"This is hopeless," Lexus said after he saw the image. Now they understood what that underwater tunnel was for. It was for submarines.
"The architecture was very unique." Laurel said. There were no windows, bunker-like doors, and no roads. Instead of a harbor or pier, they used submarines for transportation.
"I don't care about their method. The problem is that there are no submarines for us to use. It's like finding an empty road and a garage. Without cars, we can't use it." He then shrugged. "Besides, even if we found one, who's going to drive it?"
"Maybe Auscella could." Anna said.
"Auscella was just born yesterday. Do you trust her to drive a submarine? Even humans need about two years of training to operate EVA jeeps, right?" He turned to Laurel, and she nodded. Even though she hated agreeing with Lexus, he was right.
"Don't say it's hopeless. I'm sure we will figure something out! Don't lose hope!" Lazarus said.
"Let's return to our duties. Maybe Auscella could find some more clues in the ruins. Shingo? Anna? Could I trust you with that?" Laurel said.
"Yes. Leave it to us."
"Let's sleep. We have to tend the field again tomorrow." Laurel said.
As dawn slowly arrived, a roar echoed in the distance.
Lazarus blinked. Her gaze turned toward the small window. What had happened?
Then the lifepod clanked. Something was hitting it. It creaked and scratched. Metal screeched as if nails were scraping a chalkboard. The children woke at once.
"Huh? What happened?" Lexus turned, complaining about the incessant noise.
"We are under attack! Grab your spears!" Xiaolang rushed to the storeroom where he kept his stone spear and the poison he had harvested from the snake earlier.
Outside the window, a giant salamander with four legs and two pairs of fins along its flanks had beached itself. It had smooth blue skin like an eel. Its long tail, tipped with protruding spikes, still stretched into the sea as the beast's body extended over thirty meters. It opened its maw, its razor-sharp teeth grinding against the steel hull of the lifepod.
"Ahhh!" Anna yelled, fear engulfing her. She thought this place was safe. She thought this place was at least free from monsters. But she was wrong. There was no such thing as a safe place on this island.
"Xiaolang, what are you doing?" Laurel grabbed his shoulder as he headed for the exit ladder.
"We have to kill it." Xiaolang said.
"Kill it? How? Using a spear? That thing's mouth is almost big enough to swallow us." Lexus mocked him. "Stop playing hero just because you are a little stronger than the rest of us."
"Killing is cruel. Let's just wait it out. I'm sure it will leave on its own." Lazarus said. Anna and Shingo nodded.
"No. I think it's damaging the lifepod. It will get to us eventually." Xiaolang said. It was only a suspicion, but the screeching noises coming from the lifepod seemed to prove his point. Laurel glanced at a spear, wondering whether she should join.
This lifepod was very important to them. Without it, there would be no electricity, medical scanner, or other equipment. Without electricity, Mistral wouldn't stay online for long either.
"I will help you." Bob reached for his spear.
"I will help too. But we mustn't kill it. Just drive it away, okay?" Lazarus knew how important the lifepod was.
"Hell no. I am not suicidal. We don't have a gun. That salamander is five meters tall and almost thirty meters long!" Lexus said. Despite what he said, he also reached for his spear. The screeching noises had grown worse. "I will just stand at the very back."
With a loud clang, the salamander ripped off a metal plate.
Xiaolang's fear had become reality.
He rushed for the hatch. As he threw open the second hatch, the giant salamander ripped off another metal plate. The lifepod shook violently. Once a plate had come off, its teeth found a better grip, making it easier to tear away another. Xiaolang didn't have much time left.
Xiaolang leaped from the top of the lifepod. His poison-coated spear found its way into the thick hide of the salamander. It roared and thrashed, throwing Xiaolang off its back.
"Damn. He's suicidal." Lexus and Laurel peeked through the window while Bob stood ready atop the lifepod.
"Xiaolang! Don't be reckless!" Lazarus yelled.
When the salamander turned toward Xiaolang, another spear found its way into its neck. Bob had thrown his spear. Lazarus immediately handed him hers before rushing back inside to grab another.
"Damn it. Why isn't the poison working?" Xiaolang clenched his spear as the salamander crashed into the lifepod. The impact threw Bob off the lifepod. He crashed face-first onto the sandy beach as the lifepod rolled.
"Ahh!!" the children yelled as they were thrown from their chairs. Lazarus grabbed the ladder for support. The hemispherical lifepod rolled like an unstable beach ball.
The salamander glared at the hateful children who had killed its offspring. But just as it was about to charge, the great beast was suddenly yanked toward the ocean.
"What the…" Xiaolang was ready to fight the leviathan to the death. But by some miraculous twist of fate, he survived.
He and Bob could only stare at the ocean as two leviathans duked it out in the distance. Seawater exploded into the air as blood and gore splashed across the waves.
The salamander bit into one of the Seliphesaurus's flippers, tearing it apart. The Seliphesaurus roared, wrapped its neck around the salamander, and bit into its neck. The crystals covering its body protected it from the salamander's claws. With its tail wounded, the salamander had lost one of its strongest weapons.
The battle ended with the Seliphesaurus dragging the salamander into the depths of the sea. Its final howls echoed across the shore as dawn broke over the horizon.
Lazarus climbed out of the lifepod, which had now tumbled onto its side on the sandy beach. The rest of the children followed, with Anna and Lexus being the last to climb out.
"The show's over." Xiaolang said. "What's the damage?"
He and Bob glanced toward the ocean, wondering whether the leviathan would take an interest in the eight little children stranded on the beach. Apparently, it had no intention of coming ashore.
"We will never get off this island." Anna cried. The scene had reminded them once again that they were just insignificant specks of dust. They were too small to matter. Even Xiaolang's spear was useless against the salamander. It was only because they happened to be in the Seliphesaurus's territory that they had been saved.
"Au…" Even Auscella huddled closer to Anna, seemingly frightened by what had transpired.
"Alright. Let's continue with our daily routine, everyone. The show is over." Laurel's voice broke the silence. "Food and water won't gather themselves."
"Huh? Are you expecting us to work after we were almost eaten by a giant lizard? What if there are more of those salamanders?" Lexus yelled. "This place is dangerous!"
"The lifepod is still the safest place." Laurel said.
"Not safe enough! That lizard tore through armor plating that's supposed to stop meteorites as if it were paper!" he argued.
"Oh? Do you have an alternative?" Laurel asked.
"Erm… What about the ruins?" Shingo raised his hand.
"..." Laurel fell silent.
He was right.
The ruins seemed safer. Since Auscella could control the door, there was no need to worry about intruders getting in. It was sturdy enough to survive all this time. Moreover, there was fresh water nearby. They wouldn't have to walk for two hours to the lake just to boil water.
But there was one issue.
There was a chance a scarab might be there, and there was no way to reach the ruins without swimming across the pond. The last scarab had run away after they trapped it, but there might be another straggler.
"No. We couldn't close the water pipes leading inside. Creatures could sneak into the facility through them." Xiaolang said.
"But it hasn't happened before." Shingo frowned.
His statement made the children frown. Just as he said, the ruins were empty. Not a single animal had entered them, even though they should have made a perfect nest. Somehow, the animals seemed to avoid the ruins.
"We will consider it. But for now, we can't abandon the lifepod. We have the medical facilities and life support here. The nights have grown very cold lately. We might catch a cold if we sleep outside." Laurel said. Electricity was the easy part. They just needed to bring a solar panel over there. But the medical equipment and life support? They would have to disassemble them from the lifepod. Moreover, they were not waterproof. Crossing the pond might damage them.
"I will try to ask Mistral for the schematics of the lifepod. I think I can disassemble the AMS and the life-support system. But it's going to be heavy, and we might need to disassemble part of the lifepod if we want to move it." Shingo said.
Xiaolang nodded. Their eyes lingered on the lifepod one last time before they continued their daily routine. The overturned lifepod was a sign that things were changing. They needed to adapt.
I'm afraid. But I need to be brave. I know I am useless, but there must be something we can do. No. I am not the protagonist of a novel. I will die and be eaten by monsters here. Please help me. Brother. Papa. Mama. I am scared. ~Anna