Christina and Clara refused to stay behind as well. Even though they usually didn’t see eye to eye with each other as rivals in love, they never wished for such a fate as that which befell Diana. The biggest reason that they were unwilling to stay behind was that they didn’t want Zach to be thinking of another woman even if it was because of his guilt and remorse when he was by their side.

Zach didn’t refuse their wishes to accompany him to the sea and boarded the other boat in a hurry with the girls following right behind him.

The engines of the torpedo boats whirred at the fastest speed they could muster and set out for the location that the blip indicated on the map. It had yet to move after it stopped in its place. Therefore, Zach kept on praying that the blip would stay in the same place as he carried out his plans.

After a full night and the better part of the day on board the torpedo boats, soldiers had begun to be restless. Before any of the soldiers could turn into a disloyal subject, Zach finally stumbled on the island that was hidden in the mist. If not for the coordinates of the island he had received, he would have never chosen the path either.

Zach was sure that the island was the pirate captain’s lair, the place he had been using as refuge for such a long time to escape the eyes of the government. No wonder no one has been able to find anything about this place for so long. I couldn’t have stumbled on it even by accident let alone by design. Therefore, hiding in this place was quite a safe bet.

As soon as Zach was done analyzing the situation, he ordered the soldiers to make port and began to organize his forces through the temporary commanders. A few of the soldiers were asked to stay behind to guard the boats, just in case the enemy tried to sabotage their retreat method while they worked to retrieve Diana.

The rest of the forces were personally led by Zach as they landed on the shore and began to move slowly in a group towards the heart of the island which was the supposed location of their target according to the location marker on the map.

In order to gather reconnaissance, Zach deployed a drone, its propellers whirring as it soared into the sky. He maintained a vigilant watch over the live video feed, carefully observing and analyzing the footage to glean insights into the overall state of the island.

The drone’s camera captured every detail, revealing the haunting panorama below and providing a remote glimpse into the island’s grim conditions. With unwavering focus, Zach absorbed the information unfolding before him, determined to uncover any clues that might shed light on the mysteries lurking within the ominous landscape.

After what had happened with Diana, Zach wasn’t willing to jeopardize his people any more for baseless speculations. He scoured the path ahead with the help of the drone first and only then would he allow his men to follow him down that path.

Consequently, their entrance onto the island progressed at a deliberate pace, prioritizing caution and safety above all else. Every step was taken with meticulous care, ensuring that their movements remained undetectable, and their presence concealed. .

Despite their actions, any potential alarms remained dormant, as if destiny itself dictated that the alert would not be sounded until the point of no return was reached. The group’s approach was a calculated dance of stealth and prudence, a choreography designed to keep them shrouded in secrecy until the inevitable moment when circumstances demanded otherwise.

It wasn’t long before Zach saw a picture through the live feed that stupefied him.

The drone’s portrayal of the island was so horrifying that Zach couldn’t help but wonder if he had unwittingly stumbled into the gaping maw of a colossal sea monster, one that hungered not for fish but for human lives.

As he gazed at the nightmarish landscape unfolding before him, a chilling unease settled in his chest. The intended destination seemed to have transformed into a place of malevolent darkness and imminent peril.

Amidst the waves of dread that swept over him, another concern began to take hold. Thoughts of Diana, his goal for this perilous journey, wormed their way into his mind. He couldn’t shake off the worry that she might be in danger as well, lost amidst the same ominous terrain that had gripped his senses. The fear for her safety crept stealthily into his heart, intertwining with the horrors of the island’s imagery and forming a knot of apprehension that was impossible to ignore.

The location in question was a scene of extreme carnage, with graphic depictions of blood, gore, and entrails strewn across the landscape. The gruesome tableau left no doubt that a brutal massacre had unfolded here, painting the surroundings with a macabre palette of violence and death.

Amidst the horrifying imagery, there were indications that massive creatures, much like the sea dragon Zach had encountered earlier, might have feasted upon their prey in this very place. The remains of what might have been his own provisions lay scattered, suggesting that these gigantic beasts had made a grisly meal out of his snacks. The unsettling realization only deepened the sense of foreboding that already hung heavily in the air.

Before long, the soldiers began to trace the path their commanding officer had taken, inadvertently stumbling upon the very scene that Zach had previously witnessed on the video feed. The juxtaposition of their physical presence against the ghastly reality was a stark reminder of the horrors that awaited them.

Among the soldiers, those who had initially approached the situation with a light-hearted demeanor found their bravado shattered by the gruesome sight before them. The intensity of the scene proved overwhelming, and for some, a single glance was enough to trigger a visceral response. The revulsion that gripped them was so profound that they couldn’t contain it – their stomachs churned, and their bodies betrayed them as they expelled their contents in a gut-wrenching display of repulsion. The brutality of the tableau had an immediate and visceral impact, leaving an indelible mark on those unfortunate enough to bear witness.

Despite having wreaked havoc on battlefields and dispatched scores of pirates, even the soldiers who were intimately familiar with the concept of death found themselves utterly unequipped to confront this grotesque masterpiece before them. The atrocities they had witnessed in combat paled in comparison to the nightmarish tableau that now confronted their senses.

The artistry of horror displayed before them was of a nature so macabre, so profoundly unsettling, that their seasoned minds and battle-hardened hearts recoiled in the face of it. The visceral impact of this tableau transcended the carnage they had witnessed in the heat of combat, striking at something deeper within them. The soldiers, who had once faced danger with steel resolve, were now confronted with a horror that defied all rationality and challenged their very understanding of the world. In the face of this disturbing reality, their veneer of desensitization crumbled, revealing the raw vulnerability beneath.

Not to mention the soldiers, even Bruce found himself stumbling as his knees grew weak in the face of horrific sight.

“What could have happened here? Was it some kind of disaster or a pre-arranged feast? Looking at the congregation of the people, it appears to be a surprise attack from whatever reveled in the blood of these people. The faces of these people are full of shock as if they were unable to believe their reality that their end had arrived.” asked Zach as he analyzed bits and pieces of the information available to him.

He hadn’t expected anyone to know the answer to his question. He had just wanted to air out his thoughts to the rest of his companions.

Christina, however, unexpectedly spoke up instantly as if she had guessed the reason behind what had happened.

“The pirates probably didn’t know what was going to happen to them when they came here. The shock probably came not much later. There are signs of a ritual here; a ritual that requires a lot of blood. These pirates were probably lured here by someone to act as the blood price.”

“Blood price? What’s that?”