At 1068's warning, the three-headed flying leech, still vomiting mice, spun around with lightning speed. Its eighteen eye stalks all pointed at Charles in the corner.
"You motherfucker!"
Charles leaped forward, charging straight for the door. Just as he was about to exit, he quickly drew a revolver with his left hand.
BANG! Half of 1068's mangled, bloody head exploded. Amidst its screams and curses, Charles burst out of the room and ran for his life.
This time, the leeches didn't engage in close combat. The three gathered at a distance, constantly spewing corrosive liquid. Charles twisted and contorted his body, dodging the barrage as he rapidly retreated.
This was only the beginning. More and more leeches joined the pursuit, and the Third Laboratory, silent for years, bustled with activity for the first time.
Pursued by the flying leeches, Charles found the path he had taken on his way in.
Just as he finally managed to break out of the laboratory, a bright red light flared up behind him. Horrified, he whipped around to see the entire giant wall glowing red. The creatures roared as they bored out from within the wall, their eye stalks filled with fury as they glared death at him.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of flying leeches writhed for a moment before vanishing.
A chill shot up from the base of Charles's spine straight to his brain. He spun around and bolted toward the coast at top speed.
"Did I steal your wives or something? Why are you chasing me like this!"
With a few quick bounds, Charles leaped onto a three-meter-high outcropping. He relied on his superb agility to jump from one boulder to another.
Thanks to his dark vision, Charles ran incredibly fast, yet he felt no sense of security at all. He anxiously scanned his surroundings, wary of invisible leeches appearing from anywhere.
In the distance, he saw the Narwhal's bright searchlight cutting through the darkness on the water.
The light is on, which means the crew is already aboard. If I can just make it back to the shore, I win! With this thought, Charles pushed himself to run even faster.
BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ. The flying leeches materialized in the air, a vast red glow blocking Charles's path. They formed a pincer formation, closing in on him.
"So you think that highly of me, huh? Using military tactics on little old me?" A grin curled Charles's lips as he stood on a boulder, panting heavily.
Gazing at the sea of red light, Charles remarked with a sigh, "It's beautiful, really. Drone light shows are pathetic in comparison."
"But still, compared to you glowing bugs, I'd much rather see some drones right now." Charles clutched the few relics he held tightly. With a powerful push from his legs, he charged headfirst toward the distant red wall of monsters.
PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! All the flying leeches began to spit. Illuminated by the red light, a downpour of acid rain began to fall from the sky.
Charles dove into the stone forest below, using the rocks as cover to keep pushing forward.
The sizzle of acid eating away at the rock overhead was constant. Charles used the few remaining footholds to push forward, the distance between him and the shoreline rapidly shrinking.
The leeches seemed to have anticipated Charles's moves. Countless toothed maws erupted from the ground, snapping viciously at his feet.
Unable to find purchase, Charles kicked off the wall and vaulted back to the top of the boulders, only to be met with another downpour of acid.
No matter how agilely he flipped and twisted in midair, it was ultimately to no avail.
Holes of all sizes were eaten into his clothes. Thick, phlegm-like drops of acid landed on his body, causing white smoke to rise.
HISS! As the stinging, burning sensations multiplied across his skin, Charles knew he couldn't last much longer in this desperate situation.
Am I going to die?
BOOM! Suddenly, a huge explosion roared in the distance, tearing a massive gap in the red curtain of light overhead.
Standing on one of the few remaining safe spots, Charles saw this, and a grin of wild joy spread across his face behind the mask. That's the Narwhal's deck gun! My crew is helping me!
No matter how numerous the flying leeches were, they were still flesh and blood. Against cannonballs, they were as fragile as paper.
BOOM! Another large chunk of the red curtain was torn away. The leeches seemed to panic, uncertain whether to retreat or continue intercepting Charles.
With the pressure suddenly gone, Charles sprinted with all his might and finally reached the shore.
He leaped, and the icy seawater soothed the burning sensation all over his body. His limbs thrashed wildly as he swam frantically toward the Narwhal.
As soon as he scrambled up the rope ladder and onto the deck, his first words were, "Get the ship moving! Now!"
The Narwhal, already prepared, went full throttle and sped away from the island.
Lying exhausted on the deck, Charles spotted the few wet relics nearby and burst into exultant laughter. "Hahaha! See that, you snot-slugs! I took your stuff! And I got away! I win!"
Deep ran over nervously and helped Charles up. "Captain, you need to take that mask off, quickly!"
Charles was startled. How long have I been wearing this mask?
The thought had barely formed when a strange, abrupt voice exploded in his mind.
"I don't know either, but I'd guess at least an hour or two."
Charles tore the mask from his face at lightning speed. The moment it came off, his surroundings instantly dimmed by several degrees, and the pain wracking his body intensified severalfold.
But Charles's attention was now entirely focused on his own mind, questioning where that voice had come from.
Seeing his captain staring blankly into space, Deep waved a hand in front of his face. "Captain, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Charles ignored him, sitting on the deck as if waiting for something. When he realized the voice in his head had vanished after he removed the mask, he let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.
A wave of fear washed over him afterward. That was close. If I'd kept it on for a few more minutes, I might be fighting my other personalities for control of my own body right now.
I'll have to be more careful about wearing this mask in the future. The benefits are incredible, but the drawbacks are just as terrifying. While wearing it, I don't feel any urge to resist taking it off, but my personality becomes incredibly impulsive.
Seeing their Captain return to normal, the rest of the crew breathed a collective sigh of relief. They all scrambled to carry Charles to the Captain's Room.
After a flurry of chaotic first aid, Charles's acid burns were all bandaged. He was so wrapped in bandages he looked like a mummy.
Weakly, he sat up in his bed and looked at the crew members circled around him. "Who fired the deck gun?"
If not for the help of the deck gun, Charles definitely wouldn't have made it back.
"It was me! Me!" The white mouse, Lily, scurried up the bedsheets to Charles's side.