Chapter 454: Ind
As cold water flowed into the bast tanks of the Narwhale, her weight increased. Coupled with the pull of gravity, she turned into her submarine state and descended beneath the water''s surface.
Charles stood on the deck and peered through the ss window on the steel te. His eyes caught a hazy blob of luminescence from afar.
The indy diagonally below the Narwhale; itsndmass seemed as vast as Hope Ind itself.
"Bandages, steer us closer."
As the Narwhale gradually closed the distance between herself and the ind, everyone aboard was astonished by the sight before them.
The lights on the submerged ind illuminated the surrounding dark, chilly waters, and the massive ind was slowly inching forward.
Towering buildings stood erected on the ind. The illumination they had seen from afar came from the lights filtering through the buildings'' windows.
The ind''s architectural style was rather modern. If not for the fact that they were underwater, Charles would have thought they had arrived above Shanghai''s Lujiazui.
The buildings could only be the work of the Foundation, and Charles was sure of it. If the Foundation had transported the key to this ind using an aircraft carrier, the presence of their buildings here was only natural.
However, what surprised him were the presence of lights on the ind and thend''s ability to move.
As they drew even closer, Charles noted more details of the ind. Rows of gigantic tracked treads were attached to the base of the bustling ind.
The massive treads could not possibly be man-made; humans had never managed to create something bigger or broader than a mountain. The ind seemed more like a Divinity''s toy vehicle.
Charles recalled Dawn One, the entity that hung high over Newbound City. Considering that, it seemed usible that the Foundation was fully capable of creating such a colossal, mobile mechanical ind.
Utilizing the powers of various relics, the Foundation was almost equivalent to a god.
<em>The ind can move, and the lights in the buildings are still on. Are there still people from the Foundation on it?</em>
The thought briefly entered Charles'' mind before it rapidly disappeared. He didn''t know what happened to the Foundation, but he knew that any hint of their existence had already been wiped off in the Subterranean Sea.
"Captain, what''s our next move? Do we continue our approach? The ind looks somewhat dangerous. Man It''s not alive, right?" Dipp asked.
Charles'' brow furrowed at Dipp''s question. However, havinge this far, he had no intention to just turn away and leave.
"Get me the diving suit. I''ll go down to take a look. Dipp,e with me," Charles ordered and made his way toward the dpression chamber.
Charles donned the heavy diving suit that weighed over a hundred kilograms, and cold seawater began to fill the chamber.
"In the case of any situation, follow my orders! Don''t act recklessly," Charles shouted to Dipp as the seawater gradually consumed him.
"Got it!" Dipp shed a grin that revealed hip sharp, pointy teeth.
Once the water pressure within the chamber had reached an equilibrium with the outside, Dipp forcefully twisted the valve. Instantly, Charles and Dipp plunged into the dark waters.
Kicking his webbed feet, Dipp swam behind Charles, pushing him deeper into the waters.
As they closed the gap, the more intricate details of the moving underwater ind became clearer to Charles. He was aware that the movingndmass was an ind, but the underwater lights sparked his curiosity about the identities of its inhabitants.
A mile short of the ind, Charles abruptly stopped andmunicated with Dipp using g semaphore. Dipp then towed him along as they slowly glided over the top of the ind.
Meanwhile, Charles looked down to survey the massive ind stretching for dozens of kilometers below them. So far, he saw no danger.
However, he couldn''t find the colossal key that he was looking for as well. If such a huge key were present, it would surely be visible at a nce. It seemed that the key to the surface door was not on the ind''s surface and a deeper exploration was required. A mere external observation was far from sufficient.
"Dipp, let''s descend slowly," Charles instructed.
However, the Deep Dweller holding Charles'' head in both hands shook his head in refusal. He gestured his intention to dive down alone first for a preliminary scout.
With that, Dipp released Charles, and with a vigorous kick of his limbs, he darted away akin to a swift barracuda. Charles instinctively stretched out his hand in an attempt to catch Dipp, but thetter effortlessly eluded his grasp.
Frustrated, Charles cursed and swore inside his diving suit. He had just told Dipp earlier to listen to hismand, but the youngd still made a rash move.
He knew that Dipp was acting out of concern for his safety, scouting for any potential dangers first. However, thest thing Charles wanted was for situations to be beyond his control.
Dipp returned as quickly as he left. He darted toward Charles who was hovering in the water by his oxygen hose and gestured rapidly with his arms. "Captain, it''s safe, no threats detected."
Charlesnded a firm punch to Dipp''s chest in frustration before waving at the Narwhale. It was a signal to descend.
As the Narwhale slowly descended, Charles followed Dipp down toward the ind.
Having absolute control over the Narwhale''s speed, Bandages was meticulously cautious. The ship descended at a crawl, and he seemed ready to reel Charles back at a moment''s notice using the oxygen hose.
<em>Thud!</em>
Charles'' thick steel diving boots struck the pavement, sending a cloud of dust swirling into the water around him.
Hended at the edge of the ind. The presence of the towering metal cranes and orderly arranged containers led him to deduce that this site had formerly been a dock equipped with modern amenities.
As Charles made his way, he meticulously observed his surroundings. Remarkably, the area was immacte. Aside from a thinyer of silt on the ground, the buildings and docks were free of any coral or barnacle encroachment.
This cleanliness was undeniably unusual. Even a deserted area onnd would exhibit some decay or natural encroachment, let alone a location submerged in the sea.
<em>Whirrrrr!</em>
Charles'' prosthetic arm swiftly transformed into a chainsaw, and he swung it toward a nearby container.
He then examined the cut and confirmed that the container was indeed made from metal and not some counterfeit goods like those he saw on the ind with the Meeh''eks.
This revtion was unsettling; it raised the possibility that the ind could still be fortified with the Foundation''s defensive weaponry.
<em>Thud! Thud! Thud! </em>
More sailors d in diving suits emerged from the Narwhale andnded on the ind. They gathered around Charles, awaiting further instructions on their next move.
"Search for any signs of life and anything with inscriptions," Charles gestured.
Charles didn''t instruct them to search for the key. Given its enormous size, he couldn''t possibly overlook it in in sight. He wasn''t blind.
With bulky oxygen tubes trailing behind them, Charles led his crew in a carpet exploration of the dock.
As the minutes trickled by, the strength of the sailors was starting to wane. Soon enough, they had to do a periodical rotation of personnel. The efficiency of a search like this was low but safety and stability took priority.
"Captain, I''ll search over there; this is too slow," Dipp suggested as he pointed to a new area.
"No. We have to move together. Everyone must stay within sight of each other," Charles turned down the proposition without hesitation.
Gradually, they scoured the entire dock and started venturing into a new area.
Meanwhile, out of their sight, a small gray bird the size of a ping-pong ball was perched atop a utility pole. Its head was reced by a silver metal camera emitting a soft red glow.
The lens zoomed in and out, reflecting the figures of Charles and his crew as they continued their search for clues.<blockquote>
Cosyjuhye''s Thoughts
Are they going to fight humans this time? 0.0</blockquote>