Laurina's Letter

There were two letters from Laurina.

The first letter was very short, consisting of only one line.

"The collapse of the Old Council Square in the inner city exceeded everyone's expectations. Please be careful."

The handwriting is very steady, as if it was written in a few seconds in a hurry.

Second letter.

It's a bit longer than the first one.

The handwriting was messier than usual, Mo Shui had smudged in some places, as if the surface under the hand was uneven when writing.

"Our medicine stock is running low, and we can't send you anything else in the near future."

"The new formula based on Refined Sandworm Oil is not progressing smoothly. The equipment is not precise enough, and I have tried three times without being able to stabilize the reaction temperature."

I stopped writing this line halfway through.

A dot of ink followed, as if the tip of a pen had been lingering on the paper for a long time.

Then it starts on a new line.

"The Third Tower the Tower of Erudition, my lab workbench, contains something I'm leaving for you."

You'll find out the specifics when you get there.

"The branch office has assessed that the inner city is no longer safe. I will be escorted to Headquarters tomorrow or the day after."

"If you need anything, let me know before I leave."

Signature.

"Laurina."

After reading the letter, Lu Yuan folded it and put it in his pocket.

It's next to the previous one.

Boer stood to the side and listened to all the news.

There was a long silence.

"Not a single one from North Spinning District came last night." His voice was low.

"Is it because they went to the inner city?"

Lu Yuan nodded.

He remembered the Hive he had seen in the Abyss.

The cave entrances are layered upon each other, connecting vertically, horizontally, and vertically.

A vast underground network.

The Ghoul didn't disappear from the ground.

They retreated from the entrance of the North Spinning District to their nests and regrouped along the network towards the inner city.

They surged into the inner city.

It surged towards the base of the Copper Pillar.

They, or rather, the thing that commanded them, abandoned the secondary objective of North Spinning District.

They turned to what was truly important.

Those Copper Pillar extending from the cliff face.

Lu Yuan stood by the window, looking at the lingering dust and smoke from the direction of the inner city.

The sunlight shone on the smoke and dust, giving it a hazy, warm color, like a dusty gold.

The bronze floor beneath my feet was quiet.

The light from the runes was no longer visible.

But Lu Yuan knew that even at night, those runes might not still light up.

The energy of the runes was channeled from the inner city.

The inner city is under attack, and if it cannot hold out, the Outer City will fall as well.

Lu Yuan looked down at the Copper Plate he was standing on.

Beneath the Copper Plate was soil.

Beneath the soil lies rock.

Below the rocks lies the Abyss.

On the other side of the Abyss were those enormous Copper Pillar.

The inner city was built atop those pillars.

It was built on the lid of the Abyss.

The thing under the lid is trying to remove the pillars supporting it.

But there was nothing I could do about it.

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze.

North Spinning District is safe.

We're safe, at least for now.

But this is not a victory.

This simply means that the inner city is more important than this place.

Resources will follow the danger. Manpower, ammunition, and attention will all be concentrated in the inner city.

The priority of North Spinning District will be reduced again and again.

And the opening was still open.

Lu Yuan turned around.

"Boer."

"Exist."

"Count the ammunition again, everyone's, and calculate how many more nights we can last without resupply."

Boer looked at Lu Yuan with a serious expression.

"Clear."

Lu Yuan walked downstairs.

Bolen was still sitting in a corner on the first floor, Inscription inscriptions on paper with a copper bar.

Kael squatted down beside him, grinding some powder.

"Bolen," Lu Yuan called out.

Bolen raised his head.

"Can that broken section of the conductive structure on the ground be repaired?"

Bolen glanced at him.

"Probably."

"How long?"

"If it's just a temporary fix... three days." Bolen's fingers were still drawing on the paper. "But it's only a superficial restoration of conduction; the deeper layers can't be addressed."

That's enough.

Three days.

Lu Yuan did some mental calculations.

The Ground Conduction Structure was to be repaired within three days.

Restore the coverage of the Wall Runes to the North Textile District.

At least make sure the opening isn't completely open.

Then...

Then wait.

Wait until the outcome is decided on the inner city side.

Lu Yuan walked out of the Alchemy Workshop.

The sun is shining brightly.

But he knew what lay beneath that sunlit ground.

Every step you take is a step on the heads of people who were sealed underground hundreds of years ago.

Those people turned into Ghoul.

They built a nest.

After daybreak, Bolen found Glock.

Lu Yuan was organizing ammunition when he overheard the conversation coming from the first floor.

"I want to go deeper."

Bolen's voice carried an barely suppressed urgency.

It was almost identical to the "I want to go back" he shouted yesterday when Kael away from the edge of the Abyss.

After getting an extra night's sleep, a touch of rationality crept into my anxiety.

"I only had time to examine one cross-section of the Ground Conduction Structure yesterday; at least four key nodes still require on-site investigation. Furthermore, the Inscription style on the Copper Pillar..."

"No approval," Glock interrupted him.

Bolen's mouth was still open.

You saw what happened in the inner city last night.

Glock's tone left no room for negotiation.

"The branch hasn't issued any instructions yet. I don't know whether to hold or retreat. Under these circumstances, I won't approve anyone going down into the cave."

Bolen stood there, his cane tapping on the ground.

"Captain Glock, you don't understand the value of those Inscription..."

"I don't need to understand." Glock looked at him. "I need you to live, complete the tasks assigned to you by the branch, and then fill out the mission reports."

"As for the value of the Inscription, we will determine that once this matter is resolved."

Bolen's face flushed red, and he opened his mouth but remained silent for a long time.

Kael stood behind him and tugged at his sleeve.

The old man stubbornly refused to move.

Lu Yuan walked down the stairs.

"Bolen."

Bolen turned to look at him.

"You said you could repair that broken conductive structure on the ground yesterday," Lu Yuan shifted the topic to the mission. "Will we be able to see what you want to see during the repair process?"

Bolen was taken aback by what he heard.

"... We can see a portion of it: the fracture surface, the vein pattern, the structural characteristics. The samples on the ground and those underground are from the same system, just at the end."

"Then we'll repair it on the surface." Lu Yuan glanced at Glock. "No need to go down into the cave."

Glock looked at Lu Yuan and remained silent for a moment.

"You can only go this far within the 30-meter radius of the cave entrance," Glock said, turning and leaving.

Bolen watched Glock's retreating figure, then glanced at Lu Yuan.

He muttered something under his breath, but didn't argue further.

He turned to Kael and said, "Go and bring the tools over."

Around 10 a. m., the branch staff arrived.

It wasn't just one person.

It consisted of a carriage and four Night Watcher.

The leader was a middle-aged military officer, Lu Yuan had never seen the number on his shoulder before.

He held a stamped document in his hand and went directly to Glock.

Lu Yuan didn't move closer.

However, the space on the first floor of the Alchemy Workshop was not large, and voices could be heard very clearly.

"The division orders that one-third of the existing troops at the North Spinning District Position be immediately redeployed to the inner city to participate in the defense of the Old Council Square area."

Glock took the document and glanced at it.

"Including the wounded, I have a total of nineteen people here. One-third is six. We'll withdraw six, leaving thirteen to guard the Collapse Pit and the surrounding 300-meter perimeter."

"The branch office means that there hasn't been a large-scale outflow at the North Spinning District Collapse Pit for the past two nights, so the priority has been lowered." The middle-aged officer's tone was very businesslike. "We urgently need manpower in the direction of the old council area in the inner city."

Glock remained silent.

He placed the document on the table and remained silent for about five seconds.

"I'll provide the men." His voice was flat. "I'll decide which six."

"Sure. We'll depart within half an hour."

After the middle-aged officer finished speaking, he unloaded three wooden crates and two ammunition pouches from the carriage.

"These are the supplies we requested earlier: ammunition, Copper Powder, Sandworm Oil, Mithril, and Alchemy Weapon."

He paused for a moment.

"The potion is gone. It was all intercepted within the inner city."

Glock looked a little grim, but he nodded without asking any further questions.

The carriage was parked at the door, waiting for someone.

Glock finalized the list in less than ten minutes.

Six people.

Three squads are drawn from each of the eleventh and Seventh Squad. After the draw, the two squads can still maintain a minimum combat formation.

Lu Yuan noticed that the Ninth Squad was not selected.

As Glock walked over, Lu Yuan was counting the newly arrived ammunition.

"I didn't touch your men," Glock said.

"I saw it."

"It's not that I'm taking care of you, it's just that the Ninth Squad went down into the cave yesterday, and they're in the worst condition. Even if they were pulled out to the inner city, they wouldn't be able to hold on."

Lu Yuan did not respond.

He knew that wasn't the whole reason.

But Glock doesn't need him to say thank you.

The six Night Watcher packed their gear and boarded the carriage.

Before leaving, one of them passed by Lu Yuan and patted him on the shoulder.

He's the gunner of the Eleventh Squad on the west side of the position. The one with the deep orange Sanity Check yesterday has already been sent away; this is his partner.

He didn't speak.

After taking the photos, I got into the car.

The carriage headed towards the inner city and soon disappeared at the end of the street.

The area in front of the Alchemy Workshop suddenly became much emptier.

Lu Yuan turned his head and glanced in the direction of the position.

The two Night Watcher stayed on the ground to keep watch before going down into the cave yesterday, one of them was from the Ninth Squad.

Last night, after my shift ended, I was reassigned by Glock to fill in on the east side.

The other one was the one whose rationality was highlighted in red this morning and who was sent away.

Lu Yuan stood at the door and counted the remaining people.

Glock.

Boer.

Own.

Including the remaining three members of the Ninth Squad, the remaining three members of the Eleventh Squad, and the four members of the Seventh Squad.

Thirteen.

Add Bolen and Kael, and there are fifteen active ones.

There was another nun up high.

One of the Ascension Society Born was previously crippled, and the remaining one was also injured.

The Ascension Society said they would add two new ones, but we haven't seen anyone yet.

The wounded soldier would hide in the ruins on the east side of the position during the day and only appear at night.

It is not under Glock's jurisdiction, nor does it take orders from anyone.

But it's still there.

Even considering his fighting ability, he's equivalent to one person.

Bolen and Kael are not considered combatants.

Nuns are not under his jurisdiction.

There were actually thirteen people who could handle guns.

Guard a Collapse Pit.

"Boer."

"Exist."

"Come over."

Lu Yuan summoned Boer to the second floor of the Alchemy Workshop.

Unfold the simple map of the North Textile District.

The results of Boer's ammunition inventory yesterday are in.

With the Silver-Plated Bullet and the newly arrived supplies, a total of four hundred rounds have been fired.

Twenty-four Copper-Shell Incendiary Bomb.

Ten Copper Powder jars.

Two barrels of Sandworm Oil.

There was also a small amount of Mithril and a few alchemical short weapons.

It looks like it was taken from the inner city's armory.

"How long will it last?"

Boer thought for a moment.

"It depends on the intensity. If it's like the first two nights, it'll last at most two nights. But if it's like the second night... even one night is uncertain. However, with Mithril, it should be able to last a little longer."

Lu Yuan looked at the map.

Previously, Glock's Defense Line were a fan-shaped area radiating outwards from the entrance of the cave, extending 300 meters outwards.

There is one firing point on the west side, the north side, and the east side, with two layers of depth.

It can be just enough to cover nineteen people.

There are thirteen people now.

It's not fully covered.

"Abandon the west side." Lu Yuan drew a line on the map with his finger.

Boer looked up at him.

"The west side faces the Old Dye Workshop, where there are buildings blocking the view, making it the worst spot," Lu Yuan continued.

"But precisely because of the poor visibility, the probability of Ghoul coming around from that side is low, and they are very sensitive to human presence, so they are unlikely to turn around."

"But what if..."

"If they learn to turn, even thirteen people guarding three sides won't be enough to hold them off."

Boer shut his mouth.

Lu Yuan remarked two firing positions on the map.

One at the front of the cave entrance.

One on the east side.

The front retains three barricades and the main firepower, while the depth is compressed to 150 meters.

Two people were deployed on the east side as a flank for surveillance, along with tripwires.

The northern side is protected by a cluster of buildings, with no fixed firing positions, but a mobile sentry post is stationed there.

"The Ninth Squad will guard the front, while the Eleventh and Seventh Squads will be combined to guard the east flank with mobile sentries."

Boer looked at the map for a while.

How are the ammunition distributed?

"Sixty percent to the front, thirty percent to the east, and the remaining ten percent will be kept in the Alchemy Workshop as a reserve. All the Copper-Shell Incendiary Bomb will remain on the front; I have them."

Where's the Copper Powder?

"Use four cans to pave the front line, two cans to the east side, and keep the rest."

Boer didn't ask any more questions.

He copied the markings from the map into his notebook and went downstairs to set them up.

Lu Yuan stood alone by the second-floor window.

Outside the window, Bolen had already brought Kael to the vicinity of the cave entrance, and was squatting on the ground touching the Copper Plate.

Lu Yuan walked to the window and took out Laurina's letter from his pocket.

Turn it over.

The back is blank.

Lu Yuan found a charcoal pencil on the table.

A few lines of text were written on the back.

"If possible, I need more of the Eeriebane Potion' or other large-scale destructive agents, even if the conditions for their use are more stringent."

"We need intelligence: how much has the actual area under the inner city's control shrunk? How many more days can the North Spinning District Logistics Line sustain itself? What Ascension Society within the inner city?"

Write whatever comes to mind, and write as much as you can.

There's no rush regarding the Sandworm Oil.

The last line.

Be careful on the road.

Lu Yuan folded the letter and went downstairs to find the middle-aged officer who had delivered the ammunition.

The carriage hadn't left yet; they were loading the luggage of the six people to be transferred.

"Could you deliver a letter to me?" Lu Yuan handed over the letter.

"Send it to Laurina, the alchemist at the Night Watcher inner city stronghold."

The middle-aged officer glanced at him.

"Are you Lu Yuan?"

"Right."

The officer put the letter in his pocket.

"I delivered Laurina's letter for her before," he said, his tone more casual than before. "She's been incredibly busy in the inner city; she made all those potions for you by working through the night."

Lu Yuan did not respond.

The officer didn't say much, turned around and got into the carriage.