The first page was a cargo manifest.
【November 21st · Arrival】
【Core Cargo: Unknown Raw Ore (Code: Deep Blue)】
【Description: An unknown ore captured by the Iron Whale during a deep-sea patrol. It is dark blue throughout and possesses extremely high energy signatures.】
'Ore?' Lu Yuan's gaze flickered slightly.
He continued flipping down to the 【Anomaly Report】.
【November 22nd · Evaluation】
【The ore exhibits extreme instability in terrestrial environments. The unique energy it emits causes "collective hysteria" in surrounding populations, with symptoms including: hearing songs, dreaming of the deep sea, and varying degrees of Sanity depletion.】
【Investigation has revealed that the ore seems to contain a certain curse. Some individuals who have come into contact with it have experienced unique dreams. The route of transmission is currently unknown; the method of treatment is unknown.】
Seeing this, a portion of the mystery in Lu Yuan's heart was unraveled. It turned out that the source of Laisen turning into that dead fish was this batch of ore.
But following that was a sense of helplessness.
'The transmission is unknown, and the treatment is unknown. This means even the Nightwatchers have no way to deal with this disease.'
'Can I solve this myself?'
Lu Yuan felt some self-doubt. Right now, the Strange Dreams were like maggots stuck to the bone, clinging to him. Even though his Sanity had upgraded, the upper limit still had not recovered.
At this rate, there would come a day when he would be drained of every bit of Sanity, eventually turning into a dead fish like Laisen, rotting and reeking.
Thinking of this, Lu Yuan lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time.
'I'll take it one step at a time.'
At the end of the file was an 【Emergency Transfer Order】.
【November 24th · Decision】
【In view of the danger and immense research value of the "Deep Blue" ore, headquarters has decided to no longer store it in the port warehouse. Testing shows that the deep-sea environment can effectively inhibit the ore's activity.】
【Orders: After completing replenishment, the Iron Whale is to set sail again immediately. Mission Objectives: 1. Conduct isolation experiments in a deep-sea environment to analyze the ore. 2. Attempt to find the point of origin for this ore.】
Lu Yuan's gaze swept across the final list of personnel.
【Personnel on Board: Entire crew of the Iron Whale + Nightwatchers Fifth Elite Squad (Captain: Gaowen)】
"So that's how it is..."
Lu Yuan closed the file, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force of his grip.
No wonder Mary said they were short-handed.
A main elite force of the Nightwatchers had actually gone out to sea with that ship. They probably thought it was an investigation or a search for treasure.
However.
Standing in the dim archives, Lu Yuan felt chills rising up his back layer by layer.
If what the file said was true, that ship should currently be fully loaded with armed elites, riding the waves on the sea.
But what he had seen in his dream was a nearly scrapped "corpse."
Had some kind of anomaly occurred at sea?
Lu Yuan didn't know, but what was certain was that the Iron Whale had most likely met with disaster.
Though there were other possibilities, such as the traces of human activity he had seen on the island.
Lu Yuan let out a sigh. After searching for so long, he had only found the source; he still had no way to resolve the specifics.
'I should head back first.'
When he left the base, the sky was still dark. The streetlights on both sides of the road emitted a faint glow as drops of rain began to fall at an inopportune time.
It was going to rain.
He quickly returned to the clinic.
Lu Yuan took off his trench coat. His helplessness regarding the Strange Dreams made him feel somewhat irritable.
Just as he was about to close the shop door to rest.
A pale hand suddenly reached in through the gap in the door, deathly gripping the doorframe.
"Help... save me..."
A voice, weak to the extreme, drifted in, mingled with the sound of the rain.
Lu Yuan's movements paused. He didn't immediately go to help, but instead cautiously took half a step back, his hand pressing against the grip of the revolver in his coat.
'Why is there another late-night visitor?'
The door was pushed open bit by bit.
A man soaked to the bone and wearing a heavy coat stumbled in.
His face was filled with terror, and his abdomen bulged weirdly.
"Doctor... save me..."
The man looked up, his eyes full of despair. "Take it out... please..."
He tremblingly lifted his clothes.
Lu Yuan's pupils suddenly constricted.
On the man's belly, there was a black line—a surgical suture so precise it was terrifying.
"Doctor, please save me..."
The man cried out, whether from fear or pain, and finally collapsed unconscious.
Lu Yuan lifted the man onto the small cot. Several gas lamps fitted with concave reflectors focused the light onto a single point, illuminating the body before him.
After putting on protective gear, the scissors in Lu Yuan's hand steadily cut through the black sutures on the man's abdomen.
As the layers of flesh were pulled apart, Lu Yuan's normally calm eyes experienced a violent tremor.
There was no infection, nor any kind of mutated parasite.
Inside the distended abdominal cavity, where the left kidney should have been, was a cluster of slowly operating mechanical devices.
Brass-colored miniature gears interlocked and rotated amidst the flesh.
Several dark red tubes, like blood vessels, were plugged into the surrounding arteries, continuously filtering the host's blood.
At the core of the device, a blue stone was pulsing rhythmically, emitting a continuous hum.
【Contact with mechanical prosthetic (defective)... Analyzing...】
【Analysis: This is a mad attempt to completely replace human organs with alchemical machinery to achieve a certain level of advancement.】
【Warning: Current medical technology cannot reverse this. Forced removal will result in the immediate death of the host.】
'Turning humans into machines?'
Lu Yuan took a deep breath, feeling a chill down his spine.
Lu Yuan had never expected that in this era, someone would actually use alchemy to conduct such a mad experiment.
Most importantly, looking at the healing of the wound, this surgery—which should have had a massive rejection response—had actually succeeded.
'But the man before me is beyond saving.'
Lu Yuan made his judgment.
This thing had already completely integrated with the man's body.
Lu Yuan quickly cleared the necrotic tissue around the wound and then re-threaded his needle, suturing the abdomen at the fastest possible speed.
This man could not die.
At least until he found out who had installed this thing, the man had to stay alive.
Lu Yuan took off his blood-stained gloves and walked to the sink, turning on the faucet.
The sound of rushing water was exceptionally clear in this silent, rainy night.
Right then.
Boom!
The clinic's originally thick oak door suddenly let out a massive roar. The entire door panel was smashed inward as if hit by a battering ram, collapsing with a crash as wood splinters flew everywhere.
A cold wind carrying rain instantly poured inside.
Lu Yuan slammed the faucet shut. As he turned, his right hand was already reaching for the revolver in his coat.
At the doorway stood four or five figures dressed in uniform grey trench coats.
They wore heavy gas masks and goggles, holding exaggeratedly styled steam short-guns in their hands, exuding a heavy sense of oppression.
Rate on N.U.
