After dinner, Charles began patrolling the Rat to ensure everyone's safety.
He didn't know what caused the sailor's disappearance; in a situation where the enemy was hidden and they were exposed, this clumsy method was the only temporary solution.
Once again, the atmosphere aboard returned to that before their arrival; everyone was on edge, trying their very best to remain visible to others, terrified of vanishing silently and without a trace.
Whether Charles' method was effective or the creature had left, the Rat enjoyed several days of calm.
Four days later, Charles stood at the bow, gazing into the dark expanse of ocean ahead.
"In three days at most, the Rat will be back on the beaconed course, and then it should be safe."
Estimating the time to return to the island, Charles turned to Anna, who was sitting on the anchor machine. "Let's go, we'll check out the boiler room."
"I'm not going, I feel like a complete fool following you around day after day, and there's nothing interesting about this tiny place. If you want to go, go by yourself." Anna was clearly irritated.
"Don't let your guard down, it's very dangerous to stay here alone." Charles went over and gently tugged on her arm, but she shook him off forcefully.
"Ah, I already said I'm not going. Why are you men so annoying? Besides, isn't that mummy watching from above? What's the danger?"
Charles looked up and, through the transparent glass, could clearly see the Bandage at the helm.
"Alright, you sit and rest for a bit. I'll be right back." Charles opened the cabin door and headed for the turbine room on the lowest level.
As the heart of the steamboat's power, the turbine room was extremely stuffy. The moment Charles entered, he saw Chief Engineer James adding fuel, shirtless, next to the sailor chief Deep, who was panting like a dog from the heat.
"Captain, I really can't take it anymore, let me go up. It's too hot down here." Deep complained to Charles, looking miserable.
"Please bear with it for the safety of our mates."
"Even if there were a monster that eats people, it wouldn't come down here. It's so hot, who can stand it besides the big guys?"
Charles approached James and patted him on his solid shoulder. "You're working hard. The insulation on the new boat will be much better."
James smiled innocently, "I'm used to it. Besides the heat, it's pretty easy-going down here."
"When we get the new boat, you won't be able to manage down here alone. You'll be the Chief Engineer then, overseeing the Chief Engineer, Second Chief Engineer, and everyone else."
James appeared to be startled by Charles' words, stepping back and waving his hands rapidly as if fanning himself.
"No, no, no, I can't manage people. Let someone else do it, I'll just take care of the fire, really, really."
Charles, smiling, was about to reassure his crew member when suddenly a loud boom came from a nearby pipe. The Rat groaned and everything tilted to 75° in an instant.
The staggered Charles immediately realized that a sudden ship tilt meant trouble with the helmsman. He scrambled to the communication tube and shouted inside, "Bandage!! Respond if you can hear me!"
But the only sounds coming back were the noise of flesh tearing and Bandage's pained moans.
"Damn it!" Charles drew his revolver from his waist and braced against the shaking, rapidly crawling toward the staircase.
"You two, follow me quick! Something's happened in the cockpit!"
By the time an anxious Charles burst onto the deck, he saw a panic-stricken Anna with tear-filled eyes lunging toward him. "The mummy... that mummy!!"
Charles and three others rushed to the cockpit only to find dark red blood splattered everywhere, leaving the room in complete disarray.
The helmsman, who should have been at the wheel, was lying on the ground like a ragdoll savagely torn apart by a dog, pitiful and forlorn. Aside from his numerous wounds, his right leg was severed and nowhere to be seen.
Charles rushed to the heavily injured helmsman, not knowing where to put his hands. After hesitating for two seconds, he tore off the helmsman's bandages and probed the man's breath with his fingers.
Feeling the faint thread of life, Charles let out a slight sigh of relief. He quickly pulled out the Black Blade tucked in his boot and placed it in the helmsman's hand, hoping he could cling to life with the Healing powers of the blade.
"Anna! Don't just stand there, come and stop the bleeding!"
Charles's cry awoke the ship doctor, who was out of her wits. With tears in her red eyes, she nodded repeatedly and dashed out. "I... I'll go get the hemostats!"
"Don't give up, buddy, you'll be okay, don't you dare give up," an anxious Charles murmured encouragement into the helmsman's ear.
Not long after, Anna ran back, calling out hesitantly, "Charles, my medical kit is gone!"
Stunned for a second, Charles quickly responded, "Go to the Captain's Room, on the bottom of the cupboard, I've prepared some medicine! Deep, go and get everyone here! Hurry!"
After the frenzy, six people stood in front of the unconscious helmsman in the chaotic cockpit.
All the nervous gazes were fixed on Charles, seeking a sense of security. This feeling doubled the pressure on Charles, but this was exactly when they needed a captain, he mustn't panic.
"Anna, did you see what attacked the helmsman??"
"I didn't see it. The ship suddenly tilted, and I fell to the ground."
"That thing is still on board, it's bound to strike again."
"But Captain, we've searched everywhere and found nothing at all. Could that thing be invisible?" A worried Deep inquired.
The monsters of Earth Sea were numerous and strange; invisibility was not unheard of.
"Unlikely. If it were invisible, there was no need to wait this long to act."
Charles knew he had to do something; he couldn't let his crew come under attack anymore. If this continued, the Rat would become an iron coffin, entombing everyone for good.
But what could he do when he knew nothing at all?
After some thought, Charles pursed his lips and spoke, "Chief Engineer, open the turbines to full. Even if the Rat falls apart, it doesn't matter as long as we can reach the Coral Islands at the fastest speed possible."
"Deep, lead a team and lock all the hatch doors. "
"Frey, move any food that can be eaten raw from the kitchen to the turbine room and cockpit. Everyone else, stay only in these two places."
If they couldn't find it, then they just wouldn't search. They would stick together until they returned to port.
"What about when we need to use the toilet?" Anna asked quietly.
Charles tapped on the transparent glass in front of him, "Towards the outer deck."
As the crowd began to congregate in the two locations, the atmosphere aboard the Rat grew even more oppressive.
In the cockpit, Deep was at the helm, Anna was taking care of the helmsman on the hammock, and Charles, sitting on a stool, continued writing in his diary.
Inside the cabin, apart from the rustling of the pen tip across the paper, there was no other sound.