Surviving as the Captain of a Mad Cthulhu Deep Sea - Chapter 13

chapter 13

The Swarm of Eyes

Chapter 13. 096

Chapter 13. 096

Just as he turned to speak to the person next to him, two faint green lights appeared on his left. But this was only the beginning. Countless eyes began to glow, growing in number and stacking layer upon layer, making the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end. Charles struck a match forcefully against the rock wall, and the flame illuminated the surroundings. They were rats. Countless rats, piled atop each other, surrounded them. They were surrounded by rats!

“Hi! My name is Liliya. Nice to meet you!”

The sudden voice of a girl halted the group’s attack. After a quick scan, Charles realized that one of the white mice standing amidst the swarm was speaking. This white mouse moved and behaved completely differently from its kin, its eyes brimming with intelligence. As if recognizing Charles as their leader, it scurried forward, tilted its head, and looked up at him.

“Hello, my name is Lily. What’s yours?”

Charles glanced at the surrounding swarm of rats and replied softly, “Charles.”

Just as they finished their brief exchange, a sudden howl echoed from the direction the flying leeches had fled.

“Hurry! Hurry! My friend can only hold it off for a little while. It’ll be back soon. I’ll lead you to our home.”

With that, the White Mouse and the other rats quickly retreated.

Seeing the red light reappear in the distance, Charles knew he couldn’t delay. He led his crew forward, hurrying after the rats. After all, facing these rats, who at least seemed capable of communication, was better than confronting that monster.

In the darkness, Charles and his group blindly followed the rats until they finally arrived at a burrow about a meter high.

As they crawled inside with their torches, countless eyes in the darkness fixed on the humans entering their home, and rustling sounds echoed endlessly.

A dozen or so torches were lit and tossed into the air, illuminating everything in the space. The cave, as large as a soccer field, was teeming with Brown Rats, all glaring at them. While the presence of rats wasn’t surprising, it was peculiar to see some of them wielding bone tools like humans. Low, rounded houses stood in orderly rows, and Charles even saw a large rat teaching numbers to its pups! He felt as if he had suddenly stumbled into a land of homunculi.

The White Mouse dragged a toy-sized chair from somewhere, hopped onto it, and said, “Can you take me home? I miss my mom.”

A swarm of rats scurried forward, placing bowls of brown liquid in front of each human. It seemed to be a gesture of hospitality.

A home? Charles looked around, surveying the peculiar rat warren.

“Isn’t this your home?”

“Of course not! I’m not a rat! I’m a human!” the White Mouse retorted, bristling on the chair.

“A human?”

The crew’s eyes widened as they stared at the tiny creature before them. No matter how they looked, it was impossible to see a human.

Seeing their disbelief, Lily the White Rat hurried to explain.

“I really am human. My parents were taking me to my grandfather’s house on Hafang Island by boat when we ran into a whirlpool. I fell into the sea, and when I came to, I had transformed like this. I don’t know why it happened either.”

Even as he listened to the mouse’s words, Dip still looked skeptical and asked again, “Little one, where do you live, and how many people are in your family?”

The white mouse struck a pose, as if planting her feet on her hips. “Our house is at 158 East 12th District on Coral Island. My dad is called Oliver and he’s a doctor. My mom is Olivia. I’m eleven years old and I’m a girl. Hmph! Well? Do you believe me now?”

Boatswain Dip opened his mouth to say something else, but Charles stopped him. He wasn’t interested in where this child came from; his mind was focused on the dangers outside.

“Lily, I can take you home, but first you have to tell me what those monsters were.”

Lily the White Rat shook her head.

“I don’t know, and the uncles don’t either. I call them Big Fat Worms. If you ever encounter one, you must scatter and run for your life. They’re truly terrifying—they can turn invisible and spit acid. None of my friends who were caught by them ever returned.”

“Are there many of them here?”

“A lot, a lot. After the rocky plain, there’s a mountain, and the whole mountain is crawling with them.”

Lily spread her tiny paws wide, desperately trying to illustrate her point.

Charles continued to press Lily for more information about the island, especially regarding the Surface Exit. But he gained nothing. This was normal, though. If a Surface Exit were nearby, the people of the Subterranean Sea would have found it long ago.

After roughly estimating the strength of their enemies and allies, Charles fell into deep thought. With no apparent way to reach the surface and numerous dangerous monsters roaming the island, further exploration seemed pointless.

Just as Charles turned to leave, a squeaking sound echoed through the cavern, and a massive swarm of rats blocked their path, baring their teeth.

“Wait, sirs! We need your help. Couldn’t you help us first before you go?”

Charles shook his head. He didn’t want to stir up trouble.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t help with their affairs. Tell the rats to clear the way.”

Lily the White Rat, seemingly not understanding Charles’s meaning, spoke in a pleading tone.

“Oh, please promise! That item is really important to the uncles. And look, Uncle Wang is here.”

Everyone turned to see a giant rat, the size of a small dog, emerge from the shadows. Its bright yellow eyes swept over the humans from head to toe. This massive rat was clearly not as friendly as Lily, and its gaze was filled with hostility.

“Tsk!”

The Giant Rat suddenly hissed, and the surrounding rats began to writhe instantly. Their bared teeth and claws made it seem as though they could devour Charles and his group in the next moment.

Charles and his group immediately drew their weapons, aiming at the rat king.

As both sides stood on the brink of conflict, the White Mouse, Lily, rushed to the Giant Rat’s side, her fluffy face showing anxiety, and squeaked rapidly. She seemed to be communicating something with the larger rat.

After a long time, the White Mouse and the Giant Rat seemed to have reached a conclusion. Lily spoke apologetically, “I’m sorry, but he said he sent the rats to block the beach. He won’t let you on the boat unless you help him…”

Charles chuckled. He never thought he’d be blackmailed by a rat.

Sizzle~

The fuse of a small, pillow-sized explosive lit up.

When Lily recognized the object in Charles’s hand, her fur stood on end, and she shouted urgently, “Don’t light it! Don’t! He’ll give you a reward! He said it’s treasure, really good treasure!”

Charles pinched the burning fuse between his fingers and extinguished it. “What kind of treasure?”

Charles had no intention of finishing this with the rats. If the reward was decent, he was willing to hear them out.

Next, he watched as two rats dragged two items before him: a mask and a sheet of white paper.

Charles picked up the paper and his eyes widened slightly as he read the text. The contents were truly unexpected.

====

Project Number: 096

Project Name: ‘Clown Mask’

Containment Level: Level 3 Containment Item, currently isolated in Laboratory 3.

Description: 096 is a clown mask with a red nose, a stark white exterior, and a maniacally grinning expression. It was discovered at the [DATA REDACTED] Circus on Redwood Island. Its previous owner had already gone insane; psychological evaluation revealed that this 27-year-old woman suffered from significant personality changes and a dissociative identity disorder.

Experiment Log 1: Subject 654

Procedure: Subject 654 is fitted with 096.

Results:

* 10 minutes post-application: Subject 654’s body exhibits abnormal flexibility and agility, with a significant increase in strength. They are capable of performing various vertical and acrobatic feats, including, but not limited to: trapeze acts, blindfolded knife throwing, and contorting their bones and muscles to fit into narrow boxes.

* 30 minutes post-application: Subject 654 becomes somewhat agitated. They attempt to communicate with Dr. [Data Redacted] through the explosion-proof glass and try to make him laugh with clumsy jokes.

* 1 hour post-application: Subject 654 begins muttering to themselves, alternating between blaming another entity within their body and being blamed in return. This is accompanied by nervous laughter.

Three hours after wearing it, the subject attempted to cut his own trachea with his fingernails. Security personnel administered anesthetic gas and removed 096. Three days later, the subject’s physical and mental abnormalities persisted. Subject 654 was deemed worthless and disposed of.

This seemed like a kind of report, someone trying to understand the artifact known as the “Clown Mask” in a scientific manner.

Charles tore his gaze from the paper and looked at the mask lying on the rat’s back. That must be the Clown Mask described in the paper.

After a moment’s hesitation, Charles picked up the mask and pressed it to his face. Instantly, he felt as if he had become half as light, as if he were walking on cotton. With a light kick of his feet, he sprang into the air, executing a nimble two-and-a-half mid-air rotation before landing with perfect stability.

“Wow, this is incredible. If I went back to the Olympics right now, I’d be guaranteed a gold medal.”

The next moment, Charles hastily tore the mask from his face and glared at the pale, grinning face with terrifying eyes.

He knew those words had come from his own mouth, but the tone and accent were completely unlike his usual self. It was as if he had suddenly become someone else.

“What do you think? You’ll agree, right? I’ve been trying to convince you for ages, Uncle Wang.”

Lily the White Rat leaped onto Charles’s foot, grabbed his trouser leg, and shook it furiously.

After a moment’s hesitation, Charles lifted Lily onto his hand and asked, “Why are you asking us for help? These mice seem highly intelligent—wouldn’t they be far more useful than us?”

“We don’t have hands. The object is in the room, but Uncle Wang said only someone with hands can open it. The rats are forbidden from going near it. It’s very easy for a person to get it. It’s not dangerous at all, and I’ve been there many times myself.”

Charles paused to think, then lowered his head and said, “Alright, I agree.”

This mask relic was very strange, but if its use time could be controlled, it would be extremely useful for both escaping and fighting. Even if he didn’t use it himself, he could sell it to other captains.

Hearing Charles’s answer, Lily jumped up and down with joy.

“That’s wonderful! I knew you were a good person!”