Chapter 390 – Embarkation on the Black Oak

Chapter 390 – Stepping onto the Black Oak
Climbing the rope ladder, Lawrence climbed up the Black Oak’s hull, which had a dark color as if it had been smoked by something, and came to the deck of the ship.

As soon as he landed, he bent over, propped his hands on his knees, and took several breaths before he could even out his breath-which made him unable to resist laughing a little to himself and shaking his head.

He was really old, and had reached the point where he had to stop and rest after climbing along the rope ladder for a while, if he had been in the past ……

The sound of another footfall landing came from behind him, and Lawrence put away extraneous thoughts and turned his head to see that Anomaly 077 had followed him up – the horribly poised dryad stood cautiously at the edge of the ship’s side, looking honest.

It, or rather he – this journey is really very cooperative, and a horrible high-level anomaly is so honest, is really a bit strange scene, but the thought of this dry body is his only “companion” in this exploration, Lawrence will collect again But once he thought that this dry body was his only “companion” in this quest, Lawrence collected the strange feeling in his heart and made his expression become serious.

“Is the boat fixed?” He looked at Abnormality 077, and talked to this special “sailor” just like he always talked to his own sailors.

“Secured,” the dryad immediately nodded, his voice hoarse and low, and immediately afterward he raised his head again and looked around quickly, with a slight hesitation in his tone, “…… There doesn’t seem to be anyone up here, Captain. ”

“I’m not blind.” Lawrence said faintly, while his eyes surveyed the deck.

After stepping onto the deck of the Black Oak, the eerie fog and shadowy texture around him remained, but showed no signs of further thickening, and between the floating mist, he was vaguely able to make out the ship’s scenery-everything was as he remembered, seventy to eighty percent of the Black Oak’s various facilities were much the same as the White Oak’s, except that they took on an As if deserted for many years like texture, the paint on the railing has been mottled and peeling, some places on the deck can be seen warped warping, the distant superstructure appearance can also be seen covered with rust-like stains.

Take away the eerie fog, and the ship feels like another White Oak – a neglected version that has been abandoned and left to drift at sea for years.

And there was no one to be seen on the ship, just as Anomaly 077 had said.

“There’s no one on board, so who threw down the rope ladder just now?” Anomaly 077 grunted, “And when you ordered to signal this ship earlier, it also sent out a light in response–who was the one who responded to the signal then?”

“For an ‘anomaly’, you’re quite organized in your thinking,” Lawrence couldn’t help but glance back at the ‘sailor’, sounding rather surprised, “but don’t you think it’s a good idea to use the term ‘anomaly’ to refer to the ship?” “But don’t you find it odd to think of a ghost ship in terms of ‘logic’?”

Anomaly 077 shrugged and said nothing.

But Lawrence didn’t give this dryad a chance to be silent – he didn’t bring this dryad to the Black Oak just to avoid the danger caused by this guy staying on the White Oak, but to make him more or less useful.

“Will your powers work on this ship?” Lawrence stared into Anomaly 077’s eyes, “Can you control this ship?”

“You want me to ‘take over’ it?” Anomaly 077 was instantly a bit surprised.

“You can’t ‘take it over’ – but I want you to confirm that your abilities will work here,” Lawrence said with a serious look on his face, “You can’t ‘take it over’ – but I want you to confirm that your abilities will work here,” Lawrence said with a serious look on his face. “Sense what state the ship is in.”

Anomaly 077 – Sailor, this anomaly’s greatest ability is to control and take over things with the concept of “ship”, in other words, this anomaly has the ability to perceive and influence things that are far beyond human comprehension. In other words, this anomaly has the ability to perceive and influence things that are far beyond human comprehension. …… In the eyes of the “sailors”, does the Black Oak show some “special features”?
From this point of view, perhaps Anomaly 077 can help himself to uncover the truth here.

Dry body obeyed the order, he stood on the deck, open hands, as if to feel the fog in the wind generally slightly closed his eyes, while not far away from him, Lawrence with a somewhat complex gaze at those familiar things on the deck.

Black oak ship …… he is now standing on this ship, how many times he dreamed back to the past, he can not forget a scene on this ship, how many times he sailed, he was paranoid to hold the idea of finding this ship – but really to this moment, really standing here, he was had to repeatedly question everything, question his own judgment, question his own perception, and even question the existence of this ship.

Because the process of the emergence of the black oak is too suspicious and bizarre, it now presents the state is absolutely abnormal, although emotionally unwilling to admit, but reason told him …… that this is very likely not at all he was looking for that “black oak ship”.

This is just some kind of out-of-control extraordinary vision created by …… the “phenomenon”.

Lawrence’s thoughts were mixed, until the “sailor” beside him suddenly opened his eyes and issued a puzzled voice, his chaotic thoughts finally stopped.

“What’s the situation?” Lawrence immediately asked.

“I …… don’t know how to explain ……” The sailor, however, lowered his head in dismay and stared at the deck he was treading on, “Captain, I …… I can’t feel the ship ……”

“What do you mean? You can’t feel the existence of this ship?” Lawrence instantly widened his eyes, he thought that the power of the “sailor” might not be enough to control this strange ghost ship, but he never thought that the other party would directly give such an answer, “Then where are we standing now?”

“So I don’t know how to explain …… “The sailor seemed to be startled by Lawrence’s expression, but still continued with a hard head, “We are standing here, it is undoubtedly there, but in my perception , it doesn’t actually exist, at least …… least it’s not here ……”

Lawrence frowned, he knew that this dry body in front of him should not be bluffing, this is what the other party is really thinking at this moment, only …… this did not help to abate the doubts in his heart in the slightest.

After a short silence, he took a breath, and with one hand holding the carrying lamp, he turned his head to look in a certain direction at the end of the deck.

The soft yellow light emitted by the lamp floated in the fog, as if guiding an invisible path. “Captain, where are we going?”

“The bridge,” Lawrence said calmly, “the captain should be on the bridge.”

Before the words left his mouth, he had already taken a step in the direction of the light, and the Sailor froze in place for a moment before hurrying to follow, stumbling slightly as he spoke curiously, “You mean the captain of the ship ……? You know the captain of this ship? You know the captain of this ship?”

Lawrence paused for a moment, then walked forward: “Yes, very familiar.”

The sailor gave an oh-so-subtly cry, then fell honestly quiet again.

A few moments later, Lawrence had arrived at the gate leading to the bridge.

The red metal door opened slightly a crack in front of him, as if inviting him in.

“You open the door.”

Lawrence held the carrying lamp in one hand and pulled his revolver from his waist with the other, signaling with his eyes for the dryad beside him to step forward.

“Ay …… well.”

The dry body sighed rather humanely, stepped forward and grabbed the handle of the gate, and without seeing how hard he pushed that gate open.

Lawrence probed his head to look inside.

The bridge was empty, with no one in sight, only a thin mist drifting between the chairs and maneuvering equipment, and on the bridge’s foremost bridge, the unmanned steering wheel was swaying slightly from side to side, as if fine-tuning its course.

“There’s no one here either.” Dryad muttered from the side.

“I’m not blind.” Lawrence said and stepped onto the bridge.

He raised his carrying lamp and used the light to dispel the dimness around him, sweeping his eyes over the equipment and seats that appeared to be dingy and old, then slowly made his way to the helm wheel.

The captain should be standing here.

But there was no captain here.

Lawrence stood quietly for a moment and sighed, not knowing whether he was lost or relaxed, “Ugh, you really aren’t here.”

“No, I am.”

A slightly cool female voice came from the side.

Lawrence instantly jolted, even the unquenchable ghostly green flame on his body suddenly sprang several inches higher, and in the next instant he snapped his eyes to the direction from which the voice had come –

The still young-looking female adventurer dressed in a captain’s uniform with long, slightly curly hair cascading behind her head was standing there with her hands clasped over her chest, her expression calm with a sense of helplessness as she looked this way.

“Ah, there’s a woman popping up,” Abnormality 077 said in shock, and then immediately afterward, as if reacting to something, she darted a glance at Lawrence, “Captain, do I need to keep quiet?”

Lawrence gave the dryad a look, “Yes, quiet.”

“Aye, Captain.”

The interruption of Anomaly 077, although untimely, had more or less diluted the awkward and rigid atmosphere of the previous moment, and Lawrence took the opportunity to try to calm himself down, and then his mind quickly thought about how to open his mouth – what should he say in the first sentence?
In the past days, he had talked with “Martha” countless times, in the illusion, they have been together for many, many years, but at this moment, Lawrence suddenly realized that he was stuck – he could not get along with Martha as naturally as he usually did when he fell into the illusion. with Martha.

And it was this momentary jam that made him suddenly realize something.

The Martha in front of him …… was an “individual” that was acting independently, completely unrelated to his subconscious!
(End of chapter)