Chapter 104

"Don't you think something's off?"

Voices drifted over from a distance again. Lin Tu, who had already pulled a stool from her Anomaly Space and was sitting by the wire mesh watching a muted TV drama while waiting for the fuel to finish transferring, immediately perked up.

She paused the show and listened—

"It's been almost an hour. Even if the daily-use tank were empty, it should be full by now. Why haven't they notified us upstairs?" The voice was laced with confusion.

"Maybe the Aladdin's lamp needs a bit more oil," another replied with a foolish chuckle.

"Your head's full of rocks!" the first man shouted. "Go up and check what's going on! Forget it, I'll go ask myself. You shut the valve and turn off these machines! If that idiot up there falls asleep and overfills it, that'll be a real pain."

"But what if—"

"There's more than enough!" the first man cut him off. "With this much oil, I'll bring you a pretty girl! Now shut it off!"

After the sound of irritable footsteps faded, Lin Tu quickly got up, tucked away the stool, and slipped back through the wire mesh. She waited for the oil to stop flowing, then detached the hose, reattached it to the pipe, and tightened the valve. The hose was heavy—it took two big men to lift it—and after she finished, her arms ached.

But despite the soreness, the label on the plastic bucket filled her with joy.

[MGOP Fuel (Special Blend): A specialty fuel from a C-class civilization, widely applicable to various high-speed, medium-speed, and low-speed fuel engines on ships, cars, and other vehicles. It can power large ocean liners, aircraft carriers, or heavy-duty freight trucks, as well as small watercraft and light vehicles.]

[Volume in use: 30 cubic meters, approximately 30 tons.]

Anju had just reminded her that the volume in use was about to exceed 20 cubic meters and asked if she wanted to purchase more capacity. Seeing that the fuel was a specialty of this world, she'd chosen to buy without hesitation.

Fuel suitable for all kinds of engines—a full thirty tons. This was a massive win.

After Lin Tu removed the wire mesh, it dissolved into a puff of dust and vanished. A pity the wire mesh was a one-time item; it couldn't be recovered. She tidied up the traces around her, put away the plastic bucket, and crouched behind the fuel storage tank, waiting for the right moment to leave.

Just then, a clap of thunder boomed across the sky, and the entire ship shook. Following that, screams erupted from outside the fuel storage room.

"Help!" The crew member who had gone upstairs to find the other man came running back, shrieking all the way toward the fuel tank. "Old Gao! Old Gao, help me!"

"Didn't you go to find someone?" Old Gao's puzzled voice carried a hint of simple-mindedness. "Back already? Oh, I see—the oil's full, so they're coming down with the pretty girl."

"Pretty girl my foot! It's—"

As he shouted, another thunderclap struck, and the ship began to rock violently. Rain hammered down with a deafening roar as if trying to bring about mutual destruction. Old Gao didn't catch what he said, but Lin Tu, with her enhanced physique, heard it clearly—

"It's a contagious patient!"

This could be an opportunity, Lin Tu thought, edging toward the door.

When the crew member entered, she'd activate the wire mesh left at the door. The mesh would block the door from closing. She'd toss corn at the crew member to avoid being seen, then eat a Night Blueberry and make a run for it.

Of course, throwing items at a crew member sounded a bit underhanded, but Lin Tu planned to sprinkle half a bottle of chicken blood in the opposite direction after running out, momentarily drawing the contagious patient's attention. She'd also deactivate the wire mesh to help the crew member close the door, then make her own escape.

The crew member was just a working stiff—she could empathize with dealing with brain-dead colleagues on the job, overworking, and having the project fall apart in the end.

Just as she was thinking this, Old Gao chuckled and stepped forward a few paces, leaving the fuel storage room and moving toward the crew member. "What did you say? I didn't catch that!"

"You didn't catch that, my foot! I told you to go back, grab a mop or something, and shut the door on him! It's a contagious patient! I mean the highly—the most severe—contagious patient is chasing me!"

"What? A beauty from Chaoshan, heavier than me, is chasing you?" Old Gao asked, confused. "Don't let her chase you, then. You should be more reserved and run slower—if you slow down a bit, she'll catch up."

"Damn it!" The crew member, furious, tried to wave his hand but lost his balance and stumbled.

At that moment, the contagious patient behind him lunged forward and bit down hard on his head.

"Ah!" A scream made Lin Tu's heart clench—the most severe contagious patient?

It was then, by the flickering warning lights in the corridor, that she saw the patient with over 90% infection.

A swamp—that description was too fitting.

The man was covered in tumors. They weren't like normal skin lumps or pimples, smooth and semicircular; instead, loose, flabby skin hung with thick pus inside. Some tumors were so large they drooped from his cheeks down to his chest. Ulceration was inevitable, leaving fist-sized holes, but the pus, stuck to the muscle beneath, didn't fully drain—instead, like a swamp, it occasionally bubbled and gurgled.

If the crew member counted as a sturdy man, this contagious patient, with all the stacked tumors, was twice as wide.

"You're way too tall and bulky..."

Compared to Old Gao, who was still obliviously walking forward, Lin Tu only wanted to run.

A severely infected patient was covered in viruses; touching him was equivalent to slow suicide. Lin Tu would have to be insane to confront him. But from the way he'd chased the crew member, his speed wasn't slow.

"Hey, why aren't you saying anything?" Old Gao walked forward without a trace of caution. Given how he'd ignored his teammate's warning to grab a tool, he clearly wasn't very bright. So Lin Tu said nothing, ate a Night Blueberry, and quietly followed behind him.

"Hey? Hey? You two, acknowledge me!" Old Gao took another four or five steps forward.

The corridor was pitch black, lit only by the occasional flicker of warning lights. The flashlight on Old Gao's chest cast its beam ahead, revealing only the contagious patient's lowered head—until Old Gao's shouts roused him. He jerked his head up, and in the flashlight's glare, his face was grotesquely deformed: on one side, a tumor hung vertically down to his chest; on the other, several tumors stacked horizontally squeezed his eye, nose, and mouth. If Van Gogh were here, he'd be taken for a realist.

"Ah!" Old Gao screamed and plopped down on the ground.

Lin Tu, who had almost been stepped on by him, was speechless. "..."

She grabbed Old Gao by the collar and tossed him back into the fuel storage room behind her. Another scream followed, but she paid him no more mind.

"Here, here." Lin Tu unscrewed the plastic bottle of chicken blood to get the contagious patient's attention, splashed the blood onto the nearby machinery, then turned and ran.

The monster had come from the direction Lin Tu had arrived from. If it had been an ordinary patient, she'd have looped around and gone back the way she came—Deck 7 was a maze of winding corridors with no signs, easy to get lost in. But it was a highly infected patient, and she had no idea how long the chicken blood would hold its attention. Such monsters were usually stronger than the ordinary ones, so it probably wouldn't be distracted for long. Even with the risk of getting lost, she didn't want to get close to it.

Sure enough, as she turned, it lunged excitedly at the blood, but after just a sniff, it moved on. It sought a new target—and this time, it didn't choose Lin Tu, who was getting farther away, but Old Gao, who was closer.

Another scream rang out behind her, but Lin Tu didn't stop. She ate another Night Blueberry to maintain her night vision and kept running. If she could find another exit, even if the door was locked, she could use [Diamond Coating] to open it.

But speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Even though she could see her surroundings clearly, she inevitably got lost.

She could only curse herself for not memorizing the entire Deck 7 map when she'd seen the 3D layout, only noting one exit and the location of the fuel tank.

As she kept moving, shifting positions to keep the contagious patient from catching her scent too quickly, she tried to recall what that damned map had looked like. It was like an exam—she could only remember the title, the size, even the iron frame that bordered it, but not the crucial details she needed.

Just then, a miracle seemed to fall from the sky—

She spotted that iron frame she'd traced in her mind countless times.

Lin Tu nearly wept with joy. She sprinted over and quickly located her position.

In the darkness, she felt a chill on her back, as if something was watching her. She steeled herself and stared for two more seconds. Just as she found her location and the way to another exit based on the nearby boiler room's name, a foul stench hit her from behind.

Like a wild animal fleeing a flood, she threw herself to the ground. She didn't have time to check if her protective suit was torn. Rolling over, she sat up, scrambled backward, drew her pistol, and fired at the attacker while racking the slide.

The deafening roar echoed in the enclosed space, like a cold giant wave crashing through the ship, suffocating and inescapable. Lin Tu watched her bullets punch into the contagious patient's body—and then... nothing. He shuddered twice, then lunged at her.

She got up, firing behind her at his head, each shot hitting—but again... nothing. He only staggered two steps; the pus seemed to have formed a protective membrane.

Damn it! Lin Tu couldn't help but curse.

"That won't work." A laugh came from beside her.

Lin Tu turned and saw a man standing there. His sudden appearance was startling, but he had handsome features and a bright, open smile—honest and upright, like a ghost who'd love playing basketball and had a civil service job.

"You need to hit where there are no tumors, or fewer of them. For example, this one—hmm, its defense is excellent, so I suggest we..." He grinned, flashing eight white teeth. "Run!"