Ghost Island
The small fishing boat Du Jeong-gwang had prepared lay cleverly hidden in a secluded reed throve at the far end of Poyang Lake. Awaiting them aboard was an old boatman who looked to be past sixty, yet whose forearms were thicker than those of any able-bodied young man.
When he saw Du Jeong-gwang, his eyes went wide.
"You're going too, Elder?"
"I must."
To that short reply, the boatman offered no further protest. His manner suggested he understood the Du Clan's circumstances all too well.
The small vessel, carrying three passengers, cut through the darkness and set out toward Blood Islet, the stronghold of the Sea-Heaven Gang.
It glided silently across the vast black surface of Poyang Lake. All around them lay wrapped in stillness, yet a storm raged in the hearts of those aboard.
The old boatman creaked at his oar and spoke up.
"Elders, that Blood Islet yonder has been called Ghost Island since the old days. No one who's ever gone in has come out alive, they say… Us boat folk never go anywhere near it."
At his words, Du Jeong-gwang's already grim face grew graver still. Thinking of the boat's size and the number of hostages they would need to rescue, he turned to Ju Pyo.
"Brother, even if we manage to free every one of the captives, this little boat won't be enough to carry them all out. Do we have a plan?"
It was not Ju Pyo who answered, but Ouyang Qiangang.
"Don't worry, Elder Du. We'll simply take what belongs to the enemy."
"What belongs to the enemy?"
"The Sea-Heaven Gang are pirates — they must be running dozens of ships. We'll pick out the fastest one and borrow it."
So calm was his reply, as if he were merely dropping by a neighbor's house for a chat, that Du Jeong-gwang found himself momentarily speechless. Ju Pyo quietly studied Ouyang Qiangang's profile.
Is that look of his the recklessness of a sheltered boy, or true boldness? Hard to say. But to face hundreds of pirates without a flicker of agitation — that is certainly no ordinary quality. If this succeeds, it will prove he has what it takes to rebuild the three clans. If it fails, it will be a chance for him to look inward. Assuming, of course, that he survives…
An hour or so had passed when the first light of dawn began to pale the sky, and at the far edge of the horizon there appeared a colossal wall of fog, as though it marked the end of the world itself.
The old boatman spoke with a haunted expression.
"Elders, Blood Islet lies beyond that fog. You must understand — the island's terrain is truly treacherous."
His voice carried a fear handed down among fishermen for generations.
"Invisible reefs lie hidden in that fog like teeth, and whirlpools lurk everywhere, ready to swallow a boat whole. Even if you're lucky enough to dodge the reefs, there's nowhere to set foot — sheer cliffs drop straight into the water on every side."
He continued in a worried tone.
"And even if you somehow make it ashore, there are the red reed fields — said, by legend, to grow fat on human blood — and the bogs that swallow a man step by step. And at the island's heart stands a smoking volcano, looming like a phantom, belching black smoke."
He swallowed dryly and spoke his final words.
"That's why boat folk call it Ghost Island, not Blood Islet. Please… please take great care of yourselves."
Du Jeong-gwang laid a hand on the old man's shoulder.
"Thank you. But don't you worry. We'll come back alive."
Ouyang Qiangang spoke up.
"From here on, we must leave the boat. There will surely be watchers in that reef field within the fog."
At his words, Du Jeong-gwang asked, "Gu Hyeonjil, do you have a way to get us through this fog and those whirlpools to the island itself?"
Ouyang Qiangang looked at the two old masters. "We'll infiltrate underwater. I'll guide the way."
"Underwater infiltration?"
"Yes. Until I give the signal, do nothing on your own initiative — the enemy may sense your presence."
"That's it? The currents are fierce; finding our way underwater won't be easy."
"Have no fear."
At that confident reply, Du Jeong-gwang tilted his head in puzzlement — but Ju Pyo, unlike him, nodded without hesitation.
"Understood."
Ouyang Qiangang's words defied common sense. But in the days of traveling together, Ju Pyo had come to feel that this was not a young man who acted without a plan. Backing out now would make no sense either.
Listening to the exchange between the two, Du Jeong-gwang could only shake his head inwardly.
Strange, this is. He's confident he can avoid not only unseen underwater traps and whirlpools, but the watchers as well… And more than that, I can hardly understand why my sworn brother Ju Pyo, his own master, trusts and follows his disciple's word so blindly. There must be something he hasn't told me…
The three pressed a generous handful of silver into the boatman's hands, then slipped soundlessly beneath the cold black waters of Poyang Lake.
Geum Wang, who hated water, scowled with a haughty grimace — but he knew well enough that complaining wouldn't make the water go away. With a long sigh, the little monkey wrapped his arms tight around Ouyang Qiangang's neck.
As the icy winter water closed over them, the cold bored deep into their bones. The three each circulated their internal cultivation methods, and soon the chill receded and their bodies returned to their normal state.
Only his head above the surface, Ouyang Qiangang spoke to Akasha.
'Akasha, tell me the maximum number of nanobots I can currently deploy, along with their operational range and duration.'
[Yes, Doctor.]
Akasha's clear voice rang through his mind.
[With your current internal energy, approximately 1,000 nanobots are available. Duration varies greatly depending on how they are deployed.]
She laid out two options.
[Deploying all 1,000 at full power allows for massive data collection, but the internal energy drain is severe, reducing duration to under 30 minutes. Conversely, using the minimum unit of 10 or fewer for reconnaissance yields less information but allows operation for up to three hours. In either case, the surveillance radius is identical: fifteen jang.]
'What we need right now isn't broad information — it's continuous guidance to light the path directly ahead of us. I choose the latter.'
Ouyang Qiangang made his decision at once.
'Good. Deploy ten nanobots. Five above the surface, five below to scan for underwater hazards. Find us the safest route.'
[Understood. Activating 'Sustained Reconnaissance Mode'.]
The ten nanobots projected outward began scanning the invisible surface and depths of the water. Ouyang Qiangang led the two old masters forward, swimming with careful strokes.
Even with Akasha's help, their journey was anything but smooth. The thick fog blanketing them on all sides served as an excellent cloak, concealing their forms — but it was also a maze in which they could not see a single step ahead.
After a stretch of silence, Akasha's voice sounded in Ouyang Qiangang's mind.
[Doctor, multiple humanoid biometric signals detected thirteen jang ahead, atop the reef to the left.]
'Details?'
[Visual transmission is not possible with your current internal energy. However, analysis of the collected audio and vibration data indicates that at least two or more individuals are hiding in the rock crevices, watching the water's surface. I've detected the faint rustle of clothing and the yawns of men unable to contain their boredom.]
Without a single image, Akasha had pieced together the enemy's presence and condition almost perfectly from sound and vibration alone.
Ouyang Qiangang immediately raised a hand, signaling the two old masters behind him to halt. Then came the hand sign to submerge.
The three drew in deep, silent breaths and sank quietly into the cold water.
The underwater world was dark and still. Only the sound of their own hearts echoed in their ears.
Like fish, the three swam silently directly beneath the reef where the watchers stood. In that breath-held tension of one spark from disaster, they slipped past the danger zone.
But the trials did not pause. Surfacing and swimming onward, Ouyang Qiangang spoke to Ju Pyo and Du Jeong-gwang in a low but resolute voice.
"Stop! Press yourselves against the rock on the left!"
The instant the three flattened themselves against the rock at his urgent cry, a massive whirlpool roared to life right beside them, sucking everything toward its maw.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—
Cold sweat ran down the spines of Ju Pyo and Du Jeong-gwang as they realized that had his warning come even a moment later, they would never have escaped.
[Three meters ahead, artificial net detected. Sharp iron spikes embedded. You must dive to pass beneath.]
Ouyang Qiangang relayed Akasha's words exactly, and the three submerged once more. As they swam on underwater, a vast net studded with razor-sharp iron spikes brushed past just above their heads.
When they had hauled themselves through that hellish waterway for nearly half a shijin, Akasha's voice came again.
[Doctor, a safe landing point discovered ahead. No guards in sight.]
The island's hostile surroundings seemed to have left its coastal defenses thin. The three quietly came ashore at a small stretch of beach beneath cliffs thick with red reeds.
Advancing some five hundred jang with their bodies as concealed as possible, they climbed a wild hill roughly fifty jang in height.
Near the hill's summit, hidden within a grove of scrub trees barely a man's height, Ouyang Qiangang surveyed their surroundings and called for Akasha.
'Akasha, I need to find out where their settlement is.'
[I'll bring up a terrain map constructed from the island's shape as observed through your field of view so far.]
A three-dimensional map of the island rose within Ouyang Qiangang's mental image. Akasha's calm voice continued.
[This island is a volcanic formation centered on the dormant volcano at its heart. The east and west coasts are sheer cliffs where large vessels cannot dock, and the south is believed to be a broad expanse of toxic wetlands, making overland movement difficult.]
'So east, south, and west are all unsuited for settlement or a harbor.'
[Correct. The only place where a large population could live and ships could anchor is the bay on the north side.]
Akasha's analysis shifted to a tactical perspective.
[That bay is a naturally blessed harbor, shielded from the rough outer waves, and its narrow entrance makes it highly defensible. A stream providing fresh water is also believed to flow into it. The probability that the pirates' stronghold lies there is 99%.]
On the map floating in his mind, the enemy settlement Akasha had identified was marked with a red dot.
'Distance to the bay?'
[Estimated at thirty ri.]
'Not that far.'
[I would advise against thinking it will be easy. Hidden sentries and watchtowers will be positioned at every turn.]
'Naturally. Akasha, we're heading there. While we run, deploy the nanobots and secure thorough reconnaissance of our surroundings.'
[Understood.]
Ouyang Qiangang pointed north and spoke to Ju Pyo and Du Jeong-gwang.
"Their stronghold appears to be in that direction."
Having witnessed Ouyang Qiangang's uncanny abilities all the way here, the two old masters nodded without a word of objection. The party began moving toward the northern bay, hidden and silent.