"The Moon of That Time"

"How often does the Blood Moon appear? And how large is its area of influence?" Sun Hang asked.

"The frequency isn't fixed... Sometimes it appears seven or eight times in a single year; other times, it might not appear even once for several years," Yang Qi replied. "As for its range, anywhere across the entire Xiazhou Continent where the moon can be seen will be affected."

"The entire Xiazhou Continent?" Sun Hang froze for a moment. If the Blood Moon's area of influence was that vast, then it should have counted as "common knowledge." Why, then, did he have no impression of it whatsoever?

Had he lost this part of his memory too?

"Then why haven't they recalled us?" Sun Hang looked at Wang Xiyi. "In your current condition, being exposed to the Blood Moon should be very dangerous, right?"

"...I'll call and ask." Yang Qi took out her phone.

Less than ten seconds after the call connected, Yang Qi's expression turned grim. After repeatedly saying, "Understood" and "Got it," she covered the receiver with one hand and looked up at Sun Hang and Wang Xiyi. "The laboratory says... at this very moment, no Blood Moon phenomenon has been observed anywhere on the Xiazhou Continent."

"Then what the hell is that in the sky?" 0401 asked in astonishment.

"I think I understand what's going on..." After thinking for a moment, Sun Hang said, "Yang Qi, have the laboratory check whether there were any records of Blood Moon observations within the two years after January 10th, Year 4653 of the Lunar Calendar."

Yang Qi's expression changed. She had clearly understood the hidden implication in Sun Hang's words.

"They checked. There was exactly one occurrence in those two years... That Blood Moon appeared on September 15th, Year 4654 of the Lunar Calendar," Yang Qi said slowly.

Sun Hang looked up at the blood-red full moon on the horizon. "So what we're seeing is the Blood Moon from sixty-five years ago... Ha, what a fitting 'The Moon of That Time.'"

"The Federation Council and the Tianfu City Administration Bureau rejected our request to suspend the operation." Yang Qi lowered her phone. "According to them... even under the Blood Moon's influence, we're to continue the search and rescue."

"Fuck!" 0401 could not stop himself from cursing. "To the people up there, their lives count, but ours don't?"

"Don't get worked up yet. Since this Blood Moon isn't one from normal spacetime, as long as we determine the extent of its influence, we should be able to minimize the risks it poses," Yang Qi said. "More importantly, the Blood Moon's area of influence is also the area where the cemetery's Spacetime Anomaly occurred. That's good news for us."

"And that counts as good news?" 0401's eyes widened.

"Before this, we had no way to determine the boundary of the anomalous area. But now it's different." Yang Qi raised her head and looked at the Blood Moon. "We only need to watch for when the Blood Moon disappears to know when and where we crossed the boundary of the anomalous area. Then, by connecting those locations, we can mark out the outline of the entire anomalous area."

"Good idea." Wang Xiyi was concise as ever.

"Tell everyone to stop searching around like headless flies. Gather everyone and have them split up into teams. Keep an eye on the Blood Moon while spreading outward from the cemetery area. Once the Blood Moon returns to normal, record the locations and compile the data... One thing we should be grateful for is that this anomalous area does not appear to interfere with communications." Yang Qi addressed the Investigation Bureau personnel.

"Also, every survey team must be equipped with armed personnel... More than sixty years ago, this place was wilderness, home to plenty of wild animals. Under the Blood Moon's influence, those animals will become extremely aggressive," Yang Qi added.

More than a thousand people were participating in the search and rescue operation. At Yang Qi's request, they formed groups of eight and split into dozens of teams, gradually probing outward toward the outskirts of the cemetery.

"What about you? Are you staying here, or going out to take a look?" Wang Xiyi glanced at Yang Qi and asked.

"Sun Hang has stayed here for so long without triggering any 'resonance'... I'm planning to take him through the entire anomalous area and see whether we can find anything," Yang Qi said.

"I'll go with you." Wang Xiyi slung two assault rifles across her back—even without using her abilities, her combat capabilities as an ordinary person far surpassed those of the City Defense Guard soldiers.

"Did you bring enough suppressants?" Yang Qi asked.

"I brought eight doses. That's enough." Wang Xiyi said, "If something really goes wrong, I just need to get out of the area covered by the Blood Moon as quickly as possible."

"Then be careful." Yang Qi returned to her off-road vehicle.

"I... I'll go with you too!" 0401 ran over and said nervously, "I just feel like... um... it'll be safer following you."

He had originally been assigned to the data analysis group staying behind, but Temporary Investigators like him were really just there to make up the numbers in an operation like this. He could hardly be of any help—in other words, it made no difference whether he was there or not.

"Get in." Yang Qi was not particularly harsh toward Temporary Investigators. "Since you want to come, you'll be responsible for watching the Blood Moon."

Yang Qi had to drive, while Sun Hang and Wang Xiyi were both infected with the Anomalization Virus. Letting either of them stare at the Blood Moon for too long carried the risk of adverse effects... Since 0401 had volunteered to come along, the role of designated grunt naturally fell to him.

"Sure! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" 0401 answered especially loudly.

"There's something I need to tell you first. There may be two Anomaly Hunters in this vehicle, but under the Blood Moon, this might not be the safest combination. It could actually be the most dangerous... I hope you're mentally prepared."

"Two Hunters?!" 0401 froze, then immediately turned to Sun Hang. Stammering, he said, "Zero... 0420, you... became a Hunter? An Anomaly Hunter?"

"Yeah." Sun Hang nodded. "I somehow became an infected person, then somehow became a Hunter... and I still don't even know what abilities I have..."

"That's fucking awesome!" 0401 gave Sun Hang a thumbs-up. "When I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming a Hunter too, but once I grew up, I stopped wanting to... The risk is just too high. It's practically nine deaths out of ten. The fact that you made it through is seriously fucking awesome!"

Yang Qi slammed her foot on the accelerator, and the off-road vehicle's engine immediately let out a deep roar.

"Where are we going now?" Sun Hang asked.

"We'll check the Back Mountain first." Yang Qi cranked the steering wheel, and the vehicle slowly turned around.

"The Back Mountain?" 0401 paused slightly, then looked at Sun Hang. "Bro, can you give me a gun? There are lots of wild animals in the Back Mountain..."

Sun Hang glanced at Yang Qi and was about to speak when Yang Qi beat him to it. "You decide. During an operation, Hunters have the authority to temporarily issue weapons to unarmed personnel."

"Bro! No, godfather!" 0401 shouted excitedly at Sun Hang.

"You should focus on watching the Blood Moon. If it ever comes down to you needing a gun, it probably won't be much use anyway." With one sentence, Sun Hang deflated 0401. "Why don't you apply for a shooting test after we get back? If you can pass it, then I might consider giving you a gun on future operations."