Chapter 292. Cargo Vessel
"Wh-what is this?" Charles wondered aloud.
"Mr. Charles, could it be an underwater hill?" Lily asked, her eyes wide in curiosity.
"Doesn't seem like it. It looks more like a coral cluster to me. Also, since there are fish swimming around it, it's probably safe. First Mate, take us a bit closer," Charles instructed before moving quickly to the periscope at the rear.
He closed one eye and squinted the other as he peered through the scope. Although he was limited to monocular vision, the periscope offered a much broader view.
As the Narwhale inched closer to the unknown entity, the silhouette of the object ahead began to take clarity under the searchlights.
It was a ship; to be exact, it was a sunken ship encroached with various corals and barnacles.
Apart from myself, only the kings of Sottom know about Hope Island. Could this be a pirate ship? Charles wondered to himself as his mind thought of possible scenarios.
Just then, a streak of red flashed past the periscope and darted toward the sunken ship—it was Feuerbach's shark.
When the distance between the Narwhale and the wreck was no more than forty meters, the group of red sharks emerged from within and circled the ship. One of them held a color-changing octopus in their monstrous jaws.
"Captain, my little tricks are saying that apart from this octopus, the ship ahead is just an ordinary sunken ship," Second Mate Feuerbach reported.
Charles stroked his chin and contemplated for a brief moment before he said, "It's safe then? Let's use this wreck to test the diving suits."
Since it was a trial run, they ought to use this opportunity to test all of the Narwhale's new equipment.
If they ran into any mishaps here, at least they were still near Hope Island. But if they were out in the open sea, they would probably face dire consequences.
Within the decompression chamber of the Narwhale, Charles donned the diving suit with the assistance of his crew members.
To withstand the immense water pressure, the specially designed heavy-duty suit was far more advanced than the simple rubber suits of the Divine Light Order. The suit itself weighed about 220 pounds.
The bulky round helmet was completely made from metal and featured a thick glass for vision and a protective collision net right outside the glass. Apart from the helmet, the suit resembled a spacesuit in all other aspects.
If someone without sufficient strength were to wear such a heavy diving suit, their movements would have been heavily impeded. Fortunately, Charles could move with surprising ease.
He knocked on the thick glass before his eyes and estimated it to be at least ten centimeters thick—definitely sturdy enough to withstand the intense water pressure.
After signaling a thumbs-up to the crew member beside him, everyone except for Feuerbach exited the decompression chamber.
Seawater began to seep in and flood the chamber. Charles noticed Feuerbach's mouth moving, but being sealed within his suit, he couldn't hear a single word.
Soon, he heard a hissing sound within his helmet. Charles realized it was the sound of oxygen flowing through the tubes into his suit.
Ding!
The bell inside Charles's suit rang. The cord that extended out from the oxygen tube was the only means of communication in this sealed, heavy-duty suit.
The water pressure within the decompression chamber gradually increased. When the pressure within the chamber was the same as that outside, Charles squatted down and turned the red handle of the circular hatch on the floor to push it outward.
Bubbles swirled around as the dark, profound depths of the sea appeared before Charles.
Charles could hear his own breathing as he leaped into the hole.
The Narwhale wasn't that far from the seabed. Sand and silt were stirred up as he steadily landed on the seafloor.
He signaled to Feuerbach in semaphore before walking toward the sunken wreck.
Though the heavy suit was cumbersome to maneuver on land, it felt somewhat more manageable underwater due to buoyancy. Charles felt like he was walking in space, and it was a bizarre yet exhilarating sensation.
With Feuerbach's sharks circling around the sunken ship, they scared away schools of sardines and clownfish darting among the corals.
Charles soon arrived at the massive wreckage site. He looked up and took in the vessel's massive size; it was almost twice the size of the Narwhale. Presently, it was slanted like a broadsword thrust into the sea bed.
What's the story behind this ship? The thought entered Charles' mind as he approached the crevices of the wreck.
However, just as he was about to explore further within, a partially coral-covered word by the side caught his attention. He reached out a hand and forcefully tore away the coral. The name of the ship was revealed before his eyes: D134.
Why is this name so familiar? Charles' brows furrowed as he stared at the characters on the ship's hull.
Suddenly, it dawned on him, and his eyes lit up upon realization. He remembered—it was the name of the ghost ship he had encountered upon his arrival at Hope Island three years ago. The ghost captain of that ship had mentioned that he was the captain of the cargo vessel D134.
Charles swiftly recalled the memories from three years ago. He remembered that he had encountered the spectral ship when he was trying to transmit information to the Divine Light Order.
That man said they were going to deliver a batch of cargo to Hope Island, but they sank here instead. How unfortunate; they were so close to their destination, Charles thought to himself.
A hint of curiosity rose within Charles; he wanted to know what cargo the ship might have been carrying and whether there was anything still salvageable after all these years.
Of course, Charles knew the likelihood was slim. His primary purpose of this dive was to test out the diving suit, anyway. Anything else would be a bonus.
He kicked his feet against the ocean floor and propelled his body toward the dark crevices of the wreck.
An endless darkness shrouded his vision. Aquatic plants covered the entire ship's structure. Any traces of human activity had long been eroded away by the relentless sea.
This ship won't suddenly collapse, will it? Charles wondered as a twinge of apprehension hit him. However, at the thought of his heavy diving suit that was as good as armor, he felt reassured and continued forward over the uneven terrain of coral.
Despite the severe corrosion and the encroaching of corals and barnacles, as a seasoned explorer, Charles could discern the layout of every area within the ship.
Slowly but steadily, he reached the cargo hold. Unsurprisingly, the door of the cargo hold was covered with colorful coral.
Bang!
Charles threw a hard punch at the coral and stirred up the debris in the water.
Bang!
Charles struck again, and corals began to crack, their shattered pieces turning the water murkier.
On his third strike, the corals finally fell away to reveal a decayed, rust-red cargo door.
My strength is at least four times higher than before, Charles calculated as he wedged his hands into the door seam and his muscles tensed up in preparation.
With a grating sound like nails scratching on a chalkboard, he slowly forced the door open. As the gap widened, something white floated out. Charles instinctively struck it with his fist, and the unknown matter shattered upon impact. However, more of them surged forth through the gap.
They were skeletons—human skeletons.
Charles stood rooted to his spot in shock at the sight before him. The spectral captain's words from three years ago echoed in his ears.
"Cargo Vessel D134, full speed ahead! We must reach our destination and deliver this batch of cargo by the sixteenth!"
It turned out that the batch of cargo he was talking about were living people!
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