Shrouded Seascape - Chapter 475: Norton

Charles felt unrelenting pressure on his body. Something was chewing on him!

“Fuck!” White arcs of electricity burst forth from Charles’ body and crackled violently as it jumped within his attacker’s mouth cavity.

However, the creature seemed unfazed by Charles’ electric attack. It chewed down even harder, and with a crack, Charles’ diving suit was punctured.

The immense water pressure surged in through the crack like a water jet.

Before Charles could react, a loud bang ensued, and he was flung away. The Narwhale’s searchlight appeared in his vision once more—he had escaped the creature’s maw.

As he steadied himself, he realized the explosion was from a torpedo fired from the Narwhale. His crew was trying to rescue him.

Although Charles wanted to see what had attacked him, he didn’t have the luxury of time to do so. His lungs were filling with water, and survival was of utmost importance. He needed to get back to the submarine, or he would meet his doom here!

Grabbing the oxygen tube attached to his back, he swam desperately toward the decompression chamber.

Upon returning to the chamber, Charles couldn’t even afford the time for decompression. He immediately pushed the door open and was propelled into the corridor along with his torn diving suit by a forceful gush of seawater.

Charles collapsed on the ground and coughed up mouthfuls of seawater. The expelled water was stained red with blood and laced with bits and pieces of his organs. The pressure outside was so powerful that it tore his body apart from the inside.

Audric was the first to arrive in his bat form. The moment he landed, he promptly pulled out a bag of blood from within his cloak and handed it to Charles.

Charles quickly bit into the blood bag. As the metallic taste replaced the salty aftertaste of seawater in his mouth, the intense pain coursing through his body rapidly subsided. The human blood served its purpose; his injuries were healing.

“How’s the situation outside?” Charles asked in a hoarse voice. It seemed that the earlier expulsion of water had damaged his vocal cords.

“I don’t know; I can’t see,” the blind vampire answered truthfully.

Charles pushed him out of the way and hurried toward the aft deck. Upon arriving, he saw the other divers rushing toward the decompression chamber. The creature that had attacked him earlier had vanished.

The other crew members soon arrived and crowded around Charles with worried expressions while checking in on his condition. Through their accounts, Charles learned that his attacker was a gray, gigantic, decaying bonefish.

Truth be told, Charles couldn’t care less about the creature’s appearance, nor was he particularly interested in it. However, he was certain of one thing: this trench was fraught with dangers and teeming with deadly creatures.

In other words, dropping their guard for even a single second could spell demise.

Soon enough, the divers returned one after another, but they brought back unfortunate news.

Dragging a heavy diving suit, Dipp spoke to Charles with a bitter tone, “Captain, the navy boy is dead. He sure has bad luck.”

Charles rushed over and removed the hefty diving helmet to reveal Norton’s face. His face had turned purple and seawater mixed with his blood spilled onto the deck.

His diving suit was torn, but he hadn’t died from the intense water pressure. A large bone spike, complete with barbs, had pierced his chest killing him.

Charles let out a soft sigh. He could still remember the young lad’s excitement when he first boarded the ship. However, his first trip ended up being his last one as well.

Though the death of a crew pained him, Charles knew he couldn’t spend time to dwell on it.

“Linda, preserve his body with salt for now; we’ll return it to his family once we’re back on Hope Island,” Charles instructed.”

Linda nodded in acknowledgement. Then, she grabbed Norton by the collar and dragged the corpse toward the infirmary.

Taking a deep breath, Charles then clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention. “Everyone, back to your posts. We will continue the exploration. There’s no time to lose; let’s go.”

As the crew returned to their posts, the Narwhale started moving again and slowly left her current position.

Shortly after the Narwhale was out of sight, the headless stone statue standing beneath the skeleton slowly turned toward the direction in which the ship had left before becoming motionless.

The Narwhale’s sonar was operating, but it didn’t pick up any signs of the key, not even a shadow of it.

Just as frustration was building up in Charles, a growling sound disrupted his train of thought. It was his stomach sending a reminder that neither he nor anyone on board had eaten all day.

Despite being in perilous territory, Charles decided to pause their expedition temporarily and instructed the cook to prepare their meals.

After all, people needed to eat. Working on an empty stomach would only decrease their efficiency.

Half an hour later, the crew members were devouring their food in the mess hall. In their current predicament, no one was in the mood for a leisurely meal. Everyone focused on finishing their food and then returning to their respective posts.

While Charles was nibbling on some rather dry food, Anna took the seat next to him. She had reverted to her human form and was clutching her temples.

Her brain looked swollen and awkward; it was even squirming.

“Hey, don’t say I didn’t warn you. I can only hold on for another six hours. You’d better find a way to get back up in that duration. Otherwise, everyone on this ship will go crazy,” Anna said through gritted teeth.

Hearing Anna’s words, a surge of anxiety rose within Charles. The trench was expansive with no boundary in sight. Six hours seemed hardly sufficient.

“Can’t you extend the duration somehow?”

Anna turned toward Charles with a furious glare, her eyes almost bulging out of her sockets in frustration.

“Do you really think this is easy for me? Do you have any idea how hard it is to maintain the sanity and cognition of over a dozen people?

“The influence is constant and relentless. I can’t pause for even a second!” Anna roared. Her human form was close to collapsing, and she might revert to her true form at any moment.

Charles didn’t press further and gave her a gentle pat on the back instead.

Anna responded with a low snort of disdain before staggering out of the mess hall.

With his wife out of sight, Charles lowered his head to finish the last of his mushroom soup. However, the sudden clatter of a dish hitting the floor distracted him.

He turned his head toward the source of the sound and saw Second Mate Conor pointing toward a corner of the mess hall with evident terror on his face.

“Why… Why is he here?” Conor stammered.

Charles followed Conor’s gaze. There sat Norton, covered in salt, sitting upright as a rod and eating his meal.

Noticing the shocked expressions of his fellow crew, Norton wiped his mouth sheepishly. “I’ll head back to the infirmary to lie down once I’m done eating. There’s no need to bring me food I can move on my own. Also, my chest doesn’t hurt at all.”

Instinctively, Charles raised his right hand and the flesh revolver appeared in his grasp.

“O.S. Norton! Stand up!”

“Yes, Captain! O.S. Norton reporting!” Norton rose to his feet promptly and saluted with his right hand.

“Where did we first meet?” Charles asked with his gun aimed directly at Norton’s forehead. His finger rested on the trigger, ready to fire at the slightest hint of abnormality.

“Our first meeting was at the shipyard, Captain!”

“And what did you say to me then?”

“I said….”

In the face of Charles’ series of questions, Norton answered every single one without any pauses. It became clear to Charles that the man before him was indeed Norton, and he had somehow returned from the dead.

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