??Chapter 291: 290.Pohnpei Island_1
Chapter 291: 290.Pohnpei Island_1
Under normal circumstances, it’s not possible for a person to drown themselves; when the head is subrged in water to a certain extent, the body will instinctively struggle to break free from the water’s surface.
Therefore, holding soone else’s head under water to drown them requires a great deal of strength, as the person’s struggle is most intense at that ti.
Yet, Captain Gustaf had held down his own head to drown himself.
This was truly bizarre.
Lu Ban did so more searching and found that among those who had experienced the Star Cluster incident, there was a remarkably high rate of ntal illness, self-harm, and suicide. So experts believed the oppressive atmosphere at the ti had led to the onset of these ntal health issues. So victims’ families organized protests, seeking more compensation from the cruise ship owner. There were also instances of fraudsters who were caught faking ntal illness, which made the whole affair even more confusing and uncertain.
As for the rumors of the Ghost Ship, they had only begun to circulate recently. Lu Ban found so suspected film materials, photos, etc., but so of these were obviously fake, digitally altered with Photoshop; others, however, could not clearly be identified as whether they were real Ghost Ships or just disguised using earlier photos of the Star Cluster.
The legend of the Ghost Ship beca popular mainly because there were too many unanswered questions surrounding the Star Cluster incident. The incident itself hadn’t attracted much attention.
The movie production proceeded in an orderly fashion, and during this ti, along with learning about film, Lu Ban also took the opportunity to study the culture, beliefs, and historical geography of the surrounding Pacific area.
Pohnpei Island is located in the West Pacific, north of the Solomon Islands; it’s a volcanic island that has remains dating back seven hundred years—the Nan Madol Ruins—made up of huge basalt pillars. Each pillar weighs between five and fifty tons. At that ti, just quarrying such pillars would take six hundred years, not to ntion the moving and construction which would require at least a thousand years, making it difficult to imagine how these structures were actually built.
After all, constructing sothing with difficulty comparable to the Pyramids was not on the vast desert of the Kingdom of Egypt, but on a small island, where the lack of manpower alone could make construction extrely difficult.
Moreover, within these ruins, there are architectural remains dating back to 200 BC, and the sowhat newer buildings were constructed over the remains of these earlier structures. There are great differences in architectural style between the two, almost as if they ca from entirely different civilizations. Yet according to the island’s records, it has always been only the Saudeleur people here.
According to local legends, the giant stone structures on the island were created by a powerful Mage who could control objects, making these massive stones fly here and assemble into buildings automatically.
And in docuntaries from the 1990s, researchers tried various modern thods to move these giant stones with great difficulty. There were even stories that during the war, so military personnel ventured into the tombs within the ruins, only to die violently the next day.
In short, this island itself is quite mysterious, and it wouldn’t be surprising if sothing happened there.
In early July, as all the major universities started their sumr vacation, the business hours on the back street of Jiangcheng University did not change. There are several residential areas nearby, and even without students, residents from the communities often co here to shop, which is enough to support the shop owners’ expenses.
Moreover, there are still so students who stayed on campus, so it wasn’t deserted.
Every year around this ti, campus ghost stories start to beco popular again at the university. Thankfully, this year’s graduation at Jiangcheng University went smoothly, unlike last year when there was a student who committed suicide by jumping off a building.
Lu Ban packed up his belongings, sent ssages to a few familiar faces, especially telling Qin Tiantian to keep an eye on everyone, ensuring that they didn’t overexert themselves in their pursuits. Afterward, he arrived at Jiangcheng Airport.
The weather in Jiangcheng was already very hot and humid in July; it’s hard to imagine living without air conditioning.
Feng Yu wore a sea-colored dress, looking no different from the tourists ready for a vacation at the airport. During such tis, Lu Ban would montarily forget she wasn’t human.
“Where’s your luggage?”
Lu Ban asked.
“It’s already checked in. You should hurry and go get your boarding pass,”
Feng Yu pointed towards the luggage check-in and boarding pass counters.
Lu Ban placed his luggage into the machine.
The check-in clerk, who had been smiling, suddenly stiffened when she saw the X-ray image at security.
“What is this?”
She pointed at a long rod-like object in Lu Ban’s suitcase.
“That’s a crowbar,”
Lu Ban responded without a second thought.
“Why would you bring a crowbar on a trip?”
The young lady was taken aback and blurted out a question.
“Can’t this be put in the luggage for boarding?”
Lu Ban glanced at the list of prohibited items on the sign overhead, confirming there was no crowbar listed.
“Well, it’s not that…”
The young lady processed Lu Ban’s check-in with suspicion and, in the end, gazed at Lu Ban’s departing figure for a long ti.
Lu Ban chatted with Feng Yu as they walked towards the boarding gate.
During the security check, Lu Ban tossed his backpack into the X-ray machine, took off his jacket, and put his cell phone and other items into a basket before approaching the security officer.
Beep—
The security officer’s machine emitted a beep, triggered by the tal buckle on Lu Ban’s belt.
He was about to let Lu Ban go when he caught a glimpse of the X-ray image on the screen.
In Lu Ban’s backpack, aside from the usual clothes, a charger, and such, there was a Suona.
“A Suona?”
A question mark ford in his mind.
But since a musical instrunt isn’t prohibited, he didn’t ask further.
There are no direct flights from Jiangcheng to Pohnpei Island; one has to first go from Jiangcheng to Guam, then transfer there to Pohnpei Island. It required changing planes three tis, and there are only three flights a week from Guam to Pohnpei Island, which is quite scarce.
For this reason, Lu Ban faced the long journey and resolutely chose first-class.
For just an extra six thousand, one could enjoy top-notch service, which was a very cost-effective deal.
First-class also offered a VIP lounge, where Lu Ban enjoyed a simple al and checked the weather conditions.
“It looks like clear skies all the way, seems like we’re in luck.”
Cyclones are common in the Southwest Pacific from November to April, opposite to the northern hemisphere, so by reason, the Western Pacific in July should be clear and mild.
“Hopefully so.”
Feng Yu didn’t eat anything, and it was uncertain whether it was because her wound hadn’t healed or she simply found the food too greasy.
Regardless, Lu Ban adopted the mindset of not passing up free food and sampled a bit of everything.
Thanks to the clear weather, the flight boarded on ti. The two flew from Jiangcheng to The Island and then transferred to Guam from there.
First-class was comparatively quiet, with more personal space. Unlike the cramped economy class where one even felt crowded sitting down, first-class could even allow one to lie down and enjoy a shower; it was truly a luxury.
Lu Ban ate the in-flight lunch, a quite lavish al of Island Country cuisine, and was ready to take a short rest.
But just as he lay down and closed his eyes, Lu Ban heard Feng Yu slip into his suite.
“Sothing’s not right on the plane.”
Feng Yu’s voice was very soft.
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