Shrouded Seascape

As the crew ran away, the heavily injured Dipp suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground. Before he could stand up, the tawny substance covered his feet.

"Dipp!!" Charles roared. His tentacles wrapped around Dipp, lifting him off of the floor. However, the tawny substance had already climbed up to Dipp's calves.

"I'm here!" Bandages raised the black needle in his hand and swung it toward Dipp's calves. Dipp's calves and everything beneath them fell to the ground in a grotesque chunk.

Bandages moved quickly, and his vines wrapped tightly around Dipp's bleeding wounds. Meanwhile, the tawny substance picked up the pace and was only a few meters away from Charles and his crew.

"No, we have to go a bit faster," Anna remarked. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and everyone suddenly felt a burst of adrenaline inside of them. Their faces and hands bulged with bluish veins, and their speed rose dramatically.

They charged out through the workshop's iron door that the task force members had blasted open. Everyone then followed the familiar path outside, and nothing could obstruct them aside from the debris on the floor.

A hundred meters, fifty meters, ten meters... they were getting close to the crack, but they were immediately plunged into despair when they saw the stupefying sight before them.

The entire square, metallic structure, which was the entire factory, was shrouded by the same tawny substance that had been chasing after them.

In an instant, Charles and his crew found themselves in dire straits. The tawny substance closed in on them from all directions and had even covered the floor.

"Come close to me!" Charles roared. Black fur sprouted all over him as he transformed into a massive bat monster. Just as the tawny substance was about to engulf their feet, Charles flapped his wings and took to the skies.

"Flyyy!!" Charles bellowed as more than ten invisible tentacles burst out of him and wrapped around his crew members. Charles then relied on his raw strength to lift off of the floor that the tawny substance had engulfed in the blink of an eye.

Audric transformed into a bat in mid-air and carried with him the heaviest crew member, Cook Planck, to ease some of the weight dragging down Charles.

It was but a brief respite; the entire building had taken on a tawny hue, and there wasn't a safe spot at all. The factory had become a death trap. Once Charles could no longer hold on, they would certainly meet a horrible fate.

"Sparkle! Come here, quick! Save your daddy!" Anna exclaimed, clapping her hands anxiously. However, she received no response.

Charles flapped his wings desperately, but he noticed himself running out of steam.

"Captain... throw us... down..." Bandages' voice pierced Charles' ears.

The remaining crew members stared at Charles at the same time. Their fearful and anxious faces gradually became peaceful, and their hands holding onto Charles' tentacles slowly loosened.

"Fucking hold on tight! Don't even think about staying here! All of you, think of a solution! We still have a chance, so do not give up!" Charles roared, but he was too exhausted that his voice sounded more like a mosquito's droning. He was afraid that he'd lose all strength upon shouting.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion echoed just then, and a hole was blasted in the steel wall next to them. Purple light poured in from outside, and everyone saw Lily jumping up and down on the Narwhale's bow amidst the purple light.

Lily's golden fur shone radiantly in everyone's eyes.

"Mr. Charles! Over here! Fly here!" The tiny mouse excitedly waved her tiny paws.

The tawny substance had devoured everything and had transformed them into the same material as it is, but its encroachment seemed to have weakened the massive, square metallic structure.

"We're saved!" Charles flapped his wings with all his might as he flew unsteadily toward the Narwhale through the hole in the wall.

The huddled crew members were like garbage bags as they fell off Charles and landed on the Narwhale's deck.

The realization that they had survived death filled everyone with a child-like joy that urged them to hug each other and cheer loudly. The tight hugs tugged at their wounds, causing them pain, but it was the sweetest pain ever.

Having exhausted his strength, Charles was sprawled out on the ground. The corners of his mouth curved up into a smile at the cheers around him. He was genuinely happy that they had survived the ordeal just now.

Anna rushed up to Charles and sat on his chest. Then, she hugged his bandaged head tightly and kissed him passionately.

After a few seconds of passionate kissing, Anna's rosy lips parted slightly, and she bit down on Charles' lower lip.

"Ah! That hurts," Charles exclaimed.

"So it hurts? Do you not have any idea just how dangerous that ordeal was just now? There are so many exploration parties up here, but you just had to explore that place personally! Why do you have to take such risks?!" Anna went hysterical and pounded Charles' chest with both fists as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Anna was truly afraid earlier; it was the first time she felt scared for Charles' life.

Charles grabbed her hands and pulled her into an embrace. "Anna, we only have three years. We're all going to die unless we find and retrieve the darkness within the next three years.

"Everyone must work hard for the sake of the Subterranean Sea, and I am not an exception to that."

Charles stroked her shoulders and gazed at the hazy purple mist up above.

"Let's be quiet for now. I'm so tired.... Let me rest for a bit."

The Narwhale's tracks started moving, carrying everyone away from the abandoned metallic structure.

The next day, everything returned to normal on the Narwhale. A few crew members had perished, and there were some who ended up becoming crippled, but no one kicked up a fuss, as it was a common sight among explorers.

Charles was leaning on the windowsill of his bedroom while looking out at the desolate scenery outside with Anna in his arms.

"Where are you taking me? The rules and regulations state that I am prohibited from leaving Site 4." A gentle female voice echoed from behind. The voice had come from Alice, who had lost all of her limbs. Anna had carried her along during their escape.

Charles glanced at Alice before turning to look at Anna, saying, "She still has quite a few relics inside her. However, there's no use keeping her alive, so we might as well dismantle her for her relics."

"She's alive; are you really going to dismantle her? Why not do some research on her? Perhaps we might be able to create something as powerful as her by using her as research material," Anna suggested; she was clearly very interested in Alice.

"Sure, do as you please. By the way, how is Sparkle? I think you should go and check up on her," Charles said. He was reminded of the fact that his daughter hadn't responded to Anna's call for help during their escape from Site 4.

Anna's eyes revealed a tinge of fury at Charles' remark. "That little girl went a bit too far. She actually ignored us even though we were in such a dangerous situation."

"It's fine. We're safe now, aren't we? Please don't be too harsh on her. It's not strange that she did not respond to us; she's afraid of the surface, after all."

"I know she's afraid of the surface, but we were on the brink of death at the time! She could have just come over for a bit and teleported us away once—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but..." Charles interrupted, "Have you already forgotten that she's just two years old? What were you expecting her to do?"

At that, Anna snorted coldly and pushed away Charles' hand that was resting on her waist. She then stood up and walked up to Alice.

"You should prioritize the Haikors upon your return to the Colossal Hole Fortress; they've just arrived at the fortress, and they've brought many people with them."

"I know. The President of the Explorers Association has told me about their plans, and apparently, they've come here to help, as the rising sea level is affecting their islands as well," Charles said. The Haikors' towering figures flashed in his mind.

"Well, the problem is they didn't just bring their people with them, but they brought their gods with them as well."

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