novelraw Chapter 111 : Two Birds with One Stone?
Chapter 111 : Two Birds with One Stone?
Chapter 111: Two Birds with One Stone?
The suite was still the same suite.
The people were still the same people.
But the matter at hand…
“So let me get this straight.”
Levi stood in the living room, looking helpless.
“You all heard a woman crying in this room last night…”
“It was laughter.”
Miss Chris added a correction.
“It was both crying and laughing.”
Selena gave the full account.
“And then you called the guards, broke down the door, and saw this.”
Levi pointed his lips toward the floor.
“You didn’t go inside, did you?”
“Who would dare go in…”
Guard A replied, trembling, and the others nodded frantically.
Levi wasn’t really worried they were lying. In fact, given the situation, it was true that most ordinary people would shrink back.
Because in the center of the living room lay two corpses.
They were none other than Elaine and John. The two of them were drenched from head to toe, their faces twisted in horror as they collapsed on the floor. John’s eyes were wide open, his hands stretched forward as if grasping for something. Elaine, with her eyes just as wide, wore a distorted expression as she clung tightly to John’s thigh, as if to drag him down with her.
“Cause of death?”
Levi asked casually to the doctor performing the autopsy, who was sweating profusely. He had seen corpses before, but perhaps never such terrifying ones.
“Obvious signs of drowning.”
The doctor stood up, face pale. For him, identifying the cause wasn’t the issue—the issue was how strange the cause itself was. There wasn’t a drop of water nearby, so how could they have drowned? Sure, the sea was close by, but this was the dead of night, and the place was fully sealed. If someone had wanted to kill them, tossing them into the sea would have sufficed. Why would anyone bother to haul them back?
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
“Do you want to dissect them? I doubt the family would refuse if you performed an autopsy on one of them.”
Elaine aside, John belonged to the Porto family. Selena would certainly allow it. In fact, given her opinion of John, she might have preferred to see him cut into pieces.
And an autopsy, in a sense, was just that—being cut to pieces. It might even feel cathartic.
“I do want to, but I don’t dare.”
The doctor admitted sheepishly. He really wanted to, but these corpses were too strange, and he didn’t dare.
“You’re sure it’s drowning?”
“No doubt. Look, there’s seaweed in the mouth…”
As he spoke, the doctor began trembling himself.
Drowning wasn’t strange—but where on this ship would you even find seaweed?
If they had drowned in the sea, it would make sense. But here, they were not in the sea…
The manner of death was scientifically valid, but given the environment, completely unscientific.
“Sigh…”
Looking at the pale faces around him, Levi sighed inwardly.
So, vengeance had been carried out the very same night. Wasn’t that a bit too efficient? Back home, at least people waited seven days. Then again, maybe these people didn’t bother with such traditions.
“I understand.”
Levi glanced around, thinking for a moment.
“Alright, can you arrange alternate lodging?”
“That can be done. What are you planning?”
The Chief Inspector wasn’t particularly concerned. There were always some spare cabins on board, even in first class. Although first class was fully booked, once the voyage began, there were always passengers who failed to board for one reason or another. Normally, no one cared about those empty rooms. But now, after such an incident, they could certainly be put to use.
“Then let the rest of you stay somewhere else.”
Levi looked around. By now, only Selena, Mr. Byrne the butler, and Chris the maid were left.
“Or how about this—I’ll stay here, and you take my cabin?”
“Huh?”
The group was stunned at Levi’s proposal.
“Mr. Levi, you mean…”
“I’m here to solve the problem.”
Levi remained calm.
“It’s obvious something is wrong with this place. If you’re willing, I intend to resolve it.”
“Is… is that really okay?”
Normally, no one would exchange a luxurious presidential suite for an ordinary first-class cabin. But after such events, the real question was whether anyone dared live in the suite at all. No one objected to Levi taking it.
Still…
“Are you sure? After all…”
Even the Chief Inspector was uneasy. One death had already marred the suite’s reputation. Now, two more had died under bizarre circumstances. Most suspected Rosalie’s ghost. And Levi still dared stay here?
“I’m here to solve problems. That’s my duty.”
Levi was speechless, but this was indeed his line of work. More than solving ordinary crimes, supernatural cases like this were his specialty.
“Alright then, it’s decided.”
Levi waved his hand and walked to the window, gazing at the pitch-black sea outside.
At the same time, a mission prompt appeared before his eyes.
【Mission “Ghost Voyage” Activated】
【Objective: Find the cause of these anomalies and eliminate it!】
One case, two mission rewards. Not bad.
Wasn’t this two birds with one stone?
Although they didn’t quite understand Levi’s reasoning, everyone accepted it. In such chaos, Levi’s calmness made him a natural pillar of support. Since he spoke with such certainty, they followed his lead.
Soon, Selena and the others were moved to other cabins, and Levi’s belongings were placed in the presidential suite. The two corpses, of course, were carried away. No one would keep the dead and the living together in one room.
Levi chose not to stay in the master bedroom—after all, Rosalie had died on that bed. Fortunately, the suite had a second bedroom, originally Selena’s but later occupied by Elaine. Selena hadn’t liked John and didn’t want to see her sister and that gigolo all day, so she had swapped with Elaine.
Hmm… come to think of it, Elaine had died too.
Well, as long as she hadn’t died in the bed.
Things moved quickly. Within a couple of hours, everything was done, and Levi lay on the bed, thinking.
Rosalie’s case was clear—based on evidence and deduction, she had indeed committed suicide. Levi had even confirmed it with 【Soul Sight】. As for Elaine and John’s deaths, strictly speaking, they weren’t inexplicable either. Vengeful spirits dragging the guilty into the grave wasn’t unreasonable.
Still… there was a problem.
Rosalie’s vengeance had come too quickly.
Dying yesterday, killing today… Levi wasn’t well-versed in this world’s mysticism, but by the logic of his homeland, could a newly formed spirit really wield such power?
Besides, Mist City was filled with cases more tragic, more resentful than Rosalie’s. If vengeance worked this well, wouldn’t the streets be flooded with ghostly reprisals?
But in reality, even in Mist City, supernatural cases remained rare. Certainly not a buy-one-get-one deal.
So Rosalie’s swift vengeance must have involved more than strong resentment. Was there some catalyst?
The system’s mission asked him to find the cause. That implied Rosalie herself wasn’t the problem. Perhaps her death had triggered some other existence, turning things into what they were now. But what? Maybe tomorrow he should ask Selena whether the Porto family possessed something like a “Heart of the Ocean.”
After all, most of the supernatural incidents Levi had encountered here were tied to jewels and ornaments. And wealthy families like the Portos surely owned such things.
As he thought, Levi drifted off to sleep.
“Splash… splash…”
The sound of waves echoed in his ears.
Levi felt as if he were lying on a beach chair, basking in the sun, soaking in warmth and softness.
But this wasn’t an illusion.
He opened his eyes and looked ahead.
A woman sat astride him, staring at him. Her large round eyes brimmed with passion and delight. She wore only a thin nightgown, the lamplight outlining the graceful curves beneath the gauze.
A captivating fragrance filled the air, clouding the mind.
“Detective…”
The woman placed her hand on Levi’s chest, slowly moving upward. And just as her delicate fingers touched his collar, they suddenly clenched around his throat!
At that very instant, Levi drew the gun from his waist.
“Bang!”
The woman’s head exploded—only to reform again as she screamed and recoiled.
“Help me! Detective, help me!”
Elaine no longer bore her lively, sweet appearance. Her eyes bulged, her mouth gaped wide, and she clawed desperately at Levi. At the same time, a chain appeared around her neck, yanking her away.
Levi leapt from the bed and gave chase. He saw Elaine’s ghost dragged out of the room, through the living room, down the corridor, and into the darkness beyond.
Meanwhile, everything around him began to change.
The once luxurious carpeted floor became rotten and worn. Clean, tidy walls turned into wooden planks eroded by seawater. Everything twisted and warped. When Levi stepped into the hallway, it was no longer wide, bright, and clean.
It now resembled the rotting, waterlogged corridor of a sunken ship.
“Well now, this is interesting.”
Staring at the dilapidated hallway and cabin, Levi murmured, raising his gun.
A ghost ship—this was his first time seeing one.