Ghoul

Lu Yuan opened the door.

A Night Watcher stood outside the door.

It wasn't one of the faces I'd seen before. He wasn't old, just over twenty, but he looked tense and his lips were pale.

His coat was covered in dust, and there was a fresh abrasion on his forehead with beads of blood still clinging to it, but he didn't bother to wipe it off.

"Mr. Lu Yuan."

He speaks very fast, but he pronounces every word clearly.

"Deputy Chief's order: Bronze City has been subjected to a large-scale, bizarre attack. All combat-capable units are hereby Conscription emergency assembly."

He paused for a moment, then took a breath.

"You have been temporarily appointed captain of the Ninth Squad, leading eight Night Watchmen to the northern textile district of the outer city to defend against the eerie flow emerging from the breach in that area."

"The order takes effect immediately."

Lu Yuan's hand was still resting on the door frame.

He didn't ask why.

The moment Laurina knocked on the door, all the problems had already taken shape.

And at the edge of his field of vision, the gray-white notification that had been hanging there since earlier still hadn't disappeared.

[Environmental Perception: Numerous traces of Source of Pollution... continuously monitored... recommended to stay away.]

Lu Yuan glanced at the line of text.

Keep away?

Which way to get away?

Where is the team?

The Night Watcher stepped aside.

Eight figures stood in two rows on the street outside the door.

His grey robe swayed slightly in the night breeze, and his hat was pulled low, revealing only the lower half of his face.

Each person carried a standard-issue short sword and firearm at their waist, and more could be vaguely seen beneath their robes.

They're all veterans.

Lu Yuan glanced at their positions; they were evenly spaced, had stable centers of gravity, and were breathing in unison.

This is a team that has been tested and honed through real combat.

The leader took half a step forward, revealing a sharply defined face beneath a gray cap. He appeared to be around thirty years old, with an old scar on his left cheek that stretched from his jawbone down to his chin.

"Captain Lu, please give instructions."

His voice was calm and steady, without hesitation.

The seven people behind him looked up at the same time, their eyes falling on Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan noticed that there was no doubt in their eyes when they looked at him.

Either Klaus's orders carried enough weight, or the situation had become so urgent that nobody cared who the captain was anymore.

Of course, there is another possibility: that they have a good reputation.

It's most likely the latter.

The young Night Watcher had given the order had already turned and run off in another direction.

The gray-robed figure flashed around the corner and disappeared into the light.

He has another stop to announce.

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze and looked at the street in front of him.

The entire Bronze City lit up.

It wasn't the eerie glow of the runes on the city walls.

Everything that could be lit was lit up at that moment.

Streetlights, electric lights, Gas Lamp.

A dim yellow light shone from the windows of distant houses; someone had lit their kerosene lamps the moment the gunshot rang out.

Light followed light, spreading from the inner city to the Outer City, like a giant net spread across the darkness.

In the distance, sporadic gunshots still rang out.

It's not just one direction, it's from all directions.

Some are densely packed, while others are sparsely packed.

Some erupt suddenly for a while, then quickly fall silent again.

The faint glow of the bronze runes on the city wall was still there, but much dimmer than usual.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath.

The night wind filled my lungs, carrying a faint smell of burnt food and fish.

[Sanity: 45/120]

At this moment, rationality is unfortunately at its lowest.

"Walk."

Lu Yuan stepped down the steps and joined the queue.

The eight people adjusted their positions in tacit agreement, forming a mobile formation with Lu Yuan at the center. Two people scouted ahead, four people protected the two flanks, and two people brought up the rear.

Lu Yuan's command is not required.

They started moving on their own.

I walked briskly north along the cobblestone road of the Outer City.

We passed through several alleys along the way, and at the entrances of these alleys, we could see other groups moving as well.

Some faced south, some faced east, their formations varied, and the number of people differed.

No one spoke.

Everyone is on their way.

After walking about three blocks, the suspicious-looking man in the lead slowed down and walked alongside Lu Yuan.

"Captain Lu, this is Boer."

He spoke in a very low voice, just enough for two people to hear.

"The ninth team, temporarily formed by the branch, consists of seven members besides myself, all of whom were seconded from outlying posts. Their coordination is fine."

"You're the vice-captain?"

"Yes." Boer nodded. "They were previously part of Hogger's Outer City surveillance group, so they are quite familiar with the terrain of the North Ward area."

Lu Yuan remembered it.

"Explain the situation."

Boer didn't stop walking; he continued talking as he went.

"Something went wrong tonight. About half an hour ago, the Bronze City's ability to suppress eerie phenomena suddenly activated, and at the same time, several places on the ground collapsed."

He speaks quickly, but his points are clear and logical.

"The inner city was the worst affected, with at least three large-scale collapses, the ground cracking open. The Outer City was slightly less affected, but there were still several collapses on the north and southwest sides."

What's showing at the Collapse Point?

"Mainly Carrion Ghost and Ghoul," Boer's voice deepened. "There are quite a few, especially in the inner city; I heard dozens poured out immediately."

Carrion Ghost and Ghoul.

Lu Yuan was familiar with both of these things.

I read the "Elementary Strange Tales" in the Night Watcher Library during my time in Grim Port, and I remember it very clearly.

Carrion Ghost are low-level monsters that are attracted to decaying matter. They have an extremely strong sense of smell and are afraid of light. Individually, they pose little threat, but when they gather in groups, they create a kind of resonance effect that accelerates the loss of sanity in the surrounding living people.

Ghoul are half a level above Carrion Ghost; they possess a certain level of intelligence, can ambush, and have venomous claws. Most importantly, they eat.

They eat corpses, and they also eat living people.

There's one more.

Lu Yuan remembered it clearly because the gray-white prompt at the time provided additional information.

Copper has a strong restraining effect on the Carrion Ghost type.

Copper once harmed the source of the Carrion Ghost's Mutation Source, so the material itself poses a deterrent to them.

And the Bronze City...

Lu Yuan subconsciously glanced at the bronze runes on the distant city wall that were flickering faintly.

The walls, runes, and even parts of the building structure of the entire city contain a large amount of copper.

These things have become natural barriers tonight.

This also explains why, despite the large number of eerie Gray-White Text prompts, they did not spread immediately.

The smell of copper was suppressing them.

As long as there is sufficient light and the copper structure remains intact, it will be difficult for Carrion Ghost to spread widely within the city.

But the problem is...

The Collapse Point itself.

Those cracks were torn directly from the ground.

Moreover, despite the presence of copper, judging from Boer's words, quite a few Carrion Ghost and Ghoul still managed to climb up.

Where is the gap we are responsible for?

"North Spinning District," Boer pointed to the left ahead, "Is a smaller Collapse Point on the north side of the Outer City. Intelligence says that not many monsters have emerged from there. The main force is holding the line in the inner city, and we're on the flank."

How small?

"The exact figures are unclear," Boer said truthfully, "I only know they are much fewer than in the inner city."

Lu Yuan remained silent for two seconds.

At the edge of my field of vision, that line of Gray-White Text indicating Environmental Perception still hung there.

[Environmental Perception: Numerous traces of Source of Pollution... ongoing monitoring... recommended to stay away.]

"Massive quantity".

It's not "small amount," and it's not "medium amount."

It's massive.

Boer said that the quantity from North Spinning District was "not large".

There is a significant gap between these two pieces of information.

Either the intelligence was outdated.

Or... those things haven't all come out yet.