As Hao Zhengyi was carried out, Lin Feng—still lying on the deck—reacted as if he had seen a ghost. Just as his body had begun to settle down, it started trembling violently again. While everyone's attention was on Hao Zhengyi, Lin Feng slowly began crawling toward the edge of the boat, supporting himself with his arms. But after just a few paces, a pair of chubby little feet appeared before him.
Ren San crouched with his back to Lin Feng, peeking at him from between his legs and grinning mischievously. "Gotcha. Now it's punishment time…" he said. Then, just like before, he grabbed Lin Feng by both wrists. The skin on his wrists instantly drooped loose, the bones inside either melted or extracted altogether.
After letting go, Ren San stood upright and looked at Lin Feng. "Why don't you try crawling forward with your knees and elbows now?" he suggested. "Maybe I'll try turning you into a human-skin puppet. I once saw Monk Zhu's crude skinned effigies—disgusting work. I won't be like him. I'll turn you into a neat, water-filled human balloon. I'll pour seawater in through your anus. How's that sound?"（Note: The "Zhu Monk" mentioned here refers to Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China. He was born into a humble family and had previously worked as a beggar and a monk before eventually becoming the emperor. He was extremely resentful towards corrupt officials. He would take off the skin of the corrupt officials and stuff it into straw to make puppets, in order to intimidate other officials.）
Even under the bright sun, hearing something like that coming from what appeared to be a seven- or eight-year-old boy gave me chills. Lin Feng's eyes glazed over at the words. He lowered his head, shut his eyes, and seemed to give up entirely. Ren San wasn't finished, still trying to convince him: "Come on, try it. If you don't try to escape, I won't have a reason to punish you. Or I could sew your mouth shut. That way, it won't hurt when you scream."
"Stop scaring him." Gui Bugui, supported by others, had returned to his chair. Squinting at Lin Feng, he turned to Ren San and said, "At this point, anyone would break. You scare him enough, and he might just soil himself. Remember, we still have to ride this boat back."
At those words, Ren San frowned in displeasure and reluctantly walked away from Lin Feng. Still, he couldn't help adding one last threat: "If you crap yourself, I'll cut you into bait for sharks."
Originally, Hao Zhengyi was going to be placed on the opposite end of the deck. However, Gui Bugui changed that. He said something in a looping foreign language to the dark-skinned man, who then instructed his men to place Hao Zhengyi right next to Lin Feng. Whether intentional or not, Hao Zhengyi's head tilted just as he was laid down, and his vacant, lifeless eyes stared directly at Lin Feng.
"There are still two human-skin scrolls. Take them both," Gui Bugui said, nodding at the dark-skinned man. The man took a piece of parchment from his pocket and was about to hand it to Gui Bugui, but the old man's face twisted in revulsion before the scroll even touched his hands. Reading his expression, the foreigner quickly drew the scroll back, glanced around, and handed it to me instead.
"People fight like hell for disgusting things like this," Gui Bugui muttered, glancing disdainfully at Lin Feng and Hao Zhengyi. "Even if it grants immortality—what's the point if you end up half-human, half-ghost?"
Then he looked at me and added, "One of the human skins has been stitched into this half-ghost's body. So—what do you say? Want to cut it out yourself, or should my man handle it for you?"
I didn't even think about it. The words came out of my mouth almost automatically: "I'm not skilled enough—better let your man do it."
Gui Bugui smiled faintly and spoke a few more foreign words to the Black man standing behind him. The man gave a respectful bow, then walked over to Lin Feng and pulled open his clothes. Beneath his water-swollen skin was a patch of flesh on his chest, noticeably different in tone, inscribed with unfamiliar symbols and diagrams.
Just as the Black man drew his knife and was about to begin, Ren San suddenly warned, "Old Ha, you know what I'll do if even one drop of blood lands on my boat."
Old Ha grinned, revealing an immaculate set of white teeth. It was clear he understood Ren San perfectly, even if he couldn't speak the language. He made a few gestures and then ran a finger across his own neck—his message unmistakable: If a single drop spills, you can take my head.
He wasn't bluffing. After positioning the blade and gauging carefully, Old Ha made a single incision along the border of the patch, then slid the knife horizontally underneath the skin. With a swift, practiced motion, he sliced it free. Not a drop of blood fell. Beneath the removed skin, Lin Feng's original flesh was finally revealed.
Old Ha handed the piece of human skin to me. At last, the Heavenly Principle Diagram was complete. Forcing down my revulsion, I clutched the two human-skin scrolls. All that was left was to get these two back onto the Bureau's vessel and wait for Sun Fatty to arrive with the rest of the team. Then the mission would be complete.
"Now that everything's in place," I said, glancing at Ren San and then turning to Gui Bugui, "can we hand them over and trouble you once more to send us back to the other ship?"
"In the end, it was always meant for you to take them." Gui Bugui gave me a peculiar smile, then turned and spoke to the foreigners behind him. Three of them stepped forward, bowed to him, and made their way toward the helm. Moments later, the yacht turned around and began cruising toward our Marine Surveillance vessel.
The yacht had only traveled a hundred or so meters when, without any warning, it lurched violently. Most of us staggered from the jolt. As we tried to figure out what had happened, Hao Zhengyi—who'd been in a daze until now—suddenly changed. His vacant gaze turned sharp, full of grim determination as it locked onto Lin Feng.
With a sudden move, Hao Zhengyi lunged and grabbed Lin Feng's arms. Then, flipping his body, he dragged Lin Feng with him toward the edge of the yacht. To our surprise, Lin Feng began struggling desperately, striking back with his elbows and knees. But in his current state, he had no strength to fight back. He couldn't break free from Hao Zhengyi's grip.
Ren San stood nearby, yet rather than intervene, he made a strange gesture and sidestepped, allowing the two men to roll right past him.
Just as Hao and Lin were about to tumble into the sea, I hurled the twin blades—Sin and Retribution—straight at their chests. But right before they struck, a spark flashed in the air. With a clear metallic clang, both swords were deflected and sent flying. Hao Zhengyi and Lin Feng rolled overboard and plummeted toward the ocean.
In that instant, Hao Zhengyi shouted, "Crow, now!" As he did, a human-shaped shadow tore free from his body and dove into the sea ahead of him with impossible speed. The moment this figure entered the water, something astonishing occurred.
Centered on that point of impact, within a radius of ten meters, the seawater was sucked downward, emptied as if poured through a drain. A bottomless black void emerged, the surrounding ocean parted like walls of glass. From within the chasm rose faint traces of heat and the distant sound of wailing souls. Holding onto Lin Feng, Hao Zhengyi vanished into the abyss.
Moments later, the surrounding seawater crashed back in, collapsing the walls and flooding the void. From the moment they leapt to the instant the sea returned to normal, barely a few seconds had passed.
"The Endless Naraka…" Yang Xiao murmured at the railing, staring at the patch of ocean that had just sealed over. "Is it... really over just like that?"