Shrouded Seascape

A white delivery truck was speeding frantically down the road.

Jackal was driving while the freckled Olivia was in the passenger seat next to him.

Anna and Gao Zhiming sat in the back, moving farther away from the center of the previous battlefield.

When the wheels of the speeding delivery truck rolled over a pebble on the road, Gao Zhiming—resting his head on Anna's lap—flinched.

Anna looked at him and gently stroked his tear-stained cheek with her hand. During the chaos, Gao Zhiming gnashed his teeth and persevered. He never dragged them down even once.

Now that they were out of the storm, the violent scenes earlier—the dismembered corpses, the blood-sucking monsters, and the death throes of the people—made Gao Zhiming feel like he was on the verge of collapse.

A pang of heartache pervaded Anna's heart as she stared at Gao Zhiming curling up like a baby.

Regardless of how many people he would end up killing in the future, Gao Zhiming was just a nine-year-old child at the moment. Those scenes were all too much, too soon for the young Gao Zhiming.

Anna reached out and gently held Gao Zhiming in her arms. She then hummed a lullaby in an attempt to assuage the fear in his heart. The pale Gao Zhiming finally stopped trembling amidst Anna's reassuring scent and the gentle melody of her lullaby.

"High Priestess, there's a traffic jam ahead. Looks like the military has set up a blockade," Jackal said, warning them with one hand on the steering wheel.

Anna peered out the window and saw that metal barriers had been set up at the distant intersection, and people clad in military uniforms were busy conducting inspections.

It seemed that the local authorities had decided to make the military take over the city in response to the sudden chaos. Given the IMF's official background, Anna was certain that they were the ones behind the blockade.

"Drive into the bushes on the left," Anna ordered.

Jackal glanced at Anna through the rearview mirror in surprise. "We're going into the woods if we go that way. There are no roads in there."

"I said drive, so just drive," Anna said, pressing her hand against the back of the seat in front of her.

Soon, the truck vibrated at a high frequency, swiftly phasing through the trees in the forest. Olivia watched in amazement as the towering trees phased through her.

Thanks to Anna's special ability, the delivery truck carrying the massive brass mirror easily evaded the blockade. Unfortunately, the prolonged use of her special ability on such a massive object made Anna feel greatly exhausted.

In the end, they had to stop by a crystal-clear stream in the woods to rest and recover their energy.

Anna was sitting in the truck holding Gao Zhiming in his arms, and she watched as Jackal effortlessly caught some fish in the stream with one hand.

Jackal clearly had undergone extensive survival training, and he had to have been the cream of the crop.

Anna didn't ask, and Jackal disclosed nothing about his department in the IMF.

Soon, a campfire was made, and Jackal skewered the fish with some branches and roasted them until they were golden and crispy.

The group of four quietly sat around the fire, enjoying a peaceful meal after the fierce battle.

Gao Zhiming finally woke up, and he devoured the grilled fish without leaving Anna's arms. He ate so ravenously that his face was covered with grease. He was eating so wildly that it seemed like he was venting his negative feelings by eating.

After polishing off his fish in just a few bites, Jackal wiped his greasy lips clean with his hand and stared intently at the clear stream next to them.

"What are you looking at?" Anna asked.

"I'm looking at that branch… the branch that is part of God Fhtagn's body," Jackal replied, sounding dazed.

Anna felt awkward to hear Jackal refer to Charles as "Fhtagn." If she had known that this would happen, she would have made a fake alias for Charles rather than say that He was "Fhtagn."

"You can still see that branch?" Anna asked, following his gaze. However, she saw nothing in the stream.

Jackal pointed in that direction. "He's there. He's everywhere."

Jackal's expression changed into that of joy—a childlike joy that one could only find in babies.

The abrupt change frightened the freckled Olivia. Holding a skewered fish in both hands, Olivia edged slightly closer to Anna.

Jackal suddenly put his hand down and squatted in front of Anna, who was sitting on a log with her knees bent.

Jackal sounded very calm and composed as he said, "I think we should talk."

"Oh? About what?" Anna asked and waited for him to speak.

"Let's talk about your attitude toward God Fhtagn. How come I haven't sensed even a shred of reverence for Him in your tone of voice?"

Anna didn't answer his question. Instead, she seized control of the conversation by saying, "Your current task is to pray. Pray to that god in your dreams. Contact him for me and tell that guy that Anna is waiting for his reply."

It seemed that for now, this was the only way his value could be demonstrated.

"That guy?" Jackal frowned deeply. "Why are you referring to Him that way? That's blasphemy! Blasphemy against Him!"

Smack!

A crisp sound echoed as Anna slapped Jackal's face.

"Know your place. What right do you have to yell at me, huh?" Anna then reached out and held Jackal's face by both cheeks while glaring fiercely at him." If you truly want to help your god, then do as I say."

Swoosh!

More than a dozen green fireballs instantly manifested around Jackal. If he so much as moved slightly, he would surely die.

In the end, Jackal could only look down.

Anna saw that and finally let go of his cheeks. "Let me guess. Since you're so dedicated to him, your goal must be to meet him, right? If you do what I say from now on, your wish will eventually come true."

Despite the clear humiliation, Jackal felt no resentment whatsoever. For him, his god was everything, and his honor and disgrace weren't worth mentioning.

"How are you going to do it? From what I can see so far, you can't really summon the great God Fhtagn."

Anna shook her head and revealed. "We don't have to summon him. He's beneath the earth. Once we've opened the gate to that place, you will be able to see Him."

"No, you're lying! The great God Fhtagn is everywhere! There's no way he's trapped in some damned underground world!" Jackal exclaimed. Clearly, he had his own interpretation of Charles' situation.

Anna had no intention of arguing with Jackal. She lightly tapped her temple and replied, "Fine. Your god is everywhere, right? Go ahead and contact Him, then. Tell him to take you to his side. If you can't do that, then your words are meaningless."

If possible, Anna certainly wouldn't want to wait so many years before she could return to the Subterranean Sea. It'd be great to return right there and then.

"I will... I will..." Jackal muttered and sat back down to stare at the stream.

"Ah! Miss Anna, look! There's smoke coming from the back of the truck!" Olivia screamed.

Anna whipped around and saw red fog billowing out from behind the truck where the brass mirror was resting. The scene made Anna think that what was inside the brass mirror could have escaped it.