As the crew of the Uniquorn faced the endless stream of grotesque creatures, they finally realized the severity of the situation and sprinted with all their might alongside their captain.
In the next moment, a haunting plea echoed from behind them.
"Don't leave me! Just kill me! Please! My body is in constant agony, like being cut with knives! Why must I suffer like this?"
As the voice rang out, Charles felt his recently reattached left ear twitch again.
Glancing back as they ran, he saw that 1002 had emerged from the tank. It had coalesced into a spherical shape, rolling toward them, devouring any living thing that came into contact with it. With each consumption, the pale gray orb grew larger.
Without a second thought, Charles grabbed a bundle of explosives from Deep's pack, lit it, and hurled it behind him. However, the lit explosive tumbled on the ground, extinguishing its fuse, and then stood upright, having been activated by 1002!
This was just the beginning. The lifeless objects on the crew began to tremble and act of their own accord.
Realizing they couldn’t continue like this, Charles gritted his teeth and turned back, charging directly at 1002.
"Charles! Come back!"
"Captain! What are you doing?"
Amid the crew's cries, Charles closed the distance to 1002, now only a few meters away. His features began to distort, resembling the very shells of the creatures around him.
Summoning all his strength, Charles pointed the lightning staff at 1002, unleashing arcs of electricity that illuminated the dark island. The creature transformed into a charred mass, halting in place.
Shaking uncontrollably, Charles collapsed to the ground, having endured three successive shocks; his body could take no more.
Several hands reached out to help him up—his crew had not fled but returned to assist their captain.
"Captain, you were amazing! Why didn't you use such a powerful artifact earlier?" the second mate exclaimed excitedly.
"Move! It can't be killed! It will wake up again soon!" Charles managed to say through gritted teeth.
Hearing this, the second mate glanced fearfully at the darkened mass and quickly helped the dazed Charles retreat.
Fortunately, the ruins weren't vast, and they managed to escape into the forest before 1002 revived.
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They hurried down the path toward the shore, not stopping for a moment, pouring every ounce of their strength into their escape.
To quicken their flight, the crew discarded anything they could spare.
"Thud!" The doctor collapsed, panting heavily, blood seeping from his iron leg where it met flesh.
Charles rushed over, lifting him. "Don't give up! We're almost there!"
The doctor shot a glance at the young man supporting him, pulled a pill from his pocket, swallowed it, and pushed Charles away, quickly rejoining the group. "I'm not old yet!"
The narrow forest path seemed endless, and they pushed their bodies to the limit. Just as they felt they had exhausted every ounce of energy, the sound of waves reached their ears like a heavenly chorus.
With joy on their faces, the crew stumbled to their ship, preparing to leave the cursed island.
Gasping for breath, Charles felt the strain of the continuous exertion; even his enhanced body was struggling.
"Who are you? No matter who you are, just kill me! I’m in so much pain!"
Turning his pale face, Charles saw a massive flying creature composed of various flesh and blood rapidly approaching from above the treetops.
It was 1002, but not entirely; eyes, mouths, organs—various human parts floated on its pale gray body, making anyone who glanced at it feel nauseous.
At this point, 1002 had expanded to nearly five times its original size, flying overhead like a giant aircraft.
Feeling his body tremble more violently, a flicker of despair crept into Charles’s heart; the activation radius of 1002 had grown larger.
He felt something rising in his throat, his body on the verge of activation, and the other crew members were now collapsing in agony.
Just as they stood on the brink of disaster, an explosion suddenly rang out, and 1002's grotesque body was blown apart, crashing into the forest. The despairing tremor of its form diminished significantly.
"Quick! Move!"
Seizing the opportunity, Charles and his crew hastily paddled their wooden boat toward the ship, gunfire echoing above them, providing cover.
"Captain, did we leave anyone on the ship? Who fired that cannon? What a shot!" the excited second mate asked.
"Whoo~~!!" The steamship's whistle sounded as the Uniquorn approached the shore, its deck cannon firing.
Charles paused, then slowly replied, "No one is on board..."
The second mate froze. "No one on board? Then who fired the cannon?"
As the Uniquorn drew nearer, Charles smiled and patted its smooth hull. "The ship fired itself; it’s one of our companions too."
As if responding to Charles's words, the Uniquorn emitted a deep whistle, having also been activated by 1002.
Standing on the deck and watching the writhing 1002 crawl out of the forest, Charles felt the tension in his heart slowly ease; it seemed everything was finally over.
"No, it’s not over yet." Charles’s gaze fell on the motionless pocket.
He hesitated, fearful of what he might see if he opened it.
The pocket stirred slightly, and a cute little white mouse poked its head out, looking somewhat confused. "Mr. Charles, how did we end up on the ship? What just happened?"
Relieved, Charles gently patted her head. "It’s okay; everything is over now."
Just as Charles was about to comfort his little gunner, Elizabeth nervously approached. "After our first meeting, did we... sleep together?"
Caught off guard by the question, Charles watched as Lily instinctively retreated into the pocket.
Avoiding Elizabeth's piercing gaze, Charles turned away. "Why are you asking this? You still haven’t explained why you were alone on that island."
Elizabeth remained silent, seemingly suppressing some emotion. Her expression was far from relaxed, appearing even more tense than when they were on the island.
