Kaleidoscope of Death

Chapter 120: The Thirteenth Door

Right after the new year, it came about time for Gu Longming to enter his door.

Ruan Nanzhu selected a sixth door hint slip, and on it was a name familiar to allMinotaur. A monster from ancient Greek mythology with a bulls head and a humans body that guarded a maze.

In the myth, it was a creature of an extremely violent temperament born of a human and a white bull. Shut away in the Labyrinth on the island of Crete, it ate seven pairs of boys and girls each year. Then it was killed by a bastard son of Athens, Theseus. Point was, there wasnt much intel to gain about the door from a hint like this. Only once they went in and encountered the actual situation could they connect it to the hint on the paper slip.

Lin Qiushi also showed this hint to Gu Longming ahead of time. After Gu Longming received it, he expressed his thorough gratitude for Lin Qiushi, and Lin Qiushi too was forthright with a vaccinationhe said that in this door, he could not be responsible for Gu Longmings life, and Gu Longming ought to prepare himself accordingly.

Gu Longming agreed to every stipulation, and said he had already prepared himself for never coming out.

Their time of entry was roughly the tenth of the lunar new year, when celebrations were trailing off, leisurely vacations were coming to an end, and everybody grew busy again.

Lin Qiushi readied everything and began to wait for the door.

The tenth quickly came. It was a bright, sunny afternoon, and few people were in the mansion. There was only Lin Qiushi sitting in the living room eating Lu Yanxues freshly cooked pumpkin seeds. Lu Yanxues culinary skills were, as usual, the best; the pumpkin seeds she fried up were flavored with the five spices and fragrant as all hell. Lin Qiushi could pass an entire afternoon with just a handful of the stuff.

Ruan Nanzhu had already gotten changed and was waiting upstairs. Lin Qiushi saw that it was about time, and so hoisted his hefty backpack and headed upstairs to go look for him.

Due to their last door, Lin Qiushi intentionally stuffed his bag with a great number of food items. Daily necessities from outside could be brought inside, but weapons that were more against the spirit of the doors were not. Guns and other firearms, for example, could not be brought inside.

Once youd entered the doors, of course, there might exist some special limitations, like in the sanitarium door when the NPC told them the rule where they could not eat food brought in from the outside. The reality was that these kinds of limitations were rare, but all Lin Qiushi wanted to achieve was the principle of Better Safe Than Sorry. At any rate, the condition from the tenth door where they had to open a chest if they wanted to eat had left quite the shadow on his psyche.

Lin Qiushi entered Ruan Nanzhus bedroom and sat with him on the bed for a while. Then he felt the atmosphere around him change. It took only the time of a blink for Ruan Nanzhu, who had been sitting right beside him, to disappear without a trace. Lin Qiushi pushed open the bedroom door in front of him and saw that what had originally been the hallway was now a series of twelve black metal doors. What a familiar sight.

He walked to the sixth door and gave it a tug. The next moment, Lin Qiushi was sucked in by an immense force. The scenery around him was also altering dramatically, and by the time he opened his eyes again, he could feel a faint rocking beneath his feet.

Lin Qiushi took a closer look, and discovered that hed appeared on a large old ship. It was just about sunset, and there were black clouds frighteningly low in the sky, as if they were going to smother the horizon at any moment. Inky seawater tossed before him, blown into violent waves by the winds.

Lin Qiushi smelled the gamy salt of the ocean, and because of the excessive waves, the ancient deck beneath his feet was ceaseless in its swaying. He saw that on the floorboards, there were seaweed-clung creatures clutching at the wood, making for an immensely uncomfortable sight.

Lin Qiushi took a few steps forward and saw in the ship cabin a dim-glowing light. He followed the corridor to the interior, and heard miserable wailing coming from inside.

Uwaaaa, why am I here? What the hell did you all do to me?! It had been a while since he last heard these cries of a newbieLin Qiushi was actually a bit surprised. He spotted the crying person immediately. It was a young woman, wiping at her tears with her hands. You goddamn perverts, you guys must have kidnapped me. Im going to call the cops and have you all arrested!!

Most people were listening to her sob in silence. Newbies, after all, only ever reacted in so many ways: most cried; some tried to run; and some, of the truly psychologically frail sort, came in and pretty much had an immediate meltdown.

Lin Qiushi stood where he was. He noticed that around this girl were a few people who didnt look so good, who also seemed in various degrees of panic. They clearly werent prepared to enter a door, and were likely newbies like the girl. But at least they werent wailing endlessly like the young woman, and were still calm in comparison.

Lin Qiushis gaze searched through the crowd and very quickly found its targeta woman seated in a corner and smiling at him.

The woman wore a long dressthe same outfit Ruan Nanzhu wore before they came in.

Lin Qiushi had the script in his head, and he took his time approaching the woman and holding out his hand: Yu Linlin.

Zhu Meng. The woman took his hand and smiled. The red thread of destiny found us inside this door, lets cherish this meeting.

Lin Qiushi couldnt help but laugh.

Indeed. Lets cherish this meeting.

Really, this little drama queen of hisputting on a show even when there was no stage to be had.

Just as the two were talking, a young man came tumbling in through the door. Though his face was unfamiliar, his clothes told Lin Qiushi his identityit was Gu Longming, whod agreed to meet with Lin Qiushi over the internet.

Gu Longming was entirely soaked. Once he came in he began to curse under his breath: fuckers, throwing me on a lifeboatwhy dont you just throw me into the ocean huh? Goddamn jealous of my beauty or what

Though he kept his voice down, Lin Qiushis hearing was superb, and so could easily hear all the crap he was spewing. For a moment, Lin Qiushi himself didnt know whether to laugh or cry.

Of course, he didnt laugh. He only cleared his throat once and covered his mouth with his hand, swallowing down the urge to smile. Gu Longmings eyes lapped the gathered people and very quickly fell upon Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu. He came over with a bright grin, greeting the two as if theyd just met completely by coincidence.

As a matter of act, this little trick where they faked a chance encounter was only useful for the earlier doors. Once in the later doors, that old fox-spirit manifested in everyone, and not having a partner actually made you the odd one out.

As for whether or not somebody would identify them as part of the same crew, Lin Qiushi used to worry about that. Now though, not so much.

The cabin of the old ship wasnt big, nor was it bright. The only lighting equipment was a handful of tiny kerosene lamps overhead, flickering periodically with the sway of the ship.

The sky grew darker outside, and the number of people kept increasing. Finally, it stopped at the count of fourteen.

Everybody assessed their surroundings as they met up with their own teammates. The crowd seemed to be very quickly divided up into teams, with the handful of newbies left out. Without much choice, they had to make up their own team.

Just as the crowd grew noisy with discussion, a middle-aged man came in from the outside. His get-up looked a bit like a medieval pirate, and he carried a swaying kerosene lamp in his hand.

Welcome to the Black Skerry, the man spoke. His voice sounded quite raspy, like the effects of long-term drinking or smoking had brought about irreversible damage to his throat. I hope you all have a good time here.

After he finished saying this, he laughed like a maniac, and his high-pitched laughter, like fingernails scoring a chalkboard, sent goosebumps rising along the skin.

In ten days, the Black Skerry will reach harbor, the man said. Our voyage will end then, so please enjoy our wonderful time together.

Just as he finished speaking, somebody rushed out of the cabin. Lin Qiushi first thought that this person had gotten scared, but not long after, there came from outside the sound of violent vomitingit seemed that some unlucky bastard was seasick.

Where in the world are we? The sobbing young girl had also been scared by the man before her, and she spoke: are we filming a show? Im really, really scared, can I please quit? I dont want to play anymore, Im begging you

The man completely ignored her. He merely went on watching the crowd with a cool gaze.

The girl seemed to want to go up and take hold of him, but when she got to his side she suddenly stopped, face draining of all color. She then backed up a few steps, as if shed seen something truly terrifying.

Lin Qiushis eyesight wasnt as good as Ruan Nanzhus, and due to the dim lights he didnt see a thing. It was Ruan Nanzhu who quietly explained the situation to him:

That persons covered in some sort of black insect.

Gu Longming shivered.

Is he dead or alive then?

I dont know, Ruan Nanzhu said. Doesnt look too good either way.

Under typical circumstances, only the NPC who provided them with the key information was somewhat normal. If even that NPC wasnt normal, then there really werent any normal people to speak of.

Lin Qiushi hadnt imagined that their door this time would be an ancient ship. And by the looks of things, the time limit was ten days.

Come along, Ill take to to where youll sleep, the man said. Itll be dark soonand itll rain.

After this, he began that manic laugh again, and the group was even more disturbed.

The man brought them to the guest cabins and began divvying up the rooms.

Most of the rooms here were doubles, with a rare triple here and there. At first, Lin Qiushi was assigned a double, but Gu Longming brazenly went and found a man to switch room numbers with, strong-arming them into a triple.

Youll bargain for even this sort of thing? Lin Qiushi shot Gu Longming a look of admiration.

Well Im scared of dying, arent I Gu Longming said. He didnt want to sleep alone, and though it wasnt quite right to be a third wheel, being a third wheel was much better than being dead.

Ruan Nanzhus smile was inscrutable.

Thats fair.

Theyd planned to inspect the entire ship, but because the night was already so dark, moving about outside would be too dangerous. They would rest first, and wait until tomorrow to make plans.

And so the three got their key and went to their room, getting into bed after quickly washing up.

When Ruan Nanzhu went to change, Gu Longming took the opportunity to poke at Lin Qiushi, whispering, yo, not cool man, how come you didnt tell me you had such a pretty girlfriend?

Lin Qiushi answered a vague: mh.

Oh shes stunning, Gu Longming said with a sigh. If I had a girlfriend like that Id want to stick around her every day too.

As he spoke, he looked to Lin Qiushi with an expression that was both envy and admiration.

Lin Qiushi watched him back and wondered how he would react if he knew Ruan Nanzhu was drag queen. Of course, it wasnt something he could tell Gu Longming now. Gu Longming was not yet part of Obsidian, and the fact that Ruan Nanzhu wore drag was Obsidians biggest most vital secret

After Ruan Nanzhu got changed, he came back inside.

What are you two talking about?

Nothing, Lin Qiushi answered in brief. He said you were pretty.

Ruan Nanzhu replied with a meaningful oh.

Gu Longming: Why did a chill suddenly go down his back?

The beds on the ship all emanated a damp smellvery uncomfortable for the people lying on top. At this point, the waves and wind were getting bigger, and even the sleeping quarters were beginning to rock. Lin Qiushi remembered that ridiculously seasick, endlessly vomiting pal of theirs from earlier and thought that that guy was pretty much done for.

The sky outside gradually darkened in entirety, leaving only the bellowing winds and the sound of waves beating against each other. With his eyes shut, Lin Qiushi grew drowsybut before he could fall asleep, he was woken by a sudden crack of thunder. It was like lightning had struck right above their heads. With the loud boom, all three of them awoke in an instant.

After that, it was the pattering pour of rain. The rushing rain and the howling windthey seemed on the verge of destroying everything.

Their quarters rocked even harder. Lin Qiushi sat up in his bed.

Through the window, he looked to the black evening outside. He saw, however, two illuminated lights. It seemed like the only light sources on deck were kerosene lamps, but how did these lamps stay so bright in the middle of a thunderstorm? Just as Lin Qiushi wondered this, he suddenly felt that there was something off about those two lights, and Ruan Nanzhu, sitting behind him, spoke up quietly:

Dont look anymore.

Lin Qiushi, hm?

Those arent lights, Ruan Nanzhu said. Those are eyes.

A pair of yellow, inhuman eyes. The owner of the eyes spied through the darkness with malicious intent, as if a beast looking for its prey.

Lin Qiushi instantly looked away, and asked, what is that thing?

I dont know, I cant tell, Ruan Nanzhu said. The shape is humanoid, but it doesnt seem to be human.

Lin Qiushis brows lightly furrowed, but by the time he looked out the window once more, the eyes were gone.

Thunder rumbled on and on, and that stench of ocean salt grew thicker and more cloying.

Ruan Nanzhu climbed into Lin Qiushis bed, and holding each other, the two very quickly returned to sleep. However, the only bachelor present Gu Longming didnt have such luck. Lying beside Lin Qiushi, he stared with plaintive eyes, thinking that in the following days, hed be fed enough dog food to bloat.

The rainstorm lasted until dawn, and though the rain let up, the weather did not turn any sunnier. Black storm clouds still hovered over the ship, and when the alarm rang, Lin Qiushi actually thought it was not yet morning. He checked the time, however, and saw that it was 8AM. It was just still dark outside.

Good morning, Ruan Nanzhu greeted Lin Qiushi.

Good morning. Its so dark outside today.

Its probably going to keep raining, Ruan Nanzhu said. He walked out onto deck with Lin Qiushi and watched the black waters roil underneath the ship.

Looking up, they couldnt see any land, only the endless swath of sea. Only the old ship beneath their feet felt like any sort of reality.

This sort of isolating environment was easily taxing on the psyche. Even for Lin Qiushi, the scene before them was discomforting.

Come on, lets go get breakfast, Gu Longming called to the two.

Hes pretty thick-skinned, Ruan Nanzhu commented after hearing Gu Longmings call.

Yeah, Lin Qiushi said. His nerves are petty good.

Inside the doors, you didnt have to be too smart, but you definitely had to be brave enough. Before terrifying situations, fright could make a person abandon a large part of their cognitive abilities. The smartest person could lack a strong heart and still do worse inside the door than the obtuse, oblivious Cheng Qianli.

The three went to the dining area and found there an atmosphere that could very well be called lifeless.

Lin Qiushi didnt know why at first. After he saw the menu, however, he couldnt help but also feel a touch of depression.

All the ship offered was fish. And it wasnt even fresh fishGu Longming poked at a dead-eyed staring head with his chopsticks and said, is this thing even edible?

It was disgusting just to look at.

It looks gross, Lin Qiushi said. Try a bit?

Gu Longming took a bit of meat from the gills and gave it a taste. His expression twisted.

Fuck, did they deduct the food budget for this door or what? Its disgusting. Its like theyve had it outside for three days. You try it?

Lin Qiushi, oh no, no thank you.

Gu Longming:

The breakfast served in the dining room was, for the most part, stale fish. Aside from that there was only flavorless noddles and peas. The environment had already been vicious enough, but the food in front of them now was salt on top of the wound.

But Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu didnt care at all. After seeing the inedible breakfast they snuck back to their room and fetched from their bags the food theyd prepared.

Gu Longming watched as they pulled out a bottle of chili sauce, eyes bulging out.

You guys even brought Lao Gan Ma? Did you come here to picnic?

Want some? Lin Qiushi drizzled the Lao Gan Ma over some noodles theyd brought out of the dining hall.

Yeah yeah yeah. More please. Gu Longmings expression was shameless.

With breakfast finally done, they got ready to search the ship.

There were a total of three decks in the ship, constructed a bit like the sailing vessels of the great nautical era of the Middle Ages. It was extremely old, was all, covered in the marks and traces of times past.

Beside that NPC, they didnt see any other crew members on deck; there was likely only the one NPC on the entire ship. Wait for the ships return was the mission the NPC left for them this time, but Lin Qiushi had thorough reason to believe that if they couldnt find the door in ten days time, this voyage of theirs would cycle back and repeatand theyd experience the ten days all over again.

When Lin Qiushi climbed onto the second deck, he heard a sort of thumping sound, and was uncertain if Ruan Nanzhu and Gu Longming had heard it as well. So he asked, did you guys hear that?

What? Gu Longming didnt seem to have heard.

Ruan Nanzhu said, I think I did, but not very clearly.

I think it came from the corner Lin Qiushi followed the sound forward. Lets go see.

But before they could get close, Lin Qiushi was hit with a thick, fishy stench. It was disgusting and nauseating to smell; fortunately Cheng Yixie wasnt here, or he might have passed out immediately upon smelling it.

The source of the sound and smell was the same room, and they were close enough now that both Gu Longming and Ruan Nanzhu could hear the thumping noise as well.

The three of them slowed their steps, and through the window, looked into the room.

It was a kitchen with knives and other tools hanging inside. The most eye-catching thing, however, was the dense masses of dead fish hung up on hooks all over the sides.

A person in an apron stood in the center of the room with their back towards them and head down. They were chopping something. After some observation, Gu Longming almost gagged, and said, dont tell me hes making our breakfast

Ruan Nanzhu was very calm.

Its possible.

Gu Longming did gag. Hed even had a bite of that fish that morning.

Lin Qiushi gave Gu Longming a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

This person in the kitchen, however, was the second living NPC theyd found on the ship.

The three of them stood watching in the kitchen doorway for a while, and saw that besides chopping fish, this person didnt do much of anything else. And so they decided to go see elsewhere first.

Very soon, they discovered a more peculiar room. This room was locked, and curtains were drawn over the window. It was quiet inside, but they could still smell that thick waft of stale fish. Lin Qiushi initially thought the smell had clung to them from the kitchen, but after a careful sniff, found that it was coming from inside the room.

Do we go in? Gu Longming was pressed against the window trying to look in, but he could see nothing.

Ruan Nanzhu gave this some thought, before saying, lets try, and getting out a hairpin to pick the lock.

Watching his adept motions, Gu Longmings eyes widened. Then Gu Longming glanced at Lin Qiushi.

Is thisis this a basic skillset that y'all come with?

Lin Qiushi grinned as he joked, yeah. You have to learn to pick locks if you want to join us.

As he said this, there was a click. Ruan Nanzhu really got the lock open. But oddly enough, after he unlocked the door and gave it a push, he found that though the door lock was undone, there was another lock hanging on the inside. The chain on that lock held the door closed, and they could at most manage a crackit couldnt be opened at all.

Wait, Lin Qiushi suddenly said, stopping Ruan Nanzhu from going up and pushing the door. Stop for a second. Theres movement inside.

Ruan Nanzhu halted, and just as he stopped mid-step, a hand, sharp-nailed and covered in scales, reached out of the door. And through that crack in the door, a pair of yellow eyes looked out, peering at the world outside with malicious intent.

Translators Note:

• The name of the ship could more simply be translated as Black Reef, but Black Skerry sounds more like a ship name? Let me know if you think otherwise (or know if its a specific reference to something).
• Lao Gan Ma is a brand of **hot sauce (edited: 7/26), as you can probably tell from context. The original next never uses hot sauce though, and just call it Lao Gan Ma in both the prose and the dialogue.