Shrouded Seascape

Anna sitting with her legs crossed picked up the teacup before her and took a sip.

Then, she swept her gaze across the wrinkled faces of the men before her.

The mindset of the middle-aged man changed drastically upon witnessing for themselves that the young woman wasn't a fraudster at all. From the previous disdain and hostility, they now regarded her with flattery and respect.

Anna's actions earlier had told them that she wasn't a woman they could afford to offend.

"Don't get too excited now. That has some side effects," Anna said, pointing at the red knife in Wang Jianshe's hand.

"Side effects? What are they?"

"That's the problem. That isn't mine, so I don't know its side effects, but you can slowly figure them out," Anna replied.

The Moth was dead, so it was impossible to know the specific details of the red knife. Even if the Moth were still alive, it wouldn't tell Anna, who had murdered practically its entire family.

It was precisely because the red knife posed unknown risks that Anna had decided to give it to Wang Jianshe.

Despite knowing that there were unknown side effects to using the red knife, Wang Jianshe and the others didn't want to let it go. After all, this was their first time being able to wield a supernatural power.

What they could only see on TV and in movie theaters had actually happened before them. Today's events shattered their worldview, and it would probably take a long time for them to digest what they had witnessed.

Anna's fair fingers gently placed the purple clay teacup on the table.

"That little toy is nothing. As long as you help me achieve my goals, you can become immortal. I might even give you a better reward than that," Anna remarked. She knew that the men in front of her were just ordinary people, but they were too influential to let go of.

The middle-aged men's eyes lit up.

"Really? Are you serious? We can become immortal?"

"How is that even possible? No—I misspoke. What are your goals?"

"Don't worry! We will definitely complete any task that you have for us."

Everyone was afraid of death, and the ultimate desire engraved in the genes of human beings was none other than the desire for immortality. It was particularly tempting for those past their prime.

Realizing that they had gotten so close to her almost to the point of clinging to her, Anna frowned. Then, her figure vibrated rapidly as she melted into the sofa and emerged from the other side of it.

"This is all for today. I'm leaving now. If there's anything, call me. You're all smart people, so I believe you know what to do and what not to do. You better not make things difficult for me," Anna warned.

With that, her figure melted into the wall under everyone's gaze.

The four men watched as Anna melted into the wall. Then, they cast their excited gazes at Wang Jianshe.

"Boss Wang, how did you somehow stumble upon such a powerful figure? You should have introduced her to us a long time ago!"

"Exactly. Aren't we brothers willing to risk our lives for each other? So why have you been hiding her from us until now?"

"Alright, shut up, all of you." Wang Jianshe walked to his desk and pulled open the bottom drawer. Then, he carefully placed the red knife into the safe inside the drawer.

Wang Jianshe stood up and turned to his brothers with a solemn face.

"I'm telling you guys—this is the new wave."

"Do you still remember how we made our fortune? Back then, we could make some money through our hard work, but now, we can obtain things that even money can never buy if we simply worked hard!"

The four nodded vigorously, looking giddy with excitement.

At this moment, they truly felt like they had returned to the day when they walked out of the village with checkered plastic bags over their shoulders to take some risks and make some money outside.

***

Anna was sitting calmly in the back seat of the car and was quietly observing the bustling city through the tinted glass. Her impassive expression left no room for any deduction about her thoughts. Only Anna herself knew what she was thinking.

Just then, a bicycle overtook the car. A family of three was sitting on the bicycle. The father was holding the handlebars and was pedaling away, while the mother was sitting in the back seat with their daughter in her arms.

The daughter seemed oblivious to the world around her; she was engrossed in her candied hawthorn.

Thanks to the glass separating the interior of the car from the outside world, Anna couldn't hear their conversation, but she could see the radiant smiles tugging at their lips. The daughter said something that made the couple burst into laughter.

As she stared at the family, Anna couldn't help but reminisce about many things in the Subterranean Sea.

Just then, Anna's phone rang, interrupting her train of thought. She picked it up and saw that the Shattered God was calling her.

"Hello?" Anna asked.

"We have a lead on a memory-altering Anomaly."

"Oh?" Anna sat up straight. Everything was ready, and the memory-altering Anomaly was the only thing missing.

Once Gao Zhiming's memories were altered, Anna would just have to wait for him to grow up.

"What kind of Anomaly is it? A living Anomaly like the Moth is too risky to handle."

"It's just an object. Don't worry; it's safe to handle. I went to great lengths to find it, but there's one thing that I find embarrassing to admit—you need to go and retrieve it yourself once again."

Anna rolled her eyes. "As far as I can remember, the retrieval isn't part of our deal."

Sensing Anna's dissatisfaction, the Shattered God patiently said, "My apologies. I lost so many people due to that incident."

"Did I not give you the fusion ritual? With that ritual, the people you have left must have become significantly stronger." Anna pointed out.

"Ms. Anna, have you forgotten that we gave all of our powerful Anomalies to you? Where am I supposed to find usable Anomalies in such a short period of time?" the Shattered God retorted.

"Don't worry; there's no need for you to fight or deceive them. I've already talked to them, so you only need to go and make the trade," the Shattered God added.

"In that case, can't you just go there yourself?"

"No, they're… not so easy to deal with. If you don't bring enough people with you, they devour you and the goods. I'm not sure if you know, but your reputation is far more useful than you think.

"As long as you're there, they won't dare to play any tricks."

It seemed that in the face of the looming crisis in the form of the IMF, the organizations hidden in the shadows had become even warier of each other instead of sticking together and combining their forces against the IMF.

"Send the address and all relevant information to my email. I'll check it when I get back home," Anna said, flipping the phone shut with one hand.

Soon, Anna was back home. Upon opening her email, she discovered that the memory-altering Anomaly was a melody called "Satyrbelle's Seduction." By playing the melody with any instrument, one could manipulate minds.

Unfortunately, the melody's side effect was as impactful as its effect. If one were to play the melody, they would become addicted to it. In other words, it was an extremely addictive melody.

Those addicted to it would go to great lengths to find any instruments to play "Satyrbelle's Seduction." It was all for the sake of ensuring that the dangerous and bizarre melody would forever exist.

However, the interesting part was that the trade would happen in the Amazon rainforest. Anna couldn't help but wonder what kind of organization was hiding somewhere in that world-renowned primeval forest.

The deal was already confirmed, so Anna told the others to get ready to go abroad with her.

Even though the Shattered God's mole was constantly giving them information about the movements of the IMF's scouts, Anna still decided to leave the clown by Gao Zhiming's side just in case.