Plan Failed

"Huff!"

Lu Yuan jolted awake from the bed, gasping for breath. The wreckage of that enormous rust-covered ship still lingered before his eyes.

And with the end of the strange dream,

a string of gray text flashed wildly before finally settling.

[Sanity III: 0/73 (Experience)]

[It seemed you had broken through the limits of human sanity? Congratulations, fortunate one. You could now go farther on the path toward uncovering the world's origins.]

Lu Yuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Yet as he looked at the prompt, he felt little joy.

Why had the Iron Whale appeared in his dream, and in that way?

Could the source of the strange dream have come from the ores they had brought back? And had none of the Night Watchers been afflicted by the strange dream?

No, he had to go to the base and see if he could find any related records.

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the window.

Immediately afterward, a violent explosion echoed throughout Grim Port.

Lu Yuan walked to the window and looked toward the Slum District.

Black smoke billowed there, and flames soared into the sky, dyeing the predawn heavens crimson.

There was no need to ask.

The Night Watchers' extermination operation had failed.

Old Morgan's bold declaration about "fishing" in the office last night still seemed to echo in his ears.

The Night Watchers had intended to use fish-flesh contamination as bait, drawing out the rats hidden in the dark and catching them all in one net.

But now, it seemed the things lurking in the darkness were not rats, but beasts.

Lu Yuan prepared to head to the base to see whether he could help. Of course, he was even more interested in the records of the "Iron Whale."

The underground base, Medical District.

"Hold him down! Don't let him claw at his wound!"

Desperate, hoarse shouts rang out without pause.

On the innermost hospital bed, a young Night Watcher struggled in agony.

The wound on his neck, wrapped in gauze, was writhing madly. Dark red granulation tissue grew like wild grass out of control, bursting through the bandages in the blink of an eye.

The two Doctors beside him were drenched in sweat. The duckbill forceps in their fingers instinctively clamped down on the slick new tissue.

"Where's the Magic Potion?! Bring a bottle, now!" one Doctor roared, never pausing his movements.

"We're out! The last bottle was given to Captain Hans ten minutes ago!" A man responsible for fetching medicine hurried back anxiously.

"It'll still take time for more to be delivered from the warehouse!"

"Time? By the time the medicine gets here, he'll be ready for burial! What the hell is the Logistics Department even good for?!"

The Doctor shouted furiously.

At that critical moment,

a hand reached over and offered a bottle of black liquid.

"Use this."

Lu Yuan's calm voice rang out amid the chaos.

"Wormwood Ash mixed with concentrated Holy Water, plus a little Red Phosphorus Powder. It won't be enough to cure him, but it can at least buy some time."

The Doctor froze for a moment. He looked at the unfamiliar man before him, then at the wounded man on the verge of mutation. Gritting his teeth, he snatched the bottle and poured it directly over the wound.

Sizzle—!

A teeth-grinding sound of corrosion rang out, followed by rising white smoke.

The injured man on the bed suddenly arched upright and let out a scream before crashing heavily back onto the bed, unconscious.

But the wildly growing flesh on his neck truly stopped writhing, turning into a patch of charred, dead skin.

"He... he made it."

The Doctor let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his face, and looked gratefully at Lu Yuan.

"Thanks. That formula was bold, though. Say, brother, you look unfamiliar. What's your name?"

"Just an emergency measure. My name is Lu Yuan."

Lu Yuan removed his gloves and tossed them into the waste bin beside him.

"If you really want to cure him, you'll still need the Magic Potion. I only bought you some time. There's more over there; it can be used for symptoms at this level."

Lu Yuan looked at the gray-white text appearing before him.

[Formula Generated: Pollution Inhibitor (Beginner)]

[Principle: Uses highly concentrated Holy Water to temporarily suppress contamination, supplemented with Wormwood Ash and Red Phosphorus Powder to reduce damage to other areas.]

[Estimated Success Rate: 85%]

[Note: The inhibitor can only suppress contamination for several hours. Afterward, it will greatly weaken the effects of similar medicines.]

[Pharmacology: +3, 11/50]

Lu Yuan did not claim credit, nor did he linger. He turned and headed for the other areas. He was not needed here for the moment.

On a bench outside the Medical District, Mary leaned back with a flattened cigarette pinched between her fingers, looking utterly bedraggled.

Her exquisite wine-red dress had several tears in it, and its hem was stained with mud and black blood.

When she saw Lu Yuan approach, she pointed at the empty seat beside her and blew out a smoke ring.

"Sit. That was a nice move just now."

"How's the situation?" Lu Yuan sat down and got straight to the point.

"Terrible."

Mary gave a bitter laugh, her eyes somewhat vacant. "Those lunatics sacrificed quite a few people in the Slum District and summoned something big."

"Though we eventually blew it back into the sewers, the... cost was enormous."

"We don't have enough people."

Mary took a hard drag, as if suppressing her anger. "If those main squads had been here, if the defensive line hadn't been stretched so thin today by 'several other missions'... sigh."

"Other missions?" Lu Yuan keenly caught the key phrase.

"Yeah. Grim Port hasn't been peaceful lately. People are needed everywhere."

Mary clearly did not want to say more. She waved her hand and stubbed out the cigarette. "Forget it, let's not talk about that. Old Morgan is holding a meeting in the Core District. He asked me to tell you that, as a consultant, your clearance has taken effect."

"You can basically go anywhere in the base now. Be careful these next few days, and try not to go too far from the base."

"I will."

Lu Yuan nodded and rose to head for the Archive Room.

The Archive Room was located at the deepest level of the base, even deeper than the Library. Several figures stood guard outside it.

Lu Yuan took out his badge. The guards nodded and let him pass.

After crossing another corridor and pushing open a Metal Gate, Lu Yuan finally arrived at the Archive Room.

The Archive Room was quiet, with only the faint hiss of Gas Lamps.

Rows upon rows of towering black wooden bookshelves stood neatly arranged in the shadows.

They made the place feel especially oppressive.

Lu Yuan did not waste any time.

Following the signs to the area marked [Sea Incidents], his fingertips swiftly brushed across the rough kraft-paper file bags.

September Fishery Anomaly, October Mystery...

Until his fingers stopped on a file sealed with red wax.

[File No.: K-07 (Iron Whale) Special Voyage Record]

"Found it."

Lu Yuan pulled out the file, untied the cotton string wrapped around it, and several thin sheets of paper appeared before his eyes.