Chapter 53: Please don't go out, okay?

"All right, I'll go with you." Director Zhou paused what she was doing.

The moment her words fell, April quickly waved her hands.

"No need, I can go by myself. Mother Director, it's getting late, you should go to sleep first!"

Leaving those words behind, April turned and ran out.

After running a considerable distance, she looked back over her shoulder.

Seeing that no one was following her out, she took out the small slip of paper and carefully studied the rules written on it.

Upon seeing the rule stating that the upper cabins were completely safe, she let out a cold smile.

This rule was obviously fake at first glance.

The people in the upper cabins lived so comfortably—they were bound to pay a price for it!

"Attention lower-cabin tourists, please proceed to the deck for cleaning duties. Upon completion of your work, you may collect your breakfast and drinking water for tomorrow."

As April was pondering, the broadcast suddenly echoed in her ears.

She frowned and looked down at the slip of paper in her hand.

The paper clearly stated that they were only allowed to move about in the lower cabins and must not go to the deck at midnight.

Could the broadcast be misleading them on purpose, trying to make them break the rules?

April rolled her eyes and decided to ignore the broadcast for now.

There were plenty of people in the lower cabin anyway; she could just wait for them to go out first.

If those who went out returned alive, it would prove that these two rules were fake.

Conversely, it would prove that at least one of the first two rules was true!

Just as she was thinking, footsteps sounded from behind her.

She hurriedly tucked the slip of paper away and turned to walk back.

A man was walking toward her, yawning.

"Making people work in the dead of night—they really don't let anyone sleep!"

April glanced at him, memorizing his features.

As she brushed past the man, the corners of her mouth curved up into a cold smile.

Though she didn't know the situation of the people upstairs, she was now certain that among those living in the lower cabin, she was currently the only one who had seen the rules on the slip of paper.

She could use these ignorant people to test the truth or falsehood of the rules.

That way, her chances of survival would be even greater!

"April, you're back already?"

Director Zhou's voice slowly reached her ears.

April raised her head and met her gaze.

"It was too dark outside, I didn't dare to go."

"There should be a restroom upstairs too. Let's go upstairs to take care of it."

Hearing this, April's expression changed, and she shook her head repeatedly.

"Mother Director, actually I suddenly don't need to go anymore. Let's go back to sleep!"

"Silly child, holding it in is not a good habit. The broadcast just notified us to go to the deck to work. Since we have to go up anyway, going to the restroom is just on the way."

With that, Director Zhou reached out to take April's hand.

As if struck by electricity, April quickly hid her hands behind her back.

"No, I'm not going!"

"Why is that?" Director Zhou asked, puzzled.

Fearing she would arouse suspicion, April thought for a moment and came up with a plausible excuse.

"Mother Director, I actually took care of it secretly just now. I'm sleepy and want to sleep. Will you stay with me, please?"

"You took care of it?" Director Zhou was somewhat surprised.

Yet, thinking that April was still young and it was normal to be afraid of the dark, she didn't probe further.

"Alright then, since you're sleepy, go back and sleep! I'll go to the deck to work and bring back some food."

Saying this, Director Zhou stepped forward to leave.

Between filling her stomach and leaving herself a fallback option, April chose the latter.

"Mother Director, can you please not go? I'm scared being by myself!"

April grabbed Director Zhou's hand, looking at her with a feigned, pitiful expression.

Although she was very hungry and wanted to eat, keeping Director Zhou around might prove useful later.

What did missing a meal matter? It wasn't as if she hadn't experienced hunger before.

Besides, what if the rules were real? If Director Zhou left, she might never return.

Not only would she fail to get food and water, but she would also lose the person most valuable to exploit—that truly outweighed any potential gain.

"April, aren't you hungry?"

"Not hungry!" April shook her head. "Mother Director, April can skip breakfast tomorrow morning. Please don't go out, okay?"

"Alright!"

Director Zhou gave a helpless sigh and chose to compromise.

Just a moment ago, she felt as though she had caught a glimpse of the old April—free of calculation and cunning, with a mindset befitting her age.

The April she was familiar with had finally returned!

Accompanying April, Director Zhou turned and walked back.

Many people stayed in the lower cabin, and only a few went outside.

Returning to their previous spot, Director Zhou had cleared out a small space.

April curled up, barely managing to lie down.

"Sleep now, Mother Director will watch over you right here."

"Mm, Mother Director mustn't sneak away while I'm asleep, okay?"

April reached out and grasped Director Zhou's hand.

Having scraped by in the eerie forest for over a dozen years, she was conditioned to remain constantly cautious.

Assuming the child was simply afraid of the dark, Director Zhou nodded in agreement.

Seeing April close her eyes, she rested her head against a wooden crate and closed her eyes to rest.

The night was as dark as ink.

A red moon hung high in the sky.

A few people walked into the lower cabin, yawning.

The lower cabin was brightly lit, giving off a reassuring warmth.

They walked outward along the lower cabin and soon reached the deck.

Compared to the interior, the deck only featured a single, rather useless oil lamp.

Meanwhile, the lights inside the lower cabin could only illuminate a radius of two or three meters.

Beyond that, everything was pitch black, utterly invisible.

"It's so dark, how are we supposed to sweep?"

"Yeah, couldn't they let us sleep first and sweep tomorrow morning?"

"If I'd known living in the lower cabin was this tiring, I should've chosen the middle cabin. I reckon the middle cabin isn't much more dangerous than us, and they don't have to get up to work in the middle of the night!"

"Ain't that the truth! I wonder if there's any chance to choose again?"

"Stop chatting and just get to work! Finish sooner, and we can go back to sleep sooner!"

With that, a man picked up a nearby broom and began sweeping the floor.

The woman in his team also chose a broom.

"Since we picked the same tools and we're teammates, why don't we divide the area? I'll take this side, and you take that end. We can work from both sides toward the middle to save some time, what do you think?"

"Sounds good!"

The man nodded, readily agreeing.

Hearing someone propose cooperation, the others quickly followed suit.

The farther one got from the cabin door, the darker it became.

To stay within the lit areas, the women volunteered to take charge of larger sections of ground.

The men had no objections and nodded in agreement.

They picked up their tools and walked toward the bow of the ship.

Faint, rustling sounds drifted across the deck.

The sounds grew from soft to heavy, eventually turning into a noisy chatter.

Paying it no mind, everyone assumed the others were simply drawing closer to them.

As one man swept the floor, he suddenly felt someone brush against him.

"Move over a bit, your tool hit my foot."

Just as the man's words fell, the sensation of touch did not disappear.

He was about to flare up in anger when he suddenly felt that this sensation didn't seem quite right...