Chapter 221. New Objective
The oil lamp in the Captain's cabin flickered with the waves, and the sound of the waves crashing against the Narwhale's hull proved the choppiness of the nearby waters.
Charles' brows were slightly furrowed as he stared at the paper in front of him, which had all kinds of chaotic and disorderly information written in Chinese.
041, the Foundation's Main Island, 003, God Fhtagn, Doctor K9, XK-level scenario.
His encounter with the Foundation staff, Aaron, was brief, but Charles had obtained a ton of information from the former. Charles believed he would find useful clues from the information Aaron had given to him.
"The clothes you're wearing should have been enough hint for me to realize that Doctor K9 failed in her experiment and that it must have resulted in the worst XK-level scenario."
Those were Aaron's original words. Coupled with the mantises' words about how the presence of the surface dwellers above would only bring calamity, and the existence of Project God Fhtagn, Charles felt a foreshadowing of ominousity.
"Could... Could those guys be researching God Fhtagn like how they are researching the relics? Are they dabbling in the realm of Divinities? " The Foundation's disappearance finally made sense to Charles. "XK-level scenario... it must have been an absolute nightmare of a disaster."
Just then, a terrifying thought popped up in Charles' mind.
The Foundation's connections had to be terrifying; it had to have been an extraordinary organization with support from the major powers on the surface. With that in mind, just how did they fail to overcome the Divinities?
Charles had once seen the cataclysmic might of a hydrogen bomb. Charles couldn't imagine a creature surviving such a destructive force. However, if the Divinities were capable of withstanding such power, were they perhaps truly divine?
Charles staggered; his pale demeanor briefly became visible beneath the swaying light. The appearance of God Fhtagn's statue and that ball of flesh covered in eyes fleeted across his mind.
What exactly are the Divinities? What does their existence mean to us humans? Emerging from n0v@lbin☆, this material harbors clandestine details.
"G—"
Charles flinched at the noise that suddenly echoed in his ears. He rose to his feet with a terrified expression and panted heavily. He listened closely and soon discovered that it was a knocking noise coming from beneath the ship. The maddening murmurs hadn't come back.
"I saw... Deep Dweller's...footprints... while patrolling... it came on board and didn't attack...it must've been him..."
"Mmhm..." Charles cast his gaze at the pitch-black waters as a certain emotion twirled quietly in his eyes.
A deafening silence enveloped the two until Bandages shattered the ice by asking, "Should we... take him... back...?"
"Take him back? How? He's no longer human. And have you forgotten what he did?"
"He did it...for... your sake."
"For my sake? He tried to change me into a disgusting monster for my sake? I watched him grow up, and now that he's gotten a bit older, he actually dares to make decisions for me? It's that brat's fault that three of our crew members died!"
The thought of Dipp's betrayal suffused Charles' face with fury, but he quickly suppressed it. He soon continued in a low voice. "I don't think those Deep Dwellers are willing to help others unconditionally. Now that he's a Deep Dweller, there's a possibility that his personality might have changed as well."
In this seascape, aside from fish, there had never been anything good beneath the surface of the sea.
"So...should we go back...and go on to recruit another boatswain? Or...wait...?" Bandages asked.
Hesitation flashed briefly in Charles' eyes upon recalling the recent few times when Dipp had lent him a hand. He pondered briefly before saying, "Let's go back and see if there's a way to turn him back.
"If we manage to turn him back and get rid of the two personas in his head, perhaps we'll be able to get him back."
Charles was furious at the betrayal, but Dipp had been with him for so many years to the extent that the latter had become like a son to him.
The chances were slim, but he wanted to give it a try.
Moreover, they were in the seascape, where everything seemed possible. Charles also thought that perhaps Anna had a way or two to turn Dipp back to human.
Bandages nodded and asked, "How's...your mental condition... holding up?"
"I'm doing fine. I haven't experienced any auditory hallucinations recently, and I've been having the best sleep these days, so I should be fine."
"That's... great."