The island loomed before Charles and his crew, larger than Coral Island. Each member wore a grave expression as they gazed at the distant land, knowing that the most dangerous part of their journey lay ahead.

  This island was unlike the others; a towering wall encircled it, sealing off the interior and obscuring any view of what lay beyond. The wall was a grayish-white, constructed from a material resembling cement, devoid of any markings that might suggest it was a human-made structure.

  "Captain! Look, there’s a ship over there!" someone exclaimed.

  "I see it," Charles replied, his focus sharpening.

  A bright searchlight illuminated a steamship, larger than the *Unicorn Whale*. The white triangular emblem next to it confirmed its identity; it was the ship belonging to the Cult of the Radiant God, the one that had not returned.

  "Prepare the weapons and bring the ship closer," Charles ordered. If there were clues on board, they might avoid meeting the same fate.

  As they drew nearer, more details became apparent. The ship's anchor was still submerged, indicating it had been left there by its crew. The deck was eerily tidy; it seemed the cultists had not suffered any physical attacks.

  Upon stepping onto the deck, Charles noticed a layer of dust had settled, suggesting the ship had been abandoned for nearly two months. The unkempt steamship bore the marks of decay, the sea breeze eroding its structure.

  "Let’s head to the captain’s cabin," Charles said. If they wanted to understand what had happened aboard, the captain’s log would be the quickest source.

  The group cautiously made their way through the ship’s entrance, which resembled a narrow corridor similar to that of the *Unicorn Whale*. Just as Deep was about to take the lead, a metallic hand stopped him.

  "Captain, what—?"

  Charles lowered his voice and crouched down. "Shh, look at the ground."

  As their gazes dropped, they saw a line of six-toed footprints clearly imprinted in the dust. Something had indeed come through here.

  They slowed their pace, carefully following the footprints deeper into the ship. One door after another was gently pushed open, flashlights and gun barrels probing into the darkness.

  Inside, the ship was quiet, revealing nothing alive apart from the usual items scattered about.

  Finally, they reached the last door. Charles’s ears perked up; his keen hearing detected movement inside.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "Be careful, there’s something in there."

  Kronar swallowed hard and pulled out a blue candle.

  With a forceful shove, the door burst open, and several gun barrels aimed at the interior. But disappointment washed over their faces as they discovered the source of the noise.

  Inside was a kitchen, where a group of mice were nibbling on moldy biscuits. Startled by the sudden intrusion, the mice dropped their snacks and scurried away.

  The kitchen was in disarray, much like the outside, with only remnants of food that had been gnawed by the mice. The crew quickly dispersed to search for clues, while Charles pondered thoughtfully.

  "How could no one be here? If there’s no one, then where did those footprints come from?"

  As he walked past a silver water jug, its reflection caught his eye. Suddenly, his pupils constricted, and he looked up sharply.

  Hanging from the ceiling was a grotesque purple creature resembling a toad. As soon as it spotted Charles, it used its powerful hind legs to leap, its toothy maw opening wide as it lunged at him.

  In a split second, Charles raised his left hand. With a "thunk," a chain-linked harpoon shot out, pinning the creature back to the ceiling.

  With a strong pull, he yanked it down, sending the monster crashing to the floor. The other crew members quickly reacted, firing their weapons at the creature.

  When the gunfire ceased, the creature was nothing more than a mass of flesh.

  Charles crouched to examine the remains. "This thing looks like it came from the sea. It must have come up here looking for food."

  Deep exhaled in relief. "I thought it was something more serious. Turns out it was just this creature that made the footprints."

  Charles shook his head, focusing on the creature’s fin-like limbs. "No, it couldn’t have made those footprints. They belong to something else."

  As his words hung in the air, the crew's previously relaxed demeanor grew tense again.

  "Let’s check elsewhere," Charles said, leading them to continue their search.

  They quickly scoured the ship but found no further clues, not even the captain’s log.

  "Maybe the cultists don’t keep logs. Who writes a diary anyway?" Richard chimed in.

  Charles ignored him, still deep in thought. He felt as though he had overlooked something crucial, but the details eluded him.

  Just then, a mouse scurried past him, prompting a sudden idea. "Lily, can you gather the mice on this ship and ask them what happened?"

  "Sure! Just wait a moment." With a command, Lily sent the brown mice scattering.

  Soon, a trembling gray mouse was pushed to the front of the group, with Lily standing beside it, squeaking.

  "Mr. Charles, it says that occasionally, things come aboard to take supplies and then return to the island."

  "What kind of things? Are they people or something else?"

  Lily turned to converse with the mouse and, sounding frustrated, replied, "These guys are too dumb to explain clearly."

  Charles didn’t expect much from a mouse, but he gleaned that there were living beings on the island that occasionally came to the ship to take supplies.

  Considering the massive wall, a thought flickered in Charles’s mind: could the creatures the mice saw be the pirates of Sodom?

  However, he quickly dismissed that notion. If they were pirates, they wouldn’t leave such a fine exploration vessel untouched; that was not their style.

  When Charles snapped back to reality, he found the crew staring at him expectantly.

  "Captain, what’s our next move?"

  He gazed at the towering wall of the island. "Drop anchor, lower the small boat, and prepare to go ashore."

  They had to explore the island; something significant lay behind those massive walls.

  As they approached the towering structure, an overwhelming sense of pressure enveloped them, as if they were standing next to a slumbering giant. The crew’s voices dropped to hushed whispers, fearful of waking whatever lay beyond.