Sewer

The atmosphere in the Waterworks' Main Control Room was heavy to the extreme.

Beside the kicked-open drain cover, black wisps that only Lu Yuan could see still swirled.

"Confirmed."

Hans withdrew his gaze, his face grim. "This is probably the source. Those bastards used some kind of ritual to open up a node here."

"Then they invaded the Waterworks through the pipes and turned this place into their stronghold."

He turned around, swept his gaze across everyone present, and swiftly issued orders.

"Toby."

Hans looked at the youngest and quickest-footed Night Watcher in the team.

"Go back immediately and report the situation here to the base."

"Tell Mary that the Waterworks has fallen, the underground water system has been deeply contaminated, and we've found traces of an organized ritual."

"Tell her to send at least one more captain-level reinforcement. I'm worried the few of us won't be able to handle this."

"Yes."

The young man named Toby did not waste words. He slung his greatsword onto his back, turned, and rushed out of the Main Control Room.

Hans looked at the remaining three and continued.

"Ed, Gray, same old rules. One scouts ahead, one covers the rear. Who's taking which?"

A lean man with two pure silver curved blades at his waist stepped forward. Pulling down his mask to reveal only a pair of sharp eyes, he said, "I'll scout."

This was Ed, who was more skilled at reconnaissance.

The silent, bear-built man merely said in a muffled voice, "I'll cover the rear."

He was Gray, the team's heavy firepower. A thick tower shield and an alchemical musket were strapped to his back.

"Ron." Hans looked toward the final team member, a wary middle-aged man.

"You'll protect Lu Yuan. He's the deputy captain, and the only doctor and scholar we have here. I don't want to see even a single hair on his head harmed."

"Understood." Ron nodded and moved to half a step beside Lu Yuan, one hand already resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Having arranged everything, Hans turned to Lu Yuan, his tone softening somewhat.

"Doctor Lu, do you have any suggestions regarding these combat assignments?"

Lu Yuan shook his head.

"Let professionals do professional work." Lu Yuan checked the cylinder of his pistol. "I'm only responsible for telling you what I know from books. As for how to hack things apart, that's what you're good at."

Hans grinned, seemingly very satisfied with the answer.

"Then move out."

The sewer entrance was in the Waterworks' basement.

After clearing out several scattered mutated creatures at the entrance, ensuring their retreat route was safe, and leaving behind two specially made climbing ropes, they filed inside one after another.

Grim Port's underground drainage system was extraordinarily vast.

It not only carried the entire city's sewage but also connected to smuggling tunnels from the old era.

The main passage was broad enough for three adults to walk abreast, with maintenance walkways elevated above the water on both sides.

But now, this place had changed completely.

The walls, which should have been damp and dark, were now covered in a thick layer of dark green moss.

Like some kind of living skin, it wriggled faintly beneath the flashlight beams and even secreted a viscous fluid.

The air was thick with a strong fishy stench mingled with rot, enough to make anyone wrinkle their nose.

"Stop."

Ed, walking at the very front, suddenly raised a fist—the signal to halt.

He crouched down and carefully touched the moss on the wall with the silver curved blade in his hand.

Sizzle—

A teeth-grating sound of corrosion rang out, and a wisp of green smoke rose from the blade's edge.

"This stuff is corrosive, and..." Ed glanced back. "It seems to be trying to wrap around my knife."

Everyone's hearts tightened.

Hans looked at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan said nothing. He took a pair of long tweezers from his medical kit, pinched off a small moss sample, and placed it into a test tube he had prepared beforehand.

Under the gray-white prompt, the seemingly plant-like mass immediately revealed its true form.

[Witnessed mutated creature: Corpse Moss (low-tier colony)]

[Traits: Possesses weak vitality and predatory instincts. It prefers clinging to carrion or living creatures to absorb nutrients. Its secreted mucus has both paralyzing and digestive effects.]

[Weaknesses: Strong acid, Flame.]

"Corpse Moss."

Lu Yuan shook the test tube and watched the green substance inside frantically slam against the glass walls, his tone calm.

"This isn't a plant. It's alive."

"They like eating meat. If you dare press yourself against the wall, you'll become their fertilizer in less than ten minutes."

"And their mucus is paralyzing. If it gets on your skin by accident, clean it off immediately. Oh, and they fear Flame."

Upon hearing that, Ed instinctively moved farther from the wall.

The Night Watchers, who had still held some disdain for this "air-dropped deputy captain," now looked at him differently.

To give such an accurate analysis instantly in an environment like this—the doctor truly had some skill.

"Keep moving. Don't touch the walls."

Hans gave the order.

The team continued onward.

As Ed scouted ahead, the deeper they went, the stronger his sense of unease became.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan observed their surroundings as he walked.

Because he had noticed something profoundly out of place.

"Something's wrong," Lu Yuan suddenly said.

"What is it?" Hans immediately stopped and warily looked around.

"It's too clean."

Lu Yuan pointed to the walkway beneath their feet. "This is a sewer, the dirtiest place there is."

"Normally, it should be crawling with rats and cockroaches."

"But we've been walking for so long, and apart from this Corpse Moss, we haven't seen even one cockroach."

Everyone froze, then quickly realized it.

That was right. It was far too abnormal.

"Where did the rats go?" Ed asked quietly.

"Maybe they were all eaten."

Lu Yuan looked at the fat, wriggling Corpse Moss on the walls, his voice growing cold. "Corpse Moss can only sustain itself by feeding on carrion. To grow this lushly, it needs a massive source of meat."

"All the rats and insects have become nutrients for these things."

As he spoke, unease flashed through Lu Yuan's eyes.

"But rats alone couldn't sustain such an enormous Corpse Moss colony. It's still spreading deeper, and the farther in it goes, the better it grows."

"What does that mean?" Hans tightened his grip on his greatsword.

"It means there's a larger 'meat source' inside."

Lu Yuan spoke slowly. "A... Cafeteria large enough to feed the entire sewer."

The speculation sent a chill down everyone's spine.

What was inside that "Cafeteria"?

No one needed to say it—they could all guess.

Those missing workers.