Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 115. Pull the Trigger

Richard's lips slightly quivered as his gaze was fixated on the vial before him. Unable to control his excitement, he burst into a hearty laughter.

"Mr. Finn, you are truly deserving of being the patriarch of the Gunther Family. Your expertise in the realm of souls is commendable."

The old man's face glowed with pride. "You flatter me, Mr. Charles. We're just helping each other out."

Richard forcefully pulled out the cork and was about to consume the contents within when his grip faltered, and the glass vial fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Both Richard and Finn froze as they stared at the iridescent bronze liquid flowing down the floor.

Hearing the sound of shattering glass, Elizabeth entered the room.

"Charles, what happened?" Her voice was thick with concern.

Richard suddenly stirred and awkwardly scratched his head while looking around with feigned bewilderment. "Hmm? Did anyone see my fishing rod? It was still beside me just now. I was about to go fishing. I’ll lose my usual spot if I'm late."

Charles' face contorted into a furious expression in an instant. His angry roars echoed throughout the cabin. "You dare to try and erase me?!"

Realizing that Charles had really roused from his sleep, Richard decided to drop the pretense. He made a desperate attempt and lunged at the spilled bronze liquid, trying to lap it up.

But before he could crane his neck, a forceful grip pressed on his neck and thrust his forehead into the liquid.

"You bastard!! I must be blind to have agreed to share my body with you! You bloody replica created by 096!"

On the ground, Charles' body started convulsing violently.

"I'm Gao Zhiming, and so are you! If I've put this thought into action, do you dare say the thought has never crossed your mind? I only struck first because I was more attentive to details when you were blinded by your lust!"

The two personalities started a fierce battle to seize control over their physical body. Their enhanced physical strength and flexibility contorted the body into unbelievable, inhumane positions.

Elizabeth watched in panic and distress. She wanted to intervene, but she had no idea how. Her gaze then turned to Finn.

"What is going on? What happened?"

As Charles' body writhed and twisted, his revolver slipped from its holster and landed on the ground with a thud.

Seizing the right hand, Richard picked up the revolver and pointed it at his temple. "Move again, and both of us can meet our creator!!"

Charles sneered and let out a sarcastic laugh. "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

He decisively pulled the trigger.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

However, it didn't send Charles' head exploding like fireworks. The moment the bullet left the muzzle, it hovered momentarily in a state of void before re-solidifying on the other side of Charles’ head and hitting the steel wall with a spark.

The miraculous happening was the work of Elizabeth. The short rod in her hand emitted a faint glow.

While both personalities were confused and astonished as to why they were still alive, Elizabeth ran over. Lifting her high-heeled boot, she kicked the revolver out from Charles' grip

Finn Gunther also stepped forward to help. With a gentle lift of his hands, Charles' body levitated off the ground. The next moment, both Charles and Richard could no longer feel their limbs, effectively bringing their physical fight to a standstill.

Her eyes bloodshot with worry, Elizabeth cupped Charles' face and asked, "Why would you do this?"

Two different voices emerged from Charles' lips.

"It's none of your concern. Put me down."

"It's a men's issue. Stay out of it, woman!"

Slap!

With a deft motion, Elizabeth grabbed Charles by the collar and slapped him hard. It was the first time that the captain of Black Rose had shown this side of her before Charles.

Her silver-white hair flared like a lion's mane, and her remaining deep blue eye glared at Charles with evident fury.

"None of my concern? What do you see your life as? Some disposable trash, Charles?"

Looking into Elizabeth's eye, Charles' twisted expression gradually returned to normal. He parted his lips but eventually decided to remain silent.

Releasing her grip on Charles, Elizabeth then approached Finn Gunther with an icy look on her visage.

"What's going on here? You'd better not withhold any information from me, or our collaboration ends here!"

A hint of nervousness instantly crept onto Finn's face, and he began his detailed explanation.

The promised quarter of the new island was the new residential location that he had chosen for the Gunther Family. If their collaboration fell through, it would spell a massive headache for them.

Meanwhile, the mental argument between Richard and Charles continued in their head.

"You crazy nutcase! Did you actually just attempt suicide? Have you forgotten our mission? We’ve overcome so many hardships to reach this point! What would our past nine years of efforts be if we end up dying in our own hands!"

"So? Even if I were to die, I would never, ever let you have control of my body for another second. Never, ever!" Charles' voice was laced with hatred and hostility.

"Fine, I admit I was in the wrong. I even betrayed myself. I deserve to be skinned alive. But I just wanted us to become sane again. Wouldn't our mom be sad if she saw that her son’s arm was missing and he had become mentally ill?"

"Ha. Ha. Ha. I suppose I should be thanking you instead?" Charles responded with a hint of sarcasm.

"We’ve come to a resolution, no? Are we just going to waste time here? Have you forgotten our ultimate goal? The ultimate goal is to return home—return to the surface world! So, why don't we just put this behind us and move on?"

"You spent so much time and effort trying to kill me. Now, you are telling me to put this behind me and move on. Wow. How considerate of you."

"How about this? As punishment, I can only take over when you are asleep. At all other times, you have full control of the body, deal? We can discuss the rest when we return to the surface world."

Charles shook his head, and his gaze landed on Finn Gunther, who was engaged in conversation with Elizabeth.

"Have him brew me a potion that will erase you. That will settle our score."

Richard clearly scorned the idea. "Why should I? What if you down the drink while I'm asleep? I will be gone forever!"

As the two personalities continued their heated argument in their mental space, Elizabeth approached them with Finn Gunther next to her. She had now learned of Charles' story.

With a delicate hand, she tenderly stroked Charles' face. She never knew that another personality resided in Charles' mind and wondered if she had never understood him as much as she believed she did.

Noticing Elizabeth's expression, the argument in Charles' mind ceased.

"It's not a big deal, just something minor. Don't worry too much," Charles comforted.

"What's with the long face? Smile~ His words are true. It's just some minor trifle between us. You've just not seen much. This is our usual way of interaction," Richard followed up.