Shrouded Seascape

A rotten utility pole stood up slowly from the cold sea surface, but it turned out that there wasn't just one. When the utility pole stood up, it tugged at the wires of the other submerged utility poles, and they all stood up one after another.

These utility poles were bipedal skeletal creatures with mummified skin that had taken on a color similar to rusted metal. Their limbs were disproportionately long and thin, and their arms, which were as long as their legs, ended in a pair of huge, bony hands.

Their figures were riddled with barnacles and coral. Clearly, they had been underwater for a very long time. There were hundreds of these utility pole creatures, but some of them had speakers covered in a layer of patina instead of transformers and streetlights.

There were even some with chimneys for a head.

These bizarre humanoid creatures stood quietly as they surrounded Hope Island's fleet. Eventually, an unsettling gray mist covered the cold sea surface.

Charles' shoulder sank slightly as Sparkle teleported onto the deck.

"What are those things? Should I teleport all of you now? Daddy?"

Charles turned and saw that the naval base, which resembled a construction site now, was blanketed in a layer of absolute silence.

Charles opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped. He was nervous earlier, but his nervousness was assuaged when creatures resembling utility poles showed up.

Charles believed that none of these creatures were a threat, especially when Sparkle and him were here. It didn't matter whether they were the ghosts of the Albion Isles or creatures from the deep sea.

Charles' gaze swept across the navy troops. He raised his hand slightly and exclaimed, "Keep working, and I'll stand right here! I really want to see what these things can do to us."

The governor himself had decided to oversee the operations, so the navy swiftly complied.

The naval mines were laid down, and the pitch-black barrels of deck cannons were pointed at the utility pole creatures. Soon, the rumbling of machinery disturbed the silence of the Albion Isles' Navy headquarters once again.

The navy troops stood beneath the searchlights, while the utility pole creatures stood quietly in the darkness, which formed a stark contrast. It was like both darkness and light had arrived to face each other.

This standoff lasted for about half an hour until a vague and chaotic voice pervaded the air. Eventually, the voice became intelligible, and it said, "Fifteen. Delete. Unset. Tariff. Seven."

Charles grabbed the telescope and peered into the with his single eye. His night vision allowed him to clearly see the quivering speakers. The nonsensical voices were coming from them.

"Sparkle, provoke them a bit," Charles said.

Sparkle's figure sitting on Charles' shoulder swelled instantly, and an indescribable cluster of eyeballs appeared above the fleet. As soon as Sparkle revealed her true form, the utility pole creatures began to sway left and right, making them look like tall grasses sticking out of the sea.

Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones affected by Sparkle's true form. The people nearby revealed pained expressions. Some of them even grabbed their heads and knelt on the ground, screaming loudly to assuage their fear.

Charles looked up at his daughter and asked, "We're on the same side, aren't we? Can you make it so that our side is less affected by your true form? Which side are you helping?"

The indescribable cluster of eyeballs dissipated as if it were a mere afterimage.

"It's not like I can control it." Sparkle appeared behind Charles with an innocent expression. "They're just too weak. I haven't even done anything yet."

Charles sighed inwardly. Sparkle had grown powerful enough that ordinary humans could no longer withstand the presence of her true form.

"How about I send you back first, Dad? I'll clear these things out first, and then I'll bring you back here once I'm done," Sparkle suggested.

Charles fell into deep contemplation. Before he could make any decision, the utility pole creatures suddenly moved, and they all charged at Hope Island's fleet along with the nonsensical phrases coming from the rusted speakers.

BOOM!

Explosions echoed incessantly as the deck cannons spat fire. The fleet began showcasing the power of its new weapons.

Huge columns of water shot into the sky one after another, submerging the utility pole creatures, the speaker heads, and the chimney heads.

The noises generated by the rising and falling waves also suppressed the nonsensical phrases coming from the speaker heads.

The volley fire lasted for almost three minutes, and the sea surface that had been bombarded to the point of boiling eventually cooled down.

When peace returned to the sea surface once again, Charles was astonished to find that the bizarre creatures had inexplicably vanished.

"Bandages!" Charles shouted at his first mate standing behind the glass protecting the bridge. His brows were furrowed tightly as he ordered, "Go and ask the engineering team about how much longer it'll take for them to dig! Those creatures can't be that easy to deal with; I'm sure they'll return soon!"

Bandages picked up the black walkie-talkie next to him and spoke into it. He then turned to Charles and used flag semaphore to inform the latter that the team needed at least three hours of continuous work to empty the place completely.

Charles nodded and turned to the pitch-black sea surface. He made a few guesses in his mind. Are they the ghosts of the Albion Isles? It shouldn't be the case. Swann had sacrificed them to the Feaster, after all.

Before Charles could make a decent guess, the ship began tilting—something was lifting the ship!

"So those guys aren't done yet, huh?!" Charles took two quick steps forward before kicking off the gunwale and making a beeline for the hull downward. It took no time for Charles to see what was down below.

It was a massive shipwreck. The shipwreck had lifted the Narwhale with its smokestack and bridge. Unfortunately, the shipwreck couldn't possibly be just an ordinary shipwreck, and its appearance alone was enough to prove that.

After all, there had never been a ship that had a hull riddled with eyes. In addition, amorphous organs covered in blood were all over the rusty hull, and it was also covered with what looked like dark purple veins.

When Charles laid eyes on the shipwreck, the shipwreck laid eyes on Charles as well.

The seawater churned as the deck cannons of the shipwreck turned slowly and pointed their barrels—which were covered in flesh—at Charles.

BOOM!

A shell made out of flesh and steel flew toward Charles. The shell moved so fast that the air whistled as it streaked by, and by the time Charles finally made a move, the shell was already close enough for him to see the half-melted human face on the shell's surface.

Swoosh!

Charles disappeared instantly, and he reappeared on the bizarre shipwreck.

Charles bent down and put both palms on the floor. A crackling noise echoed afterward as radiant white electric arcs manifested, illuminating everything around Charles.

The seawater became so hot beneath Charles' electric attack that it seemed to be boiling. Soon, the smell of burnt flesh pervaded the air. Charles' attack was so strong that the flesh and blood covering the shipwreck was getting charred.

Eventually, the shipwreck could no longer support the weight of the ship above it, and a metallic creaking noise echoed as the steel giant of a ship above the shipwreck forced it back into the water.

The drenched Charles returned to the deck of his ship and was astonished to find pandemonium. He looked around and saw humanoid creatures that seemed to be made from a mixture of flesh and machinery.

The humanoid creatures seemed inexhaustible as they charged nonstop at the fleet. At this moment, the quiet Albion Isles seemed to come alive as the bizarre creatures frantically attacked Charles and his fleet.

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