Columbia often suffered geological catastrophes. Earthquakes would damage the outskirts of mobile cities, while virtually all major institutions and wealthy residences were located in their centers, where population density was far higher than in other cities. Whatever happened here, it was impossible to keep it hidden.
Rhine Lab had vanished.
The news spread like wildfire from one city to another, reaching Lungmen and Rhodes Island almost instantly.
"Uh..."
Saria felt nothing at all. She only wanted to complain about how the security had somehow gotten worse and worse.
Kal'tsit, on the other hand, sighed inwardly. Someone her age had not felt such sentiments in a long time. She had witnessed the backlash of attempting to approach forbidden creations. Many had tried, and in the end, they had all vanished without a trace.
This cruel revelry would ultimately end cruelly.
"Did they start another new project?" Hemo rubbed her sleepy eyes after getting up, finding it utterly absurd. "The military took over the project... the incident took place at Rhine Lab... the equipment and personnel disappeared on the spot... What did they create this time?"
It seemed there was no powerful security captain this time to strangle the experiment before it spiraled out of control. Children who thought themselves grown up and played with adults' guns would meet exactly this sort of end.
Rhodes Island's reaction was nothing unusual.
The shrine, however, displayed an irrational fury.
Rhodes Island's gates were kicked open, the superalloy warped out of shape from a single blow. The shrine maiden charged through all obstacles and reached the entrance of the Medical Department like a general cutting down enemies on a battlefield, then kicked the door again.
"Hemo!"
"Doctor Hemo, I specifically came to find you at night. I know you're on night duty. Get out here