Chapter 556. Escape

Chapter 556. Escape

As the crew ran away, the heavily injured Dipp suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground. Before he could stand up, the tawny substance covered his feet.

"Dipp!!" Charles roared. His tentacles wrapped around Dipp, lifting him off of the floor. However, the tawny substance had already climbed up to Dipp's calves.

"I'm here!" Bandages raised the black needle in his hand and swung it toward Dipp's calves. Dipp's calves and everything beneath them fell to the ground in a grotesque chunk.

Bandages moved quickly, and his vines wrapped tightly around Dipp's bleeding wounds. Meanwhile, the tawny substance picked up the pace and was only a few meters away from Charles and his crew.

"No, we have to go a bit faster," Anna remarked. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and everyone suddenly felt a burst of adrenaline inside of them. Their faces and hands bulged with bluish veins, and their speed rose dramatically.

They charged out through the workshop's iron door that the task force members had blasted open. Everyone then followed the familiar path outside, and nothing could obstruct them aside from the debris on the floor.

A hundred meters, fifty meters, ten meters... they were getting close to the crack, but they were immediately plunged into despair when they saw the stupefying sight before them.

The entire square, metallic structure, which was the entire factory, was shrouded by the same tawny substance that had been chasing after them.

In an instant, Charles and his crew found themselves in dire straits. The tawny substance closed in on them from all directions and had even covered the floor.

"Come close to me!" Charles roared. Black fur sprouted all over him as he transformed into a massive bat monster. Just as the tawny substance was about to engulf their feet, Charles flapped his wings and took to the skies.

"Flyyy!!" Charles bellowed as more than ten invisible tentacles burst out of him and wrapped around his crew members. Charles then relied on his raw strength to lift off of the floor that the tawny substance had engulfed in the blink of an eye.

Audric transformed into a bat in mid-air and carried with him the heaviest crew member, Cook Planck, to ease some of the weight dragging down Charles. Vissit novelbin(.)com for new novels

It was but a brief respite; the entire building had taken on a tawny hue, and there wasn't a safe spot at all. The factory had become a death trap. Once Charles could no longer hold on, they would certainly meet a horrible fate.

"Sparkle! Come here, quick! Save your daddy!" Anna exclaimed, clapping her hands anxiously. However, she received no response.

Charles flapped his wings desperately, but he noticed himself running out of steam.

"Captain... throw us... down..." Bandages' voice pierced Charles' ears.

The remaining crew members stared at Charles at the same time. Their fearful and anxious faces gradually became peaceful, and their hands holding onto Charles' tentacles slowly loosened.

Charles stroked her shoulders and gazed at the hazy purple mist up above.

"Let's be quiet for now. I'm so tired.... Let me rest for a bit."

The Narwhale's tracks started moving, carrying everyone away from the abandoned metallic structure.

The next day, everything returned to normal on the Narwhale. A few crew members had perished, and there were some who ended up becoming crippled, but no one kicked up a fuss, as it was a common sight among explorers.

Charles was leaning on the windowsill of his bedroom while looking out at the desolate scenery outside with Anna in his arms.

"Where are you taking me? The rules and regulations state that I am prohibited from leaving Site 4." A gentle female voice echoed from behind. The voice had come from Alice, who had lost all of her limbs. Anna had carried her along during their escape.

Charles glanced at Alice before turning to look at Anna, saying, "She still has quite a few relics inside her. However, there's no use keeping her alive, so we might as well dismantle her for her relics."

"She's alive; are you really going to dismantle her? Why not do some research on her? Perhaps we might be able to create something as powerful as her by using her as research material," Anna suggested; she was clearly very interested in Alice.

"Sure, do as you please. By the way, how is Sparkle? I think you should go and check up on her," Charles said. He was reminded of the fact that his daughter hadn't responded to Anna's call for help during their escape from Site 4.

Anna's eyes revealed a tinge of fury at Charles' remark. "That little girl went a bit too far. She actually ignored us even though we were in such a dangerous situation."

"It's fine. We're safe now, aren't we? Please don't be too harsh on her. It's not strange that she did not respond to us; she's afraid of the surface, after all."

"I know she's afraid of the surface, but we were on the brink of death at the time! She could have just come over for a bit and teleported us away once—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but..." Charles interrupted, "Have you already forgotten that she's just two years old? What were you expecting her to do?"

At that, Anna snorted coldly and pushed away Charles' hand that was resting on her waist. She then stood up and walked up to Alice.

"You should prioritize the Haikors upon your return to the Colossal Hole Fortress; they've just arrived at the fortress, and they've brought many people with them."

"I know. The President of the Explorers Association has told me about their plans, and apparently, they've come here to help, as the rising sea level is affecting their islands as well," Charles said. The Haikors' towering figures flashed in his mind.

"Well, the problem is they didn't just bring their people with them, but they brought their gods with them as well."