Chapter 155. Descent
Wiping his sweaty palms on his shirt, Charles' mind raced.
A calamity? What calamity can there be on the Earth's surface? Unless mankind caused this intense heat?
"Surface dwellers, leave! Your presence above will only bring calamity!"
The gigantic mantises fluttered their wings and reiterated the same warning. Emerging from n0v@lbin☆, this material harbors clandestine details.
Surveying the area and noting that the six-meter-long monstrous mantises had them surrounded, Charles knew that their immediate priority was to avoid provoking them.
He contemplated his words before posing the question, "Who are you? Why won't you let us go up?"
Since these creatures could communicate, Charles thought that perhaps he could coax some intelligence out of them. However, the mantises displayed no intention to converse. Their wings fluttered more rapidly and at an increased volume.
"Surface dwellers, descend immediately! The past calamity was caused by your kind! The pact has ended! We'll never believe another word from your kind. Ever!" Each and every one of the mantises unsheathed their scythes.
"What calamity are you talking about? What happened on the surface?! I don't know which human you last contacted, but I'm not with them!" Charles roared, his voice laced with clear desperation.
The buzzing of wings ceased instantly. The mantises gathered into a circle and resembled statues suspended on the cliff. Time seemed to have frozen at that moment as both humans and the monsters remained still.
Just then, Charles felt the sunlight overhead further intensifying. Grabbing the rope with both hands, he swiftly ascended onto the balloon like a nimble monkey.
He stood still and looked upward with squinted eyes. Roughly three hundred meters away, a hint of blue with a corner obscured by the sun's silver brilliance entered his vision.
It was the surface world—where he originally belonged.
At the same moment, the mantises spread out their terrifying wings with a resonating buzz and menacingly lunged at Charles and his party.
Their sharp, scythe-like forelimbs pierced into the air balloon like slicing through tofu. As the sounds of tearing leather and cracked wood echoed incessantly in the air, the Sky Battler was soon torn apart. Some of its crew suffered the same fate in the process.
However, for some unknown reason, the mantises didn't target Charles. They clung to the surrounding cliffs and aimed their bud-shaped heads at Charles as he plummeted.
Charles rapidly twisted in mid-air. He was waiting for the Divine Light Order disciples to save him. However, he had made a miscalculation this time. The other survivors of the Sky Battler didn't fall with him. With unwavering determination, they flew toward the perilous tunnel.
"Didn't I tell you not to move?" Laesto reached out to grab Charles' head and repositioned it such that the latter faced the ceiling once more.
"How long have I been out?"
"Seven days. Or maybe eight. You sustained severe injuries this time. A large portion of your skin has been burned.
Charles let out a weak chuckle. "That bad, huh? I guess I'll be sporting a few more scars then."
Hearing Charles' rather relaxed tone, a hint of confusion crossed Laesto's hideous visage. "For someone who suffered such serious injuries, you seem to be in a good mood."
The corners of Charles' lips slightly lifted as he recalled the alluring hue of azure blue he had glimpsed. For the first time in nine years, he saw the outside world. He couldn't discern it clearly because of the blinding light, but it was so breathtakingly beautiful.
"As long as I survived. It was worth it."
A scornful scowl appeared on Laesto's face. "Sure. Continue your ways. One fine day, you won't make it back, and then, I can finally alight from this damn ship."
Charles had no time for idle chatter.
He needed to immediately share what he had learned of the rift with the Divine Light Order disciples. Since those mantises were merely living creatures, dealing with them became much easier. They only needed to find a way to dispose of them to clear the path heading toward the surface world.
"Doctor, call Hunn over. I need to speak to him."
"Shush. You're in no state to meet anyone. Rest up first."
With that, Laesto then plunged a syringe containing a black liquid into Charles' arm. Before Charles could even retort, his eyelids drooped, and he fell back into a slumber.
Laesto hobbled out of the ward. At the door, a Divine Light Order disciple, who had been waiting for a long while, stood up immediately.
"Has Governor Charles come around?" the disciple asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.
"Why the rush! He's still out!" Laesto roughly pushed him aside and walked away.
Exiting the cramped corridor, Laesto stood on the Narwhale's deck. Gazing at the distant Hope Island bathed in bright sunlight, he took a swig from his tin flask.
"Why... didn't you... tell them... that... Captain has... come around?"
Laesto's eyes remained fixated on the island despite hearing the slow voice from behind him.
"Let him rest. Right now, the sick bed is the only thing that can make him stay still," Laesto answered before taking another gulp of alcohol.