"Oh, it's you!" Solomon, who was still stepping down the gangway when he saw Sean and others, had a surprised expression on his face.
"I thought your destination was Lipson!"
After walking to the side of the boat, Sean stood up and helped the stocky Solomon onto the boat and said, "I also thought you were going back to Europe."
"What are you doing in Ocean City?" After Solomon got on the boat, the two of them asked almost in unison.
"Oh." Solomon smiled awkwardly and waved his hand, "A friend asked me to go to Ocean City to do some errands - by the way, I also want to visit."
Sean nodded: "Our newspaper wanted to do a special report on Ocean City, so we sent me here."
"So that's it..." The smile on Solomon's face was very sincere. Obviously, after experiencing the incident on the ship, he was happy to be with Sean and his party.
"I feel more relieved that I can go with you on this journey." Solomon nodded repeatedly.
Yueguang shook his head slightly in his heart - the European detective's innocence and optimism made him feel a little distressed.
After all the twelve passengers who landed on the island arrived, the crew rowed the oars and set off.
Riding the waves, about fifteen minutes later, the boat arrived at the port of Avalon Island.
It is said to be a port, but it is just an H-shaped wooden pier. There are several unmanned motorboats and fishing boats docked in the pier.
After everyone helped each other step onto the pier, the crew members would paddle back to the ship.
The young man with chestnut hair seemed a little surprised and asked the crew: "Where should we go? Isn't anyone coming to pick us up?"
The crewman put the oar on his lap and pointed in the direction of the land: "If there are road signs, just follow them."
With that said, in the slightly confused eyes of everyone, he paddled back to the Bronze Giant.
Not far out, he seemed to suddenly remember something and shouted to the people standing on the pier: "There is a boat passing here every three days, and the next one is going to New York. Remember to buy tickets in advance!"
As he spoke, he waved his hat: "Have a nice trip!"
The boat gradually rowed away.
Except for the increasingly distant sound of paddling and the occasional flapping of the wings of a passing bird, the surroundings seemed too quiet.
It was almost dead silence.
The group of people actually felt more or less like being abandoned on a desert island.
Sean turned around and looked towards the land.
There are some wooden houses ahead, and a huge advertising board is lined with neon tubes, but the lights are not turned on yet.
“Welcome to Ocean City!”
Seeing the man on the advertising board smiling with white teeth, Sean felt inexplicably uneasy.
Why is there no one at the dock? Where is Ocean City?
The young man cursed and said, "Guys, I don't feel good!"
Solomon pointed in the direction of the land: "Let's go to the island and have a look - maybe the staff are inside?"
With that said, Detective Oulu picked up his suitcase and walked directly to the wooden house, and everyone followed him one after another.
After reaching the front, the group of people poked their heads into the wooden house.
Still no one was seen.
"That's weird. Are they hiding?" Solomon said, looking around.
The wooden house seems to be where the dock staff live and work. Although there was no one inside, it looked like it had been cleaned, which at least proved that there had been people here before.
Solomon found a road sign not far away. He walked over and stood under the road sign.
A wooden street sign that says "Ocean City" points to a mountain road shaded by trees ahead.
"At least, the directions on the road signs are very clear." Solomon smiled, but he didn't get any response. The fat detective carried his luggage and took the lead up the stone stairs going up the mountain.
Although the stairs up the mountain are gentle, you can't see the end at a glance.
Mr. Nash placed the two huge boxes on the ground and sighed deeply.
The fierce-looking man who was walking with the curly-haired woman passed by Nash. With his free right hand, he actually picked up one of Mr. Nash's suitcases and walked forward.
Nash and Sarah looked at each other, followed with gratitude and surprise.
On the boring way up the mountain, the handsome man with chestnut hair suggested: "It seems that no matter what happens ahead, we have to face it together.
"Anyway, we have to walk up slowly. I suggest everyone introduce themselves."
In everyone's acquiescence, the man continued: "My name is Christopher. From the New Testament, I am a stockbroker."
Panting slightly, he moved his right hand towards the gentle woman wearing a straw hat beside him: "This is my fiancée, Susan. She is a professional painter."
Unlike the confident Christopher, Susan blushed just by being introduced.
After everyone else had finished their introductions, the sexy woman in the red dress spoke. Her voice was quite magnetic: "Barbara Carmen. Singer."
Carmen turned to look at the strong man: "He is my bodyguard, Victor."
"Carmen?" Aunt Sarah, who was walking behind and panting, stopped, looked up at the woman in red as if she couldn't believe it, and then said with some surprise: "You are the singer, the one who sang "The Long Night" The singer of "No Heart to Sleep"?
"I like your songs very much - but you haven't released a new song for a long time..."
Carmen turned her head and revealed a slight smile on her red lips: "It's me. Ocean City officially invited me to perform."
"Then they are so rude." She never expected to receive such a cold reception after arriving at Avalon. As a pianist, Moonlight clearly showed her dissatisfaction, "No welcome, no special car... nothing!"
"We'll know when we get to the top of the mountain." Christopher shook his head slightly and said, "I have a conjecture that is basically confirmed - but now, I still have a little bit of hope for them.
"However, when we reach the top of the mountain, everything will be revealed." Christopher looked up at the lighthouse that could already see the top of the tower, and there was some easily detectable anger in his eyes and tone.
As everyone climbed the mountain in silence, Yueguang suddenly felt the Explorer card on his chest vibrating.
After several actual battles, Moonlight has been able to quickly translate vibration codes.
Sean, who seemed to be thinking about something while walking, told Moonlight and Ivan through the Explorer playing cards:
"Merlin mentioned before that among the travelers traveling with us, there is a high possibility of spies from the divine court.
“We must be careful to discern and pay attention to our words and deeds.”
Secret agent of the divine court? Yueguang frowned and went through the few people traveling with him in his mind.
"Who is the one?"
——
Ten minutes later, the group finally reached the top of the mountain. In front of them was the lighthouse painted in red and white paint.
"This lighthouse..." Solomon gasped, looking up at the top of the tower, "it's much bigger than an ordinary lighthouse..."
The mountain road ends at the gate of the lighthouse.
There is a line of mottled words written on the door: "Believe what you see."
"Hahaha..." After seeing the words on the door, Christopher laughed, "Hahahaha..."
The sudden laughter made everyone confused and turned to look at him.
"really……
"This is indeed a scam!"
Solomon looked at the young stockbroker with some surprise: "Scam? What kind of scam?"
"Our company holds some shares of Ocean City." Standing outside the lighthouse, Christopher temporarily put down his luggage, lit a cigarette, and said slowly, "However, including me, some people in the company think that Ocean City is The scam of the century.
“Creating an eye-catching concept, and then defrauding investors of their money before the scam is exposed, and then running away with the money when the lie can no longer be sustained – this is the pattern of this scam.
“Gentlemen—I have said it on many occasions, and I am still repeating it—nearly thirty years ago we marveled at the wonders of modern industry that were the Rockefeller Building and the Brooklyn Bridge…
“When did humans have the technology to build a big city on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean?!
"No matter how attractive the concepts they officially say are - the crystallization of precision alchemy and modern industry, the use of submarine volcanoes to generate electricity...
"In my opinion, it's all bullshit!"
Christopher waved his hand fiercely and looked at the lighthouse with a mocking look in his eyes: "Everything confirms my guess...
"Although the travel plan was ruined, this trip was worth it - at least it proved that I was right."
In the somewhat surprised eyes of everyone, Christopher sighed contemptuously.
