A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 735 - Chapter 735 538

Chapter 735: 538 Chapter 735: 538 The howling wind rushed past her ears, Mary suddenly opened her eyes, looking around in surprise, only to be taken aback again —- they were soaring high up into the sky and it looked like they were about to stop!

“Sir? Sir!”

“Don’t panic, here it comes!!!”

Just then, Mary spotted a black dot rapidly plunging toward them from the sky —- it was the plane piloted by the maid!

“Whoosh———-!!!”

The plane narrowly skated past Duanmu Huai’s body, and he caught hold of the aircraft with a swift grab — a feat impossible for a normal person. Mary, held tightly in Duanmu Huai’s arms, felt a powerful jolt. Her eyes blurring momentarily, the next second she was safely inside the plane, courtesy of Duanmu Huai.

“What in the world …”

Mary was at a loss for what had happened. She shook her head, standing up gingerly. Shirley was still unconscious at her side. For some unknown reason, her black dress had totally dissolved. It was clear that if she stayed in this condition, she could freeze to death.

Fortunately, Lorena came running over at that moment, and together they managed to put the unconscious Shirley into a thermal bag nearby, finally letting out a sigh of relief. Only then did Mary have the opportunity to glance outside the window, soon gasping at the sight before her.

She remembered the gigantic stone city they had seen when they were first crossing over the mountain range. But now, it seemed like there had been an earthquake. The city was trembling violently and something that resembled dense black water was spreading everywhere, seemingly about to swallow the entire city.

“What… what on earth is that?”

“Didn’t I already tell you? Shoggs.”

Duanmu Huai stood at the entrance of the plane, looking down at the viscous mess that the ancient city had become, reminding him of a sewage pit. Looking from afar at the gray, writhing, viscous mass squirming in and out of the city ruins, he felt a wave of nausea.

The city looked like an exploded sewage pit and clearly, the Shoggs had gone berserk.

But Duanmu Huai couldn’t care less, no matter how viciously the Shoggs acted, they couldn’t fly after all.

The only thing truly bothersome was their unnerving shriek.

“Te…Teck….Lily!!!”

The shrill sound, reminiscent of fingernails scratching a blackboard, echoed through the city ruins, sending chills down the spine.

“Wh…what do we do now, Mr. Duanmu?”

Mary clung tightly to Duanmu Huai, her face pallid watching the massive Shoggs squirm down below. The entire city was filled with them and even viewed from way up high in the sky, the shock and unease were enough to instil fear.

“You just need to take care of Shirley, I’ll handle this.”

Duanmu Huai, of course, couldn’t let the crazed Shoggs run around unchecked. Strictly speaking, given the current Antarctic climate, they couldn’t get far. However, who knew what kind of mischief these creatures could cause. So, he decided to eliminate them all.

Deciding this, a fierce light flashed in Duanmu Huai’s eyes.

Just as he had told Dr. Palmer, if they weren’t already stones, then he’d simply turn them into stones !

Such a trivial matter!

With this thought, Duanmu Huai leaned out of the aircraft, tightly clutching his staff which spouted black flames. His gaze fixed on the squirming sea of Shoggs below, he swung his staff down with all his might!

“————–!!!”

The staff, ablaze with black flames, plummeted from the sky, directly into the writhing tide of Shoggs below.

Immediately following…….

“Boom————–!!!”

It was as if the world were shaking.

Pursuing from high above, the massive city on the surface seemed to be blasted apart, the huge buildings along with the solid ground blew up from the inside out. It was as if a child’s sandpit had been flipped over completely. Even the enormous mountain range, towering like Mount Everest, cracked and distorted in response to the violent blast. Then, the better part of a mountain peak suddenly tipped, rolling and crashing onto the city below!

Dust rose to cover the sky and Duanmu Huai had already instructed the maid to navigate the plane far away from this disaster zone.

After the explosion, Duanmu Huai was certain that the entire city would be completely submerged, serving as fuel for the black flames just like the Shoggs. Once the black flames had consumed these Shoggs, nothing would be left but stones.

By then, everything would truly be alright.

Earthquakes rarely occurred in Antarctica, but such a world-shattering event wouldn’t escape from the notice of the research station. Soon, Duanmu Huai received a call from Professor Palmer inquiring about the situation. After all, they had experienced an earthquake and its epicenter was in the direction Duanmu Huai’s group had previously headed. Hence, Professor Palmer was worried if any mishap had befallen them. Thankfully, upon establishing contact and learning that no one was injured, Professor Palmer was finally relieved.

But Duanmu Huai and his party had no plans to return to the research station. This time, they had an additional person with them unexpectedly which might have been fine elsewhere, but this was Antarctica.

How do you explain an extra person suddenly appearing from Antarctica?

In that case……no explanation was called for.

I’m the sponsor, I do what I want, and I don’t need to explain myself to anyone, right?

So Duanmu Huai directly contacted Professor Palmer and said they had to leave for a bit and would be back later.

“………..”

Leave now?

I have to say that upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s response, Professor Palmer was definitely dumbfounded. This is the South Pole – not your house. You can’t just come and go as you please.

Though they wanted to complain, if Duanmu Huai wanted to leave, they couldn’t stop him. The sudden geological changes in the South Pole had given them plenty of research material, so Professor Palmer didn’t say much.

After all, Duanmu Huai was their sponsor – the biggest boss.

And so, things had finally settled down.

Afterwards, Duanmu Huai returned to Fog City with the others. It was then that they found out that not long after they left for the South Pole, the dormant Shirley had suddenly disappeared. It was a mystery at the time, but now Shirley had been found, and the remaining matters were…Duanmu Huai’s problem.

“Everything is as I explained, and it’s all been resolved.”

Duanmu Huai casually handed over the paperwork to Police Chief Reschdorf, who took it with a complicated look on his face, unsure of how to respond.

“To be honest, this seems more like the content of a fairy tale to me.”

“Treat it like a fairy tale if it makes you feel better, the issue is solved anyway.”

Duanmu Huai pointedly spread his hands and stared at Police Chief Reschdorf.

“Fine then. As long as you say it’s settled, then let’s leave it at that.”

Chief Reschdorf shrugged and did not say much else. After all, the South Pole does not fall within their jurisdiction. The major tremors from the South Pole had caused a worldwide sensation, with many organizations claiming that a bomb had been detonated there. Of course, no evidence was found later. But Police Chief Reschdorf knew this was out of his hands.

The disappearance of Shirley ended up being blamed on a brainwashed cultist who kidnapped her, and then she was rescued. To prevent more disappearances, the Bronte family decided to take Shirley home to recover. This was a relief to Mary. She didn’t know why, but Shirley had completely forgotten everything she’d previously experienced, whether it was her involvement with the Capek Research Society, the spirit-falling Technique or the Tartar Gate. Mary thought that this was a blessing for Shirley.

However, Mary faced a challenging decision.

After returning to Fog City, Duanmu Huai invited her.

In other words, Duanmu Huai intended to use Mary’s Golden Pupil and her power to work for the Tribunal.

This took Mary by surprise. Although she had learned a lot about the Tribunal from Lorena, Mary had never thought about joining them. She seemed more like a requester, and the Tribunal more like a police organization. She asked the Tribunal for help, but didn’t think about joining them. She just wanted to live a more peaceful life.

But Mary knew that this wasn’t a simple decision, especially because of her Golden Pupil. Although her enemy seems to have disappeared, would there be others in the future who might target her?

Mary didn’t know, but it was a tough decision.

“Sigh…”

As Mary walked out of the gates of Masters College, she looked up at the ever-present sky and sighed softly. She had thought about her future career after graduation, but working for the Tribunal wasn’t what she had in mind initially. The work at the Tribunal would surely not be easy. Surely, Shirley and Asherica would worry. But wouldn’t they worry if she went into archaeological excavations, or became a children’s book illustrator? She had once considered these options too…

“Mary?”

A little bird-like voice sounded by her ear. Mary turned around and saw Asherica – her small and cute friend, and one of the best friends of her and Shirley, who was peeking out nervously at her.

“Are you okay, Mary? You look troubled.”

“Mmm-hmm, I’m thinking about the future.”

“Huh? Have you decided on your career after graduation?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

In response to her friend’s inquiry, Mary shook her head with a smile.

“I see, but you should avoid doing anything too dangerous. Asherica and Shirley will worry. Shirley just woke up after all. How about this? During the break, why don’t we all visit Shirley’s house? I want to take Howard with me too.”

“Are you finally ready to introduce Mr. Howard to Shirley?”

Upon hearing this, Mary teased, while Asherica blushed.

“What, what’s the big deal? I just think Shirley might tease Howard. Will you come too, Mary?”

“Of course.”

Mary nodded her head, as if she just thought of something.

Perhaps, she should invite… Mr. Duanmu as well?