This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 309 PTSD

Chapter 309: Chapter 309 PTSD

"It doesn’t sound like a good idea, but it’s the only way we can get out of here," Conrad said.

"Yes, but you’re the one who got us into this shitty situation in the first place! Who knows, we might even encounter Cthulhu in that sea area, if we’re lucky we might get to see Lalaiye before we die!" Chen Ke exclaimed angrily.

"I assure you, Chen Ke, there are things in this world far more terrifying than Cthulhu," Nathan said.

As they spoke, a cannonball hit the side of the ship, splashing water everywhere. The ship rocked, and a bottle of wine tipped over on the table, spilling the amber liquid all over the floor.

Everyone steadied themselves and looked out the window.

"Damn it, is this the Medieval era? What kind of cannonballs are they shooting?" Chen Ke cursed.

"Small-caliber cannons, a single shot could sink this ship. Luckily, they are far enough away," Conrad said.

No sooner had he finished speaking than another cannonball smashed into the sea near the bow, causing the entire ship to shake violently. Chen Ke swore he would never board a ship again in his life and regretted deeply why he hadn’t chosen to drive to Norton City instead.

However, now that things had come to this point, complaining and regretting were futile. He could do nothing but pray that the ship was lucky enough to not get hit before entering that area of the sea.

Conrad didn’t let them go back to the crew’s quarters but suggested they stay in the captain’s cabin, then he himself ran to the bridge to command.

Though the bridge was more dangerous than below deck, it had windows on three sides, allowing a view of the outside, which was much better than the closed environment below.

The entire ship was turning its bow north, evidently getting ready to enter the mysterious waters.

In the ocean, a restricted area won’t be marked with barbed wire or walls like on land. You could only rely on longitude and latitude to determine whether you had entered the area.

Laura and Nathan stood at the table examining the nautical chart, nodding as they looked over it, seemingly gathering some information.

"Do you understand nautical charts?" Chen Ke suddenly asked.

"I learned from my grandfather," both replied in unison. After speaking, they looked at each other in surprise.

The two of them, making up the same excuse to lie.

"Well... what did you figure out?" Chen Ke leaned in to look at the chart.

The chart didn’t seem like anything special to Chen Ke; he could only understand the restricted areas Conrad had circled on it, but nothing else.

"Nautical charts are different from regular maps; they mark currents, sea lanes, longitude, latitude, and other information. This chart was marked by Conrad with a marker in many places, and if you observe closely, you’ll see that some sea lanes were traced over with a red marker," Laura said.

The sea lanes on the nautical map were originally red, and at a glance, it was hard to tell which lines had been traced over. Conrad was a smuggler of the Holy Relics, so marking some business routes and strange places on the sea map was nothing unusual.

"This ship isn’t really a fishing vessel, they definitely are smugglers. What do you think they could be smuggling?" Nathan asked, looking at Laura.

"Guns? People? Or perhaps... Holy Relics?" Laura said softly.

"Maybe we should find a chance to go down to the fish hold and take a look..." Nathan smiled.

"Perhaps we really should..." Laura rarely agreed with Nathan’s point of view.

Chen Ke stood by with arms crossed, his forehead breaking out in a cold sweat. Didn’t these two already think things were complicated enough? Messing around on someone else’s ship, waiting to be thrown overboard to feed the fish?

"Hey, hey... shouldn’t we keep a low profile? We have nothing to do with what’s going on this ship, let him transport whatever he wants! We are just here to rush our journey!" Chen Ke said.

"Come on, show some spirit of adventure, Chen Ke!" Nathan said.

"We are already on an adventure..." Chen Ke said.

Under Conrad’s command, the ship navigated through the artillery barrage. It had to be said that although he wasn’t very likable as an old man, he had a powerful presence as a captain.

Endurance was never hit, and half an hour later, the four ships stopped following and turned around, disappearing over the horizon.

"It looks like a success," Chen Ke said, looking towards the horizon through the window.

"You call this success? I’d rather say we’ve just gotten ourselves in deeper," Nathan quipped.

Conrad entered the bridge, looking utterly spent. After busying about for half an hour, his appearance and expression were entirely different from before.

Endurance sailed smoothly over the sea. The sky was clear and the sea calm, and according to the coordinates, the ship had indeed entered the forbidden waters, but everything around them was surprisingly peaceful.

Chen Ke activated his Spiritual Vision and quickly scanned the ship’s body. The calmer it was, the more likely something strange would emerge, and he was quite worried that something bizarre might crawl aboard the ship.

For now, there was nothing unusual, at least not anything humanoid.

"We’ve escaped danger. But new dangers are still waiting for us. Be prepared, gentlemen, ladies. Now, get out of my bridge!" Hainerd said.

The three didn’t say anything to Hainerd but silently left the bridge and returned to the crew’s resting area below deck.

"His personality is so weird, every encounter it’s like he’s become a different person," Nathan quipped.

"He has PTSD, from his time as a veteran in the Gulf War," Chen Ke said.

"What?! PTSD?" Laura said, surprised.

"Why else do you think Conrad would be so peculiar?" Chen Ke retorted.

PTSD, commonly known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, occurs when an individual witnesses extensive casualties, dismemberment, or suffers traumatic psychological or physical injuries, potentially leading to delayed or persistent psychological disorders.

This mental disorder acts as a protective mechanism for one’s self-awareness, delaying or diluting the mental shock intense enough to destroy one’s sanity at the time, allowing the sufferer to maintain basic cognitive functions but impairing their emotional control.

The manifestation of symptoms can vary depending on the individual’s psychological resilience, with some becoming numb and detached, others reliving the traumatic experiences through recurring nightmares, and still others becoming highly vigilant, irritable, and paranoid.

Clearly, Conrad fell into the third category.

Soldiers who have experienced combat are most susceptible to PTSD, especially in intense battle scenarios. The United Federation had established special veterans’ clubs to comfort these veterans and offered considerable humanitarian aid.

"My mood has worsened, Chen Ke. I suddenly realize that boarding this ship is the biggest adventure of my life," Nathan remarked, pinching the bridge of his nose in resignation.

"Same for me," Laura sighed.

Chen Ke didn’t respond, because he knew that the real test was still ahead.

At this moment, the sea was their greatest enemy.