Shrouded Seascape

Gunshots echoed incessantly as automatic rifles unleashed a hail of bullets upon Sparkle. Unfortunately, the bullets, which were perfectly capable of tearing through flesh, were ineffective against Sparkle.

The bullets simply melted into Sparkle's tentacles.

Swoosh!

Sparkle's figure flashed, and she reappeared behind a task force member. Then, her tentacles quickly engulfed the soldier and devoured him amidst his screams.

The special task force on this island seemed to have a variety of methods against special anomalies. Soon, an armored vehicle carrying a satellite dish drove in, and Sparkle's teleportation ability became unstable beneath its presence.

Charles saw that and rushed toward the armored vehicle. He let loose a furious roar as roughly eight tentacles emerged from him and lifted the armored vehicle high up in the air. Then, he hurled the armored vehicle toward the wall.

Without the armored vehicle's restraint, Sparkle could go all-out once more. She bound every single task force member and flung them toward Charles. In the blink of an eye, a small hill of bound soldiers lay before Charles.

Charles walked up to Parker, who was struggling against the tentacle restraints.

"Go and bring someone to me who can actually speak for all of you. I do not want to be ignored for the second time," Charles said.

Covered in mucus, Parker stood up with eyes blazing with anger. He didn't expect that the group of outsiders he had allowed entry would cause such a huge problem.

However, Parker's eyes shimmered just then upon realizing that Charles was within arm's reach. He reached out for the firearm on his waist, but he stopped and turned around. Then, he ran swiftly into a nearby corridor.

Charles didn't have to wait for a long time as three men in suits walked up to him with a black briefcase in hand. One of them opened the briefcase in front of Charles, revealing a 15-inch laptop.

The screen was turned on, depicting the image of an elderly bald man with a face riddled with liver spots.

"I'm the Commander-in-Chief of the Special Task Force. You can call me Johnson. Your pet is powerful, but I hope you haven't forgotten that your people are still in our hands. If we go all out fighting each other, we'll simply end up in mutual destruction," Johnson said sternly.

Charles revealed a contemptuous look at Johnson. Earlier, they had been trying to force him to talk and had even electrocuted him when he refused to say something useful. The tables had turned, so now they wanted to negotiate.

"I'm not his pet. I'm his daughter," Sparkle said, floating over to correct Johnson.

Johnson was shocked, and he cast an incredulous gaze at Charles. "What? W-what the hell are you?"

The three men in black suits revealed fearful expressions as well. They seemed to be thinking that Charles was an even more terrifying monster than Sparkle.

Charles didn't bother to clarify anything. He was convinced that the misunderstanding would serve to benefit him rather than as a disadvantage, especially in the upcoming negotiation.

"If you don't want to tell me your origins, then it's fine. I actually don't mind it at all, so you don't have to tell me anything. However, I'm here for the key,"

"What key?" Johnson asked. He seemed to have slightly recovered from the shock.

"A colossal classical key, which is several hundred meters long. This key was transported to this island a long time ago."

Johnson frowned and pondered over Charles' words for quite a while before shaking his head. "Sorry, but our island doesn't have any colossal key."

"No?" Charles asked, sounding doubtful. His eyes narrowed into slits as he stared at Johnson on the computer screen. "If the key isn't here, then where did it go?

"You did a great job preserving the Foundation's facilities and records, so I'm sure there are some records about where the key was stored. Am I wrong?

"It's such a massive key, so there has to be some records about it, whether it be transportation records or notes about how it was stolen or anything."

Johnson shook his head and said, "I can tell you for sure that the key you've mentioned isn't here."

Charles' expression became grim at the revelation. If Johnson's words were true, it meant that the lead that Charles had obtained with great difficulty had turned out to be useless once again.

"Charles, what happened between us and your group has all been a misunderstanding. Since you're unwilling to accept our questioning, then you should go ahead and leave with your people. We're not going to stop you."

Johnson clearly wanted them out as soon as possible, but Charles had no intentions of simply walking away.

Charles stared deeply at the computer screen and said, "We're definitely going to leave, but I have to search the entire island before that. If the key really isn't here, then I'll leave immediately."

"No! Absolutely not!" Johnson exclaimed with a resolute tone of voice. "I absolutely cannot allow a monster to enter our shelter. I will not risk the lives of the islanders here!

"And don't you ever think that we're not going to put up a fight! If you really want to fight us, then we'll execute your people immediately and mobilize every member of Island 68's special task force to launch suicide attacks against you.

"We've analyzed your prowess. Your skin is impervious against ordinary bullets, but how about white phosphorus munitions? Depleted uranium anti-tank rounds? A monster like you can never threaten the Commander-in-chief of Island 68's Special Task Force!"

A low rumbling ran across the ground as dozens of tanks and armored vehicles converged on the plaza to surround Charles. Even a fly couldn't possibly escape such an encirclement, much less Charles.

Moreover, soldiers clad in black uniforms rushed out of the vehicles and promptly took cover before aiming their weapons at Charles.

Charles' keen intuition was yelling at him that Johnson wasn't making an empty threat. His keen eyes also noticed that the safety of the soldiers' weapons had been lifted; bullets would come flying with just an easy pull on the trigger.

Charles turned to Johnson on the screen. He had no idea if they were from the Foundation, but their willingness to risk their lives to protect their secrets was reminiscent of the Foundation.

Do I really have to leave just like this? Charles pondered briefly but soon dismissed the idea. He had worked hard to reach this island; if he were to leave now, it'd be tantamount to throwing away his efforts.

Sparkle's curiosity was piqued by the tanks in the distance. She couldn't help but float over toward the tanks, but Charles grabbed her in time.

Charles thought some more before eventually turning to Johnson on the computer screen. His tone of voice changed as he asked, "Your people are living here? In this suffocating underground?"

Johnson's brows furrowed slightly; he seemed displeased, but he still answered the question, "This is just a shelter located beneath the city. Once the crisis is over, we'll go up and return to the surface."

"Really? You've resigned yourself to living at the bottom of the pitch-black, deep sea? Have you all forgotten just how wonderful life is on the surface?" Charles asked. He reached out to grab the laptop and continued, "The colossal key I mentioned is the key to the surface world. Help me find that key and everyone here on Island 68 can return to the surface world—the land of your ancestors.

"Up there, there are neither monsters nor constant danger. There are islands as large as the ocean itself, and there is enough land to satisfy just about anyone here."

Charles' voice echoed throughout the silent plaza. The special task force members exchanged glances. Indeed, Charles' plan was to tempt these islands into helping him by promising them the surface world. They were from the Foundation, so they were definitely aware of the surface world.

Charles turned his gaze back onto the screen and saw the pensive look on Johnsen's countenance. The laptop grew a bit hot in Charles' hand just then, and the fan whirred loudly within the laptop.