The mysterious blue liquid quickly merged into his body and moved like a living thing, swiftly traveling through the blood vessels to the right atrium. Carmen’s heart was unlike any other—a half-mass of flesh, half a tome wrapped in rusted iron chains.

This book-like heart appeared similar to a human heart, shaped like a coconut. Its cover was crafted from unknown animal materials and strange metallic substances, with a dense network of arteries and veins attached to its surface, pulsing slightly with each beat, mimicking the function of a real heart.

As the blue liquid flowed in, the book-heart reacted violently, swelling and pulsating like it was alive...

—Imprint activation, the "Past Sight" fragment—the Singing Bones—initiated!!

The fragment Carmen possessed activated instantly, his eyes rolled back, showing only the whites. His twisted heart released an invisible power, causing a cascade of words and images to reverberate in his mind and trigger a resonance within his brain.

In a moment, his consciousness transcended its original form, breaking through the boundaries of time and space to reach another dimension. It recorded everything that had happened here within the past half-hour.

This was Past Sight, one of the most powerful trump cards held by Carmen as an experienced strategist.

Sacrificial Blades and Shadow Beasts were some of the methods available to seasoned strategists like him. Moreover, each possessed abilities not easily revealed in front of others, enabling them to survive complex scripted worlds.

His fragment magic—"Past Sight: The Singing Bones"—was one such ability.

As the name suggests, Past Sight allowed one to see events that had already transpired. It had proven invaluable for solving mysteries and making deductions in complex script worlds, often helping him and Xu Lin overcome numerous challenges.

Using it this time was no different, as Past Sight successfully revealed what he needed.

Carmen first witnessed the event where Linda and Roland’s car was crashed, followed by the figures from the large truck, but more importantly, he noted the license plate and the advertisement logo on the truck.

“Nact Logistics Company!” he murmured. It took a while for the white haze in his eyes to clear.

“It seems they were taken by people connected to this Nact Logistics Company,” Xu Lin stated confidently, knowing Carmen’s capabilities.

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“Indeed, that appears to be the case,” Carmen agreed.

Armed with this accurate information, they continued toward the town. By the time they arrived, it was around ten or eleven at night.

“Nact Logistics is located here. Should we just storm in?”

They didn't have many weapons with them; their ammunition came from the police, and after the earlier battle, they hadn’t had a chance to fully restock. They were nearly out.

“I’m just saying… what if it’s a trap specifically set for us?” Alexander drew out his Glock 18, lowering his voice. “What do the four of us do then?”

“I’ve considered this. Old Li and I will go in together. As long as it’s not Cthulhu himself, we should be able to escape. But in case we don’t make it, you must prepare for the worst, find a place to hide, and just hold out until Act Four ends.”

Xu Lin explained to Alexander that there was a final option, or rather, a last-resort plan.

“Running and hiding is also a strategy. You have a twenty percent chance of safely lasting through Act Four. If you make it, you can loan some survival points so that Jin Jianshu and the others can make it back to the Ghost Space alive.”

“Once back in Ghost Space, they have a chance to repay the survival points in the next script world. Having an experienced veteran will make future missions much easier for you.”

“Only a twenty percent chance, meaning an eighty percent chance of dying here…” Alexander smiled bitterly.

“Don’t overthink it. How you proceed is ultimately up to you…”

Xu Lin whispered these words to Alexander. Without Xu Lin’s revelation, Alexander wouldn’t have known that survival points could be transferred or traded.

“He kept this information hidden before, likely using it as a bargaining chip,” Alexander wasn’t naive. He recognized Xu Lin’s goodwill in informing him, essentially giving him control over Jin Jianshu, Eric, and the others' fate.

If they couldn’t complete the mission successfully and Alexander wasn’t willing to lend survival points, then the other three would face death upon returning to Ghost Space. Surviving the basic main storyline only rewards 200 survival points, insufficient for the necessary 300-point threshold.

“Don’t worry. We’ve faced dangerous situations before and made it through. You guys stay here for now!” Carmen smiled, patting Alexander on the shoulder, showing confidence.

He and Xu Lin quickly infiltrated the Nact Logistics Company building while Alexander and the others waited outside.

It wasn’t long, perhaps ten minutes later, when gunfire erupted from the building. This was quickly followed by a massive explosion that almost blew the roof off the building.

A message arrived from Ghost Space’s Pinocchio: “Strategist Xu Lin has been killed…”

“No, it can’t be, they… they’re just dead like that!” The old man named Cheng gaped in disbelief.

“Why? Why didn’t Carmen return either…”

Alexander said nothing, his face ashen. This was the worst outcome—not only was Xu Lin dead, but Carmen hadn’t returned.

“We can’t stay here. We have to leave…”

Alexander took a deep breath, realizing nightfall was near. Based on Xu Lin’s words and his deductions, once night arrived, the townspeople would complete their transformation into Deep Ones.

(The source of this must be the influence of dreams. If there’s any force capable of causing such widespread abnormality, it must be Cthulhu himself…)

The power of the Old Gods defies estimation, with abilities to invade dreams and warp human minds. It seemed the town’s transformation stemmed from this dark influence.