Chapter 69: Chapter Sixty-Eight: From Beyond the Heavens

A symbol he had never seen before, somewhat similar to what he knew, yet also different.

This ring, split in two, bore no cracks and remained remarkably intact; aside from the horizontal line running through its center, there was nothing in common.

But as he observed it, a faint, elusive sense of being watched emerged, a corresponding gaze emanating from behind the horizontal line.

It was like staring directly at that shattered celestial body, only far weaker, to the point of being imperceptible unless one paid close attention. Had this sensation of being watched not been so distinctive, it would not have been impossible to dismiss it as a mere illusion caused by over-sensitivity.

The symbols carved on the prism gradually overlapped with that shattered celestial body in his memory; the crisscrossing cracks faded away, revealing its original form.

Yes, if there were cracks, then where did the shattered fragments go?

Those lines came alive: in ages long past, an unimaginable power shattered the only observable celestial body in the black sky, scattering countless fragments that were captured by gravity and became a sky full of falling stars.

Those fragments burned in the atmosphere, landing on a plane distant from yet similar to the present world.

The fragments from that celestial body naturally inherited its dim, dull texture, as well as the fragmented power that drifted between incomplete planes.

A civilization that left no historical records carved and recorded this unprecedented mass contact upon this meteorite, using their—perhaps their own—unique aesthetic.

Then, these things with vague consciousness were alienated for unknown reasons, multiplying infinitely, their material drawn from the intelligent beings most easily accessible to the Deep.

Since then, they have wandered the planes close to the present world, using weakened versions of their abilities, hunting by biological instinct anyone who consciously or unconsciously comes into contact with the Deep.

On this vast land of the Deep, their tracks likely spread everywhere, from the distant Dunling to the borderlands of Bianhuai, and even farther. As long as one has any connection to the Deep, there is a probability of encountering them and being dragged further into deeper depths.

Not to mention the sheer number of contacts in the Salt Tide Zone; encountering them is no longer a matter of probability, but a certainty.

The professor hoped to draw them out this way, achieving the breakthrough he had long dreamed of, one that transcended the current limits of human cognition.

The full picture had been revealed: the motive, the method of operation, and the current progress of the situation, all laid bare before him. A cold, inhuman plan intertwined with the malice from the Deep.

As for the consequences of being completely dragged into the Deep and encountering them helplessly in one's sleep, Kraft could not think any further; who could guarantee that those organizations were not entirely grown from themselves?

However, there were still some small questions: at least two had been drawn out so far, but then what? How did Professor Kalman intend to capture them upon their return?

Even speaking modestly, if Kraft were to tie up one hand, ten Kalmans plus Lu Xiusi together might not be enough to fight them; weapon usage also requires long-term training and accumulation.

Martial prowess is not something easily compensated for, especially in the eerie Deep; once caught in the three-move routine of a creeping creature, were it not for Kraft's own special nature, even the younger version of Old Wood himself would most likely have met his end right there.

It is not that he looks down on the professor, but with his level of skill, trying to follow Kraft's path is out of the question. The tentacles would finish him off in under two minutes, faster than he could eat grilled fish, after all, tentacles do not require picking out bones.

Therefore, the professor's method of contact must have been different, or he possessed other safer means, having made contact under prepared conditions.

Not surprising; the Deep has always quietly stayed "below" the present world. If he could accidentally make contact, surely someone earlier must have touched it, and if they survived by luck, exploring it would be only natural.

Along with the black liquid, other things arrived at Wendeng Port, giving the final push to the professor's plan. Perhaps they had targeted Kalman's personality, making it impossible for him to refuse, so everything fell into place naturally.

Then who could possibly know this old professor, who had lived alone in Wendeng Port for so many years, better than anyone? Better even than his student, Lu Xiusi.

"Mo Lisen." Kraft spoke the name, the mentor mentioned only in the professor's letters, the leader of the Dunling University School of Medicine whom he had never met. "The black liquid, Dunling, the so-called new discovery? This muddy water is very deep indeed."

This truly gave him a headache; dealing with the Creepers was at least similar to hunting, each side revealing their sharp swords and claws to compete. But dealing with layers upon layers of human malice was never his strong suit; thinking through the mindset of normal people was already difficult enough, let alone putting himself into the shoes of an antisocial psychopath.

Now Kraft had other matters to attend to. He needed to familiarize himself with this round-trip medium as soon as possible; barring unexpected events, there was still at least one living creature waiting for him to deal with.

In the morning, Lu Xiusi pushed open the door to Kraft's new residence. The cold, empty house held no sign of life; it seemed that since returning last night, Kraft had not yet had time to add the normal household items one would expect.

"Kraft?"

Calling Kraft's name, he walked inside. There were several newly drilled nail holes on the walls and floor, seemingly for installing something, but they had been removed shortly after.

No one responded to his call. The furnishings were no different from when he had just moved in yesterday, except the crate holding the fish oil jars had been taken away.

A strange atmosphere seemed to permeate the place; the new owner of the house had not modified it for living purposes, but to conceal secrets he did not wish others to know. Connecting this with what Kraft had bought yesterday, Lu Xiusi slowed his pace.

"Are you there?"

Still no response. As he ventured deeper, Lu Xiusi saw several more nail holes near the staircase, presumably originally for installation, yet removed overnight.

He carefully stepped onto the stairs, where he saw the first thing different from yesterday: a horizontal iron chain at half-human height, with small bells hanging from it.

Bending down to pass under, his back still brushed against the bells above, producing a crisp, tinkling sound behind him. It was quite pleasant, yet in the silent house, it seemed somewhat noisy.

Lu Xiusi believed that if Kraft were present, he would already know of his arrival, yet he heard no sound of activity from anyone else.

Climbing step by step, every open doorway on each floor hung with the same iron chain, and the nail holes grew more numerous. The bizarre arrangement reminded him of his mentor's changes, both engaging in incomprehensible behaviors.

Stopping at every step, Lu Xiusi cautiously climbed to the attic, bypassing the iron chain to enter. This was the only place with a bed.

The blanket on the bed had been torn off, and a few uncollected iron nails lay scattered on the sheets. The candlestick held a newly replaced candle, providing light for this room where the windows remained shut even during the day.

No one was here, yet judging by the length of the candle, the owner had clearly only left recently.

"Are you there, Kraft?"

Lu Xiusi asked symbolically without hope, preparing to leave and search the nearby bakery; perhaps Kraft was preparing breakfast and had just missed him.

"Yes, sorry I woke up late."

The abrupt reply sounded behind him without warning, startling Lu Xiusi into stumbling forward. He turned, clutching his chest where his heart was pounding wildly.

The person standing behind was indeed Kraft. Without any sound of footsteps, as if he had always been there, he greeted Lu Xiusi naturally.

He had changed into a new gray-yellow shirt different from yesterday. His left sleeve was rolled up, wrapped neatly with several layers of self-applied cotton bandages, still stained with small spots of seeping blood.

The long sword, usually sheathed, was held in his hand. The blade was no longer smooth and bright, bearing white stains that could not be removed.

Noticing Lu Xiusi staring at his sword, Kraft casually sheathed it. "Nothing, just practicing swordplay early in the morning, isn't it? Lately, I've felt I've been neglecting exercise, sometimes finding myself lacking strength."

"Ah, I truly envy you, with your family heritage. Sometimes I wish I could learn too." Lu Xiusi wisely did not ask when exactly he had been "lacking strength," steering past the topic to ask about the main matter. "What are we doing today?"

After a night had passed, he seemed to have recovered from yesterday's blow, or perhaps something had changed; in the words of an otherworldly soul, he "looked less like a student." Faint dark circles under his eyes revealed that he had not slept well last night.

Kraft walked to the window, removed the wooden plug, and pushed the window open. Morning sunlight poured into the room, accompanied by a slightly fishy morning breeze.

The attic stood higher than the opposite building. Looking over Elm Street, one could see a dense expanse of low shanties scattered across the black tidal flats; a new day had begun in the Salt Tide Zone.

"We will go back to that area to observe, recording daily, to see if anything has changed."

"All of it?"

"Roughly from here to that slightly taller shack over there." Kraft moved aside, indicating the range he had outlined in his mind to Lu Xiusi; thanks to the good vantage point, it was visible from here.

Lu Xiusi, having no concept of the scope, naturally did not grasp his intention at all. He only noticed the several rows of nail holes by the window revealed after Kraft moved aside and fell into deep thought.

"Today we still need to find those well-diggers; I hope their asking price isn't too high." Kraft didn't care much whether Lu Xiusi understood the meaning; sometimes he forgot that not everyone shared his extraordinary memory.

Leaning his right forearm against the windowsill, a hard object clattered inside his sleeve. Unaccustomed, he wanted to switch to leaning on his left hand, but remembering his wound, he gave up and found a chair to sit down.

"Currently, it's like this: I think that barring accidents, most people's conditions will improve. We must resolve this matter as soon as possible; we can't delay any longer." Anxiety flickered between his brows; Lu Xiusi felt some threat making him restless.

Though asking at this moment might seem like being argumentative, Lu Xiusi still asked, "What if some people still haven't recovered?"

"Then it means there are other problems in the place where they live; I will go and solve them." Kraft pushed back his chair. "Let's move out and get something to eat; I'll pay."