Shrouded Seascape

When everyone regained their sanity, they recalled the recent events and turned to look at the piles of bodies on the deck.

A shiver of fear ran down their spines at the horrifying sight.

However, their horror was soon replaced by a wave of gratitude toward Charles. If it hadn't been for him, they would have all perished before 005-3.

"Don't crowd around me. Our job is not done yet. I'm sure the ship still has those black specks. We need to clear every last one of them," Charles said through his gritted teeth as Linda removed the black spike from his neck.

After a flurry of activity, the crew members armed themselves with crowbars and shovels. They pried off anything that had anything that resembled black specks attached to them.

Then, they threw the contaminated items overboard into the darkness.

When the crew was done with their tasks, Charles' treatment had also finished. Sipping on a plasma bag, he listened to reports from his first mate and his second mate.

"Those things attach themselves to living beings and alter their thoughts. But they can be dealt with so long as we understand their ability. A carpet search has been conducted on the ship, and all black specks are cleared," Second Mate Nico reported.

After draining his current plasma bag, Charles picked up a new one. "Don't let your guard down. Assign a team to endure the pain of the black spikes and have them become the patrol team."

Charles was a bit afraid of the possibility that they could spread those black specks of dots. Charles was sure that a disaster would surely occur if they end up bringing those black specks with them to the base down below.

After discussing several preventive measures with his crew, the tension in Charles' mind finally began to ease.

"Captain… the other… ship… is probably…" Bandages muttered.

A shadow was cast over Charles' countenance. They hadn't followed the Narwhale down and had remained near 005-3. Clearly, they had all met their demise at this point. They had started with five ships on this exploration, but only one ship was going to return to the base.

"Abandon rescue mission. Mark 005-3's location on the nautical chart and designate it as a forbidden zone. No one is to approach it," Charles instructed.

Charles knew little about 005-3, and he couldn't say for sure whether altering human cognition was His only ability. To make matters worse, it was ranked top five in the Foundation's classification of projects, so 005 had to be extremely formidable.

Just then, the sound of retching echoed, interrupting Charles' thoughts. He turned and saw Grace looking visibly distraught. Her tears had ruined her makeup, leaving two faint trails running down her cheeks.

Charles knew what was making her sick. Just three meters to their right was a pile of decapitated corpses from the earlier sacrificial ritual, and they had piled up to form a small mountain of bodies and heads. The stench of blood was nauseating, and the sailors were using sticks to push the remains overboard.

Watching Linda hurry over to console the girl, a look of disdain crossed Charles' face as he stared at the crying Grace.

"If she can't handle this, get someone to replace her. Breaking down over something so minor—what a burden."

Although the Western Seas claimed that this girl had the strongest magic ability amongst her peers, her delicate and timid nature was ill-suited for an explorer.

If the sight of a few corpses could scare her to this extent, it raised doubt if she could even play her role during a critical situation when her expertise was needed.

Hugging Grace in her arms, Linda cast a surprised glance at Charles. Then, she nodded in agreement, "Captain, I agree with your stance. We should have asked them to send an adult."

Just then, Nico, with his arm in a white sling, chimed in, "Captain, I think age has nothing to do with it. I think just about anyone will react the same way upon seeing so many corpses for the first time. She's not an explorer; so she hasn't seen this many deaths until now. Just give her some time to adapt. I quite like this girl, and I'll have no one to talk to on the ship if she ends up leaving."

Charles was taken aback, and a thought suddenly crossed his mind. Since when did I start believing that a normal person shouldn't be scared of corpses and should rush to help the survivors?

Charles shifted his gaze to Linda, who was staring at Nico with a dark expression.

"All right, let her stay for now. She has been through it once, so she should fare well next time," Charles said.

Feeling Grace trembling in her arms struck a chord in Linda and her heart softened for the girl. She contemplated for a brief moment and was about to plead with Charles to reconsider his decision. Just as her lips parted, she suddenly froze. Her expression turned to shock as she stared at the darkness behind Charles.

"Captain, watch out!" Dipp rushed over at lightning speed, grabbing Charles and quickly pulling him away from the ship's edge.

With a rapid shift in his vision, the heavily injured Charles immediately noticed two yellow lights beyond the ship's edge. Like eyes, they gradually glowed brighter and illuminated the surroundings.

Immediately afterward, everyone on the ship felt it: the descending Narwhale slowed down until it hovered in the darkness, motionless.

Soon, the massive lights broke through the darkness and approached the Narwhale. At first, Charles thought it was a giant wall emerging from the shadows.

However, when he saw the identification number on the object, he realized that it was a giant aerial vessel that rivaled the size of Ronker.

Under the watchful gazes of everyone on board, the immense steel wall in the darkness descended to reveal a smooth deck with a runway for aircrafts.

As the rows of spotlights lit up, Charles saw the neatly lined planes on the runway and also three rows of Foundation members in white spacesuits.

The figure leading the group wasn't wearing a helmet. His signature mischievous smile and bed of green hair told everyone his identity—the former Second Mate of the Narwhale, Feuerbach.

Charles' expression remained indifferent as he stared at Feuerbach. "So, you've been watching the show from the sidelines all this time?"

Feuerbach shook his head in denial. "Nah. I was thinking of helping you. But who would have thought that you'd end up resolving this issue by yourself? As expected of my esteemed captain."

Charles didn't display any shift in attitude toward Feuerbach's words. Instead, he changed the topic abruptly. "Since the matter has been resolved, why did those people behind you send you here?"

Feuerbach flashed another smile. "We've changed our minds. They believe that you can still be of use, especially amidst such dire times."

With that, Feuerbach tossed something toward Charles.

Charles extended a transparent tentacle and swiftly coiled around the object before bringing it before him. It was a palm-sized metal construct that resembled a disk with a button in the center.

"After much persuasion from Dr. T3, we've decided to enter preliminary cooperation with you. That includes technical support and intelligence sharing."

Click!

The invisible tentacle pressed down on the button, and a circular holographic projection appeared before Charles. A blinking red dot was in the middle of it. It was a three-dimensional map of the darkness that they were navigating.