Shrouded Seascape

The distinctive tremors of human footsteps could be constantly felt coming from a distance, each interval becoming shorter and more pronounced in every passing second.

Not only could Charles sense the number of people, but he could also hear the familiar hum of the Narwhale's working turbines. There was also another airship beside the Narwhale.

Soon afterward, he heard voices coming from afar. Charles recognized one of them as his own.

"Hurry up, we're reaching soon. Luke and the others are waiting for us ahead. Linda, prepare the medicine for treating external wounds. I saw that some of them were hurt."

Hearing his own voice, a ball of fury surged within Charles. The monster was using his body to deceive his crew and lead them right into a trap.

"Charles, I'd suggest you not rush out now. Right now, you're just a monster in their eyes. Charging in like that is tantamount to suicide," T warned from beside Charles.

"I know that of course. The problem is we have to warn them somehow as soon as possible. We cannot let them enter that black hole. Wait, I have an idea. Follow me; I need your help."

Making swift movement with his eight legs, Charles led T into the dandelion-like white fluff that blanketed the ground.

Meanwhile on the deck of the Narwhale, Dipp was cautiously observing the bizarre landscape beneath. He couldn't fathom where all this white stuff had come from.

The white blanket reminded him of what Charles had once described as snow. Although he had never seen what snow looked like, he had seen Charles' drawings.

Suddenly, he spotted a triangular peak in the distance. Before he could report his observations, Charles pointed at it and exclaimed, "That's the place! We're almost there. Full speed ahead."

Charles's words sent a tremor through everyone as they turned to look at the triangular hill and the black circular hole beside it.

"Wait…There's someone… there…" Bandages suddenly stepped forward and glanced toward the left with a cold gaze.

Just fifty meters away, a large mound of white dandelion fluff suddenly swelled before bursting apart.

Two green creatures, towering at three meters each, ran in opposite directions, unfurling a giant net woven from vines.

Stay away from your Charles! He's a fake! The monster on this island can swap bodies!

Those were the words Charles had woven with the vines.

This was the plan Charles had come up with to warn his crew. Once they saw the message, everything else would then fall into place.

Charles sprinted to the left at his fastest speed, trying to fully stretch the net to reveal the full message. But the next moment, a hissing sound filled the air and he started convulsing.

That was his own electric ability, but it was being controlled by someone else and had just been used against him.

Woosh!

Amidst the electrifying tremors, Charles felt a sudden warmth from his left. The vine net had caught fire from the high voltage.

"Those creatures are here again! Kill them all!" Dipp shouted and was the first to raise his weapon.

A series of gunshots rang out and the bullets tore through Charles' body, the impact sending him crashing into the sea of white dandelion fluff.

Enduring the pain coursing through his body, Charles weaved through the white fluff and quickly retreated out of their attack range.

Only when he could no longer hear the sound of gunfire, Charles finally had a moment to assess his injuries. Two of his eight arms were missing and his head was throbbing with a slight dizziness. He wasn't sure if any of his vital organs were hit.

After all, his internal anatomy was no longer like a human's anatomy, so it was hard to tell where exactly the bullets had struck him.

Fortunately, his new body seemed to have strong regenerative abilities and the injuries he suffered would likely heal soon.

"What have I told you before? I said your plan wouldn't work," T said as she approached Charles from behind him. She was also injured, but her wounds appeared less severe than Charles'.

Charles slightly shook his deformed green head. "It'll work. I can feel that someone already has their eyes on us. And one of them is my first mate, Bandages."

T inserted her long fingers into one of Charles' bleeding bullet wounds and dug the bullet out. "It will only raise his suspicion at most."

"That's more than enough. I trust Bandages. Once he harbors even the tiniest hint of doubt, he will definitely be able to expose that fake Charles. My crew are strong explorers."

"I hate to burst your bubble but I'm sorry to say that your crew might not be able to tell the difference. The moment 1189-1 possesses a new host, it will completely inherit everything from them including but not restricted to memories, abilities, and even personality.

"In other words, he might not be fake. Apart from having different motives, there's almost no difference between him and the real Charles."

Charles' heart sank upon hearing T' words. "What else do you know about this 1189-1?"

"My role is mainly involved in theory and research. I'm not very familiar with the experiments themselves. But the general conclusion is that 1189-1 is self-evolving and self-learning. You can even say that it can undergo metamorphosis.

"Given enough time and enough brainwork, it can evolve into different subspecies with varying abilities. It escaped during the EK apocalypse back then and has had so many years to evolve. I'm not sure of its current evolutionary status."

This was definitely not good news for Charles. His heart grew increasingly anxious at the thought of his crew's current situation. Forcing himself up, he dragged his injured self toward the black hole.

"Let's go back and see if Bandages has done anything."

"Fine. But we can only observe from a distance. Given the high risk as seen from your previous attempt, I won't be participating in any more of your plans," T replied.

As Charles' moved his battered figure, his wounds tore and throbbed in pain. However, he couldn't afford to stop. He decided to talk to T in an attempt to distract himself.

"So what kind of project is 1189? Why can it create these monsters?"

"1189 is a cisterna the size of a swimming pool. It can't move at all, but it has immense power. You can think of it as earth in a mental domain. The creatures you encounter, known as 1189-1, are its inhabitants,” T explained.

"This also explains why no matter how many subspecies 1189-1 produces, all of their abilities are related to the mental and cognitive field.

"As far as I know, I've heard of subspecies that can swap bodies, create multiple personalities, consume consciousness as sustenance, or even create a new self-aware entity based on their surroundings.”

"Hah. What a variety. Let me guess, all these subspecies were created through the Foundation's experiments on 1189, right?"

T didn't deny Charles' words. Instead, she changed the topic. "You seemed to know a lot about the Foundation. I'm curious about your identity."

"Ask your colleagues. The undercover agent you planted by my side followed me around for about five years. He knows everything about my origin."