The cargo ship, Return Voyage, was on its third day at sea.
A man emerged from a noisy room, his face dark and gloomy.
"Xiao Li, out so early? You didn't lose money again, did you?" A passing sailor joked.
Gambling was the most popular pastime during the long voyage.
It was clearly not the right time for this joke. Li Hai glared at him, annoyed. "Bad luck."
Without another word, he took the elevator to the deck.
He had lost all his money for the voyage by gambling today, equivalent to two months of work for nothing.
Li Hai took a deep breath, thinking of ways to make a fortune.
If he didn't get money back home, he would definitely be scolded to death by his wife, that materialistic woman!
What could he do to get rich at sea?
Besides gambling, there was only the cargo on board.
This was not the first time Li Hai had a bad idea.
At night, Li Hai was used to weaving through the containers, his eyes greedily scanning each one. The ship's navigation lights were constantly rotating, casting the deck in a flickering glow.
Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from the container next to him, followed by a faint roar.
There was someone inside!
Those who do wrong things fear discovery the most.
If he was caught, he would never be able to sail again.
Li Hai was nervous. He clutched a wrench and walked around the container, but there was no sound.
No one else was on deck except him.
"Must be my imagination."
Li Hai muttered to himself, spat on his palm twice, and took out a pair of pliers.
His movements were as subtle as a thief, and he quickly pried open a small crack in the container. The smell that hit him made him want to vomit. He didn't know what was inside, but it stank like hell.
Li Hai was about to close the container when a stiff arm reached out and grabbed him, followed by a bite on his wrist.
"Aaah!"
A scream rang out on the deck.
At the same time, there was a loud noise coming from inside the container, like many footsteps rushing towards him.
An inexplicable sense of crisis made Li Hai shut the container door and run frantically to the cabin.
The head chef Zhu bumped into Li Hai as he went down. He was surprised to see him in such a panic. "Xiao Li, what's wrong?"
"No, nothing." Li Hai didn't dare tell anyone he had opened the container. He grabbed his bitten wrist and forced a smile. "I'm going to change clothes."
His incoherent words made the head chef Zhu a little confused.
Suddenly, he saw black blood dripping down Li Hai's fingers.
"What happened to your hand?" The head chef Zhu asked.
"I accidentally scratched myself." Li Hai said, his face pale. "It's nothing, I'll take care of it right away."
The head chef Zhu looked at him, his brow furrowed. "Forget it, I'll give you half a day off today. Go find Dr. Song to bandage it."
...
On the vast and endless sea, a cargo ship drifted silently. It had been at sea for more than two months.
The bodies and containers that had fallen overboard had long been carried away by the waves.
But this brand-new cargo ship had the most advanced navigation system, and it could sail back to the harbor along its pre-set course even without anyone operating it.
...
Ander state, Country G
A quiet harbor was rising with morning mist. The ship that had drifted for so long finally reached its destination, quietly docking at the port. The sleeping people still didn't know what it had brought them...
"Mom, that big ship is so dirty!" The child's voice was surprisingly clear in the morning.