Chapter 415: Plot
Charles knew he didn't have the luxury of time and swiftly recounted the peculiar events he had encountered
"There's something amiss about these waters. Some unknown entity in the sea has the ability to teleport their target over short distances."
"Captain, do you think it might be those sea otters? Perhaps their shell knocking is not merely to crack it open but is actually some form of ritual?" Feuerbach suggested.
Charles's brows furrowed as he reflected on his interactions with the sea otters. Although it remained a possibility, as of now, there was no way to confirm it.
He turned toward the surrounding waters and spotted only seaweed and lotus pads. There were no signs of any sea otters or giant toads from before.
After pondering for a brief moment, Charles resolved himself to enter the waters to continue the exploration. They had finally found this place after much hardship, and he didn't want to give up and return just like that.
Of course, drawing from his recent experience, he adjusted their approach and gave new instructions.
"Let's not split up this time; we'll proceed as one group and commence the search. All six divers, including myself, along with Dipp and Feuerbach, must remain within sight of each other at all times.
"Immediately alert the group if you spot any living creatures, including but not limited to the sea otters and toads.
"Should you be teleported somewhere else, do not trust any living humans who approach you. Verify their identity by asking them what we had for lunch today."
The team nodded in understanding and began to don their diving gear.
"Captain, now that we know their tactics, we stand a better chance of defending ourselves against them. We just need to avoid physical contact with them," Dipp raised to Charles.
"Hopefully, that's the case, and that's the only anomaly that teleports people randomly. But then again, the sea is always brimming with unexpected creatures," Charles remarked as he fitted the large steel helmet over his head.
Suddenly, Charles realized a missing presence.
"Where's Tobba?"
"I'm not too sure. He was still here a moment ago. He might be in one of the cabins; I'll check on him later," Linda, the ship's doctor, responded calmly.
Not dwelling on it further, Charles made his way to the ship's side with heavy steps. Yet just as he turned around, he could feel an unsettling gaze on him, and it was laced with ill intent.
When he turned back once more, he didn't spot anything unusual.
"Charles, what's wrong? Are you heading back underwater? By the way, have you seen Lily? I haven't seen her around lately," Tobba asked in a light and carefree tone as he emerged from the cabin.
Charles ignored the question and stepped on the railing to dive overboard into the sea with a splash, sending a column of water skyward.
The exploration team was back in the icy cold waters. This time, they maintained a tight formation as they cautiously navigated across the slippery algae seabed to search the seaweed forest.
Initially, a tense and anxious atmosphere surrounded them all; they were afraid that they would encounter what their Captain had encountered. But as time passed and nothing out of the ordinary transpired, the crew gradually relaxed and were able to concentrate on their task at hand.
They diligently pried away the algae and seaweed in the hopes of uncovering any hidden clues and traces that might be within the depths of this submerged island.
Even though the water's buoyancy offered some relief, the sea's chilly temperature, coupled with the burden of their heavy diving suits, swiftly sapped the crew's strength.
Just as Charles cleared a swath of seaweed to check for potential traces on the ocean floor, he noticed his crew huddled together and signaling frantically in flag semaphore.
"Move it, team! The quicker we're done here, the sooner we can leave," Charles darted over and dispersed the group.
However, they regrouped again after several minutes. After some questioning, they complained about the weight of their suits and their growing exhaustion.
Reluctantly, Charles instructed two divers to switch with someone else on deck so that they could proceed with the exploration. Meanwhile, others should also be on standby on the deck to switch in.
As time trickled past, it was soon nighttime in the seascape. Charles and the two exhausted divers ascended to the ship's deck.
The day's work had ended, and it was time for the crew to have their meals and rest. After all, one could only work if they had adequate rest.
With his brows furrowed Charles headed to his quarters. The day's dive had been safe, and they hadn't run into any threats, which was fortunate news.
However, on the flip side, they hadn't found any clues on this island. Not a single useful lead. Forget about keys; they hadn't even found traces of human activity.
Usually, any island associated with the Foundation would bear signs of their presence, but there were none here. It was as if the Foundation had never set foot on this island, which was not a promising sign.
Charles took off his outer coat and hung it on the shelf beside him. He then opened his diary to document the events of the day.
October 23, 13th Year of Crossing Over
We've reached the first island out of the five targeted ones. It's a half-submerged island. There's an undeniable oddness about it that I find rather disconcerting
The sound of the pen scratching against the paper rang out in the room as Charles penned down Chinese characters.
Suddenly, a barely audible squeak entered Charles' ears.
Under normal circumstances, Charles would have dismissed it, but yet he could hear the distinct sense of unease in this particular squeak.
With a click, Charles secured the pen cap and slid the Invisibility Ring onto his finger.
The door to the Captain's quarters on the Narwhale opened and then closed once more.
Meanwhile, in the storeroom directly beneath the Captain's quarters, a mischief of brown mice were gathered amidst stacks of mops and brooms. Their beady eyes were focused intently on a mouse, marginally larger than themselves, that was squeaking with urgency.
A portrait of a mouse was hung on the wall, and the mouse was colored white.
Squeak! Squeaaak! The larger mouse gestured toward Lily's portrait, and beside it was a straw figure with only one arm.
After several minutes of agitated, animated squeaks, the larger mouse seized the straw figure and tore off its head with a decisive bite.
The next moment, the mice perched on buckets and brooms started squeaking energetically as they tilted their heads upward and gritted their front teeth rapidly.
Suddenly, a series of urgent squeaks sounded, and a mouse darted out from a crack in the storeroom. The mice swiftly formed a pyramid to open the door.
They swiftly combed the corridor to locate the source of the alert. Their search lasted for more than ten minutes, but it had been futile. The mice then retreated to the storeroom, and the door snapped shut behind them.
Charles' figure materialized as he stared from his vantage point on the ceiling. Using his steel prosthetic hand to scratch the itch on his body, his gaze remained sharp and intense on the storeroom door.
He had witnessed everything from his hiding place.
They think I'm responsible for Lily's death and are plotting my death!
He knew better than to underestimate the mice, as he was aware that these mice had near-human intelligence and were potential threats.
This won't do. I need to think of a way to resolve this.
Charles swiftly made his way toward the bridge to seek his first mate's opinion. But just as he passed by the mess hall, he was distracted by a voice from within.
"Quiet! There are footsteps!"
It was a familiar voice that Charles recognized. He dashed toward the mess hall door and forcefully kicked the door open.
Bang!
The door flew open and every crew member of the Narwhale, apart from Bandages, were all huddled together and seemed to be deep in discussion.
Observing them, Charles couldn't help but connect the current scene to that he had witnessed among the mice in the storeroom moments earlier.
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