Shrouded Seascape - Chapter 463: Folder Name

After typing out the question, Charles continued scrolling through the pages. Soon, he stumbled upon another clue left by Tobba.

In the new picture, Tobba looked to be around forty and appeared rather disheveled as he held up a piece of paper that read, “What does the past have to do with the present? Just hurry up and do as I say. Aren’t you looking for clues to the key? You’ll find it there, too.”

Charles’ heart raced with anticipation upon reading Tobba’s new message. His suspicions had been confirmed. Since the colossal key had once been on the island, there would surely be clues leading to it.

Charles noted the weary expression on the middle-aged Tobba in the photo and continued on to the next page with an excited heart.

The next image was a topless chubby man with a beer in hand. A tattoo of a snake meandered oddly across his expansive belly. Meanwhile, lines of text accompanied the image.

“See the tattoo on my friend’s belly? That’s a map. Start from your current location and follow that line straight to the end.

“The room belongs to 068, and the passcode is 514138. I’ll be waiting for you there. The clues you are seeking are there, too. Hurry up! If you’re not there within an hour, I’ll be dead, and you’ll also find yourself in serious trouble!!”

Charles cast a furtive glance at Parker standing next to him, and a troubled look appeared on his face.

Despite Tobba’s instructions, Charles knew that whatever he did, he would likely be under the surveillance of Parker and he wouldn’t be able to escape. How could he possibly make it to Tobba’s location by himself under these circumstances? He needed to find a way there.

Though Charles had no idea what trouble Tobba was facing, considering the man’s future-predicting abilities, it was highly likely to be grave.

With his brows furrowed in thought, Charles contemplated his next move. As each minute ticked by, the sense of urgency clawing at his heart intensified. Be it Tobba’s life or the clue to the key, he was compelled to act.

Suddenly, Charles noticed something amiss—his daughter Sparkle was nowhere to be seen.

A light bulb lit up in Charles’ mind; he had a brilliant idea.

He rose to his feet. A hint of fury crossed his face as he approached Parker and demanded, “Where’s Sparkle? Bring her back.”

Parker’s heart skipped a beat but he feigned calm and replied, “I don’t know. Maybe she’s out playing.”

No sooner had Parker finished speaking that Charles exploded like a lit fuse.

“Did you not hear me? I want my daughter!” Charles roared as white arcs of electricity burst from his body. They crackled as they jumped around the room shattering the light bulbs and sending electronic devices into a short circuit. It took just a couple of seconds for the entire room to be plunged into darkness.

The next moment, a white light flashed and Sparkle appeared before Charles. She was dressed in a new sparkling gemstone dress while holding numerous dolls and candies in her arms.

“Daddy, were you looking for me?” Sparkle asked with a tilt of her head.

Alerted by the commotion, the armed special task forces on guard outside the room burst in. Through their night-vision goggles, they saw Charles gently cradling Sparkle and moving to sit down on a nearby stool.

“I would advise not to misuse those little tricks of yours. It does not help either one of us,” Charles commented as he continued to calmly swipe away on the tablet.

The tension in the room eased slowly. and Parker let out a sigh of relief. For a moment earlier, he almost thought that Charles was going to escalate the conflict.

While Parker and his allies were relieved at the deescalated situation, unbeknownst to them, Charles only had one eye remaining under his eyelids. The black eye with a red iris was gone.

Meanwhile, a spider scurried swiftly along the wall corner outside the monitoring room.

Despite the perspective disparity, Charles could still somewhat adapt.

He looked at the time on the tablet with his remaining eye and breathed a sigh of relief.

Good. It’s still before Tobba’s stipulated time.

Under Charles’ control, the spider swiftly made its way to the target destination. Upon reaching the location, he realized it was a dead path, but there was a small wooden door in the corner that was secured with a password lock.

As soon as he willed the spider to approach, a wave of dizziness hit him. Instinctively, he was going to recall the spider.

But then, he felt Anna’s tentacle twitch and writhe in his brain. The dizzy sensation faded as soon as it came.

Is something trying to control my thoughts? What’s behind that door? Charles thought. He couldn’t help but heighten his alertness.

The spider reached the lock and skillfully jumped from digit to digit, entering the passcode as per Tobba’s instructions. A sequence of beeps followed by a click signaled the door had unlocked.

The sight within the room was beyond Charles’ expectations. It was a dim and cramped space with nothing but a lone computer.

The computer’s exterior was stained and yellowed from years of neglect; its central processing unit sprawled untidily beneath the monochrome screen. Regardless of the angle from which Charles observed it, the machine screamed of antiquity. Despite its dilapidated state, the screen flickered with life, though its grayscale display was a testament to its age.

Just as Charles continued to study the ancient machine, a red dot suddenly appeared on the email icon—a new message had arrived.

With agile movements, the spider ascended the table’s leg and maneuvered itself to the mouse. It strenuously nudged the cursor over the email to click it open. A stick figure jumped out of the message, and a speech bubble appeared above its head.

“What are you staring at, Charles?! Hurry up and save me! They’re almost here!”

“You… You’re Tobba? How did you end up like this?” Charles blurted out in surprise.

Meanwhile, Parker stealthily moved behind Charles and saw him talking to a man’s belly on the screen. Finding it utterly bizarre, he immediately reported this strange behavior to his superior.

“I have no other way; they’re too fast. This is the deepest perspective I can go. I have nowhere left to run! The perspectives further below are too narrow, and I’ll be completely crushed if I go any further!” Tobba’s voice boomed from the yellowed computer.

Staring at the two-dimensional Tobba before him, Charles asked in puzzlement, “Do you mean perspective or dimension?”

“Is this really the time for that? Just come and help me to escape! They’re coming!” Tobba exclaimed.

As soon as Tobba finished speaking, two triangles, composed of chaotic strings of characters, materialized next to him. The small figure representing Tobba frantically scurried across the email window as the triangles relentlessly chased in pursuit.

Charles didn’t need to guess what those two triangles represented.

“What should I do? Tell me quickly!” Charles urged anxiously.

“Open ‘My Computer,’ right-click to show hidden files. Then out of the four drives, go to D drive and open the 14th parent file! Drag the first file into the hidden folder, hurry!” Another speech bubble appeared above the head of the stick figure as it sprinted across the screen.

Charles immediately willed the spider to carry out the instructions. The moment he dragged the yellow folder into the hidden folder, his vision blurred for a split second.

When he came around, he realized that not only the spider but he himself was in front of the old computer desk.

He felt himself all over and realized that he was indeed in his own body. He was stunned for a moment and quickly turned his gaze back onto the computer screen. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the name of the folder he had just moved. On the grayscale screen, the folder’s name was clearly his own name: Charles.

“Fuck!” Charles involuntarily cursed out loud as the realization dawned on him in an instant.