contact information.
Shen Xixi was the only person Han Lu could count on right now.
Fortunately, not long after she dialed the number, Shen Xixi picked up the call. Han Lu could hear Shen Xixi’s voice on the other end.
“Hello?”
Han Lu quickly drew the curtains, walked into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and made sure a third person couldn’t hear her voice. Only then did she tell Shen Xixi everything that had happened on the island.
Shen Xixi listened to Han Lu without the slightest interruption.
She could, however, hear Shen Xixi’s breathing becoming more rapid. The latter seemed to be adjusting her emotions. After a while, she said, “It seems you have indeed encountered a supernatural event. And your suspicion is not unreasonable. The men from the Self-Defense Forces on the island are probably siding with those monsters. I suggest you take the first flight tomorrow and leave there as soon as possible.”
“No, I need to look for Zhang Heng first…” Han Lu paused in her tracks. “…it doesn’t matter if he is dead or alive.”
“But from what you’ve told me, you are not safe. Let us deal with it. If you are still worried about Zhang Heng, you can wait for us to update you at Ishigaki Island,” Shen Xixi persuaded.
“If you know me, you know I never sit idle and wait for news,” Han Lu said. “Embrace risk, control the risk, and benefit from the risk—this is my motto. I will not wait here quietly. You still need me to lead you guys to the underwater palace.”
Shen Xixi knew that Han Lu was telling the truth; hence she agreed. “In this case, you have to take care of your own safety at least before we arrive and stop contacting the Self-Defense Forces. Um, be careful of other people on the island as well.” Shen Xixi said, “We will be there as soon as possible.”
…
After hanging up the call, Han Lu sat in a daze by the bathtub.
She had done everything she could, but she still could not accept the reality that Zhang Heng was dead. Looking at the water rushing from the tap, the scene where the three of them flew out from the sea replayed on Han Lu’s mind. After which, Zhang Heng tossed her and Nellie onto the reef. In the end, Zhang Heng was dragged back to the sea by those monsters.
Han Lu lost track of time. Suddenly she heard someone knocking on her door.
“Who is it?” Han Lu turned off the faucet, got up, walked out of the bathroom, and looked out on the peephole.
The other side of the peephole, however, was completely dark, and she couldn’t see a single thing. After that, Han Lu opened the door, and the lights were still turned on in the corridor. And there was no one standing outside her room.
At the same time, Han Lu noticed that someone had stuck a band-aid on the peephole.
This made Han Lu a little nervous.
Although she had told Shen Xixi that she wanted to stay on the island until Zhang Heng was found, she would be alone before Shen Xixi and her allies arrived. Not only did she have to face the monsters at the bottom of the sea, but she also had to deal with a strangely-behaving Self-Defense Forces.
Han Lu did not know who else she could trust on this island.
This was why she was not willing to explain the whole thing to Nellie.
Han Lu stayed in the hallway for less than half a minute and tore the band-aid off the peephole before returning to her room.
This time she made sure the door was closed and bolted.
