Overload

"Your speed..."

"Practice makes perfect." Lu Yuan didn't explain further. "I've already dealt with Mary's situation. Her case is rather special and requires continued observation."

"It's good that Mary is alright." Hans nodded, clearly relieved.

Lu Yuan responded and turned to walk towards the Library.

Mina and Brent are still inside; he needs to go check on them.

Moreover, I had promised Mina to prepare a sedative to alleviate the side effects of "Echo of All Things," but I hadn't had time to prepare it until now that all the ingredients were available.

The Library was very quiet.

Lu Yuan pushed open the door and went in, and saw Brent asleep leaning against the bookshelf, with a trace of fatigue on his face.

A blanket was spread on the ground next to her, and Mina lay on it, her brows furrowed and her lips moving incessantly, as if she were having a nightmare.

The Mo Shui floated in mid-air, and those beady eyes were fixed on Mina, their expression unusually solemn.

She was surrounded by several Knowledge Orbs, more than twice the usual number.

She was holding a ball of light in her hand, eating it bite by bite, but her movements revealed a hint of absentmindedness.

"You've come."

The sound of Mo Shui was very low, as if afraid of waking Mina.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yuan took a few steps closer, his gaze falling on Mina. "Has her talent flared up again?"

"Did something come out outside?" Mo Shui took another bite of the light orb, his tone heavy. "The thing that rushed into Mina's ear just now suddenly increased in size..."

She paused, swallowed the remaining orb of light in one gulp, and then picked a new one from beside her.

"I suspect something big has appeared out there. How's the situation now?"

"The High Priest of the Deep Sea Church," Lu Yuan crouched down to check Mina's condition, "But it's resolved."

Mo Shui breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"That's good." She put the ball of light in her mouth and mumbled, "Now that the source is gone, I'll recover after a while."

Lu Yuan nodded, his gaze falling on Mina's pale face.

The little girl's lips were still moving slightly, uttering a few indistinct words intermittently:

"... No... I don't want to hear it..."

"... Stop shouting... please stop shouting..."

"... They can't be saved... no one can save them..."

Her voice was choked with sobs, tears welled in her eyes, and she curled up into a ball.

Lu Yuan frowned. "Why is Mina still talking about this?"

"Aftershocks," Mo Shui sighed, "Too many of those voices have come in; we can't process them all in a short time."

She floated to Mina's side, a complex emotion flashing in her beady eyes.

"Grim Port... it's such a mess." Mo Shui's tone was tinged with annoyance. "All sorts of nonsense is being fed into her ears— the Deep Sea, the dead... it's a complete hodgepodge."

She paused, then picked another ball of light and took a bite.

"Once things are settled here, we need to take her somewhere else."

Lu Yuan nodded. Grim Port was indeed not suitable for Mina. Later, he could talk to Old Morgan and ask if Mina could be sent to an Imperial province or another safe place.

Before Lu Yuan could say anything more, the Communication Crystal in his arms suddenly lit up.

It was Xi Wading's voice, brief and urgent:

"We've arrived in the inner city. Things here aren't resolved yet. The Viscount made a mistake, and Old Morgan is investigating."

How are things on your end?

Lu Yuan replied, "The situation is temporarily stable. Tell Alice that Mary's condition is under control."

"Okay. I'll contact you again if I hear anything."

Communication was lost.

The Library fell silent again, with only Mina's occasional murmurs echoing in the air.

Lu Yuan looked down at Mina, his brows furrowing slightly. "I'll go get her some medicine..."

"No," Mo Shui interrupted him, his mouth still stuffed with half a ball of light, "This is progressing very quickly, it's best not to interrupt."

The Book Spirit chewed on the ball of light, its tone tinged with complexity. "The sooner you adapt to the talent of Echo of All Things, the better. A little hardship won't hurt."

She paused, then added, "Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on it. If anything goes wrong, I'll call you."

Lu Yuan remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

[Grim Port Status: 43/50 → 44/50]

A grayish-white notification flickered at the edge of my vision; it was clearly the message: the Viscount had done something wrong.

This caused the long-dormant experience bar to move a little more.

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze.

What exactly happened in the inner city?

Lu Yuan didn't know; now he could only wait for news from Old Morgan.

Half an hour earlier, when Old Morgan led Valentin and his squad through the Outer City, the streets were filled with panicked people.

The lights were mostly out, and a strong stench of blood filled the air, mixed with the putrid smell unique to Mutated Creature, sending chills down one's spine.

"There are Mutation ahead." Valentin's voice came from ahead, his green eyes gleaming faintly in the darkness.

Old Morgan raised his hand, signaling the team to stop.

Valentin gestured to Old Morgan that everything was fine, then dashed off in a flash. His upper body began to swell as he ran, and a layer of gray keratin seeped from beneath his skin, obscuring his elegant face.

After a few muffled thuds, Valentin returned carrying a Mutation creature that was still convulsing, and casually tossed it to the ground.

"Severely Contamination, there are no human characteristics left." Valentin wiped the black blood from his hands, a look of disgust on his face. "The Contamination level in the inner city is higher than I imagined."

Old Morgan crouched down and poked at the corpse with his cane.

The Mutation's skin is a sickly grayish-green, covered with fine scales, with bulging eyes and a mouth that splits open to the base of its ears, revealing a row of fine, sharp teeth.

Typical Deep Sea Mutation characteristics.

"Let's go," Old Morgan stood up, his voice hoarse. "Don't delay."

The team continued forward.

Just then, the Communication Crystal on Old Morgan's waist suddenly vibrated, and Hans's voice came through the crystal:

"The battle at the warehouse is over; the mastermind has been defeated."

Old Morgan paused slightly in his steps.

"Excellent, it seems the plan was a success."

"Yes, Lu Yuan controlled the turret very well, and together with Xi Wading and Alice, they successfully decapitated the enemy."

Old Morgan narrowed his cloudy eyes slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"After all these years of planning, it's finally not been in vain."

Old Morgan didn't say much, he simply put the Communication Crystal back into his waistband.

Valentin glanced back at him. "The warehouse issue is resolved. You don't seem surprised?"

"The fortifications were designed for this kind of situation." Old Morgan's gaze fell towards the inner city. "I'm more worried about the inner city."

The distant sky was tinged with an eerie dark red, as if something was burning fiercely.