Right after Yang Xiao finished speaking, Xiong Wanyi stepped up. With a smirk that didn't reach his eyes, he looked at Yang Xiao and said, "That's just nonsense to fool some naive kids. Saying the container was pushed into the sea — only you'd dare say that. Let me teach you something: container ships have locking slots for containers. Unless there's some violent tilt that could capsize the ship or a massive collision on the hull, containers don't just fall off. And if the locking slots weren't damaged, at most only the top container might fall. The crew doesn't have the equipment or strength to just throw a container overboard."
He sneered and paused for a moment before continuing, "Bro, when I first joined the Bureau, I was in charge of inspecting cargo at the container docks. No exaggeration, I've seen more containers than you've ever laid eyes on. So you better stick to what you know and don't talk nonsense. If you say the crew pushed the container into the sea, then how about you… try pushing one yourself?" Xiong Wanyi started to say "try pushing one," but caught himself, realizing Yang Xiao might actually be able to do that.
As soon as Xiong finished speaking, Yang Xiao suddenly smiled at him. Xiong was caught off guard and didn't understand the smile's meaning. In that moment of hesitation, Yang Xiao quickly reached out with his right hand and tapped Xiong Wanyi right between his eyebrows.
Xiong Wanyi's body wobbled and then he fell backward, landing on his back.
Seeing Xiong collapse, Old Mo and Ximen Lian immediately rushed over. "Old Xiong! Xiong Wanyi! What's wrong with you?" No matter how they shouted, Xiong kept his eyes tightly shut. In just an instant, his face turned deathly pale, his cheeks sunken, and all vitality drained from his body. To look at him now, he might as well have been a corpse.
A few crew members had started to gather, curious about what was happening, but the captain, knowing better, quickly gathered the crew away, not letting them witness the scene.
Xiong Wanyi usually got along well with me; I couldn't just watch him wither away. I said to Yang Xiao, "Just scare him a bit, that's enough. Everyone in the Bureau knows Xiong's mouth runs wild, and even Sun Dasheng gets rattled by him sometimes. Don't bother getting into a real fight with him. Just scare him this once; he won't spout nonsense again."
Yang Xiao smiled slightly at me and said, "Don't worry. For Sun Desheng's sake, I don't intend to hurt him. But like you heard just now, he challenged me to push a container, so I'll push one — just to prove a point."
No sooner had Yang Xiao spoken than a sudden "whoosh" sound was heard. Xiong Wanyi suddenly stood straight up. His eyes opened, showing a pair of glazed white eyeballs. After scanning the area, he started walking toward the rear of the ship.
"Old Xiong's possessed!" Ximen Lian shouted, then shot a fierce glare at Yang Xiao. But Yang Xiao acted as if he didn't notice, still watching Xiong Wanyi with a faint smile. There was no extra movement from him, but I was close enough to see his lips move slightly — as if uttering a word none of us could hear.
At that moment, Old Mo bit his tongue hard until it bled, mixing blood with saliva, and spat it toward Xiong Wanyi's face. This was the first method I learned in the Bureau to dispel possessions. It had worked every time in the past. But this time, the blood had no effect.
As Old Mo and Ximen Lian prepared other countermeasures, Yang Xiao chuckled softly and said leisurely, "Here's a piece of advice: be careful not to scare Xiong Wanyi's soul too much. If he wakes up dumb as a rock, that's on you — and I won't be responsible for it."
Old Mo and Ximen Lian's faces darkened. They already believed what Yang Xiao had said with their own ears. From then on, they became hesitant around Xiong Wanyi—only able to guard him silently, no longer daring to make any move to help.
By now, Xiong Wanyi had shuffled over to the stern where the speedboat was secured. This twelve-person speedboat was hung with lifting gear, placed inside the railing enclosure. Stiffly, Xiong lifted his leg and stepped into the railing, reaching out to grab the steel cables tied to the boat. After only a few tugs, his hands were already bleeding. Old Mo and Ximen Lian, worried he might hurt himself, quickly untied the steel cables from the boat.
My efforts to persuade Yang Xiao had failed, so I joined Old Mo and Ximen Lian in watching Xiong Wanyi closely, trying to prevent him from doing anything reckless. Though we knew Yang Xiao wouldn't really harm him, one wrong step into the vast ocean would be disastrous.
After the cables were removed, Xiong took a few steps back. Just as we thought a turning point was coming, he suddenly crouched down, gripped the ship's railing with both hands turned backwards, braced his waist, and remarkably hoisted the twelve-person speedboat onto his shoulder with steady strength.
We were dumbfounded. Carrying the speedboat, Xiong walked step by step toward the ship's railing. No matter how much we shouted to stop him, it was as if he didn't hear. In an instant, he was at the railing's edge.
"Yang Xiao, enough already. Don't actually cause a death!" I shouted loudly at Yang Xiao, but he completely ignored me, just smiling quietly at how things were unfolding.
At the railing, Xiong suddenly swung his arm and "threw" the speedboat into the sea. The boat splashed loudly against the waves. Without warning, Xiong shuddered, then leaned forward and started to fall into the water.
I was right behind him, ready for this move. As he fell, I grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him back. Old Mo and Ximen Lian grabbed one arm each, and together we hauled Xiong back aboard.
A gust of sea wind blew, and after Xiong sneezed, he came to again. His eyes had returned to normal, and his face showed some color.
Seeing us, Xiong looked confused and said, "Why are you all sweating so much? What's going on?"
Xiong had lost this segment of memory — a clear symptom after a possession had ended. Old Mo was so shocked he almost had a heart attack and was trying to take fast-acting heart medicine. No one could attend to him at the moment except Ximen Lian, who stayed calm, waited a moment, and then explained what had just happened.
"You're telling me I threw the speedboat into the sea?" Xiong looked toward the floating boat, his face changing color.
Before Ximen Lian could answer, Yang Xiao walked over, smiled again at Xiong, and said, "There was nothing heavier here, so I had you throw the speedboat. If you can throw a whole speedboat by yourself, how hard can it be for four people to push a container?"
Now Xiong understood he had been tricked by Yang Xiao. Though nervous inside, he still spoke toughly, "What did you do to me?"
Yang Xiao replied, "Just like those four, I made you a puppet."
Xiong's temper was hot but he wasn't dumb. After blinking and thinking for a moment, he said, "Not possession then... You turned me into a puppet just now, huh? Those four were puppets too, that's how they pushed the container."
Yang Xiao was momentarily stunned but then smiled slightly and said, "Not bad, you actually know a bit."
After this little episode, I finally had time to call Sun Fatty and relay Yang Xiao's theory. I had thought Sun Fatty might order us back to support the other two teams, but after a moment's silence on the other end, he said, "Lazi, it's not that I don't trust Yang Xiao, but it's just his speculation. Nobody knows what's really going on in the sea. For now, stay there a bit longer until things clear up. But be ready at all times to support Yang Jun and Hao's teams." Apparently, Sun Fatty hadn't given up on this area yet—he must have some idea about the sea zone.
After hanging up, I told Yang Xiao and Xiong what Sun Fatty said, but Yang Xiao still stuck to his view that Lin Feng wasn't here, and this sea was just a maze he set up.
Even so, Sun Fatty's orders must be followed. Yang Xiao lost interest in the area and hid away in the cabin, doing who knows what.
After a simple meal on board, light rain began to fall, and the sea grew choppy with gusts of wind. Our ship had circled the sea zone for four hours already. The rain was getting heavier, the sky darker, and the ship began to rock violently.
Just as I was discussing with the captain whether to head back to the dock to avoid the storm, a crewman suddenly shouted from the deck, "Everyone, come out and see! What's happening in the sea?"
Braving the heavy rain, Xiong, Old Mo, Ximen, and I rushed to the deck and looked toward where the crewman pointed. At the spot Yang Xiao had identified as where the container sank, the sea looked like it was boiling — bubbles continuously rising. The water quality had changed from clear to heavily polluted, and the surface was covered in a layer of oily scum.
The captain ran over beside me and said, "The radio has just issued a strong wind warning! It's too dangerous for us here; we should head back to dock."
Before he finished, someone behind us said, "No! It's too late! Just sail straight through!" Without turning, I knew it was Yang Xiao stepping out.
Yang Xiao went to the railing and sneered coldly at the sea. As he laughed, a pale white corpse floated up from the sea floor, then another, and another... In an instant, the surface was covered with hundreds of corpses.