Charles used all his strength to step on James's foot, pushing him toward the exit, but he remained stuck.

  “Get out of the way!!” Charles leaped high, putting all his weight down on James's foot. The sound of flesh tearing echoed as a large chunk of skin was scraped off James’s waist, and he shot out of the exit.

  Charles followed James out, but just as he emerged, the exit suddenly closed, trapping his left arm tightly.

  Grinding his teeth, Charles pushed against the wall, pulling desperately, but he couldn’t break free.

  James floated nearby, gripping Charles’s waist and pulling with all his might.

  Charles patted him, pointing to the surface, but the giant shook his head vigorously, continuing to pull.

  Charles felt the water around them begin to swirl violently; the island was sinking faster.

  Feeling the increasing pressure surrounding him, Charles knew that if he didn’t make a choice soon, the water pressure alone could cost him his life.

  Resolutely, he drew his black blade and swung it along the edge of the wall.

  Crimson blood sprayed from the severed end, and the two of them finally stopped descending.

  As Charles instinctively glanced into the dark water below, he was shocked to discover that it wasn’t just one island sinking.

  Dozens of identical islands were also descending rapidly.

  And beneath them, Charles vaguely saw a massive, writhing darkness. The island they had been trapped on was tiny compared to it—like a fingertip. No, perhaps it could be said that the island was merely its fingertip?

  He suddenly understood: these islands were all part of one entity; they were all part of that darkness.

  “Swish!” A giant crimson eye appeared in the writhing darkness, followed by two, then three more.

  The whispering in his ears resumed, and Charles immediately closed his eyes, using all his strength to swim upward with James.

  On the deck, the drenched and shivering crew anxiously watched the water’s surface, worried that their captain and chief engineer had not yet surfaced.

  Lily ran back and forth along the ship’s edge, tears welling in her eyes.

  “What if something happens to Mr. Charles? Where should I go? No, Mr. Charles will be fine! He’s so strong! He won’t be hurt!”

  Just as she was about to cry, she suddenly saw Charles and James helping each other to float to the surface. Excited, Lily jumped in.

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  Using the soft ladder, the two men, looking extremely pale, finally returned to the deck.

  “Captain, your hand—” All the crew immediately noticed Charles’s empty left arm.

  Looking at his crew, Charles’s face was grim as he opened his mouth to say something, but a large spurt of crimson blood erupted from his mouth.

  At the same time, James also knelt on one knee, exhibiting the same symptoms.

  Seeing this, everyone was instantly alarmed and hurried to fetch the doctor.

  The doctor quickly examined both men and sighed in relief. “It’s fine; you just ascended too quickly from underwater and got decompression sickness. You all, take them to the medical room I’ve prepared. I need to treat them.”

  In a white medical room, various bitter potions were forced down their throats, and Charles felt the suffocating sensation in his lungs improve significantly.

  James, receiving the same treatment, lay beside him.

  Looking at Charles’s empty left arm, James’s face showed pain.

  “Captain, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me—”

  “You don’t need to apologize. The relic was given to you by me, and I asked you to use it. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Charles interrupted him.

  Looking at his severed arm, Charles pondered deeply: is a life more important than an arm?

  He quickly found his answer: if he wanted to achieve his goals, he couldn’t do it alone; he needed a crew to share in the hardships.

  As for an arm, as long as he could get out of this place, that price was worth it.

  Moreover, thinking about the possibility of James dying and him having to deliver the news to his wife, Charles felt his choice had been the right one.

  “It’s okay; it’s just an arm. It’s not like I’ve lost love,” Richard’s voice mocked in his mind.

  Charles shook his head, slowly closing his eyes to rest; his mind was a bit weary.

  With a bang, the doctor pushed open the door and walked straight to Charles, looking very impatient. “Did you see something? Why is your mental contamination worse?”

  “I accidentally glanced at it. That island seems to be a limb of something.”

  “Do you not understand the rules of the Sea of the Earth? Even as a captain, you’re not supposed to look around carelessly. One day, you’ll end up harming yourself,” the doctor said disdainfully, handing him a cup of bubbling black potion.

  Charles took it, tilting his head back to drink. The metallic taste instantly filled his mouth, but the dizzy sensation in his head improved significantly.

  Feeling much better, Charles wasn’t in a hurry to rest. He placed the iron cup on the nearby wooden cabinet and said to the doctor, “Could you please call the first mate? I have some questions for him.”

  All signs indicated that the bandage was very familiar with this place. He not only knew the location of the exit but also how to restrain the tormentors and was immune to the maze's effects, preventing him from being pulled into the walls.

  However, this raised contradictions: if he knew this place was dangerous, why didn’t he warn everyone in advance? If he wanted to trap the crew, why go through so much trouble to save them in the end?

  The silent first mate soon appeared at the door. When faced with Charles’s inquiry, he slowly shook his head.

  “I… I don’t know… I think I’ve been here before… and I lived inside for a long time… When I saw all of you appearing on the wall… that’s when I remembered…”

  “Can you remember why you were able to resist being pulled into the wall? Also, I’m curious, back on the first island, those monsters that devour memories clearly caught you; why did they let you go?”

  This time, the bandage finally answered.

  He untied the bandage on his back, revealing a complex array of dark purple characters tattooed all over his skin.

  The twisted characters seemed to move, and after just a brief glance, Charles felt dizzy.

  “It should have the protection of this thing… Don’t ask me… where it came from… I forgot…”

  Charles decided not to press further; asking anything would probably lead to “I don’t remember.”

  “Do you think his tattoos hold any clues?” Richard suggested.

  Charles’s gaze turned to the tattoos on the bandage’s body.