Cage

Old Morgan abruptly stood up, scattering the documents in his hands all over the floor.

Are you sure?

"Confirmed." Lu Yuan nodded.

Old Morgan was silent for a moment, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

"Take me."

The two hurried to the screening site.

Old Morgan walked up to the remaining residents, his cloudy eyes narrowing slightly as he focused his senses.

A moment later, his face turned ashen.

"There were indeed Transcendence fluctuations..."

Old Morgan's voice was somewhat hoarse, tinged with disbelief.

"Moreover, I've never seen Transcendence this before."

Lu Yuan stood to the side, watching Old Morgan's reaction, feeling increasingly uneasy.

How many people did those doctors actually "save" during their years in Grim Port?

Old Morgan remained silent for a long time, because the situation had exceeded expectations.

The Path of Transcendence is not easy to embark on, especially for those who stumble upon it without really understanding Transcendence.

The vast majority of them will become food for those things hidden in the path of the Transcendence.

The Knowledge Path is relatively better; even if it is targeted, the threat is not significant once it gets out of control.

But the group of people before us definitely did not achieve their Transcendence Knowledge Path.

Old Morgan turned around and took out Communication Crystal from his pocket.

"Hans."

Hans's voice came quickly from the other end of the crystal. "Old Morgan?"

"Immediately mobilize all available personnel to seal off the inner city." Old Morgan's tone was icy and brooked no argument. "Everyone. No one is allowed to leave during this time."

"Even if he is an Imperial Baron, as long as he is in the inner city, he will be centrally housed."

Hans paused for a moment, then said, "... Understood, I'll be there as soon as possible."

The communication had just ended when another crystal in Old Morgan's arms suddenly lit up.

It's from the church.

"Mr. Morgan, the Archbishop is looking for you. Come to the inner city immediately."

Old Morgan frowned, put away the crystal, and turned to Lu Yuan.

"Come with me."

The rain was getting heavier.

The streets were sparsely populated, mostly with patrolling Night Watcher and Holy Armor Army.

The air was thick with the pungent, strong smell of burning corpses.

However, due to the heavy rain, many bodies could not be disposed of in time and had to be temporarily left on the roadside covered with tarpaulins.

Throughout the journey, Old Morgan walked hurriedly without uttering a single word.

Lu Yuan followed behind him, equally silent.

The rain hit my face, icy cold.

But what's colder than the rain is the growing unease in my heart.

Grayish-white text kept appearing before my eyes.

[Environmental Perception: Detected a continuous increase in surrounding Contamination concentration]

[Recommendation: Leave the Contamination area as soon as possible]

Lu Yuan frowned slightly.

The Mutated Creature around them had all been dealt with, so where did the Contamination come from? Before Lu Yuan could figure it out...

We've arrived at the inner city.

In front of the Viscount's Residence.

A Priest in a white robe was already waiting at the door.

Lu Yuan recognized him.

It's Andrew.

However, Andrew at this moment is completely different from the one I remember.

His face was pale, and there was a visible unease in his eyes; he looked as if he had been frightened by something.

"Mr. Old Morgan."

Andrew strode up to him, speaking rapidly.

"The Archbishop suddenly had a violent emotional outburst, and he stopped studying the magic array in the Vault, asking me to contact you and the Ascension Society immediately."

"He's waiting at the Viscount's Residence now."

Old Morgan and Lu Yuan exchanged a glance.

"Lead the way."

Andrew nodded, turned and strode quickly into the mansion.

Lu Yuan followed behind and noticed that Andrew's steps were somewhat disordered and his expression was no longer composed.

What could make this arrogant Priest so uneasy...?

Something serious must have happened.

The Viscount's Residence, meeting room.

As Lu Yuan pushed open the door, he saw several familiar figures.

The Viscount sat calmly in the corner, his posture still upright despite his status being equivalent to that of a prisoner.

The Archbishop stood by the window, holding a faintly glowing Scripture in his hand, his lips moving as if he were muttering something.

His complexion was terrible, and his expression revealed a kind of...

Lu Yuan couldn't quite put his finger on it—was it panic, terror?

Also present was a man dressed in golden armor, standing beside the Archbishop with a solemn expression.

That was another Captain of the Holy Armor Army, the one stationed in the inner city, Raymond.

Lu Yuan could sense that his aura was even stronger than that of Xi Wading.

Old Morgan walked into the meeting hall, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally settling on the Archbishop.

"What happened?"

The Archbishop stopped muttering.

He slowly turned around, raised his head, and looked at Old Morgan.

Those eyes no longer held their former majesty and certainty.

"The gaze of Angel..."

The Archbishop's voice was hoarse.

"Grim has been moved."

Before he could finish speaking...

"How is that possible?!"

The Viscount suddenly stood up, his face filled with disbelief.

"How could Angel possibly avoid eye contact! Archbishop, are you mistaken?!"

The Archbishop did not answer.

He simply looked at the Viscount, his eyes filled with an indescribable heaviness.

The Viscount's voice abruptly stopped.

He stared into the Archbishop's eyes, trying to find a trace of a joke.

But no.

The Viscount froze, his mouth opened and closed, but he remained silent.

Old Morgan was silent for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Angel always watch over their most devout believers." The Archbishop gripped the Scripture, his voice hoarse. "So there's only one possibility..."

He paused, his voice growing increasingly heavy.

"What exists here Transcendence Angel."

Even Angel cannot cross that boundary without a physical form.

"The fate of Grim Port was sealed the moment the Angel turned their gaze away."

A deathly silence fell over the conference room.

Lu Yuan stood at the door, listening to the Archbishop's words, his brows furrowed slightly.

He recalled the feeling of entering the Church for the first time.

That feeling of being watched.

At the time, he wasn't sure what it was, only that the owner of that gaze was extremely powerful.

Now, that gaze has vanished.

The reason for its disappearance is that there existed something here that even such a thing would not want to look at directly.

Old Morgan paused for a moment, then took out Communication Crystal from his pocket.

"Allen, something terrible has happened in the inner city. Come over immediately."

Allen Klaus's voice came through the crystal quickly, but it was heavy in tone.

"Your intelligence is a bit outdated, Old Morgan."

"I've checked all the locations marked on the map."

"Most of the things inside... have already hatched and left. The very few that were still there were killed by me; they probably didn't have time to be activated."

"And I also have something to tell you. Are you in the inner city? I'll be there right away."

Communication lost.

Lu Yuan noticed that Old Morgan was a beat slower than usual in putting away the crystal.

Just then, the Communication Crystal lit up again.

It's Hans.

"Old Morgan..."

Hans's voice came from the crystal, his tone extremely solemn.

"Grim Port... is under siege, we can't get out."

The expressions on everyone's faces changed.

The Archbishop's hand holding the Scripture trembled slightly.

The Viscount remained silent, his expression complex.

Raymond's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white.

Just when the atmosphere reached its peak of tension, the door was pushed open.

A burly man walked in.

He was wearing a gray jumpsuit, similar in style to the Ascension Society members who had come to the base to pick up Marcus before, but his aura was completely different.

This is an ascendant who retains a complete human form.

There were no exposed mechanical parts, no signs of Mutation; it looked like an ordinary middle-aged worker.

But Lu Yuan could sense that this person was very dangerous, extremely dangerous.

The higher-ups of the Ascension Society... Great Ascendant.

The Great Ascendant was also in poor condition.

He held a sign indicating a mechanical structure in his hand, repeatedly trying to restart it, but each attempt ended in failure.

"Blood and Deep Blue are both coordinates; we've all been fooled..."

The Great Ascendant spoke, his voice deep and resonant.

"The location of Grim Port... has been locked."

He raised his head and glanced at everyone present.

"Something in the Deep Sea is coming to us, following the coordinates."

Old Morgan asked in a deep voice, "How long?"

The Great Ascendant paused for a moment, then tried to restart the mechanical token in his hand once more, but failed again.

"It's hard to say, but based on the degree of signal interference..."

His voice was lowered even further.

"If things go quickly, tonight."

Lu Yuan stood in the corner, and his heart skipped a beat when he heard the words "tonight".

He recalled the scene from the return flight.

Why didn't that being, capable of easily tearing the Abyssal Hunter apart, make a move?

Why did they instead escort them back to Grim Port like guards?

It wasn't out of kindness.

It was because of the vial of blood he was carrying.

That thing wasn't meant to protect them from the start; it was meant to ensure the vial of blood could reach Grim Port safely.

Blood is the coordinate.

He and Marcus personally brought the coordinates into the city.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the meeting room door was pushed open again.

Allen Klaus walked in.

His face looked grim, and his brows were furrowed.

"There's something wrong with the rain," Allen said, his voice heavy. "From the moment I stepped into the harbor, I could feel that the rain was constantly mixed with Contamination."

"At first I thought it was remnants from the battle, but now it seems that's not the case, because the Contamination concentration is increasing."

Allen's gaze swept over everyone present.

"I suggest we organize an immediate evacuation."