Chapter 104. Escape
"Are you sure those test subjects can cause enough of a commotion? I think the number of Meeh'eks is definitely beyond what we saw at the square. I fear that they actually occupy the whole island," Richard said worriedly.
"Did you see what happened at the square? A majority of Meeh'eks were playing the role of a mere commoner. They don't seem to be armed, too. It should be enough if we set all test subjects free," Charles replied.
Click.
Charles' back muscles tensed up at the noise that had come from the door.
He swiftly retreated and scrambled back onto the bed. The white-robed Meeh'ek entered the room slowly and approached him as it muttered something under its breath.
A cold, steely light flashed in Charles' eyes.
He knew the monster before him was merely mimicking the behaviors of the humans from a past era—a deep, burning desire stirred in him. He yearned to reduce it into ashes for the murder of Salin and the torment it had inflicted on him, then scatter its remains to the winds as if it were mere dust.
"Let's find a chance to kill this bastard," Richard said through gritted teeth in Charles' mind.
"The chance will present itself. Let's get out of here first."
"@*#&;~" The white-robed Meeh'ek picked up the pink princess dress on the table and shook it teasingly in front of Charles. The corners of Charles' eyes twitched in response. He clenched his prosthetic hand tightly. It took immense restraint for him not to hurl a punch at the Meeh'ek's face.
With a swish, the white-robe Meeh'ek produced a palm-sized photograph from its pocket. It depicted a silver-haired little girl lying in the embrace of her mother with a happy smile and posing with a playful peace sign.
Indeed, Charles was right. 134 was the little girl he had seen on “King's” ship in Sottom. The photograph bore no traces of her hideous expressions. Rather, she looked adorable with an innocent sweet smile on her face.
The Meeh'ek's tone softened a notch as it gently placed the photograph into Charles' hand.
Brushing his fingers over the glossy surface of the photograph, Richard muttered under his breath, "This looks like a move to placate her, but it's actually still a threat, no? Aren't they subtly reminding 134 that her parents are in their hands?"
Charles was silent as he stared at the white-robed Meeh'ek before him with a solemn expression.
Charles had always regarded the Foundation with a neutral stance.
However, Charles struggled to maintain even a tinge of goodwill toward the organization due to the actions of the creatures before him, even though the organization was no more.
"@#*&$;" The white-robed Meeh'ek continued for several more minutes. In the end, it patted Charles on the head with its withered hand before it turned on its heel and left the room.
Taking this opportunity, Charles spotted several fully armed black-robed Meeh'eks lined up outside through the open door. Clearly, it would be hopelessly futile if he just charged out. He had to devise a different strategy.
Click.
The door was shut. Charles rose to his feet immediately. Regardless of what fate awaited 134, he had to leave. Charles looked around to seek an escape route.
Yet, this little girl's bedroom, despite its cozy design, lacked even a single window. Apart from the door, there were no other openings.
"Don't be too obvious. They're most likely monitoring us," Richard warned.
Charles picked up a white comb on the table and threw it at the ceiling. In an instant, darkness engulfed the room.
Just then, Charles noticed the beautiful overhead chandelier. A sudden idea struck his mind. He lifted his prosthetic limb and activated the grappling hook gun. The sharp tip easily pierced through the ceiling.
"It's an empty space above. We'll go through there!" Charles exclaimed.
Nimbly pushing his hands against the wall, he flung himself through the frail ceiling and clambered upward. Dust coated the empty expanse within the ceiling, but that was the least of his concerns at this point.
Like a gecko, he crawled forward in a mad escape.
Very soon, Charles found the ventilation duct and promptly crawled into it. But before he could get far, a warning siren blared through the air.
"Bro! They realize that we're gone. There's surely a night cam in that room!"
"Don't get distracted. Match our location with the map and report periodically while I control our body to move. We can't afford to get caught again! This is our only chance!" Charles instructed. His hands and feet never ceased moving as he rapidly crawled ahead in the ventilation duct.
The seamless coordination with Richard allowed Charles to multitask skillfully, and he found himself approaching the first holding point.
A fluttering sound pronounced by the flapping of wings suddenly echoed from behind Charles. He whipped his head around to see a multicolored dragonfly clinging to him, its tail pulsating with a sinister red glow.
There seemed to be more of them as more red dots flickered and gathered in the dark tunnel. Charles had no idea what these insects were, but they definitely didn't spell good news.
"How much longer?" Charles shouted.
"Go straight a hundred meters, then turn left at the first corner! If there's no path, make one," Richard's voice instructed.
The rustle of fluttering wings intensified. As their numbers increased, they started to cling onto Charles' body as if they were transferring the luminescent markings from themselves onto him to track his position.
"We're here! Below us!" Richard cried out.
At Richard's cue, Charles lifted his prosthetic limb—which had transformed into a chainsaw—and forcefully thrust it below him. The ceiling was smashed apart, and Charles fell through the gaping hole along with the insects.
During his descent, Charles spotted two black-robed Meeh'eks that were about to lift their heads due to the noise.
Splat!
The harpoon shot out and pierced one of the black-robed Meeh'ek's heads.
Swiftly triggering the chain, Charles rapidly plummeted toward the creature.
The other black-robed Meeh'ek scrambled to react with its relic, but Charles was much faster. He raised his prosthetic arm and brought it downward. A panicked scream echoed as a severed arm holding a relic fell to the ground.
Charles slashed out with his chainsaw and finished the job. He then turned to look at the caged test subjects beyond the iron bars as thick as a bowl's diameter.
Over a dozen humans, bound with handcuffs and shackles, sat captive. Stark naked, they stared at the unfolding chaos beyond the bars, struggling to process the sudden turn of events.
In the crowd, Charles spotted his first mate and chef. Without sparing a single second to greet them, he activated his chainsaw. The screeching sound of metal grinding filled the air as sparks danced incessantly.
Clank!
The iron bars were sawed apart, and the people trapped in the cage surged out.
"Captain! I knew you would come to save us!" Chef Frey exclaimed as he rushed before Charles with an expression of maniac joy.
Taking in their condition, Charles didn't want to indulge in idle chatter. He bolted toward the exit. This mere handful is not enough. I need more.
The Meeh'eks hadn't anticipated that Charles would actually escape in such a manner. Compared to the place where he was held, the security here was relatively more lax.
With the group in tow, Charles got rid of the scattered Meeh'eks they encountered on the way and arrived at the second holding point.
Here, he found his remaining crewmates and the two survivors of the Divine Light Order. Unfortunately, the people here numbered even fewer than before; there were only nine of them.
Charles' face turned a shade darker as he wordlessly continued toward the next holding point.
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