Sword-man turned his head in the direction the crowd was retreating, and his entire body gave a violent jolt.
The previously nonchalant Sword-man now looked like a primary school student who had been caught red-handed by his homeroom teacher while sneakily playing with a phone in class.
His movements were faster than anyone's; he scrambled up from the ground in a single bound.
At that moment, Ren Yi also focused his perception on the elderly man walking into the center of the plaza.
It was a somewhat chubby old man.
He wore a loose, slightly faded coarse cloth robe, his white hair was neatly combed back, and his face was covered in wrinkles. His expression could even be described as somewhat kind.
He stepped out of the crowd and glanced at the deep pits in the ground with a look of distress.
After a sigh, he turned to the now-silent crowd, waved his hand, and said with a smile:
"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. I'm just sending them to solitary confinement for a bit to cool off."
"They're a married couple, after all. It'll be good for them to have a heart-to-heart talk in there..."
"You youngsters shouldn't be egging them on like that. Everyone disperse now. Go back to whatever you were doing."
The old man's voice was slow and deliberate, but as he spoke, the originally rowdy atmosphere quickly settled. The crowd began to thin out and scatter.
The plaza soon became empty. Evans and Sword-man, who remained where they were, instantly became incredibly conspicuous.
The old man addressed as "Pops" turned around. His somewhat cloudy eyes shifted slightly, eventually landing on the silent youth.
"It's been a long time, Evans."
Pops looked at Evans and gave a warm smile.
Evans pursed his lips, his handsome young face cold and expressionless, not saying a word.
Is this... the leader of the bottom of the Deep Abyss, 'Pops'?
Ren Yi pondered to himself.
It seemed that his ability to hold this position was likely due to more than just leadership skills and charisma.
More importantly, he possessed formidable strength.
Ren Yi didn't understand the mechanism behind those two black holes that had swallowed the couple in an instant.
However, the moment the black holes vanished after devouring the two, a memory suddenly surfaced in Ren Yi's mind.
Back when he first arrived in this world and read the files related to the Beacons, there were two Anomalies whose numbers were obscured by black boxes. They were described as having "similar devouring properties."
One of them, Ren Yi had already confirmed through later exploration to be that God's Corpse.
But he had never been able to identify the other one.
Could it be...
Ren Yi grew slightly alert, and his perception threads sneakily crept forward.
As expected.
Ding—
Accompanied by a crisp system notification in his mind, a file suddenly unfolded in Ren Yi's sea of consciousness:
【Anomaly File: S-005】
【Alias】: Black Hole, Mouth of Emptiness, "Pops' Pocket"
【Physical Description】: Unknown. This Anomaly has never been contained by the organization; therefore, the physical characteristics of the object itself are unknown.
Currently, this Anomaly is held by "Pops," the leader of the People of the Abyss.
【Containment Behavior and Anomalous Properties】
1. Based on limited eyewitness accounts, the holder, "Pops," can freely control this Anomaly to summon spherical black holes out of thin air.
These black holes possess immense suction force, drawing in and devouring objects in their vicinity.
Notably, "Pops" appears to be able to freely retrieve objects that have been devoured.
Currently, all attempts to collect information using probes have ended in failure.
(Note: Appears to share certain similarities with the natural devouring behavior of B-013, the mercury-like mirrored sphere.)
2. According to observations, the devouring properties of this Anomaly seem to be under the holder's control.
The attraction force generated by the black holes is not indiscriminate; the holder can precisely select specific targets within range for directional devouring.
3. According to records, the holder has summoned a black hole at a maximum distance of approximately one hundred and three meters from himself, with a maximum black hole radius of thirty-one meters.
【Note 1】
Long-range projectiles or thrown weapons are almost completely ineffective against this Anomaly and its holder. Any threatening items within a certain radius will be devoured.
【Note 2】
It is currently uncertain whether this Anomaly carries a negative cost.
【Countermeasures】
Strictly forbidden to enter its 103-meter radius of influence.
If elimination is required, the only strategic plan is to deploy long-range, large-scale instantaneous high-energy traps or use wide-area strikes.
【Utility Potential】: High
Ren Yi read through the file, inwardly drawing a sharp breath.
This S-rank Anomaly, which even the Sky Eye Organization didn't know the appearance of, was incredibly powerful!
It could be used for both offense and defense, a truly well-rounded tool.
And most importantly, it was completely under the holder's control.
Aside from the somewhat short range, according to the file, it had almost no weaknesses.
As for the negative effects... looking at this chubby but vigorous old man who spoke with such resonance...
No matter how he looked at it, the man didn't seem like someone about to be drained or killed by an Anomaly.
That is, assuming he really was the holder.
...
While Ren Yi was lost in thought, Sword-man was carefully shuffling his feet, his face now plastered with an extremely guilty, flattering smile.
"Ahem, Pops, you're back."
Pops glanced sideways at Sword-man, not intending to let him off the hook.
"Tell me, how did you end up bringing guests to the middle of a brawl? You're going to be responsible for repairing the floor here later!"
Sword-man's face fell. He shut his mouth in extreme guilt and obediently retreated to the back.
Pops turned back, meeting the gaze of Evans, who had maintained a cold expression.
For a moment, the atmosphere on the empty alloy plaza became slightly stagnant.
Finally, it was Pops who broke the silence.
He pointed toward the building constructed around the massive sphere of light behind him.
"Let's go. Since you're back, you should come in and sit. We'll find a quiet place to have a proper chat."
"However, before that..." Pops paused.
"To ensure the basic safety of our conversation, I'll have to ask you to proactively hand over those 'dangerous items' you're carrying."
The previously relaxed atmosphere tightened to a breaking point in an instant.
Dangerous items?
Ren Yi's heart skipped a beat.
Had he been discovered?
Just as Ren Yi reached a state of extreme alertness, right next to him.
Sword-man blinked his clear eyes and scratched his head in confusion, chiming in with a complete lack of situational awareness:
"Huh? Pops, what are you talking about? What dangerous items?"
Evans: "..."
Pops: "..."
Ren Yi: "..."
The perfectly established atmosphere of confrontation was shattered into pieces by this guy's single sentence.
Rate on N.U.
