"Tap, tap, tap" Charles tapped his fingers on the nautical chart, brows furrowed as he looked at the location of the selected island.
This island is not far away, and it forms an equilateral triangle with Tianshui Island and Hope Island.
During the cruise, Charles could feel that his crew members were somewhat uncomfortable with the pressure at sea and were a little overly nervous.
The crew members were also in the same situation as they had been stranded for three years. Three years had made them somewhat unfamiliar with the sea. If anything really happened, they would go to the nearest island so that they could escape.
"I hope there are clues on this island..." Charles also knew that this was a beautiful wish. Beauty is scarce in the sea, and despair is the norm.
"Creaky" Lily opened the captain's room with a group of colorful subordinates. Her color today was fluorescent green, and her hands were still holding Charles' mobile phone tightly.
"Mr. Charles, the mirror above your phone is dark."
Charles took the phone, swiped it quickly with his finger, and put it in his pocket. "The phone ran out of battery because of you playing with it."
Lily's ears drooped slightly. "Is that so... What a pity. I haven't seen enough."
"Is this fifteen-minute short film really that good? Why do you have to watch it so many times?"
"Well, it's so beautiful. I like that mouse. It's so smart." A group of colorful mice piled up and brought Lily to the table.
Lily stood on the chart and looked at it for a while, then looked up and said, "Mr. Charles, can I sleep with you today? I haven't slept with you for a long time."
Charles glanced at her. "If you were still human, you would be 14 now, right? Do you think it's appropriate?"
"I'm not a human now, I'm a mouse. Do mice also have to avoid suspicion? I don't even know if I can change back." Lily rolled around on the back of Charles' hand.
"Have you been back to Coral Island to visit your parents recently?" Charles held her in his hands and kneaded her tail.
"No, I asked Mr. Bandage to hire Dad to Hope Island with a high salary. By the way, Mom is pregnant again. I wonder if it's a brother or a sister." Lily rubbed her furry face on Charles' fingers.
The little mouse talked for a long time, but she didn't expect to get a reply from Charles. She looked up and found that Charles' face looked a little solemn.
Charles' boots made rapid sounds as they stepped on the ground. He walked straight to the round window and stuck his head out.
"Mr. Charles, what's going on outside? Is there any problem?" Lily stepped to the windowsill and looked outside. There was nothing unusual outside the window.
"No, the ship is getting faster." Charles, with a serious look on his face, grabbed Lily and put her in his pocket.
"Dipper, what's going on? Didn't I say we were going at 20 knots? Why is it at least 25 knots now?"
The boatswain at the helm also looked very surprised. "Really? I didn't speed up. If you don't believe me, ask the big guy."
After confirming with the chief engineer in the turbine room, Charles discovered that the Narwhal really did not change speed. Since it was not a problem with the ship, it must be a problem with the sea, and he needed to confirm the situation.
"Audric, fly out and explore the surrounding seas to see if there is anything unusual."
The giant black-winged bat took off into the air and quickly flew into the surrounding darkness.
Charles didn't dare let the Narwhal fly too fast, so he quickly dropped anchor.
However, a problem arose. Even after all the anchor chains were lowered, they still could not reach the seabed.
This situation reminded Charles of some bad things. The expression on his face became more and more solemn. Something must be happening.
The vampire is back, and he has bad news.
"Captain, there is a huge whirlpool two nautical miles away from the ship's nine o'clock direction. The ship's abnormal acceleration is caused by it. The whirlpool is huge, as big as Dark Crystal Island."
Charles grabbed the steering wheel from Dipper's hand and spun it quickly. "Chief Engineer! Turn the turbine to maximum! We must escape the vortex immediately."
Black smoke with sparks came out of the chimney, and the speed of the Narwhal began to increase.
As the bow of the ship turned, the sound of waves in the lower part of the ship gradually became louder, and the pull of the propeller and underwater gravity made the whole ship shake slightly.
But fortunately, the situation was discovered early and the crisis was not serious. After half an hour, the gravity in the water gradually disappeared.
Seeing the sea surface gradually calm down under the searchlight, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The crisis seemed to be over.
Charles returned the steering wheel to Dipper. "Be careful, this is unexplored waters. The sea may be a little unsafe."
"I see. They have been arresting people on the island over the years. Otherwise, I would have discovered this situation long ago."
Just as Dipper was about to take over the steering wheel, the Narwhal suddenly let out a mournful cry, and then the ship suddenly tilted, and his body suddenly flew out of the cabin.
"Swoosh!" A rope flew out and tightly wrapped around Charles' right ankle.
Charles, flying in the air, had no time to say thank you to his boat. Looking at the water in front of him, he felt cold all over.
The roaring sound of waves rang in his ears. A huge whirlpool with a diameter of nearly several kilometers quickly dragged the Narwhal towards the dark spot in the center. The whirlpool was moving!
The next second, Charles' muscles tensed instantly. He pulled the rope with one hand and flew back to the deck quickly.
"Turbo overload!! Hurry up!!" He rushed into the cockpit and yelled loudly into the turbine communication pipe.
"Don't just stand there! The boatswain and the sailors should lighten the load as much as possible! First and second mates, check the cabins to prevent leaks! Quick, quick, everyone, move!"
Charles gave an order, and all the crew members of the Narwhal started to move. For the safety of their own lives, everyone tried their best.
The traction under the hull was still increasing, and the Narwhal made a creaking sound as metal deformed, and Charles' teeth were clenched tightly.
The rapidly spinning propeller pushed the Narwhal slowly towards the edge of the whirlpool.
But just as they were about to break away, James' voice came from the pipe. "Captain! No more overloading! The vortex furnace is going to explode!"
"Keep adding fuel!! Don't stop!" Charles shouted, and slapped the steering wheel with his hands. "Hey, buddy, you can do it, hold on. We'll be out soon!! For everyone, hold on a little longer!"
At this moment, Charles' heart was almost in his throat. If the turbine went on strike at this moment, everyone on the ship would die.
Twenty seconds, thirty seconds, forty seconds, Charles suddenly felt the hull shake and they escaped from the whirlpool.
"Huff~Huff~Huff~" Charles, holding the steering wheel, breathed heavily.
Other crew members gathered in the cockpit one after another. Seeing the looks of survival on their faces, Charles showed an excited smile.
"It seems that Earthsea has given us a good appetizer. Has everyone's sense returned?"
"came back!!"
"came back!!"
(End of this chapter)