Chapter 291 - 290: A Child Below Deck on the Cruise Ship?

Chapter 291: Chapter 290: A Child Below Deck on the Cruise Ship?

"Impossible. I don’t recommend going down. We’ve already checked the passenger manifest. All the children, the infants, they’ve all disembarked. Besides Gigi, there’s no one else." Zeke Shaw opened the door and shook his head, advising against the risk.

"But... there really are other kids. I heard them laughing. More than one. They were playing with a ball, too." Gigi tugged at my clothes, her eyes red-rimmed. "Miss, there really are..."

I nodded. "I believe you."

"Going to check... isn’t out of the question." Zeke Shaw glanced around. "Let’s eat first. Madeline is still unconscious. I need to get her something nutritious to help her regain her strength."

"Grab your weapons. Those maniacs are killing indiscriminately," I reminded them.

The few of us slowly made our way to the VIP dining area to eat.

During the day, everything was calm and peaceful, as if last night’s massacre had never happened.

All the bodies had been thrown directly overboard, and the bloodstains on the ship had been cleaned by the staff. On the surface, you couldn’t see any problems.

Many people were talking and laughing, eating their meals and looking at the scenery outside.

These people probably had no idea what happened last night.

"They started the killing on the fourteenth floor. Last night, they only cleared out the people on that floor. They went room by room, like it was some kind of death game. Whoever they picked, died..." Mason Carter spoke cautiously, looking around in fear.

We entered the dining area but were stopped and asked to show our room cards.

"I’m sorry, but this gentleman and this little girl aren’t registered in the VIP section. Starting today, everyone will dine separately. The VIP area is no longer open to the public. Only residents registered with a VIP room card may dine here," a staff member said in a low voice.

I furrowed my brow and looked at Asher.

"What kind of time is this to be separating areas? Just let us through already," Felix Foster tried to push his way in but was blocked by a security guard.

The security guards all had hostile expressions, clearly intending to make us follow the rules.

"Guests from the VIP area can dine in any of the dining areas," the staff member said again. "If you don’t want to split up, you can eat together somewhere else."

"Come on, let’s go to another dining area." I took Gigi’s hand and started to walk out.

"They’re doing this on purpose. First, they open up the VIP area to let the regular passengers get a taste of the top-quality food. Once they’re used to the good stuff, how could they be content with the food in the regular dining areas? My guess is... they’ll soon start recognizing only room cards, not people. When that happens, the VIP guests will become targets for everyone else to hunt."

Felix Foster said gravely.

This was a very bad sign.

The expressions on all our faces grew grim.

’The mastermind behind this is a true genius.’

’They know exactly how to provoke the deepest malice in human nature.’

We went to the dining areas on the lower decks together, but they were all full.

They said food was now limited, and we should have come out earlier.

With no other choice, we could only continue downward.

The farther down we went, the cruder the food in the dining areas became. It wasn’t until we reached the deck level that we were finally able to get in.

All they had was dry bread and jam, but at least there was still hot milk available.

But it was just milk made from powder.

"Miss..." While we were eating, Gigi suddenly perked up her ears as if she’d heard something and nervously tugged on my clothes. "Miss, listen... Below the cabins, can you hear a jingle ball?"

It was a type of children’s toy that made a sound when it rolled around.

I pricked up my ears, listening intently. "Where..."

I was about to say she’d misheard, but then—CLATTER... I really did hear the sound of a ball rolling around, coming from the entrance to the lowest deck of the ship.

Then came the sounds of children laughing and playing.

I looked at Asher warily.

Then I looked at the others. "Did you guys hear children’s voices?"

Zeke Shaw had already taken his food and gone back to his room. Lucas Grant strained to listen, then shook his head. "No..."

Felix Foster listened carefully too. "It’s so noisy. How could you hear a child’s voice? You’re probably imagining things."

The dining area was packed with people; it was indeed hard to hear anything clearly.

Mason Carter listened as well and shook his head. "I didn’t hear anything either."

I looked over at Asher.

Asher was eating quietly. He didn’t say if he’d heard it or not.

’His silence makes it clear he doesn’t approve of me taking any risks.’

’He won’t let me go down.’

I patted Gigi’s head and had no choice but to say, "Maybe we really did mishear. There are guards down there, so we can’t go. Let’s eat quickly. We’ll go back to our room when we’re done."

Gigi looked down, disappointed. "When I was hiding in the cargo hold, I really heard them... Someone was even bringing them food."

I didn’t say anything.

’I still have no idea what’s going on down there. If it’s hiding another secret like the one in the medical bay, we’ll be in real danger.’

’For now, it’s best to play it safe and protect ourselves.’

"Enjoy your meal, everyone. Eat as much as you can... because very soon, there won’t be enough food."

Over the broadcast, that bizarre voice came again. "There isn’t much time left for any of you. The ship is getting farther and farther away... If you want to go back, you’d better hurry... You need to find the president of the Astraeus Group, you know."

I frowned at the speaker. ’I now suspect that finding the president of the Astraeus Group is just a pretense. The Resistance just wants to incite the evil in human nature and make people kill each other.’

’They seem to be enjoying the show.’

"Starting tomorrow, dining will be based on your room card. One card allows two people to eat, and it will no longer be tied to your name. You’d better protect your room cards~ If you lose your card... well, you’ll just have to go hungry."

The voice continued to broadcast rules and spread panic.

Mason Carter looked nervously at his room card. The regular room cards were all white; only the VIP cards were gold.

"A VIP room card gets you high-end ingredients, top-shelf liquor, and the safest rooms—even the doors are reinforced, anti-theft, and blast-proof. This means... Felix Foster was right. The gold card holders will become hunting targets for the others," Lucas Grant said grimly.

The atmosphere among us grew awkward and tense.

"From now on, don’t leave your rooms unless you have to... Let’s go back now." Asher stood up and took my hand.

’The people in the regular dining area are already looking at us like we’re prime cuts of meat.’

"Don’t flash your gold cards. Put them away." I told Lucas Grant to put his card away.

’From the looks of it now, if a card is lost, it won’t be reissued or replaced.’

I held Gigi’s hand, anxiously preparing to leave.

But Gigi stopped at the exit leading down into the ship’s lower levels, refusing to move. "Miss... listen, there really are children..."

I hurried over and grabbed her. "Gigi, let’s go back first. It’s not safe out here..."

"Gigi!" But she suddenly pulled her hand free from mine and ran downstairs.

I gasped and turned to look at Asher.

’We promised the police we’d bring her back safely...’