Stella headed straight to the port to meet Emma and then rejoin the ship, as they had agreed in advance. Emma greeted her with a gentle smile, "From now on, forget that your name is Stella Light. Now, you are Emma Smith."
Stella nodded confidently, "Of course, you never have to worry."
Emma responded, "I wish you a good and happy trip, and thank you."
Stella smiled warmly, "It's me who should thank you. Without you, my father would not have lived."
Emma nodded, "This is my duty. Come on, goodbye. You will be late."
Stella boarded the ship, and as soon as she entered, she was overwhelmed with admiration.
She had never seen a cruise ship before, and although it wasn't one of those massive vessels, it was undeniably luxurious.
But after a few moments, Stella quickly hid her feelings, reminding herself, "I shouldn't be so impressed. Now I'm pretending to be the daughter of an extremely wealthy family. I must act accordingly to avoid ruining everything."
She looked exactly like Emma, dressed in formal clothes similar to hers, styled her hair the same way, and even mimicked Emma's gestures when talking or drinking coffee.
Everything was going exactly as planned.
About fifteen minutes after her arrival, the ship set off on its journey to the northern continent.
Looking out the window, Stella watched as the skyscrapers gradually faded into the distance.
Meanwhile, Emma and another person were observing her departure.
The man beside Emma was a handsome young man with sharp features, blue eyes, and short dark hair. His flawless skin and tall, slim physique made him look like a model, especially in his sports clothes. He smiled calmly, "So, Miss Meyer, you've finally gotten rid of your problem."
Emma smiled back, "Thanks mainly to you. I'm very grateful."
He replied, "This is my duty."
"You paid the full cost of the operation this morning as I asked. Thank you again."
The man nodded, "You mentioned that you would send her family a sum every month."
"Yes. Now, let's get out of here. I should disappear from sight for a few months. My father has traveled, so there's no issue."
"What are you going to do about your sister and her mother?"
Emma calmly replied, "They will regret what they've done. I can't wait to see their faces in a month when they realize I've returned, and I have my report about the continent."
Inside the ship, Stella sat in her room, admiring the luxurious surroundings.
"Oh, the life of the rich is truly wonderful. Those who say money doesn't bring happiness are undoubtedly just losers consoling themselves."
As she wandered around the room, she suddenly heard a knock at the door.
A man's voice called out, "Miss Meyer, may I have a moment of your time?"
"Miss Meyer? Wait a minute, didn't I hear right? Emma's last name is Smith!"
Stella thought the person just got the name wrong. She opened the door, "Yeah, what's up?"
The man said, "Miss Emma, I just wanted to check on you. You haven't come down from your room for three whole hours. Is there something wrong?"
He was a young man, fair-featured, with a somewhat confused appearance. He wore ordinary clothes, unlike most of those on the ship.
"He's that person she told me about."
Stella replied with a smile, "No, there is nothing wrong, just me…"
The young man interrupted, "Miss Emma, your voice sounds different. Are you sick?"
"Yes, that's what I wanted to tell you."
The man stared at her for a moment, "And your eyes look bright, too."
Stella replied, "It's just lenses."
The man asked again, "Really? But you've always said these things don't suit you and that you like to be yourself."
"Now I understand why Emma said he's an annoying person. But what was his name? Ah, I remember now, it's Ed."
Ed said, "Anyway, see you later, Miss Meyer. You should rest as you're still recovering."
Stella replied, "See you later."
After he left, she quickly closed the door.
"Finally, what a talkative person! I think I should leave the room to check what's happening. It seems like he knows her well, so it's unlikely he called her by the wrong name."
She decided to come down an hour later to avoid suspicion since she told him she was unwell. She descended, claiming she wanted to see him, but faced a problem as she could not recall his name.
"Oh my God, I have completely forgotten his name. How am I going to find him now?"
While lost in thought, she was surprised by a voice speaking to her, "Hey, Emma, how have you been? Haven't seen you in a while."
Stella turned towards the voice to find a beautiful blonde girl. Stella raised her eyes to look at her, she was tall and slender.
The girl spoke softly, "Ed told me you were unwell, but since you came, you must be feeling better."
Stella replied, "Oh, I think Ed may have exaggerated a bit. My condition is not that bad."
"This girl must be the one called Anna," Stella thought.
She considered it a good thing that she met her; it was better than the talkative Ed.
"This girl is one of Emma's close friends, she must know a lot about her."
Stella asked, "How is your family doing?"
"They are doing well. How about your father and sister?"
Stella was stunned by the girl's question.
"Father? Sister? How is that possible? Isn't her father deceased, and she has no siblings?"
The realization hit her hard, first the lie about the name, and now this? Emma had a father and a sister too?
Stella stood there in disbelief, her thoughts racing. Anna noticed her hesitation and asked, "Emma, are you okay? What's going on? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Snapping out of her daze, Stella forced a smile, "Ah, it's you, Anna. I'm just feeling a bit tired. I think I'll go back to my room now."
Before Anna could respond, Stella turned and hurried away, her mind swirling with confusion and fear.
As she walked away, Anna sighed, "Does she always act this way when she's sick?"
Back in her room, Stella slammed the door behind her with such force that it startled one of the ship's crew members passing by. She collapsed onto a chair, placing her hands on her head, overwhelmed by the sudden revelations.
"What on earth is going on? Why did she lie to me? My intuition tells me I've gotten myself into some kind of trouble!"
For the rest of the day, Stella didn't leave her room. During that time, several of Emma's colleagues came by to check on her, including Anna and Ed. Stella assured them she was fine and just needed some rest.
This expedition team consisted of thirty individuals: twenty men and ten women. They were a diverse group of researchers in biology, archaeology, and anthropology.
Hours later, Ed knocked on Stella's door again, informing her that they were about to reach the continent and should get ready. Two hours later, the ship docked at their destination.
As soon as they disembarked, the team was in awe of the scenery. The beach was unlike any other they had seen: its sands were black, speckled with white pebbles, resembling a starry night sky. The waters were crystal clear with patches of reddish-purple seaweed swaying beneath the surface. The beauty of the scene captivated everyone, momentarily easing Stella's fears.
But then, something in the water caught Stella's attention, a transparent, swiftly moving creature. Her heart pounded as she realized what it was. Her face twisted in horror, and she screamed, "Everyone, be careful! There's something toxic in the water! Get away quickly!"
Heeding her warning, the team immediately retreated from the water.
Stella grabbed a long tree branch lying on the sand and carefully dipped it into the water. After a few moments, she pulled it out, and the sight of the branch made everyone shiver with fear.
Ed, recognizing the danger, exclaimed, "It's a box jellyfish!"
Box jellyfish are known for their deadly venom, capable of ending a human's life in just three minutes. It's said that the toxicity in just one of these jellyfish can kill sixty adults.
Transparent and small, they're often mistaken for harmless creatures, especially since people usually associate bright colors with danger. But this rule didn't apply to the box jellyfish.
The group quickly moved away from the beach, knowing that there was no antidote for its venom. The leader decided they should head toward the forest, but this time with more caution.
At first glance, the forest seemed ordinary, but as they ventured deeper, they realized it was anything but.
The trees were of different colors: shades of green, orange, yellow, and dark green.
Everyone eagerly took out their cameras, capturing the vibrant scenery.
They were thrilled when they discovered a group of birds they had never seen before. But while the group marveled at their discoveries, Stella couldn't shake her unease.
"Just as soon as we arrived, we almost lost some members. If I were in this leader's place, I wouldn't have acted so recklessly. Moving deeper into this unknown forest is definitely not a good idea," she thought, her gut warning her something was terribly wrong.
While scanning her surroundings, Stella noticed something unusual, a butterfly with colors she had never seen before, a stunning turquoise. Intrigued, she moved closer to take a picture, but the butterfly fluttered away.
Determined, Stella whispered to herself, "Well, I'll catch up with you. You're worth the trouble."
After a short chase, she finally managed to capture a good picture of the butterfly.
Proud of her accomplishment, she suddenly realized how far she had wandered from the group.
"Oh no, where's the group? I was so caught up in taking pictures that I didn't notice I'd left them behind."
She tried to remember where she last saw them.
"I remember leaving them next to the red tree."
The group had gathered around a red tree that had caught their attention. They were studying it, trying to understand why it was there, and taking pictures.
Suddenly, distressed voices echoed throughout the forest, frightening Stella.
These voices were familiar to her. She felt confused and scared but continued walking in the direction of the sounds.
When she arrived, she was shocked and terrified.
Her eyes reflected horror and anxiety, and her face was twisted with fear.
A group of masked men surrounded the explorers. They were physically strong, wearing oddly designed masks, and steadily approaching them.
The expedition members retreated backward, trying to escape, but there was no way out.
As the masks flew around them, the brutal attack began.
Screams and shock erupted among the team as sounds of pain and torment filled the air.
Hope faded, and spirits broke, visible in their panicked faces twisted with agony.
Bodies were scattered on the ground, stained with blood and fear.