Gear Master

Lu Yuan glanced at the figure that disappeared into the shadows, then turned to look at Herman.

"Are you sure you've checked everything in the warehouse?"

Herman paused for a moment, clearly not following Lu Yuan's train of thought.

"What's the meaning?"

"The basement burned down, but the materials upstairs..." Lu Yuan lowered his voice, "Sandworm Oil, Sandworm meat, and other things that have been sitting for who knows how long. The mayor was conducting experiments down there; who knows if he mixed in any Source of Pollution."

Herman's expression changed.

He certainly knew what that meant.

Sandworm are the lifeblood of the town; if they are Contamination, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"I'll have someone investigate immediately."

"Send reliable people," Lu Yuan added. "Don't alert too many people, lest it cause panic."

Herman nodded and strode towards the townspeople waiting outside.

Lu Yuan watched him leave, and only after confirming that no one else was paying attention to him did he turn around and walk in the direction where Morris had disappeared.

He walked through the narrow alley between two mud-brick houses, around a low wall that was about to collapse, and stopped behind an abandoned shed.

Morris leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as if he had expected him to follow.

"They moved quite quickly."

"Speak plainly if you have something to say." Lu Yuan stopped, his tone calm.

Morris's smile faded slightly, and his gaze became serious.

"Found it."

"What?"

"Source of Pollution."

He straightened up from the wall and lowered his voice.

"To be precise, it's the people who create the Source of Pollution."

Lu Yuan frowned slightly.

"A traitor to the Ascension Society," Morris continued, "He defected from the Royal Capital three years ago, taking with him a batch of core data and experimental samples. The Ascension Society hunted him down for two years, but they couldn't find him."

He paused, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips.

"I never imagined he'd hide in such a remote and impoverished place; no wonder we couldn't find him."

Lu Yuan recalled the "him" mentioned in the town mayor's experimental records.

Sure enough, someone was behind it.

What's that person's name?

"Grego."

Morris uttered the name with a hint of apprehension in his voice.

"Nicknamed 'Gear Master,' one of the initial members of the Ascension Society's Mechanical Modification Faction. It is said that back in the Royal Capital, he single-handedly dismantled half of the garrison's mechanical armor, nearly causing a riot."

"When he defected three years ago, he was at the Second Order, and now..." Morris shook his head, "He's most likely at the Third Order."

Third Order.

Lu Yuan's expression became more serious.

The difference between Second Order and Third Order cannot be measured by numbers, especially considering the mechanical modification skills of those who have ascended to the rank of Ascension Society.

Lu Yuan inexplicably thought of Marcus, whose combat power was terrifying, at least Fourth Order even without considering any counters.

They are difficult to deal with.

"He's completely mechanized; his fighting style relies entirely on those parts," Morris continued. "If we were to fight him head-on, even the three of us together wouldn't come out on top."

But we are prepared.

He took something out of his pocket and opened it in his palm.

It was a Gear.

It's about the size of a palm, made of black material, and its surface is covered with densely packed runes, giving it a faint dark red sheen in the dim light.

At the edge of vision, gray and white text quietly emerged:

[Detection Target: Mechanism-Suppressing Gear (Disposable Item)]

[Feature: When activated, it suppresses the operation of all machinery within a certain range for approximately ten minutes.]

[Note: Extremely effective against Mechanical Augmentor]

Lu Yuan looked at the Gear and understood what was going on.

"This thing can cause his machinery to malfunction?"

"It's not just malfunctioning." Morris put the Gear back into his pocket. "Once activated, all machinery within range will stop operating. Firearms will malfunction, and blunt weapons will also be weakened to some extent."

Morris gestured.

"A range of about twenty meters is enough to cover the mayor's yard."

"At that point, it will be pure hand-to-hand combat."

Lu Yuan remained silent for a moment.

"I haven't fully regained my senses yet."

Morris paused for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

You didn't take your medicine?

"I drank it," Lu Yuan said calmly. "I just drank it not long ago, I'm still recovering."

Morris stared at him for a few seconds, as if to make sure he wasn't joking.

"You've got really bad luck, kid."

He sighed and took a small Metal Ring from the pocket at his waist.

The surface of the ring is engraved with intricate patterns, making it look like some kind of ritual implement.

"This is special equipment for us Pathfinder," Morris said, handing over the ring. "It allows us to borrow the opponent's sanity to a certain extent."

Lu Yuan took it; it felt slightly heavy in his hand, and intricate runes were engraved on it.

[Detection Target: Alchemy Tools... Insufficient Knowledge, Analysis Failed...]

"You're Knowledge Path? But your rank isn't high, and your sanity hasn't recovered yet. Even if it were, it wouldn't be much higher. You should be able to use it, albeit barely," Morris explained. "It was originally intended as a protective measure against high-intensity Source of Pollution. In case someone's sanity is overwhelmed and collapses, others can provide temporary support and pull them back."

He paused, then added:

"Heller Vincent have some too. With you added, the four of us should have enough sanity to handle any unexpected situation."

Lu Yuan carefully put the ring away and silently did some calculations in his mind.

With my own 71 points and three Second Order Pathfinder, each of them should have a sanity cap of at least 60 or 70, right?

All together, it's definitely enough.

Where is the target now?

"The mayor's house," Morris gestured in that direction, "Heller Vincent are keeping an eye on it. That guy just ran away; he's probably waiting for something."

Lu Yuan recalled the experimental records in the underground laboratory, and the parasites that crawled out of the town mayor's chest.

"Symbiosis Experiment."

"What?"

"The mayor is conducting symbiotic experiments," Lu Yuan said as briefly as possible, "Using Mutated Extract to cultivate a kind of parasite, attempting to achieve human-insect symbiosis. That Grego has been providing the mayor with materials and methods."

Morris's expression changed slightly.

"No wonder the Sandworm Mutation," he cursed. "This is more troublesome than I imagined."

"What's the plan?" Lu Yuan asked.

Morris regained his composure and his expression turned serious again.

"We'll make our move tonight. I'll contact you using the ring then."

"By then, everyone in town will be asleep, so we'll keep things quiet. The three of us will go in from the front and force him to show himself. You stay outside and provide support. We'll assess the situation after the Gear are activated."

He glanced at Lu Yuan.

"If we can handle this, you won't need to get involved. But if something unexpected happens..."

"I see."

Morris nodded, seemingly pleased with his decisiveness.

"Then it's settled."

He turned to leave, but stopped after taking two steps.

"By the way, that old man knows too much. After this is over, we need to find a way to stop him from talking nonsense."

Lu Yuan did not respond.

Morris didn't expect an answer; he vanished into the shadows in a flash.

Lu Yuan stood still for a while, and only after confirming that there was nothing unusual around him did he turn around and walk towards the warehouse.

When they returned to the warehouse, Herman was directing several people to move things.

The barrels of Sandworm Oil, the dusty Sandworm shells, and all sorts of miscellaneous materials were all moved outside and inspected one by one.

"How is it?" Lu Yuan walked over and asked.

"No problems found yet," Herman wiped the sweat from his brow, "But there's too much stuff; we probably won't be able to finish checking it tonight."

He glanced at Lu Yuan.

Where did you go just now?

"I looked around," Lu Yuan said calmly, "To make sure nothing was missed."

Herman nodded without asking any further questions.

This old businessman was very clever; he knew what to ask and what not to ask.

Just then, a small, thin figure peeked out from the warehouse door.

It's Karl.

But his condition was clearly not right.

Her face was deathly pale, and her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

He huddled behind the door frame, staring blankly at a spot on the ground.

That's where the mayor fell.

Although the body had been burned, the charred marks on the ground remained, and the pungent smell still lingered in the air.

Herman frowned.

"Karl! Who let you come here?"

Karl seemed startled; he trembled, and tears streamed down his face.

"I... I had a nightmare..."

His voice trembled, and his small body trembled as well.

"I dreamt of the town mayor... I dreamt that many worms crawled out of his chest..."

Herman sighed, walked over, and hugged his grandson.

"It's alright, it's alright... those things are all burned, there won't be any more."

Karl leaned on Herman's shoulder, sobbing silently.

Lu Yuan stood aside, watching this scene without saying a word.

"Let's go back first," Lu Yuan said, shaking his head slightly. "We'll talk about the warehouse tomorrow. Karl's so frightened, he needs to rest."

Herman looked up at him, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded.

"Good."

The group tidied up and headed into town.

As Lu Yuan passed by a row of adobe houses, he noticed that the door of one of them was ajar, with dim light shining through the crack.

"Whose house is that?" he asked casually.

"Red." Herman glanced at him, frowning. "I haven't seen him come out all day. I wonder what he's up to."

Lu Yuan paused for a moment.

He remembered the young man, the purple bulges on his body, and his evasive eyes.

"Nobody's been there?"

"We sent someone to call him, but he said he wasn't feeling well and didn't want to see anyone." Herman shook his head. "The young man is probably frightened by that Mutated Sandworm."

Lu Yuan didn't ask any more questions, nor did he want to say anything more. He had already reminded them, but it seemed that the people here hadn't learned their lesson.

By the time they returned to Herman's house, it was completely dark.

The Sandworm Oil Lamp in every household were lit, their pale white light enveloping the town in a halo.

Martha brought in dinner: stewed Sandworm and biscuits, along with a small bowl of soup.

Lu Yuan ate a few bites, but had little appetite.

Karl sat in the corner, not touching a bite, just staring blankly at the bowl.

The little girl, unaware of what was happening, leaned closer to talk to her brother, but Martha pulled her away.

The atmosphere was very oppressive.

After finishing his meal, Lu Yuan returned to his room. Instead of lying down, he sat on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes to rest.

The events of today kept replaying in my mind.

The mayor's death.

Underground laboratory.

Grego.

And that parasite that crawled out of the mayor's chest, I don't know where it went.

Only a few hatched insects remained at the scene.

And Red...

Just then, a commotion arose outside the window.

Someone is shouting.

"Help! Red... Red's out! Something's wrong with him!"