Lost Voyage in Hell

Tell me, are you afraid of death? Do you believe in curses? Li Chaoyang did not believe in them. He was not only a suspense writer, but also an avid travel enthusiast, a true materialist, and had never believed in curses. That's when he realised that curses are real. Zhao Deming's family died one by one under his curse. He had the same dream almost every night for the past six months. In the dream, Zhao Deming's family of three stood in front of him, silent and still, their hair disheveled and clothes soaked. The face was as pale as paper, with no eyeballs in the two eyes. There were only two black eye sockets, emitting dirty blood, and the corners of the mouth were slightly raised with an inexplicable grin. Li Chaoyang had another dream tonight. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and checked the time on his watch. It was 4:30 in the morning. Ten years ago, Li Chaoyang's parents were killed by Zhao Deming's car. Li Chaoyang was furious and cursed Zhao Deming's family to die a bad death. It was just a word spoken in anger, but it was a prophecy all right, and the curse became a reality. Zhao Deming and his son have drowned one after another over the past ten years. From that moment on, Li Chaoyang was regarded as a monster by all. Everyone kept their distance from him. It was clear that anyone who had contact with him ended up badly affected. He was simply ominous. After so many years, he thought he had left the shadow of his childhood behind, but fate had other plans. Five months ago, Zhao Deming's only daughter, Zhao Ya, was also drowned in the pond in Li Chaoyang's backyard. She was only sixteen years old. It is a fact that three generations of one family have died every five years, and the cause of death was always drowning. It was clear to everyone that this was no coincidence. The villagers arrested Li Chaoyang amidst angry shouts. After several months of interrogation, the police released Li Chaoyang and issued a final investigation report. The scene of Zhao Ya's death showed no sign of struggle and only her footprints, which ruled out homicide. This outcome infuriated the villagers. Some people even posted this incident on the Internet, and the public rightfully criticized Li Chaoyang. Angry netizens flooded his novel comment area with vitriolic messages and insults. Li Chaoyang's phone was flooded with calls. His life was turned upside down, and even his friends were implicated. He was convinced that such coincidences didn't exist. But he was absolutely innocent and had no idea what the so-called curse was about. He was filled with a deep-seated fear. He was certain that there was an invisible hand controlling his every move behind his back. He was a toy in someone's hands, with unknown origins and motives. This feeling was terrifying. It was as if someone was watching you in secret, making you feel guilty, afraid, and at a loss. Li Chaoyang rubbed his face and picked up his phone, immediately noticing an unread WeChat message. The person who sent the WeChat message was called Nietzsche. This person was a book fan, which was news to Li Chaoyang. "I'm going to tell you how Zhao Ya died. I'll be waiting for you on the Queen Mary! The WeChat message was brief and to the point, and Li Chaoyang was immediately alert. He checked the time the message was sent. It's one thirty in the morning. That was three hours ago. Li Chaoyang meticulously reviewed the communication records between himself and Nietzsche and discovered that they had never engaged in any form of communication. He clicked on Nietzsche's information again. It was nothing out of the ordinary. However, when he saw the other person's profile, he was immediately struck by a sudden realization. It was a girl with a ponytail wearing a light blue school uniform, making a scissors hand gesture to the camera, with a blue bow on her head. It has to be Zhao Ya. She was wearing the same outfit she wore on the day of the accident. The background of the photo was undoubtedly the back wall of Li Chaoyang's house. Her expression was clearly awkward, and her smile was very reluctant, as if she was unwilling. Zhao Ya was undoubtedly in contact with this Nietzsche on the day of the accident and was near her home. This person has been watching Li Chaoyang. Li Chaoyang is certain that Zhao Ya's family died for a reason. He knows someone is watching him. It has to be this person. He added himself a long time ago. This is not a spur-of-the-moment decision. It is the result of careful planning. He watches him in the online world and in reality, waiting for the right moment to strike. Sneaky and sinister. "Who the hell are you?" Li Chaoyang replied promptly. The other party didn't respond. One minute. One hour. This person did not respond until dawn. Li Chaoyang called WeChat again, but there was no answer after he rang for a long time. It was as if it did not exist. Li Chaoyang checked the Queen Mary, a cruise ship from Jiangbei to New Zealand, and the departure time is tomorrow morning. If Li Chaoyang doesn't go, this Nietzsche will definitely take action. He'll make sure the next target is him. If he goes, he'll never come back. This is an adventure with no certainty. But I'm going anyway. If he goes, he will meet the murderer and learn the truth. If he doesn't go, he'll be Nietzsche's prisoner for the rest of his life. It's like a thorn in the throat. After thinking it over, Li Chaoyang sent another message to the other party. The message is simple and to the point: OK! Li Chaoyang's mobile phone suddenly rang. He leapt up instantly, his nerves on edge. Nietzsche must have called. They're finally going to meet face to face. However, when he saw the caller information clearly, he was relieved. The caller was not Nietzsche, but Han Xue, Li Chaoyang's high school classmate. "Hello." Li Chaoyang picked up the phone and strode to the balcony. It was already bright outside, and the streets were busy with people coming and going. "Hello, Chaoyang, it's me. I know you're up." I want to know what your plans are for the next few days. "Hello," said Han Xue's sweet and cheerful voice at the other end of the phone. "What's the problem?" "I've booked two tickets to New Zealand. Let's go on a trip. Tickets? Li Chaoyang was startled and demanded, "What ship?" "It's a cruise on the Queen Mary." "What?" Queen Mary? Li Chaoyang was certain he had misheard and confirmed again. "Yes, it's Queen Mary." This is its maiden voyage. There are too many people going, so we have to choose by lottery. There are only 100 places. I got the tickets through my friends. "You can't buy them, even if you have money." Han Xue spoke with excitement in her voice. She was clearly excited. Li Chaoyang frowned. I want to know how Han Xue's invitation came through so quickly. She knew about Nietzsche's arrangement. This is far too coincidental. Han Xue must be Nietzsche's person. He was certain that this was impossible. He and Han Xue had known each other for many years. They were not only classmates but also each other's first love. Their families were opposed to their relationship, so they had to separate. A few years ago, Han Xue married a rich man. She may have divorced last year, but she is still a rich woman in everyone's eyes. She has plenty of money and has no reason to harm herself. Han Xue likes travelling. This is probably just a coincidence. "Hey, I'm talking to you. Are you listening?" "Are you going or not?" "It's Han Xue again," she said. "I'm going. Of course I will."