In the starless underground ocean, the only things that could guide the way besides the compass were those bright buoys placed along the route. As long as you could see a buoy, it meant that this path was a safe route explored by previous ships.

At that moment, as Charles gazed at the surface of the sea, his pupils suddenly shrank to the smallest size, and he swallowed hard. “That... that buoy, how long have you been watching it?”

“Probably a few minutes. I’ve been staring at it the whole time without moving.” As he finished speaking, Old John’s voice gradually grew quieter, and a trace of terror appeared on his chubby face.

After sailing for so long, they still hadn’t passed that buoy. Clearly, the buoy was moving forward at the same speed as the steamboat. There was something wrong with that thing!

Suddenly, Charles seemed wound up like a spring, frantically spinning the wheel with both hands, pulling it hard to the left.

With the screech of metal, the steamboat beneath them began to turn. Fortunately, the small boat could turn quickly, and the Mouse started to put distance between itself and that strange buoy.

Before Charles could even breathe a sigh of relief, the young man beside him pointed at the glass window behind them, his eyes wide as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Cap... Captain! That thing is coming toward us! It’s so fast!! It’s about to catch up!”

“Damn it!” Charles roared into a nearby speaking tube, “Chief engineer! Push the boiler to the max! Something is chasing us!!”

“Aye aye, Captain!” a simple, honest voice came from the iron tube.

Thick black smoke billowed from the ship’s smokestack, and the steamboat began to pick up speed.

“It’s still getting closer!! It’s so fast! It’s about to catch up! God! What kind of monster is that!”

The young man’s voice rose several pitches in terror, his whole body shaking like a sieve, as if he was about to go into shock.

“Dean! Close your eyes!!” With nerves stretched to the limit, Charles kicked him hard in the calf, knocking him to the floor.

Beside him, John pressed the boy’s head firmly to the deck, his face flushed as he shouted frantically, “Don’t look, don’t listen, don’t think!! The captain will get us back.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than there was a loud “bang,” and the cabin shook violently. The two on the floor rolled into a heap, and Charles clung to the wheel for dear life to avoid being thrown off.

“Captain, it’s hit us!”

Charles’s face was ashen, his cheeks bulging slightly from clenching his teeth so hard.

He leaned close to the tube and shouted hoarsely, “Chief engineer!! Overload the boiler for thirty seconds!!”

“Captain! We can’t! This thing is too old!! It’ll explode!”

Chapter Two: The Monster

“Do as I say! I know my ship!!”

After yelling into the boiler room, Charles looked down at the first mate on the floor. “John! Go and dump half the cargo overboard!”

He knew that this was not the time to hesitate—staying alive was more important than anything.

“Yes, sir!” The fat old man kicked open the cockpit door and rushed out.

Hearing the splashes as the cargo hit the water, Charles felt his heart bleed.

Fortunately, the series of measures worked. After a few more collisions, the now lighter Mouse began to accelerate, slowly leaving whatever was behind them further and further away.

When the real buoy finally appeared at the bow, Charles, drenched in cold sweat, finally loosened his grip on the wheel.

The trembling young man crawled to Charles’s feet, clutching his leg tightly.

“Cap... Captain, I just... I just saw—”

Charles immediately pinched his cheeks, stopping him from saying more.

“Before you boarded, what was the third thing I told you?”

“Don’t look at or think about the monsters in the water. Unless they come close to our ship, don’t say anything even if you see them...”

“Good. Now get up, drop anchor, and then tell everyone on board to gather on deck. I need to do a headcount.”

After saying this, Charles let go and walked out of the cockpit. The deck was a mess, water everywhere, and the ropes tying the cargo floated on the surface, drifting back and forth.

Wading through water up to his calves, Charles made his way to the stern. The spindle-shaped stern looked as if it had been smashed in by a giant hammer, caved in deeply, and was smeared with some unknown black slime that gave off a constant stench.

Judging by the shape, it was easy to imagine the size of the creature that had just rammed the ship. But eight years at sea had worn away Charles’s curiosity; at this moment, he was thinking about other things.

“Fixing this is going to cost a fortune...” Charles muttered irritably, feeling one step further from his dream.

Just then, the whispering started up again in his ears, as if it was spreading from the surrounding darkness.

“ph...nglui mglw...nafh...”

“Damn!” Charles clenched his fist and pounded his forehead with the back of his hand, the pain dulling the irritation brought on by the whispers.

When he saw the other crew members starting to gather on deck, Charles lowered his hand and walked over.

Seeing their captain approach, several men of varying heights quickly lined up. No matter what they looked like, their faces were as pale and terrified as Charles’s.