Chapter 77

The large frigate now lay on its side on the sandy beach, with the main deck facing the shore.

They found themselves in a difficult situation, but those who survived on land might have some time. However, Bill knew that those he had seen being thrown overboard did not have time.

The entire incident happened within just a few minutes. Caught between two enormous monsters, the people reacted as best as they could.

Now, Bill could only do everything possible to save those he could find.

Using the Air Jump technique for the first time had tired him out, but using it underwater was not as exhausting.

So Bill rushed through the water faster than ever before to the places where he thought he had seen people fall.

Pulling nearly a dozen Marines ashore while giant monsters fought nearby, Bill handed them over to those conscious on the beach.

After scouring the local waters for a few minutes, despite all efforts, he knew that at least a dozen or more had fallen off the ship and that he would probably never find them.

The Marines worked in three shifts, but during the battle, except for a few, everyone needed to be on deck.

Bill estimated there had been eighty Marines on deck when the ship was driven back. Now, as it crawled back onto shore, he saw fifty people either sitting or lying on the beach and a little over ten others trying to climb the ship with improvised blocks.

As for Bill himself, he was tired, but not to the point of needing rest. So, approaching the people climbing the ship, he asked, "Where's the Captain?" Hearing his voice, the people jumped slightly, but seeing who it was, they relaxed, and many of them immediately said that she had jumped onto the ship to help those still inside.

Nodding, Bill grabbed the ropes the people were struggling with. He didn't need to use any technique; he just leapt more than a hundred feet to the stairs leading to the lower decks.

Once at the top, he tied the ropes to the side railings of the stairs and, after a good pull, shouted down, "The rope is secured!"

Having done this, Bill began to navigate the overturned ship.

Because everything had happened so quickly, a little more than half the Marines managed to make it to the deck.

This meant that, excluding the members of the Scientific Division, there were at least seventy Marines on board whose condition was unknown.

The first survivors he encountered were in bad shape. They were trying to climb onto the deck, forming a line.

Miraculously, they all survived, but the extent of their injuries largely depended on their place in the line. The unfortunate one at the end found himself surrounded by those ahead who could move freely.

Bill informed them that help was on the way and told them to hold on.

Over the past month, Bill hadn't gotten to know the crew very well; he had only met the cooks and one of the ship's surgeons. Besides that, he was too focused on his own tasks and those of the Scientific Division.

He told himself he would never make such a mistake again. He should at least know the experienced people working with him.

Just as he was about to continue, one of them shouted, "Lieutenant Ox!"

When Bill stopped and turned, the person continued, though Bill could hear the pain in his voice: "Ca… Captain Hina went to the infirmary; she… she said to tell anyone who follows her to head to the mess hall and get out whoever they can as quickly as possible."

In fact, Bill was already headed in that direction. The last time he saw the Science Division recruits was in the training room, but he had noticed the biologists in the mess hall once he heard the commotion.

Subconsciously, he assumed Marron and the others would be fine, while Tom, Jerry, and Samantha might need help.

Nodding in response, Bill continued along the slanted path. With the ship lying on its side, strange angles of descent were formed.

Unfortunately, descending into the next corridor, Bill found himself almost in complete darkness and face to face with his first victim.

At the end of the long corridor was a group of people who seemed to have been crushed to death. In both his lives, these were the first instances of unnatural death he had witnessed.

There was a lot of blood, but the bodies weren't mutilated, and Bill couldn't exactly understand how they had died due to the darkness.

Clenching his teeth, Bill continued on his way.

The last thought he had about the deceased was that these people probably came from the sleeping quarters, and thinking about this, Bill headed through the darkness to where he thought the mess hall was located.

On most Marine ships, especially those with sea stone hulls, the prison cells were located on the very lowest level. Above them, floor by floor, were storerooms, gun batteries, training rooms, medical offices, sleeping quarters, and the mess hall, and then the main deck, where the captain's and navigators' cabins were usually found.

This layout remained more or less standard, but the size of the ship determined the proportions. For example, on smaller Marine ships, the medical section might not occupy a whole floor. Storerooms and prison cells could share one space, but the sleeping quarters and the mess hall were always one level below the deck.

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