Chapter 78: The Dragon Prison Well (6)

“Alright, let’s go!” With his successful persuasion, Wu Zui spoke coolly and led Xiao Ke’ai swiftly toward the location of Soaring Dragon One. But someone was already seated in the co-driver’s seat, waiting for Wu Zui’s arrival.

That person was Ming Rou-rou. With her charm, convincing a research institute’s staff member to open Soaring Dragon One, which was crafted by the institute, was simply a breeze!

Less than ten minutes after Wu Zui and Xiao Ke’ai reached their vehicle, Soaring Dragon One was already racing along the highway from Yanjing City back to Binhai City. As for Wu Zui’s claim that Xiao Anguo would keep Xiao Ke’ai locked at home, it was nothing but nonsense.

Though Xiao Anguo cared deeply for his daughter, he did not wish her to become a domesticated awakener, as Wu Zui had described—a useless existence! Possessing magnetic energy yet unable to accomplish anything, it would be better to let those resources benefit others.

Sitting in the back seat, Xiao Ke’ai looked unhappily at Ming Rou-rou, who had stolen her spot in the co-driver’s seat. Commander Cat nestled in her arms, joining her in glaring at Ming Rou-rou; together, cat and girl launched their attack with sharp gazes!

Ming Rou-rou’s appearance had changed dramatically since the three of them first arrived in Yanjing. Her straight black hair was now tied high into a single ponytail; gone were the white lab coat, black stockings, and high heels, replaced by a fluffy snow-white coat with an adorable flair. For the first time, a hair clip adorned her head!

Most importantly, Ming Rou-rou now carried a scent reminiscent of orchids. Wu Zui had only ever detected such a fragrance on Xiao Ke’ai, never from any perfume, and could not fathom how Ming Rou-rou managed it!

“Wu Zui~ can I draw a tube of your blood, please?” Ming Rou-rou spoke in a voice so sweet and soft it was almost childlike, addressing Wu Zui, who was still driving Soaring Dragon One.

Wu Zui felt his whole body tremble.

Screech—

The tires left deep marks on the ground as Wu Zui, startled, nearly sent Soaring Dragon One off the road.

“Ming Rou-rou! What are you doing? Put everything back the way it was!” Wu Zui, having regained control of the steering wheel, spoke angrily.

Meow—

Commander Cat’s cry rang in Ming Rou-rou’s ears. Xiao Ke’ai and Commander Cat, one girl and one cat, kept glaring at her with fierce intensity.

Ming Rou-rou, mimicking Xiao Ke’ai’s manner, tilted her head in a pitiable and adorable way, saying, “What am I lacking? It’s all the same! Tell me, can’t I change?”

“…” Wu Zui.

“…” Xiao Ke’ai.

“…” A certain blue, fluffy creature.

In the end, Wu Zui refused to let Ming Rou-rou draw his blood. With the combined efforts of the two humans and one cat, they finally managed to “persuade” the mad scientist to revert to her original self.

Amid the playful commotion, they returned to Binhai.

Compared to when they left, Binhai City had grown much more desolate. The traffic had dropped to nearly half, and a giant crater—left by the whale anomaly’s self-detonation in the city center—remained like a scar.

After their homes were destroyed, some residents chose to abandon Binhai, seeking safer cities. Those who remained were almost entirely magnetic awakeners and spirit investigators, still busy clearing out newly spawned anomalies. Thanks to Wu Zui’s technical support—his daily photo reviews—there remained more awakeners than there otherwise would have been.

Once back in Binhai, the three became far more relaxed. With all spirit investigators dispatched to clear anomalies, no one was left to gather intelligence on them, and thus there were no new missions. Everyone simply cleaned up anomalies as they encountered them, and the Bureau only handled the collection of anomaly cores.

On their way to the Bureau for reporting, the group easily dealt with several anomalies that appeared along the route. Though only one- or two-star minor threats, their frequency was noticeably higher than before.

After reporting, Wu Zui inquired with Wang Zhenggang about events that occurred during his time in Yanjing, while Ming Rou-rou took two two-star anomaly corpses—handily dispatched by Commander Cat—and went off to find a place to dissect them.

The original Bureau had been obliterated during the whale anomaly’s attack. Ming Rou-rou was unfamiliar with the new building, let alone its crucial dissection facilities.

Wu Zui’s main purpose in returning was to hunt down the anomaly core that escaped from the whale anomaly. Upon learning that the whale anomaly had once been Li Xin-yi, transformed after death, its destruction became Wu Zui’s personal mission.

To Wu Zui, a scoundrel that endangered society in both life and death deserved nothing less than utter annihilation.

However, all surveillance in Binhai had been destroyed by the rampaging resentment energy, so this time Xiao Ke’ai could not provide assistance, leaving the search to Wu Zui and herself.

Thus, Wu Zui and Xiao Ke’ai wandered the city, clearing new anomalies and helping Xiao Ke’ai gain battle experience.

Meanwhile, in Yanjing, the spirit investigators prepared to enter the Dragon Prison Well world. At noon, the sound of waves echoed from below the well, and a stockpile of golden bombs was ready at the mouth.

According to Zhang Yuan, they were ready to resist the controlling force when the passage opened. Each investigator was equipped with a helmet to shield against high-level anomaly mental contamination, and their magnetic energy would ensure their safety.

When the portal opened, the golden bombs would detonate below, certain to severely injure or kill the lake anomaly, preventing the embarrassing scenario of investigators dropping straight into its jaws.

Suddenly, a dark shadow emerged from the depths. The investigators launched their attack, the helmets perfectly blocking the mental contamination. The golden bombs exploded with such force that the Seaquake Temple shuddered, waves surged, and the chains rattled violently. The lake anomaly was clearly suffering from the barrage.

After some time, the chains above the Dragon Prison Well ceased their trembling, and the sound of waves faded. Looking down, a pitch-black passage appeared within the well. The investigators, prepared for this moment, jumped in one by one.

The lake anomaly, meanwhile, revealed all its gaping mouths, unmoving in its original spot. Its rotund body had been blasted into several segments by the golden bombs, leaving the once-glimmering lake surface shattered like a broken mirror.

Yet, as soon as the investigators jumped in, the seemingly powerless lake anomaly sprang into action. Its body softened, expelling all golden bomb fragments from its base, and, with the aid of human wisdom, readied its anomaly core for escape.

The lake anomaly’s body began to twist, its segments fusing. Its massive mouths transformed into whirlpools, sucking in some of the nearby investigators, while its head—pierced by chains—started sinking.

This movement was immediately noticed by nearby investigators, who unleashed a barrage of golden grenade fire at the chains. The anomaly’s body collapsed, riddled with fine cracks.

Explosions thundered without cease.

With a sharp metallic snap, the chains that had been trembling broke, and after swaying twice, came to a halt. The investigators’ attack had actually broken the chains binding the anomaly, freeing it from their control.

Rushing waves—the lake anomaly, previously listless, suddenly revived. The roar of the waves was louder than ever, forcing investigators descending through the passage to cover their ears.

Freed from the chains, the lake anomaly quickly sank, disappearing as if the lake water had seeped into the earth, taking with it those investigators who had been swallowed.

The bottom of the gaping crater left behind contained only fragments of golden bombs; nothing else remained.

Despite losing some investigators, the search pressed on. Their target was the bizarre cluster of buildings Zhang Yuan had described, where the Gray-Skinned Book awaited.

None of the investigators noticed a single black drop of water, defying gravity as it floated toward the passage, vanishing from the world beneath the Dragon Prison Well in the blink of an eye. This droplet was the anomaly core, condensed from all the lake anomaly’s power—who could have guessed it would be so tiny?

The lake anomaly left the Seaquake Temple without lingering in Yanjing, heading directly for the ocean. The greater the water, the stronger it became; the sea was its paradise.

After departing the crater left by the lake anomaly, the investigators did not encounter the forest-like anomaly.

Fortunate or not, they found themselves before the strange cluster of buildings. The scenery was gray, the city lifeless, not a trace of human activity—everything seemed sealed away in history.

Unbeknownst to the investigators, the breaking of the chains atop the Dragon Prison Well was triggering unseen changes across the world. For example, a new gray, dilapidated chapel now stood among the buildings, and somewhere, the forest anomaly continued its run, its woods now haunted by a gathering of strange creatures. These changes were only just beginning, their power slowly accumulating...

Oblivious, the investigators began methodical searches of the anomalous buildings, starting with those nearest. Every ten Gray-Skinned Books discovered were escorted by a team back to the research institute in Yanjing.

The search proceeded smoothly, with the black threads that once filled the air nowhere to be seen. The city center was as unremarkable as anywhere else—no world suspended in flames appeared, until—

Dong—dong—dong—

From somewhere within the strange cluster of buildings, the sound of a chapel bell rang out, twelve times in all, each toll striking at the hearts of the investigators, stirring a nameless fear deep within their souls.