I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

That's a signal flare.

A red beam of light rose from the direction of the outer city, exploded in the thin mist, illuminating a small patch of the night sky before quickly fading away.

The third one rose up from a more distant direction, located further north and closer to the city wall.

Glock's expression changed.

"It's a signal from the outer sentry post." He immediately realized something. "Oh no, I'll go check it out..."

Glock didn't look back; he turned and walked away.

A fourth red light rose up, the one closest to the city wall. The red light exploded in the night sky, illuminating half of the city wall.

Klaus didn't stop.

"Something's approaching outside." His voice was deep and muffled. "Back to headquarters, everyone back."

The group quickened their pace.

The Blue Knight and Margaret walked on either side, with the attendants and the Great Ascended bringing up the rear.

Adrian's steps were somewhat unsteady at this moment.

The lights of the Night's Watch division came on ahead.

The branch's main gate was wide open, and lights shone from inside, illuminating a small patch of gravel road in front of it.

The moment he stepped inside, Adrian clearly couldn't hold on any longer; his face darkened, and he swayed. Fortunately, the two Night's Watchmen beside him steadied him in time, preventing the archbishop from collapsing.

Lu Yuan glanced back. Adrian's face was ashen; the power he had unleashed in the abyss had completely drained him.

As Lu Yuan watched, the gray and white characters appeared, just as he had guessed.

[Target for detection: Adrian (Supernatural Believer) (Weak)]

Humans who believe in angels and strange things are, in a sense, believers in the extraordinary, aren't they?

Two watchmen helped him to an empty room next door and let him lie down to rest. Others went to inform the church to come and fetch their archbishop, or to send some medicine.

Lu Yuan didn't pay much attention, withdrew his gaze, and followed Klaus towards the main hall.

The Blue Knight walked on the far left, her pale blue cloak worn down to a short section. Her rapier was already sheathed at her waist, and a small wisp of pale blue water floated in her palm as she used it to gently rinse the grime off her armor.

Margaret walked on the right, her face pale; the battle below had clearly not satisfied her. The attendant was in even worse shape; aside from the archbishop, he was the most exhausted from the trip, his face deathly pale, the veins on the back of his hand throbbing. The Great Ascended One, as always, remained indifferent, his silver-gray pupils occasionally flickering, but his actions remained unreadable.

The branch office is even more chaotic than before.

The corridor was bustling with watchmen coming and going, several of them wounded, their bandages haphazardly wrapped, and bloodstains still on their faces. One watchman, carrying a stack of copper coins, rushed out from the direction of the main hall, nearly bumping into Lu Yuan. He mumbled an apology and disappeared.

Klaus entered the main hall and sat down behind the old, long table. His bone armor had been completely removed, and the missing piece on his left shoulder was covered with a layer of dark green crystals.

Lu Yuan stood in front of the table.

Before Klaus could even speak, urgent reports began pouring in one after another.

The first watchman pushed open the door, his clothes stained with blood, and his breathing was unsteady. He spoke to Klaus in a low voice, but didn't dare to stop.

"Something's happened behind the copper wall. The people patrolling the pipeline reported that the strange activity behind the copper wall has spread outwards, and the signs of activity are much stronger than before. The guard stationed there was knocked unconscious. The one who did it was Selena Winter from the Tower of Knowledge; she used some means to trigger what was behind the copper wall."

Before the words were even finished, the second watchman rushed in, reeking of mud and breathing very unsteadily. He couldn't control his voice as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Most of the sentry posts outside the city are gone, the Night's Watch and the Holy Armored Army are the same, their deaths were extremely gruesome, and it doesn't seem like ghouls did it. There are only seven remaining hidden sentry posts that can be contacted. Also, on the southern section of the inner city wall, the inscriptions are fading, and something dark red seems to be growing inside the wall."

The main hall fell silent.

The Blue Knights were somewhat bewildered; they had no idea what was hidden beneath the copper walls and pipe network. Only the Great Ascendant's silver-gray pupils paused almost imperceptibly for a moment.

Lu Yuan stood there, immediately realizing that Selena was from the Tower of Learning. The Tower of Learning had participated in the plundering of the Sea of ​​Knowledge and had dealt with the head at the top of the tower. For a mentor from the Tower of Learning to take such a great risk to touch the city wall, the person behind it was undoubtedly the one on the wall. And to strike precisely when they were submerged and the city defenses were at their weakest, only the Tower of Learning could time the attack so perfectly.

As for those sentries outside the city who died mysteriously, most of them probably perished in the white fog over the square. If something strange was lurking in the fog, it would make sense if they sneaked into the city together amidst the chaos.

What truly made Lu Yuan's heart tighten was the city wall.

At the bottom of the abyss, the flesh and blood were connected to bronze pillars, which were the core of the power of the Bronze City's walls.

Now, enraged by their actions, that flesh and blood is turning against itself, eroding the city wall along the bronze pillar. But how can it spread so quickly?

Klaus didn't let the silence linger for long; he stood up and began to address each point one by one.

"Blue Knight, take Margaret and your squires out to clear out as many ghouls as possible."

The Blue Knight nodded, turned and left without uttering a single unnecessary word.

Margaret followed behind, somewhat eager to try her hand at it. Opportunities to fight were few and far between, and she hadn't had enough of the fight underground. Killing some ghouls now would be a good idea. On the other hand, the servant was somewhat reluctant. He pouted, his face pale, and followed after them.

Klaus's gaze shifted to the Great Ascendant.

"The Ascension Guild shouldn't be idle either. That section of the city wall is yours. I don't care what methods you use, just stall for time."

The Ascended One's silver-gray pupils flashed, but it neither responded nor refused. Its massive mechanical body turned around, its joints creaking, and slowly walked out the door.

Klaus then looked at the two night watchmen beside him. "Change the sentries to groups of three, keep a close watch on any activity outside the city, and immediately raise the alarm at the slightest sign of trouble. The residents should also retreat to the area around the branch as quickly as possible, gathering and protecting those nearby."

He laid out his instructions one by one, finally mentioning the city walls and the bronze ramparts. "Send someone to inform the Earl; they'll come knocking on our door. As for the bronze ramparts, I'll personally go to the Tower of Learning and explain everything to the guards in person."

The roommates dispersed quickly, each leaving to complete their tasks. Soon, only Klaus and Lu Yuan remained in the main hall.

"Rek was just transferred back, and he's seriously injured. Go check on him. If you can help him recover, that would be even better. The people left behind said there's been a new development with the seed in Area C, so go take a look while you're there. Come back and tell me what you saw."

Lu Yuan could tell that they were trying to get rid of him, a second-tier cultivator. The important matters at hand were beyond his ability to handle as a second-tier cultivator; all the proper high-tier cultivators had been sent out, and he couldn't be of much help if he stayed in the main hall.

He nodded.

Klaus's footsteps quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Lu Yuan stood alone in the empty main hall, silently probing the thread connecting the fragments deep within his consciousness.

It was still lifeless.

After returning from the abyss, the connection to the fifth fragment was severed. The first four fragments remained connected, but the thin thread connecting the fifth fragment lay dormant, its presence palpable yet impossible to pinpoint, not even slightly.

Lu Yuan didn't waste any more time. He put the matter of the fifth fragment aside for the time being and turned to leave the main hall.

I bumped into Jürgen in the corridor.

The eighteen-year-old was leaning against the wall, clutching a short knife in his hand, the blade still stained with dark red blood. Upon seeing Lu Yuan, he immediately stood up straight, the usual gloom in his eyes lessening. It seemed he had been waiting for Lu Yuan here.

"Captain Lu, I heard..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Yuan raised his hand to interrupt him. "Come with me, let's go see Lei Ke."

Jürgen nodded immediately, sheathed his dagger, and followed Lu Yuan.

Rick was placed in a room at the back of the branch office, the door ajar, with light leaking out from the crack.

Lu Yuan pushed open the door and the first thing he saw was a man so thin he looked almost unrecognizable, leaning against the headboard. Lei Ke sat like an ordinary person; most of the swarming insects on his body had disappeared, leaving only a few scattered dark red insect marks under his skin. His face was deathly pale.

His injuries looked severe; his right shoulder was wrapped in a thick layer of bandages, the blood that had seeped out had already dried, and his left ribs were also wrapped, as if they had been broken. But Rex's spirits were completely different from his appearance. He tilted his head and glanced at Lu Yuan, and even smiled, which was rare for him.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not that badly off."

Lu Yuan didn't reply; the gray and white text in front of him had already surfaced.

[Target detected: Rick (Mysterious and Extraordinary) (Recovering)]

Humans who embraced the swarming insects seem to have unleashed most of their power and are now weakened. Embrace the power of the swarming insects.

It was similar to what he saw last time, except for a few more words. Clearly, his insects were truly exhausted this time. However, this also relieved Lu Yuan. Since it was "recovering," it meant he didn't need to worry too much.

"Another special individual has appeared on the ground." Rex's tone shifted, his expression becoming more serious. "I almost lost to that thing. If it weren't for another Tier 4 from the Night Watch coming to lend a hand, I would probably be dead outside."

Lu Yuan frowned.

Are there any new ones?

"There are new ones, and they're very strong." Rex tilted his head. "There were just too many chimeras that surged up back then. If it weren't for my pathway being the perfect counter to them, it would have been really difficult to deal with them. The situation on the ground is not optimistic now, and it will take me some time to recover, so there's really nothing I can do for the time being."