Shrouded Seascape

Charles let out a soft sigh. He thought they had a chance to interact with the Foundation but considering their current circumstances, that opportunity seemed completely out of reach now.

"Captain, should we still ascend further?" Audric asked with a slight caution in his voice.

Charles shook his head slightly. "We'll wait for all the mice to return, and we'll leave. We can reassess the situation when the main fleet has arrived."

Charles' decision had all the crew collectively let out a sigh of relief. The prolonged period of exploration had pushed them to their limits. They were exhausted; after all, they were not made of iron.

The last mouse soon returned and confirmed their suspicions—there were no monsters on this island. Even the previous one they had encountered was one that had come from the Foundation's own aircraft.

"Let's go. We'll retreat for now," Charles said as he picked up the diary from the ground.

However, as he turned to the latest page of the journal, his pupils contracted to the size of a needle's tip. A new entry had appeared; it was still written in Chinese. Perched on Charles' shoulder, Lily couldn't understand why the former suddenly froze. She asked curiously, "Mr. Charles, what's wrong? Aren't we going back down?"

Charles shook his head slightly, his next words stopping the crew in their tracks. "I'm afraid we can't leave just yet."

June 10, Year 808

I died. It happened so suddenly. Just as I was leading the crew to leave, a crescent moon-like beam fell from the sky, slicing us into pieces.

Is this the end for me? I cannot accept this. Why did it all have to end now? Anna, I'm sorry.

The latest entry was written from Charles' perspective but after his death.

The crew gathered around the diary once more. And after hearing Charles' explanation, they finally understood the situation.

Now, they found themselves in a dilemma. Charles wasn't sure if they should leave the island. If they left, would they really die?

"Maybe it's a bluff? Maybe someone is trying to scare us into staying on this island," Dipp broke the silence.

"That's… unlikely… It doesn't explain… why that person… matched the captain's… writing and tone… perfectly," Bandages countered Dipp's theory.

"I agree with the First Mate. All of you saw it. None of us touched this diary. It can't be that the diary is writing that entry itself," another added.

The crew exchanged theories about the strange phenomena, but eventually, they turned their eyes onto Charles.

The decision of where to stay or go, how should they proceed, all of that rested entirely on Charles. Their lives were in Charles' hands, and one wrong move could spell disaster for everyone.

Snap!

Charles snapped the diary shut and kept it in his coat pocket. "Let's wait for another day and see what happens. I'm curious to know what'll happen if the prediction in the diary doesn't come true."

The crew members then settled down and waited patiently. However, they remained on their guard and watched their surroundings with vigilance as the time ticked by.

However, with nothing to do but wait, the time dragged on ever so slowly. The crew then decided to bring out some canned food and started eating.

They dug into the canned meat and pickled fruits; their appetites seemed great and unaffected by the recent happenings.

On the contrary, Charles had no appetite. He would take out the diary every now and then to check if there was any new entry.

Just as he fished out the diary for the sixth time, Audric, who was seated next to him, suddenly stood up and scratched his back vigorously.

"What's wrong?" Charles asked with a hint of wariness.

"Nothing. I just find it a little itchy," Audric replied, his hand extending to his back to scratch again before sitting back down.

However, Charles didn't dare take any chances. He went over to Audric, pulled the latter's collar aside, and peered within. Yet, all he saw was Audric's pale skin. There was nothing unusual.

"Captain, it's really alright. It's just a bit of itchiness. It's probably because it's been too long since I last bathed," the vampire reassured Charles.

Charles released Audric's collar and settled down by the rocks again. "Everyone, don't let your guard down. In a place like this, who knows what is considered an anomaly? Be cautious about anything unusual."

Hearing this, Linda pondered for a brief moment before she said, "Captain, I noticed something strange earlier, and I was contemplating if I should mention it."

"What is it?"

"The pickled apples tasted better than usual. Even the fish in the cans were fresher. I'm not sure if that counts as an anomaly."

Others quickly echoed Linda's opinions. They confirmed that they had the same feeling earlier too.

Charles pondered for a moment before picking up a can of tuna. He immediately pried it open with the tab. He had tasted this particular brand before and indeed, the fishy smell now was noticeably milder than he remembered from previous meals.

"This probably doesn't count as an anomaly, right? Maybe the canning factory upgraded their machines and came out with better-tasting food now," Dipp said, half-squatted on the ground.

Charles pinched a tuna fish between his fingers and held it up to his face to get a closer look. The tuna had a spindle-shaped body, a long, thin tail, a metallic blue back, and a bright white belly. It looked just like any other ordinary tuna.

Charles wondered if he was overreacting when suddenly, he saw the eye of the gutted and dead tuna in his hand move!

He immediately jumped to his feet and scanned his surroundings with heightened alert. Am I seeing things? Or have we been affected by something? Or am I going crazy again?

"Mr. Charles, what's wrong?" Lily asked, the hint of concern undeniable in her voice.

Charles shook his head, but his eyes darted around the crew members before eventually settling on Audric. The vampire was still scratching himself all over.

Charles dashed over, his prosthetic limb instantly transforming into a chainsaw that slashed toward Audric.

"Captain!"

"Audric! Quick, run!"

The next moment, everyone froze in shock. The rapidly spinning chainsaw struck Audric, but his clothes remained intact.

"Are your clothes a relic?" Charles asked.

"No, they are just regular clothing. Why?"

"Stop talking and quickly take it off! Everyone, strip!" Charles' voice suddenly turned deadly serious.

As soon as his words fell, he started to tear off his own clothes.

Audric seemed startled by Charles' instructions but sensing the underlying urgency, he began to unfasten his cloak and unbutton his shirt. Just as he finished undoing the buttons and tried to take it off, he froze. "My clothes... seem to be stuck."

Now topless, Charles wasted no time and lunged at Audric. Grabbing Audric's collar with both hands, he yanked it backward with a fierce pull. A loud ripping sound resonated through the air, and a spray of blood followed right after as Audric screamed in pain.

The skin and flesh on his back had been torn away along with the fabric.

Charles turned to everyone. His voice was filled with urgency as he commanded, "Don't just stand there! Strip everything! Now!"

"Captain, what's going on?" Dipp asked as he hurriedly stripped off his own clothes.

"What? Can't you see? Everything on us is turning into relics! My diary, Audric's clothes, everything!"

Earlier, Charles was still puzzled as to why the Foundation members donned such heavy spacesuits and what they were protecting themselves against. Now, he finally knew the reason behind it.

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