29. Captured!
"What should we do?!" Ben screamed frantically.
Ran and Ben looked at each other. Their eyes looked helpless. This was nothing like dealing with a torpedo. This was Megalodon, a giant-shark the size of the Bio Research carrier.
"Rise to the surface Ben! As soon as possible! Deep-sea predators don't like sunlight," Tet was a biologist who understood animal behavior.
Tet might be right. But rising to the surface wasn't easy. The giant shark was quite smart. His humongous body swam calmly yet threateningly in front of the submarine. Apparently, the shark was also waiting for the right movement. It didn't want to make the first move because it knew the small submarine was very agile.
Ben was also looking for the right opportunity. He didn't want to make a rash move. The shark could swallow the entire body of this submarine in one go. Or destroy it with one hit.
During the first incident, the submarine bounced forward only because it was hit by the megalodon's tail flick. There had been no actual physical contact.
The situation was very tense. Ben's hand gripped the steering wheel and the accelerator. His eyes focused forward, watching the slightest movement of the giant sea monster.
The megalodon did the same. Its little black eyes looked very alert. It observed the submarine and ready to attack at the slightest misstep.
Megalodon and Ben were like bulls and matadors gauging each other's movements.
Ran, Rabat, and Tet, could only hold on to whatever fix object was nearby. The submarine's sudden maneuvers could harm them. It was even worse if there was a collision with a giant shark that was slowly advancing forward.
Ben's brain was doing a calculation. The distance between them was about 50 meters. The time of impact was about two minutes when taking into account the giant's speed.
His window of opportunity to execute an evading maneuver was less than that. Both of Ben's hands holding on to the ballast lever. The remaining two. If this was released, this boat wouldn't be able to dive again.
Ben had no other choice. The quickest way to evade the monster was to release both ballasts at once.
And the most perilous moment was about to happened!
The shark seemed less patient than Ben. While moving its tail as a rudder, the gigantic body slid fast forward. His enormous jaw gaped. It was clear that the Megalodon intended to swallow the submarine whole.
The four of them felt as if their hearts were ripped off from their chests.
That terrifying jaw was approaching at high speed. Just as the submarine was just seconds away from being a light snack, Ben pulled the ballast levers swiftly.
Blaaaaassssst... Blaaaaasssst
The submarine looked like it was thrown from a giant trebuchet. Soared upwards at an astonishing speed. The shark's attack missed in the nick of time.
Clinging tightly to the steering wheel, Ben watched the monitor. Tet was right, at first the giant shark was chasing. But then it changed direction as the sunlight began to penetrate the ocean. Ben breathed a sigh of relief. So did his teammates.
But something even more dangerous might be waiting for them on the surface.
There was no other way. Ben was ready to change ship mode to surface ship again. Whatever happened up there, they would face it together. After all, they dealt many deadly threats since being stranded on Bones Island. No one was counting.
The small submarine appeared from the surface of the sea with a distinctive sound. Ben switched to surface ship mode. The propeller under the stern started working, the hatch opened and under water glass covering the wheelhouse was lowered.
Ran anxiously watched the surroundings. They appeared just off the coast of Mother Island. The small island looked barren. There were only one or two trees in the corners of the sloping island. No buildings or installations of any kind. It was flat and empty.
Where did an aircraft carrier of that size berthed? Ran scratched his head in confusion.
Ran was getting nervous. The seemingly safe situation was actually very dangerous for them.
"Ben, is the transponder still turned off?"
"It is. Why? Should I turn it on Ran?"
"No! I was just wondering where a ship that big was anchored? They must be somewhere around here."
"Hmm, you're right. What should we do now?" Ben mumbled.
Rabat, who was carefully watching the sea level from the boat deck, whispered.
"Guys, can't you see something is wrong about this island?" Rabat's hand pointed down.
It was strange. Their ship had drifted ashore. The sea was very clear showing its shallow and shiny bottom. Not a single fish was there. In fact, it was clear that the seabed wasn't sandy at all.
Suddenly, the seabed started raising. Ben, who was aware of the situation, hastily backed the ship.
But it was too late. The ship was trapped. The shiny seabed continued to rise above and made the ship stranded. The sound of the propellers breaking as Rabat forced its way backwards was loud. The boat was stuck. Lifted up by the seabed which continued to rise upwards.
Ah, the bottom of the sea was metal! Cobalt! Exactly what Ben said before.
A hatch opened right in front of them. Several people came out brandishing automatic weapons. The Death Squad! It was led by a tall, skinny man they had seen while on Hell Island.
Ran gestured for her friends to raise their hands when he saw Rabat about to cock his gun. Rebates complied. It wasn't worth it. They were outnumbered and disadvantaged.
"You come with us!" The man ordered the four of them to get off the boat.
As soon as Ran and his teammate stepped on the cobalt mainland, there were three more people who came out of the hatch. The Angel of Death and Sandra.
Also, Cindy!
But with an equally threatening look in her eyes.
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