The Sealing Disc activated.
Invisible ripples radiated outward with Lu Yuan at the center.
Within a ten-meter radius, all supernatural activity was suppressed.
The effect was instantaneous.
The stealthy colors on the two Grey Covenant members' bodies immediately flickered out.
Their shimmering skin returned to a normal greyish-white, and their ability to blend into the environment vanished.
Without the enhancement of their mutation abilities, their speed plummeted.
The one lunging at Lu Yuan froze for a split second the moment the Sealing Disc activated, clearly not expecting Lu Yuan to have such a trick up his sleeve.
At that exact moment, Lu Yuan's right hand had already pulled the revolver from his waist.
He pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Propelled by the flames, the silver-plated bullets whistled through the air.
Stripped of their supernatural protection, the Grey Covenant members could not dodge the bullets before them at all.
One to the head, two to the chest. The moment the silver-plated bullets struck the pale bodies, they left massive, bloody holes.
Evidently, their physical resilience was extremely weak!
Seeing this, Lu Yuan pivoted decisively and emptied the rest of the cylinder into the other man lunging at Bolen.
The moment the cylinder was empty, Lu Yuan had already drawn his copper sword and charged forward.
With no supernatural power involved, it was pure metal against flesh.
The heavily wounded man couldn't react in time; Lu Yuan drove the sword straight into his right shoulder.
The man shrieked and tried to run, but his physical reflexes couldn't keep up with his mind. He had barely turned halfway when Lu Yuan's knee slammed into his abdomen.
Lu Yuan followed up with a reverse elbow strike to the back of the man's neck.
Thud.
The man collapsed onto the copper floor, struggling twice before failing to get up. Lu Yuan followed through with several more strikes to his limbs.
Over on Bolen's side...
The old man had reacted the instant the Sealing Disc activated.
Seeing the man lunging at him, he swung his cane with a whistle.
Bolen was actually much faster than Lu Yuan. The moment Lu Yuan's bullets hit the first man, Bolen had already closed the distance, delivering a strike straight to the other man's knee.
Crack!
The sound of shattering bone echoed through the pipe network.
The man dropped to his knees with a piercing scream.
Bolen didn't stop.
He flipped his cane and smashed the head of it into the back of the man's skull.
Once.
Twice.
“I've been crawling around out there for so many years. Do you youngsters really think you can treat this old man like a soft target?!”
On the third strike, the man went completely limp on the ground.
Lu Yuan glanced at Bolen.
The old man was panting, leaning on his cane. The head of the cane was stained with blood, but his face was filled with satisfaction.
The suppression from the Sealing Disc hadn't expired yet.
Two eerie transcendents, after losing their supernatural abilities, had been killed in direct physical combat by a rank 2 Nightwatcher and an old man with a cane.
The Sealing Disc's effect faded.
The disc grew hot.
The second crystal dimmed.
Only one remained.
Lu Yuan used rope to bind the two men, who only had a breath of life left in them.
A sound came from deep within the pipe network.
It was the sound of a surging worm tide.
Then, Kraus and Lake appeared.
Kraus's dark shirt had several new scorched holes. A patch of his right hand, from the back of the hand to the wrist, was covered in a dark green crystalline area that looked like a layer of thin ice.
However, his stride remained steady, and his expression was unchanged.
Lake was dragging something.
It was a man who consisted only of a torso and a head.
The severed ends of his limbs were sealed by green crystals, preventing any bleeding.
His greyish-white face was a mask of terror, and his lips trembled, but he could make no sound.
Kraus raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw the two men tied up at Lu Yuan and Bolen's feet.
“You had some on your end too?”
“Yes, they were lying in wait along the retreat route.”
Kraus looked down at the two Grey Covenant members who had been beaten to within an inch of their lives, then at the blood-stained cane in Bolen's hand.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
He made no comment.
Lake dragged the limbless survivor onto the floor.
“Killed the deputy and two weak ones. Unfortunately, the leader got away.”
Kraus's tone carried a slight sigh, as if he weren't satisfied with the results.
Then, Kraus looked down at the survivor on the ground.
“I read a few things from this guy's head. The Grey Covenant has a base nearby. It's not far; we'll go take a look in a bit.”
“The seed seems to have been taken already. This guy knows too little. The higher-ups didn't let him know the specific location, quantity, or purpose.”
Kraus paused.
“It's a pity the leader escaped. However, unless he leaves Bronze City today, I have plenty of ways to find him.”
Lu Yuan didn't ask further questions after hearing this.
He pulled the last bottle of specially made Sanity-stabilizing potion from the inner layer of his toolbox.
He uncorked it and tilted his head back to gulp it down.
【You feel the radiance... You receive tranquility... Sanity: +24... 48/120】
【You will continue to recover Sanity over the coming time... +1...】
A wave of clarity surged through him.
The hallucinations at the edge of his vision receded.
Kraus made arrangements.
Of the three captured Grey Covenant members, two were barely clinging to life, so he simply grabbed their heads as a green light flashed.
Kraus looked somewhat helpless.
“They know too little, and there seems to be some kind of restriction in their minds. For now, just make sure they don't die.”
Upon hearing this, Lake split off a portion of his worm-body to guard them and send them back to the relay point to be handed over to Glock.
Kraus, Lake's main body, Lu Yuan, and Bolen continued forward.
“Let's change our itinerary. We'll check the Grey Covenant base first. There might be some clues inside.”
The four set out again.
The pipe network passage stretched into the depths under the light of the march lamps.
After walking for a while, Kraus spoke.
“The Grey Covenant—Lu Yuan, you probably haven't heard of them before.”
His tone returned to its usual unhurried pace.
Bolen was startled and looked at Kraus.
“Vice Director, am I allowed to listen as well?”
“Yes.”
Kraus continued.
“They were an early mutation transcendent organization of the Empire. Originally, they were supported by the Imperial authorities, who wanted to systematically cultivate specific mutation transcendents to use as weapons against internal threats.”
“Unfortunately, someone lost control.”
Kraus sighed. Internal rebellions were often more loathsome than external enemies.
“Back then, to enable them to step onto this pathway, the Empire specifically selected a mutation source called ‘Glazed Water’ as the foundation.”
“‘Glazed Water’ provides excellent stealth and liquification abilities.”
“This makes them almost impossible to kill completely. Furthermore, the pollution effect of ‘Glazed Water’ is extremely low. Theoretically, it should have been impossible to lose control.”
“But to go a step further, they let their humanity be eroded. In the end, they became these things that are neither human nor eerie, forming the Grey Covenant.”
“The Empire hunted them for many years and should have wiped out the vast majority of their members.”
“As for what they want with the seed...”
Kraus's tone grew a shade heavier.
“They need some kind of anchoring object to prepare for subsequent ascension. This seed likely contains something they need.”
Lu Yuan frowned slightly after listening. The human heart was truly chaotic. However, he still asked with some confusion.
“Vice Director, are you explaining this to me on purpose?”
Kraus chuckled.
“Of course. You're already a captain. After that, you'll be a Grand Captain, then Vice Director, then Director.”
“You didn't think our Nightwatchers' hierarchy was that complicated, did you?”
Lu Yuan didn't respond.
Kraus continued, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
“If you work in Bronze City for a few more years, you might even take my place.”
“Currently, the only ones who could take my position besides Glock are Eger. Eger is busy running around other cities every day and probably wouldn't want to come back. As for Glock...”
He shook his head.
“His strength is a bit too weak...”
When Kraus said this, there was a sense of disappointment in his voice.
Lake chimed in from the side, his voice emerging from his writhing worm-body.
“It's true, Vice Director. Everyone has seen your capabilities during these years in Bronze City; your contributions are among the best.”
“But your eye for choosing people seems to be exceptionally poor.”
Kraus didn't say anything, but his face darkened noticeably.
Lu Yuan pretended not to notice, instead asking curiously.
“Lake, are you not qualified for the position?”
Lake replied.
“No. My potential is exhausted. I am currently only at the fourth rank. My humanity and the eerie power inside me are just barely in balance, which allows me to use my power effortlessly.”
“But even if no accidents occur, as my body gradually ages over time, that balance will be broken. I could become a new source of pollution at any moment.”
“So, I'm suited to be an enforcer. A position like Vice Director is too much trouble and doesn't suit me.”
Kraus sighed softly.
Clearly, the moment one stepped onto the transcendent pathway, every bit of power gained came with a pre-marked price.
Lu Yuan was silent for a long time.
“Is this state irreversible?”
Bolen spoke up at this point.
“Irreversible. The Empire has Knowledge transcendents who specialize in related research, but they can't even decide their own fates, let alone change the fates of others.”
The old man leaned on his cane, his tone flat.
“However, the Empire did produce a few talented individuals in the past. For instance, there was an Eerie Knowledge transcendent who could customize transcendent stabilization plans based on individual circumstances. Unfortunately, his plans were far too expensive.”
“There was also that Alchemy transcendent who pushed the development of a special sedative potion. But these can only delay the inevitable; they can't cure the root cause.”
Bolen reached this point and suddenly turned to look at Lu Yuan with a look of confusion.
“But Lu Yuan, why don't you know anything?”
“Have you never performed an internal Nightwatchers expedition mission?”
Lu Yuan hesitated slightly.
“I indeed haven't performed any missions like that.”
Inside, Lu Yuan couldn't help but complain.
‘I haven't even been in the Nightwatchers that long. No wonder Alice wasn't at the base back then; she was out on an expedition mission.’
‘But Old Morgan never told me about any of this!’
Bolen grew even more confused.
“Then which branch were you in before? It's like you've never even had basic training...”
Kraus stepped in to bail Lu Yuan out.
“His file is quite special. Stop prying.”
Bolen glanced at Kraus, then at Lu Yuan, and said no more.
As they spoke, Lake's form manifested again, though he seemed quite a bit shorter overall.
“Kraus, it's just around the corner ahead. But there seems to be something hidden here.”
Rate on N.U.
