Chapter 64. Body
The branches continuously lashed out at Charles' face. However, his gaze remained locked on 096's back.
The complex weave of branches couldn't hinder the pair with enhanced physiques as they moved fluidly between the spaces and leaped from tree to tree.
"Hahahahah!!" 096's manic laughter erupted incessantly.
"Bro, this won't do. Our speeds are the same. If we continue in pursuit, god knows where it will bring us." Richard's voice sounded in their mind.
"Shut up. I know that!"
Charles kicked off against a huge tree trunk. The revolver in his hand was already reloaded with bullets. This time, he didn't aim for 096's vital spots but targeted its lower limbs.
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the forest, and splinters flew as a chunk of bark near '096's right leg was torn off by the bullet. Their rapid speed and the hindrance of tree branches had Charles struggling to aim despite his extraordinary vision.
"I'll do the running, and you do the shooting." Richard then seized partial control of their body.
A gunshot rang out once more. After several missed shots, a splatter of blood suddenly burst from 096's left limb. It had been struck.
Staggering, the figure continued running, but its speed had clearly decreased.
Charles immediately lunged at it like a cheetah pouncing on its prey. With a swift circular slash of his Dark Blade, the entity's head was sent flying through the air.
Disregarding the spraying blood from the corpse, Charles triggered his Tentacle Ring, and transparent tendrils quickly coiled around the severed head and drew it to him.
The moment he saw the face on the head, his black eyes narrowed. The corpse didn't belong to any of his crew members. And the Clown Mask was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a horrifying face.
There were only four perfect, pitch-black holes where the eyes, nose and mouth should have been. The head resembled more like a skull with an eerie strangeness.
Charles turned and scanned his surroundings but couldn't spot any traces of the mask. Clearly, 096 had slipped away during the chase.
"Bro, did that mask develop some new skills? It could even eat the host's facial features?"
"I'm not sure. Let's return first. In case it has deliberately lured us away."
Without wasting another second, Charles used the Tentacle Ring to bind the corpse and swiftly returned to their campsite.
Upon returning to the ruins and spotting James' gigantic figure by the campfire, Charles saw that his entire crew had awoken.
Noticing their captain's return, the sailors hurried forward. Charles swiftly did a headcount and double-checked against the bands on their shoulders. Indeed, no crew member was missing. The corpse didn't belong to any of them.
Could this be the corpse of an island native?
Island natives varied in appearances, so Charles wasn't certain either. After pondering for a few seconds, Charles dragged the corpse over to Laesto, who was administering treatment.
Hearing the footsteps behind him, Laesto didn't even lift his gaze from the wound he was stitching up. "Don't worry. Most victims with ruptured tracheas choke on their own blood. They won't die with me around."
Charles' gaze landed on Second Mate Conor, who was lying on the ground. A thin tube that was barely the size of a pinky was protruding from his Adam's apple, and it whistled faintly in rhythm with his labored breathing.
Laesto turned to look at Charles and asked, "What about you? Did you manage to catch that thing?"
"It escaped, but I brought its host back. Take a look and see if you find any clues."
"Hmph. Being your ship's doctor is surely tough," Laesto grumbled as he stared at the corpse on the ground.
With a slight twist of his metal pinky, a sharp, surgical blade popped out. As Laesto began his post-mortem examination, Charles ran his fingers over the corpse's black garment. The material was smooth, like a diver's wetsuit, but it bore traces of its age. It started to tear even with a gentle tug.
"No clues on the clothes," Charles commented as his gaze fell on Laesto standing next to him. He was engrossed in examining the corpse with a ravenous gaze.
"Hmph? This is impossible!" Laesto exclaimed in doubt.
"What is it?" Charles asked.
"Come and have a look yourself. There's nothing within. No organs, nothing. Are you sure this thing could move just now?"
Hearing Laesto's words, Charles squatted next to the body, used his hand to spread the incision made by the doctor, and peered within.
Indeed, it was hollow. The abdominal and thoracic cavities were devoid of any organs that should have been present. Charles was certain that the being had been alive when he severed its head.
"I'm more interested in finding out who made this. Look here. Touch it with your hand."
Laesto's finger poked into one of the cavities in the skull and swiped along its edges.
"No scars. Clean cut. Even I can't perform such a feat. If this body were man-made, it would be considered a perfect masterpiece."
Without any leads, Charles stood up in disappointment as he dusted off his hands. Apart from adding to the enigma in his mind, the corpse was of no assistance.
By this point, the crew was completely awake, and all stared at Charles in unison as they awaited his next orders.
"Can't sleep anymore? Let's move on then," Charles said.
Holding half a piece of bread in her hands, Lily approached Charles with a nervous expression, "Mr. Charles, what if that thing comes again?"
A cold glint flickered across Charles' eyes as he reassured her, "Don't worry. There won't be a next time."
Hearing the Captain's order, everyone started packing their belongings, and a cacophony of noises erupted at the makeshift campsite.
"Big guy, keep your socks properly. How did they end up in my bag?"
"Damn it, did anyone see my wine flask?"
While the ruins posed their own challenges for its trespassers, it was still better than the forests. Charles and his party stood up and trudged deeper into the island.
Charles kept himself busy while moving too. His hand flew across his notebook as he speedily sketched out a rudimentary map of the island.
Charles led his crew to move rapidly toward the heart of the island. Since there were traces of human activity on this island, then surely there was a high chance of uncovering valuable information at the island's center.
Just then, a flicker of white flashed past behind the crowd. Shrouded in the darkness, 096 had taken control of another body and its sinister gaze was locked onto Charles' figure.
By the second night, Charles and his crew had already explored more than half the island. Apart from 096 unexpectedly coming alive, there didn't seem to be anything abnormal about the island. It was like a perfectly ordinary landmass.
A cleared area had been established as their makeshift camp, and apart from those staying up for night watch duties, the rest had fallen asleep.
Dipp, who was on duty, started at the campfire as he imagined his future.
"If I become a center islander, I want to get ten wives! And one of them must be a vampire."
"Can you handle so many?" Chef Frey jested from beside him.
"Why can't I?" Dipp hurriedly defended himself.
"Nevermind, once we are back, I'll bring you somewhere, and you'll find out."
"No thanks! I was captured by a vampire the previous time because of you."
The light from the bonfire cast a shadow of Dipp that elongated and blended into the darkness beyond.
With a rusty blade in his hand, 096 made use of the man's shadow as his cover. Silently and stealthily, it moved on fours like a spider and crawled toward the makeshift camp.
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