700 The Ritual


    The olddy sat before the freezer alone and moved the knife expertly. The sound of the scales falling and the tune she was humming weaved together to form a sound that caused people to break out in goosebumps.


    When Han Fei at the door coughed, the olddy stopped instantly, and the kitchen became so quiet. The hands covered in blood and scales reached around. The olddy pulled down the headscarf. She turned to look at the backdoor fearfully after she had covered half of her face. Her eyes were like polished onyx.


    “Are you here for dinner? I’m sorry, but the chef is not in. But I can cook something for you if you’re really that hungry.” The olddy sounded much younger than she looked. “Don’t worry. It’s on the house.”


    Yan Yue and the yer had no appetite after they sniffed the stench in the air, but Han Fei smiled, “Then, we’ll have to trouble you.” He was very gentlemanly and polite, apletely opposite version of his normal self.


    “It’s no trouble. This small town is dependent on tourists. Helping you is helping ourselves.” The olddy appeared to have a hidden meaning in her words. When Han Fei wanted to read her expression, she swiftly turned around. She removed the apron covered in scales and tossed it inside therge sink beside her. She grabbed the knife meant for descaling into the room adjacent to the kitchen.


    “Han Fei, are you sure you want to eat here?” The yer was quite afraid. He knew how to rescue people from drowning, but he didn’t know how to save someone from the water ghost.


    “It’s rare for us to meet a living person. We should take advantage of this to interview her.” After the olddy left, he walked towards the freezer and sink. He studied the scales on the ground. He picked one up. It was ck and stuck with flesh. “Do you know what kind of fish will have this kind of scale?”


    “I haven’t encountered a fish that has such a huge and sturdy scale. Could it be arge-boned snake fish?” The lifeguard frowned as he followed behind Han Fei. He covered his mouth and nose. His stomach turned. The ce was very smelly.


    “Take a look at the fish inside the freezer. Can you recognize any special species?” Han Fei told the lifeguard while he moved to stand beside the sink. When the olddy left, she did something casual yet deliberate. She removed her apron but didn’t hang it up. Instead, she tossed it into the sink. The apron floated on therge sink and covered up the things underneath the water.


    “What are you looking at?”


    “When we came in, the olddy was descaling a fish. But the fish is now gone. I suspect she wrapped the fish in the apron and threw it into the sink after she removed her apron.” Han Fei pointed out the elusive detail. He ignored Yan Yue, grabbed the hook, and tried to hook the apron out of the water. It was unclear what the sink, which was 2 meters wide and one meter long, was for. It was filled with dirty water that reeked.


    “No matter this ce is used for cleaning or rearing fish, it’s not going to be hygienic.” The lifeguard had finished inspecting the freezer. “They’re just somemon fish inside the freezer.”


    Han Fei didn’t respond. He stared at the sink. He simted the olddy’s action in his mind. “If there were really a fish in the apron, then it would have fallen right here.” Han Fei rolled up his sleeve. With the lifeguard looking on in shock, he reached his hand under the water. Out of his expectation, the sink was actually very deep. Even when he reached fully down, he couldn’t touch the bottom. “How is it so deep?” Han Fei had to give up. However, when he tried to pull his hand out, his fingertip brushed against something slippery. It felt like descaled fish flesh. His fingers closed around the object. His expression changed when he realized he had grabbed not a fish but five fingers.


    “It’s a person’s hand!”


    The olddy had been working with a broken hand and not a fish? While he was pondering that, Han Fei felt a giant force pulling on his arm. It was like there was a big fish trying to pull him into the sink!


    At the crucial moment, Han Fei kicked at the edge of the sink. The kitten in his backpack growled, and the ‘big fish’ finally let go. Water sshed everywhere. Han Fei’s face was about a foot from the murky water surface. He quickly pulled his arm out. Fish guts and blood slid down his arm. Han Fei studied his hand. There was a bite mark near his wrist. It was not a fish bite but a human tooth bite.


    “Are there mutated bodies inside the sink?” Han Fei wanted to inspect this further when the olddy came out of the other room. The lifeguard cleverly moved to block her sight of Han Fei.


    The olddy didn’t notice anything out of ce. Then again, most of her head and face were covered by the scarf. Her expression was impossible to read. “This ce is quite messy. You better go and wait in the dining room.” Her clothes reeked of fish like she hadn’t changed them for a long time already. Other than her eyes and hands, the olddy’s whole body was covered. Even her left wrist was bound with a bandage. It was hard to tell if she was trying to hide something or if she was injured.


    “Thank you.” Han Fei and the lifeguard moved out of the kitchen. Yan Yue followed behind them. There was a long corridor between the dining room and the kitchen. The guests wouldn’t be able to see and smell the kitchen.


    The seafood restaurant didn’t look abandoned. The tables, chairs, and bar were all clean. However, there were water droplets everywhere, like the guests here were constantly wet.


    The ce was clean. The décor was very unique. Many pictures hung on the wall. Most of them were the tourists at thekeside with their big catches.


    “Han Fei, look at this.” The tourist pointed at one of the pictures. “Why does this fish have a human face?” The closer the pictures were to the bar, the stranger the fish in the pictures looked. The pictures closest to the bar had already been removed. Only the frames remained.


    Twenty minutester, a faint fragrance came out of the dark corridor. The olddy came out carrying an iron basin.


    “Sorry for the wait. I’m the only one here, so the work is slow.” The olddy ced the basin on the table. The fish was dyed red with chilies. It looked appetizing. The guests who didn’t witness the mess in the kitchen would have their stomachs grumbling. However, Han Fei’s group had no appetite.


    “We don’t have any more rice or noodles. If this is not enough, I can make another body of fish for you.”


    “Another body of fish?” Han Fei’s lips twitched. That was a strange way to describe fish. He felt like they were not talking about normal fish. The lifeguard and Yan Yue didn’t dare to move. Even the kitten kept shaking its head.


    “Eat it while it’s hot. It’ll be fishy when it’s cold.” The olddy prepared to turn to the kitchen when she was reminded of something. She stopped and reminded them. “The sky is dark. You better don’t wander around theke. It’s best to find a ce in town to stay instead.”


    “Is it dangerous by theke? We n to go night-fishing.” Han Fei said innocently. He looked like a fishing hobbyist.


    “Don’t.” The olddy said sternly. “I don’t want to lie to you. The reason this town is abandoned halfway is because of the water monster inside theke. A few people have gone missing there already.”


    “Water monster?” The lifeguard wiped his sweat. He knew that Han Fei picked him because he was a good swimmer, but he really didn’t want to go into thatke. His heart pounded nervously.


    “Originally, this town was quite lively. There were many fishing hobbyists. They were friendly with the workers who were hired to build the town. If they got any fish, they would bring them here. We didn’t charge them beyond the cooking fee. Everyone was having fun. The boss and investors were impressed too. However, everything changed one night.” The olddy reminded them kindly. She didn’t look like a bad person.


    “What happened?” Han Fei’s group was intrigued.


    “First, the people who went night-fishing disappeared. There were different testimonies. Some said the missing people got dragged into theke by big fish. Others said, the fishers just wandered deeper into theke and disappeared.


    “Then, the builders started to suffer strange fates too. Some died in their sleep. They were lying in bed, but they died from drowning.


    “Then, things got stranger. People who often ate the fish from theke started to grow scales on their bodies. Those people would make strange noises at night. When people went to check in the morning, only some scales and flesh remained by their beds. The people had disappeared. Everyone suspected they had slithered into theke.”


    Only a small light was kept on inside the restaurant. The flickering light shone on the olddy’s covered face. It looked scary. “In any case, don’t go near theke at night. Sleep well and leave when it’s morning.” “Thank you for the reminder.” Han Fei didn’t n to let the olddy go just like that. JH noticed one detail. “You said everything changed one night. Do you still remember anything special that happened that night?”


    Dream probably prepared his ritual by theke that night.


    “That night was the day we worshipped the Lake God. Theke was sealed up, and no fishing was allowed. Everyone who survived by theke woulde. We would pray for another safe and bountiful year. After midnight, the vige elders would invite the Lake God figurine in the ancestral hall out. Then, they would nominate an orphan to bring three sacrifices to the ind.”


    “Ind?” Han Fei blinked.


    “There’s an ind in the middle of thergeke. During the ceremony, an orphan who was raised by the townspeople would bring the sacrifices to the ind. The biggest problem that year was on the orphan.” The olddy’s tone became agitated. “After the investors came, life in town became better. We no longer had any orphans, so the elders fetched an orphan from the orphanage. However, when the orphan took the boat to the ind, the child fell into theke with the Lake God figurine. Both of them haven’t been found to this day.”


    “That’s not a good sign indeed.” The olddy had med everything on divine punishment. However, everything that went wrong that night probably had to do with Dream. “Is there anything we can do to rectify this?”


    “No clue. Even now, we can’t tell if it’s a Lake God or a Lake Ghost living in theke.” The olddy shook her head. “If you’re interested in these things, you can visit the boat rental center in the morning. The boss there grew up by theke. He was specifically hired by the vacation town’s boss.”


    “Okay. Thank you.”


    At that moment, there was a crashing sound from the kitchen. It sounded like a door had been opened. The olddy panicked. “Remember. Do not go near theke at night. Stay in your room. Also, the most important thing is, do not fall asleep.”


    The olddy then rushed to the kitchen. In her hurry, she bumped against the bar counter. The bandage around her left wrist unwounded slightly to reveal the bloody flesh underneath.


    “That’s some fresh meat. It looks like descaled fish.”


    Han Fei’s eyes glowed. He turned to look at Yan Yue. “Dream’s ritual is beside theke. Thiske is called the Sea of Brain. The olddy told us not to sleep at night. These three seem to be rted.”


    “Theter it is, the greater the chance of Dream’s resurrection. Are we making the move tonight?” Yan Yue’s mother was anxious. She didn’t like Dream, but she didn’t like Han Fei either.


    “Of course.” Han Fei took out a paper note and ced it on the table. He picked up his backpack and walked toward the boat rental center. The center was the building closest to theke inside the town. Han Fei’s group examined every room before they gathered in the boss’ private bedroom. The room reeked of fish. Several rotten water weeds were scattered near the walls. Large spots of blood and water dirtied the bed. There were thin scales as well.


    “It has left not too long ago.”


    Han Fei searched the room. When he turned up the bedframe, he noticed a strange figurine that was hidden underneath.