Though he knew it was likely futile, "God" still attempted to negotiate with the nuclear powers. Time was against him, and approval was far from guaranteed—but he had to try.
Meanwhile, Luoshu drove the "borrowed" F-150 back to the beach, where his Pickup Truck Transformer had nearly caused a diplomatic incident.
There was no time for repairs. Luoshu summoned the Black Pearl, stuffed both vehicles into the cargo hold, and set sail immediately.
With his Unobservable Memetics still active, the ship didn't submerge. Instead, it raced across the Caribbean's surface, invisible to satellites and radars.
A Discovery:
As long as Luoshu stayed in the captain's quarters, his Unobservable effect extended to the entire ship via Negro Perta's bottle.
He tested Perception Blockade (感知隔绝) while holding the bottle—same result.
The Black Pearl was now a ghost vessel, gliding unseen through the waves.
But danger lurked below. Negro Perta detected a New World Ohio-class submarine approaching Haiti from the north.
Implications:
Ohio-class subs carried ballistic missiles.
General Bowe was prepping for another nuclear strike—pending global approval.
Yet "God" faced resistance:
China refused outright: "No strategic nukes. Handle Luoshu yourselves."
Russia ghosted the Foundation entirely.
Without unanimous consent, "God" couldn't act. Even as The Administrator, he couldn't strong-arm nuclear powers without fracturing the Foundation itself.
Luoshu, unaware of these negotiations, saw only the submarine—and realized the Caribbean had become a kill zone.
Problem:
Unobservable + Perception Blockade lasted only 2 hours.
At 30 knots, the Black Pearl would cover just 60 nautical miles—still within Haiti's waters.
Solution:
"Hard starboard. East into the Atlantic—we're skipping Florida."
Negro Perta cheered: "Aye! The great Negro Perta conquers Europe!"
Luoshu ignored the theatrics. He visited the cargo hold to check the Transformer's progress.
The "borrowed" F-150 had been stripped for parts, beyond return. But the Pickup Truck Transformer was nearly restored—ready for the next landfall.
The Escape
With both anti-memetic abilities exhausted, the Black Pearl submerged, slipping beneath the waves.
By dawn, it had navigated past the Silver Bank Passage, leaving the Caribbean for the open Atlantic.
Surface: Crowded with freighters and tankers.
Depths: Strangely quiet—no New World submarines.
Luoshu had escaped the net.
"God" hadn't secured nuke approval. After 12 hours of searching, neither satellites nor subs had found the Black Pearl.
Luoshu's next move was a mystery. The Caribbean was a crossroads:
North: New World.
South: South America.
East: Europe/Africa.
West: Pacific via Panama.
Now, "God" could only wait for Luoshu to slip up—and even then, success wasn't guaranteed.
The frustration mirrored Chiang Kai-shek's futile campaigns against guerrilla tactics. Luoshu was a phantom:
Area-13: Raided Achilles' base, rescued Jianjia and Chaos Insurgency prisoners.
Site-17: Retrieved Anomalous Item-196 (Time Paradox).
Site-41: Unearthed century-old truths, inherited Xiu Si's legacy.
Cuba: Claimed AI-3125 and looted Site-167.
"How do you kill someone who outmaneuvers you at every turn?"
"God" had no answer.