Plague Doctor

Chapter 268: Creature from the Sea

Fog suddenly started to roll in over the sea, turning the night even eerier and darker.

“The satellite cannot capture anything!”

“The boats appear to surface from the seabed...”

“Our radar is under interference!”

The crew members were thrown into panic on the ships. The leader, Zhang Jingmin’s face was creased with wrinkles. The satellite was blocked by the thick fog and the latest radar had been rendered ineffective, was this the working of spells?

“Warning, crewmates!” Zhang Jingmin ordered immediately, “Be prepared for battle. If the enemy continues to approach, sink them without hesitation.” Zhang Jingmin was in his fifties, he had been in service of the marines and Phecda for many decades but this was the first time the responsibility on his shoulders felt so heavy. The research ships could not be breached for they bore the hope of the whole country. The crewmates were shocked and angered, some were confused but none was afraid. They had their reason to be confident.

‘Is the fleet controlled by the cultists? How dare they attempt something like this?!’ The ships were armed with heavy artillery and they had support fire from the missiles on the shoreline bases. Even without all the firepower, the enemy ships were too small to be able to cause any damage on the mothership. Even if the enemy somehow boarded the ship, they would never overcome the elite guards posted on deck.

However, the atmosphere at the command central was completely different, there was a palpable sense of fear. This was because the people there knew about the danger which the researchers were not familiar with, and that was the supernatural energy of spells.

“Pull out all the information on the Seagull now, the ship was registered under the Lai Sheng Company!” Elder Tong barked the orders. The leading ship on the monitor evoked a sense of familiarity within Elder Tong. He believed he had seen it somewhere before. Granted the ship on the screen was in much poorer condition than he remembered but otherwise, it looked the same. When the Seagull’s limited information was shown on screen, Elder Tong and Yao Sinian’s hearts sank in confirmation. The ‘scientific research ship’ that had disappeared at Long Kan Seabelt, the ship owned by Gu Jun’s parents, was right before their eyes. “If Ah Jun is here, I wonder how he’ll feel about this...”

“Our opponent has brought out the big guns this time.” Elder Tong said, “Even the dead has risen.” Gu Jun had once speculated that Lai Sheng Company might comprise different parties aiming for different goals. The party that assaulted them at the altar with the malformed banyan tree disease called themselves the apostates. This time, it appeared like they were confronted by a different company. These people seemed to align themselves with the R’yleh Cult, part of them were reincarnation of the foreign civilization and the remainder came from Earth. They conducted experiments on Spirit Children, and went out to the sea to search for R’yleh. They were behind the statues, ceremonies and Nightmare Illness...

This group had one ultimate goal, which was to summon the Great Old One named Cthulhu slumbering at the bottom of R’yleh. Was cultivating this new strain of legionella pneumophilia part of this goal? The so-called ‘new world and new era’ was one ruled by Cthulhu?

The research ships boomed through high frequency speakers, “The ships ahead, halt in your course now!” To no one’s surprise, the order was not heeded. Zhang Jingmin ordered, “Fire!”

Cannonballs shot out from the mothership, aiming at the fleet which was still sailing forward. However, the cannonballs merely phased through the ghost ships, and sank into the sea...

Gasps of fear erupted everywhere. However Zhang Jingmin, Elder Tong and the other higher ups expected this, the enemy was not stupid enough to voluntarily walk into their death.

“The enemy has casted spells or rituals that can twist the space around them.” Elder Tong updated the frontline. The Demon Hunters had encountered similar enemies in the foreign world before. Their bullets missed their target. However, to cast a spell with such a large area of effect, it would require a great amount of power, one that was probably not of human origin. Elder Tong continued to shout, “Ol’ Zhang, has your spell team be prepared for battle. Hit them with the Ancient Seal and sear away their disguise!”

“What, what is that...” Zhang Jingmin stammered.

On the ocean surface lit up by the spotlights, there were numerous heads floating in the misty fog. It appeared to be an amalgamation of humans and fish. But this was no beautiful mermaid from fairy tales!

Some of the monsters climbed onto the ghost ships. They had humanoid bodies and the smallest among them was as large as a boulder. The bigger among them was practically a giant. They were bare-chested and their exposed skin was covered in scales. Spine protruded out of their back and there was a pair of gills that adorned the side of their necks. Their long limbs extended into webbed fingers and toes. Their skin was a sickly green color but the stomach was strangely white. Their head had the shape of a fish head but the features of a normal human. Their eyes bulged forward like that of a fish. The whole appearance was ghastly. They growled shrilly as if warning everything that dared to stand in their way. This was undeniably an unknown creature that came from the ocean, did they worship this Lord of R’yleh as well? Did the destruction of the lighthouse summon these creatures?

“The prophecy...” Elder Tong sighed but he was quickly reminded of the Mutated Scale Disease that Atal had warned Gu Jun about. He swiftly ordered, “Ol’ Zhang, do not let anyone come into contact with those fish monsters! They might carry another contagious disease!”

Suddenly, another alarm rang in the command central. “We’re being ambushed!” Elder Tong’s heart twitched as he jumped up from the chair. The Sos signal came from the channel at Jiang Xin Municipal. Gunshots, screams and wails echoed down the narrow alley. Broken limbs and blood danced through the air.

Some of the guards were swallowed up by giant shadows that suddenly burst through the ground. Some were torn into pieces while others were dragged down into the bottomless pits. These cruel shadows were none other than the subterrain giant worms. The subterrain giant worm was a mutated creature Lai Sheng Company knew how to summon. Back when Phecda’s Action Department ambushed one of their lairs, they were assaulted by these worms. These giant worms moved swiftly despite their size. The enemy must have access to mysterious scouting ability because the channel was supposed to be a secret. The guards had already set up a defensive perimeter but they were still ambushed.

The gunshots kept coming. Even though the enemies were ferocious, the guards did not budge. Tanks and helicopters were on their way. They must not lose guard of this spot. The greater the enemy’s desire to take this place, the harder they needed to fight to defend it.

“Keep up the defence...” Elder Tong screamed. Seeing his disciples sacrifice themselves one after another, his heart bled. How he hoped that he could be at the frontline fighting with them. “The Problematic Team probably has seen some results already or else the enemy wouldn’t have forced their hands. So hang in there...”

The words inspired the troops. ‘Problematic Team, please be quick!’