“We found it! It’s right here!!”

Charles’ excitement was growing. The object was just lying there, unguarded. All they had to do was take it back to the Coral Islands, and the mission would be complete!

He stepped forward to grab it but stopped abruptly. A thought flashed through his mind. Was it really that simple? If it was, why hadn’t the previous teams taken it and instead disappeared?

As Charles hesitated, Bandage beside him moved, walking over to pick up the golden statue of the god Fotan.

He then returned to Charles’ side and said in his slow, drawn-out voice, “Let’s… go back… the high priest is waiting…”

Although Charles felt something was off, since they had the artifact in hand, he couldn’t worry about that now. He waved his hand, and the crew quickly made their way out.

“That thing looks heavy. We’ll take turns carrying it for thirty minutes each.”

Bandage and James nodded in agreement. They continued along the path towards the coast. The golden statue was indeed heavy, and even with rotating carriers, it was exhausting work.

Halfway down the path, Charles stopped for a rest. It was important not to wait until they were completely exhausted to take a break, or they wouldn’t have the chance to react if something happened.

Sitting by the campfire, Charles looked around warily at the darkness.

If there had been no danger on the way in, then the danger must lie on the way back. He couldn’t let his guard down.

After resting for a few minutes, Charles turned to Bandage beside him and said, “For the next stretch, we can’t stop. We have to go all the way.”

Bandage nodded, paused for a few seconds, and then looked around before saying, “I… I think I forgot something…”

“As long as we have the statue, nothing else matters. Let’s move.” Charles, somewhat impatient, grabbed the statue and continued forward.

Bandage said no more, following in silence.

The bizarre forest flickered in and out of view under the firelight. Besides the two men’s breathing and footsteps, there was no other sound.

When Charles finally reached the beach and saw the Rat in the distance, his sweat-covered face broke into a smile of relief.

“This adventure is a success. Once we get back and deliver this to the Fotan cult, I can buy an exploration ship, recruit a crew, and find my way home.”

Stolen novel; please report.

But as he stepped onto the sand and ran towards the distant Rat, his footsteps halted, and his smile faded. A question popped into his mind.

“Did I really sail this large steamship here all by myself??”

A sudden, inexplicable fear gripped Charles. He recounted the events of his journey.

“I was invited by the Fotan cult to find their relic. I set off on the Rat alone, I prepared food in the kitchen alone, I fueled the turbine alone, I cleaned the deck alone, I… I patrolled the deck alone, I… steered the ship alone?”

Charles, holding the golden statue, paced back and forth on the beach.

“I used to have a crew. I sailed with the first mate, Old John, and the bosun, Dim. But after Dim was skinned by something underwater, and John disembarked at the Coral Islands, it’s been just me on the Rat. That’s right!!”

Charles’ face contorted in pain. His memories were clear, but they contradicted reality. It didn’t make any sense.

“This can’t be! I’m not a superhero, how could I possibly have done all that by myself! There must be some mistake!!”

As Charles’ gaze casually swept over the footprints on the ground, he shuddered.

There were seven sets of footprints of varying sizes, all clearly recent.

Charles quickly dropped the statue and pulled off his boot, comparing it to one of the prints on the ground.

“The pattern, the size, the curve—it’s my footprint! I wasn’t alone. My memories have been altered!”

Drenched in cold sweat, he looked towards the few empty ships near the Rat. Now he understood why there were no people on those ships.

Charles took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “The evidence suggests I wasn’t alone. I had a crew. They’ve disappeared, not just in reality, but from my mind as well. I have to find them. I can’t return alone.”

But a new problem faced Charles: how could he find six people he didn’t recognize and who didn’t exist? Who were they? What were their names? Were they men or women?

At that moment, a figure slowly stepped into the light of the torches.

The instant Charles saw the person’s appearance, his pupils contracted, and he quickly drew his pistol, pointing it at the creature’s head.

It was a humanoid figure wrapped in old yellow bandages, the bandages cut and tattered, exposing the dark skin beneath.

“Stop!! State your name!!”

“My… my name is Bandage, no, that’s not right… I don’t… I’m not Bandage. Who are you? I think I know you… do you know me?”

Quickly glancing at the bandage-wrapped feet of the mummy-like figure, Charles searched among the seven sets of footprints.

The pattern of the bandages was clearly imprinted in the sand. Incredible as it seemed, this creature was indeed his crew member.

Charles lowered his revolver and quickly explained the situation to Bandage.

“Is… is that true? I can’t remember. Who am I? Do you know who I am?” Bandage’s voice was hesitant.

“We’ll talk about that later. Where did you escape from? Are there others there?” Charles pressed on.

“From… from the trees… the trees didn’t like me… they let me go. There are others there.”

Charles couldn’t make sense of Bandage’s words, but it seemed he knew where the others were.

“Take me there. We have to rescue them.”

After memorizing the patterns of the remaining five pairs of footprints, Charles led Bandage back into the strange forest.

The misty forest was as silent as ever. Bandage led Charles back onto the path covered in footprints.

With the earlier revelation in mind, Charles began to notice something amiss. The footprints on the ground were decreasing, suggesting that they too had disappeared.

Whether it was psychological or not, Charles started to feel that something in the forest was watching him.

After walking for about half an hour, the shaky Bandage suddenly turned and walked into the forest beside them. Charles now understood why the bandages on his body were so tattered.