Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 465: Attempt

Upon hearing Charles' rhetorical exclamation, the crew members gathered around him with their eyes fixated on the computer screen. The moment they saw the speech bubble displayed above the stick figure, a chill ran down their spine.

The message implied that among them, one had to stay behind and await death.

Charles scanned the faces of his crew but said nothing. He then turned back to the screen and asked, "Let's talk about that later. Where is the clue to the key you mentioned earlier?"

Never for a single moment had Charles forgotten Tobba's words; after all the clue to the key was also the reason he came here.

"Open the C drive. I'll help you look for it. Be quick. Those erasers aren't going to wait till you are done."

As soon as Tobba's words fell, the sound of rushing water came from behind Charles. Charles turned around and saw the chilly seawater seeping in through the door's gap. Time was running out; he needed to act quickly.

Without wasting another second, Charles opened the C drive and Tobba, who had been inside the "Charles" folder, leaped into the new folder interface.

The C drive was empty without any files, but as Tobba clicked away on the blank interface, a black DOS window popped up. Lines of commands filled the black window like a cascading waterfall and file after file started appearing on the previously empty C drive.

"Tobba, since you can predict the future, why can't you just tell me directly where the clue is?"

Jumping between the interfaces of the various folders, Tobba replied, "I can predict where the clue is, but I can't foresee the key's location. Something's blocking it. Do you think I'm some god? I'm not omnipotent!"

Eventually, Tobba discovered a folder marked "Top Secret" with a lock icon on it.

"Right here. The very first file in the folder. Go ahead and take a quick look at it. We must leave immediately once you're done," Tobba said. The stick figure on the screen appeared to grab at the lock and rip it away in a smooth motion. Instantly, the lock icon on the folder vanished.

With a trembling hand, Charles moved the mouse cursor over the folder and clicked into it.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, dozens of video files appeared before Charles. Each video was titled with intriguing yet straightforward names.

Aircraft Carrier Voyager Survivor Account

First Contact Log with 006

Spectral Analysis Report of Divine Blood

GK Council Member Directory

Experiment Log K392

Charles' heart pounded strongly against his ribcage as he scanned the list of file names. He realized the significance purely based on the titles. It was no wonder the Foundation had decided to hide these files within 068. Without any specific instructions or guidance, there was no way anyone could find these files.

The first one holds the clue to the key. Charles thought and opened the first video without any hesitation.

It appeared to be an overhead surveillance footage of a man chained to an iron chair. His head drooped forward as he said, "I don't know who stole the key or who capsized the carrier."

The screen then switched to a close-up of the man. It was the middle-aged Weister, the past Bandages. His weariness was evident from his countenance.

"Bullshit! Then why are you the only survivor of the entire vessel? And what exactly is that tattoo on your stomach? Why did you kill your companions before!" a stern voice interrogated from off-screen.

"He wanted to kill me! I had no choice!" Weister roared, his eyes burning red with anger. After his outburst, the light in his eyes dimmed out, and he dropped his head again.

"I really don't know why. I've known Aden for so many years. That day, we were just chatting as usual when he suddenly drew his gun and aimed it at me," Weister began.

"I was hit in the right shoulder. Because of the long-term training, I instinctively reacted and fired back. I thought something had climbed aboard and assumed his appearance, but" Weister trailed off as a pained expression appeared on his face.

"Our surveillance software indicated that the key was last carried to the Dark Abyssal Trench by a certain entity. Did you see what it was?" the voice off-screen continued probing.

Just then, the scene shifted to display a vast nautical chart. It depicted the surrounding islands and a pulsating light at one spot.

Charles abruptly stood up, a spark of excitement igniting in his eyes. He immediately hit the pause button. The video still had much to reveal, but none of it mattered nowhe had discovered precisely what he was searching for.

He frantically searched himself for paper but found none. Sparkle then handed him his diary.

"Daddy, are you looking for this?" she asked.

Charles excitedly planted a grateful kiss on her cheek and took the diary from her. He then eagerly pulled out a pen from his jacket's breast pocket to note down the coordinates and the specific location of the so-called Dark Abyssal Trench from the video.

As a qualified and capable captain and a skilled artist, Charles made quick work of his sketch. In less than thirty seconds, he completed a rudimentary nautical chart.

Though the chart was simple, it contained more than enough information to confirm the coordinates, especially with the presence of other islands as points of reference.

By now, the seawater had already risen to their thighs. Charles could no longer hear the screams and exclamations from outside, which was a bad sign. He knew he had to leave this very instance.

"Quick! Shut down the machine and seal them in here. Otherwise, if they catch my scent, we will never be able to escape!!" Tobba urged.

Charles quickly selected the folder of all his crew members with his mouse and was just about to drag them into the folder titled "Narwhale" when his gaze fell on one of the videos.

Experiment Log K392

The identifier K392[1] struck a chord with Charles. For some reason, his intuition was strongly sounding out to him that the information within bore immense significance.

"Charles! What are you doing?! We need to move now!" the stick figure of Tobba yelled and jumped anxiously.

Just as Charles was hesitant over his next move, a loud announcement boomed from a loudspeaker beyond the door.

"Task force members, the time has come to fulfill our duty! Even if it means plunging into the flames like moths! We must lay down our lives at the forefront for our people! Attack! Use every tool and technique at our disposal, and let us eradicate these invisible creatures!"

Charles recognized the voice to be the task force commander, Johnson. Without any hesitation, he double-clicked the left mouse button to open "Experiment Log K392".

"No rush. Those on the islands seemed to have engaged with the 'chalkboard erasers.' There should be enough time to watch this video."

Before the stick figure of Tobba could say anything, a voice from the video broke the silence.

"I'm K9, and we are about to commence Experiment K392! I acknowledge the rushed nature of this experiment but time is not on our side!"

In the video, a woman with a prominent hooked nose spoke animatedly to the camera. Then, she moved from within a room to the sun-drenched outdoors, and the camera followed her. The shadow cast on the ground suggested that the camera was some sort of drone.

The camera panned away from K9's face and toward a nearby monumental archway bristling with various metal frameworks.

The massive silver arch was the embodiment of technological advancement and resembled a majestic mountain. Around it, individuals clad in diverse uniforms were busily preparing something, each one handling various electronic devices in a state of focused work.

However, Charles' attention wasn't on the silver arch. As the camera angle lifted, he saw the source of the sunlight. It was not from the sun. Instead, he saw a dazzling halo with a triangle made of silver fragments suspended in its center.

He wasn't sure which Dawn was this, but the artificial sun gently descended into the center of the arch as it continued to radiate light and heat.

Just then, K9's voice came through like a narration voiceover. "This is our first attempt. Should we achieve success, we would have essentially created our own Divinity, and our future would be replete with radiance for us all."

1. For easy reference, it's chapter 309 where Charles first found out about Divine Blood.