Chapter 430: Hidden Threat

On the Neptune, in the information room, the air was silent.

Lin Xian looked at Laien and saw the man's calm expression; he couldn't help but think that since Laien had revealed the core of the plan, he must have anticipated Lin Xian would deduce his true intent. Though the Infinite was currently docked at Haiyan Island, Lin Xian knew they might not easily avoid this trouble.

As expected, Laien did not deny it; instead, he directly shared one of his suspicions with Lin Xian.

"These anomalies aren't coincidental—they may stem from more than just forbidden objects. Perhaps there's something else." Laien took a deep breath and smiled. "Isn't it strange? After the Dawn City incident, weirdness has erupted worldwide—the fog has grown thicker, the Strange Beings' movements more erratic: the Eighth Star Abyss, the Taku Fog, the Garlan Volcano, and the Strange Beings closing in…"

"Heh, all big players, moving in an oddly unified direction—as if targeting something specific." Erica looked at Lin Xian. "What do you think, Swordbearer?"

"Let's just be direct," Mo Nika replied immediately.

"You think the Dawn City incident triggered a more violent move from the Dark, and that their target is the Swordbearer?"

"Some cowards always think like that," Vanessa said now. "The Descenders will see him as an enemy too—it doesn't matter. After all, what other options do we have besides fleeing and reporting?"

Lin Xian's eyes flickered. He understood exactly what the Falcon Sea Guild meant—before setting sail, Mo Nika had mentioned this very thing.

So he paused, then looked at Laien and said:

"If you only wanted to leave here, there'd be no need to investigate forbidden objects or volcanoes. There must be another reason, right?"

"Of course."

Laien smiled in reply: "When I first uncovered this threat, I did plan to evacuate immediately. But interestingly, we received intelligence from the Holy City Organization about your Infinite entering the Great Ocean orbit. Lin… I've always wanted to meet you—the Savior—and see what kind of man you really are."

Laien 's words sounded casual, but Lin Xian's people immediately sensed something odd.

"You mean this might be connected to us?" Kiki asked.

"Yes, Laien is deeply admiring of Lin," Gadi spoke up now. "He immediately realized the forbidden object on Haiyan Island couldn't possibly appear here by pure coincidence—that's the problem."

"Lin."

Laien 's expression turned serious. He locked eyes with Lin Xian. "You may have many ways to avoid those troubles—floating islands, storms, volcanoes, tsunamis—but I must remind you: take a breath. Once you leave Haiyan Island and enter the open Pacific, you'll be in endless deep ocean. If I were being hunted, I'd be far more cautious."

Lin Xian's face remained unchanged. From his words, he picked up something important, and changed the subject:

"What exactly is this Holy City organization?"

"A massive alliance of oceanic survivors," Erica said, one hand on her hip as she explained to Lin Xian. "Essentially a mobile sanctuary city. They have numerous island outposts and a fleet of over a hundred ships, with their flagship being the former Kraken Floating City."

"Kraken? That ocean sightseeing vessel?" Kiki asked. "That thing's been in service for decades—still not sunk?"

Many on Lin Xian's side were familiar with the name. The Kraken Floating City was a massive oceanic "oasis" project built decades ago by Randy Shipbuilding Group, hailed as the "unsinkable ocean city." It was enormous—a vessel displacing millions of tons, capable of housing over 90, 00 people, with hotels, restaurants, amusement parks, zoos, commercial and entertainment venues, gambling halls, and sightseeing attractions, docking at deepwater ports across continents.

Long ago, it was a famous oceanic attraction, even featured in textbooks. Lin Xian remembered the cheapest ticket cost just over two thousand—when he was a child, he'd always dreamed of boarding it, but never got the chance. As years passed, its equipment aged, and with the rise of floating cities and space projects, this famed oceanic marvel gradually faded from public view. He never expected to hear its name again here.

"Correct," Azir said solemnly. "After Revelation Day, it was seized by Veland's mercenary group. It was indeed a good place to avoid zombies—vast, like a small city, with massive storage capacity. The Holy City grew from this core to over 200, 00 people. No one knows why, but this organization has allied with the Descenders of the Crimson World, specifically targeting other survivors, becoming increasingly fanatical."

"According to our intel, the Holy City's personnel numbers are shrinking. They're becoming increasingly elitist, focusing solely on enhancing and evolving psychic abilities. Their strength is formidable—they've clashed repeatedly with Noah City of the Phoenix Society," Erica said.

Snap.

Laien snapped his fingers. A holographic map of Haiyan Island appeared.

"Recently, we've noticed several Holy City fleets appearing in the waters southeast and northeast of Haiyan Island, frequently landing and conducting operations. We obtained the forbidden object intel from the black market—we suspect it's connected to what the Holy City is doing…"

He looked at Lin Xian. "And very likely connected to you too, Lin. You need to be careful."

"Thanks for the warning."

Lin Xian studied the markings Laien had made on the map. "This is very helpful."

"Forbidden objects, lattices, the Holy City—be more specific…" Mo Nika stepped forward, bluntly asking: "What kind of cooperation are you proposing?"

Laien shook his head. "Didn't Lin already say it? Forbidden objects and lattices mean nothing compared to life. Right now, we're tracking the Holy City's movements within the city. It might involve you too. Whether we fight them or uncover more, we can proceed as allies."

Lin Xian smiled and immediately pulled out a specialized communicator, handing it to him. "Fine. We'll meet on the island then."

"Lin."

As Lin Xian prepared to leave, Laien took the communicator and said to him: "On the sea, never lightly attract a Dark Mark. You never know what monsters might rise beneath the waves."

Lin Xian nodded. Immediately, both of his squads closed their powered armor visors and lifted off from the deck, streaking toward the distant sea.

In the bridge's information room, Laien watched through the porthole as Lin Xian and his team departed, his expression calm.

"Seems like we didn't achieve much."

Gadi said: "The Swordbearer is a mechanical psychic—he can handle flight, land, and sea vehicles easily. His squad are all elite psychics with immense strength. They might be interested in the lattices."

Laien waved his hand. "Lattices aren't important. If they want them, they can easily get enough intel from the Phoenix Society."

Azir spoke now: "Haiyan Island's situation might spiral completely out of control, but aside from warning them, we seem to offer no real cooperation. What's the point?"

Vanessa smiled. "You big dummy—you know Haiyan Island's going to be trouble, so they'll figure it out too. Laien 's point is, even if we can't help, a friendly warning shows goodwill. At least we don't become enemies with the Swordbearer."

"Who said we can't help?"

Laien turned around, his gaze heavy as he looked at the group. "Prepare yourselves. We're landing tonight."

"Get ready—we're landing on the island tonight."

"Yes." Laien strode quickly toward the exit, not looking back. "If the Holy City's target is them, the forbidden object will appear tonight!"

"That's right." Ryan strode out of the information room without looking back. "If Shengcheng's target is them, that taboo object will appear tonight!"