Evacuation

A damp laboratory filled with the stench of fish, An ancient being whose lifespan had to be measured by the "Old Calendar System" suddenly sensed a gaze from behind.

#Hmm? Was something interesting sent over?#

He stopped the tentacle-like fingers that were writing.

Turning his head, The gills on his neck slightly opened, and through the gaps, one could almost see an ocean world filled with bizarre fish.

Just as he twisted his sickly visage—one that could not be parsed by the naked eye or described in words—

Pfft~

A fish eye, small as a grain of rice, burst and shattered inside the experimental tank behind him.

The feeling of being watched vanished.

However, There were still tens of thousands of such tiny fish eyes inside that single tank.

He paid it no mind and continued with his important data recording work.

[Perspective Shift]

Listening to the epic music from the sea, Peering at the terrifying back that defied comprehension, Yi Chen almost instantly lost control of his consciousness, unable even to move his field of vision... like a piece of fish meat, helplessly butchered.

In his field of view, The unknown being in front of him, who was recording data, seemed to sense his gaze.

It slowly turned its head.

Such a mundane action, yet it sparked unprecedented fear in Yi Chen's heart.

This most ancient and primal emotion was like a pair of massive hands, squeezing his soul tightly, threatening to tear it apart at any moment.

The process of turning felt like a countdown to death.

At the critical moment, A familiar, garbled noise came through his consciousness.

'William, wake up!'

Along with the voice came a strong pulling sensation.

Buzz!

Yi Chen's consciousness body broke free at that moment, pulling away from the abyss covered in fish scales and reeking of stench. It traveled through the gaps of time and space, returning to Green Lake.

When he opened his eyes again, He had already returned to his familiar physical body.

Deep in the dark lakebed, The giant eye that served as the "Watcher" had been completely drained, lying lifelessly on the lake floor like a deflated balloon.

The fully sated Little Grape had returned, hiding beneath his skin and flesh, in a rather strange state of gestation, leaving only one message.

"I need a long rest now... Don't call me unless it's a life-or-death crisis."

With those words, The connection between their consciousnesses was weakened to one-tenth, and he could only feel the flesh ball at his abdomen, undergoing a subtle process of gestation and growth.

However, The crisis in Green Lake Town was not over.

The giant eye was merely a "Watcher."

Its death only freed the townspeople from their shackles, making them more unrestrained... The townspeople infected with "Fish Scale Disease" were no less active—in fact, they might have become even more frenzied.

At the same time, The mermaids roaming Green Lake all turned to look at the unfamiliar individual at the lakebed, fixing their gazes on this uninfected stranger... Instinct drove them to swim over quickly.

There were so many of them that there was no room to escape!

At the critical moment, A white figure crashed into the lake's surface, moving so fast that no creature could see it clearly.

A flash of white light swept through the fish swarm.

Two powerful, sharp claws dug directly into the flesh of Yi Chen's shoulders, wedging into the gaps of his bones~

Before he could even feel the pain, An unimaginable pulling force transmitted through, dragging him straight out of the lakebed. Any mermaid that tried to block along the way was torn apart by some hidden Wind Blade, unable to stop him.

Splash!

A massive spray of water erupted from the lake's surface.

Yi Chen was yanked completely out, flying close to the ground, and finally thrown to the back door of the [Green Shade Inn].

Slap! He braced his hands against the wall, barely landing on his feet.

Yi Chen quickly looked up, and only then saw clearly that the one who had saved him was actually a White Feathered Owl.

Before he could even thank it, the creature had already flown away.

And at that moment, the Boss opened the back door and pulled Yi Chen into the inn in one swift motion.

The dim, lifeless eyes on the Boss's face suddenly became clear and bright.

"You... actually did it! Kadesi, hurry and take Mr. William to the basement to tend to his wounds."

"Got it!"

The Sister, dressed in a white gown and emaciated in figure, easily hoisted Yi Chen onto her shoulder.

Following a hidden passage, they reached the basement.

The Sister brought over some dry towels and carefully wiped down Yi Chen's body.

Surprisingly, after soaking in the lake for such a long time, his clothes hadn't gotten wet at all—just wiping off the residual moisture on the surface made them look brand new.

The only thing to watch out for was his shoulder, pierced by the owl, where a little lake water had seeped into the wound...

Kadesi wiped it with a towel first, then suddenly pressed her cold lips against it, sucking hard~

The blood mixed with the lake water was all drawn out, stopping the infection.

"That should do it~ I'll go upstairs and grab something good to eat. You wait here, okay?"

The Sister left, and Yi Chen sat alone on a chair in the basement.

Though this lakebed adventure hadn't caused any real physical harm, his mental state wasn't great.

A persistent ringing in his ears, a slightly swollen cranial cavity, and the Abyss Laboratory flashing through his mind from time to time—

before he knew it, a trickle of nosebleed flowed out, accompanied by a strong dizziness that nearly sent Yi Chen tumbling off the chair.

"A side effect of mental invasion?

I didn't even open my eyes, yet I still got hit... and afterward, I relied entirely on Little Grape to finally kill the [Watcher Giant Eye].

And that Giant Eye, spreading Fish Scale Disease and ruling over Green Lake Town, was just a small product from the laboratory.

I'm far too weak right now.

There must be ways to grow and become stronger in this world, and the organization might hold such methods."

After experiencing life and death at the bottom of the lake, Yi Chen wasn't afraid.

Instead, it stirred his desire to explore the world, urgently pushing him to become stronger so he could uncover more.

Just then, Kadesi came down to the basement carrying a bowl of special fish soup.

Thick, bubbling, black—

various fish heads that looked like they'd been irradiated crammed the bowl, and the smell was like a dead fish drowned in a foot-washing basin, left undiscovered for a whole week.

"This was specially prepared by my brother. He said if you managed to come back alive, this Fish Head Soup would be a great help."

"O... okay."

Taking the large bowl of soup, clearly enough for several people, he tentatively touched the sticky Surface Layer with his finger, and after confirming that the plant inside his body showed no rejection, he pinched his nose with one hand, lifted the bowl with the other, and gulped it down.

As his stomach churned violently, the persistent ringing in his ears actually began to fade, and the swelling sensation in his skull gradually subsided.

"Good Thing!"

Just as Yi Chen marveled at the wonder of this exotic cuisine, a deep, resonant voice came from above, penetrating the inn's structural layers and reaching Yi Chen's ears clearly... the entire town could hear this voice.

"Attention, all Examinees.

Proceed to the town's East Exit at maximum speed. The organization's Carriage will be waiting for you there. Time limit: [ten minutes].

Any delay will be considered a failed examination."

"Did the assessment end early?"

Hearing the news, Yi Chen perked up immediately, and returned to the inn.

The Green Shade Inn was located at the town's south exit, far from the assembly point at the East Exit... crossing the completely out-of-control, riotous town carried considerable risk.

Not to mention, Little Grape was in a special state and couldn't provide visual assistance.

"Mr. William, to reach the East Exit you want, you'll either have to cross the Town Center or go around the lake.

The road is dangerous. We'll escort you there."

"Wouldn't that be too risky? If there are organization personnel at the East Exit, they might attack you."

"As long as we don't get too close, it should be fine."

Yi Chen didn't refuse. He truly needed the siblings' help.

Using a similar tactic, he disguised himself as a 'corpse,' lying flat on a wooden cart, while the siblings pushed him toward the East Exit.

Since the town center held a fully Scale Shedding dangerous Sick One, they chose to go around the lake... the entire journey was unimpeded, and no townsfolk would suspect such high-level beings as the siblings.

When the outline of the Carriage was barely visible, the siblings stopped.

On the eve of parting, considering that he was about to embark on the path of 'Disease Removal,'

if they ever met again, their stances might be completely different.

They simply gave him a silent hug, without saying words like 'goodbye.'

However, when hugging the Boss, she gently patted Yi Chen's back and whispered in his ear:

"Leave here quickly, Mr. William... You are the strangest human I've ever met, completely different from the others. Perhaps you really do have a chance to heal this hopeless world.

If there is a chance to [meet again], please don't hesitate—kill us directly."

Yi Chen didn't reply.

He simply locked eyes with the Boss for one second, then immediately turned and ran toward the assembly point.