Shrouded Seascape

A very ordinary-looking SUV raced down the road, speeding toward the distant city proper.

Gao Zhiming, his black hood nearly covering his entire head, carefully peeked out to observe the suburban houses outside. He had no idea where they were; all he could tell was that there were many foreigners, both black and white.

The unfamiliar environment made him feel anxious, and he instinctively leaned into his big sister's arm. Upon taking a whiff of her familiar and distinct fragrance, the boy's mood improved, and he finally started to relax.

They were still quite a bit distant from the city proper, so Jackal decided to take advantage of that to explain, "We're heading to what is called Subterranean London. It's essentially a massive abandoned sewer system.

"At first, it was a gathering place for the followers of the Moth and the Shattered God, but as more and more people learned about it, it evolved into a very complicated place."

"The IMF actually allowed it to exist? That's strange," Anna remarked, gazing at the approaching city proper.

"The location isn't really important. The people at HQ know that if they were to destroy that place, those people would just go elsewhere.

"Rather than playing an endless game of hide-and-seek, they decided that it's better to keep it around as something like a fish pond. They've been throwing their lines into it, hoping to catch bigger fish.

"In other words, that place is extremely dangerous. The IMF's shadows might probably notice you and stick to you, but to make matters worse, the people there aren't exactly friendly. Robbery and murder often happen because there exists a convenient scapegoat—the IMF."

Jackal nodded with a grave face. "But high risk means high reward. If you want to join an organization or establish one that others will notice, the fastest way to go about that is going to that place.

"Besides, it's a melting pot with all sorts of visitors. You can obtain more intelligence and information there than you can find online," Jackal remarked. Then, he glanced at Olivia, who was curled up in the passenger seat. "Plus, we have Olivia. She still can't alter memories, but she can already read them.

"With her, we can easily grasp everyone's true thoughts."

Upon hearing her name, Olivia woke up. Seeing that no one was actually talking to her, she closed her eyes again.

Anna cast a disdainful gaze at Olivia's head bobbing up and down according to the car's rocky movement. "Let's hope so. However, I don't think we can rely on her. It takes her a full three seconds to read someone's memories. It's too slow.

"In addition, the shadows of the IMF are so good at the art of disguise that they can even fool themselves. Expecting that rookie to distinguish whether a memory is fake or not is asking too much of her."

Olivia's eyelashes fluttered slightly upon hearing that, but her eyes remained closed.

In addition to gathering some intelligence, Anna had another goal for this trip. She wanted to take a look at the anomalous organizations on the surface world. She wanted to create an organization sufficient to serve as a distraction, and the fastest way to do that was to imitate the existing ones.

"Jackal, why is it called 'Subterranean London'?" Anna asked, changing the subject.

"The one who founded that place is a Londoner known for his sobriquet 'Ares.' He is the official overseer, and he named it 'Subterranean London' out of nostalgia for his hometown.

"Rumors say that he's an extremely powerful individual with seven Anomalies at his disposal. Those Anomalies apparently offset each other's side effects, but of course, no one knows for sure."

"Hmph." Anna's eyes narrowed slightly. "His strength doesn't matter. The fact that he has been maintaining such a popular black market for so long means that even if he's not loyal to the IMF, his relationship with them must be quite ambiguous.

"And he must be great at managing his relationships. Otherwise, the IMF would have eliminated him a long time ago."

"No one has seen him before, but you're right. I never worked in the intelligence department, but I'm sure he must have worked with HQ before."

Their car had finally entered the city proper. On the outside, the city appeared completely normal; it looked no different from any ordinary city. There were tall buildings everywhere, and there were a myriad of cars coming and going.

However, Anna's heartbeat began to quicken up, as she knew that they were already in danger. Anyone on the street—the joggers, those walking their dogs, and those drinking coffee—could be part of the IMF.

The group settled down in a hotel that was neither too expensive nor too cheap and began preparing their journey to Subterranean London.

Their disguise was composed of a black robe and a few pairs of sunglasses.

Knowing that members of the IMF and dangerous individuals were everywhere in Subterranean London, they decided to conceal their physical features as well as anything that could be easily memorized on them.

However, Anna had no need for any disguise. She planned to stay underground once again for the entire ordeal. Although the IMF believed that Anna was dead, she wasn't willing to take the risk.

Around two in the morning, Jackal led the group into an old subway station that stank with the thick stench of urine. It was late at night, so all subway stations were supposed to be closed, yet this subway station was still operating.

A train with no lights slowly pulled in.

Just as the doors were about to close, several black men in trench coats walked onto the train. They glanced at Gao Zhiming's group before cautiously moving to the other cars.

They weren't the only passengers. The train stopped at multiple subway stations, picking up passengers who quickly moved onto the other cars. They all remained silent, and they all tacitly understood the reason they were here.

When the train was almost half full, the train stopped between two stations.

The doors opened, abandoning everyone in the tunnel.

Jackal cast a reassuring look at the others before pointing at the tracks.

Gao Zhiming was astonished to see the tracks collapsing to form a hole that eventually became a long staircase.

The regular visitors among the crowd stepped on the railing and simply jumped down the hole instead of using the staircase.

When Anna and the others reached the end of the staircase, they were greeted by a crowded street amidst the sewer tunnels. The street seemed to extend infinitely, with no end in sight.

The majority of the people on the street were dressed like Gao Zhiming's group, covering every inch of their skin to avoid the IMF's eyes and to avoid attracting any attention from the people around them.

However, some individuals couldn't be bothered to hide their appearances; they were clearly confident in their abilities or their disguise techniques.

The street was full of people, but it wasn't bustling at all. The street was unusually quiet. Everyone communicated with gestures whenever possible, and they spoke only when necessary.

People wearing black helmets stood at prominent locations. Judging by the way they were standing around, it was clear that they were like the police in this place.

The shops on both sides of the street were selling unusual items. In fact, Anna even spotted someone selling mummies.

Before they could walk far, the street became congested. Upon passing through the traffic, they discovered people quietly mourning someone's death.

A huge memorial portrait hung on the wall; white flowers and white candles were scattered below it. A glance was enough for Anna to recognize the person in the picture. After all, it was none other than herself.