After reading the diary, everyone fell into a long, stunned silence. The terror in their eyes was plain for all to see.
A god?
That girl… in the final monts before she disappeared, she said she saw a god?
Just what exactly had happened on this ship? And what had they encountered in that last hour before reaching land?
Were there really such a thing as gods in this world?
Even Liu Tong, who was always calm and composed as an official investigator, couldn’t help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. Sothing about this dungeon didn’t feel right. It was supposed to be a beginner dungeon, yet the invisible pressure here was far greater than anything he’d experienced before. Worse still, he had this persistent, nagging feeling that sothing was off—a strange sense of dissonance that left him uneasy.
Suddenly, a thought struck Liu Tong like a bolt of lightning, his heart skipping a beat as a flash of panic crossed his face. “Wait… this diary… why is it in Chinese?!”
His words left everyone stunned. Right — wasn’t this supposed to be the diary of a British girl? Why was it written in Chinese?
Sothing was seriously wrong.
Holding the phone, Zhang Wen felt a loud buzzing in his mind before his eyes widened in horror. On his screen, the previously clear handwriting began to twist and distort, the text squirming like living worms. And then, fresh blood began to ooze from the screen, corroding the entire device.
A faint, childlike giggle echoed through the flickering lights above.
Zhang Wen’s skin crawled, every hair on his body standing on end. Without hesitation, he hurled the phone away.
The blood-soaked device looked like it was being devoured by the ship itself, sinking slowly into the floor until it disappeared without a trace.
“AHHH!!” Lin Xi, who was already jittery, scread uncontrollably.
Everyone else stumbled backward, faces pale with fear.
“Don’t panic! The ga has only just started — the paranormal entities can’t kill us yet!” Liu Tong quickly tried to calm everyone down.
Only after hearing his reassurance did the others start to relax a little. Bai Wan let out a long sigh of relief as well.
Damn it, they’d just entered the ga and already run into a ghost?! That bleeding phone was seriously disturbing.
Still…
“Is that really worth screaming about though?!” Bai Wan grumbled, black lines forming on his face as he glanced at the photo fra strapped to his back.
Sure enough, the voices inside erupted into panicked chaos.
“Wahhh! Mommy, there’s a ghost, there’s a ghost!!”
“Ahhh!! Dear, there’s a ghost, a ghost!!”
“Wahhh... Grandpa, save your grandchild!!”
“ow ow!!”
Bai Wan’s grandfather, Bai Ren, stood frozen, his face twisted as he looked down at the ridiculous scene unfolding at his feet: his son clinging to his leg, his daughter-in-law clinging to his son’s leg, his granddaughter clinging to hers — and the family cat, fur bristling, biting at the girl’s pant leg for dear life.
“You people are ridiculous! Have so self-respect already!!” Bai Ren looked utterly defeated, glaring at his family with disappointnt.
And yet, in the very next second, the old man collapsed onto the ground, shaking like a leaf. With tears in his voice, he wailed, “Father! There’s a ghost! A ghost!!”
Bai Wan: “......”
EXCUSE ???? I’m the one inside the Paranormal Ga!! Why are you all screaming like you’re the victims?!
Also, didn’t great-grandpa die ten years ago?! If you actually summon him, which side do you think he’d even be on?!
Turning to the girl still clinging tightly to his calf, Bai Wan said exasperatedly, “And you — miss — how long are you planning to keep hugging my leg?”
“Ah... s-sorry...” Chen Weiyu stamred, quickly letting go in embarrassnt.
“I-I’m really sorry... I was just too scared... I... ahh—” She tried to stand up but imdiately collapsed again.
Bai Wan: “?”
You pulling a scam now?
Chen Weiyu looked like she was about to cry. “My legs... my feet gave out from fear. Can you help up?”
Bai Wan: “...”
Maybe next ti you stay up all night, try watching a horror movie instead of drama reruns.
Bai Wan Glanced at the photo fra — where his family of four plus one cat was still shivering — then at the collapsed Chen Weiyu. He felt utterly helpless.
Totally unreliable. Every single one of them.
Only the governnt official dude seed reliable at this point. Instinctively, Bai Wan turned his gaze toward Liu Tong. Whether they cleared this dungeon or not... it all depended on this man.
And then, right on cue, Liu Tong pulled a pill from his pocket, swallowed it, sat down clutching his chest, and grimaced. “Shit... my heart condition’s acting up again.”
Bai Wan: “......”
Great. Guess I really am on my own here.
Just then, an elderly voice drifted over from a distance. “Guests, dinner is ready. You may begin your al.”
Everyone turned to look. An old woman was slowly wheeling over a food cart, placing plates of food onto the table.
No one responded — or rather, no one dared to.
Her face was deathly pale, like she’d just been pulled out of water. In theory, this woman should be the ship’s steward, responsible for serving the guests. But on a haunted ship like this... who could say whether she was human or a ghost?
Liu Tong shook his head.
Newbies were always too timid.
Right now, while the ghosts couldn’t kill them, was the best ti to gather information.
If they gave in to fear and failed to investigate properly, their end would be all but guaranteed.
Normally, Paranormal Entities wouldn’t speak. So this old woman probably wasn’t an Entity... though that didn’t an she was human either. Most likely, she was a corrupted hybrid — sothing neither fully human nor fully aberration.
Such creatures were common in the Paranormal Ga. Without direct orders from an Entity, they typically wouldn’t attack players.
Just as Liu Tong was about to get up and approach her, his eyes widened in surprise.
Huh?
He saw Bai Wan already walking over.
Bai Wan strolled up with a bright smile.
“Granny~”
Not bad.
Liu Tong’s eyes flashed with a hint of admiration. This kid might look a little odd carrying that huge photo fra, but he was gutsy — and courage was everything in the Paranormal Ga. A rare smile tugged at the corner of Liu Tong’s lips. This boy reminded him of his younger self.
Brave. Very brave.
But that smile quickly froze.
Because Bai Wan patted the old woman’s shoulder warmly and said, “Hey, Granny! How about I dance for you?”
Liu Tong: “???”
Everyone else: “???”
The old woman: “???”
The old woman stood there dumbfounded.
Did this human just say... he wanted to dance for her?
And then she watched, wide-eyed, as Bai Wan suddenly grew excited and shouted, “Granny! Please enjoy this dance!”
Without hesitation, he began to dance enthusiastically.
“Three spins to the left, three spins to the right... wiggle your neck… shake your butt... California girls, we're unforgettable…”
The old woman stood there in a daze.
Most players in the Paranormal Ga were gripped by despair — too frightened to even speak.
But this one...
She watched Bai Wan bounce and twirl with boundless energy, completely thrown off.
This human was way too lively...
Off to the side, Liu Tong and the others rubbed their eyes in disbelief, mouths agape as they stared at the surreal scene before them.
The hell??? What is this??? My teammate is dancing for a ghost???
This is insane. How the hell does he dare?
But then... the unexpected happened.
The old woman slowly walked over to Bai Wan.
He’s dead!
Everyone held their breath, certain that Bai Wan was dood. This reckless kid had danced his way straight into death.
But what happened next left them utterly speechless.
The old woman reached Bai Wan — then, incredibly, pulled out four pitch-black Paranormal Coins and handed them to him.
“Not bad,” she said.
Liu Tong: “Huh???”
Everyone: “HUH???”
Bai Wan bead with joy, pocketing the coins while the others stared in complete shock.
Holy crap... that worked?!
Even Liu Tong’s eyes turned green with envy. One pitch-black Paranormal Coin was worth ten regular coins. Which ant Bai Wan had just earned forty Paranormal Coins — just for dancing?!
One had to understand — Paranormal Coins were insanely valuable. Whether for purchasing life-saving tools or using special items, everything required them. They were basically survival currency.
And within a normal dungeon? You’d be lucky to earn a hundred coins total. But Bai Wan had just danced his way to forty for free?!
Imdiately, Lin Xi jumped up and started dancing. Chen Weiyu hesitated... but soon followed.
Honestly, the girls were way more graceful than Bai Wan — slim waists, long legs spinning through the air, an unexpectedly captivating sight.
And then, pressure fell on Liu Tong and Zhang Wen. Both n exchanged a look, from hesitation, to resolve, and finally, grim determination.
They stood up together.
“Auntie, I’m a PE teacher — dancing is basically part of my job!”
“Granny, I won’t lie. My day job may be a cop, but I’ve always dread of being a street dancer!”
But before they could even start moving, the old woman turned and walked away.
Lin Xi and the others sighed regretfully. They’d missed their chance to earn Paranormal Coins.
Halfway down the hall, the old woman seed to recall sothing. She turned back and handed Zhang Wen and Liu Tong a key.
“It’s getting late, and the rain’s coming in hard. Once you’re done eating, please head to bed. There are five rooms on the first floor, just enough for each of you. Rember to lock your doors tonight. You never know what might happen out there.”
Crack!
A bolt of lightning split the sky, illuminating the sheets of rain outside.
Everyone instinctively turned to look. The drizzle from earlier had beco a torrential downpour.
Bai Wan looked at the key in his hand, then toward the room assigned to him. His usual relaxed attitude slowly faded, replaced by a serious expression.
It had begun.
The first night aboard The Midnight Hawk.
Everyone would be sleeping in separate rooms.
Tonight... would be anything but peaceful.
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