Inside this research base, which was supposed to represent the pinnacle of human rationality, the man at the apex of world power was stepping over the severed half of his subordinate's corpse while discussing some tender family dynamic.
Ren Yi's consciousness existed in the void, watching coldly through the doctor's perspective.
If madness was a contagious disease, the City of the Sky Lake was likely already a high-risk zone.
"Now then, Cyril, don't look at these 'inevitable losses' with that expression."
The Lord of the City turned around and took a black briefcase from one of his followers.
The material of the case was extremely unusual; its surface was covered in a fine, lead-gray coating that resembled biological scales, faintly insulating a restless aura within.
The Lord of the City placed the case gently on the control console, his slender fingers sliding across the casing. His tone was so soft it made one's skin crawl.
"Since I'm here, I have to bring my child a little gift."
"Come, let's feed it now."
The air froze in that instant.
Dr. Cyril's eyes turned cold. She didn't touch the case; instead, she took a half-step back in a subtle defensive posture.
"Lord of the City," the doctor's voice was coated in frost.
"According to established protocols, the backup Anomalies requested as 'feed' are only for emergencies."
"Currently, S-099 is in a stable digestion phase. It doesn't need extra intake. Overfeeding will only induce unnecessary increases in its activity."
"Protocols?" The Lord of the City looked as if he had heard a joke. He tilted his head, a playful glint in his eyes.
"Protocols are for those who fear what they cannot understand. As for me, I'm simply visiting my child."
The atmosphere between the two became extremely eerie in the silence. The tension almost manifested as physical sparks where their gazes met.
Cyril's muscles tightened slightly.
However, the Lord of the City let out a short laugh and suddenly snapped the latches of the case.
Right in front of Cyril, the case—which could have contained a lethal, bizarre, and deadly Anomaly—was thrown open.
Cyril's pupils contracted sharply, her entire body tensing.
But in the next second, her expression froze.
The case was empty.
Aside from the shockproof velvet lining, there was nothing inside.
Cyril was stunned for a moment, and then the humiliation of being toyed with caused her tense body to slowly relax.
She furrowed her brows, her voice carrying suppressed fury. "Lord of the City, this joke isn't funny at all. What exactly do you mean?"
The Lord did not answer.
He looked at the empty case, then out the window at the black tide in the abyss. After a long silence, he asked softly, "When does the Red Tide begin?"
"The eruption patterns of the Red Tide are unpredictable geological activities."
Cyril answered, suppressing her anger. "We can only infer from the energy-rich zones that it will definitely arrive next month."
"Could be the beginning of the month, or the end."
"That's too long."
The Lord of the City shook his head, a hint of weariness in his tone.
"Cyril, don't you think we've wasted too many resources on this 'brainless' child?"
"No matter how much parents love their child, their patience will be ground down by such long-term attrition."
"Every Anomaly is a treasure of the world. It's a waste to just stuff them into its mouth."
He turned his head, staring into Cyril's eyes.
"Therefore, I intend to set it free."
"Huh?" Ren Yi couldn't help but let out a syllable in his perception.
What did that mean?
The Sky Eye Organization had spent a fortune and even crossed half the Wilderness to transport this S-rank god of slaughter, only to find a place to let it go?
This was like a fully armed hunter going through great pains to catch a dragon, only to bring it to a downtown area and say, "I'm going to give it a hug from nature."
Yet Ren Yi's intuition told him that this was the truth.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking?" Dr. Cyril looked at the Lord as if he were a madman.
"The Red Tide hasn't officially erupted yet. There isn't enough high-energy food here to attract it."
"If you release all containment restraints now, it will soon move toward the direction of higher Anomaly fluctuations."
"That's toward our rear!"
Ren Yi was taken aback again.
The doctor's response was different from what he expected.
She accepted the idea of letting S-099 go; she was only worried about the method and the timing.
She believed it should be done with a plan and a protocol.
The Lord of the City shrugged with an air of indifference, even a touch of frivolous cruelty.
"Don't be so nervous. Haven't those major tribes of Tide-Followers already gathered around this riverbed?"
"They have quite a few precious Anomalies tucked away in their sleeves. It'll be enough to feed it for a while."
Such words, showing total disregard for tens of thousands of lives and the ecological collapse of the Wilderness, were spoken by this leader of humanity.
"That's too scattered. It will lose control." Cyril's brows were knitted tightly.
Alright, that was a very 'Doctor' response.
Well... she also didn't give a damn about the lives in the Wilderness.
In a way, these two were perfectly in sync.
The Lord of the City suddenly laughed. He reached out and patted Cyril's shoulder reassuringly, shifting the conversation.
"I'm joking. Cyril, as the Lord, how could I not have a permanent solution?"
He lowered his voice as if sharing a sacred secret.
"The Red Tide is just a geological activity, and humanity learned how to control geology long ago."
"I've prepared a 'secret weapon' that can greatly weaken S-099 and kill two birds with one stone by forcing the Red Tide to erupt early."
"At that time, S-099 will be buried in that damned riverbed along with those Tide-Followers."
"For a long time to come, they won't cause any more trouble for the Sky Lake."
After listening, Cyril's angry expression gradually faded.
She seemed to read some deeper, more terrifying information from the Lord's words.
She looked at him and remained silent for a long time, a flash of compromise and exhaustion finally appearing in her eyes.
"Fine," she said. "Since headquarters has decided to carry out that 'cleansing,' I will obey the order."
The conversation in the control room was vague and confusing, but Ren Yi understood one thing.
These lunatics planned to use S-099 as a bottle of 'herbicide' to spray on the Tide-Followers' riverbed.
Then, they would use the 'early Red Tide' to bury this medicine along with the 'weeds.'
This had already surpassed the realm of geopolitics.
However, just as Ren Yi tried to further untangle these clues, his perception tentacles suddenly twitched.
On the other side of the land ship, something unexpected happened in the corridor of the Medical Wing.
At the moment the Lord arrived and Dr. Cyril put down her tablet, the delivery boy B-406 received a mysterious message.
The message had no sender and no content, but after receiving it, B-406 suddenly began to act.
Currently, he was standing at the door of the recently recovered guard, B-050.
Over the past few days, B-406 had been visiting frequently, either to check data or simply to visit.
But this time, he looked completely different.
His left hand still carried that silver-white briefcase, but his face was as pale as a ghost.
His lone organic eye stared fixedly at the metal door, while his mechanical prosthetic eye emitted a rapid red pulse.
In his other hand, he held a gun.
Rate on N.U.
