Sure enough, just as that thought crossed Felicia's mind, the same crew member who had previously shouted to steer the ship away let out another cry of alarm.
“What’s going on? All the navigation systems just failed! The radar is down, too!”
Maurice's men instinctively checked their own devices—phones, communication tools, everything. But every screen was filled with static and unreadable symbols. Nothing worked. It was exactly like what had happened when they first entered the rainforest.
Felicia remained calm, reassuring them, “Don’t panic. The storm won’t affect us.”
Stanley looked surprised. He almost asked how she knew that, but instead, wisely chose to remain silent. He also signaled the panicked crew members to quiet down.
Meanwhile, Stephan stood beside Felicia, holding a sleek black umbrella over her head, shielding her from the rain. Neither of them moved from the observation deck. Though their shoes and pant legs were already drenched, they stood firm, gazing at the massive swirling vortex in the distance.
The wind howled, the rain poured, and another bolt of lightning split the night sky, casting a brilliant reflection across the sea. Felicia's heart pounded violently. She instinctively grabbed Stephan's hand. “Look there! Doesn’t that look like the outline of a unicorn?”
She pointed toward the swirling storm, tracing the shape with her fingers. Stephan followed her gaze and saw it too.
It was a breathtaking sight—an extraordinary phenomenon. The interplay between the sky's lightning and the ocean's storm had created an unmistakable image. Within the raging whirlpool, the shape of a unicorn flickered in and out of sight like an ethereal illusion.
And then, almost as if responding to the mythical symbol, the storm suddenly stopped. The thick, churning clouds dispersed, revealing the moon in its full, luminous glow. The night sky, once consumed by chaos, was now crystal clear. Countless stars twinkled brilliantly above. Below, the sea, bathed in moonlight, calmed as the dark vortex and the fog from the rainstorm began to fade away. In that instant, before everyone's eyes, an island emerged. Even though they had expected it, the sight still sent a chill down their spines.
Maurice's men gasped in disbelief, their eyes wide with shock.
“When… when did that island appear? We were looking all day, and there was nothing there!”
“Holy cow! It just popped out of nowhere! Does this mean the legend is actually real?”
As chaotic murmurs spread through the crew, Felicia's sharp gaze caught movement in the distance. Pete's ship was already making its move. She turned and exchanged a glance with Scarlet. Scarlet understood immediately. She quickly went to Stanley and whispered a few words to him. Stanley nodded and gathered a team. Together with Scarlet, they boarded a speedboat and began closing in on Pete's vessel. Some debts needed to be settled.
With Pete taken care of, Felicia turned her attention back to Maurice. She had planned to bring him along to explore the island, but when she looked for him, she noticed something was wrong. Maurice's face was deathly pale, completely drained of color. He had been forcing himself to endure in silence.
Felicia grabbed his wrist and checked his pulse, her frown deepening. “This isn’t good. The backlash from the venomous creature is happening earlier than I expected. We can’t wait any longer. We have to get to the island now!”
The island was full of unknown dangers, but they had no choice. If they were lucky, they'd find a matching anti-venom creature in time to save Maurice's life.
Stephan said nothing. He simply tossed his umbrella aside and pulled out a handkerchief. Without a word, he knelt down and carefully dried Felicia's soaked pant legs. Once he was done, the ship had already reached the shore of the island, which had appeared out of nowhere after the storm.
From a distance, the land's size was daunting; it stretched so far that its edges were impossible to see. It was covered in dense forests and skerries. If not for the fact that they could feel solid ground beneath their feet, it would be easy to believe this was just a mirage.
After stepping onto the island, Felicia planned to take the lead, but Stephan grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “You stay in the middle.”
Felicia didn’t argue. With that, Stephan took the front, with her positioned safely between him and the others. Behind her, four of Maurice's men carried his half-conscious body while Stephan's own subordinates surrounded them for protection.
They walked for hours and realized that the island seemed perfectly normal, much like a regular island. They didn’t encounter any dangers, and there wasn’t even a crocodile in sight. However, Maurice wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.