Chapter 13: The Invitation of the Ghost Ship

The night was heavy, and the river churned with dark waves, as if countless hands beneath the surface were clawing, trying to drag something into the depths. Rain lashed against the water, and lightning occasionally tore across the sky, illuminating the ship that should not exist in this world.

"This is really got enough suagu lah…" Lin Han muttered under his breath, his throat dry, yet his feet moved forward uncontrollably.

—The ghost ship was waiting for him.

Noya's eyes sharpened with caution, her fingers tightening around the Malay kris left behind by her father. She took a deep breath, her voice low, "Lin Han, you better think carefully."

"This ship… it wouldn't appear without a reason."

Her words were almost lost in the storm, but Lin Han heard them clearly.

"This ship, kao pei kao bu waiting for me, like it… knows I'm coming." Lin Han muttered.

Noya's frown deepened. She glanced at the police badge on her waist and gritted her teeth. "Mampus lah, you really want to go up?!"

"If its appearance is tied to the karmic threads, then I'll have to face it sooner or later." Lin Han's gaze was firm. He could feel the unseen force pulling at the karmic lines within him.

—Was this fate calling him, or had something deliberately set this up?

Lin Han took a deep breath and reached out—his fingers brushing against the invisible thread connecting him to the ship.

An icy sensation crawled up his arm and into his chest. In the next instant, he found himself standing on the deck of the ghost ship.

"Walau eh…"

Noya barely had time to call out before Lin Han's figure vanished before her eyes.

The storm raged on, but on the river—the outline of the ghost ship had become even clearer.

Darkness engulfed Lin Han's vision. The air was thick with the scent of rot and dampness, making it difficult to breathe.

His foot pressed against the wooden planks of the deck, and a slow, creaking sound echoed with every step, as if the entire ship was on the verge of collapse.

—He was not alone.

From the shadows, a figure stood, blurred and indistinct.

"You have come."

A deep, raspy voice reverberated in the air.

A chill ran down Lin Han's spine. He lifted his gaze towards the figure—only to see that its eyes burned with an eerie blue ghostfire, something that did not belong to this world.

"Your karma… has entangled you to this place."

Lin Han's heartbeat pounded in his chest as realization dawned upon him—

This was no ordinary ghost ship.

This was a ferry carrying the weight of the dead… a vessel of unresolved karma!

Amidst the raging storm, Lin Han stepped onto the deck, each footfall landing on the damp wooden planks that creaked under his weight, as if something beneath them was stirring. The rain lashed at his face, obscuring his vision, while the scent of decay and rust filled the air, making him frown.

"Walau eh, this boat confirm got problem…"

A faint, eerie glow hung over the surroundings, as though invisible spirits drifted through the misty air. Lin Han took a deep breath—none of this should exist in reality.

—This ship did not belong to this era.

Strange claw marks were carved into the ship's railing, deep and jagged, as though some monstrous beast had once tried to tear through it. Rainwater trickled down the grooves, leaving behind faint streaks of crimson.

Then, a deep, chilling voice echoed from the far end of the deck.

"The one bound by fate… has finally arrived."

Lin Han's right eye twitched violently, and in that instant, his vision shifted.

—Threads of black karma crisscrossed through the air like a massive web, and the thickest one stretched straight toward the shadowy figure ahead!

Lin Han narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the figure. Through the curtain of rain, a tall silhouette emerged.

The figure was cloaked in a tattered robe, a wide-brimmed straw hat concealing most of his face. But beneath the shadows, Lin Han caught a glimpse of a bluish, decayed complexion, his wrinkled skin weathered by the passage of time.

Yet the most unsettling detail—his eyes burned with eerie blue flames.

"Who are you?" Lin Han clenched his fists, his body tensed for a fight.

The ghostly figure let out a soft chuckle, his voice echoing as if from another time and space.

"I am the Ferryman of this place. Your fate begins here."

The moment he spoke, the world around Lin Han distorted violently. Blurred visions flashed before his eyes—

An ancient temple, a blood-red moon, countless people wailing in flames…

Gritting his teeth, Lin Han fought to stay conscious. But beneath him, the ship's deck suddenly shuddered, as if something from the abyss was about to surface!

"Even spilling Teh Tarik on my pants wouldn't be this unlucky…" Lin Han muttered, though his feet never stopped moving.

The dark seawater churned violently, and shapeless specters began to emerge from the ship's floorboards. Their mouths opened in silent screams, their twisted hands reaching desperately toward Lin Han.

"These… are lost souls?"

The Ferryman nodded slowly, his voice heavy with something akin to sorrow.

"Their fate is sealed… but you… still have a choice."

"A choice?" Lin Han's instincts flared with unease.

The Ferryman's burning blue eyes flickered, his voice low and deliberate—

"Choose."

Lin Han's heart pounded. He had a gut feeling—this decision wouldn't just determine his own survival.

It could change the fate of the entire world.