176: Chapter 176 Ghost Ship

That sound seemed to come from an ancient battlefield, carrying endless vicissitudes and sorrow, penetrating layers of mist and drilling clearly into everyone's ears.

"What was 그 sound?!"

Li Murou was startled and hurriedly covered her ears.

Chen Xi's eyes narrowed as he stared fixedly at the sea.

In the depths of the rolling fog, a massive, dilapidated ancient sailing ship was slowly approaching.

The ship was pitch black, its sails long since reduced to tattered strips hanging from the masts and fluttering in the wind. The hull was covered in barnacles and seaweed, and even some huge claw marks and holes could be seen.

With no sails catching the wind and no roar of an engine, it glided silently across the calm sea like a phantom from the netherworld.

"A ghost ship?!"

Ye Fei's eyes widened, her voice trembling slightly:

"The Vessel of the Undead that wanders the Dead Sea in legends... it's actually real?"

The ship came to a slow halt dozens of meters from the shore.

*Clang!*

A piece of rotting wood extended automatically from the gunwale, resting on the rocks at the shore as if inviting them to board.

"This..."

Su Xiaoxiao looked at the wooden plank, somewhat hesitant:

"Captain Chen, this is too eerie. Could it be a trap?"

Chen Xi narrowed his eyes and activated Card Affinity Reflection, attempting to view information about the ship.

However, the feedback he received was a mess of garbled code.

[Target: Unknown Vehicle]

[Status: Unparsable]

[Danger Level: ???]

"Even the system can't parse it?"

Chen Xi's heart sank, but then a cold smile curved his lips:

"Since it's here, there's no reason to back down."

"Since Shen Ye gave us the coordinates, he must have expected us to encounter this situation. This ship might be the 'transportation' he prepared for us."

"Or perhaps... some kind of test."

Chen Xi turned around and looked at his three teammates, his tone firm:

"Board the ship!"

"Whether it's a ghost ship or a pirate ship, as long as it can lead us to the Sea Demon Emperor, it's a good ship!"

With that, Chen Xi took the lead, stepping onto the creaking wooden plank and boarding the deck.

Su Xiaoxiao followed closely behind, lightning faintly appearing on her magic staff. Though Li Murou and Ye Fei were afraid, they could only steel themselves and follow.

The moment all four stepped onto the deck.

*Whoosh—*

A gust of cold wind blew past, and the wooden plank retracted automatically.

The tattered sails actually moved without wind, billowing out.

Carrying the four of them, the ghost ship slowly turned its bow and sailed toward the depths of the mist.

There was a deathly silence on the ship.

Scattered barrels and broken ropes were everywhere on the deck, as if a fierce battle had just taken place here, but everyone had vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Is anyone there?"

Li Murou called out tentatively.

Her voice echoed across the empty deck, met with no response.

"Stop shouting."

Chen Xi walked to the helm and found it deserted, yet the wheel was slowly turning on its own, adjusting the course.

"This is an auto-navigating ship. Or rather... it's alive itself."

"Alive?!"

The three girls suddenly felt as if the deck beneath their feet was burning hot.

Just then.

"Hee hee hee..."

A faint, ethereal giggling sound suddenly came from the bottom of the cabin.

The sound was like a little girl playing—crisp and pleasant—but in this gloomy environment, it was exceptionally chilling.

"Is that... singing?"

As a Musician, Li Murou was the most sensitive to sound. She tilted her head to listen, her face gradually turning pale:

"No... this isn't ordinary singing."

"In this sound... there's an extremely strong mental induction!"

"It's trying to... control my emotions!"

"Everyone! Mental shields at full power!"

Chen Xi barked out an order.

Su Xiaoxiao reacted instantly, striking her magic staff on the ground. A violet lightning barrier immediately enveloped the four of them.

"Hee hee hee... Come here... Come quickly..."

The voice did not disappear because of the shield; instead, it became clearer, even taking on a hint of urgency and temptation.

It seemed to be summoning everyone to the depths of the cabin.

"Stop playing tricks!"

Su Xiaoxiao's eyes turned cold. She condensed a lightning spear in her hand and blasted the cabin entrance.

*Boom!*

Wood splinters flew, revealing a pitch-black staircase leading to the lower level.

"Let's go down and take a look."

Chen Xi, bold due to his skill, directly took the lead and walked down.

The interior of the cabin was even darker and more humid than the deck. The walls were covered in glowing moss, emitting a faint green light.

The giggling sound grew closer, as if it were right next to their ears.

Finally, they reached a large hall on the bottom level.

In the center of the hall stood a massive dining table.

The table was laden with a feast—roast chicken, red wine, fruit... it looked fresh and enticing, as if it had just been served.

And at the head of the table sat the figure of a little girl with her back to them.

She wore a tattered western-style dress and held a dirty rag doll in her arms. She was humming a song while poking at the meat on her plate with a fork.

"Hee hee... the guests are finally here."

The little girl slowly turned her head.

When he saw her face clearly, even Chen Xi couldn't help but gasp.

On that face... there were no features!

There was only a huge, split-open mouth, filled with rows of sharp teeth!

"Welcome to... the Abyss Canteen!"

The little girl shrieked, and the once-enticing food instantly turned into rotting organs and maggots!

And the rag doll in her hand turned into a still-dripping human head!

"Roar—!!"

The little girl lunged forward, her body ballooning in mid-air, instantly transforming into a hideous Sea Demon Ghost!

"You're asking for death!"

Su Xiaoxiao, who had long been unable to restrain herself, swung her magic staff violently.

"Void Thunder Punishment!"

*Sizzle—!*

A bolt of violet-black void lightning exploded out of thin air, directly striking the Sea Demon Ghost.

"Ah!!!"

The sea demon let out a scream, its spiritual body instantly dissipating under the lightning's strike.

But this was only the beginning.

With the sea demon's death, the surrounding walls suddenly began to writhe.

Countless distorted human faces emerged from the walls, opening their large mouths and emitting ear-piercing sonic screams!

*Vroom—!!!*

The terrifying sonic attack echoed within the narrow cabin, making everyone dizzy.

"Not good! It's a Sonic Array!"

Li Murou covered her ears in pain:

"This frequency... my mental power is being rapidly consumed!"

"Break the array!"

Chen Xi made a split-second decision, throwing several Explosive Cards at the surrounding walls.

*Boom boom boom!*

The walls were blown open, revealing the pitch-black seawater outside.

"The ship is sinking!"

Ye Fei shouted.

Seawater poured in, and the hull began to tilt violently.

"Go up! Back to the deck!"

Chen Xi pulled the group and rushed toward the stairs.

However, when they rushed onto the deck, they found that the scene outside had completely changed.