Chapter 353. Lost Senses
Charles suddenly felt a chill coursing through his body and up into the back of his head. A terrifying realization dawned upon him. Previously, 3521-1 wouldn't attack anything that remained stationary simply because it couldn't perceive the presence of those people or things.
The cacophonous and discordant chords rapidly traveled into his ears; 3521-1 was closing in on him at lightning speed.
Charles tried closing his eyes, but much to his despair, it was like closing his eyes while facing the midday sun. The intense brilliance of 3521-1 penetrated through his eyelids and rendered his efforts futile.
"Stay back! Don't move! Don't come near! They're after me!" Charles shouted and dashed out of the room with the chaotic harmony close in pursuit behind him.
Disregarding everything else, he sped through the immaculate building by pushing against the walls with his invisible tentacles.
He wanted to shake off these lethal colors, but it seemed impossible. Not only was 3521-1 incredibly swift, but they could even pass through solid walls.
Swish!
One of Charles' invisible tentacles had been severed. The second one soon followed, and then a third one fell. Charles knew that once all his tentacles were gone, they would target his physical body.
While Charles frantically tried to escape, he felt a sudden breeze skimming past his right leg, and the next second, he couldn't feel his right limb anymore.
In a desperate attempt, he kicked off with his left leg to propel himself further forward.
When Charles was in mid-air, it felt as though his surroundings went into slow motion. He watched helplessly as his right leg detached from his physical body, with crimson blood spurting out from the severed vessels.
However, he had no time to focus on his lost limb. He only had less than two seconds to devise a plan. Otherwise, his physical self would be dismembered into pieces like his deceased Chief Engineer.
Driven by survival instincts, Charles' mind raced at a speed it never did. He rapidly connected the various clues that he knew about the entity 3521-1
I see them, and they see me only when I do. If that experimental record was accurate, then their existence depends on my perception of them. If I can't perceive them, then they cease to exist!
Under normal circumstances, eliminating visual perception was simple; one just needed to close their eyes. However, when this proved ineffective, there was only one drastic option left.
As soon as Charles landed on the ground, he harshly jabbed his two fingers into his eye sockets and gouged his eyeballs out. The agonizing pain sent a shudder through his body, but he bit down hard on his lower lip to stop himself from letting out a scream.
The next moment, 3521-1 collided with him and slash wounds began to appear on his body. His limbs were about to get severed.
No! They're still here! Was my guess wrong? Wait! I wasn't wrong! My other senses can still detect their presence!
Charles realized in his panic. As the eight slashes on his body worsened, he grabbed his Dark Blade and plunged it into his ears, destroying his eardrums.
He almost fainted from the excruciating pain, but it had been worth it. His extreme decision had halted the attack.
Lying in a pool of blood, Charles panted heavily before he suddenly let out a crazed, triumphant laughter.
His bet had been spot on. 3521-2's existence depended on the perception of others. Without his sense of sight and hearing, he could no longer perceive music or colors and was immune to 3521-1's attacks.
His laughter ceased after a brief moment. Removing the cloth strip that recorded the names of his crew from his shoulder, he fashioned a tourniquet for his severed leg. There was no time for relief; he had to find a way out.
Charles attempted to stand on his remaining leg but couldn't. His earlier desperate act of piercing his eardrums to evade 3521-1's attacks had inadvertently gone too deep and damaged his cochlea. The injury made him lose his sense of balance.
Deaf and blind, Charles dragged his battered body across the floor. His hands felt the tiles surrounding him as he searched for something.
Soon, he felt the familiar texture of a boot. It was his boot, worn over his severed leg.
Clutching it, he crawled toward a corner before he slowly retraced the path he came from. As he crawled, he shouted, "I'm here! I can't hear now! If those things are still around, stay away! I can still hold on!"
Blood was still flowing from his injuries, and as he moved, Charles left a trail of crimson on the pristine white tiles.
Upon reaching what felt like a door frame, Charles leaned his wounded body against it and gasped for air. He couldn't crawl further. Feeling his strength waning, he had no choice but to wait for his crew's rescue.
After a short rest, he called out weakly, "It's okay. It's okay if you can't move for now. Wait for them to leave before coming to help me."
Charles' voice lacked his usual vigor. Minutes ticked by, and Charles could feel his blood-soaked clothes starting to stick to his body. He discerned that about fifteen minutes had passed.
Based on 3521-1's earlier behavior, Charles guessed that they should have left the area by now, but yet his crew was still nowhere to be found.
"Anyone there?" Charles called again, but his volume this time was softer than before. His injuries were too grave. Even if he had tied off his severed leg, he was still losing blood from his other wounds of varying severity. He was close to bleeding out.
However, in his current state, Charles had no idea of his exact location or the situation around him.
His entire world had been plunged into darkness. A growing sense of fear spread throughout him. The sensation of being isolated from the world was gripping at his heart.
"I can't die here," Charles muttered to himself. "I've found the exit after going through so much. I'm so close to going home.
Charles raised a hand and slapped himself on the cheek, but he felt no pain. He instinctively clutched his severed leg even tighter as he slowly curled up into a ball.
"It's so dark... so cold..." he mumbled.
Just as his consciousness was fading, he suddenly felt a touch on his face. It was a hand wrapped in bandages.
"Bandages, you're finally here." A faint smile appeared on Charles' countenance, and a wave of relief washed over him. However, his vitality was gradually fading as well.
After what seemed like an eternity, Charles woke up again. He opened his eyes to be greeted with darkness. However, the familiar swaying beneath him was telling him that he was back on the ship.
Charles reached a hand out to touch his own leg and realized that his severed leg had been reattached in place.
He then touched his face and found bandages securely wrapped around his eye sockets and cotton stuffed into his ears.
A hand tenderly reached out and gently grabbed the cotton in Charles' ears. With a slow twist, the cotton was extracted, along with the formed scabs on it.
Sound returned to his previously soundless world—it was the familiar sound of waves.
"Linda?" Charles called out.
"I'm here."
"How's my leg?"
"Reattached. The incision was smooth, and the reattachment went well."
"What about my eyes?"
His question was met with silence.
"Are the others okay?" Charles continued to ask.
"We came out immediately after we found you. We didn't encounter any other danger on the way."
"Alright, you may leave. I need to rest for a while."
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