Lu Yuan put away Lawson's letter.
That doctor...
"Old Morgan." Lu Yuan looked up. "How many doctors are there in Gelimu Port?"
Old Morgan raised an eyebrow and flicked his ash.
"Not many. The Holy Church takes up the lion's share. Those with actual medical licenses—maybe two or three in the inner city, even fewer in the outer city." He glanced at Lu Yuan. "Why, interested in your colleagues?"
"There was a doctor who treated Lawson and suggested he stay away from the sea, or even leave Gelimu Port entirely."
Old Morgan's eyes narrowed.
"To give that kind of advice... what was his name?"
"If I remember correctly, it was Brin. Quite the coincidence, isn't it?"
"I don't believe in coincidences." Old Morgan gave a cold snort. "Stay in Gelimu Port long enough and you'll realize there are no coincidences in this place. I'll have someone look into it."
Before his voice faded, greyish-white text suddenly flickered at the edge of Lu Yuan's vision:
【Environmental Perception: A large number of abnormal pollution sources are approaching. High alert suggested.】
Lu Yuan's expression shifted slightly.
Warnings like this always meant big trouble whenever they appeared.
Old Morgan noticed his expression, his gaze sharpening. "What is it?"
Before the question could be answered—
"Bang!"
The meeting room door was slammed open.
A member of the Nightwatchers rushed in, covered in blood and looking urgent.
It was Leonard.
"Captain Morgan!"
His voice was frantic, gasping for breath. "The Holy Armored Army is under massive attack! The defensive lines are faltering!"
As he spoke, the entire base began to shake.
Muffled gunfire, explosions, and shrieks drifted in from all directions, mixed with a strange low chanting. It sounded like countless people singing at once, or perhaps the ocean itself wailing.
Old Morgan stood up and crushed his cigarette on the table.
His expression showed no sign of panic; instead, it looked as though he had been expecting this moment all along.
"How many?"
"I don't know..." Leonard took a deep breath, forcing down his urgency. "They're everywhere... ten times more than the last attack on the base!"
"They finally came."
Old Morgan sneered and walked quickly toward the door.
Lu Yuan followed close behind.
The two ran through the corridors, climbed the stone steps, and pushed open the heavy doors leading to the surface.
A pungent, fishy stench hit them instantly.
Lu Yuan's pupils constricted.
In the darkness, firelight turned half the sky red.
The rain was still falling, mixing with blood as it flowed. The entire perimeter of the base was shrouded in a bloody mist.
Deep within that mist, countless figures were surging forward.
They were... monsters.
Standing about three meters tall with hunched backs, they were covered in slate-grey scales that shimmered in the rain.
Their faces were so distorted they barely resembled humans; their eyes had completely regressed, leaving only two sunken sockets, as if they had been violently gouged out.
Pointed ears drooped backward, and their massive mouths, which took up most of their faces, were filled with rows of interlocking needle-like teeth.
Most eerily, certain parts of their bodies emitted a faint black glow, much like deep-sea anglerfish.
However, looking directly at that light caused a wave of dizziness.
【Detected a large number of deep sea mutants: half-mermen (highly polluted defects)】
【Traits: deep sea pressure adaptation, group resonance, pollution halo. A defective product that completely abandoned its human identity but failed the mutation midway due to cowardice.】
【Weaknesses: bright light, high heat, dehydration】
But that wasn't the most horrifying part.
Behind those half-mermen, Lu Yuan saw an even more sickening sight.
Countless humans with fanatical expressions were embedded into the bodies of massive monsters.
Only their heads were exposed, fused back-to-back with the beasts. They chanted the same prayers, their faces twisted into the same manic grins.
Those people... were once residents of Gelimu Port.
【Sanity: -1, 34/70】
【Sanity III: +0.2, 21.2/70】
"It looks like the general offensive is starting," Old Morgan said, looking toward the Holy Armored Army's defensive line.
Lu Yuan followed his gaze.
Golden armor flickered in the blood-red mist. The soldiers of the Holy Armored Army seemed to be in steady retreat, their lines continuously shrinking.
Lu Yuan's brow furrowed.
Strange.
The Holy Armored Army wasn't large; the Third Battalion stationed here numbered around a hundred men at most. However, as an army directly under the Empire, their combat strength seemed a bit weak.
Especially considering every piece of their armor was an alchemical product.
Yet, Lu Yuan felt something was off.
While the half-mermen's attack was fierce, the Holy Armored Army's retreat was... too orderly.
"Shrink the defensive lines!"
Sivating's voice cut through the chaos of the battlefield.
"Center on the Nightwatchers base! Everyone, assemble!"
The soldiers retreated quickly, abandoning their outer positions to form a tighter phalanx.
The half-mermen let out excited roars, believing their prey was cornered, and surged forward like a tide.
Then.
Sivating suddenly looked up.
His blood-stained face broke into a cold smile.
"Enough."
His voice wasn't loud, but every soldier of the Holy Armored Army heard it.
The golden armor erupted in a blinding radiance simultaneously.
Some kind of alchemical array or legion blessing flowed between the soldiers. The "exhausted" troops instantly straightened their backs, their eyes burning with the will to fight.
Spears lowered into a formation.
Muskets fired in unison, the flashes of fire merging into a single sheet.
"Did you really think the Empire's direct army would be suppressed so easily?!"
Sivating's voice boomed like thunder.
"I've finally waited long enough for you rats to show your heads!"
He led the charge, his greatsword sweeping through the air. Holy light exploded, cleaving the half-merman in front of him in two.
"First team, push forward with me!"
"Second team, block the flanks!"
"Third team, protect the rear!"
The massive half-mermen were struck down in swathes, black blood splashing everywhere.
The Holy Armored Army was called so not just because of their armor.
It was because that armor responded to the wearer's will.
As long as their morale did not crumble, they could fight against the eerie forever.
The "precarious" defensive line was instantly transformed into an invincible meat grinder.
Just then, a dark blur swept past Old Morgan's side.
Before Lu Yuan could get a clear look, the shadow had already materialized beside Old Morgan.
It was a man in a black cloak, moving like a phantom.
Lu Yuan recognized him.
Eger.
The Nightwatchers scout team leader. He was the one who had arrived at the scene during the incident with Priest Andrew.
Eger usually seemed carefree, but his expression was exceptionally solemn now.
He whispered a few words into Old Morgan's ear.
Old Morgan's eyes sharpened.
"Found him?"
"The location is confirmed," Eger whispered. "Should we proceed with the decapitation?"
"Act according to the plan." Old Morgan's tone was decisive. "Coordinate with Sivating. Prepare for the decapitation strike!"
Eger nodded, and with a flash of movement, he vanished into the rainy mist.
Old Morgan turned to Lu Yuan and explained quickly:
"The Deep Sea Church's attack patterns are very consistent," Old Morgan said rapidly. "Mutated creatures lead the charge as cannon fodder, cultists mix in to guide the direction, and the actual commander hides at the very back."
A cold sneer tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"I've been looking for the person hiding in the back. This time, I've finally caught them."
Rate on N.U.
