Old Morgan stood up abruptly, the documents in his hand scattering across the floor.
"Are you sure?"
"I am sure," Lu Yuan nodded.
Old Morgan fell silent for a moment, the expression on his face becoming extremely grave.
"Take me there."
The two of them hurried to the screening point.
Old Morgan walked up to the residents who had been held back, his clouded eyes narrowing slightly as he focused his perception.
After a moment, his face turned ashen.
"There are indeed transcendent fluctuations..."
Old Morgan's voice was somewhat raspy, carrying a trace of disbelief.
"And this kind of transcendent aura, I have never seen it before."
Lu Yuan stood to the side, watching Old Morgan's reaction, the unease in his heart growing stronger.
Over all these years in Gelimu Port, how many people had that group of doctors actually "saved"?
Old Morgan remained silent for a long time, as the situation before him had already exceeded his expectations.
The transcendent path was not easily stepped upon, especially for those who stumbled onto it blindly.
The vast majority of them would become food for the things hidden within the transcendent pathways.
Among them, the Knowledge Pathway was relatively better; even if someone were truly targeted, the threat after losing control was not significant.
But the group of people before him had definitely not stepped onto transcendence through the Knowledge Pathway.
Old Morgan turned around and took a communication crystal from his breast pocket.
"Hans."
Hans's voice soon came from the other end of the crystal: "Old Morgan?"
"Immediately mobilize all available personnel and blockade the inner city." Old Morgan's tone was icy and brook no argument. "Everyone. No one is permitted to leave during this period."
"Even if they are an imperial baron, as long as they are in the inner city, they are all to be concentrated in a settlement area."
Hans fell silent for a split second: "...Understood. I'll get there as quickly as possible."
Just as the communication was cut, another crystal in Old Morgan's pocket suddenly lit up.
It was from the Church.
"Mr. Morgan, the Archbishop is looking for you. Come to the inner city immediately."
Old Morgan's brow furrowed. He tucked away the crystal and turned to Lu Yuan.
"Follow me."
The rain fell heavier and heavier.
Pedestrians were scarce on the streets; most of those out were patrolling Nightwatchers and the Holy Armored Army.
The air was permeated with the thick, pungent scent of burning corpses.
Because the rain was so intense, many bodies could not be processed in time and were temporarily left by the roadside, covered with oilcloth.
Along the way, Old Morgan walked in a hurry without saying a word.
Lu Yuan followed behind him, equally silent.
The rain hit his face, cold and biting.
But colder than the rain was the thickening sense of dread in his heart.
Grey-white text continuously manifested before his eyes.
【Environmental Perception: Detected a continuous increase in surrounding pollution concentration】
【Suggestion: Leave the polluted area as soon as possible】
Lu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.
The mutated creatures in the vicinity had all been dealt with, so where was the pollution coming from? Before Lu Yuan could figure it out...
They arrived at the inner city.
In front of the Viscount's mansion.
A white-robed priest was already waiting at the entrance.
Lu Yuan recognized him.
It was Andrew.
However, the current Andrew was completely different from the one in his memory.
His face was pale, and there was a visible sense of unease in his eyes; he looked as if he had been frightened by something.
"Mr. Old Morgan."
Andrew hurried forward to meet them, speaking rapidly.
"The Archbishop's emotions suddenly fluctuated violently. He's stopped researching the formations in the vault and told me to contact you and the people from the Ascension Society to come over immediately."
"He is currently waiting inside the Viscount's mansion."
Old Morgan and Lu Yuan exchanged a look.
"Lead the way."
Andrew nodded and turned to walk quickly into the mansion.
Lu Yuan followed behind, noticing that Andrew's pace was somewhat disorganized and his demeanor was no longer composed.
To make this arrogant priest so uneasy...
Something major must have happened.
Viscount's mansion, meeting hall.
When the door was pushed open, Lu Yuan saw several familiar figures.
The Viscount sat in a corner with a calm expression; though his status was now equivalent to a prisoner, his posture remained upright.
The Archbishop stood by the window, clutching a faintly glowing scripture in his hand, his lips moving constantly as if he were muttering something.
His complexion was poor, and his expression revealed a kind of...
Lu Yuan couldn't quite name it—panic, terror?
Also present was a man in golden armor standing beside the Archbishop with a solemn expression.
That was the other battalion commander of the Holy Armored Army, the one stationed in the inner city, named Raymond.
Lu Yuan could sense the aura on him; he was perhaps even stronger than Sivating.
Old Morgan entered the meeting hall, his gaze sweeping over the gathered crowd before settling on the Archbishop.
"What happened?"
The Archbishop stopped his muttering.
He slowly turned around and looked up at Old Morgan.
In those eyes, there was no longer the majesty and certainty of former days.
"The Angel's gaze..."
The Archbishop's voice was raspy.
"Has moved away from Gelimu."
Before the words had even finished.
"How is that possible?!"
The Viscount stood up abruptly, his face full of disbelief.
"An existence like an Angel—how could they avert their gaze! Archbishop, are you mistaken?!"
The Archbishop did not answer.
He merely looked at the Viscount, his eyes carrying an inexpressible heaviness.
The Viscount's voice came to a sudden halt.
He stared into the Archbishop's eyes, trying to find a trace of a joke within them.
But there was none.
The Viscount's entire body went rigid. His mouth opened, but in the end, he could say nothing. He fell silent.
Old Morgan remained quiet for a moment. "What does that mean?"
"The Angel will always watch over his most devout believers." The Archbishop gripped the scripture, his voice strained. "So there is only one possibility..."
He paused, his voice growing even heavier.
"The thing that exists here has transcended the Angel."
"Even an Angel cannot cross that threshold without a specific vessel."
"The fate of Gelimu Port was already sealed... the moment the Angel moved his gaze away."
The meeting hall fell into a dead silence.
Lu Yuan stood at the door, listening to the Archbishop's words with a slight frown.
He remembered the feeling he had when he first entered the cathedral.
That feeling of being watched.
At the time, he wasn't sure what it was, only that the owner of that gaze was extremely powerful.
And now, that gaze was gone.
And the reason it vanished was that there was something here that even an entity like that was unwilling to look upon directly.
Old Morgan remained silent for a while before taking out a communication crystal.
"Allen, something major has happened in the inner city. Come here immediately."
From the other end of the crystal, Allen Kraus's voice soon came through, but his tone was heavy.
"Your intelligence is a bit outdated, Old Morgan."
"I've investigated all the locations marked on the map."
"The things inside... most have already hatched and left. A very small number that remained were killed by me; they likely hadn't been activated in time."
"Also, I have something to tell you. You're in the inner city? I'll be there shortly."
The communication cut off.
Lu Yuan noticed that Old Morgan's movement in putting away the crystal was half a beat slower than usual.
Just then, the communication crystal lit up again.
It was Hans.
"Old Morgan..."
Hans's voice came from the crystal, his tone solemn to the extreme.
"Gelimu Port... is shrouded. We can't get out."
The faces of everyone present changed.
The Archbishop's hand holding the scripture trembled slightly.
The Viscount remained silent, his expression complex.
Raymond's hand rested on his sword hilt, his knuckles turning white.
Just as the atmosphere reached a freezing point, the door was pushed open.
A burly man walked in.
He wore grey work clothes, similar in style to the member of the Ascension Society who had taken Marcus from the base, but his aura was completely different.
This was an ascendant who maintained a complete human form.
There were no exposed mechanical parts, no signs of mutation; he looked like an ordinary middle-aged worker.
But Lu Yuan could feel that this person was dangerous, very dangerous.
A high-ranked member of the Ascension Society... a Great Ascendant.
The Great Ascendant was also not in a good state.
In his hand, he held a mechanical plaque, repeatedly attempting to restart it, but failing every time.
"Blood and Deep Blue are coordinates, just the same. We have all been deceived..."
The Great Ascendant spoke, his voice low.
"The location of Gelimu Port... has already been locked."
He looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"There is something in the deep sea that is following the coordinates to our door."
Old Morgan asked in a deep voice: "How long?"
The Great Ascendant fell silent for a moment. He tried to restart the mechanical plaque one more time, but it still failed.
"Hard to say, but based on the degree of signal interference..."
His voice dropped even lower.
"If it's fast, tonight."
Standing in the corner, Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat when he heard the words "tonight."
He thought back to that scene during the return voyage.
Why hadn't the existence that could easily tear apart the Abyssal Hunter acted?
Why had it instead escorted them back to Gelimu Port like a guard?
It wasn't because of mercy.
It was because of the bottle of blood in his pocket.
That thing was never protecting them from the start; it was ensuring that the bottle of blood could successfully reach Gelimu Port.
Blood was the coordinate.
And he and Marcus had personally brought the coordinate into this city.
As soon as the words were spoken, the meeting hall door was pushed open again.
Allen Kraus walked in.
His face was grim, his brows locked in a tight frown.
"There is a problem with the rain." Allen spoke, his voice heavy. "From the moment I stepped into the port, I felt that this rain is constantly laced with pollution."
"I initially thought it was residual from the battle, but looking at it now, it's not, because the pollution concentration is rising."
Allen's gaze swept across everyone present.
"I suggest organizing an immediate evacuation."
Rate on N.U.
