novelraw Chapter 62: Sea of Darkness - (62)
Chapter 62: Sea of Darkness - (62)
“We shouldn’t rush to board the ship. First, let’s send drones ahead for reconnaissance,” Red said while removing the equipment case from his back, which housed the drones.
By pressing the central metal button on the case, four drones detached, hovered briefly, flashed, and then entered optical stealth mode.
Eden stated, “Control authority over the drones has been taken over. The footage recorded by the drones will be transmitted in real-time to your visors.”
Kui Xin’s live footage and her team’s helmet visors serve as small monitors. From their high vantage point, they overlooked the Kraken.
There were few people visible on the Kraken’s deck, and everything appeared quiet. However, large plumes of smoke were being expelled from exhaust pipes on the side of the ship, interspersed with sparks. Pipes at the rear of the cargo ship also emitted flames, erupting like columns of fire.
It was impossible to determine the exact location of the fire based on the recorded footage alone.
“What’s going on?” Red analyzed the images. “Eden, have the drones circle around the ship.”
“Yes, flight paths have been adjusted,” Garden of Eden responded coldly.
Compared to Adam, Eden’s tone was even more detached, devoid of any emotion. Yadang’s voice settings were slightly softer, making it less icy and harsh to listen to.
Red’s expression grew increasingly grave. “No signs of combat… There isn’t a single person on the deck… How could this be? With the cabins on fire, they should have sought refuge on the deck. Could the ship’s firefighting systems have failed? The fire shouldn’t have spread so rapidly.”Could this be the work of a secret cult? Kui Xin stared somberly at the massive, distant vessel.
The last time Kui Xin boarded the Kraken, before the Investigation Department assumed control of its escort duties, forces suspected to be from the secret cult had already overtaken the cargo ship.
They destroyed the onboard artificial intelligence, killed numerous crew members, and ultimately succeeded in sinking the Kraken deep into the sea. Even the Investigation Department, faced with the cargo ship’s explosion, could only order the escort ships to maintain distance. Rescue helicopters for the security officers crashed outright, and not a single security officer who boarded survived; Kui Xin also perished.
As Kui Xin observed the flickering flames on the cargo ship, she involuntarily recalled the gruesome despair of that day.
Fire was everywhere, and smoke was billowing around. They struggled to breathe in corridors that resembled ovens. After escaping from below deck, they encountered alien creatures floating on the surface, found the lifeboats damaged, and watched the escort ships distancing themselves from the Kraken. Their sole escape route lay above, but eventually, even that final means of survival vanished.
It was a true dead-end situation.
Despite possessing the ability to cycle through death, Kui Xin maintained a cautious approach because this power had limited uses. Once exhausted, her inevitable fate would still be death. If she couldn’t find a way to break free from this predicament within this current cycle, then each rebirth would merely be futile repetition.
Kui Xin found it increasingly difficult to escape her fate of boarding the Kraken. After dealing with the Investigation Department, she would still have to confront Mechanical Dawn; whether she chose one path or the other, both led inexorably towards this outcome.
To break free from her destiny, she had no choice but to resolve the situation and survive the disaster aboard the Kraken.
Otherwise, death would inevitably await her once again.
“Wait, there’s movement,” Red suddenly said.
In the transmitted video feed, a panicked man burst out from the deck entrance, looking back frantically as he ran. His figure appeared disoriented and desperate. Moments later, another individual emerged from the deck at an incredibly rapid pace, catching up to the first person.
Suddenly, the chaser’s face distorted, his head rapidly swelling and transforming into a monstrous creature with a terrifyingly gaping maw. Like a predatory snake, its mouth opened wide enough to engulf a human head entirely, revealing two tentacles within that helped swallow prey.
With one swift bite, the monster tore off the man’s head, causing his decapitated body to collapse onto the ground, blood splattering everywhere. Following this gruesome act, the monster contentedly burped, then gradually began to melt and change its appearance, slowly taking on the form of the man it had just devoured.
“… What is this thing?” Bartender nearly retched.
“Is it a Variant Blood or perhaps an unrecorded new species of alien creature?” Night Cicada said it with disgust. “I’ve encountered plenty of these disgusting things before, but this one is entirely new to me.”
Red spoke solemnly, “This monster is very peculiar… It has the ability to consume humans, change shape, and have tentacles. For now, let’s consider it an unknown alien creature.”
Thorny Rose bit her lip. “Why would such a thing be on the ship?”
“Could it be the secret cult?” Amber’s gaze shifted towards Red.
Immediately after, Obsidian chimed in, “This wasn’t part of our plan, Red. Someone else got here first. Apart from us and the Federation’s high-ranking officials, who else would target the Kraken?”
“The secret cult likely doesn’t possess the capability to hijack an entire ship.” Red murmured. “The physical characteristics and traits displayed by that man-eating monster perfectly align with those of alien creatures.”
“Don’t forget about the experiments our organization conducted before. Highly mutated Variant Blood individuals could peacefully coexist with alien creatures without being attacked—they were perceived as one of their kind. I have reason to believe that higher-level Variant Blood individuals can control alien creatures.” Amber had never spoken so much at once. “The monster on the ship is not ordinary; it likely has connections to the secret cult.”
Everyone fell silent.
Silver Mask looked around, blinking twice. “Uh… are we still boarding the ship?”
“Consider this—if the Kraken was indeed raided by members of the secret cult, what would they do?” Kui Xin softly asked.
“Obviously, blow it up,” Bartender shrugged. “They’ve always been deeply devoted to their deity. “If they lacked the capability to take away the entire ship, they would naturally choose to sink it, ensuring the Federation cannot obtain anything onboard.”
Thorny Rose crossed her arms. “Correct. In my place, I would do the same. Rather than letting the enemy benefit, it’s better to leave them empty-handed, gaining nothing.”
Kui Xin gently guided their thoughts. “Then we need to first adjust our mission objective—determine who attacked the Kraken. Only after understanding this can we proceed with our next plan.”
Immediately after her statement, Wei Haidong’s voice suddenly came through the communications channel.
“Board the ship,” he ordered. “As per the Rich Lady’s suggestion, the primary objective of the mission has changed—determining who was on the Kraken before destroying it. I’ve reviewed the footage from the drone; that shape-shifting monster holds significant research value. Try to bring back a live specimen if possible.”
“And…” He paused briefly. “The ship’s artificial intelligence hangar contains various data and navigation logs recorded during its voyage. Find a way to remove the mainboard from the central unit and bring it back; the information within may be crucial.”
“Understood.” Night Cicada scanned the group. “Everyone, prepare yourselves. I’ll open the teleportation gate directly onto the Kraken’s deck and, upon arrival, immediately disperse. Divide into teams to execute your tasks while I remain here for support. In case of emergency, contact me using your communicators.”
“The deck is deserted, so search for any survivors. Rich Lady and Silver Mask will explore the lower decks, while Thorny Rose, Bartender, and I will go to the machine room to dismantle the motherboard.” Red swiftly made new arrangements. “Amber, join my team; Obsidian, accompany Rich Lady’s team.”
This arrangement was made because, although Red and the bartender possessed some combat capabilities, their superhuman abilities were not primarily focused on fighting. Thorny Rose’s combat expertise complemented their shortcomings. Kui Xin had strong survival skills, while Silver Mask excelled with his superhuman abilities, significantly mitigating any weaknesses. Amber and Obsidian, twin siblings, had spiritual-type superhuman abilities. Assigning one to each group for balance was a reasonable decision.
Red, being extremely cautious by nature, meticulously checked every piece of equipment he carried and requested all team members to report their gear. Only after ensuring everything was correct did he allow Night Cicada to open the space transmission gate.
The team led by Red stepped into the deep blue whirlpool. Heiyao glanced at Kui Xin, waiting for her to enter first, while Silver Mask also eagerly looked towards her.
Kui Xin retrieved an assault rifle from behind her waist and said, “Let’s go.”
Crossing through the thin barrier, she once again found herself standing on the Kraken’s deck.
This time, boarding the ship felt entirely different from the previous occasion. Before, she had no knowledge of the situation and could only passively carry out her mission. Now, she has achieved 95% progress in her investigation and gained several “reliable” teammates. With Night Cicada serving as a mobile transmission gateway, her chances of survival significantly increased.
Kui Xin detected the acrid smell of thick smoke; its pungent odor intermingled with the salty sea breeze, making it even more unbearable. However, this time her helmet was essentially fully enclosed, covering her chin, mouth, and nose, with built-in gas mask functionality.
Calmly, Kui Xin activated the helmet’s gas filtration mode and headed towards the deck entrance. Even if she encountered a situation like last time, she wouldn’t need to fear, as Silver Mask served as a reliable fire extinguisher.
In contrast to the deck, which was engulfed in blazing flames and dense smoke, the air below the deck seemed relatively clean. Unlike their previous visit, when the ventilation system had been directly damaged, it was still functioning now, expelling the suffocating smoke.
Upon entering the first underground level, the first thing Kui Xin noticed were long drag marks on the floor.
These were bloodstains. The automatic cleaning robots in the corner persistently scrubbed at the blood on the ground, their buzzing sounds echoing throughout the corridor. This scene felt both horrifying and chilling. The fate of the people onboard remained unknown, while only the machines continued operating according to their preset programs.
The long, blood-red drag marks appeared endless, extending deep into the corridor.
A cleaning robot approached Kui Xin’s feet.
“Beep, please step aside,” the robot emitted in a warning tone. “Beep, please step aside.”
Expressionless, Kui Xin stomped on the noisy robot, crushing it.
“Search them one by one,” she softly instructed. “Find all survivors and don’t kill them immediately; we need to interrogate them.”
Silver Mask and Obsidian nodded slightly.
As they approached the first door leading below the deck, Kui Xin’s Absolute Prediction signaled a danger warning to her.
Kui Xin swiftly turned her head, gazing at the metal door before her.
The metal door abruptly swung open, and a tall crew member suddenly charged out! He had deliberately set up an ambush there, holding a gun.
He pulled the trigger, firing a spinning bullet that struck Kui Xin’s exoskeleton armor with a crisp sound, causing sparks to fly from the metallic surface.
Kui Xin reacted faster than anyone else, even quicker than Silver Mask!
Before Silver Mask could erect a water barrier, Kui Xin quickly crouched down and swiftly swept her leg, knocking the unexpectedly attacking crew member off his feet. The crew member didn’t have time to fire a second shot.
Kui Xin raised her already-loaded gun, took aim at the crew member’s head, and mercilessly fired.
With a silencer installed, the gun emitted only a minimal noise, yet the crew member’s head now bore a bloody hole as blood spattered, staining Kui Xin’s weapon.
The deceased crew member’s face contorted as his body melted and reverted to its monstrous form. On this creature were three human faces, all of which displayed expressions of agony.
Kui Xin scrutinized carefully but did not find Captain Anton’s face on the monster… Was it because Captain Anton was still alive, and the monster hadn’t had the chance to consume him? Or could there be more than one shape-shifting monster aboard the ship?
“We must stay vigilant… This monster possesses considerable intelligence,” Kui Xin said.
Silver Mask hesitated, then spoke, “Didn’t you say we should leave some captives alive?”
Before he could intervene, Kui Xin had already eliminated their adversary.
Taken aback, Kui Xin replied, “…I forgot about leaving captives alive.”
She had genuinely forgotten.
Unbeknownst to even herself, after enduring so much, Kui Xin developed PTSD—Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. During combat, these symptoms became particularly evident; specifically, once she held a weapon, she would uncontrollably desire to kill her opponent, regardless of their identity.