Shrouded Seascape - Chapter 477: Loss of Control

The crew of the Narwhale ate their meal before moving once more, resuming their search for the legendary colossal key. Time trickled slowly, but they hadn’t been able to see anything except for the seemingly endless darkness.

The vast expanse beneath them had only a few things—submarines and unidentified giant bones.

Without any leads, Charles grew increasingly anxious. He would rather be under attack than endure this silence for a long while. At the very least, Anna would be able to extract something from the attacker’s mind; after all, she was adept at matters involving the mind.

The frustrating lack of leads was tormenting Charles.

Just then, a ping reverberated from the sonar, indicating that it had discovered something.

“Hard to port; heading fifteen!” the second mate yelled and spun the wheel. Bandages standing next to him drew a line on a piece of paper. The Narwhale’s propellers spun rapidly as it turned in the direction of the unidentified object.

They reckoned that they’d most likely encounter giant bones and submarines, but they had to investigate the lead regardless. After all, no one could say for sure whether it was going to be the key or not.

The Narwhale began to pick up speed until it settled at its cruising speed.

Soon, Charles noticed something amiss; they were going too fast—far beyond the Narwhale’s flank speed!

“Chief Engineer! What’s going on here? We’re submerged! Release some of that steam!” Charles yelled into the brass communication pipe.

Third Engineer Audric’s voice echoed from the steaming brass communication pipe. “Captain, there’s something wrong! We didn’t add any fuel, but the boiler is going crazy! It’s moving on its own like it’s possessed! The temperature is also rising sharply as we speak!”

Charles’ heart clenched at Third Engineer Audric’s remark. They were so deep underwater that any issues with the turbines or the boiler would transform the Narwhale into an iron coffin!

“Second Mate, turn around! Go in a circle along our previous route, and make sure that we do not collide with anything!” Charles roared before rushing into the boiler room with Bandages and Dipp following closely behind him.

The trio slid down the hatches and reached the Narwhale’s lower decks. Charles was struck by a heat wave upon barging into the boiler room, and he felt as if the hair on his face had been singed by the heat that was at least fifty degrees Celsius.

Charles’ eyes almost bulged out of his sockets upon seeing the Narwhale’s boiler emitting a dark red glow. To make matters worse, the massive boiler was already melting at the corners, which meant that it was on the cusp of exploding.

The boiler room team wore desperate looks but could only stand helplessly at the side.

“Don’t just stand there and do nothing! Cool it down with some water! Hose it down!” Charles exclaimed and grabbed a fire hose on the wall. Bandages moved swiftly to open the water valve.

However, the Chief Engineer exclaimed, “It’s useless, Captain! We’ve tried hosing it down, but it didn’t do anything.”

Charles tossed the hose aside and turned to the Chief Engineer, asking, “What’s going on here? Is there any problem with the heat dissipation pipes? Is there any blockage in one of them?”

The Chief Engineer looked to be about forty years of age, and he shook his head in response, replying, “I checked all the pipes and found no issues. It really is like the boiler is possessed. I-I really have no idea what’s going on.”

Charles was about to say something when everyone was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of weightlessness. Then, they slammed back down before tumbling haphazardly within the boiler room.

The creaking noise and the violent tremor—Charles was a veteran captain, so he instantly realized that the ship had collided with something at high speed. Charles lashed out with his prosthetic, pinning himself to the wall.

Charles managed to stop himself, but the others weren’t so lucky.

Aside from Third Engineer Audric, who transformed into a bat and hovered in mid-air. The others were gravely injured. The Chief Engineer and the Second Engineer were flung toward the searing hot boiler, and a sizzling noise echoed as they let loose heart-wrenching screams while squirming in pain.

The acrid stench of burnt flesh instantly pervaded the room.

Charles’ tentacles burst out of him and stuck on the walls and ceilings of the boiling room, making sure that he’d remain unaffected by the tremors by suspending himself in mid-air.

Charles ignored the crewmen pressed against the boiler and rushed into the communication pipe, yelling, “What happened?! Are we under attack? Use the torpedoes and return fire!”

Second Mate Conor’s voice echoed. “No, we’re not under attack, Captain! The wheel spun wildly on its own! We ran aground, and I’m trying my best to regain control of the wheel but to no avail!”

Conor’s words had yet to finish echoing throughout the boiler room when a violent tremor ran across the Narwhale once again. A pipe on Charles’ left split open, blasting the hovering Audric with hot steam.

The bat screamed and fell to the ground.

The Narwhale was in dire straits, and it seemed that it would implode anytime soon.

Charles looked around and yelled, “You’ve got to help us, old friend! It doesn’t matter what’s going on outside; you have to stop moving!”

The Narwhale immediately froze in response, but the tremors resumed soon afterward.

Honk! Honk! Honk! Hooonk! The Narwhale emitted a rhythmic whistle.

Charles’ expression changed drastically upon hearing the rhythmic whistle. He dropped down and retracted his tentacles. Then, he turned to Dipp and Bandages, saying, “Bandages, Dipp! Stay here and hold this place. I’ll go down and take a look.”

Charles had instantly recognized the Narwhale’s rhythmic whistle—three short whistle blasts immediately followed by a long whistle blast meant that the Narwhale herself needed assistance—she was under threat!

Charles moved like an octopus and shot down the hatches.

Soon, he arrived at the Narwhale’s lower hold where a fragment of 1002 was entombed. White shadowy figures had pervaded the lower hold, and they were swirling around the box, trying to pry it open.

Charles’ left tentacle stretched out with the flesh revolver in hand. Gunshots echoed soon afterward, and the shadowy figures were dispersed. The Narwhale’s tremors ceased almost immediately afterward.

Charles was delighted. He had just discovered the reason behind the Narwhale’s strange behavior. It turned out that the white shadowy figures were trying to pry open the box containing the fragment of 1002 and take control of it!

However, it seemed that Charles had celebrated too early. The white shadowy figures returned, coalescing into humanoid forms. They emerged from the ceiling, the floor, and the walls like clusters of pale-looking white mushrooms.

Charles gulped. There were far too many of them.

A cold breeze blew from the humanoid figures, and the breeze whistled, which transformed into a cacophony of shrill voices.

“He found us!”

“Are you here to steal what the Pope has been looking for? Never! Only His Holiness can take it!”

“Why can’t you hear the voices? And how come you’ve yet to become a lunatic?”

“Come on, now. Hurry up. Don’t keep us waiting. Join us—join us in the depths.”