One Hundred and Thirty, Escape
"Wow."
"Are you that impatient?"
Locke looked at the splashing water, sighed, and shook his head.
Then… Locke stared blankly at Gwen and Cindy in the water, blinking, "What's going on?"
"It's cold!"
"It's warmer in the water."
Gwen forced a smile, "Compared to up there, the water temperature is much better."
Locke blinked.
Kahn, hearing this, also dipped into the water, paused slightly, then looked at Locke and the others, "It's true, it's much warmer in the water than up here."
Locke: "…"
In the water near the steps.
Several people sat in a row, like children sharing fruit, with most of their bodies in the water.
Gwen.
Cindy.
Kahn.
Maggie.
Pepper.
Jennifer.
Christine.
And one more person next to Maggie, wearing an underwater breathing apparatus, blowing bubbles.
On the steps.
Robert and Locke exchanged glances, a strange sense of humor between them.
Not long ago, they were playing PUBG.
Now?
It seemed to have reverted to a casual game after completing some sort of escape room.
But… it was indeed a bit cold up there.
Robert glanced at the roaring propeller, where gusts of cold air were being sucked in, the wind biting and painful.
So cold.
Robert shivered imperceptibly.
Locke glanced at Robert, who seemed to have just been about to cross his arms, "Are you going into the water too?"
Robert waved his hand, "I'm fine."
Locke looked at Robert's slightly blue lips, raised an eyebrow, "If you really can't take it, don't push yourself. Go into the water and warm up for a bit."
It was indeed warmer in the water than up here.
The reason?
Perhaps the ship's circuits touching the water had heated it up, or compared horizontally to the cold wind blowing in from above, the water was indeed warmer.
But who knew the specifics?
Besides.
Locke wasn't concerned with this question.
Robert next to him seemed a bit tempted, but looking at the wild boar in the water, crouching next to his daughter, he changed the subject, "Do you think the rescue team has arrived?"
Locke looked at Robert, "The truth?"
"Of course."
"It's highly unlikely."
Locke shook his head, "I haven't heard any sounds of rescue boats or planes outside."
To be precise.
Locke speculated that the emergency GPS signal might not have been transmitted at all, and outside, they probably had no idea that the Poseidon had capsized.
Just a moment ago, Locke had secretly taken out the satellite phone he kept in his inventory.
But… the satellite phone couldn't get a signal.
This was a satellite phone that was supposedly able to make calls even in underground mine shafts.
No signal.
That was a problem.
But Locke didn't know what the problem was.
Robert frowned upon hearing Locke's words, "That's unlikely, isn't it? How long has it been?"
Locke looked at his wristwatch, "About two hours. Hold on a bit, it should be dawn soon."
"I remember we should still be sailing in the North Atlantic, right?"
"Yes, we were this morning."
"Wait."
Robert suddenly froze, "We didn't sail into the Bermuda Triangle, did we?"
The people crouching in the water also froze at these words.
"No way."
"I remember the route didn't say we'd pass through Bermuda."
"Exactly."
In the water, leaning against Maggie, Pepper, whose face looked much better than before, as if the water was truly warm, also said, "Around eleven o'clock, when the helicopter left, the Argo was near the Gulf of St. Lawrence. If that's the case, there's no way the Poseidon could have sailed into the Bermuda Triangle area."
The Argo was another luxury cruise ship, no less magnificent than the Poseidon, also on its maiden voyage from France to Los Angeles.
Gwen shook her head beside them, "Among scientists' research on the Bermuda Triangle, there's a theory that the Bermuda Triangle's location is actually not fixed."
Just then.
Thump thump thump!
Everyone snapped back to attention, looking towards the propeller opening, which had suddenly stopped rotating.
The next second.
The propeller started rotating again.
But this time, it was rotating in the opposite direction. Initially, cold air had been sucked in with a whooshing sound, but now, it was drawing the air from inside outwards with a whooshing sound.
The ship's cabin was like a sudden storm.
Locke grabbed a steel pillar nearby to steady himself, then, seeing Robert, who was almost being pulled in by the hurricane and about to be churned into a meat paste, reached out and grabbed Robert's arm.
"Hold tight!"
"I'll do it."
"Can you hold steady?"
"…"
Locke pulled hard, bringing Robert over to his side, letting Robert grab the steel pillar. Then, Locke looked at the propeller opening, which was continuously drawing air outwards, and took a deep breath.
Instantly.
With a gasp, Locke, holding a red can, was lifted off the ground.
Just as he was about to be sucked into the propeller opening, Locke tossed the red can towards the opening.
The next second.
The red can struck the rapidly rotating propeller.
Boom!
The moment the fire dragon from the explosion burst forth, and the suction disappeared, Locke grabbed a vertical chain with one hand and swung hard.
The fire dragon roared out from the opening, like a fire qilin charging out, letting out an angry roar, attempting to devour Locke.
But… the huge flame vanished ten centimeters behind Locke.
After all, it was a flashover.
If it had persisted, it wouldn't be called a flashover.
The water surface churned.
Dylan spat out his underwater breathing apparatus, stood up, and laughed, "How was it? Did you take care of it?"
As he spoke.
Dylan looked up at Locke hanging on the chain in mid-air, blinking, "What are you doing?"
Then.
Dylan also noticed the people sitting in a row in the water, like children sharing fruit, his mind somewhat stuck, "What are you all doing, crouching in the water?"
"It's cold!"
"It's warm."
"It's cold up there."
"I'm learning to swim."
"…"
Locke, hanging on the chain, straightened his waist and landed steadily at the opening, which was now emitting a puff of black smoke after the explosion. He peered inside to see the propeller's position.
The once incredibly sturdy propeller now looked like an iron tree that had burst into bloom.
But… the propeller had stopped.
Locke turned and nodded to Dylan and Robert below, then, clinging to the opening, he walked directly inside.
Dylan and Robert exchanged glances and quickly followed.
The people who had been crouching in the water were now also getting up.
"What the…?"
"So cold!"
"Does anyone have clothes?"
"Gwen and I bought so many expensive clothes, and we haven't even worn them once."
"Alright, my ID and everything are inside."
"…"
After the women emerged from the water, they all instinctively hugged themselves. During the recent life-or-death struggle, the adrenaline rush had prevented them from feeling cold, but now that they were out of danger, the adrenaline faded, and the cold naturally set in.
Gwen looked at Cindy beside her and said, "We're lucky. Many more people didn't make it out."
The Poseidon was fully loaded with over 3,700 people.
Now?
It was likely that they were the only survivors.
The women fell silent upon hearing Gwen's words.
Indeed.
They were very fortunate to have survived; many more had already been buried.
Just then.
Rumble!
The entire ship suddenly lurched upwards.
Everyone panicked.
"What's happening?"
"Quick!"
Dylan watched as the seawater, after the upward lurch, began to gush and swallow everything, like boiling water, and shouted, "The Poseidon is sinking! Get up here!"
Instantly.
Adrenaline surged again.
The huge propeller opening.
At this moment, their standing position had been elevated; looking down, they were probably at least sixty meters above the sea surface.
The bow of the ship had completely submerged.
Moreover.
The sunken bow was dragging the entire ship down.
They had to jump.
Locke found Gwen, who had walked over to him, and kissed her forehead, "Are you scared?"
Gwen shook her head, "I'm your lucky goddess. If I'm scared, what will you do?"
Locke's lips curved slightly as he embraced Gwen, "My lucky goddess is always blessing me."
As he spoke.
Locke shouted "Jump!" to everyone, then, holding Gwen, he leaped directly from the opening towards the sea below.
Failing grade entry into the water!
Not only did Locke and Gwen get zero points, but the others who successively jumped down also failed to achieve a passing score.
Fortunately… none of them got zero points.
Hum!
Behind them.
The stern of the Poseidon was now pointing high up.
In an instant.
A powerful, sucking vortex gradually began to form.
"Over there!"
Locke roared at everyone, pointing to a circular object floating on the sea in the distance, which should have been a lifeboat tied to the Poseidon's hull, "Go over there, quickly!"
They had come so far.
It wasn't easy to bring so many people out; if they were to be pulled down by the vortex at the last moment…
Everyone seemed to sense the danger, their faces paling, as they swam with all their might towards the circular lifeboat floating on the sea.
"Ms. Potts."
"…I'll do it, you swim fast!"
Locke, who had never been depleted and was still full of energy, turned to look at Pepper Potts, shouted to Gwen, who was about to help, then pushed off with his feet, slicing through the water like a swordfish and darting over.
Envious, aren't you?
Don't be.
It was just unlocked with potential points.
Five thousand potential points, just enough to reach level five swimming…
131. Aquaman's Destiny?
Dylan was the first to leap into the lifeboat like a carp flipping over.
Then, without even catching his breath, Dylan turned around and pulled Christine up.
A short while later.
Everyone was already on the lifeboat; a boat rated for only eight people was packed to the brim with eleven people, including Locke.
There should have been twelve.
But the Mustachioed Fat Sheep met with justice from the heavens while scouting the path.
If the Mustachioed Fat Sheep hadn't been so mouthy and had moved a bit faster—or perhaps a bit slower—then maybe the one who called himself Lucky Larry might have survived.
What a pity.
It seemed his Goddess of Luck had abandoned him the first time he was late.
Crash!
In the distance.
Accompanied by the surging whirlpool on the sea, the poseidon—which looked like a behemoth back at the New York Port—was swallowed by the vortex in an instant, disappearing completely from the surface.
Aside from... some scattered debris floating on the water proving what had happened, it seemed the ocean had completely erased all traces of the poseidon's existence at this moment.
The people on the lifeboat looked at each other, celebrating their survival.
Locke also locked eyes with Gwen and gave a slight smile.
Ding!]
Mission Complete: "An Unforgettable Sea Journey!"]
Mission Rewards: "500 achievement points", "500 potential points", "1 Random Treasure Refresh Ticket"]
Mission Bonus: 100x!]
Rewards Issued: "50,000 achievement points", "50,000 potential points", "1 40% Price Treasure Refresh Ticket"]
Current Status Refreshed!]
Name: Locke Broughton (Sole Player)]
Profession: Assassin (Switchable to Transcendent Witch!)]
achievement points: 93,000 (Can be used to purchase items in the Achievement Mall)]
potential points: 70,000 (Can be used to upgrade owned skills)]
Supreme Talent: Extraordinary (Gold Quality, Level 1: My energy is endless; your energy is beyond your imagination!)]
Transcendent Talent: Tenacity (Level 2:...)]
Faction: M78 Nebula, Land of Light
Members: 1/1 (Although your energy is endless, the energy you can currently mobilize can only be shared with one person)]
Name: Carrie White
Profession: Witch
Locke raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the ten people in the lifeboat.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, we all made it out."
"Yeah."
Hearing this, Gwen and the others looked at each other, then hugged their arms with a low mood: "But, there are many more who didn't make it out."
The poseidon was carrying three thousand, nearly four thousand people.
But... that wasn't what Locke was referring to.
He was just a bit curious.
When they first came out, the bonus multiplier was only 90x; the final 10x bonus seemed to be the bonus points for the ten people who escaped with him this time.
shit!
Locke's heart stirred. What if he had been able to turn the tide directly back then?
Even if it were 3,300 people, that would be a 3,390x bonus.
1,695,000 achievement points and potential points.
Locke's heart skipped a beat.
Then... he quickly regained his composure.
As the saying goes, he wasn't a saint. Although saving a whole ship could bring over a million in income, it would have been at the cost of exposing his identity.
It wasn't worth it.
He was only seventeen now. If he maintained this year's pace, by the time he was twenty-one and an adult, the rewards from school life alone would probably be enough.
Besides.
For all he knew, if he had saved the whole ship, after turning around, those people might even believe he was the one who caused the tsunami.
Locke was no Superman.
Superman could ignore slander and smears, but Locke couldn't. If Locke heard such things after saving them, he might just turn around and wipe them out.
Then would come congressional hearings, the end of the Federation, then a global alliance, and the end of the World.
So... Locke felt that not being a saint was actually for the good of the World; it was something he did within his power to protect it.
I really am too kind.
Thinking this, Locke couldn't help but tighten his hold on Gwen, who seemed to be huddled in his arms for warmth due to the cold.
Gwen felt the temperature of Locke's body.
It was like a furnace.
Roaring hot.
After a short rest, Dylan and Robert looked around the sea, but they couldn't see a single trace of any rescue teams.
It was already three o'clock.
Three hours had passed since the poseidon went down. Since no rescue team had arrived yet, there were only two possibilities.
First, the news of the poseidon's disaster hadn't been sent out at all.
Second, the news was sent out, but for some reason, the rescue team hadn't found them yet.
Over there, Pepper, who was holding Maggie for warmth, shook her head: "The poseidon was equipped with Stark Industries' latest Maritime Emergency System. This system was sold by Stark Industries to the Navy. Although the civilian version is scaled down, there were no compromises made in terms of automatic emergency broadcasting."
Robert and Dylan glanced at each other. "So... why isn't the rescue team here yet?"
At this moment.
The Bermuda Triangle in the North Atlantic, a place known for making people lost and the subject of many rumors, came to mind.
Pepper's thoughts were also racing: "Our route definitely wasn't through the Bermuda Triangle. The argo was only about a hundred nautical miles from the poseidon at the time, and the argo was near the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, so there's no way we could be in the Bermuda Triangle."
She paused.
Pepper looked at Gwen, remembered something Gwenhad said, and added: "Assuming the Bermuda Triangle's area is fixed and not moving."
If the Bermuda Triangle really moved as Gwen had just said, then they appeared to be right in the middle of it now.
In the chaotic magnetic field of the Bermuda Triangle, signals might indeed be sent out but fail to penetrate the triangle to be received by satellites.
Locke looked at the satellite phone in his inventory.
He secretly pulled out a corner and took a peek.
Good.
Still no satellite signal at all.
So... Locke looked up at the starry night sky and narrowed his eyes. Is the Bermuda Triangle trying to kill me?
Goodfellas.
I'm not even wearing the 'Destiny is with Me' title, that title that attracts the hatred and jealousy of the local Universe.
Ding!]
Mission generating!]
New Mission: "Malice from the Ocean"]
Mission Rewards: "10,000 achievement points", "10,000 potential points", "1 Mysterious Item Box"]
Mission Description: "You are already the master of your own fate; you are your own destiny. But it seems this ocean doesn't think so. Go tell this ocean, find the god of the sea, that you are destiny. Similarly, you are also the Sea... King or Sea Fate?"]
Mission Note: "The player's thoughts are the driving force behind the system's missions!"]
Mission Message: "Dear Player, in this World, no one understands you better than I do!!! No one!!!!!"]
[Accept] [Decline]]
"..."
You don't know shit.
I don't even understand myself, how the hell would you know?
Locke looked at the mission that had suddenly popped up and raised an eyebrow.
Fine.
He just had a thought, and the damn mission popped up.
Decline!
Locke rolled his eyes and directly declined the mission. Are you kidding me? Looking for a sea god at a time like this?
What a joke!
Locke was tough, not reckless!
Wait?
Does Marvel have a sea god?
Locke frowned.
Just then.
Thud-thud-thud!!!!
Locke snapped back to reality and looked at a navigation light that had suddenly lit up not far away.
On the lifeboat, the people who had been quiet for nearly three minutes also heard this discordant sound on the open sea.
Cindy stood up excitedly.
Then... with a splash, she fell off the lifeboat.
Kahn and Dylan quickly pulled Cindy back up from the Water. Then, Christine carefully stood up and shouted loudly, waving at the distant helicopter.
Fearing the lifeboat would capsize, the others stayed seated and waved their hands as hard as they could.
Thud-thud-thud!
Inside the exceptionally luxurious helicopter flying over the ocean, which was equipped with comfortable sofas and even a small bar.
"Mr. Stark."
Watching the fuel gauge drop to half, the pilot said in a low voice to Tony Stark, "Our fuel is running low; we have to head back."
Tony Stark, with his hands braced against the pilot and co-pilot seats, said with a grim expression, "Continue!"
Happy looked helplessly at the tablet he didn't understand at all from behind: "Tony, are you sure the Stark Satellites are working properly?"
Without looking back, Tony replied, "I'm sure. Something here is interfering with the signal."
Hearing his boss's order, the pilot could only continue flying over the stretch of sea they had already circled three times.
Tony stared into the deep night through the windshield, his expression so dark it was practically dripping.
"Pepper!" Tony stared at the sea below. "Where are you?"
Just an hour ago, when Tony was preparing to leave the argo to return to the poseidon, while heading toward the poseidon after leaving the argo, he suddenly received an emergency signal on a public channel.
The poseidon's distress signal.
Tony immediately contacted Jarvis to pull up the last location shown by Pepper's cell phone signal.
But the signal here... was very weak.
Just then.
Happy's eyes lit up as he looked at an interface that had suddenly popped up: "Tony, it's out..."
Tony turned around immediately and grabbed the tablet.
Then he frowned.
Because the signal was right where they were currently located.
Just then.
The pilot looked out the left window: "Wait, sir, I think I see something."
Tony hurried to the window to look.
The helicopter adjusted its searchlight.
With a thud.
It shone upon the lifeboat drifting on the sea.
On the lifeboat.
"Pepper!"
One hundred and thirty-two, one wave has not yet subsided, another wave arises
Soon.
The helicopter slowly descended vertically, stopping at a position approximately fifty meters above the sea.
"Lower!"
"No!"
"What?"
The pilot turned his head and shouted at Tony Stark, whose face was etched with an expression of being fired, "We can't lower it any further. If we do, the helicopter will become unstable."
Happy quickly threw out the retractable ladder hidden in the cabin doorway.
Click!
Click!
Click!
Section after section of the ladder descended under gravity, and then, the last section of the ladder touched the edge of the lifeboat steadily.
Just enough!
"Pepper!"
Tony stood at the cabin door, looking at Pepper in the lifeboat, and shouted, "Come up quickly."
Pepper looked up at Tony, who appeared in the light, and couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
Although to outsiders, Tony seemed to have a bad personality and temper, Pepper knew that was merely a disguise Tony put on.
However... Pepper looked at Connor, the only child in the lifeboat: "Let Connor go first!"
The others didn't say much. Locke stood up, directly took Connor with both hands, lifted him, and let Connor grab onto the escape ladder.
The pilot struggled to control the helicopter, his eyes unblinking as he watched the fuel consumption, which was almost visible to the naked eye, his heart pounding!
"Maggie."
"Pepper."
"Jennifer."
"Cindy."
"Gwen."
"Christine."
"Kahn."
"Robert."
"Dylan."
Dylan looked at Locke: "You go first, I'll go last."
Locke directly pulled Dylan: "Did you forget what happened last time in the forest when I let you cover the rear? You're still covering the rear? This time, I don't have the ability to snatch you out of a shark's mouth."
Unpleasant memories flashed through Dylan's mind.
That time, also in the forest, the two encountered a ogre hunt. At first, Dylan showed his military demeanor, protecting Locke and letting Locke go first.
Locke quickly made his escape, but Dylan was captured by the ogre, shouting, "You f***ing go! They're coming! Run!"
At that time, Locke originally didn't want to save him.
But... Dylan was a good person, and from a certain perspective, he was caught by the ogre because he was covering Locke.
So, Locke stopped, directly shot and killed the two ugly ogres with bows and arrows, and then, in that cave, found Dylan, who was about to become human sashimi, and saved him.
The scene of the Texas ogre flashed through both their minds.
Dylan didn't say much either, quickly grabbed the rescue rope, and climbed into the already overcrowded helicopter in a flash.
At this moment.
The helicopter was already sounding an overload alarm.
After all, this helicopter was big, but no matter how big it was, it could only accommodate ten people at most.
How many people were on the plane now?
Thirteen people, and if Locke went up, that would be fourteen people.
Moreover... the fuel level had also decreased.
"Hurry!"
After Dylan climbed onto the helicopter, he turned around, looked down, and then suddenly his eyes narrowed, roaring, "Watch out!"
Sixth sense triggered!
Locke turned his head to look.
Roar!
A shark directly burst out of the sea, its sharp teeth gleaming in the deep night.
Thud!
The shark leaped directly, slamming into the lifeboat.
Instantly.
The lifeboat immediately capsized.
Locke fell into the water!
"Locke!"
"Oh, sh*t!"
"Locke!"
Gwen covered her mouth, unable to help but look at the capsized lifeboat on the sea, and then, the sea, which suddenly returned to its usual calm.
The next second.
A blood-red color floated up.
It was blood.
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
Gwen's eyes flickered, filled with tears.
"Locke..."
Countless images of Locke and her together flashed through Gwen's mind: "Locke!!!"
Just then.
A dark shadow began to float up from the sea.
The next second.
The sea moved instantly.
The lifeboat also shook. Locke directly propped himself up on the lifeboat and climbed onto it, his chest rising and falling slightly.
"Oh, sh*t!"
"God!"
"Damn it, Locke!"
"Beautiful!"
Dylan looked at Locke, who reappeared on the lifeboat, and couldn't help but pump his fist: "I knew you wouldn't die that easily."
So many ogres couldn't harm fourteen-year-old Locke, let alone a mere shark.
Dylan's face was excited, as if he had killed the shark himself.
Gwen, who was watching Locke reappear, finally couldn't control her emotions and hugged Locke, bursting into tears.
Cindy and Pepper quickly comforted her.
As for Tony?
Tony and Happy were squeezed to the side. After all, Tony and Happy probably didn't understand what this experience meant to these people.
Locke, on the lifeboat, quickly calmed his breathing after disengaging from the fight.
Damn it!
The mission is already starting?
Malice from the sea?
I haven't even gone looking for you, and you've already come to me?
Don't let me find where your sea eye is. If I do, I'll pluck out your eyes and send you straight down the drain.
Locke propped himself up and stood directly on the lifeboat, biting a small dagger in his mouth, looking at the floating shark not far away, and then, he jumped directly into the sea.
"What the f***..."
"What is he doing?"
"What's he going to do?"
In the water.
Locke swam to the dead shark. Holding the knife in his right hand, he forcefully slashed with the dagger, instantly cutting off the shark's fin, and then swung the knife again.
A cold gleam flashed.
Locke, biting the dagger, held a string of shark meat and fins in one hand, and with the other, he grabbed onto the escape ladder.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
The pilot, seeing this scene, immediately began to move, flying as quickly as possible towards the Argo, from which they had come.
Ten seconds later.
With a clatter.
The shark fin and shark meat were first thrown into the cabin by Locke, and then, with Dylan's help, he climbed up.
Locke folded the dagger in his hand, flashed it towards his belt, hiding it in the belt, and looked at Dylan: "Find a place to have a bowl of shark fin soup and some shark sashimi to calm our nerves!"
Dylan, who had closed the cabin door, no longer wanted to speak.
"Locke!"
Gwen, unable to control her emotions, embraced Locke: "God, thank goodness!"
Locke smiled brightly: "My goddess of luck hasn't left me, so how could anything happen to me?"
If this were on land.
If this shark had come, Locke could have performed a slide tackle and disemboweled the shark directly.
After a while.
Locke smiled, looking at Gwen, whose face was full of tear stains, and said, "Sorry for making you worry."
Gwen gazed at Locke's handsome face, which seemed to never show any panic, and broke into a smile through her tears, then hugged Locke once again.
The few people in the cabin looked at each other, and then, couldn't help but show a hint of a smile on their faces.
It was a good thing that Locke was unharmed.
If they all got rescued in the end, and only Locke had perished, they would feel very guilty.
After all... if it weren't for Locke this time, frankly speaking, whether they would have survived was probably an unknown.
Pepper, soaking wet, also looked at her boss, Tony Stark, who stood before her, staring at her with a certain look: "I want a raise!"
Tony was expressionless: "Okay."
"I want a vacation."
..."Fine!"
Tony seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded: "Where do you want to go on vacation? I'll go with you."
Pepper looked up at Tony, not speaking.
Locke also got up from the floor.
Locke looked at Dylan: "So, what about our rescue?"
Dylan shook his head: "Signal lost."
Happy, seeing this, said: "God, what on earth happened? Where's the Poseidon?"
Robert, sitting next to Happy, tapped Happy's shoulder and pointed out the window: "Look over there."
Happy looked.
"Look at what?"
"Do you see the sea?"
"Mm."
"It's already in the sea."
"..."
Tony, who was engaged in a stubborn staring contest with his secretary, heard this and turned to look at Robert.
Robert said in a deep voice: "The few of us are probably the only survivors of the Poseidon."
If Locke hadn't clearly known the escape route.
If Locke hadn't found that bag of underwater respirators.
The few of them probably wouldn't have made it out before the Poseidon sank. In fact, without that bag of underwater respirators, just that diving distance alone would have likely caused several casualties.
Tony said in a deep voice: "When I left the Poseidon, I checked the information. There were no traces of any tsunami forming."
"It was a monstrous wave!"
"Huh?"
"The kind of monstrous wave that several federal warships encountered during World War II, with no warning whatsoever. After World War II, the military even investigated it, originally thinking it had disappeared. Who would have thought that this time, the Poseidon would run into it."
"..."
Happy suddenly realized the number of personnel on the Poseidon and couldn't help but gasp.
Locke estimated the current flight distance, which was already about fifty nautical miles, and looked up at Tony: "Still no signal?"
Happy looked at the screen, which was still stuck on transmitting signal positioning, and shook his head: "Signal lost. We probably won't be able to contact the outside world until we reach the Argo."
Locke nodded.
At this moment, the time was already approaching five in the morning, and a glimmer of light had appeared on the distant horizon.
Ten minutes later.
The pilot, seeing the Argo already in sight, began to lower altitude, preparing to land.
Only... "Huh?"
The pilot looked at the empty deck and frowned: "Where are the ground personnel?"
However... it was possible to land even without ground personnel. After all, he was a professional, and he had been hired by Stark Industries with an annual salary of one million.
The plane landed.
The cabin door opened.
Locke... the sixth sense warning struck again!
One Hundred Thirty-Three: The Empty argo
The hatch opened.
Warnings from his sixth sense followed in quick succession.
Something is wrong!
At this moment, the sea surface had already escaped the darkness, trending infinitely closer toward the light.
But... the deck of the argo beneath his feet was excessively quiet, devoid of any human presence; forget people, there wasn't even a ghost of a shadow.
Even...
Locke, who was born with a good sixth sense, didn't hear any sounds of people talking.
Only the warnings from his sixth sense.
The crisis... was right here on the argo. To be precise, the source of the crisis was this luxury cruise ship called the argo itself.
"Where is everyone?"
Happy, who was the first to go down, looked around at the people following him out of the cabin and was also somewhat confused, sensing a hint of oddity: "Strange, why does it feel like there isn't a single person here?"
"Something's wrong!"
"What?"
Locke said as much, looking at the pilot who had also just come down. "How long will it take to refuel?"
The pilot was stunned for a moment, then looked at his boss Tony Stark, who paid his salary. After seeing the latter nod, he looked at Locke and said, "It will take at least half an hour."
Locke hummed in response and looked at the women. "This place isn't right. Go back into the cabin. We'll leave as soon as we finish refueling."
They couldn't stay here.
Or rather... it was okay to stay, but only for Locke alone. With outsiders present, it was too inconvenient. The capsizing of the poseidon hadn't exposed him, so he couldn't very well be exposed here.
Locke then looked at Dylan and Robert, and then at the pilot. "How do we refuel? The three of us will help you."
The pilot pointed to a refueling station over there. "I need to find the Captain to get the key first."
Locke frowned and looked at Happy. "Although you don't look like a bodyguard, since you say you are one, you should have a gun on you, right?"
Happy nodded, then reacted. "Hey, I'm a body— with an annual salary of six hundred thousand..."
So many elite soldiers applied to be Tony Stark's personal bodyguard, and in the end, only he stood out, defeating the Rangers, Seals, Marines, and the rest to have the last laugh.
What do you mean I don't look like a bodyguard?
Listen to that.
Is that even human language?
Happy turned his head to look at Tony. "I am your bodyguard, right?"
Tony was expressionless; he was already used to Happy's complete lack of self-awareness and was immune to it.
Pepper's mouth twitched.
Locke asked, "Do you have a gun?"
Happy looked at Locke warily. "You don't want my gun, do you? You're only sixteen."
"Seventeen."
"..."
Correcting Happy's words, Locke smiled. "It's good that you have a gun. Stay here and protect them. We'll go find the key. If anything feels wrong, just fire."
Happy: "..."
There was no one left on this ship.
Locke didn't hear any human voices at all. The argo was as silent as outer space. If so many people went down, it would be no different from seeking death.
Tony said directly, "I'm going too."
Locke turned to look at Tony and laughed. "Mr. Stark, you're more useful staying here than going in. Because you're the only engineer here. If there's any problem, I think the fuel on the plane should still support flying for a while."
If Iron Man Tony Stark went in, Locke would support it with both hands.
But if Playboy Tony Stark went in, to put it bluntly, he would be a burden—and a burden ten times more troublesome than a regular one.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
Locke, Dylan, Robert, and the pilot looked at each other, then walked down the steps toward the deck.
There was no other way.
If Locke didn't follow, given the currently unknown and eerie situation on the argo, what if the three people who went to find the key never returned?
In that case, it would be no different from queuing up to die, and it would waste time.
So Locke weighed the options and followed.
Leaving the deck and walking down the corridor, the argowas as silent as a ghost realm, which was completely unscientific.
"Where is everyone?"
"I remember there were over three thousand passengers on the argo."
"To be precise, three thousand five hundred. They set off from Paris, including merchants from Paris and tourists preparing to come to the Federation for vacation."
"So..."
The four of them lowered their voices and walked toward the Captain's Room. "Where are the people on the argo?"
The pilot was also feeling a bit scared. "About an hour and a half ago, when we set out for the poseidon, there was a party on the argo, but look..."
Everyone followed the pilot's finger and looked at the cruise ship's atrium below.
In sight.
The atrium was a mess. Various tables, chairs, stools, decorations, and fine wines were scattered all over the floor. It looked like some kind of panic-inducing event had occurred.
"Terrorist attack?"
"No blood."
"Shipwreck?"
"No bodies. And when we landed, I took a look; the hull is fine."
After Locke finished speaking, he directly interrupted everyone's further speculation and said, "Don't think too much. Find the key, refuel, and let's get out of here."
The pilot looked at a door after the corner. "We're here."
However... the cockpit was also empty. The various instruments that should have been lit up were all currently black screens.
But...
Locke walked to the side, held a coffee cup on the table, felt the remaining temperature of the cup, and frowned. "It's been cold for a while."
The pilot pushed open the door and entered the Captain's office. Looking at the empty wall, he was stunned.
Dylan walked in. "Did you find it?"
"No."
"What?"
The pilot pointed to the wall where the various backup keys for the argo should have been hanging and frowned. "The keys are all gone."
"What about refueling?"
"Without the key, it can't be opened."
"It's fine."
After Locke walked in, he didn't seem surprised at all by the result of the missing keys. "Find some pliers and just force it open."
Everyone was gone.
It was expected that the keys would be missing too.
Robert also seemed to have grabbed a pair of large pliers from the cockpit. Hearing this, he asked, "Will this work?"
The pilot looked and nodded. "Yes, but..."
"What else is missing?"
"If it's cut open, I suspect the fuel delivery channel won't open automatically."
"Tony Stark is an engineer."
Locke said directly, "If he can't even handle a small problem like this, he doesn't deserve to be called Tony Stark. Any other problems?"
Looking at Locke, who spoke decisively, the pilot shook his head. "No more."
"Then let's go!"
Seeing this, Locke nodded directly and said as much, turning to walk outside.
After stepping out of the cockpit door.
Locke's footsteps suddenly paused.
"Someone's here."
"What? Where?"
"There."
Locke turned and pointed to a Room not far away. "What Room is that?"
The pilot said, "The Conference Room."
Locke looked at the three of them. "You guys go to the deck first and start refueling. I'll go over and take a look."
Dylan and Robert said, "Let's go together."
"I'll be fine on my own."
Locke looked at Dylan and Robert. "When you go up, if you encounter any movement, ignore it. Even if someone calls for help, don't pay any attention. We go back the way we came. If you come with me, you'll only slow me down."
Saying that.
Locke walked directly toward the Conference Room over there.
Dylan and Robert looked at each other, and then Dylansaid, "Let's go. Although I don't want to admit it, he really is much more capable than us."
Robert sighed. "If I had known, I would have wanted a son back then too."
Dylan looked at Robert a bit strangely. "You don't think every sixteen-year-old boy these days is like Locke, do you?"
Locke is unique.
Others?
These days, most sixteen-year-old boys are indulging in alcohol and pleasure.
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
Dylan and Robert nodded, and after glancing at the pilot, the three of them turned and quickly jogged back along the path they came.
In the Conference Room.
Locke walked in, his gaze falling on a bookshelf placed in the Room.
The sound he had just captured came from this bookshelf—to be precise, from behind it.
Even... standing in front of the bookshelf, the sound of breathing Locke captured became even clearer.
"Come out!"
"..."
"If you don't come out, I'll shoot."
"...Don't!"
Locke expressionlessly watched as the bookshelf was slowly and laboriously pushed aside from one side, revealing a blond man who looked no older than thirty and appeared non-threatening. "Who are you?"
The man looked at Locke standing in front of him, then scanned the surroundings warily and with a face full of fear before looking up at Locke. "Who are you?"
"I asked you first."
"I'm a waiter in this ship's restaurant."
"A waiter."
Locke glanced at the white waiter's uniform on the man, his expression indifferent. "Where are the people here?"
"Dead!"
"Hmm?"
The man's expression became terrified. "They're all dead, everyone is dead."
Saying that.
The man's whole body couldn't help but start shaking, then he looked at Locke. "How did you get here? Is there a boat? Is there a plane? We need to leave here quickly."
Locke was expressionless. "What happened?"
The man continued to shake, looking at Locke as if he had made up his mind. "I know there are several boxes of gold here. I'll give them to you. As long as you take me out, I'll give them all to you. I'll take you there now..."
"Pfft!"
"Uh..."
Locke's right hand flashed, and silver dancer was out in an instant. A bullet blasted directly into the forehead of the man who was excitedly trying to come over and hug him.
The man's footsteps stopped instantly, and then his gaze couldn't help but shift upward, as if he wanted to see the bullet hole in his own forehead!
Why did this happen?
The man looked at Locke, who was three steps away, as if issuing such a silent interrogation...
Chapter 134: Mutated Giant Octopus?
Why?
That's a very good question.
Locke looked at the man three steps away, who had been shot in the forehead for more than One Second but was still standing upright, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "Because ten minutes ago, you weren't here."
When he had just come down from the deck, he hadn't heard any sound of breathing in this meeting room.
Yet, when they were ready to refuel and leave, this guy's breathing could be heard, and it was very deliberate, as if he wanted them to hear it.
What does this indicate... if this man were truly hiding from something, would he make his breathing so loud?
What's more...
Locke looked thoughtfully at the man shot in the forehead: "Not even a drop of blood. This fake is a bit too casual."
As soon as he finished speaking...
The man in front of him instantly bled from all seven orifices; the scene was momentarily bloody and terrifying.
Except... the acting was overdone. Hey, I gave you a headshot, I didn't poison you. After a headshot, you're performing a 'bleeding from seven orifices' act? Is that appropriate? Does that fit the setting?
"You will all die here!"
The middle-aged man's entire body expanded rapidly like a balloon being blown up: "The great Lord of the Oceanwill not let you go. You will all die!"
Boom!
In an instant.
The middle-aged man exploded, and in a flash, every corner of the meeting room contained a part of him.
Standing outside the meeting room, Locke looked at the room after the explosion, deep in thought.
Lord of the Ocean?
Ding!
Task generating!
Task: "Deep Rising!"
Task Reward: "potential points * 10,000", "achievement points * 10,000 * Mysterious Item Box * 1"
Task Description: "There seems to exist a monster here calling itself the Lord of the Ocean. It even had its servant attack you. Can you endure this? If this can be endured, what can't!"
Task Note: "Only the system can think what you think and be anxious about what you're anxious about. Only I understand you!!!"
Locke's mouth twitched.
What is this damn system freaking out about?
But... after Locke accepted the task, he turned and walked toward the deck.
Gwen was still here. He wanted to send Gwen away and create a Locke clone. By multitasking, the clone could leave with Gwen, and only after the bystanders had left would it be time for him to resolve this task.
On the deck.
With a snap, the pipe specifically used to transport fuel to the helicopter was violently opened.
"How is it?"
"Stark is over there seeing if he can start the program from the outside."
Dylan looked at the approaching Locke, pointed to Starkover there, and then said, "How was it at the meeting room?"
Locke shook his head: "Might have been a wild cat on the ship; it gave me a start. I searched that floor while I was at it but didn't see anyone. It's like they all vanished into thin air?"
Cindy couldn't help but grab her boyfriend Kahn's shoulder: "Then, where are the people on the ship?"
Jennifer looked at everyone: "I suddenly thought of something that seems similar to what's happening now."
Several people looked at Jennifer.
"The Philadelphia Experiment!"
"..."
The Philadelphia Experiment: In 1943, the Navy conducted a secret Military experiment in Philadelphia, the famous Philadelphia Experiment. This experiment successfully sent a destroyer and its entire crew into another dimension. Then, when the experiment ended, the ship had been moved to Norfolk, 480 kilometers away.
However, when the Military sent people up to check, they were shocked to find that all the crew members who should have been transported with the ship had disappeared.
Gwen shook her head and said, "The Philadelphia Experiment is just a legend; there's no evidence to support it at all."
"Don't we have it now?"
Jennifer looked at Gwen: "Dr. Jessup also believed that strong magnetic clouds could rearrange the molecular structure of humans and matter, allowing them to enter another time and space."
Gwen shook her head: "I'm not saying Dr. Jessup's theory is flawed; I'm just saying there is no evidence to prove the Philadelphia Experiment actually happened."
Jennifer spread her hands: "Hasn't it been proven now? Otherwise, what other explanation is there for why the crew of the argo disappeared in such a short time?"
The argo didn't encounter a massive tidal wave like the poseidon did.
Moreover... looking at the surrounding sea surface, there are no bodies or anything. Even the lifeboats hanging on both sides of the argo's hull are perfectly intact, still hanging right there.
Gwen opened her mouth.
Seeing this, Jennifer looked at Gwen: "Gwen, if it's not this explanation, do you have any other? The magnetic field here is indeed strange; otherwise, we wouldn't be unable to contact the outside world."
Gwen shook her head: "I can't think of any other reason for the time being."
Locke interrupted their conversation: "Still no signal?"
"No."
"Alright."
Locke looked over at Tony Stark, who was holding a tablet in one hand and quickly tapping on it with the other: "Restarting. Five, four, three..."
Hum!
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Several lights on the deck instantly lit up, and over there, the indicator lights on the fuel transport pipe also lit up.
Immediately after.
The fuel tank began to slowly crawl toward the helicopter's fuel tank, even making a 'glug-glug-glug' sound.
The pilot over there looked at the fuel gauge with a face full of surprise as the fuel level gradually recovered. He turned around with delight and shouted to the group standing on the deck not far away: "It's refueling!"
Just then.
Boom!
Thump!
The transport pipe that was connected to the fuel tank and the helicopter's fuel tank suddenly tore open. Then, with lightning speed, it slammed directly into the pilot, who still had a joyful expression on his face.
With a bang.
The pilot's head was struck as if by a massive brute, spinning his head a full 180 degrees. The scene was no longer just terrifying; it was a matter of pure horror.
The next second.
The transport pipe, which seemed to have come to life, lifted high into the air. Accompanied by the sound of something writhing, with a 'whoosh', a tentacle covered in countless tiny eyeballs—enough to make someone with trypophobia faint at a glance—shot out from inside the transport pipe. Then, with a crash, the tentacle smashed directly into the body of the helicopter.
Boom!
The helicopter, as if it had no weight at all, was pushed right off the deck by the tentacle, falling away just like that.
Locke held Gwen and placed her in a safe spot, then looked at the motionless Happy.
"Hey, my..."
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Locke pulled the gun directly from Happy's waist and fired three shots in quick succession, hitting the flailing tentacle—which looked like it belonged to an octopus—that had crawled out of the transport pipe.
In an instant.
Fuel mixed with the green blood of the tentacle and began to spray all over the deck.
The tentacle seemed to realize who was shooting it. It adjusted its posture, and with a 'whoosh', a tentacle swept toward Locke with overwhelming force.
At the same time, from somewhere deep inside the argocruise ship beneath their feet, an angry roar seemed to echo.
"Watch out!"
"Boom!"
The tentacle smashed directly into the deck, instantly creating a small crater filled with writhing tentacles.
Clang!
A cold light flashed in Locke's hand as the fire axe he held chopped directly into a section of the tentacle.
The tentacle was severed instantly.
The fire axe bit three inches deep into the deck.
Locke caught a roar that sounded like a cry of pain from being wounded, and then he watched as the tentacle inside the transport pipe continuously writhed and retracted.
A few seconds later.
A deathly silence returned to the deck, save for everyone's heavy breathing and the severed tentacle in the crater, which twitched every now and then.
"It can be hurt."
Locke pulled the fire axe out of the deck and looked at the green blood mixed with fuel on the deck, then at the tentacle in the crater: "If it can be hurt, it must follow a rule—the simple rule that if it's killed, it dies."
Everyone looked at each other in shock.
"Locke."
Gwen was the first to snap out of it and ran to Locke's side: "Are you okay?"
Locke shook his head, tossed the empty pistol back to Happy, and then looked at Tony Stark with a serious expression: "When we get back, change your bodyguard. If all else fails, spend some money to send Happy to Blackwater for some training."
Happy caught the gun flusteredly, and hearing Locke's words, he felt terrible.
Tony Stark walked over, glanced at Locke, and said expressionlessly, "I will consider that suggestion."
Happy: "..."
How embarrassing.
With so many men present...
What was the result?
The youngest one was the first to snap out of it.
Tony looked at the dazed Happy, then at Pepper: "When we get back, have Blackwater send a professional coach."
Pepper nodded: "Alright."
Dylan, who felt no psychological pressure at all, walked over and looked at the still-twitching tentacle with surprise: "What kind of monster is this? An octopus?"
Looking at the shape of the tentacle, it did indeed look exactly like an octopus.
But... are there octopuses that big?
Robert walked to the edge of the deck and looked down; the helicopter was starting to bubble and slowly sink underwater.
"It's probably a mutation."
Locke watched the tentacle that Dylan had poked with a stick—which, after so long, still seemed to have life in it as it stubbornly tried to crawl back toward the pipe—and looked at Tony: "Is there any other way to contact the outside?"
Clearly.
The mission boss that had spawned this time didn't seem to intend to let them leave.
Connor, who was standing at the edge of the deck with Robert, turned around and pointed at the various lifeboats hanging outside: "Why don't we leave on the lifeboats?"
Maggie walked over and pulled Connor back: "You're running off on me again."
Connor looked up: "Sorry, Mom."
Dylan stepped on the tentacle and shook his head: "It won't work."
Robert stared at the flickering shadows of tentacles beneath the water: "The monster is right under the ship. If we go down in lifeboats, it'll be like walking into a trap."
On the deck, in such an open space, they could still survive.
But if they went into the water...
The underwater world would be the domain of this unknown monster.
Everyone walked to the edge of the deck. By now, it was daylight on the sea. They all looked down at the water beneath their feet.
Their expressions changed instantly...
Chapter 135: Deep Rising on the argo
Slap!
Slap!
Da-da!
Beneath the hull of the argo, countless massive tentacles seemed to surge forth. Those tentacles, enough to trigger anyone's trypophobia, reached out from the depths of the sea and began mindlessly beating against the argo's hull.
When each tentacle struck the hull, it would instantly latch on like a suction cup. Then, as it pulled away, it made a sound like a suction cup being ripped off a wall.
"shit!"
"What's wrong?"
Standing on the other side of the deck, Kahn and Christine cursed angrily, looking toward the crowd whose eyes had turned toward them: "There are some over here too."
The group walked over.
Just like the other side, densely packed tentacles extended from beneath the hull, slapping against the body of the argo.
It was obvious.
The option of taking a lifeboat to leave the argo had already been tacitly ruled out by everyone.
But... what now? They couldn't just sit around and wait for death.
Dylan cursed: "fuck, let's just find this monster and kill it. Wouldn't that work?"
Locke looked at Dylan.
Are you trying to steal my kill?
However, as soon as Dylan said those words, they were almost immediately rejected by the group.
Come on, this wasn't some horror game or horror movie. Knowing there was danger and still going in—how was that any different from delivering yourself on a silver platter? They might as well commit suicide.
Moreover...
There were over three thousand people on the argo at the time. Right now, they had all disappeared. Without a doubt, they must have been eaten by this mutant monster of unknown species.
After all, they hadn't seen a single corpse; the most likely scenario was that they had been eaten.
Three thousand people weren't even enough to satisfy that monster's appetite. The few of them probably wouldn't even count as a snack.
Dylan looked at Locke, who was standing with Gwen: "Locke, what do you think?"
Locke chuckled, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze on him: "Please, I'm only seventeen. Did you guys forget?"
I'm busy right now.
While everyone was distracted by the sea monster, Locke had already split off a clone. His true body, now already inside the ship's interior, paused as he controlled the clone to look at Tony: "Tony, how did you find us back then?"
He was busy hunting the monster here. If Dylan and the others came down and happened to run into him, what then?
Appear as the Peerless Assassin directly?
The Peerless Assassin and Locke could no longer be linked; at the very least, they couldn't appear on the same screen. Otherwise, wherever Locke went, the Peerless Assassin would follow, which would cause trouble.
Tony said, "I used a Stark satellite to track Pepper's phone. Although the signal is lost here, there was still a bit of a signal during the rescue."
Locke, controlling the clone, nodded: "Stark Industriesalready knows about the poseidon disaster, right?"
"Yes."
"Then let's just stay up here."
Locke looked at Dylan and said, "The poseidon's distress signal wasn't sent out, but Stark Industries already knows about the emergency. As long as someone at Starkis monitoring the satellite data, they will know about the poseidon disaster. Rescue might already be on the way. Let's just wait here."
"Right."
"I also think it's better to stay up here. We have no idea what's going on down below."
"But..."
"How long will it take for Stark to check the information?"
"They should already know."
"Hmm?"
Several people looked at Tony.
Tony said, "The signal for Pepper's phone location was sent by my assistant. Since there's been no response for so long, my assistant should have already notified the federal authorities."
His assistant naturally referred to Jarvis.
However... Jarvis was an artificial intelligence that Stark Industries, or rather Tony Stark, didn't want the outside world to know about just yet. Jarvis had autonomous learning capabilities; once Tony's signal was lost for an extended period, Jarvis would take action.
Calculating the time from when Locke and the others were rescued until now, Jarvis should have already passed the information to the federal government.
"Yes."
Gwen also added, "I video call George and Helen once a day. If they can't reach me or Locke, they will definitely find a way to locate us."
She continued.
Gwen spoke with great certainty: "At the very least, the NYPD must know that we are missing."
Locke, standing nearby, looked up slightly: "George, Helen..."
The next second.
The corner of Locke's mouth twitched slightly.
He had almost forgotten about this. If Helen and Georgefound out what happened on the poseidon, they would probably have some thoughts about him, wouldn't they?
...Wait.
That's not right.
Locke blinked. In fact, Helen and George believed that Locke had invited Gwen, but Gwen hadn't agreed until George and Helen persuaded her to go with him.
So... it was fine.
Once Locke, who was walking down a corridor, figured this out, he temporarily focused his main attention on the present. At this moment, the monster's breathing and its faint roars were clearly audible.
He had descended to what should be the crew's working level of the cruise ship.
Before his eyes.
As Locke looked at the two sides of the long corridor leading to the bottom floor, his expression couldn't help but change.
On both sides of the corridor, there was an endless amount of sticky liquid, looking like mucus.
But that wasn't the point.
The point was that within that sticky liquid, there was a corpse in every patch. The corpses plastered against the walls looked almost no different from bodies that had been highly corroded by sulfuric acid.
Locke closed his eyes for a moment, calming his pounding heart and flushing out the sense of disgust.
He had once visited the Texas Ogre's dining room, the burial grounds of the Texas Bliss Criminals, and even the Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Underground Room.
But... compared to this place, those people's workspaces were simply insignificant.
Whether in terms of visual impact or sheer revulsion, none of them were nearly as impactful as this.
Just then.
At the end of the corridor, near the stairwell leading to the next level, several people appeared.
However, compared to the guy he saw in the conference room who wouldn't bleed until reminded and could even self-destruct—but was generally a normal-looking person—the people appearing before him now could not be described as normal at all.
These few fellows gave the impression that they had just run out of a vat of sulfuric acid. Their expressions were filled with agony, and Locke could see their pain, yet aside from their facial expressions, nothing else about them seemed pained.
In fact... upon seeing Locke, they said nothing. They ran toward him with agile steps, raising their hands which were swollen from the acid.
Puff!
Puff!
Puff!
Argh!!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Amidst a furious roar, the three acid-soaked figures collapsed instantly less than five meters away from Locke. Behind them, three tentacles that had been snapped apart rapidly retracted toward the lower decks.
The first time you played tricks, I didn't notice.
Doing it again, do you really think I'm blind?
The corners of Locke's mouth curled up. He felt quite a bit of anticipation in his heart to see what exactly this so-called Lord of the Ocean really was.
"He... lp..."
"Sa... save..."
"It hurts so much!"
Locke's gaze moved from the retracted tentacles to the three acid-men. Now that they were no longer controlled by the tentacles, they were wailing in pain on the corridor floor. They even looked at Locke, trying to crawl toward him to tell him how much pain they were in.
Three gunshots.
The three acid-men were finally no longer in pain.
Locke looked back at the stairs at the end of the corridor leading to the lower deck. He narrowed his eyes, and with a flick of his left hand, a pistol equipped with a silencer appeared in his grip.
The next second.
Another acid-man appeared.
But this acid-man didn't seem to be fully dominated; he was still able to speak.
Then.
Like a swarm of locusts, one acid-man after another let out the most miserable wails. Then, under the control of tentacles attached to the back of their heads, they rushed rapidly toward Locke.
"Save me!"
"Ah, it hurts so much!"
"Save me!"
"I beg you, save me!"
"...Save us!"
"..."
Locke narrowed his eyes, holding a gun in each hand.
He fired.
Bang!
Bang!
Two little golden darlings curved through the air and slammed directly into one of the tentacles.
With a squelch...
The tentacle snapped.
The two acid-men controlled by that single tentacle collapsed immediately, letting out wave after wave of wails.
But even more of them swarmed toward Locke like locusts.
Puff puff puff!
Thud thud thud!
Puff puff!
Locke watched an acid-man lunge directly at him. He delivered a direct kick, then used the momentum to leap up and grab a pipe above. A bullet blasted into a tentacle, blowing another one apart.
"Roar!"
The roar from the lower deck grew increasingly furious.
The corners of Locke's mouth turned up. Watching the tentacles constantly retreating toward the lower deck, he chased after them through the crowded corridor.
Puff puff puff!
Hiss!
Green blood continuously sprayed from the tentacles. Accompanied by spasmodic movements and the increasingly clear roars, a dozen tentacles quickly dropped down the stairs and vanished with a whoosh.
Locke stood at the top of the stairs, looking at the scene in the engine room below, and sucked in a breath of cold air.
In his sight.
Countless blood-red skeletons were scattered throughout the engine room. Their flesh had completely vanished, leaving only these skeletons as proof of what they once were.
It was clear.
This place had become that monster's slaughterhouse.
Splash!
Locke looked toward the source of the sound. The dozen tentacles that had just dropped down were twisting like water snakes, retreating into the seawater that had submerged nearly half of this level.
A furious roar came from the direction of the stern on this level.
Locke looked at the seawater vibrating with ripples; he seemed to understand the language within that roar.
"Damned insect, I'm going to eat you! I will definitely eat you!!!"