Chapter 135: The Unknown Nature of the World

After the initial panic, everyone forced themselves to grow quiet. What had just appeared was no longer the most important thing; the critical priority now was to ensure they did not become the next target.

Mark’s father had witnessed the scene as well. His reaction was far calmer than that of the young people. As the incident unfolded, he immediately and slowly adjusted the boat’s heading, but instead of accelerating, he cut the motor, letting the vessel drift away on its own momentum. Only after the two bowhead whales had vanished beneath the surface and been dragged down completely for several minutes did he push the throttle to its maximum.

It was much like encountering a predator. When a sudden crisis occurs, panic-stricken flight is rarely the wisest choice. Creating a massive wake on the surface would only attract the attention of underwater creatures like sharks, perhaps even drawing them directly to the boat. Furthermore, their vessel was not particularly fast, and the roar of the motor would have been too conspicuous.

The group covered their mouths, the girls being especially shielded by the boys beside them. One by one, they crouched low against the gunwales, secretly observing the surrounding sea, with the spot where the whales had been dragged down serving as the primary focus of their vigilance. They felt a sense of radio silence akin to a World War II submarine evading sonar detection. Perhaps it was even more terrifying; at least being blown up was better than being eaten, though submarine crews often died of drowning anyway. No one believed those two bowhead whales had simply been pulled down to be used as toys.

As the boat moved further and further away, they lacked effective reference points and could not tell how far they had traveled. Fearful of making any sudden movements, they all quietly crawled into the cabin. The boat continued at top speed for nearly half an hour, yet none of the horrors from disaster films or thrillers manifested.

"Should... should we be okay now?" someone whispered.

They looked at one another, beginning to exchange hushed words. "Are we safe?" "What was that? Were those octopus tentacles?" "I don't know, the spray was too heavy to see clearly..."

Just then, Mark returned from the captain’s cabin. "Mark, what did your dad say? Are we safe?"

"Yes, Mark, are we safe?"

Mark signaled for everyone to be quiet, then told them word by word, "My father has already used the satellite phone to call for help, and we are heading toward the coast. We will be fine."

Mark’s words calmed them slightly, making them feel as if they might truly be safe. "Mark, does the captain know what that was?"

Mark shook his head. "It happened too fast and was too terrifying; we couldn't see it clearly."

"Wait! Was Prince William’s camera still recording?"

The boy known as Prince William merely happened to share a name with a member of the British royal family, hence the nickname. He suddenly remembered that he had been filming the whales with his digital camcorder.

"Where is my camera?" William searched the cabin but couldn't find it.

"I think it dropped on the deck when we ran in. I saw it," a girl told him—the same one who had screamed earlier.

Mark and William cautiously crept back onto the deck, retrieved the camera, and scrambled back into the cabin. Even though it looked calm outside, no one wanted to court death. The camera’s power and recording functions had remained on the entire time. A dozen people huddled around William as he played back the footage.

First came a long stretch of party revelry, followed by photos with tuna; these were fast-forwarded. Soon, they reached the moment the bowhead whales were spotted, and the camcorder captured the group’s gasps and exclamations of wonder. Immediately after, the sound of the sea exploding erupted, and the voices turned to terror. A woman’s scream of "Ahhh!" was followed by Mark’s command: "Shut up, don't scream!"

Aside from the girl who looked slightly embarrassed, everyone else stared intently at the screen. "Rewind it, and slow down the playback speed." William followed Mark's instructions, rewinding the video by one minute and setting the speed to one-fifth.

In slow motion, the sea exploded. Numerous tentacles, sharp as swords, shot out from the depths and coiled around the massive whales, slowly dragging them into the water.

"That looks like... octopus tentacles? But not quite."

"What are those sharp things around the suction cups?"

"I absolutely do not believe these are the tentacles of an octopus or a squid!"

The American girl Mark had a crush on voiced what everyone was thinking: "This is the Kraken. The legends are true!"

Two hours later, the Norwegian coast guard located the fishing vessel. That evening, a Twitter account under the name "Fake Prince William" posted a new status. The content included a short, few-minute video. It began with the students happily admiring the whales, followed by the entire terrifying incident, ending with the camera falling to the deck and recording the floor for a few seconds. The caption read: "Risked my life to witness the Kraken. This world is far more mysterious than we imagine. We ought to reflect on why Newton and Einstein doubted the existence of divine beings in their later years."

Many "experts" pointed out that the video was a hoax, though far more were simply excited. Many people began comparing this footage with videos of vampires that had circulated earlier. However, less than half an hour after it was posted, every trace of the tweet was erased, including the versions that had been retweeted countless times. Nevertheless, some had already downloaded the video the moment it went live.

This tweet became the famous "Norwegian Kraken Sighting," or the "North Sea Giant Sighting." Within the relatively secretive institutions of various governments, it was generally classified as the "Norwegian Sea Sighting." While the scientific community preferred to believe it was a previously undiscovered species, the event sparked a wave of reflection. Do humans truly understand the Earth? Are we truly clear about our history?