At the moment the Team Captain gave the order, every Nightwatcher on the scene drew the silver-plated weapons hidden beneath their robes.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Several large-caliber single-shot weapons fired in succession. The fire and smoke spewing from the muzzles curled deep into the alley.
But the black-robed figures were actually unharmed!
They withstood the impact of the bullets with their bodies. The black-robed fabric was blown open with holes by the silver-plated bullets, revealing the bodies hidden beneath.
Black skeletons were connected by dense gears, with remnants of human tissue clinging to the bones. Under the eerie glow emitted by the Bronze City, they shimmered with a disturbing reddish-black luster.
Clearly, all the Nightwatchers were stunned by the scene before them.
"What are these things? They aren't transcendents?"
"Everyone, fall back!" The Team Captain standing in front spoke again after a brief moment of shock. His voice was steady and powerful, carrying an unquestionable authority.
He then raised that engraved short-shotgun and pulled the trigger toward a dense cluster of Little Ascendants.
With a massive boom, a large amount of buckshot spread out in a fan shape, hitting three Little Ascendants at a distance of over ten meters.
One of them took the brunt of the blast head-on. Its entire body was sent flying backward by the massive impact, slamming into a wall and knocking down a large chunk of rubble.
It still didn't die.
It slowly stood up from the pile of debris. Its black robes were mostly shredded by the shot, the flesh on its chest was completely torn open, and several pipes had ruptured, seeping a dark liquid.
Its head tilted slightly, as if it were contemplating something, and then it continued to walk forward.
At the same time, the rest of the Little Ascendants all moved.
Their black robes shook off, and they no longer scattered to attack the Nightwatchers; instead, they all charged in one direction.
The witness.
They no longer hid their intent; their goal instantly shifted to seizing the person.
"Stop them!" The Team Captain holding the engraved short-shotgun shouted while ejecting the spent shells and pressing forward.
Meanwhile, more footsteps echoed from the distant street. From the moment the gunshots rang out, all the nearby Nightwatchers were rushing toward the scene.
The revolver in Lu Yuan's hand spit fire once again.
A bullet with a fire effect exploded at the knee joint of a Little Ascendant. This shot was finally effective—the gears at the joint were knocked out of alignment, and its right leg instantly lost support, causing it to fall forward.
But immediately after, it used its hands to prop itself up, dragging its mangled leg as it continued to crawl toward the witness.
The Team Captain loaded a new shell into the chamber and drew the short sword from his waist, charging to the very front.
Three Little Ascendants pressed toward him simultaneously. He dodged one, smashed the hilt of his short sword into the neck of the second, and as the third pounced from the side, he kicked its chest, using the force to leap back.
He was strong, but he couldn't hold them for long.
Two more Nightwatchers had already rushed from the alley entrance with weapons in hand.
"Stop them!" the Team Captain roared, and the short-shotgun fired once again.
Taking a blast at such close range, the Little Ascendant's chest instantly collapsed.
But it had clearly been modified so thoroughly that no matter how it was attacked, as long as it wasn't completely dead, it would stand up and keep moving forward.
They also had the advantage in numbers.
"Retreat!" The Team Captain made a quick judgment. "Take the person and retreat toward the Alchemy Workshop!"
The Little Ascendants did not stop.
One Nightwatcher hoisted his companion who had an arrow in his shoulder, while another clutched a leg wound and moved back.
Realizing the limited effect of his weapons, Lu Yuan had already picked up the witness from the corner of the wall to prepare for evacuation.
The Team Captain covered the rear, firing as he retreated, working with the newly joined Nightwatchers to stop the Little Ascendants' advance. The silver-plated bullets accurately hit the joints of the Little Ascendants, seeking only to delay their speed.
The Little Ascendants pursued them for two blocks.
As more and more footsteps approached, they finally stopped simultaneously as they rounded a street corner.
They stood in place, advancing no further.
The light from the torches could not reach this spot; only the faint glow emitted by the Bronze City reflected off their bodies.
After pausing for a few seconds, they turned around, walked back with synchronized steps, and disappeared into the night.
The Team Captain held his gun and stared for a long time. Only after confirming the Little Ascendants had completely left did he slowly lower his muzzle.
"Let's go," he said, his voice somewhat raspy.
Lu Yuan carried the witness, running at the very front.
The person he was supporting was shaking constantly.
He glanced back at the direction where the Little Ascendants had disappeared.
The Ascension Society had actually gotten involved. It seemed the situation at the Polymath Tower was even more troublesome than expected.
Second floor of the Alchemy Workshop.
Laurina had already cleared the workbench.
All the potion-making equipment had been pushed to one side. Laid out on the surface were a row of potion bottles, clean bandages, a basin of boiled water, and several small vials she had mixed on short notice.
When the wounded were brought up, Lu Yuan was already inspecting the injuries.
His gaze swept over the Nightwatcher with the arrow in his shoulder, and greyish-white text surfaced at the edge of his vision:
【Target detected: Nightwatcher (Penetrating wound, bolt retained, mild alchemical pollution)】
【Recommendation: Remove foreign object, debride wound, anti-pollution treatment.】
Lu Yuan frowned and looked at the bolt.
The bolt head had a special design; it blossomed after entering the flesh, with a barbed structure firmly stuck in the muscle.
Pulling it out forcefully would definitely tear the wound apart.
But there was no other way; it had to be cut out.
"The bolt head is an alchemical alloy," Laurina leaned in for a look, her tone very calm. "It has barbs; pulling it out won't work."
She turned and took a small glass vial from her tool box, containing a pale blue liquid.
"This can soften the tissue around the bolt. I mixed it before," she said, handing the bottle to Lu Yuan. "Drip it onto the connection point, wait ten-odd seconds, and you can remove it."
Lu Yuan took the bottle.
【Target detected: Tissue Softening Potion (Improved)】
【An improved potion with several clever touches; perhaps using it on ordinary people would have unexpected effects.】
Seeing the prompt, Lu Yuan's eyelids couldn't help but twitch.
Laurina was indeed a genius.
Pushing aside the stray thoughts in his mind, he carefully poured a drop onto the connection point between the bolt and the flesh.
The pale blue liquid seeped into the edges of the wound, and the muscle tissue around the bolt began to soften.
"Hold him down," Lu Yuan said to the other Nightwatchers beside him.
A Nightwatcher held the wounded man's shoulder. Lu Yuan used crow-beak forceps to grip the bolt head and steadily pulled it out.
The wounded man gave a muffled groan but did not cry out.
Lu Yuan cleaned the wound with disinfectant and glanced at the "mild alchemical pollution" in the greyish-white prompt.
"Is there any holy water? Anything that resists pollution will do."
"Yes." The Team Captain nearby took out a small bottle emitting a blue light from his waist.
"Standard-issue holy water."
Lu Yuan took it, carefully applied a layer around the wound, then applied medicine and bandaged it.
The movements were smooth and practiced.
After treating the shoulder wound, he turned to the Nightwatcher with the leg injury.
【Target detected: Nightwatcher (Laceration, mild blood loss)】
【Recommendation: Stop bleeding, debride wound, suture.】
This injury was relatively simple, and Lu Yuan finished treating it quickly.
Laurina stood by, handing him tools and preparing potions.
The cooperation between the two was very seamless.
Meanwhile, the witness was huddled in the corner of the room, hugging their knees, curled into a ball.
In the intervals while Lu Yuan was treating the wounded, Laurina had placed a blanket and a cup of hot water there without saying much.
As the treatment was nearing its end, footsteps came from downstairs.
Fast and urgent.
The door was pushed open, and Hoguer walked in.
There were bloodshot streaks in his eyes, and his brow was tightly knit; he looked like he hadn't slept for a long time.
He scanned the room's situation, his gaze lingering on the witness for a moment before looking at Lu Yuan.
"The person is fine?! Good!"
He wasted no time on pleasantries.
"I'm taking the witness to move them to a safe location." Hoguer spoke very quickly, as if he were handling several things at once. "I already know about tonight's events. You participated in the reception; the points will be counted."
He paused, then added:
"Another matter."
Hoguer's expression was somewhat complex.
"There have been disappearances in the inner city district recently. It's been reported. You are on the mission list; I'll have someone contact you tomorrow."
After saying that, he turned toward the witness, knelt down, and patted the person's shoulder.
The witness shrank back slightly but did not dodge.
"Let's go." Hoguer's voice softened a bit. "You can trust me."
He led the witness downstairs. The Nightwatchers from before left with them.
The footsteps quickly faded away.
From entering the door to leaving, it had been less than two minutes.
The Alchemy Workshop fell silent again.
Laurina was tidying up the used tools and potions, washing the bloodstains off the bandages with clean water.
"Why did they choose you for the mission?"
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