Chapter 8 A Person

"Found it! It's definitely it!!"

Charles began to get excited, the object was just lying there, with not even a single guard nearby. All he had to do was to return it to the Coral Islands, and the mission would be complete!

He lifted his foot to go and grab it but stopped himself. A thought flashed through his mind, wasn't this all a bit too simple? If it was so simple, why hadn't those people before him taken it, instead of disappearing altogether?

While Charles hesitated, the bandage beside him moved. He walked straight over and picked up the Fu Tan statue.

He then returned to Charles's side and spoke in a slow drawl, "We... should head back... The High Priest is waiting..."

Even though Charles felt something was off, the object was now in hand, and he couldn't afford to worry about that at this moment. With a wave of his hand, he led the crew swiftly out.

"That object looks a bit heavy, we'll take turns carrying it for thirty minutes."

The bandage and James nodded together. They continued along the path toward the seashore. The weight of the golden statue was significant, and even taking turns to carry it was exhausting.

Halfway down the path, Charles stopped to rest. It was crucial not to wait until completely drained before resting or else there'd be no chance to react if something happened.

By the campfire, Charles sat on the ground, his eyes vigilantly scanning the darkness surrounding them.

If there was no danger on the way there, then the danger must come from the way back. He couldn't let his guard down.

After a rest of about fifteen minutes, Charles turned to the bandage beside him and said, "For the next stretch, we can't stop. We must go all the way through."

The bandage beside him nodded, paused for a few seconds, looked left and right, and then said, "I... I seem to have forgotten something..."

"As long as we have the statue, it makes no difference whether we have the other things or not. Let's get moving." Charles, somewhat impatient, grabbed the statue and continued onwards.

The bandage said no more, silently following.

The bizarre forest, intermittently visible under the light of the fire, was so quiet that apart from their breathing and footsteps, there was no sound at all.

When Charles finally returned to the sandy beach and saw the Rat in the distance, a hint of joy crossed his sweat-covered face.

"This adventure's been a success. Once I return and hand over the object to the Futan Sect, I'll be able to buy an Exploration Ship, recruit a crew, and find my way home."

As he ran across the sand toward the distant Rat, his steps suddenly halted, the smile on his face slowly fading away as a question surfaced in his mind.

"Did I... come here all by myself on that huge Steamboat??"

A nameless fear suddenly enveloped Charles as he recalled his journey to this place.

"I was invited by the Futan Sect to search for their Holy Relic. I set off alone on the Rat. I prepared food alone in the kitchen. I fueled the turbines alone. I cleaned the deck alone... Did I... patrol the deck alone, and steer the ship... all by myself?"

Charles, holding the golden statue, wandered back and forth on the sand.

"I once had a crew. I sailed with the first mate, Old John, and the sailor chief, Dim. But then Dim got skinned by something underwater, John disembarked at the Coral Islands, and since then, it was just me on the Rat, right?!"

A pained expression crossed Charles's face. Although the memories were clear, what they suggested was in contradiction to reality, defying logic.

"This is impossible! I'm not Superman; how could I possibly do all that alone?! There must be a problem somewhere!!"

When Charles's gaze inadvertently swept across the footprints on the ground, he shuddered.

There, clearly imprinted in the sand, were seven sets of footprints, each unmistakably fresh.

Charles hastily tossed the statue aside and took off his boots, comparing his print with one on the ground.

"The tread pattern, the size, the curvature, this is my footprint! I didn't come here alone; the memories in my head have been altered!"

Sweating profusely, he looked toward the Rat and the several empty boats beside it, now understanding why all the boats were unoccupied.

Charles took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, "The information now indicates I'm not alone, I had a crew, who have disappeared. They vanished not only in reality but also from my mind. I must find them; I can't return alone."

But a new problem presented itself to Charles: how was he to search for six people he didn't recognize and who didn't exist? Who were they? What were their names? Were they male or female?

Just then, a figure slowly walked into the torchlight.

The moment Charles saw the appearance of the person, his pupils dilated, and he quickly drew his pistol, aiming at the figure's head.

It was a person-shaped figure, draped in old yellow bandages; the bandages were torn and ragged, revealing the dark skin underneath.

"Halt! State your name!!"

"I... my name is Bandage, no, that's not right, I don't... I'm not called Bandage. Who are you? I feel like I know you... Do you recognize me?"

After a quick glance at the bandaged feet of this mummy, Charles started searching among the seven pairs of footprints.

The bandaged tread was clearly imprinted in the sand, and as unbelievable as it was, this guy was indeed one of his crew members.

Charles lowered the revolver in his hand and quickly explained what had happened to Bandage.

"Is... is that right? I can't remember. Who am I? Do you know who I am?" Bandage's voice was hesitant.

"We'll deal with that later. Where did you escape from? Are there others there?" Charles quickly pressed.

"Trees... inside the trees... The trees don't like me... they let me go. There are others there."

Charles couldn't quite grasp what this bandaged figure was talking about, but it seemed he knew where the others were.

"Hurry, lead the way, we've got to rescue them."

After firmly memorizing the remaining pairs of footprints, Charles followed Bandage back into the eerie forest.

The forest, shrouded in a light mist, was as silent as ever, and Bandage led Charles back onto the footprint-filled path.

With the previous alert in mind, Charles now realized something was amiss - the footprints lessened the further they went, clearly, others had vanished too.

Whether it was psychological or not, Charles began to feel as if something in the forest was watching him.

After about half an hour, the staggering Bandage suddenly turned, heading into the forest at the side. Charles now understood why his Bandage was shredded like that.