Chapter 688: Chapter 688: Poisonous Chicken Soup
Along tied a rope around himself, the other end secured to the deck. Equipped with a flashlight and a knife, he slowly slid off the boat.
Trying to make out the designs on the rusty ship hull was challenging enough, not to mention that parts of the designs were submerged in the water.
Along was underwater for a long time, with Pan Xiaoxin watching him from the railings.
Bai Youwei sat next to Mr. Chang during the long wait, wiping his body dry with a towel to keep him as dry as possible.
Several times, Mr. Chang opened his eyes but said nothing, only watching them for a while before closing his eyes again, seemingly very tired.
Bai Youwei wiped Mr. Chang’s face, his arms, and his hands until she felt something hard…
She gazed down at it in silence.
There, on the back of Mr. Chang’s hand, grew a layer of tiny… semi-transparent fish scales.
Pan Xiaoxin also noticed them and turned to Bai Youwei with reddened eyes, “Sister Weiwei…”
Without saying a word, Bai Youwei stared for a long time, then released Mr. Chang’s hand to check on Asarina.
Asarina was also seriously injured, but for some reason, she didn’t display any abnormalities.
Asarina reflected for a moment, then told Bai Youwei, “Perhaps the sea water diluted the sticky fluid, so I’m okay.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Chang had been bitten by the mermaid while still on board.
Asarina, observing Bai Youwei’s expression, carefully said, “As you said, it’s not over yet. Only once we leave here, will the outcome remain unknown.”
So don’t give up easily. Until the last moment, no one knows what the outcome will be.
However, such pep talk, to Bai Youwei, was as tasteless as plain water.
After a moment of silence, she asked Asarina, “How did you… reconcile the fact that you had to hurt Aqing when he… was in trouble?”
Asarina was taken aback by her words.
Bai Youwei lowered her head, her hands gripping the moist skirt over her knees. In a low voice, she said, “I didn’t mean anything by it, I was just wondering, if… if Mr. Chang can’t be saved, how should I…”
She couldn’t continue.
Asarina stared at her in silence, understanding her meaning.
If Mr. Chang ended up like Aqing, someone among them would have to end his life. And the obvious choice for this task would be Bai Youwei.
Gently, Asarina said, “I had only one thought then, that Aqing was in severe pain, very severe pain, so I must do my utmost to stop his suffering.”
Bai Youwei nodded vaguely, “Hmm, I see…”
“But I also regret it.” Asarina added.
Bai Youwei looked confused, baffled.
Asarina explained, “As humans, even when we make decisions that we believe are right, we still regret the outcomes we bring about. I was the one who killed Aqing. I will never forget that. I regret it, and it pains me. But if given another chance, I would still kill him.
Do you think you can escape the afflictions of your conscience by uttering a few seemingly reasonable statements? That’s impossible. There’s no getting by in this world without bearing one’s own cross.”
Bai Youwei held her lips, took a deep breath, and responded, “…I understand.”
She turned around to continue drying Mr. Chang, pondering Asarina’s words—
Even when making decisions believed to be correct, guilt is inescapable.
Fancy words are just placating, they can’t change the essence of pain.
A tear dropped onto Mr. Chang’s hand.
Bai Youwei blinked, hastily wiped her eyes, and continued wiping off Mr. Chang’s body.
On the other side, Along finally climbed back onto the boat.
Anxious, Asarina immediately asked, “How did it go? Did you figure out the pattern of the colors?”
Along nodded, panting, “Yes, although I couldn’t ascertain some parts due to obstructions, there are certainly eight segments, both black and red repeated eight times!”