NOVGO.NET Chapter 59 Dangerous sea.
Chapter 59: Chapter 59 Dangerous sea.
Kai looked through the window of the vehicle, trying to see what the zombies were attempting to do. They were all rushing after the vehicle as if catching up to it would somehow make a difference.
The zombies growled as they entered the water, but they only ended up drowning themselves. They kept rushing forward without even thinking about swimming, and one after another, their bodies disappeared beneath the surface.
"Maybe they should get swimming lessons," Kai laughed, letting out a breath of relief as he watched the creatures drown to their deaths.
But even though the zombies were no longer a problem, the river didn’t seem to be reducing at all as they continued moving through it.
Kai could only pray that nothing evil would suddenly attack them again because he might genuinely lose his mind if he had to deal with one more monster.
Adrian had finally calmed down enough to look through the window.
"This is just one nightmare after another. Fuck, it’s horrendous."
He grimaced before reaching for the plastic bag and throwing up again.
The two guys beside him immediately covered their noses.
"No offense, but does he ever stop? It’s just water. Why is he doing that?" Ethan asked, unable to look away, especially since Adrian was sitting so close to him and the terrible smell was beginning to affect his breathing.
"Offense taken. And I can see that you love jumping to conclusions. I hope that doesn’t kill you on the way," Adrian shot back.
Kai, who heard his reply, couldn’t help but giggle.
Considering how terrible Adrian looked, it was surprising that he still had enough strength to defend himself.
"Can we just reach already? I can smell the rot around here, and it’s making me even more nauseous."
As soon as he finished speaking, he threw up again.
Ethan stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"I think he’s actually sick. This isn’t just fear of heights anymore, is it?"
Kai shrugged helplessly.
He honestly didn’t understand what was happening either.
Luna, who was at the front of the vehicle, had been watching Adrian through the rearview mirror and could clearly see that he looked much worse than before.
"We should be able to see my apartment from here."
Rowan immediately looked ahead, trying to locate what Luna was talking about.
After a few seconds, he finally noticed a tiny shape far ahead.
"Is that it?"
"Yes."
But the apartment was still incredibly far away.
The body of water between them and their destination was so fucking wide that it looked like they had barely made any progress.
Meanwhile, Kai looked behind them and finally realized that every zombie that had followed them into the water was dead.
Not one of them had survived.
For a moment, it was almost funny watching them rush into the water one after another, convinced they could somehow catch up.
Then something strange happened.
The zombies stopped.
They stood in the water for a few seconds before suddenly turning around and walking away.
"Weird."
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"So they just gave up like that?"
Ethan nodded.
"Why wouldn’t they? Even a blind person could see that jumping into the water was pointless."
"That’s not what I mean."
Kai continued staring at the retreating zombies.
"If it was humans or something else we were dealing with, I would accept that explanation. But these are zombies. They don’t exactly think like normal people."
His expression slowly became serious.
"Have they really evolved enough to understand when something is pointless?"
Nobody answered.
Kai looked at the zombies disappearing farther into the distance.
"Or don’t you think there’s something here that they’re afraid of?"
The question suddenly caught everyone’s attention.
"Aren’t you guys thinking of something?"
The question came out of nowhere, but coming from Kai, it wasn’t entirely surprising anymore.
Lately, he had started dropping theories that had actually saved them more than once.
Of course, he also came up with ridiculous ones that made everyone laugh, but that didn’t change the fact that sometimes his strange brain managed to notice things the others overlooked.
"What is it?" Rowan asked. "You’re distracting Luna from driving. Whatever it is, we can discuss it when we get to the base. We’re almost there. I think it can wait."
But Kai didn’t shut up.
"Luna said something about not stopping anyone from talking, especially during an apocalypse. So I think I deserve to say this."
Luna immediately regretted ever saying those words.
She was already certain that this big-headed idiot was going to use them against her every chance he got.
Still, she wasn’t going to take back what she had said.
She continued steering the vehicle while absentmindedly tapping her fingers against the wheel.
"Of course, Kai can speak," she said. "But if what you’re about to say isn’t reasonable, I don’t mind turning you into zombie barbecue."
Kai smiled.
"Fair enough."
He cleared his throat before finally revealing what had been bothering him.
"So the whole world was flooded, right?"
Everyone listened.
"Then the water just disappeared."
Rowan slowly turned his head toward him.
"And?"
"And there weren’t supposed to be creatures underneath all that water?"
Rowan frowned.
"What are you driving at? Are you saying there should be more monsters?"
Kai looked around the vehicle.
Then he glanced through the window.
Then behind them.
He seemed to be making sure that everyone was listening before continuing.
They were.
No matter how ridiculous Kai could be, he had somehow managed to capture their attention.
The vehicle became unusually quiet.
The silence was so heavy that Kai was almost certain everyone would hear it if a drop of his saliva hit the floor.
"So none of you are getting it?"
He sighed.
"Okay. My point is this."
He pointed toward the water surrounding them.
"When Luna and I were heading toward the safe zone, didn’t we see those creatures? Especially the Leviathan?"
Luna’s eyes narrowed.
Kai continued.
"I thought those things were just myths before all this happened. But they were real. We saw them with our own eyes."
He pointed at the water again.
"Then the water disappeared, and all those creatures disappeared with it."
His voice became more serious.
"So where did they go?"
Nobody spoke.
Kai slowly looked around the vehicle.
"And where are we right now?"
That was when Luna’s expression changed.
They were in a massive body of water.
A place deep enough to hide creatures far larger than anything they could handle.
Kai nodded.
"Exactly."
He swallowed.
"They’re probably still here."
Rowan’s face hardened.
"And if they are?"
Kai looked toward the water.
"If we don’t leave this place quietly, we might wake them up."
Silence.
The words settled heavily inside the vehicle.
Luna suddenly remembered the creatures.
The Leviathan.
The mutated creatures.
Everything they had encountered before the floodwaters disappeared.
Damn it.
Kai was right.
The water hadn’t simply made those monsters disappear.
They had most likely moved.
And where else would they go?
They would search for another section of water deep enough to survive in.
A place filled to the brim with water.
Exactly like this one.
Luna tightened her grip around the steering wheel.
For once, she couldn’t even insult Kai.
The big-headed idiot had actually figured it out.
"Ethan?" Kai suddenly asked.
"What?"
"Don’t you think that’s bad?"
Ethan’s eyes widened.
"Here we go again. Don’t tell me we’re about to get attacked by a creature."
His voice nearly cracked.
Luna immediately raised a hand.
"Everyone, keep your mouths shut."
They all went silent.
"I know how we can move through this water without attracting much attention."
Everyone’s eyes shifted toward the front.
They were waiting to see what Luna was planning.
Then the familiar panel appeared in front of her.
The blue holographic screen flickered to life.
Luna quickly touched it.
"Survey the surrounding sea and tell me how many threats you can find."
A blue light immediately spread from the vehicle.
It moved across the water like a scanner, spreading farther and farther into the distance.
Everyone held their breath.
Luna stopped the vehicle.
There was no reason to keep moving when they didn’t even know what was underneath them.
Adrian dropped the plastic bag he had been using and slowly looked around.
His face was pale.
He rubbed his forehead before looking toward the window.
For some reason, he suddenly felt like something was watching him.
The moment he thought he saw a massive eye beneath the water, he immediately ducked back inside the vehicle.
Nobody even needed to ask what he had seen.
The system finally responded.
[Threats detected throughout the sea.]
[East: A group of Leviathans detected.]
[Straight ahead: Multiple mutated fish with dinosaur-like bodies detected.]
[Additional unidentified aquatic creatures detected.]
Luna’s eyes widened.
She immediately began pressing buttons across the display.
"Operation: Hidden Valley."
The moment she said it, the vehicle began changing.
A strange energy spread across its entire body.
Within seconds, the amphibious vehicle became completely invisible.
Even the sound of the engine disappeared.
A panel formed around the entire vehicle, absorbing the noise from inside and preventing it from reaching the outside world.
The tires also transformed.
Their shape shifted into something completely different, extending into mechanical limbs designed for movement through water.
The vehicle suddenly looked less like a normal amphibious machine and more like some strange creature built specifically for underwater travel.
Then it accelerated.
Fast.
Much faster than before.
The speed was almost unbelievable.
The screen in front of them changed, showing the surface and underwater surroundings instead of allowing them to look normally through the windows.
They could now see the dangers surrounding them.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
Two massive creatures suddenly burst out of the water.
Their bodies moved violently as they searched the area.
"They noticed something," Rowan whispered.
Everyone froze.
The creatures moved around, trying to locate whatever had caught their attention.
But they couldn’t see the vehicle.
Luna kept moving.
Slowly.
Quietly.
She was about to pass them when suddenly—
BANG!
The vehicle slammed into something.
Everyone was thrown sideways.
"What the fuck?!"
Luna’s hands tightened around the wheel.
One of the creatures had moved directly into their path.
Its enormous frontal region slammed against the vehicle’s protective screen.
The entire vehicle tilted violently.
The creature opened its massive jaws and grabbed the front section.
"Shit!"
Luna tried to control the vehicle, but the creature began shaking it violently.
The sound of metal bending echoed through the cabin.
Everyone was thrown around.
Adrian, who had already been struggling to remain seated, slipped from his position.
"Hold on!"
The creature shook the vehicle again.
Adrian grabbed onto the nearest seat.
His breathing became heavier.
"This is bad."
Kai looked at him.
"You’re definitely not feeling well."
Adrian covered his mouth immediately.
Then he looked toward Luna.
"Do it now."
"Do what?"
"Show me the front yard of your apartment."
Luna stared at him.
"What?"
"If I can picture it, maybe I can get us there."
Kai frowned.
"You’re not feeling well."
Adrian ignored him.
"Do it now!"
The creature suddenly shook the vehicle again.
The entire cabin tilted dangerously.
Everyone screamed as their bodies slammed against one another.
Luna quickly opened the system.
"Show him the front yard."
A holographic image immediately appeared.
The image showed Luna’s apartment.
The front yard.
The surrounding structures.
The exact position of the entrance.
Adrian stared at it.
His eyes slowly narrowed.
He studied every detail.
The gate.
The walls.
The garden.
Everything.
He closed his eyes.
"Got it."
The creature opened its jaws again.
The front of the vehicle was almost completely inside its mouth.
Its enormous teeth began crushing down.
Metal screamed.
Adrian stretched out both hands.
A strange energy immediately gathered around his body.
Kai’s eyes widened.
"Adrian—"
"Don’t talk."
Adrian’s voice was strained.
"I need to concentrate."
The creature shook the vehicle one final time.
Everyone was thrown violently against the seats.
And then—
The space around the vehicle suddenly distorted.
A massive portal appeared in the water.
It was dark and deep, twisting like a hole had been ripped into reality itself.
The entire vehicle vanished.
One second, the creature was biting down on it.
The next—
Nothing.
The monster’s jaws snapped shut on empty water.
It remained there, confused, while the vehicle and everyone inside had completely disappeared.