Nighttime Preparations

The clearing operation concluded in the afternoon.

Faster than expected.

The daytime sunlight, combined with the remaining power of the Guardians, rendered the Ghouls on the ground almost completely incapacitated.

After clearing the Fungal Carpet from four streets in the North Spinning District and killing three lone Ghouls, the Ninth Squad advanced two blocks westward.

The Fungal Carpet withered faster under direct sunlight than Lu Yuan had imagined, while the Alchemical Fire Powder needed to be processed from the residue in shady corners and building crevices.

When we returned to the Alchemy Workshop outpost to gather information, battle reports from other squads also began to arrive.

The newly reorganized Third Squad cleared the Fungal Carpet around two small Collapse Points in the southwest direction. During the process, they encountered a few Carrion Ghost, which they dealt with on the spot.

Lu Yuan would drag away the corpses he deemed valuable, and cremate the rest.

The Eleventh Squad is responsible for the area where the inner and Outer Cities meet. The copper structure there is very thick, so the Carrion Fungus have no chance to take root. They only need to deal with a few areas of road surface Contamination by drag marks.

The Seventh Squad, in coordination with the other two squads, completed the final cleanup work on the eastern section of the Outer City.

Glock stood in front of the map and used a charcoal pencil to black out the cleared areas one by one.

By 3 p. m., more than 80 percent of the red areas on the map had turned black.

"The ground area is basically cleared." Glock put down his charcoal pencil, his tone not particularly relaxed.

Because everyone knows that the ground is only the surface.

The real problem lies beneath our feet.

Lu Yuan stood by the window, looking at the street outside.

The sun is setting in the west.

Ordinary people have begun to appear on the streets.

They peeked out of the building, gathering in twos and threes. Some talked in hushed tones, while others simply stood there, looking around with blank stares.

The bloodstains have not been completely cleaned up.

The scratches on the wall are still there.

The door, which had been smashed open, lay askew on the roadside, and no one went to help it up.

A woman stood at her doorstep, holding a child, her gaze fixed on the dark red drag mark on the opposite wall that stretched from the ground to the eaves.

Her lips were moving, but no sound came out.

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze.

Most of the city's residents have never witnessed anything strange in their lives.

The bronze structure and rune system of the Bronze City have been operating for countless years, keeping the vast majority of supernatural threats outside the city walls.

For them, the supernatural was the words in the newspaper, the stories in the tavern, and the things that the Night Watcher had to worry about.

But after that night, those stories turned into bloodstains on their own doorsteps and empty houses left behind after their neighbors disappeared.

And there were those churning clouds in the sky, filled with black eyes.

Of course, that's the power of the Guardians.

Fear doesn't disappear with the dawn.

It simply exists in a different form.

Boer walked in from outside, holding a freshly printed newspaper in his hand.

The ink smell was still strong, and the edges of the paper even carried the residual heat of the printing press.

"A reprint," Boer said, placing the newspaper on the table. "Someone was handing them out on the street just now."

Lu Yuan picked it up and glanced at it.

The front page featured a public statement signed "The Night Watcher Branch of Bronze City".

The wording is very carefully chosen.

The words "Ghoul" and "collapse" were not mentioned.

The terms used are "unusual underground activity" and "local geological changes".

The statement essentially said: Unusual events occurred in parts of Bronze City last night, resulting in attacks by wild animals.

The Night Watcher responded immediately and handled the situation.

Safety has been restored within the city, and all damaged areas are currently under repair.

Residents are urged to maintain normal daily routines and minimize going out at night. If any unusual situation is discovered, please immediately report it to the nearest Night Watcher watch post.

The last paragraph is the key point.

"The Bronze City stands to this day, its walls unbreached, its runes unextinguished. The Night Watcher will continue to protect the safety of every resident."

After reading it, Lu Yuan put the newspaper down.

Well written.

This should at least appease some people. Bronze City is so large that even though it caused quite a stir yesterday, some areas were still unaffected.

But for those who actually saw countless Black Eyeballs churning in the sky, the words "underground anomaly" would probably only make them more uneasy.

Because they knew what they were seeing.

The newspaper told them that those things didn't exist.

"This kind of appeasement won't last long," Boer said in a low voice.

"It won't take too long." Lu Yuan's gaze fell on the gradually slanting sunlight outside the window. "Just get through tonight."

Boer did not respond.

He glanced at the sky outside the window, then silently walked to the weapons rack and began to check his equipment.

The supplies arrived in the evening.

This time, it wasn't just a single horse-drawn carriage that arrived.

It was a convoy.

Four heavy cargo wagons came from the inner city, their wheels making a dull creak as they rolled over the gravel road.

Each vehicle was hunched over, and the axles groaned under the strain.

In the lead carriage sat a stoic Night Watcher, a bronze badge of the dispatcher pinned to his chest.

"Ninth Squad?"

"Yes."

"Received."

The dispatcher handed over a booklet, turned to a page, and pointed to something.

Lu Yuan took it, glanced at it, and then wrote his name in the signature column.

The first vehicle unloaded weapons.

Lu Yuan noticed the change in color first.

It's no longer the silver-plated bronze sword and standard Short Shotgun.

Instead, it was a dark red, all-copper weapon.

The bronze sword's blade was nearly twice as thick as the previous one, and its surface had no plating or decoration, only fine hammer marks left from the forging process.

It feels much heavier in your hand, with a forward-biased center of gravity, making it suitable for chopping.

This thing is far more effective against Ghouls than the silver-plated kind.

The matching Short Blade is also made entirely of copper, with a very thin edge but a thick back.

Boer drew a bronze sword and weighed it in his hand.

"Pure copper? Headquarters actually has this kind of stock, and judging by the appearance, there should be quite a lot..."

"It's the cost that's in question..."

"Hmm..." Lu Yuan glanced at him, "It seems that Bronze City did have some preparations."

Boer thought for a moment, then stopped talking and sheathed the bronze sword.

The second vehicle unloaded ammunition and alchemy consumables.

Silver-Plated Bullets remained the primary ammunition, but a new type of bullet, the Copper-Shell Incendiary Bomb, was introduced.

The cartridge case is made of pure copper, and the bullet is filled with concentrated Alchemical Fire Powder.

Upon impact, the copper shell shatters, igniting the fire powder, combining the effects of copper's restraint with the burning of Holy Light.

There weren't many; each person only received six rounds.

But at crucial moments, six shots are enough to change the situation.

The Alchemy Grenade has also been redesigned.

The outer shell changed from iron to copper, and it was a size larger than the one used last night. The surface was engraved with fine alchemical patterns and faintly glowed with a bluish light.

Lu Yuan unscrewed the inspection cap of a hand grenade and glanced at its internal structure.

The Alchemical Fire Powder was filled at least twice as much as the older model and was mixed with some kind of silvery-white powder.

[Detection Target: Copper-Shell Holy-Light Grenade (Night Watcher Standard)]

[A mixture of Alchemical Fire Powder and refined Holy Water, which releases a high-concentration Holy Light shockwave upon explosion, with a kill radius approximately three times that of the older model against low-level monsters. The copper shell fragments themselves also have a continuous burning effect.]

[Forbidden Studies - Seeker: +0.1...11.7/100]

Lu Yuan screwed the inspection cover back on and handed the grenade to Boer.

Two coins each, keep two for backup.

The third vehicle carried large items.

Copper-Plated Caltrops.

Each one is an iron core as thick as an arm, encased in forged copper, with the tip polished into a triangular pyramid shape, and the surface engraved with alchemical patterns similar to those on the city wall.

The base is made of cast iron and has anchor points at the four corners.

There are twelve groups in total.

Each group consists of four crossbars, which, when fully deployed, can block a passage approximately three meters wide.

The twelve groups, lined up in a row, are enough to form a blockade about sixty meters long in front of the Collapse Pit.

Glock walked over, looked at the Copper-Plated Caltrops, and flicked one of their tips with his finger.

The copper surface emitted a muffled hum.

"These things can keep out Ghouls?"

"We can't stop them," Lu Yuan said directly, "But we can slow them down."

Ghouls ' skin will burn upon contact with copper; to climb over or break through Copper-Plated Caltrops, they must endure continuous burns.

In addition, the physical obstruction at the tip will significantly reduce the charging speed.

Moreover, the spiked copper is not comparable to the copper content of the outer city of Bronze City, which is pitifully low.

Glock nodded and turned to arrange for people to move it.

The fourth vehicle contained the most miscellaneous items.

Copper anchors, copper wire mesh, lamp oil refill containers, Marching Lamp spare parts, various chemicals...

There were also several boxes of Copper Powder in wooden crates.

The Copper Powder is in bulk; it not only slows the spread of Carrion Fungus but also causes some damage to Ghouls.

However, it's not as good as Alchemical Fire Powder.

Lu Yuan looked at the supplies and quickly made a decision in his mind.

This is in preparation for casting a "Copper Wall".

The Night Watcher were to build a temporary Defense Line of copper around the Collapse Pit.

The corroded copper floor was replaced with copper, which has a restraining effect.

It's not about eliminating the Ghouls underground; given the number we saw last night, the people on the surface can't handle it.

However, if the goal is simply to block the entrance and slow the spread of Ghouls, then it might be worth trying...

However, Lu Yuan suddenly realized that he wouldn't have Laurina's potion to help him tonight...

All I can say is, I hope everything goes well.

We must not let last night's situation repeat itself until we find a better solution.

After the supplies were unloaded, another group of people arrived.

Not Night Watcher.

Five figures walked in from the direction of the inner city.

The leader was a middle-aged man wearing a dark gray robe. His left hand was covered from the cuff to the fingertips with a dark silver metal shell, and small Gear structures could be seen at the joints.

Four men in black robes followed behind him.

Wearing a mask shaped like a bird's beak.

They followed behind without moving, their steps so synchronized that they didn't seem like people walking, but rather like four machines driven by the same command.

Those Born.

The Ascension Society's renovation project.

Judging from this situation, it seems the Night Watcher Ascension Society?

Seeing this, Glock quickly went to meet him.

"Is it support from the Ascension Society?"

The middle-aged man nodded.

"They were coordinated from the branch office." His voice was steady, and the Gear in his left hand turned slightly. "Four Born, to assist with nighttime defense. I'm in command."

"Code name?"

"Hertz."

He didn't give a long self-introduction, his gaze swept over the Night Watcher present, and finally landed on Lu Yuan, pausing for a moment.

Lu Yuan paid no attention, his gaze sweeping over the four Born.

[Detection Target: Born (containing special fluctuations) × 4]

[Characteristics: A creation Deprivation of most of its Flesh and will, retaining only basic neural reflexes and the instinct to obey. Its arms conceal deformable weapons, and a complete human face no longer exists beneath the mask.]

[Weaknesses: Rigid action patterns, lack of independent judgment, and chaos if the commander is killed.]

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly upon seeing this.

It seems the Ascension Society has discovered something again; this Born appears to be slightly stronger than those seen in Grim Port.

However, with only four Born, their firepower is roughly equivalent to that of a standard squad.

It can hold out for a while longer, but it can't change the fundamental situation.

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze.

Something is better than nothing.

Glock made arrangements quickly.

The four Born were divided into two groups, working with two Night Watcher squads, and deployed in two directions at the North Spinning District Collapse Pit.

Hertz himself stayed behind to maintain the command chain for the Born.

As for how to specifically fight the Born, Glock didn't ask any further questions.

They are not Night Watcher; they have their own methods of combat.

As long as we can withstand a few more waves, any method is acceptable.

The sun began to set.

The light on the horizon changed from gold to orange-red, and then to dark purple.

The entire Alchemy Workshop outpost entered a state of pre-war readiness.

Glock made one last mark on the map, then stood up.

Attention, all squads.

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone on the first floor stopped what they were doing.

Tonight's task is simple.

He tapped the location of the North Spinning District Collapse Pit on the map with his knuckles.

"Hold the Defense Line, prevent the Ghouls from breaking through the blockade, and prevent the Carrion Fungus from spreading outwards."

As much as possible.

It's not "definitely" or "must".

It means "as much as possible".

The wording itself says it all.

"Kill if you can, otherwise stall."

"Do not retreat before dawn!"

No one spoke.

Glock looked around and nodded.

"For the Empire! Let's go!"

The Ninth Squad was assigned to the same position as last night's Collapse Pit.

This is also the direction with the most pressure.

Accompanying them were two Born.

Lu Yuan did not raise any objections.

Being on the front lines means being the first to engage in battle, and it also means being the first to obtain intelligence.

For him, it wasn't all bad.

If something truly exists underground, our team's chances of survival will at least increase slightly.

By the time the team arrived at the North Spinning District Collapse Pit, it was already completely dark.

But this time, it was completely different from last night.

Marching Lamp were placed every five meters along the blockade, forming a bright arc that illuminated the entire area in front of the Collapse Pit.

The Copper-Plated Caltrops had already been installed by the Vanguard Team.

The twelve sets of barricades are arranged in an arc, with the copper spikes facing the Collapse Pit, and the base is fixed to the copper surface with ground nails.

The gaps between the barricades were connected with copper wire mesh, and a layer of Copper Powder was sprinkled on the mesh surface.

From a distance, it looks like a low, dark red wall, gleaming with a calm, metallic sheen under the illumination of the Marching Lamp.

Ten paces behind the cordon is the firing position.

A bunker made of sandbags, about half a person's height, with ammunition boxes and spare supplies stacked behind it.