Operation Red Book

"What do you think?"

Victor was the first to break the silence in the conference room and asked about Ivy.

"Didn't Mr. Zhu say that these traitors all came from ghost ships on the sea? The probability of someone surviving a storm at sea is extremely small. After going through the gates of hell, do you still believe that they are human?"

Ivy replied calmly, but no one present made a sound.

"I support Miss Ivy."

After an unknown amount of time, Alexander suddenly spoke. He seldom spoke, but when he did, his voice was deep and powerful.

Everyone's attention was drawn to Alexander, who simply stood up and explained to Victor:

"I used to be a lieutenant in the Royal Navy appointed by Her Majesty the Queen. I know the horror of the ocean better than any of you."

"Even if we have the world's top naval warships, facing the vast ocean, we are just a speck of dust."

"The ocean can destroy an entire warship just as easily as a human crushing an ant."

Having said that, Alexander paused and looked at Ivy who was sitting upright.

And Ivy saw a heavy sadness in his eyes.

"So, what Miss Ivy said is not wrong. We should be more careful about these people."

"Then what else could these people be if not human?"

Victor gestured for Alexander to sit down, and then asked a new question.

"At least we need to understand the enemy's characteristics so that we can deploy strategies and find out their weaknesses..."

"Ivy is the only one here who has seen them with her own eyes. Let Ivy tell you."

Mr. Zhu shook the teacup in his hand and patted Ivy on the back like an annoying elder.

Although Ivy was a little unhappy, she still stood up obediently.

She cleared her throat and told her experiences to the densely packed notes:

"These people still retain human characteristics, with limbs and thoughts like us, but in some ways, they are obviously different from us."

"Even though it was early autumn in London, the weather was still hot, but the thieves were all wearing thick fur coats, which were soaked with water and dripping everywhere."

"I can't tell whether it's the seawater or the sweat, but it tastes salty... Don't ask me how I know!"

"Although they have skin like us, their skin is unusually smooth, as if they had just emerged from the water."

"Also, they were itching very frequently, at a rate of about 10 times per minute."

"Joshua observed carefully and found that their exposed skin seemed to have several layers of skin. Now it seems to be something similar to scales."

"Mr. Zhu was held in a prison at the bottom of the ship by the bandits. He said that the food they sent him was all salted."

"Salted water, salted wine, salted porridge, and even salted cucumbers..."

"According to intelligence provided by the British police, among the many bodies that floated down the Thames from the docks, none of them had their eyes dug out and the raw flesh sucked out, leaving them as skeletons."

"Whether they were snatched away by hungry people or eaten by piranhas in the ocean, judging by the fishy smell wafting from the Chinese wharf within a mile..."

"I suspect they are no longer sailors who have sailed away, but marine creatures that have been possessed and brought ashore."

Ivy finished organizing the clues in one breath and slammed the notebook in her hand shut.

The moment I closed my notes, the conference room was in an uproar. Everyone had a different expression, serious, surprised, confused, astonished...

Ivy glanced at Victor's expression and turned back to her seat.

Mr. Zhu standing by did not speak, but just sipped the tea in his hand.

"Okay, what questions do you have? Ask one by one..."

As soon as Victor spoke, almost everyone fell silent.

The members looked at Victor eagerly, and many of them pursed their lips, but didn't know how to start.

Finally, after a long silence, Hilda leaned forward.

"We understand what you said, but the problem is..."

As she spoke, she pointed her index finger at the people in the conference room.

"The Child of Time, the Nordic Elves, the Illusive Man, the Potion Witch, the former American Agent, the former Navy Lieutenant, two British, two Chinese, a vampire on a mission, and..."

Hilda finally pointed at Victor, who was dressed in silver and white: "The failed experiment subject from Siberia."