Chapter 454: Island
As cold water flowed into the ballast tanks of the Narwhale, her weight increased. Coupled with the pull of gravity, she turned into her submarine state and descended beneath the water's surface.
Charles stood on the deck and peered through the glass window on the steel plate. His eyes caught a hazy blob of luminescence from afar.
The island lay diagonally below the Narwhale; its landmass seemed as vast as Hope Island itself.
"Bandages, steer us closer."
As the Narwhale gradually closed the distance between herself and the island, everyone aboard was astonished by the sight before them.
The lights on the submerged island illuminated the surrounding dark, chilly waters, and the massive island was slowly inching forward.
Towering buildings stood erected on the island. The illumination they had seen from afar came from the lights filtering through the buildings' windows.
The island's architectural style was rather modern. If not for the fact that they were underwater, Charles would have thought they had arrived above Shanghai's Lujiazui.
The buildings could only be the work of the Foundation, and Charles was sure of it. If the Foundation had transported the key to this island using an aircraft carrier, the presence of their buildings here was only natural.
However, what surprised him were the presence of lights on the island and the land's ability to move.
As they drew even closer, Charles noted more details of the island. Rows of gigantic tracked treads were attached to the base of the bustling island.
The massive treads could not possibly be man-made; humans had never managed to create something bigger or broader than a mountain. The island seemed more like a Divinity's toy vehicle.
Charles recalled Dawn One, the entity that hung high over Newbound City. Considering that, it seemed plausible that the Foundation was fully capable of creating such a colossal, mobile mechanical island.
Utilizing the powers of various relics, the Foundation was almost equivalent to a god.
The island can move, and the lights in the buildings are still on. Are there still people from the Foundation on it?
The thought briefly entered Charles' mind before it rapidly disappeared. He didn't know what happened to the Foundation, but he knew that any hint of their existence had already been wiped off in the Subterranean Sea.
"Captain, what's our next move? Do we continue our approach? The island looks somewhat dangerous. Man It's not alive, right?" Dipp asked.
Charles' brow furrowed at Dipp's question. However, having come this far, he had no intention to just turn away and leave.
"Get me the diving suit. I'll go down to take a look. Dipp, come with me," Charles ordered and made his way toward the decompression chamber.
Charles donned the heavy diving suit that weighed over a hundred kilograms, and cold seawater began to fill the chamber.
"In the case of any situation, follow my orders! Don't act recklessly," Charles shouted to Dipp as the seawater gradually consumed him.
"Got it!" Dipp flashed a grin that revealed hip sharp, pointy teeth.
Once the water pressure within the chamber had reached an equilibrium with the outside, Dipp forcefully twisted the valve. Instantly, Charles and Dipp plunged into the dark waters.
Kicking his webbed feet, Dipp swam behind Charles, pushing him deeper into the waters.
As they closed the gap, the more intricate details of the moving underwater island became clearer to Charles. He was aware that the moving landmass was an island, but the underwater lights sparked his curiosity about the identities of its inhabitants.
A mile short of the island, Charles abruptly stopped and communicated with Dipp using flag semaphore. Dipp then towed him along as they slowly glided over the top of the island.
Meanwhile, Charles looked down to survey the massive island stretching for dozens of kilometers below them. So far, he saw no danger.
However, he couldn't find the colossal key that he was looking for as well. If such a huge key were present, it would surely be visible at a glance. It seemed that the key to the surface door was not on the island's surface and a deeper exploration was required. A mere external observation was far from sufficient.
"Dipp, let's descend slowly," Charles instructed.
However, the Deep Dweller holding Charles' head in both hands shook his head in refusal. He gestured his intention to dive down alone first for a preliminary scout.
With that, Dipp released Charles, and with a vigorous kick of his limbs, he darted away akin to a swift barracuda. Charles instinctively stretched out his hand in an attempt to catch Dipp, but the latter effortlessly eluded his grasp.
Frustrated, Charles cursed and swore inside his diving suit. He had just told Dipp earlier to listen to his command, but the young lad still made a rash move.
He knew that Dipp was acting out of concern for his safety, scouting for any potential dangers first. However, the last thing Charles wanted was for situations to be beyond his control.
Dipp returned as quickly as he left. He darted toward Charles who was hovering in the water by his oxygen hose and gestured rapidly with his arms. "Captain, it's safe, no threats detected."
Charles landed a firm punch to Dipp's chest in frustration before waving at the Narwhale. It was a signal to descend.
As the Narwhale slowly descended, Charles followed Dipp down toward the island.
Having absolute control over the Narwhale's speed, Bandages was meticulously cautious. The ship descended at a crawl, and he seemed ready to reel Charles back at a moment's notice using the oxygen hose.
Thud!
Charles' thick steel diving boots struck the pavement, sending a cloud of dust swirling into the water around him.
He landed at the edge of the island. The presence of the towering metal cranes and orderly arranged containers led him to deduce that this site had formerly been a dock equipped with modern amenities.
As Charles made his way, he meticulously observed his surroundings. Remarkably, the area was immaculate. Aside from a thin layer of silt on the ground, the buildings and docks were free of any coral or barnacle encroachment.
This cleanliness was undeniably unusual. Even a deserted area on land would exhibit some decay or natural encroachment, let alone a location submerged in the sea.
Whirrrrr!
Charles' prosthetic arm swiftly transformed into a chainsaw, and he swung it toward a nearby container.
He then examined the cut and confirmed that the container was indeed made from metal and not some counterfeit goods like those he saw on the island with the Meeh'eks.
This revelation was unsettling; it raised the possibility that the island could still be fortified with the Foundation's defensive weaponry.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
More sailors clad in diving suits emerged from the Narwhale and landed on the island. They gathered around Charles, awaiting further instructions on their next move.
"Search for any signs of life and anything with inscriptions," Charles gestured.
Charles didn't instruct them to search for the key. Given its enormous size, he couldn't possibly overlook it in plain sight. He wasn't blind.
With bulky oxygen tubes trailing behind them, Charles led his crew in a carpet exploration of the dock.
As the minutes trickled by, the strength of the sailors was starting to wane. Soon enough, they had to do a periodical rotation of personnel. The efficiency of a search like this was low but safety and stability took priority.
"Captain, I'll search over there; this is too slow," Dipp suggested as he pointed to a new area.
"No. We have to move together. Everyone must stay within sight of each other," Charles turned down the proposition without hesitation.
Gradually, they scoured the entire dock and started venturing into a new area.
Meanwhile, out of their sight, a small gray bird the size of a ping-pong ball was perched atop a utility pole. Its head was replaced by a silver metal camera emitting a soft red glow.
The lens zoomed in and out, reflecting the figures of Charles and his crew as they continued their search for clues.
Cosyjuhye's Thoughts
Are they going to fight humans this time? 0.0
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l