Hearing the voice behind him, Charles quickened his pace. No matter what 1002 was commanding, it was bad news for him.

  The scenery around him changed rapidly as he retraced his steps. When he returned to the empty hall, a mass of grotesque, writhing organs and activated creatures surged from the corridor, blocking his path.

  Just as he prepared to retreat, he noticed the creatures behind him were closing in too.

  "Hey, let’s fight! I’ll control my left hand to use 487!" Richard's voice rang in his head.

  Charles's face was grim; it was too late for words. He withdrew the black blade and gripped it tightly, the mice on the ground baring their teeth in unison.

  Just as he was about to make a stand, a door suddenly opened in the wall to his left. A pale, large hand grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside.

  The owner of the hand was someone Charles never expected: a tall, voluptuous woman—Elizabeth!

  "Don't just stand there! Run! The creatures know about this secret passage; they'll be on us soon!" Elizabeth urged, expertly navigating the labyrinthine tunnels.

  "What are you doing here?" Charles asked, trying to keep pace with the striking woman.

  "Now's not the time for questions! You need to get back to your ship! You don't have much time; the longer you stay here, the more they'll assimilate you!" Elizabeth spoke quickly, her expression grave.

  Charles stopped asking questions. At least this person was helping him; he could figure out the details once they were back on the Uniquorn.

  Elizabeth seemed very familiar with the place, deftly finding escape routes no matter where the activated beings emerged from.

  As they raced toward the exit, Charles felt a tug at his collar, which then flopped down toward his face.

  His pupils narrowed; his clothes had been activated too. When the collar sensed his lack of reaction, it poked him again and pointed downward.

  Charles looked down, his heart racing. The pocket that should have held Lily was bulging ominously.

  He swallowed hard and trembled as he opened the pocket. Instead of the white mouse, it was filled with writhing organs, desperately trying to escape. Lily's entire body had been completely activated.

  Charles opened his mouth to say something, but his right ear—connected to the cochlea—detached from his body.

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  A pale hand caught it. Elizabeth returned the ear, explaining, "Don't worry, Charles. As long as you leave the radiation range of that living relic, it will restore itself."

  "Any living thing can?" he asked, hope rising.

  "Yes, as long as they don’t stray too far."

  "Thank you!" Charles felt a weight lift from his heart upon hearing this. He pressed down on the bulging pocket; if Elizabeth was right, then Lily could still be saved.

  Suddenly, the mice following him began to activate as well, their organs detaching.

  Ignoring whether they understood him, Charles shouted to the mice, "Bring those organs! Back to the ship! They’ll find their way back!"

  The mice seemed to understand; those with less activation helped drag the organs of the more activated ones. However, even with their efforts, some mice collapsed, their organs disintegrating on the spot.

  Charles couldn't worry about others anymore; he felt an itch in his throat, as if something was trying to escape. He stopped talking and followed Elizabeth at full speed.

  When they emerged from a tunnel, the oppressive red light of the building vanished.

  Charles quickly scanned the area, realizing this was not the tree hole he had entered.

  "Where's your ship? We need to get back!" Elizabeth urged urgently.

  "Wait, I need to find my crew first." Charles pulled out his compass, quickly determining the direction. He pricked his fingertip with the blade and smeared the blood on the mirror.

  A massive bat soared into the sky, and Charles, along with Elizabeth and the mice, took flight.

  As they ascended rapidly, Charles felt his body stop trembling; he knew he was now outside the radiation range of 1002.

  Transformed into a bat, Charles opened his fearsome mouth, emitting inaudible subsonic waves that quickly spread and bounced off the ground, allowing him to pinpoint his crew's location.

  As he approached, he saw the situation was grim: explosions and gunfire echoed, while various creatures poured from the hole, charging toward his crew under heavy fire.

  Charles swiftly descended, transforming back into human form just a couple of meters above the ground.

  He pointed 487 at the creatures, and a bright arc of electricity illuminated the dark island, causing the touched organs to tremble and char.

  As the tingling sensation subsided, Charles stood up to see his crew rushing toward him, excitement on their faces.

  He spotted the chef, Frey, at the front, and in a moment of instinct, Charles lunged at him, sinking his sharp teeth into Frey’s neck and drinking deeply.

  The crew froze in shock, and Elizabeth quickly tugged at Charles. "Hey! What are you doing?! Let go!"

  Charles's eyes cleared rapidly, and in a panic, he released Frey, glancing at Elizabeth's horrified expression. Without explaining, he turned to the nearby crew members and shouted, "Get back to the ship! Hurry!"

  He supported the weak-looking Frey and dashed toward the distant ruins, while the other crew members exchanged worried glances before following.

  "Captain, who is this lady?" the second mate asked, eyeing Elizabeth curiously.

  "Enough chatter! Move!" Charles's serious tone silenced the second mate's curiosity.

  With furrowed brows and tightly pressed lips, Charles couldn't understand why he had bitten Frey; it felt like an instinctive reaction.

  "Buddy, you should really use that mirror less. If we turn into vampires, we won't be able to return to the surface," Richard's voice echoed in his mind.

  Charles nodded silently, glancing at the confused Frey, about to apologize when he felt his body tremble again. A realization hit him: 1002 didn’t necessarily have to remain in the tank.

  "Look! They’re coming again!" Deep's voice made everyone turn in unison to see the writhing creatures erupting from the tree hole like water being released from a reservoir.