Chapter 322. Get Ready
Whoosh!
A cannonball enveloped in black flames whizzed past Charles' head and crashed heavily to the canopy behind him, creating a large hole from which black smoke billowed out.
Cries of alarms and screams from the islanders echoed from beneath the hole. It was a cannonball fired from the sunken ships of the Deep Dwellers. Charles had no idea of the exact nature of the contents within the projectile, but he was certain that they were dangerous and deadly.
Of course, the Hope Island Navy wouldn't stand by idly. The coastal batteries and the steamships at sea swiftly swiveled their cannons and unleashed a barrage of fire at the sunken ships.
Bubbles churned ceaselessly in the icy sea waters, and more sunken ships continued to surface. The seawater in the vicinity of Hope Island turned into a chaotic battlefield as relentless sounds of gunfire and cannons filled the air.
Perched atop Charles' palm, Lily looked up and asked, "Mr. Charles, should we go help?"
Charles didn't look down; instead, his gaze remained on the motionless octopus-headed creature on the ship as he shook his head.
"No rush," Charles answered, "They don't seem to harbor the intention of escalating it to a full-scale showdown right from the start. Let's observe the situation first."
Making use of the canopy as stepping stones, Charles quickly moved toward the eastern side of the island. Soon, they had arrived at the easternmost part. He sliced through the thick canopy with his Dark Blade and jumped into the gaping hole.
A towering rectangular white building stood beneath the canopy, and people clad in blue naval uniforms were rushing about within its compounds.
Charles's arrival instantly made the guards draw their pistols and aimed the gun barrels at him. Upon recognizing that the newcomer was their Governor, they immediately stood at attention and saluted.
Charles ignored them and walked toward the command center with hurried steps.
Beep... Beep beep...
As Charles neared the command center, he could hear the never-ceasing sound of the telegraphs. In the spacious underground command center, which spanned over a hundred square meters, there were at least a dozen telegraphs working tirelessly to receive messages from other parts of the islands or from the ships.
A large sand table was placed in the center of the room. It was a simplified model of Hope Island. With every new incoming telegraph message, the number and aggressiveness of the enemies around the island would be swiftly marked out on the model.
Feuerbach and several men clad in military uniforms were standing around the sand table as they assessed the ongoing situations and gave appropriate instructions.
"Enemies have landed on the island at 4 o'clock! The first and second lines of defense have been breached!" one of them read off a telegraph message.
"Send a telegram to Chief James! Ask him to dispatch two police squads to hold the line. They just have to withstand the enemy for a few minutes for the nearby naval reinforcements to arrive!" a bearded man bellowed toward one of the telegram operators. He then used his right hand, which was missing a few fingers, to swiftly mirror his decision on the simulated maritime chart.
The four others next to the bearded man performed similar actions. As they received telegram updates, they would pass down commands to the relevant people involved. They coordinated the entire battle situation with a well-practiced rhythm, and they were perfectly in sync with each other.
"Captain, what brings you here?" Feuerbach greeted Charles with his usual relaxed and calm look. He seemed to be not the least affected by the battle tension.
"How's the overall situation? Is everything under control?" Charles asked as he watched the constantly shifting tactical map.
"Of course. Everything is going well. Just like I told you a few days ago, we're fully prepared. Those monsters can only dream about capturing our island."
"Stay on your toes. Remember, they're not humans. If Hope Island falls, all men will be offered as sacrifices to their evil god, and all women, regardless of their age, will be used as breeding tools."
"The thing is, I can't really be of much help in this situation," Feuerbach began.
"Look, these five veterans have participated in dozens of naval battles. When it comes to military strategy, they are definitely more useful than me trying to wing something that I don't have the expertise in," Feuerbach said with a smile as he introduced the background of the five battle commanders next to him.
"Are we keeping an eye on the Elders? They are still not making a move; I suspect that they might be plotting something," Charles asked.
The bearded commander straightened up and replied to Charles in a manner that was neither too servile nor too arrogant, "Our lookouts have reported the Elders' current locations. I've already formed a special task force consisting of the District 3 police team and the navy's best to focus solely on them. We won't give them any chance."
"Don't let your guard down. Each of them is formidable," Charles advised.
"Governor, please leave matters of expertise to the experts," the bearded man said without mincing his words. "Instead of adding to the chaos here, perhaps you might want to ask the quacks from the Divine Light Order why they haven't made any move. After all, you are the only one who can question them."
"They haven't made any move?" Charles' brows furrowed immediately. He then turned and headed toward the Divine Light Cathedral on Hope Island.
As he watched Charles' figure disappearing from sight, Feuerbach walked up to the bearded commander and landed a playful slap on the latter's beer belly.
"Be a bit more courteous to the Governor, won't ya? He's still our leader, after all."
"Will being courteous help us win the war? Do all these pleasantries matter in a life-and-death situation? A soldier's worth is in their genuine military achievements, not through some meaningless niceties," the bearded man retorted before turning his gaze back onto the sand table.
Feuerbach shrugged nonchalantly and said nothing more.
A few minutes later, a telegraph operator beside them reported, "The Divine Light Order's fleet has set sail and engaged the fishmen in battle."
The bearded commander slapped the table hard in excitement. "Great! Notify Commodore Jimmy to pull back with his fleet. We need to reserve some warships for tactical maneuvering."
Meanwhile, Charles stood atop a roof as he watched the airships ascend into the air and the warships moving out of the docks to enter the fray.
Cardinal Bishop Hunn stood next to him, and with a hint of ingratiation, he explained, "Governor Charles, we really intend to assist your navy, but we saw that they already have a battle formation in action, so we held back from adding to the chaos. We were afraid that we might unknowingly disrupt your battle plans."
Charles turned to look at the elderly man with white hair. He couldn't be bothered to even try to figure out if the man was speaking the truth.
"When will your Pope arrive?" Charles asked.
Though the battle seemed to be at a tie now, an unexplainable unease was stirring in Charles' heart. However, if the formidable Pope arrived, his presence would decisively tip the scales in their favor.
"He should be arriving soon. I'm really sorry about that. As you know, the Divine Light Grand Cathedral is really far from Hope Island, and there are no currents to speed up our journey."
Charles let out a soft sigh. We can truly only rely on ourselves at crucial moments.
He quickly identified his current location before he gently set Lily down on the ground. He then rushed toward the nearest location of a Deep Dweller Elder.
His own strength was considerably impressive as well. Instead of waiting for the enemy to make the first move, he decided that he should join the battle to inject some unpredictability.
Lily started to scurry after Charles in an attempt to catch up, but Charles swiftly outpaced her.
"Return to the inner island!" Charles instructed without looking back. "Get all your mice to leave the sewers and help guard the coastlines!"
He didn't even stop for a brief respite upon reaching the shores. He immediately jumped onto the sea and dashed toward a green-hued sunken ship in the distant waters.
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