Chapter 55: Teetering on the Brink of Death

"It's nothing, I was just curious about what food they brought back."

April casually found an excuse to gloss over it.

She looked toward those gaps, letting out a silent sigh of relief.

It was fortunate that she was the one who found the little note; otherwise, just to claim food and water, she would have gone to clean the deck last night too.

Yet, a problem remained: which one of the first two rules was actually true?

Or were both of them true?

If the latter was the case, there was no food or water in the hold.

Even if they didn't leave this place and weren't killed by the anomalies, they would eventually die of thirst or starvation.

"I'm so hungry! Why haven't the people who went out last night come back yet? Could it be they're planning to finish all the food before coming back?"

A man sitting not far away suddenly spoke up.

Among the people in the hold, his physical strength was unquestionably top-tier.

He had chosen not to go out last night because he had planned it from the very beginning.

He would wait for those people to bring back food and water, and then he would simply take them by force!

Yet now, he suspected that those people had seen through his intentions and had no plans to bring the food and water back at all!

"I'm so hungry too!" A woman cradled her stomach. "This won't do, I have to go up and find them, and make them share some food with me!"

With that, the woman stood up and slowly walked toward the exit.

The man's gaze fell upon the woman's face, a smile curling the corner of his mouth. "I'll go with you!"

Hearing this, the woman turned to look at him.

Seeing that even with his clothes on, his bulging muscles couldn't be concealed, her eyes lit up. She readily agreed with a crisp response and left together with the man.

Their decision played right into April's hands.

It was currently daytime, so the rule prohibiting going up to the deck at midnight did not apply right now.

If they could return alive, it would prove that the other rule was false.

However, if they ended up just like the people who left last night and never came back, it would mean the other rule was true, or perhaps both rules were true.

During her days on the cruise ship, she would only be able to move around in the hold!

Just as April was pondering this, Director Zhou's voice suddenly reached her ears.

"April, wait here for me. I'm going upstairs to see if there's any food and water."

Director Zhou braced herself against a wooden crate nearby and slowly stood up.

April frowned, a fleeting look of disgust quickly flashing through her eyes.

Not only was this foolish woman stupid, but her luck was also terrible.

Every single decision she made was like testing the waters at the edge of death.

If not for her holding her back, this idiot wouldn't have survived until now.

April gritted her teeth, inwardly wanting nothing to do with Director Zhou.

Yet, thinking of the five days she still had to spend on the cruise ship, keeping Director Zhou around might still prove useful.

She sighed, reached out to tug at Director Zhou's sleeve, and raised her chin to look at her.

"Mother Director, could you wait for me a moment? I want to go with you, but I haven't freshened up yet!"

"Alright, then go wash up in the restroom. I'll wait for you here!"

Director Zhou nodded and readily agreed.

Reluctantly, April stood up and slowly walked toward the exit.

The restroom in the hold was located not far from the stairs.

Before she even got close to the restroom, she caught a powerful stench.

She raised a hand, disgustedly covering her nose.

"It smells way too awful here!"

April glanced around, finding a spot where she could keep the stairs in sight to wait for the return of the people who had just gone up.

After waiting for a little over a quarter of an hour, she didn't get to wait for the people she expected, but instead saw Director Zhou.

"April, why did you take so long? I thought something happened to you!"

"I..." April rolled her eyes. "Mother Director, it smelled too awful inside, I couldn't gather the courage to go in yet!"

"It really does smell!"

Director Zhou caught the stench as well, furrowing her brow before turning her gaze toward the stairs.

"Why don't we go to the restroom on the first deck instead?"

Just as April was about to find an excuse to refuse, footsteps slowly drifted down from upstairs.

She raised her head at the sound, and before even seeing anyone, she heard a man's voice.

"Where on earth did those people go last night? We checked both the lower cabin and the deck, and couldn't find a single person anywhere!"

"Yeah, it's so bizarre. Do you think they might have sneaked off to the middle or upper cabins?"

"Impossible!"

The man shook his head, dismissing the woman's conjecture.

"The further up you go, the more dangerous it gets. I don't think they'd risk going to the middle or upper cabins just to hide food and water!"

As the voices grew closer, April saw the man and woman who had left earlier appear at the top of the stairs.

With the first rule successfully ruled out, she no longer needed to make up excuses.

Once the two of them descended the stairs, she smiled brightly at Director Zhou.

"Mother Director, let's go up!"

...

After washing up, Doro scrambled laboriously onto her chair.

Seeing her seated securely, Ling Yun handed two cups of warm milk across the table.

Doro looked at the milk before turning her gaze to Ling Yun.

Noticing that he only had bread in front of him and no milk, her clear, black-and-white eyes filled with a hint of confusion.

"Daddy, why aren't you drinking milk? Do you not like it?"

"Mm."

Ling Yun was usually too lazy to explain and simply grunted an affirmative.

Doro took it for truth and nodded her little head.

She picked up the ugly doll resting beside her.

"Does big sister like drinking milk?"

Chouchou's pitch-black eyes rolled, but she didn't dare utter a sound.

Seeing it stay silent, Doro took it as tacit agreement.

"Big sister, this cup is for you!"

Doro placed Chouchou right next to a cup of warm milk.

Then she picked up the other cup of milk, sipping it in tiny little mouthfuls.

Ling Yun glanced at her without a word, lowering his head to eat the bread on his plate.

After finishing a little less than half the cup, Doro licked the milky white foam from the corner of her mouth.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Chouchou's cup of milk remained untouched, prompting a curious "Oh?"

"Big sister, why aren't you drinking?"

Chouchou: "..."

With Ling Yun, this old demon, sitting right here, how could it possibly dare to drink?

Chouchou only dared to think it in her heart, not daring to voice her thoughts aloud.

Seeing the doll remain silent, Doro tilted her little head and pondered hard.

Soon, as if she had suddenly thought of something, she slapped her own forehead sharply.

The blow was a bit too hard and stung a bit.

While rubbing her head with a pitiful expression, she looked over at Ling Yun.

"Daddy, can you get me a straw?"

"So troublesome!"

She had been holding the cup and drinking just fine, so why did she suddenly want a straw?

Though Ling Yun found it troublesome in his heart, he still got up, walked over to the bedside cabinet, and dialed the service hotline.

After explaining the situation to the other end, Ling Yun hung up the phone.

Just as he returned to the dining table and before he even had time to sit down, the door was knocked upon.

"Guest, the straw you requested has arrived."

A woman's voice drifted softly from outside the door.

Doro lowered her little head, just bringing the rim of the cup to her lips.

Before she could take a single sip, she heard the woman's voice.

She let out a soft "Oh?" and lowered the glass cup in her hand.

Her round eyes stared straight at the closed door.

Why did this voice sound somewhat familiar?