Shrouded Seascape

Alone, Charles walked toward the Relic Research Institute. Despite having a car, he didn't want to drive it. For someone who had spent the majority of time in the confines of the Narwhale, this was a rare opportunity for him to be able to walk freely.

After walking through the rows of towering chimneys in the factory district, he finally arrived at the gates of the Relic Research Institute. The place had undergone tremendous changes. Despite being called a research institute, it looked more like a heavily fortified military base.

As soon as Charles approached, a massive beam of light from the nearby tower's searchlight shone down on him. A booming voice echoed from a loudspeaker above. "Halt! Raise your ID card and state your name!"

Charles lifted his head and squinted his eyes, trying to figure out the person behind the voice. However, the blinding strong light made it impossible for him to see who it was. However, he was certain that the speaker could see him clearly.

"It's me. Open the gate and let me in."

"I don't care who you are! This is a restricted military zone! No one is allowed to enter without an ID card! I'll count to three! Leave or I'll shoot!"

Following which, Charles' keen sense of hearing picked up the sound of a gun's safety being released.

A look of helplessness flickered across Charles' visage. Had he been away for so long that they no longer recognized him? Still, he ought to recognize the security efforts here.

"Is Gordon around? Ask him to come out. He knows who I am," Charles replied, bringing up the person he had once chosen to manage the place.

"Two!!

"One!!"

Gunshots rang out and instantly, a dozen bullets struck Charles and tore holes in his clothes.

After a round of bullets, the guards were shocked to see that Charles was still standing despite being hit. One of them immediately slapped his hand down on a nearby blue button.

The next moment, a piercing alarm blasted through the compounds and the tower lights turned a menacing dark orange.

"Bullets can't penetrate! Target's body is abnormally tough! Suppression Squad 3, Attack Team 5, move out!"

Charles shook his clothes, shaking out the bullets from beneath. By the time he was done, he had been surrounded by a swarm of soldiers with their weapons aimed at him.

A hint of irritation crossed Charles' face. "What is this? Does not a single one of you recognize me? I'm Charles."

The soldiers didn't shift their aim nor lower their weapons.

One of them retorted, "You might look like the Governor but that doesn't mean anything! It's very easy to change one's looks. Now, drop your weapons and raise both your hands! Else, don't blame us for taking action!"

As the tension slowly climbed to its peak, a chubby man abruptly dashed out of the research institute. His presence cooled down the heavy atmosphere as he frantically waved his hands and shouted, "Lower your weapons! He's really the Governor of Hope Island!"

The man was Gordon himself, his gleaming golden teeth unmistakable. Hearing Gordon's words, the surrounding soldiers swiftly retreated.

Gordon walked up to Charles. "Good morning, dear esteemed Governor. Please pardon them for their rudeness." Gordon then bowed his head that resembled a bloated fish and continued the explanation, "Since the 241 Incident, they only recognize individuals by IDs and not their faces."

Traces of surprise flashes across Charles' eyes. He then strode toward the distant Relic Research Institute as he said, "Now that the entire Subterranean Sea's technology is being shared with each other, I thought security would be more lax here."

"No, no, no, Governor Charles. Yes, it may be true that we've shared our technology with the rest, but no one surpasses us in terms of research and development," Gordon replied.

"On top of that, the various technologies shared by the Foundation can only be fully assimilated here. Other places simply don't have enough people left," Gordon continued.

Suddenly, Gordon seemed to realize that he had missed out something and added, "Besides, compared to other humans, we are more wary of other non-human entities. After all, the entire seascape is that vast, and we might have only explored a small portion of it. Who knows what lies in the uncharted waters?"

"Alright alright, I'm now putting anyone to blame, what's with this overjustification? Lead the way, I want to see how things have changed here," Charles said, stopping Gordon from rambling further.

Gordon nodded and quickened his pace to overtake Charles.

Though the facility still retained the name "Relic Research Institute," it had long evolved to become Hope Island's central research hub. With the knowledge shared by both the Foundation and the other islands, Hope Island's technological development had skyrocketed.

Light tones were the main color palette here. Laboratories and conference rooms were meticulously organized for maximum efficiency while people in various colored uniforms hurried about the various rooms.

"Governor Charles, take a look at this," Gordon said while presenting a bottle of semi-transparent liquid to Charles.

"We have derived this from Relic 239; it's a healing glue. No matter how severe the tear, just a drop and a gentle press will stop the bleeding and even provide antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects within the body."

"Then why haven't I seen this on the surface?" Charles asked as he took the bottle from Gordon and examined it closer.

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Gordon's countenance. "Firstly, there are some minor issues with the shelf life and mass production logistics. Secondly, surface exploration teams often face complete shipwrecks or disappearances, so this item would be less useful."

Charles stuffed the bottle back into Gordon's hands and instructed, "Send some to my ship. They will still come in handy at times."

"Understood," Gordon nodded repeatedly.

"Is that all? Such things won't be significant enough to better our current situation. Are there any other things that could make a significant impact?" Charles said.

After making a round to get to know the various new materials, Charles was slightly dissatisfied. It felt like they had fallen into the same old route again and if they were to continue on this path, Hope Island would become yet another new Foundation.

"Well…" Gordon replied with a hint of apprehension. "We've also assembled a dedicated research team to investigate the rising sea levels."

"And do you think researching the reason would help? If a solution could be found that way, the Foundation would have discovered it by now."

"Yes, indeed, Governor. I agree with you as well. But still, we have to try, don't we? What if we happen to succeed?" Gordon answered.

"Alright, enough of that. That's not my purpose here anyway. I'm here to look for someone." Charles finally got to the actual purpose of him being here today.

A look of genuine surprise appeared on Gordon's face. "Oh? What's his name?"

"He…" Charles didn't have an answer since he didn't know the person's name. All he knew was that the man had a pair of striking blue eyes.

"I can draw a portrait of him. I heard that he's one of the experimental subjects here. He escaped once but was recaptured by District 3."

"Alright, Governor. Please follow me. We'll go to the database to see if we can find him," Gordon replied.