Lu Yuan waited for about ten minutes.
Only after confirming it was completely quiet outside did he stand up.
"Let's go."
Lu Yuan's voice was very soft.
"We aren't taking the way we came. That street is no longer safe."
Bo Er nodded and whispered, "Head west through the alleys. We'll circle behind the old dye works. There's a narrow path that leads to the southern section of the outer city. We can loop back from there."
"Are you sure?"
"I spent three years in the North Ward." Bo Er's tone was calm. "I could walk it with my eyes closed."
Lu Yuan didn't ask further.
"Lead the way."
The iron door was pushed open slowly.
No grey-red figures could be seen through the crack.
A few streetlights were still lit, their circles of light empty, save for the crisscrossing dark red drag marks on the ground.
Those were left behind by the ghouls dragging their prey.
The stench of blood was heavy.
The nine people filed out silently.
Bo Er walked at the very front, keeping his body low as he moved quickly along the base of the walls.
They avoided the main streets.
They ducked into the alleys.
The alleys in the North Ward were so narrow that only two people could pass side-by-side, with slanted wooden beams and clotheslines hanging overhead.
The darkness seemed endless.
But Bo Er walked without hesitation.
Turn left, go straight, turn right, pass through a low archway.
Turn left again.
Every step was precise. Along the way, they passed through an open area where they could see another team of Nightwatchers moving in the distance.
Torches flickered and gunfire was sporadic.
They weren't the only team retreating.
It was obvious that the intelligence from the preliminary reconnaissance had a major problem!
The number of ghouls far exceeded their imagination.
If it hadn't been for Laurina's potion, the team led by Lu Yuan would have suffered heavy losses as well.
Bo Er didn't stop.
The alleys grew narrower and narrower, eventually becoming a mere crack between two walls that required them to turn sideways to pass.
After squeezing through the gap, their vision suddenly opened up.
Before them was a slightly wider gravel road. The buildings on both sides were clearly better than those in the North Ward.
There were copper decorative strips on the walls, and the density of streetlights was much higher.
This was the southern section of the outer city.
The scent of copper was noticeably stronger here.
The sour, putrid smell of blood in the air was significantly diluted.
Lu Yuan glanced at the edge of his vision.
【Environmental Perception: Detected a small amount of eerie signatures...】
The numbers had dropped.
Now that they had put some distance between themselves and the source, the coverage of the copper took effect again, and the number of ghouls had clearly decreased.
"Let's move faster," Lu Yuan said quickly. "Back to the Alchemy Workshop first."
When they returned to the Alchemy Workshop, the surrounding lights were still on.
And there was more than one.
With the Alchemy Workshop as the center, the Nightwatchers had constructed a temporary defensive line within a hundred-meter radius.
The street entrances were blocked by overturned carriages and wooden planks. March lamps were set up behind the roadblocks, their bright white light illuminating the entire area.
With a quick scan, there were at least twenty Nightwatchers on the outer defensive line.
Moving closer, Lu Yuan saw a ring of copper connecting pins nailed into the ground at the entrance of the Alchemy Workshop, glowing with a faint blue light.
A temporary fortification.
There was a defensive line outside and an outpost inside.
The Nightwatchers at the door let out a clear sigh of relief when they saw Lu Yuan.
"Captain Lu."
"What's the situation inside?"
The Nightwatcher replied.
"This place is being used as a temporary outpost for now. Also, Miss Laurina has already been moved."
Lu Yuan's footsteps paused.
"When?"
"About half an hour ago. The vice director personally sent people. Three Nightwatchers escorted her to the inner city safety zone."
Lu Yuan remained silent for a few seconds.
Kraus's arrangement.
At the same time he was sent to the North Ward, another team had come to take Laurina away.
This meant Kraus knew from the start how much the situation tonight would deteriorate.
Sending him to plug the gap was the mission.
Transferring Laurina in advance was the contingency plan.
The collapse in the inner city was even larger than in the outer city.
However, the defense level of the Nightwatchers base itself was the highest in the city. Its copper structure was intact, its silver runes provided full coverage, and it was guarded by heavy troops year-round.
Kraus sending her there, rather than to an outer city stronghold, meant he judged the headquarters to still be the safest location.
"What was her state when she left?"
The Nightwatcher recalled.
"She was holding a box, likely alchemy equipment. Before leaving, she asked, 'Where is Lu Yuan?'"
"We told her you were on a mission."
"She just followed them out. She didn't say much else."
Lu Yuan nodded.
She didn't say much else.
That was very much like Laurina.
She wouldn't dawdle when it was time to leave, and she wouldn't leave behind anything she needed to bring.
He pushed open the door to the Alchemy Workshop.
The workbenches on the first floor had been pushed against the walls, and the cleared space was filled with a few cots and ammo crates.
In the corner, there were stacks of spare sandworm oil (non-refined version), alchemical grenades, and silver-plated ammunition.
A hand-drawn regional map was nailed to the wall, with several locations circled in red ink—likely nearby collapse points and patrol routes.
It was the prototype of a temporary command post.
A lean, middle-aged Nightwatcher turned around from the map.
"Ninth Team?"
"Temporary formation. Ninth Team captain, Lu Yuan." Lu Yuan looked at him. "And you are?"
"Glock. Temporary commander of this outpost." His tone was flat, but his eyes held the exhaustion of a night without sleep. "The vice director gave the order half an hour ago to establish an outer city southern outpost centered on the Alchemy Workshop. I brought twenty-three men. The outer defensive line is already up."
Lu Yuan nodded.
"My team just returned from the North Ward. We have wounded that need treatment."
"The medical kit is in the corner," Glock pointed. "Miss Laurina left it before she departed."
Bo Er walked to the map, looked at it for a few seconds, then turned back to Lu Yuan.
"It looks like our mission isn't over yet."
Lu Yuan walked to the window and looked outside.
At the furthest point of the skyline, there was a very faint trace of grey-white.
It wasn't lamplight.
It was the precursor to dawn.
In about an hour or so, the sun would rise. At that point, the city would have a brief moment to breathe.
Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze and found an empty spot to sit down.
Bo Er arranged for the team to rest. Eight Nightwatchers found corners or cots to sit on. Some began checking their weapons, while others simply closed their eyes.
Those who were injured were using potions to clean their wounds.
After a night of fierce fighting, everyone had reached their limit.
Not long after they sat down, there was a commotion outside.
Other Nightwatchers teams were returning.
The door was pushed open, and three Nightwatchers walked in.
One of them was being supported; his left leg was missing from the knee down. The stump was cinched with a leather belt. The bleeding had stopped, but his face was as white as paper.
"Is there a doctor here?! This wounded man needs emergency treatment!"
Lu Yuan frowned at the sight. He stood up and walked over to examine the injury.
The treatment of the stump was crude, and the tourniquet was tied too tightly. If it wasn't adjusted, there was a risk of necrosis.
"I am!"
Lu Yuan then took out disinfectant and bandages from the emergency kit Laurina had left behind and re-treated the wound.
His movements were fast and his pressure precise.
【Basic Medicine: +0.1... 2.6/20】
After he finished, another person approached.
"Can you take a look at me? My shoulder got scratched."
Lu Yuan glanced at it. It was a superficial wound with no toxin penetration, but it needed disinfecting.
He didn't refuse and took over the treatment.
【Basic Medicine: +0.1... 2.7/20】
In the time that followed, the door to the Alchemy Workshop was pushed open repeatedly.
Every group that entered brought news even worse than the last.
Rate on N.U.
