Deep Sea Hunter, but Deep Sea Titan

Loting captured two more Originium Bugs. When these two Originium Bugs rammed into Loting, his reconnaissance accessory entered a state that could not be changed.

According to the description of the system version [Oracle Lens], one layer of energy can be accumulated every hour, and the maximum number of accumulated layers has changed from two layers in the game to three layers. Only Lotin has the authority to actively release them.

Based on his previous intelligence gathering, Loting had already verified several points of his memory regarding the original plot. Unfortunately, the original plot's descriptions of the locations of certain specific places were not accurate enough, so he could only use the [Oracle Lens] to scan and investigate after initially narrowing down the area.

The Oracle Lens does not have the same scanning effects as in League of Legends. In other words, only Lothar and the characters identified as teammates by the system will share the vision opened up by the scan.

After recording the exact location, change the scout trinket and place the guard.

"Shark, is there really any point in what we're doing?"

Skadi was of course grateful to Lotin for continuing to stand by the Deepsea Hunters, and she did not object to sometimes helping Lotin with tasks that were inconvenient for his large size.

"According to Nautilus, these city cannons will become weapons for slaughtering innocent civilians, pointing their cannons at the citizens of Hillshire that they are supposed to protect."

"The anger of the Tara people is hidden in the shadows of history, and their abnormally swelling rage will burn along with the Tara people they claim to protect."

"Nautilus hates traitors, therefore he will punish both of them."

These explanations of Skadi are the product of Laurentina's reinterpretation of the story given to her by Lotin.

After all, Lottin couldn't directly tell Laurentina that he had stayed in Hillshire specifically for the sake of six potential hero units and the remaining three defensive cannons.

From a personal perspective, Lotin does indeed dislike traitors more. Although his subjective purpose in doing these things was simply to increase his own power, in terms of the possible consequences, this could indeed reduce the damage caused by the Deep Pool troops' rebellion and the garrison's brutal suppression in the original story.

"So what's our mission?"

This was the first time Skadi had referred to Lotin's request as a "mission," probably because what she was asked to accomplish this time was truly complicated.

Laurentina's nervous system was damaged by the Deepsea Church using malicious Originium technology. She no longer remembers Skadi, only the mysterious connection between her and the Deepsea Hunter bloodline remains.

They fought side by side once again, but this time to fulfill the demands of "Nautilus," just as those who pray for divine power need to offer tribute.

"Based on the intelligence that Nautilus had gathered in advance, help him extend his eyes to the heart of the enemy."

Laurentina walked slowly along the wall, explaining the details of the "mission" to Skadi.

To some extent, her nervous system had been given the physiological conditions to support the awakening of her original personality thanks to the biscuit therapy, but the real Laurentina was still asleep, still using the female personality to replace herself.

"Shark, why did you choose to pray for him?"

Skadi finally asked the question. At first, she thought that Lotin had gradually gained Laurentina's trust through the treatment of cookies, but later, Laurentina's behavior had gradually developed to the point that could be described as worship and devotion.

“My unfamiliar blood relatives.”

"When that unbaptized, unrefined defilement, returning to the sea, drives you...tempts you..."

"Didn't you also choose to rely on Nautilus's power to suppress the poisonous blood within you?"

Two pairs of scarlet eyes met here, and Skadi saw the familiar shadow of Laurentina, the one she knew.

It's not that I can't wake up, but that I'm unwilling to wake up, and I'm not ready to wake up now, as if I'm still immersed in a sweet dream.

"Why wouldn't a kind-hearted person look at an abandoned person struggling forward in the darkness with admiration?"

"How can those bound by deformed flesh and blood not feel grateful when they are finally liberated by a power strong enough to split the waves?"

"How can someone tormented by the abyss of madness not be captivated when they see a lighthouse piercing through the fog in the endless darkness?"

Laurentina sometimes wondered what kind of power was behind this deep-sea titan that made her so ecstatic...

As she pointed out the enemy to Lotin, she also brought her ethereal consciousness back to her powerful, weapon-wielding hands.

When she prays, she no longer needs to pay attention to whether the stars have stopped twinkling.

When she sheds tears, she no longer needs to care about the mockery the night bestows upon her.

When she laments, the pain will no longer spread through her madness.

So she stopped singing songs from other lands and started speaking out for "Nautilus".

Skadi did not answer; she simply listened quietly as her blood relative poured out her inner fanaticism. Laurentina, enveloped in madness, had finally found a pillar to anchor her mind.

She needs some time to come to terms with this fact; Laurentina might be able to "see" things she can't.

If that's Laurentina's choice—

An exquisitely decorated living room was revealed under the scan, where masked, eerie green ghosts gathered. The secret meeting place in the deep pool had nowhere to hide under Loting's scan.

A deep-pool captain is excitedly reporting:

"Yes, destroying the city's defensive artillery was our team's achievement. Whether it was a frontal assault or an engineering demolition, it was all thanks to the lives of our brothers!"

Judging from his manner of speaking, he is most likely a subordinate of "Bandit," one of the six deep-pool cadres.

Loting saw the man's performance and heard his boastful words through their shared view.

This type of person is someone who is incredibly bad at the game, but always likes to use cheats or macros. After using them for a long time, they even develop a delusion that they are really good at it.

Wait a minute, it seems like he drives one too...

Unfortunately, no one believed the squad leader's explanation. Even if the six officers of Deep Pool were not foolish enough to be led by the nose, both Deep Pool and the garrison were trying to analyze how the temporary passage opened up by Luo Ting and his men was formed.

Before the scanning time ended, the cadre from Deep Pool, who claimed to be a "poison scholar," executed the squad leader, who was greedy for military merit and had lied about military intelligence, with a terrible corrosive liquid. His flesh and blood were corroded, leaving only a pair of horrifying white bones.

The two hunters didn't linger and headed to the next area that needed scanning.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Storm Assault Team

The Tara people, who drive long-haul refrigerated trucks, recently brought in a batch of desserts from Lateran, specifically for the nobles of Little Hillshire.

They say that a new safe route has recently been added, and as long as you offer a coin to the Brass Ghost, you will be safe all the way. If anyone doesn't throw a coin or betrays their companions, the Brass Ghost will smash their car.

However, these people rarely throw gold coins, which is the minimum threshold for the system to determine the tithe, so Lotin has hardly ever had a chance to win a prize.

The experienced hauler shared this amusing anecdote about his journey with Damian, a warehouse worker sorting food.

Damian thoughtfully recalled the strange things that had happened to Manager Jack recently: a group of mysterious Agorians had bought the warehouse of his bankrupt factory, and among them was a tall brass giant. Rumor had it that they had also come by that road.

As he sorted potatoes and drifted into thought, the warehouse door opened.

The second Stormtrooper squad has arrived in Little Hills from Londinium.

A dashing Lupo woman, dressed in the captain's uniform of the Victoria Storm Commando and armed with the latest Victoria Special Forces equipment, is the captain of the Storm Commando Second Squad, codenamed "Horn".

Behind her, a Waifan woman wielded an incredibly powerful siege spear. She was the assault soldier of the second squad, codenamed "Bagpipes," and at this time, her siege spear had not yet been nerfed.

Damian was cornered by the assault team in a food warehouse. All the clues converged on this food warehouse, and perhaps the dangerous stolen military Originium artifacts were hidden here.

"I...I was just sorting potatoes!"

Damian stammered in the corner, trying to prove his innocence.

"I just want you to explain something."

From a soldier's perspective, the tone of the bugle call was indeed quite mild.

"Are you going to hang me?"

The young man picking potatoes still harbored extreme distrust of the Victorian soldiers before him. In his eyes, these "Victorians" were man-eating beasts who fabricated one unfounded crime after another to torment the Tara people.

"Captain, we've searched this place thoroughly, and there are definitely only potatoes here."

Bagpipe scratched her head in frustration, and she had to admit that these criminals were indeed quite efficient.

"Okay, thank you for your cooperation."

The bugle let out a helpless sigh, only to find that the local garrison had also arrived at the warehouse.

"But what is this?"

Bagpipes found a gem with a base among a pile of potatoes. She didn't know it was a "guardian," but it was definitely not something that should be in a pile of potatoes.

Bagpipe squinted one eye, carefully examining the pedestaled gem. From Lotin's perspective, because Bagpipe was so close, her face was distorted into a rather comical shape by a very strange wide angle.

"Strange thing."

Curious, she tried to pull up the guard, only to find that it had vanished in an instant.

The maximum duration of 6 hours has ended, but given that Lotin already knew the whereabouts of the dangerous Originium artifacts through this guard, it can be considered to have reached the end of its lifespan.

It was precisely because of the existence of this guard that Lotin was able to track down the Deeppool Force, which was responsible for transferring this batch of military Originium artifacts.

However, the guard's field of vision is, of course, one-way.

The garrison sent Captain Kelly, who had a rather mild appearance, to make contact. According to relevant Victorian laws, the garrison had higher priority in handling him.

"Captain, we just found a clue and they've already run up to us."

"In my opinion, they're here to kidnap people!"

Bagpipe doesn't understand these workplace intrigues; she will stubbornly carry out orders and will also openly discuss a scheme.

"Haha, yes, it's the rule, according to the rule."

Captain Kelly was just a "clerk" running errands for his superiors, and no matter how strange the matter was, he was powerless to change it.

The young man's eyes held fear as he faced the garrison personnel, which aroused the suspicion of Bagpipes and Horns, while another member of the Storm Commando, "Triangle Iron," observed the original transport route from a tree outside the warehouse.

He noticed a gem sparkling on a verdant base in a corner along the transport route.

"According to the regulations, we also have the right to participate in the interrogation, don't we?"

With a furrowed brow, the captain's eyes darted around nervously, as if he were observing the expression on the face of the adjutant beside him.

It's likely that Captain Kelly is just a puppet, and he's not the one truly in charge of negotiating matters.

“These Tara scum are always so noisy.”

The adjutant, known as Hill, knocked out the Tara youth and strapped him to the garrison's armored vehicle.

The bugle also sensed something amiss and forbade the commando reconnaissance teams from exchanging intelligence with the garrison. What she wanted wasn't just an understanding of a case, a badge of honor, or a meaningless medal.

The bugle embodies the most basic conscience of a soldier.

The Storm Commando members waited outside the interrogation room, waiting to be allowed to enter.

Horn looked helplessly at Bagpipe, a somewhat stubborn assault soldier. She was an excellent warrior, but she often found herself in danger because of her stubbornness, and usually relied on Vayvan's supermodel physique to tough it out.

"Vaivan's women must persevere to the very end!"

Bagpipes would always answer his worrisome captain with this Wayvan proverb.

Meanwhile, Captain Kelly's face turned extremely grim. He couldn't believe that the potato-picking boy—Damian, whom he had watched grow up—would have any connection with those terrorists. Yet, his adjutant, Hill, had ordered him killed on charges of "attacking a guard" to silence him, clearly to keep the Storm Commandos from knowing the truth.

To ensure his undercover identity remained undetected, a Tara man was willing to use the blood of his innocent compatriots as a cover.

Damian slumped helplessly in the interrogation room, trembling as he pulled a Victorian gold coin from his sleeve and respectfully tossed it to the ground.

Then, a crossbow bolt pierced his head.

Lieutenant Hill looked impatiently at the Stormtroopers who still hadn't left and said:

"Damian has been shot dead on the spot for attacking the guards. You can leave now."

Horn and Pipes were instantly enraged. Damian, such a cowardly potato sorter, was clearly too scared to move by the Stormtroopers in the warehouse, so why would he inexplicably attack the fully armed guards?

“They can’t just kill him after a trial.”

Bagpipes naively believed that the garrison would leave behind some legitimate trial records.

The horn simply placed its hand lightly on the bagpipes' shoulder.

There is no doubt that Damian was executed without trial.

[Bilgewater tax has been collected]

[Winner announced: 5 Light Knight Skin Fragments]

Lotin is planning to force the main force of the Deeppool to move out ahead of schedule by intercepting the Deeppool troops transporting Originium artifacts; this is known as the "Disconnected Titan".

However, he received a system notification about the "Bilgewater Tax Lottery". Recently, he has occasionally and inexplicably received a few lottery chances, but he has never obtained skin fragments from them.

He figured it was probably someone from Iberia or along the way who had heard his legend and had tossed him a coin while chanting the name "Nautilus".

[The following is the probability of winning a random skin shard: Paying the Bilgewater tax out of respect or fear will give you a 0.37% chance of winning a random skin shard.]

[The taxes paid by survivors will have a 5% to 37% chance of providing skin shards.]

The greater the suffering a survivor endures, the higher the probability of obtaining skin fragments, and the greater the probability of obtaining more fragments.

As always, Lotin calmly considered the information conveyed by the system. The system had indeed said before that it would announce the probability of this [Bilgewater Tax Lottery], but even after he had traveled all the way from Iberia to Victoria, the system still hadn't announced the probability.

Fortunately, Hillshire is rich in resources and has a low environmental intensity, giving Lotin plenty of opportunities to study the system's functions.