Clues to the Nest

Lin Jie's "herding" tactic immediately earned Sergeant William's silent approval. The experienced veteran showed his support through action.

They didn't spend much time looking for a ready-made metronome or music box. Drawing on his extensive battlefield experience, William pointed out that any steady, monotonous noise could achieve a similar effect.

And so, a unique "noise symphony" began inside Warehouse No. 3.

William found two thick iron plates and struck them together at an extremely steady, rhythmic pace, producing a solemn "clang... clang... clang..." like the tolling of a funeral bell.

The sound made the frantically scurrying Gremlins even more agitated.

Marcus was given a relatively simple task. Using an iron rod, he repeatedly struck an empty oil drum at fixed intervals, producing a penetrating "thump... thump... thump..." beat.

Lin Jie himself used several brass pipes of different lengths to put together a makeshift set of chimes. He patiently tapped out a monotonous scale devoid of any musical charm with a small wooden mallet.

Three monotonous noises, each imbued with a sense of order, turned into invisible walls of sound from three different directions in the warehouse, slowly pressing in on the Gremlins.

These little creatures, naturally fond of chaos and disorder, were driven completely mad by the sounds, which seemed to embody "factory discipline" and "military cadence."

They stopped darting around at random and, like a flock of sheep driven by sheepdogs, instinctively began searching for the "exit" where the noise was weakest.

That direction led to the dark opening into the underground drainage channel, where the railings they themselves had bent out of shape.

The herding plan went exceptionally smoothly.

Watching the panicked white figures scrambling to flee along the path they had come from, Lin Jie knew his tactic had worked.

But his goal was not simply to drive them away.

He needed a definite lead, a clue that would take them to the creatures' lair.

Now was the perfect opportunity.

"Sergeant William, cover me!" Lin Jie said in a low voice.

After William nodded in confirmation, Lin Jie dropped the brass pipes and, holding the bright Carbide Lamp, charged toward a shelf the Gremlins had passed as they fled.

His target was an item one of the little creatures had accidentally dropped in its panic: a brass gear.

"Bzzzz—!"

A few Gremlins at the back of the pack stopped when they saw Lin Jie, an unexpected intruder, rush toward them. They turned around, the crystal lenses on their faces flashing with angry red light, and took up attack stances.

But they were facing the deadly precision of William's gun barrel.

This time, William no longer had any reservations. The monkeys were far enough away to be outside the possible range of the Mechanical Curse.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two sharp gunshots rang out.

The crystal lenses on the heads of the two Gremlins leading the charge shattered under the precise shots.

They let out a brief buzz, their bodies slumping as they lost all signs of life.

The clean, decisive kills thoroughly cowed the remaining Gremlins. They shrieked in fear and dared not advance, forced to watch as Lin Jie took their "sacred relic."

Lin Jie successfully retrieved the brass gear.

He quickly retreated to a safe vantage point, without even having time to wipe away the greasy slime the Gremlins had left on the gear.

Clutching the gear tightly, he said to William and Marcus, "I need a little time. I'm going to try to 'interpret' the approximate location of their nest from this item."

He spoke as if it were only natural. He had fully settled into his role as an "Interpreter."

William and Marcus immediately went on alert, taking up positions on either side of him to create a completely safe "casting environment."

Lin Jie took a deep breath, bit his thumb, and closed his eyes.

He pressed his bleeding left hand firmly against the brass gear.

His blood, the Gremlin clan's lingering "collective will" on the gear and its intense "desire to build," and the "metal spirit" contained in the gear itself once again combined to form the fuel required for [Touch of Afterimage].

He focused his consciousness on guiding his strange ability.

"Boom—"

The familiar sensation of being struck by a flood of information washed over him once again. But this time, prepared and drawing on his previous experiences, Lin Jie didn't end up as disheveled as before.

He endured the mental pain and dizziness, struggling to find what he needed amid the sensory storm of clanging chaos and countless mechanical blueprints.

He felt it.

It was a powerful collective pull, like an ant colony returning to its nest.

It wasn't a clear image or a precise set of coordinates, but rather... a "feeling."

A feeling of being tugged toward a certain direction by several invisible threads.

That way lay darkness and dampness, heavy with the smell of rust and sludge.

That way echoed with the burbling of water and the pleasant noise of countless metal parts colliding and grinding against one another.

That way lay the "core of will" of an entire clan, brimming with a fervent desire to build!

Lin Jie struggled to keep himself from being assimilated by the vast collective will.

Relying on his formidable mental resilience, he clung fiercely to his sense of the direction where the "core of will" lay.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Jie opened his eyes.

His face was as pale as paper, and cold sweat soaked his entire body, but his eyes shone with startling brightness.

"Found it," he rasped, dropping the brass gear from his hand. "Their nest... is right beneath our feet."

"Beneath our feet?" Marcus asked, puzzled.

"Yes." Lin Jie gasped for breath and pointed toward the drainage channel entrance William had found earlier.

"Our earlier guess was right. That way, down below. I can estimate the depth and distance. Hidden in that maze of sewers is a 'Mechanical Kingdom' built by those little creatures. And the missing Night Watchers are probably there."

He stated the result of his "interpretation" in a tone that brooked no argument. Combined with the powder markers they had left on the Gremlins, they could now be fairly certain of their final destination.

Sergeant William stepped forward and steadied Lin Jie, who was swaying a little.

He now fully believed that the young man beside him truly possessed an extraordinary power that allowed him to communicate with the "past."

And that power was invaluable during the perilous hunts for UMA.

"Nicely done, Mr. Interpreter."

He handed Lin Jie his canteen. "You need to rest for a bit. The road ahead will be filthier than we imagined."

Lin Jie took the canteen and gulped down several mouthfuls.

The cool liquid slid down his throat, easing the fiery exhaustion of his mind a little.

He looked at the dark sewer entrance. An even more dangerous adventure was about to begin.