Shrouded Seascape

Everyone was unwittingly transfixed on the sonar on their instrument panels. In the seemingly endless stretch of uncharted waters, the sonar was the only equipment that could help them detect any anomaly outside.

Under Charles' orders, the searchlights of the eleven submarines were turned off, and even the curtains were drawn.

Charles was aware of what was at the end of the dark red tube, and he also knew the consequences of clapping one's eyes on it. One's vision was a handicap in a situation like this.

The first mate, the second mate, the captain, and the helmsman were all in the bridge of the Narwhale. None of them spoke, and except for the noises of the instruments, only their breathing could be heard in the bridge.

The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. Even Nico, who had a penchant for making dirty jokes, had no interest in making such jokes at the moment.

"Six in the evening report, Maiden's Love is operating normally."

"Six in the evening report, Scorpion's Tail is operating normally."

The reports echoing from the speaker eased the oppressive air. Before the others could finish reporting, however, a tremor suddenly ran across everyone. Then, bizarre and eerie murmurs echoed in everyone's minds.

Charles rushed to the sonar's screen and stared at it with a solemn expression. The sonar hadn't detected anything yet, but he knew that they were getting close to that Divinity.

"All ships! Assume a long snake formation with a gap of three kilometers between each ship! Report every three minutes! And keep reporting even if anything happens!" Charles ordered.

The ships immediately obliged. By getting into this formation, the ships could easily make any major maneuver, even if the ship ahead of them had already been noticed by a Divinity.

The murmurs began affecting the mental state of the crew. Everyone's faces were twisted in fear and horror. They all drank Linda's special concoction, but their mental state didn't improve much.

In stark contrast to them, Charles was unaffected. Since he had devoured those souls from another perspective, his resistance to such mental contamination had improved vastly.

Charles wasn't the only one unaffected, as there was someone else unaffected by the mental contamination—Lily. The tiny mouse was curled up in Charles' neck and was holding onto his collar with her tiny paws while peering out cautiously.

As time ticked by, the murmurs in everyone's head grew louder and louder. In the end, the whispering got so loud that it transformed into a maddening shriek.

The fear and panic that it inflicted on the crew gnawed away at their sanity. There was no doubt that they were getting close to that Divinity, but the sonar was still quiet, making Charles feel a bit annoyed. They still hadn't detected that Divinity.

Just then, a gunshot echoed from the speaker, startling everyone.

Charles picked up the black microphone and asked, "What's going on?!"

"M-my helmsman couldn't withstand the pressure any longer and shot himself," a female voice echoed from the other side of the line. She sounded like she was in pain as she added, "Governor, is it really okay for us to keep going down like this? If what you said is true, then below us…"

"There's a Divinity below us!" the female voice exclaimed in extreme panic.

The air in the other ships seemed to freeze over as soon as her words fell. The female captain's extreme panic seemed to be contagious, and it spread like wildfire to everyone else.

Those capable enough to become an exploration ship's captain had definitely heard of a Divinity before, but captains who had encountered a Divinity were incredibly rare, as they all died before they could tell the tale.

There was even a legend circulating among the captains—If one were still lucky enough to move upon encountering a Divinity, then it'd be best to pull out one's gun and shoot oneself in the head. If one were to stubbornly cling to life, then one could suffer a fate worse than death.

Sensing that the others were starting to waver under the threat of a Divinity, Charles sternly replied, "Didn't I make this clear to you guys before we even started? You know what you signed up for. Weren't you quite arrogant when we just set sail? Now you want to back out? Where did that arrogance go?"

"But—"

"No buts! You've made your bed, now lie in it. Have you already forgotten my position in the seascape? You better think about the consequences before deserting us!" Charles warned.

He had no choice but to do this, as the other exploration ships would surely flee if he couldn't keep the female ship captain in check.

They were about to do something incredibly dangerous, and they needed a group to scout ahead of them. If Charles were to allow them to leave, no one was going to scout for the Narwhale. In other words, the crew of the Narwhale would be forced to jump into the danger blind.

Charles didn't really think that there was anything wrong with his words, especially when he had spoken to protect his family.

Except for the ragged breathing on the other end of the line, no other noises could be heard. Clearly, they were weighing the pros and cons.

Of course, Charles understood that intimidation wouldn't be enough to convince these captains. He had to offer a carrot after giving them the stick.

"I've encountered that Divinity before, and I'm still alive and well. What's the point of being an explorer if you're afraid of death? Let me declare this now—those who are still alive after this are going to receive a square mile of land on Hope Island in addition to the remuneration that I had promised you all!" Charles declared.

The fearful hearts of the captains burned with passion upon hearing Charles' words. They were all aware of just how scarce land had gotten on Hope Island, so a square mile of land on Hope Island… it could probably be exchanged for an entire island.

The morale of the crew began rising, and the submarines in the deep sea started moving once more. They were still afraid, and some of them had even killed themselves, but the rest didn't want to run away.

Time seemed to have come to a grinding halt, making a second feel like an eternity. Just as Charles was starting to feel dizzy, good news echoed from the speaker, "Governor! The sonar has detected a massive object up ahead!"

"Turn off your engines and turn off all interior lights! No one is allowed to speak, too!" Charles roared.

Everyone immediately did as they were told. The lumps of iron floated like coffins in the waters, and everyone's heart pounded wildly against their chest as they awaited their fate.

Ten, fifteen, and twenty minutes later, they were still unmoving. Some of them got so nervous that they unknowingly bit their lips to the point of drawing blood.

Fortunately, the Governor of Hope Island's next order finally arrived. "Good, great job. Scorpion's Tail, you're the farthest. Start your engines at the lowest setting possible, and then, I want you to circle around a massive dot on your sonar.

"Your goal is to find another tube similar to what we've been following so far."

Charles' deduction was correct. His multiple encounters with Divinities had allowed him to make a deduction—humans were nothing in the eyes of Divinities; humans were so worthless in Their eyes that they were not even worth a glance.

With that in mind, Charles deduced that they would be able to move under the noses of Divinities for as long as they moved as slowly as possible.

However, it was like dancing on a knife's edge. The slightest mistake meant drowning in the icy, pitch-black depths of the sea. Surely Charles was the only one daring enough to attempt something like this in the Subterranean Sea.

Soon, good news was heard from the Scorpion's Tail—they had discovered another dark red tube. Everyone on the other ships heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the report, and they began approaching the Scorpion's Tail.