Nightwatchers

That silver sword light was too fast.

It was so fast that Lu Yuan didn't even see how he swung the sword, only feeling a cold afterimage flash before his eyes, followed by the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the floor.

The mutated creature that had been so overbearing and berserk just moments ago had now turned into a pile of shredded meat scattered across the floor.

The cut was as smooth as a mirror, without a single snag. Because the sword was so fast, the black blood only began to spray from the wounds half a second later.

【Target's life signs have vanished】

【Mutation source cleared】

Lu Yuan leaned against the wall, his chest still throbbing with pain from the previous impact. He did not speak immediately, but instead quickly adjusted his breathing, his eyes seemingly wandering over the back of the black figure standing before him.

A black trench coat, a wide-brimmed hat, and that silver greatsword that was still dripping blood.

Lu Yuan didn't need system prompts to guess the newcomer's identity.

In this port, there was only one kind of person who could cut a monster as neatly as sashimi and dared to burst into the slums at a time like this.

"A Nightwatcher?"

Lu Yuan asked tentatively, his voice raspy. He did not let go of the holy water bottle, but instead inconspicuously retracted his hand further into his sleeve.

The man turned around.

He had a face as cold and hard as stone, with dark stubble on his chin and a pair of grey eyes as sharp as a hawk's, scanning Lu Yuan up and night.

"Decent reflexes."

The man flicked the silver greatsword in his hand, sending black blood splashing against the wall. He did not answer Lu Yuan's question but instead walked over to the pile of shredded meat and used the tip of his sword to pick up a piece of twitching tissue.

"Corroded by high-concentration holy water, vocal organs partially severed, and even used the terrain to maneuver for quite a while."

The man looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "For a doctor, your combat proficiency is higher than I imagined."

"Usually, when an ordinary person sees one of these things, there are only two outcomes—they either become one of them or they become food."

"I am a doctor."

Lu Yuan straightened his messy collar and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his tone flat. "In a doctor's eyes, it was just a patient... with a rather severe condition."

The man raised an eyebrow, seemingly noncommittal toward this explanation.

He sheathed his sword, the sound of metal scraping echoing sharply in the cramped room.

"I am Hans, Captain of the Nightwatchers Third Team."

Hans stepped in front of Lu Yuan, his tall shadow exerting an invisible pressure. "Dr. Lu, although you acted bravely, according to regulations, anyone who has come into close contact with a Deep Mutation carries an extremely high risk of infection."

"So?"

"So, you have to come with me." Hans's tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. "I need to ensure the safety of others."

Lu Yuan remained silent for two seconds.

He knew he had no choice.

In the face of that silver sword, resistance was meaningless; moreover, he truly did want to make contact with the official organization of this world.

"Fine." Lu Yuan nodded. "But I have to settle things here first."

Right then, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

"Dr. Lu! Uncle!"

Brent, who had been waiting outside, seemed to have heard the fighting die down and finally couldn't resist rushing in.

As soon as he entered, he smelled the blood, so thick it was nauseating. Then, he saw the shredded meat all over the floor and the two men standing in the middle of it.

"Un... Uncle?"

Brent stared blankly at the scales remaining on the dilapidated bed, then at the pool of indescribable tissue on the ground, looking as if he had lost his soul.

Hans frowned, seemingly wanting to say something.

Lu Yuan, however, took a step forward first. He didn't bother with useless platitudes like "I'm sorry for your loss," but simply leaned over to pick up a recognizable fragment of a sleeve and handed it to Brent.

"He's gone."

Lu Yuan's voice was soft yet clear. "Before he turned into a complete monster, he was set free. It happened fast; he didn't suffer."

This was the truth. For someone irreversibly sliding into the abyss, with both body and soul suffering agonizing pain, death was indeed the only release.

Brent's whole body trembled as tears flowed silently down his face.

He knew his uncle was sick, and he knew that kind of sickness was hard to cure, but he had never imagined it would end like this.

"Brother..."

A small voice came from behind the door.

Lu Yuan followed the sound and saw a small head peeking out from behind Brent.

It was a little girl of about five or six, wearing ill-fitting old clothes. Her hair was withered and yellow, but her eyes were startlingly large as she looked timidly at everything in the room.

Brent suddenly snapped back to his senses, covering his sister's eyes and shielding her behind him.

"It's okay... it's okay..." He comforted his sister while crying, then turned to look at Lu Yuan, frantically pulling the copper shield, stained with sweat and shoe polish, from his pocket.

"Thank you... Thank you, Dr. Lu."

Although he was young, he had been around the docks long enough to know that if his uncle had truly turned into a monster and escaped, the Nightwatchers would not only have killed his uncle, but he and his sister might have been treated as "sources of pollution" as well. Lu Yuan had not only set his uncle free but also saved their lives.

Lu Yuan looked at the dirty little hand reaching out and did not refuse.

He reached out and picked a single coin from the pile of copper.

"This copper shield will count as the consultation fee."

Lu Yuan put the copper shield in his pocket, his voice calm. "Keep the rest to buy some white bread for your sister."

With that, he turned to Hans. "Let's go, Captain."

Hans glanced at the siblings kneeling on the ground, then at the expressionless Lu Yuan, a flash of deep thought crossing his eyes.

"Keep up."

...

After leaving the low-rent housing, Hans did not lead Lu Yuan to a police station or a church. Instead, after several twists and turns, they arrived at an old street on the edge of Gelimu Port.

The fog here was thinner than at the docks, but it was colder.

Hans stopped in front of a dilapidated building with a sign that read "Old John's Tavern."

"We're here."

As he pushed open the door, a smell of low-quality ale, tobacco, and rotting wood rushed out.

There weren't many people in the tavern; only a few tired-looking fellows in trench coats sat in the corners, drinking in silence.

Seeing Hans enter, they only gave a slight nod. Their gazes lingered on Lu Yuan for a moment before shifting away.

It was the kind of look one gave to a "dead man" or a "trouble."

"Take him to Basement Room No. 2."

Hans called out to the person behind the bar, then turned to Lu Yuan. "Stay here and don't wander off. If no mutation occurs, you'll get out alive."

Lu Yuan shrugged, showing neither fear nor asking questions, and followed a waiter down to the basement.

But in his mind, he was calculating rapidly.

【Contacted a key faction stronghold: Nightwatchers base】

【Gelimu Port Status: 25/50】

"It seems I've made the right move."

Lu Yuan was led into a tiny room with only one table and two chairs.

As the iron door shut with a clang, silence fell over the surroundings.

Lu Yuan sat in the chair, closing his eyes to rest.

He knew that the real test had only just begun.