Shrouded Seascape

Even after the mouse's explanation, Dipp's skeptical expression didn't change.He asked once again, "Little one, where's your home? How many people are there in your family?"

The white mouse placed its paws on its hips and answered, "I live on Unit 158, East District 12, Coral Archipelago. My dad's name is Oliver and he's a doctor. My mom's name is Olivia. I'm 11 years old, a girl! Hmph! So, do you believe me now?"

Boatswain Dipp was about to say something but Charles stretched out a hand to hold him back. Charles couldn't care less about the origin of this little creature. At this moment, he was more concerned about the danger outside.

"Lily, I can bring you back. But first, you have to tell me what those things were."

The white mouse, Lily, shook her head. "I don't know. Uncle Mouse and the other mice have no idea either. I call them 'fat worms'. If you encounter them, make sure to run away in different directions. They are dangerous. Not only can they turn invisible, but they also spit venom. None of my friends who were caught by them ever returned."

"Are there many of them?"

"Many, many. There's a mountain beyond the rocky terrain. And the whole mountain is filled with them." Lily opened her mouse paws and gestured frantically.

After speculating the strength of both sides, Charles fell into contemplation. There seemed to be no need to further explore this island. There was no way to the surface, and dangerous creatures were plentiful.

"Lily, we are going back to the Coral Archipelago now. If you want to go home, you can come with us."

Charles could sense the friendliness of the white mouse. On top of that, he could also empathize with her longing to return home.

Charles turned around, wanting to leave. Squeaking sounds echoed as a large group of mice bared their fangs and blocked his path.

"Wait! Uncle Mouse and the others need your help too. Can we leave after helping them?"

Charles shook his head. He didn't want to get involved with matters on this island unnecessarily. "Sorry, I'm afraid we can't be of much help. Ask them to make way for us."

With her innocent mind, Lily didn't seem to have understood Charles' roundabout way of turning the mice down. She purred coquettishly, "Oh please, won't you help? That thing is really important to Uncle Mouse and the others. Look. Uncle Mouse is coming out now."

The crew members turned their heads, and saw a giant mouse, about the size of a small puppy, crawling out from the shadows. Its bright yellow eyes scanned the humans up and down with a hostile glare. This giant mouse was clearly less friendly than Lily.

Squeak!

The giant mouse suddenly squealed and the surrounding mice surged forward with their fangs and claws bared. They looked as though they were ready to devour Charles and his companions.

Charles and his group swiftly drew their weapons and pointed them at the mouse king.

Seeing the tension between both sides, an expression of anxiety crept onto the furry face of the white mouse. She hurriedly ran up to the giant mouse and squeaked incessantly. It sounded like they were communicating.

After a while, it seemed that Lily and the giant mouse reached a consensus. With a hint of apology, Lily said, "I'm sorry, Uncle Mouse says that he has ordered the mice to seal off the beach. If you don't help him, he won't let you board the ship..."

Charles let out a light snort. He never thought there would be a day that he would be threatened by a mouse.

Hiss!

The fuse of a small cotton-sized explosive was ignited.

Lily recognized the object in Charles's hand. Her fur instantly stood on end. She quickly shouted, "Don't ignite it! Uncle Mouse will reward you! A treasure, a valuable one!"

Charles pinched the burning fuse with his fingers to extinguish it. "What kind of treasure?"

He didn't want to get caught up in a futile confrontation with the mice. However, if the reward was enticing enough, he would consider it.

Immediately, two rats dragged two objects over and swiftly placed them before Charles. One was a clown mask, and the other was a piece of paper.

Charles picked up the paper and read the text written on it. His eyes widened in surprise. The content on the paper intrigued him.

Project ID: 096

Project Name: Clown Mask

Containment Level: Level 3. Currently contained in Lab 3

Description: 096 appears as a white clown mask with a red nose and a manically joyous expression. It was discovered in the Red Tree Island's [Data Purged] Circus. The previous owner of 096 has gone insane. After psychological evaluation, it was noted that the 27-year-old female subject exhibited significant personality changes and dissociative identity disorder.

Experiment Log 1: Subject 654 wearing 096.

After wearing 096 for ten minutes, Subject 654's body became unusually flexible and agile. Subject 654's strength also significantly increased, with all measurements approaching the limits of the human body. Subject 654 demonstrated proficiency in all acrobatic skills, including but not limited to aerial acrobatics, blindfolded knife-throwing, and contortionism.

After wearing 096 for thirty minutes, Subject 654's mood became somewhat exhilarated. She tried to communicate with Dr. [Data Purged], who was observing her from outside the blast-resistant glass. She attempted to tell poor jokes to amuse the doctor. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

After wearing 096 for one hour, Subject 654 started to talk to herself, engaging in a self-blaming dialogue with the other personality within her. The conversation was accompanied by manic laughter.

After wearing 096 for three hours, Subject 654 attempted to use her nails to slash her own windpipe. Security personnel administered anesthesia and removed 096. Three days later, Subject 654's physical and mental abnormalities persisted. Subject 654 was deemed nonviable and subsequently terminated.

The contents of the document appeared to be a report. It hinted at an experiment by certain individuals to unravel the mysteries surrounding the relic known as the Clown Mask through scientific means.

Charles shifted his gaze away from the paper and toward the mask resting on the back of a distant rat. It was unmistakably the Clown Mask described in the document.

After a moment of hesitation, Charles picked up the mask and placed it on his face. In an instant, he felt as if his body had become weightless; it felt as thought he was walking on cotton. With a gentle push of his feet, he effortlessly somersaulted in the air, completed two and a half rotations and landed gracefully.

"Damn, this thing is fucking incredible! With this, I could go back and sweep gold medals at the Olympics!" Charles exclaimed, his voice sounding overly excited.

The next moment, Charles hurriedly removed the mask from his face. He stared at the pale, grinning visage. A wave of unease washed over him as he recalled the words he had spoken moments ago. Even though they were spoken from his own mouth, the tone or key sounded nothing like his usual self. It was as if he had momentarily transformed into someone else entirely.

Lily jumped onto Charles' foot and tugged at his pants, shaking the hem vigorously. "What do you say? Will you agree? I spent a long time persuading Uncle Mouse," she pleaded.

After a moment of contemplation, Charles picked Lily up in his palm and replied, "Why do they need our help? These mice seem highly intelligent. They should be more capable than us, right?"

"We don't have hands," Lily responded. "The item is kept in a room. Uncle Mouse said that it requires a hand to open it. Don't worry, it's easy and completely safe. I've been there several times."

Charles lowered his head in thought and after a brief moment, finally said, "Alright, I agree."

Although the mask was peculiar, its usefulness was significant as long as the usage time was controlled. Whether for escaping or battling, it could prove to be a valuable asset.

Even if he wasn't going to use it, he could sell it to other captains.

Upon hearing Charles's positive response, Lily bounced with joy. "That's great! I knew you were a good person!"