A-Long tied a rope around himself with the other end secured to the deck, then took a flashlight and a blade and slowly lowered himself over the side.

Identifying patterns on a rust-mottled hull was already difficult enough — and part of the design was submerged underwater.

A-Long was down there for a long time. Pan Xiaoxin leaned over the railing, watching him.

During the long wait, Bai Youwei sat beside Teacher Cheng and used a dry towel to blot the moisture from his body, trying to keep him as dry as possible.

Teacher Cheng opened his eyes several times but said nothing, only looked at them for a while before closing them again, as though deeply exhausted.

Bai Youwei wiped Teacher Cheng’s face, his arm, and worked her way down to his hand — and felt something hard beneath her fingers.

Like a fingernail.

She looked in silence.

On the back of Teacher Cheng’s hand, a layer of tiny, translucent fish scales had grown.

Pan Xiaoxin had seen it too. His eyes reddening, he looked at Bai Youwei. “Youwei…”

Bai Youwei said nothing. She stared for a long moment, then set Teacher Cheng’s hand down and went to check Ashalina.

Ashalina’s injuries were also severe, but for reasons unknown, her body showed no abnormalities whatsoever.

Ashalina thought back, then told Bai Youwei: “Maybe the seawater diluted the mucus, so I’m alright.”

As for Teacher Cheng — he had already been bitten and clawed while still on deck, before he fell into the water.

Ashalina watched Bai Youwei’s expression, and carefully chose her words. “You said earlier — it’s not over yet. What the outcome will be, as long as we can leave this place — it’s still an unknown.”

So don’t give up yet. Until the very last moment, no one knows how it ends.

But that kind of reassurance tasted to Bai Youwei as thin and tasteless as plain water.

After a silence, she asked Ashalina: “After what happened to A-Qing… how did you do it? How were you able to raise your hand against him?”

Ashalina stared blankly.

Bai Youwei lowered her head, both hands clutching the wet fabric of her skirt at the knees. Slowly, she said: “I don’t mean anything by it. I’m just wondering — if… if Teacher Cheng can’t be saved, what would I… how would I…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence.

Ashalina studied her carefully, and understood.

If Teacher Cheng became what A-Qing had become, someone among them would have to be the one to end his life. And that person could only be Bai Youwei.

Ashalina said quietly: “In that moment, only one thought was in my head — that A-Qing was in pain. He was in tremendous, tremendous pain. So I had to do everything I could to keep him from hurting any longer.”

Bai Youwei’s expression remained hollow, but she nodded. “I understand…”

“But I still have regrets,” Ashalina added.

Bai Youwei paused, looking at her with confused eyes.

“People,” Ashalina said, “even when they make a decision they believe is right, still regret what that decision brings about. I was the one who killed A-Qing. I will never forget that for the rest of my life. I will have regrets, and I will grieve and suffer. But if I could do it over, I would kill him again.

“Do you think a few pretty words that sound vaguely reasonable are enough to escape the condemnation of your own conscience? They’re not. There has never been an easy way to live in this world. Everyone carries their own chains.”

Bai Youwei pressed her lips together, drew a slow breath. “…I understand.”

She turned back and continued drying the moisture from Cheng Weicai’s body, Ashalina’s words echoing in her mind —

Even when you make the decision you believe is right, you carry the guilt of it with you, every step forward.

Beautiful words are nothing but a sedative. They cannot change the nature of the pain.

A tear fell onto Teacher Cheng’s hand.

Bai Youwei startled, quickly wiped her eyes, and continued carefully drying him off.

On the other side of the boat, A-Long finally climbed back up.

Ashalina asked, unable to wait: “Well? Could you make out the color pattern?”

A-Long nodded between heavy breaths. “Yes. Some parts were blocked so I couldn’t see everything, but it looked like eight segments — black and red each repeat eight times.”

—