Shrouded Seascape

Using a clean, white handkerchief, Nico covered his nose as he stared disdainfully at the blast site before him. When the sulfuric smoke cleared up, the previously narrow two-meter-wide black hole had been replaced by an opening as large as a house.

The soft ladder from the Narwhale was gradually lowered into the tunnel, and the crew members lined up, taking turns to descend.

Aside from the various essential supplies, the turbine team was also carrying a strange airbag made from bloodied flesh. The item was designed to prevent objects in the vicinity from relicfication.

Just as Nico was about to follow the group, Bandages intercepted him.

"Is there something you need, First Mate?" Nico asked.

"Do you… really think… the Captain… is fine?"

"Why wouldn't he be? He's been with us the entire time and has never left," Nico replied as he raised both hands and absentmindedly inspected his manicured nails against the distant flashlight's glow.

"No… I can feel… the doubt… in your heart… you're… also suspicious… of him…"

Bandages wanted to say more but he suddenly stopped and turned to climb down the ladder.

A couple of seconds later, Dipp emerged from behind Nico. His gaze carried hints of suspicion as he questioned, "What was Bandages telling you just now?"

"Nothing much. He confessed his love to me, but I rejected him. I prefer men with bigger pecs. Of course, the prerequisite is that they must be handsome."

"Though I have no idea what he said, I'm certain that's not all that he said. Remember, Charles is our captain. We only need to carry out his orders as he instructed," Dipp reminded.

"Young man, I'm nearly twice your age. Also, you are the boatswain, whereas I'm the second mate. Regardless of age or rank, I don't need you to tell me what I should or shouldn't do," Nico retorted nonchalantly.

"Don't you mess up Captain's plans, especially in this bizarre environment," Dipp responded, giving Nico an icy glare before he turned to leave.

Staring at Dipp's retreating back view, Nico called out, "I know you're loyal. But how are you so sure that he's your captain?"

"I was the police chief for three years and am very sensitive to details. From his tone to his memories, he's definitely Charles! If he were an imposter, I'd be the first to know," Dipp shot back.

Meanwhile, Charles's heart sank as he heard the distant tremors get increasingly faint. Ignoring T's words, he hurriedly brought the mice and T with him toward the black hole.

By the time they had carefully reached the base of the triangular hill, there were no more tremors or sounds in the vicinity. The only thing left was a massive, funnel-shaped opening.

Charles knew what was lying in wait beneath, but he had no choice but to go down. Time was running out, and 1189-1 was waiting for them with a trap within.

Disregarding the pain coursing through him, Charles dashed in and sprinted as fast as he could.

Fortunately, the crew wasn't moving too quickly. Soon, Charles felt the distant vibrations again. However, those vibrations were starting to pick up in pace; the crew was now advancing at a run. At their pace, they would soon encounter the other 1189-1 entities.

I have no time! I need to do something! By this point, Charles couldn't think any deeper. Using his sharp claws, he carved two Chinese characters, "真的" (real), into where his eyes were supposed to be.

Beside him, T remained silent as she sensed everything he was doing. "If you charge in now, you will really die. You can stay with me until our ship arrives. We can easily deal with all the 1189-1 entities."

"The problem is this isn't just about me; it concerns my crew members too. What if their bodies get swapped too? The entire surface exploration plan will be in jeopardy! You have no idea what this entire expedition means for the people in the Subterranean Sea!"

"Don't worry. The Foundation can solve this problem."

"Screw you and the Foundation! If you guys could retrieve the darkness, it would have been done already!"

Without another word, he scrambled up to the ceiling and pressed his long green abdomen against it before scurrying forward like a rocket.

The sudden commotion overhead had several crew members swiftly sweeping their flashlight beams toward the source of the sound.

The next moment, everyone saw a strange green blur skittering swiftly along the ceiling as it tried to dodge the lights.

The creature then abruptly stopped under the glare of all the flashlights. Its sharp limbs began scratching something into the ceiling.

"This damn thing again! Why is it always haunting us like a vengeful spirit!" Swapped Charles cursed through gritted teeth as he raised his steel prosthetic limb toward the creature.

Just as transparent tentacles rapidly sprouted out of the creature, a bandaged hand grabbed Charles' prosthetic limb. "Wait… Something feels… off…"

Swapped Charles' face turned dark as he turned toward his first mate with a scowl on his countenance. "What are you saying? In the face of a monster that can manipulate minds, you are choosing to trust it over me?"

"No… I don't trust it… I just think… its words are right…"

Bandages lifted his gaze and stared at the carved words on the rock ceiling.

You can choose not to trust me but let Anna come over. She can determine who the real Charles is.

The corners of Charles' lips curved upward into a slight smirk as he slowly reached into his coat. "Sure, let's have Anna come over. I'm really not—Dipp! Now! He has been completely beguiled by the monsters!"

In a flash, Dipp turned into his misty blue form before materializing behind Bandages. With the black spike in hand, he aimed it at Bandages' heart.

The thirty-centimeter black spike plunged deep into Bandages' back. However, Dipp's expression froze. He gripped the black spike tightly and slashed through, shattering Bandages' upper body.

However, there was nothing within it; it was just a wooden shell.

The next second, the ground split open, and a massive tree root sprouted, writhing as it emerged. The thinner sturdy roots twisted and writhed like a nest of serpents as they snaked toward Swapped Charles.

"Traitor!" White arcs of electricity instantly surrounded Swapped Charles as he effortlessly leaped onto one of the roots.

The powerful lightning effortlessly fried the roots, causing them to curl up, turn black, and emit smoke.

A cold smirk spread across Swapped Charles' countenance. He knew that everything would have been fine if Bandages hadn't made a move.

However, Bandages had made his move, so the others would surely not trust him anymore.

Just then, Swapped Charles felt something moving beneath him. He quickly shifted his gaze toward the source of the noise.

It was a thin, green hand, and it had already reached into his coat pocket and grabbed the journal!

"Think you can get it just like that? No damn way!" With a single thought, white arcs of electricity enveloped Swapped Charles' entire body.

A sharp cry of pain pierced through the air as Lily's voice cried out from Charles' pocket.

"It hurts! Mr. Charles! It hurts a lot!"

"Lily, endure for a moment. I'll get rid of them soon enough!" Swapped Charles' gaze glimmered with traces of excited malevolence as he watched the green centipede in front of him twitch and convulse. He was going to fry this thing to a crisp!

Suddenly, three black spikes shot out from the side, forcing Swapped Charles to take two steps back. The spikes had been thrown at him by Dipp.