Shrouded Seascape

Held down by two sailors, Feuerbach was forced to keen on the ground like an injured dog. Traces of blood could be seen from his saliva that was dripping slowly from the corner of his mouth. Hints of madness were evident on his face as he muttered incomprehensible gibberish.

Has this Feuerbach been controlled by something on the island? Charles wondered as he turned his gaze toward the floating island.

Be it the tone of the words, this Feuerbach was evidently different from the clones they had met before.

Seeing that "Feuerbach" was still staring at him, Charles pondered for a few seconds before approaching him in an attempt to communicate.

Regardless of the true identity of this "Feuerbach," he could use human language at the minimum. If he could use it, it could certainly speak it, and perhaps Charles would be able to pry some useful information from him.

"Who are you?" Charles asked. "Is this island your base?"

"Hehehehehe…." "Feuerbach" lowered his head and let out a low chuckle but offered no answer to Charles' questions.

"Where did you find him? Were there any other strange occurrences nearby?" Charles turned toward the three men who had brought "Feuerbach" aboard.

Before anyone could answer, "Feuerbach" suddenly jerked forward and pushed himself out of the bulky space suit.

Charles' scalp tingled with warning as he spotted a cold glint near "Feuerbach". Instantly, he lashed out with his tentacles.

Thud!

The naked "Feuerbach" crashed heavily against the airship's smokestack before landing helplessly on the ground. A large dent marked the metal surface where he had struck.

A camouflage-colored military knife clattered weakly onto the deck from "Feuerbach's" hand. It was the source of the cold glint from earlier.

Now, "Feuerbach" lay limp like a heap of sludge on the ground. It was clear that his neck had broken from the impact, leaving him completely paralyzed.

"Hahahaha… Well done! I love this better! It's better this way—better when it can't move!" "Feuerbach" cackled maniacally.

Witnessing the scene, Captain Luke gestured to his sailors. The sailors watching the show immediately step forward and tie "Feuerbach" up with thick ropes.

He reached into his thick, black beard and scratched his chin. He then cast a puzzled look at his crew member holding the crystal ball. "Seadog, what's going on? Why is your hypnosis not working?"

"Boss, my hypnosis is working fine. But this green-haired dude had gone completely insane," Seadog replied as he tucked the crystal ball back into his skull and secured it with his red bandana.

Just then, all of a sudden, "Feuerbach's" eyes bulged, and veins popped up on his forehead. His face turned an alarming shade of red as his features contorted in what seemed like extreme pain.

Ptui!

A bloody tongue landed at Charles' feet. "Feuerbach" opened his bloodied mouth and flashed Charles a malicious smile.

His seaweed-like green hair cascaded down the sides of his face, further amplifying his deranged appearance and making him seem like he had been possessed by a malevolent spirit.

However, these small tricks were ineffective against Charles, who had been through countless expeditions. He was now more curious about what had turned this man into such a state.

If possible, he would very much prefer that this "Feuerbach" had been possessed by a ghost and not something else.

The next second, the malicious intent in "Feuerbach's" eyes vanished to be replaced by fear and panic.

"Ah… ahhh!! Ahhh!!" "Feuerbach" opened his blood-dripping mouth wide and shouted desperately at Charles. This time, his cry was laced with hints of pleading and urgency.

"Hmm?" Charles' brows knitted together as he walked up toward "Feuerbach". "Have you regained your sanity? What attacked you?"

"Ah… ahhh!! Ahhh!!" "Feuerbach" struggled violently against his restraints, seemingly trying to convey a message. However, his entire body was paralyzed, and his tongue had been severed; he had no means to communicate.

"Captain Charles, this guy has gone insane and has no value left. According to our plan, we would be docking soon to start our exploration. Do you have any instructions for us?" Luke asked.

Charle scrutinized the "Feuerbach" that was shouting hysterically in front of him. He contemplated for a brief moment before he rose to his feet. "Hold on, I'll get my wife over first. There's something about him that is different from his madness before. I need to know what's going on in his mind. Maybe, there might be other important clues we can learn from."

Charles then pushed off against the depth and flew toward the Narhwhale.

As soon as Charles departed, a hint of annoyance flashed across Captain Luke's face. "Oh my goddess. This is such a nuisance." He then pointed at a random crew member on deck and said, "Hey, you! Do you have that relic on you? The one that can explore someone's past? Use it on this green-haired guy."

"Boss, it's gone. That relic can only be used four times. We have used up the fourth time during the last exploration. It's completely withered now."

"Governor Charles is making a mountain out of a molehill. What clues could this guy possibly have?" Luke sighed and commented as he walked toward "Feuerbach", who was sprawled on the ground like a maggot.

However, "Feuerbach" took on an entirely different demeanor when facing Luke. He thrashed violently, his eyes ablaze with fury, and a low, feral growl emanated from deep within his throat.

"Fuck! What a lunatic! I'm not wasting any more time on this guy. Anyone got a smoke? My throat's dry."

Charles came back quickly. But when he arrived on Luke's ship with his diary, he saw that "Feuerbach" was already motionless on the deck. The blood that oozed from his mouth had stained a large portion of the deck crimson.

"He's dead? How did he die?" Charles was stunned.

"I had the ship's doctor look at him. He died from excessive blood loss, and we couldn't save him," Luke answered as he puffed on multiple cigarettes at once. He seemed to be trying to distance himself from any blame.

Charles inspected "Feuerbach's" corpse briefly before turning to the crew and instructing, "Alright then. In that case, carry on with your plan."

"Governor Charles, are you not coming with us this time?" Luke asked.

Charles dug out the spider from his eye socket and casually tossed it onto the deck. "Just let it follow you. I'll stay out here to keep watch. If you encounter any of those people in white spacesuits, remember to remove their poison molar first and bring them back to me."

The island was extremely dangerous. Without figuring out what was causing the crash of the previous exploration vessels, Charles had no intention of letting his crew take unnecessary risks.

Soon, Captain Luke's the Undaunted and another exploration vessel began to slowly approach the massive island in the distance.

The previous two exploration attempts had allowed them to realize that, at least so far, the dangers on the island hadn't shown themselves yet.