Shrouded Seascape

The surface world was still the same—it was still the world he had lived in for more than a decade. Tobba and 005 had spoken of the same truth to Charles.

Charles realized just then that what he had once tried his best to find was just down below.

The surface world was like heaven compared to the Subterranean Sea, where danger lurked everywhere, and humans were in danger of going extinct at any given moment.

Tobba stared at the family portrait in Charles' hand. "You don't want to accept the Foundation's last spark. Is it because you've always wanted to go home?"

"Home?" Charles chuckled and put away the family portrait in his hand. "That side is my home, but the Subterranean Sea has become my home as well. Which do you think is my real home?"

"The surface world and the Subterranean Sea are actually just separated by an ocean. Technically, both places are in the same place. The Foundation is gone, which means the surface world is no longer being protected against the Subterranean Sea. The peace of the surface world will inevitably shatter."

Charles limped out of the cemetery with the tablet in his hands.

"How long can a person live in a lifetime? I just have to make sure that nothing will happen to the surface world during my lifetime. What happens to the surface world after I die is none of my business.

"Sometimes I wonder, how much of a role did the Foundation really play? Those lunatics have been working hard for so long, but perhaps they were just working in vain.

"If the slumbering God Fhtagn awakens, or if 002 emerges from within the Core, does the existence of the Foundation really matter at all?" Charles asked.

Tobba reached to scratch his curly hair. "Charles, you know what? An idea that you are resisting might be what represents your heart's desire. I personally suggest that you accept the Foundation's last spark."

Charles frowned. The next moment, he raised the tablet in his hand and hurled it to the ground.

"005! The Foundation! And even you! Why are you guys forcing me to become the third-generation Foundation?! What do you stand to gain from manipulating my life!!" Charles roared. Veins bulged all over his forehead as he added, "The fate of the two generations of the Foundation is a hard enough lesson!

"I don't want to end up like them! Is it wrong for me to live my own life in my own way?!"

The tablet's screen cracked, splitting Tobba's face into two. "Of course, you can choose not to take it, but you will have to face the consequences of doing that.

"Believe me, you definitely wouldn't want to see that kind of future. All of those seven futures are bad endings."

Tobba's words had just finished echoing in the air when the screen shook violently. Charles then heard other voices. "I caught 177! AH! My hand! He actually bit me!"

"Contact the command center! 177 is hiding in the ducts above Area C on the -14th floor! Call in some reinforcements!"

A dazzling array of light sources flashed behind Tobba.

Tobba bobbing up and down as he crawled in the ducts appeared on the screen once again. "I don't have much time left. I just have one last thing to say—to protect the surface world, the Light God refused to reveal the secret even though He became aware of it right before his death!"

A large net descended toward Tobba's face right as he spat the final syllable of his sentence. The net covered Tobba's face and dragged him down the ducts.

The video ended there…

Charles tapped on the screen, and the video played once again. However, the Tobba on the screen could no longer interact with Charles and was now repeating his dialogue.

The end of Tobba's funeral seemed to represent the end of a tumultuous era.

Having overcome a series of world-ending threats—Swann, the Pope, the disappearance of the darkness, and the Foundation—the Subterranean Sea seemed to have entered an era of peace.

Hope Island developed rapidly, and more fixed tracks were affixed to the rock layer above the dome, allowing more monorails to be suspended up above. There were so many of them that they looked like tentacles from down below.

With the advancement of transportation technology, Hope Island's export industry boomed, and items that could only be found on Hope Island began spreading throughout the entire Northern Seas and the other sea regions through the transoceanic railway and voyages.

Hope Island's innovation in transportation became a hot topic of discussion throughout the Subterranean Sea, and merchant ships visited the Northern Seas in droves to purchase blueprints and the rights to use Hope Island technology.

The slumbering economy of the Subterranean Sea slowly came back to life, all thanks to trade and technology. Everyone was profiting from the reviving economy.

In addition, there were more islands than people throughout the Subterranean Sea, so the prices of land plummeted greatly, allowing everyone to buy a home of their own. It was cruel and cold, but the demise of roughly eighty percent of the Subterranean Sea's population allowed the survivors to live an affluent life.

No one had pushed for it, nor anyone had announced it, but a large number of people throughout the Subterranean Sea attributed their current good days to the efforts of Charles, effectively pushing his prestige to new heights.

Charles' prestige gave birth to fans enthusiastic enough to ride on ships to visit Hope Island and see the world-renowned hero with their own two eyes.

Unfortunately, they were destined to be disappointed. Hope Island had announced that the governor was seriously injured and needed to recuperate in seclusion for a whole year. Thus, he couldn't entertain any visitors.

However, those familiar with Charles knew that the announcement was just an excuse. Given enough human blood, Charles could recover as long as he was still breathing. He'd recover from even the most serious injury in just a week.

They believed that there was another reason behind Charles' seclusion in the Governor's Mansion. However, none of them knew the reason. In fact, none of them knew Charles' thoughts, including even Anna.

"Hey, what have you been thinking about lately? You've been holing up in this basement all day long," Anna said, curling up slightly on the bed as she leaned on Charles' scarred chest.

"I've been thinking a lot about our future," Charles said with closed eyes.

Anna recalled something just then and frowned. Then, she stretched her fair thin arms and wrapped them around Charles' neck in a hug.

"You can think about anything you want to think, but don't even think about abandoning us—your wife and daughter—here in the Subterranean Sea by wishing to return to the surface world," Anna remarked.

"You have a monstrous body, the mind of a lunatic, and the hands of a murderer. I don't even know how many people have died at your hands. You can't possibly adapt to life on the surface world, as you are no longer the same as them," Anna added.

Smack!

Charles slapped her hard before stroking her gently. "What are you talking about? Calm down, will you? I'm not leaving. I'm just thinking about how I can make good use of the two wishes that 005 has granted to me.

"Since I can't avoid it, I might as well face it."

Anna immediately perked up. Then, she sat up straight and said, "Power! The power of the gods!"

"Then what? What's going to happen once I've become as strong as a god?" Charles asked. He opened his eyes and stared straight into Anna's eyes.

"Of course, you can do whatever you want by then! With the earth-shattering power of a god, we can even return to the surface world!" Anna replied.

"I don't think it's that easy to reach the surface world from the Subterranean Sea. Otherwise, the surface world would have been plunged into chaos long ago."

"Then find a way! A god can always find a way. Anyway, if I had a choice, I wouldn't stay in the Subterranean Sea. Living here is suffocating, as our survival depends entirely on the mood of those beings!" Anna remarked.

The purple 002, the sealed 003, and 004 that had annihilated the second-generation Foundation flashed through Charles' mind upon hearing Anna's words.

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