Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 664: Conscious

Initially, the crew was just throwing furniture like tables and chairs overboard.

However, they soon realized that those things barely made a difference in reducing the Narwhale's weight. They then turned their eyes toward the heaviest items on the Narwhale—the two deck cannons.

With loud chants and combined effort, they began dismantling the cannons.

In his invisible state, Charles cautiously poked his head out from the smokestacks and watched the absurd scene unfolding on the deck below.

What's going on? We should be far enough from 005-3. It's at least ten kilometers away; they should've snapped out of it by now.

A grim expression crossed Charles' face. His plan had failed. He had hoped that putting distance between the Narwhale and 005-3 would relieve the crew of 005-3's brainwashing, but he was clearly mistaken; it seemed that distance was irrelevant to the brainwashing.

At this point, Charles had to make sure that the issue was resolved before the Narwhale could land. Otherwise, the crew would likely clash with the ground forces at the base.

If such a situation were to happen, it would lead to devastating losses on both sides.

Just then, a round of cheers erupted from the deck. The heavy and bulky cannons had just been tossed overboard, and it had significantly slowed down the Narwhale's descent.

Charles twisted the black spike in his neck, and his features contorted from the amplified pain.

This won't do. I can't do this alone. I need to get a few of them out of their trance and help me fix this mess.

Charles scanned the faces on the crowded deck. He knew this wasn't the ideal place to make a move. He had to lure the people he needed to a less populated area and isolate them.

However, every single one of them was focused on dismantling the last remaining deck cannon. There was no way for him to isolate anyone.Rêạd new chapters at novelhall.complating for a couple of minutes, Charles came up with an idea. He decided to slip inside and create a distraction. Like a chameleon, he crawled to the doorway above, sticking to the ceiling to avoid detection. He also needed to avoid attracting any attention. Unfortunately, it was still a challenging task, despite being invisible. His figure itched uncontrollably as if he was wearing a tight, woolen bodysuit, and he was having issues moving around due to the itchiness.

Soon, Charles started moving, and he eventually got close to the cabin door. He was so close to the cabin that he could already smell the sailors' sweat.

Just then...

Drip!

When Charles gripped the base of the spike and gave it a violent twist, Nico cried out in pain. However, his look of agony soon turned into confusion before finalizing to that of horror as he recognized the now-visible Charles.

"Captain, what... What's going on? What happened to me?"

A wave of relief washed over Charles. Nico was clearly back to his senses, and he finally had an ally on his side.

Charles didn't answer him. Instead, he dashed to the corner and grabbed the two mice in hiding. They were Lily's eyes.

He snapped the mice's legs with one swift motion.

Crack!

Now, the two mice couldn't return to Lily's side and make a report.

Upon dealing with the mice, Charles turned around to see Nico struggling to pull the spike from his arm.

"Don't pull it out!" Charles dashed forward and gripped Nico's trembling hand. With a forceful push, he pushed the spike back in. Before Nico could let out a piercing scream, Charles covered his mouth.

Ignoring Nico's flushed face and bulging veins, Charles leaned in close to Nico's ear adorned with a pearl ear stud and lowered his volume as he explained the situation.

"That's why we need to keep the black spike embedded in you. Only pain can suppress the brainwashing effect. We have to maintain this constant level of pain.

"What in the world is that thing? A Divinity? Why does it possess such terrifying power?"

Charles shook his head. "I don't know. But the Foundation designated It as 005-3. To get the ID 005, It must be formidable. But the suffix '3' probably meant that It's just a derivative of 005 rather than 005 Itself."

"If even a derivative is this strong, doesn't that mean that 005 itself is more powerful than a Divinity?" Nico asked, glancing at his bleeding arm.

"Let's cut the chatter. That's not our concern right now. Regardless of what it is, we need to rescue the others first."

Charles reached out to grab Nico's hand and pulled the latter up. Staring into Nico's eyes, which had heavy eyeshadow to them, Charles said, "You're conscious now, but they don't know that yet. We need to use that to our advantage."