Chapter 1 The Unveiling

In the depths of a heavily guarded underground, a hidden facility leading directly to the sea, a massive project unknown to anyone, a secret buried between countless truths and lies… Half a century of concealment, past hopes and expectations, fears and taboos stretching to the present.

All of this now converged before Agatha, forged with cold metal, silently suspended among the bone-like, crisscrossing beams, resembling years that had solidified and then begun to run again… a submersible secretly built by the city-state authorities.

Agatha stood quietly before that vast and silent machine, gazing at the pile of steel through her thick black blindfold, a wordless pressure seeming to leap at the edge of her perception.

After a long while, she broke the silence, her voice hoarse: "How did you find it?"

"There was a lot of luck involved," Tyrian said. "I believe even among the close aides of Governor Winston, only a handful knew about this, and most of them probably died in the final defense. But after taking over the city hall's operations, I noticed abnormal movements of funds and personnel, all pointing to a non-public research project within this port." As he spoke, he turned his head, looking at the behemoth suspended between the steel beams.

"The rest is simple. Given that South Port had completely fallen, we let loose and searched extensively here, then found a suspicious warehouse, a suspicious shaft, a suspicious underground facility, and a suspicious submersible."

Tyrian's expression was calm as he spoke of these things, yet even just listening, Agatha couldn't help but marvel at the abilities of this "Iron Lieutenant General"... He was taking over and understanding everything about Frost so quickly, which was completely unlike what someone who had been away from the city-state for half a century could do.

Such a secret facility couldn't be found easily just by finding some clues. It was as if he had never left Frost.

"Is this machine usable now?" After a brief silence, Agatha couldn't help but ask.

"It needs to be checked," Tyrian shook his head. "Although this submersible was built based on the blueprints left by the Frost Queen, it also used many modern and even contemporary technologies. Moreover, there are many above-ground devices in this facility to support the operation of the submersible, such as air pumps, steel cables, and communication equipment. We need to figure out the state and function of these devices." "The bad news is that the people who knew these technical details are probably all gone, having died in the previous defense of Frost.

When we discovered this underground facility, it was locked from the inside. The people inside seemed to want to trap those monsters in the isolation rooms, but they didn't know the scale of that disaster." Tyrian shook his head slightly as he said this. "However, there's also good news," he raised his hand, pointing around. "The submersible is intact, and everything in this hall is intact."

Agatha didn't speak, only silently raised her head, turning back to look in the direction she had come from. The heavy and slightly twisted door stood quietly in her chaotic vision, the outlines of palm prints vaguely traced in the bloodstains on the door. The vitality in the blood had faded, but the outlines still faintly glowed in her vision.

Tyrian's voice came from the side, interrupting Agatha's thoughts: "Next, I will try to find those who knew about this secret project—perhaps not all the technicians were in this facility at the time. But if we really can't find any surviving technicians, we'll have to let some old-timers in the Sea Mist Fleet try their luck."

Agatha frowned in confusion: "Sea Mist Fleet?" A smile appeared on Tyrian's face: "Those who participated in the Qian Yuan (Deep Sea) Project back then. They will be very surprised to see this submersible." Agatha fell silent, thousands of emotions surging in her heart. She didn't know whether to sigh at the cycle of history, or to be glad that, in the dark, everything was returning to where it should be.

Tyrian also fell silent beside her. The Iron Lieutenant General gradually suppressed the smile on his face, and instead, his gaze swept slowly across the hall with a silent solemnity. Finally, his gaze lingered on the door leading to the elevator. He nodded gently, as if paying tribute to this unknown act of folly and heroism.

The sea breeze was gentle, the broken waves rolled, and the surging power output by the steam core drove the ship beneath their feet. The cold sea breeze blowing in their faces dispelled the distracting thoughts in his mind. Lawrence stood on the high foredeck of the White Oak, draped in his captain's coat that he had worn for many years, gazing at the distant sea. However, the old captain's heart was not as calm as he appeared at the moment. A gentle female voice came from the small mirror hanging on his chest, "Getting nervous?"

"This nervousness hasn't lessened since leaving Frost," Lawrence smacked his lips. "After all, we're going to actively meet that ship."

"For a hundred years, the captains on the Endless Sea have only tried desperately to escape from that ship, but we are actively approaching it. If this gets out, those guys at the Explorers' Association will definitely think I'm crazy."

"No captain on the Endless Sea is sane—and you will become the most legendary of these mad captains," Martha's tone was laced with laughter. "Does that thought give you a little motivation?" Lawrence sighed: "You're telling someone about to be sent to the gallows that the noose is the prettiest of all ropes—you can even tie a bow with it. Do you think that would be comforting?"

Martha opened her mouth in the mirror, seeming about to speak, but a hoarse and noisy voice suddenly came from the flagpole not far away: "It can! As long as the noose works, you can tie me into a bow if you want!"

Lawrence's lips twitched, and he turned to look in the direction of the voice—on the high flagpole at the bow, a noose hung down, and Yi Chang (Abnormality) 007 was hanging himself on that noose, swinging back and forth with the ship's movements, looking sinister and bizarre.

"Aren't you planning to come down?" Lawrence looked at the dried corpse hanging on the flagpole, annoyed. "You've been hanging there all day."

"What if it suddenly works? I felt a little sleepy just now," the dried corpse hanging on the flagpole shouted. "I'll hang on for a while longer—you promised I could choose a place to sleep."

"I promised you could choose a place to rest for yourself without affecting others, but you didn't say you were going to hang yourself on the flagpole," Lawrence glared. "I advise you to give up. Your sealing method has obviously failed—honestly reporting to the Lost Home is your only choice."

The dried corpse hanging on the flagpole let out an exaggerated wail. Lawrence didn't bother to pay attention to this guy, but instead lowered his head again and said to the small mirror on his chest: "Do you think it will go smoothly?"

"You even remember this?"

Martha's voice was filled with emotion, then she chuckled softly, "Don't worry so much. Haven't you already accepted your new identity as a member of the Lost Fleet? Besides, this isn't the first time you've met that ship."

"The logic is there—but the nervousness is real," Lawrence sighed, and subconsciously straightened his collar again. "Besides, my last encounter with that ship is not worth remembering at all. That scene is a nightmare for any captain."

"Look on the bright side, at least this time the Lost Home won't crash straight into you." A squeaking, teeth-grinding noise suddenly interrupted Martha's words.

The next second, Lawrence discovered that layers of ghostly green flames had appeared out of nowhere around the White Oak beneath his feet, followed by the roar of engines and the violent sway caused by the sudden turn of the helm! In the blink of an eye, the originally calm sea had changed its appearance. Countless hair-like, jet-black and terrifying shadows suddenly appeared on the azure sea surface. The sunlight in the sky also dimmed and became illusory. Thick clouds and mist fell from the sky like a collapsing curtain, and the entire ocean was polluted by those "hairs," turning pitch black. The dried corpse hanging on the flagpole screamed almost instantly. Amidst the dried corpse's ear-piercing screams and the sailors' exclamations, Lawrence realized that the White Oak had been dragged into the Spirit Realm by some powerful force—accompanied by a heart-stopping roar and the rising waves, a towering ship shadow burning with raging flames rushed out of the thick fog in front!

The Lost Home appeared, like a burning cliff, crushing towards them overwhelmingly. Yi Chang (Abnormality) 077's screams almost resounded throughout the entire sea.

"It's crashing, it's crashing!

Damn it, it really is crashing again!

I'm not playing anymore! I want to go home! Let me down! I want to go home!

Ah-" Then, the bow of the Lost Home suddenly stopped amidst the "sailor's" ear-piercing screams... less than half a meter away from the bow of the White Oak, stopping in an incredible way.

The Lost Home had arrived. A tall figure appeared in his vision, Duncan Abnormal, the eternal master of the Lost Home, standing on the high ship's rail, overlooking them. This was the second time Lawrence had faced this legendary existence. Then, he heard the other party speak, the voice low and like majestic thunder, "Lawrence, what the hell is going on on your ship?"