Mystery: When the Lost Homelanders Meet the Lost Homeland Call

"Goddess..." Borgia's voice trembled slightly.

Two figures are rising from the slime.

There were two figures in the warehouse, one Riel Bieber and the other Riel Bieber. The two monsters opened their mouths at the same time, their gray-white eyes staring at the night watchmen with an eerie "curiosity".

Although it might be offensive to say this, Klein felt that these monsters were somewhat like... humans who had just been created by Nuwa.

Sculpted from clay, full of curiosity about the world, the body is mature but the mind is blank.

"Al, Leonard, you two take control of that one." Dunn's voice remained calm; as captain, he had to be composed. "I'll take control of one. Thank you, Lorota."

Al Hassen and Leonard began chanting again, and Dunn no longer gracefully pressed his forehead, causing the monster opposite him to fall into a deep sleep.

Lolota didn't say a word this time and ran over again.

Klein and Borgia exchanged a glance and simultaneously opened fire on the other monster.

The second monster has moved.

Its speed was quite slow, and the angle of its joint bending was even more exaggerated. However, it changed direction three times in succession during its movement, each time precisely avoiding Borgia's firing line.

It snaked its way across the ground littered with wood chips and debris, around the overturned crates, up the walls, and then flipped in mid-air before lunging at the iron-black crate.

But this time, the bullet worked, and the monster couldn't avoid Klein's random shooting.

Bang! Bang!

Two silver demon-hunting bullets whizzed through the dim air, striking the monster's abdomen and chest. The bullets pierced its grayish-white skin, leaving two deep holes from which grayish-white liquid oozed out, sizzling and writhing on the ground before turning into lifeless, black sludge.

The monster swayed slightly, but did not let out the same sharp roar as last time, nor did it show any obvious signs of pain. However, its movements became noticeably slower.

Ping! Ping! Ping!

On the other side, Lolota also pulled out a counterfeit book.

After surviving another explosion, everyone had a brief respite.

Before anyone could even think about whether there was anything else, Klein had already skillfully begun the divination, and then the pendulum started spinning like a fan.

"Captain! There are still some in this warehouse!"

Klein emitted a sharp, explosive sound.

Then, Dunn looked into the deepest part of the warehouse. The darkness there seemed to writhe with life, and he could vaguely see more black slime seeping from the floor, walls, and even the ceiling.

One, two, three, four.

Four figures.

Dunn's grey eyes swept over the four figures taking shape, then over his own group. Lolota leaned against the wall, panting; most of her left sleeve was corroded, revealing a patch of greyish-white burn marks on her exposed skin. Borgia was loading a revolver, his fingers trembling. El's trench coat bore two more scratches, the bloodstains beneath faintly visible. Leonard seemed to be in good shape. Klein had just wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve.

They are getting weaker, while the number of enemies is increasing.

"We can't keep fighting like this." Dunn's voice was low and calm, his gray eyes appearing exceptionally deep. "Their individual numbers are getting weaker, but their numbers are increasing. If we continue to stay here, we'll eventually run out of supplies."

"What should we do then?" Borgia asked with difficulty, clutching his chest wound.

Dunn didn't answer. He turned and looked at Klein.

"Klein, you're in top condition," he said. "Leave here immediately and return to base. Wake up everyone who can fight, and telegraph the Holy Church, the Church of Steam and Machinery, and the Church of the Lord of Storms, asking them to send reinforcements. Tell them and the Holy Church that there's an extraordinary contamination incident in Tingen that we can't handle, and an immediate response is needed."

Klein was stunned.

"team leader--"

"That's an order," Dunn interrupted him. His gray eyes seemed exceptionally deep at that moment, like the darkest night before dawn. "You're fast, in top condition, and you know the situation at the base. We'll stay here, hold them off, and try to prevent these monsters from spreading outside."

He said "hold them off," but he didn't say "we'll live until reinforcements arrive."

Klein understood, and everyone understood.

None of the night watchmen wavered.

Klein saw Dunn's eyes; there was no wavering, no fear in those grey eyes. He had seen that "you go first, I'll cover you" look too many times—in movies, in novels, in any scene where "someone has to stay behind."

That was an expression he thought he would never encounter in reality.

"Captain, I can't—" Klein's voice choked.

"You can." Dunn looked at him, a playful smile playing on his lips. "Klein Moretti. You're not a full Night Watcher yet; you're still someone we protect."

He reached out and patted Klein on the shoulder: "Now it's the Guardians' battlefield, and calling for reinforcements is the duty of the civilian staff."

Lolota leaned against the wall and waved at him. "Go on, young man. When I'm buried, I want ten blonde maids to carry my coffin."

Borgia didn't speak. He simply looked at Klein and nodded.

"But—" Klein wanted to say something more.

"There are no 'buts'." Leonard walked to his side and whispered something only the two of them could hear, "There are many special people in this world who can always do things that others can't, like you, and like me."

Klein opened his mouth, looking into Leonard's green eyes. This usually narcissistic and carefree poet was now looking unusually serious.

He does have a secret, that's true, but what role can a transfer ritual play at this time?

Does Leonard's secret really work?

Klein didn't want to gamble. He wanted to say something, to say he wouldn't leave, that he could fight to the end with his teammates, that he wasn't afraid to die, but he knew that wasn't true.

He was afraid of death, afraid that everything would end after he died, afraid that he would never see Melissa and Benson again, afraid that the secret about the gray fog would never be solved.

But what he feared even more was that these people would really die after he left.

"I don't care. Even if my secret is exposed and I'm sent to the Inquisition, I'll save them."

Klein steeled himself, preparing to recite Lynn's name, when a voice came from the doorway.

"Hey, you guys are all gathered here, rushing to eat breakfast?"

Lynn's voice.