Chapter 24: Heavy Hit to Teammates. Ying Huo: Young Master Liu has now become…

Within the Izayoi Family, Izayoi Ame and Hozuki, who had been adopted by the Second Elder, had long been in conflict with the faction represented by the Great Elder. The Second Elder had remained vigilant regarding the Great Elder’s clandestine activities, having long since deployed ninjas to secretly observe the special regions that might be selected by the Great Elder for experimentation.

The Great Elder’s ambition was far too obvious, as if something were chasing him, forcing him to achieve something earth-shattering.

Ever since the abnormal tides in the Kanagawa maritime defense chain became more frequent, the Elder Council’s behavior had grown increasingly arrogant. They no longer bothered to erase the traces of illegal anomaly transport and even had the Izayoi Family’s ninjas heavily guard those experimental zones.

It was almost as if… they were acting out of desperation.

Under the investigation of the ninjas, the passage deep within the cliffs behind the Haiyue Shrine led directly to the Guardian Forest of another shrine in the Third District.

That was the oldest ancestral land of the Izayoi Family. It was a small fishing village not far from the Haiyue Shrine, backed by a small coastal mountain. Legend had it that this mountain was formed from the debris of the sea when Umizuki no Mikoto split the ocean with red fire to slay Y008; it was also the birthplace of the Izayoi Family.

Although it could be considered compensation for Liu Ming’s betrayal, Yun Zhou’s group were unable to handle overly grueling missions. After some discussion, Izayoi Ame and the Second Elder decided that the former would provoke the Great Elder and cause a scene on the surface, while Yun Zhou and his companions would be responsible for infiltrating the depths of the secret laboratory in the Guardian Forest discovered by the ninjas to see how many traces of Y008 remained.

This coincided perfectly with the team’s original purpose for coming to the Third District, leaving Yun Zhou and the others with no reason to refuse.

Fortunately, they hadn’t intended to refuse this time.

Time was of the essence. After nightfall the following day, Izayoi Ame and Hozuki set out with ordinary ninjas who were confirmed to have no signs of fusion with anomalies, heading toward the Izayoi Shrine that hid the secret.

The Great Elder naturally would not let the aggressive District Chief enter. While the two sides were locked in a stalemate, Yun Zhou’s trio quietly slipped through the shadows and entered the lush Guardian Forest deep within the shrine.

This was a forest composed of cedar and other trees common to the Third District, dyed a heavy, ink-like green by the darkness of the night. As a local of the Third District, Du Shui held the marker probe prepared by Izayoi Ame, stopping only when the probe turned blue.

“It’s here, behind that Torii.”

Du Shui narrowed her eyes, looking toward the position indicated by the probe.

Their footsteps stopped before an ancient, dilapidated, blood-red Torii. Behind the Torii was a mountain path made of bluestone slabs, indistinguishable from the road beneath their feet.

“But this is just a Torii…”

Yun Zhou’s wolf ears flickered. He closed his eyes as if sensing something, then suddenly jumped. “There really is something behind this!”

The aura of the space behind the Torii emitted an ominous scent of an anomaly; it was indeed different from the surrounding space.

“Puji!”

The Dumbo Octopus wobbled out from Du Shui’s sleeve. It looked at the Torii, then at the three humans behind it whom it liked very much, and swayed, as if asking, “Do you want to go in?”

Du Shui looked pleasantly surprised. “Little Octopus, do you have a way?”

The Dumbo Octopus proudly put its hands on its hips and bobbed up and down, as if nodding.

“Then we’ll leave it to you! Please!”

Yun Zhou pressed his palms together in a sincere plea.

Ying Huo also nodded.

Feeling the expectations of the three, the Dumbo Octopus swayed even more vigorously. Looking very happy, it flew two circles around them before coming to a steady stop in front of them.

As it hovered in the air, a distinctive, extremely vivid blue began to spread across its surface. That blue transformed into faint specks of light that slowly rose. As they approached the Torii, they were sucked in as if by a vacuum, disappearing completely.

After absorbing those specks of light, the Torii seemed to receive some kind of nourishing power and actually began to slowly repair itself.

In the next second, the entire space seemed to come alive, beginning to flash rapidly. After three flashes, everything around them was covered in a faint fluorescence. When Yun Zhou and the others opened their eyes, they were stunned to find—

That blood-red Torii had now turned blue!

The surrounding Guardian Forest was no longer that gloomy ink-green, but a grayish-blue, as if a cold-toned filter had been applied. Countless translucent specks of light floated through the forest, and behind the deep blue Torii, there was no longer a bluestone path leading deeper into the woods, but rather…

The entrance to some kind of underground facility.

An architectural anomaly had been set up here to mask the true environment!

“Go!”

Du Shui did not hesitate, charging forward first. She could feel the thing inside her; those giant, blood-red vertical pupils seemed to have been triggered by something.

“Go!”

Yun Zhou and Ying Huo exchanged a glance and chased after her.

This appeared to be some kind of ventilation shaft. Below was an extremely narrow passage that required them to walk with their heads bowed, surrounded by various ventilation fans and equipment.

Du Shui’s Spiritual Body appeared—two Siphonophores with a red-to-blue gradient. The moment they appeared, they enveloped the three within their tentacles, hiding their spiritual fluctuations and auras as much as possible.

Meanwhile, the Dumbo Octopus floated at the very front. It seemed to know where to go, or perhaps it knew where it had come from, as it drifted leisurely forward.

“Follow it,” Du Shui whispered, her voice decisive.

Yun Zhou looked at her. The passage was very dark, but her unique eyes were startlingly bright. She was no longer the humble and polite, yet rootless, shrine maiden of the Third District. Now, those eyes were filled with determination and hope… like a rootless duckweed¹ that had finally found its home.

The secrets hidden within this laboratory were certainly linked to Du Shui’s memories.

No one spoke. Everyone held their breath, following the small, wobbling shadow leading the way.

After an unknown amount of time, Yun Zhou’s wolf ears suddenly twitched. “Someone’s talking.”

The Dumbo Octopus floating at the front also stopped. It swayed over to a fan on the side and extended a tiny tentacle, pointing beyond the rotating blades.

Muffled voices drifted in, accompanied by clear images visible through the gaps in the vent.

“Young Master Liu, please look. This is—the thing this laboratory is currently researching.”

The familiar voice of the Great Elder echoed. The cunning, smiling old man opened a door and slowly stepped into the lab.

Walking beside him was Liu Ming, the man who had chosen profit and betrayed them.

Yun Zhou felt his own breath, and that of the other two, grow heavy.

“Oh? It seems your ambition is quite significant.”

Liu Ming scanned the various transparent glass cabinets arranged throughout the white room. Inside were all sorts of marine Anomalies.

Twisted Anomalies, maliciously spliced together.

Jellyfish merged with fish tails, sharks with massive skeletal structures that still swam, skeletal creatures made from dead whale bones that had been reassembled and granted life, and strange tentacles composed of pools of viscous water…

The twisted tentacle that had attacked Yun Zhou on the observation walkway had indeed escaped from here.

Liu Ming took a deep breath, but his expression remained blank. He merely frowned with a cold face, as if disgusted by those grotesque Anomalies.

“…Your aesthetic taste is truly unique.”

“Young Master Liu, you have not yet witnessed the most beautiful secret beneath the deep sea. Once you see it, you will certainly feel fortunate that you chose the Elder Council as your partner.”

The Great Elder noticed Liu Ming’s frown, but he didn’t mind. He simply shook his head naturally. “Without having seen a true Anomaly, it is impossible to understand why we built so many laboratories, or why we would conduct such deep research into Anomalies even at the risk of opposing the District Chief and Chairperson Black Swan.”

Liu Ming sighed. “Then please, lead the way. I hope you can provide me with a perfect answer.”

The two turned to leave, but the Great Elder suddenly felt a familiar presence. He snapped his head up to look at the vent above.

“Who’s there?!”

Black ninjas instantly charged toward the vent as per the Great Elder’s direction. They locked onto the vent the Great Elder had just looked at, their eyes flashing with an eerie blue glow. They were clearly not human.

Yun Zhou and the others grit their teeth. They exchanged a glance and stopped hesitating. With one strike, Du Shui sliced through the massive rotating fan. The group scrambled out of the narrow, cramped passage before the ninjas could reach them.

“Those three again,” the Great Elder narrowed his eyes. “Kill them.”

His voice was thick with killing intent. Countless ninjas immediately surged forward, surrounding the trio.

Sharp weapons were already aimed at their throats. Just before the ninjas pounced, Ying Huo grit his teeth. The vine staff in his hand suddenly softened, transforming into a whip-like vine that hooked around the arm of Liu Ming, who had been watching the commotion. He yanked Liu Ming several steps toward them.

Ying Huo’s movements were crisp and efficient. He drew a short dagger from the strap at his waist and pressed it firmly against the side of Liu Ming’s neck.

“Tell your monster ninjas to back off, or your partner dies right here.”

Ying Huo wore his usual gentle smile, but at this moment, that smile carried a profoundly sinister and terrifying edge.

“Ying Huo?!” Yun Zhou and Du Shui were incredulous.

No one present expected Ying Huo to suddenly make a move on Liu Ming. The ninjas froze in their tracks, unsure if they should proceed.

As for the hostage, Liu Ming was stunned. He actually felt a strange sense of pride, as if watching a child grow up: Hiss… this Ying Huo… is actually quite clever.

At least, he was cleverer than Liu Ming had imagined.

The Great Elder narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening. He didn’t speak, but he stopped urging the ninjas to act.

Why were the three members of the Savior Squad here? The Liu Family could not possibly cooperate with these three, who could provide absolutely no benefit. There was only one answer—Izayoi Ame was causing trouble again.

He truly was a useless District Chief who served as nothing but a hindrance to the development of the Third District.

The Great Elder’s expression grew increasingly grim.

“If you don’t tell those ninjas to move, Young Master Liu’s blood will splatter right here,” Ying Huo said with a beaming smile, though his words were terrifying.

Bright yellow flames ignited on the dagger in his hand. He pressed the blade forward slightly. Irritated by the searing heat, Liu Ming wanted to resist, but the Sentinel’s monstrous strength pinned his shoulder down, leaving him unable to move.

Liu Ming: …He really isn’t showing any mercy, is he, this “former” teammate.

“When the time comes, even if we are dealt with, guess whether the Liu Family’s retaliation will fall upon your head, and in what manner it will arrive?”

Ying Huo’s smile looked more like a villain’s than Liu Ming’s ever had.

Liu Ming secretly applauded: A brilliant move, using the tiger’s prestige to scare the foxes[^2]!

Yun Zhou leaned over and whispered to Du Shui, “It’s over, it’s over. Ying Huo was so pissed off by Liu Ming that he’s gone dark³!”

The Great Elder’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot. Everyone in the seven districts knew that the First District’s Liu Family was vindictive and cunning. The last person to offend them was the Hunter District Chief of the 6th District. A few days later, the entire hunter tribe was swallowed by a bizarre fire. Countless guardians of the forest perished in the sea of flames, leaving only a few survivors. Consequently, the 6th District Chief became the only one whose poverty created an ocean-wide gap between him and the other chiefs.

Though he hadn’t had much money before the fire, either.

Since the Liu Family dared to ruin the home of a peer like the 6th District Chief, killing a mere Elder Council member like him would be effortless.

Holding Liu Ming hostage, Ying Huo slowly moved toward the exit. Outside was a similarly pale corridor. At the end of the hallway was an old-fashioned lift platform. There were no ninjas around the platform, creating a stark contrast to the dense crowd of black ninjas rushing from the other end of the corridor.

“Yun Zhou, Du Shui, let’s go!”

With Liu Ming held hostage, Ying Huo walked at the rear. The situation was critical, and Yun Zhou and Du Shui didn’t dare hesitate, charging straight toward the lift platform.

Watching the four of them disappear, the Great Elder’s face slowly returned from a deathly pallor to its normal hue.

“Great Elder, are we not pursuing them?”

The leader of the ninjas questioned. The Great Elder shook his head, a faint smile even playing at the corners of his lips. “No need. I intended to show this to Young Master Liu anyway.”

On the other side.

The lift platform descended rapidly. A suffocating atmosphere began to swirl among the four of them, and a silent awkwardness enveloped everyone.

Just as the tension became so stiff that even the little octopus stopped swimming, a heavy clang echoed. The descending platform came to a halt in a vast, open space that looked like a steel plaza built underground.

Faint blue light gradually cleared their vision.

The four of them looked up. The moment they saw the scene before them, their breathing grew shallow. A profound silence fell over the area; even Liu Ming didn’t speak, his fingertips trembling where they rested against the cuff of Ying Huo’s wrist.

“…What is that?”

Yun Zhou was the first to break the terrifying silence that threatened to swallow them whole.

“…So this is what the Great Elder wanted to show…”

Liu Ming instantly realized what the thing before them was. He took a deep breath.

“A true Anomaly.”

Translator’s Notes