Shrouded Seascape

Charles raised his finger and thrust it toward Bandages' forehead. Upon impact, a steady stream of information pervaded Bandages' mind.

"I've seen the future. And as you can see, once the surface world, the Subterranean Sea, and the Core become interconnected, the apocalypse will begin. The apocalypse will destroy everything."

Perhaps because he saw many grand scenes at once, but Bandages' reaction wasn't as dramatic as Charles had expected. He simply looked at his captain with determined eyes. "So... what do you… want me… to do?"

"I'm searching for the exit to the surface world. Once I find it, I want you to make use of the Foundation's technology to leave Earth and find other planets to live on.

"If I can't find it, then we will proceed to the second plan. Once the surface world and the Subterranean Sea are connected to each other, you'll take that chance to escape. This plan's success rate is not high, but at least it's an option."

To ensure that Bandages would understand the importance of that opportunity, Charles patiently explained everything to the former.

"We can't... build... spaceships."

"The Foundation definitely has high-tech knowledge enough for you to build one."

"Yes... but we don't have… enough time," Bandages said. Then, the wooden bookcase on the right quickly withered and rejuvenated before flowering and bearing fruit.

After scanning through the file, Charles shook his head firmly. According to Bandages' plan, it would take two hundred years for Hope Island to enter the Space Age.

Two hundred years was just too long of a time, and by the time Hope Island entered the Space Age, it would be far too late for them to escape to space.

"Two hundred years is too long; we don't have that much time. How long would it take for Hope Island to digest everything that the Foundation had left behind?"

Bandages remained rational as he replied, "We need… people for… technological advancement… the academy's first batch of graduates... has just... graduated, so two hundred years... is... the most… optimistic… time frame."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"So it's no good? It's fine, I have a plan. Find some people for me, and they must be absolutely loyal to you," Charles replied.

First Mate Bandages executed Captain Charles' orders without any hesitation. He made some calls and quickly screened suitable people from Hope Island's navy and the Relic Research Institute.

Charles didn't need many people—fifty people were enough.

The fifty people composed of both men and women were taken aback by the summons. They looked around curiously upon their arrival. They remained calm upon seeing Bandages, but they became excited to the point of swooning at the sight of Charles.

Hope Island Governor Charles was also known as the savior of the Subterranean Sea. There was no way they wouldn't know Charles when his face was all over the textbooks at school.

There were many theories about Charles' disappearance. Some said he died amidst Hope Island's political power struggles, while some said that he had decided to return to his life of endless exploration at sea.

Regardless, everyone thought that Charles would never appear again. After all, it had been a long time since he was last seen.

However, the legendary figure himself was actually standing before them today.

Some of them rolled up their sleeves and compared their tattoos to the real Charles. Clearly, quite a few people idolized Charles.

Bandages leaned over slightly and whispered, "They're... absolutely loyal. They were trained… to be… deathsworn soldiers."

Charles nodded in satisfaction. He raised his hand, and a radiant flash of light erupted, whisking everyone to Charles' island.

Before the fifty people could comprehend the scenery before them, flesh tentacles drilled out of the ground and pierced their napes, lifting them into the air.

Everyone screamed in pain, and their skulls were swelling from what was growing inside of it. Soon, their skulls were stretched to the point of becoming almost transparent, transforming them into dolls with big heads.

However, the ordeal wasn't over yet.

Once their heads had grown to their limits, they drooped, becoming longer and longer. Their brains, wrapped in a thin layer of scalp, curved downward under the effects of gravity until their brains were pressing against their backs.

In the end, their heads became so large that they had to carry them on their backs.

Their swollen heads left no room for their eyes, so their eyes bulged out of their eye sockets, making them appear quite terrifying.

Once everything was done, they were slowly lowered to the ground. They exchanged glances and were in disbelief at their bizarre appearances.

However, some of them quickly discovered something special about their new fleshly bodies.

They found that their train of thought had not only become extremely fast, but their intelligence had greatly increased as well. In other words, learning and comprehending any knowledge had become as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Someone looked at Charles with awe in their eyes before dropping down to one knee.

Charles nodded with satisfaction at his masterpiece. Then, he turned to Bandages and said, "With their help, it shouldn't be that hard to digest the knowledge that the Foundation had left behind. You will eventually be able to create the tools you need to leave Earth.

"It'd be great if there were more people, but a spaceship is bound to have limited space. Everyone can't be taken away, so an optimization is necessary."

"You're... so… strong… why... not just...take us… away?" Bandages asked, offering another solution.

Charles chuckled softly and patted Bandages' shoulder. "Honestly, the reason I visited you is for the sake of a contingency plan. I'm afraid I will eventually die or lose control, but the truth is—I'm practically a god at this point.

"I'm not even sure whether I'll live to see another day."

Bandages' indifferent face finally changed, looking a bit dejected. "If you... die... then what will happen... to our deal? There will… be no one... to kill... me… by then."

"Then, you ought to find someone else by then," Charles said. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two pieces of paper. He opened them before Bandages, revealing drawings depicting certain figures.

One piece of paper depicted the faces of Charles' sister and his parents, while the other depicted Anna's face.

The two drawings reminded Charles of the fragmented memories he had of the surface world, and he couldn't help but smile as he reminisced.

His humanity was still eroding away, making him feel frantic, but recalling his family would never fail to placate his tumultuous heart.

"They're my family. The maps and the addresses are on the back. If you manage to escape the Subterranean Sea, please bring them along with you to space," Charles said. Then, he stuffed the two drawings into Bandages' hands.

"Of course, if you really can't afford to do it, then don't worry about it. Just take some people from Hope Island and focus on rushing out of Earth."

"Alright." Bandages nodded. He quietly listened while leaning against the mountain next to him. In the end, he took out a needle to carve everything into his own skin.

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