Argentum, having bandaged his wound, staggered to the sofa and slumped down, his breath carrying a faint quiver as he endured the pain.

"Walk me through what happened," Cyrus commanded, looming over him.

Argentum laughed, a hollow sound. "It seems the rumors are true after all—you are as cold as they say."

He shifted to get comfortable and began recounting the night's events. "I reached the port and proceeded to the explosion site as per your instructions. Security officers were patrolling, and it took some effort to scan the scene without drawing attention."

From his pocket, Argentum produced a metallic sphere and tossed it to Cyrus. She caught it deftly, and as it unfolded in her hand, a holographic display projected into the air, showing a detailed three-dimensional model of the blast site and data analysis.

"The blast covered a thirty-meter radius. The explosive is estimated to be a homemade gasoline bomb..."

Given the sophistication of Mechanism Dawn, which could mobilize harbor warehouse resources, their operatives wouldn't likely resort to such rudimentary devices as homemade gasoline bombs. They had access to proper military munitions.

This suggested that the mastermind behind the explosion might not be Mechanism Dawn.

Cyrus tapped the projection, bringing up another scene of an explosion. This one was smaller, less than ten meters, with the explosive estimated to be an ethanol-filled glass bottle.

Switching between blast site data, Cyrus confirmed her initial speculation.

The culprits behind the previous wave of explosions were not Mechanism Dawn. A covert third party existed in the port bombings.

As for the unknown third party's motives and whether they were related to the Kraken, further investigation was required.

Argentum had been efficient, gathering a wealth of data overnight, and likely exhausted from his nocturnal efforts.

Cyrus tossed the metallic sphere back into Argentum's lap. "Continue with what you encountered."

"I intended to come straight back after collecting the data," he said, "but then I heard a scream. By the time I reached the source, a security officer patrolling the area had been killed by a monster trying to lay eggs inside his body." A grimace crossed Argentum's face. "I dealt with the monster, but then the officer's partner arrived... He saw me, so I had to eliminate him too. I disposed of the bodies."

"That was the first monster," Cyrus noted. "You encountered three last night."

"Yes. The second one sought me out—it had parasitized a dockworker who was now skin and bones, drained by the creature. It must have been desperate to stockpile energy for its next transformation and sought a new host—it found me." Argentum's expression soured. "Disgusting. That's the one that injured me."

"And the third?" Cyrus prompted.

"The third isn't worth mentioning. I found it just as it crawled onto the dock from the sea." Argentum shrugged. "It hadn't managed to find a human host yet, a vulnerable juvenile."

Monsters, creatures from the sea that crawled ashore seeking hosts and laid eggs in human corpses.

These monsters were formidable, capable of killing well-trained security officers and even wounding Argentum, who possessed supernatural abilities.

Cyrus inwardly smirked. She should have expected anything in a world where cyberpunk and supernatural elements collided.

The danger level of the second world had just escalated in her mind.

"It used to be rare to encounter such monsters, maybe once a month. Why so many all of a sudden?" Argentum pondered. "We should report this to the organization."

"Yes, we should report it..." Cyrus's words halted as her Enforcement Department-issued communicator vibrated in her pocket.

The screen displayed an incoming call from Shu Xuyao.

She pressed the answer button: "Captain."

"Cyrus, how are you holding up?" Shu Xuyao's voice sounded serious.

"What's wrong?" Cyrus detected unease in his tone.

"Last night, Mo Jing and Wang Jian from Team Six were patrolling the docks and met with an accident," Shu Xuyao explained. "The port patrol positions are now vacant, and we urgently need replacements. Cyrus, we've suffered too many casualties recently and can't spare any personnel. If you've recovered, we need you to come back as soon as possible to take over the task."

"Alright. I'll return to the Enforcement Department tomorrow morning," Cyrus replied.

Shu Xuyao seemed busy; he exchanged only the necessary words before ending the call.

Cyrus set down the communicator, her gaze fixed on Argentum, who had been curiously eavesdropping from the sofa.

Mo Jing and Wang Jian were part of the Enforcement Department's Field Team Six, stationed near Cyrus's team. Argentum had witnessed one of them being killed by a monster last night before taking down the other who came to investigate.

"If you're patrolling the docks, my actions there will be much easier, won't they?" Argentum remarked excitedly. "It'll be convenient to set up the explosive devices at the port. Ha, lucky us, the man I killed last night just happened to be from your field team."

"Yes, by killing our team members, you've left the field team short-staffed, cutting my three-day leave down to one," Cyrus said. "Being at work means I'll be with my teammates for extended periods, unable to communicate with you and devise plans promptly."

Argentum paused, taken aback. "I hadn't thought of that... it was an accident."

"I didn't expect you to think of it," Cyrus massaged her forehead. "Never mind, accidents are inevitable, and it's not your fault. Plans need to change with the situation. If there's an emergency and you can't reach me, handle it yourself. Don't wait for my orders, just report back to me afterward."

Stolen story; please report.

"Understood," Argentum nodded.

Her time to adjust had been cut short. After pulling an all-nighter reviewing documents, she needed to sleep and recharge.

"I have things to do. Don't move around too much until you've recovered from your injuries," Cyrus instructed.

"Wait!" Argentum called out to Cyrus as she headed for the door.

"What is it?" she turned back.

"I'm hungry. Got anything to eat?" he inquired earnestly. "I've been running all night without sleep or food. Using my powers makes me especially hungry."

Cyrus pondered for a moment. "There's nothing left in the kitchen. Order some delivery, and get me something too."

Argentum replied, resigned, "Alright, I'll order."

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang.

Chill, dressed in a delivery uniform, stood at the door with a bag of food. "Hello, here's your order... Oh, senior! You live here?"

Surprised to see Chill working a side job, Cyrus exclaimed, "Are you working your way through school?"

"Yeah, trying to earn money for college. I just don't know if I'll make enough... it seems unlikely." Chill handed her the delivery bag. "I've got another delivery to make, so I'll see you later, senior!"

Cyrus waved him off and closed the door.

"Who was that?" Argentum inquired.

"A guy who got into Blackwater College's Mechanical Engineering program. The person I'm portraying graduated from there too," Cyrus said as she removed the food from the bag.

"Mechanical Engineering? That's talent the organization could use," Argentum paused, his hands busy with the cutlery. "What's his family situation?"

"Not great, his parents run a convenience store," Cyrus shared.

Argentum seemed to realize something. "You know quite a bit about him. You're considering recruiting him, aren't you?"

So Mechanism Dawn did recruit new members?

"Don't be hasty," Cyrus played it cool.

"You're right, we should observe him for a while longer," Argentum agreed, opening the food box.

"But people from poor backgrounds are easier to recruit; they're more susceptible to monetary influence," Cyrus added abruptly. "A small benefit could bind their interests to ours."

"Report the frequent sightings of monsters at the port along with the name of that Blackwater College student. If he's suitable, the organization will make contact with him," Argentum suggested.

"Fine, you write the report," Cyrus commanded without ceremony. "The student's name is Chill."

Argentum managed to suppress his irritation. "I'll write it... I've got nothing better to do while I'm recovering."

After their meal, Argentum meticulously completed the report to be submitted to the organization and handed it to Cyrus for approval. Only after she nodded did he confidently send it off.

Argentum's report met Cyrus's standards, and he was pleased. From his writing, Cyrus learned the standard format for reporting to Mechanism Dawn, which also satisfied her.

She noted that Argentum had used the term "exotic species" instead of "monsters" in his report, suggesting that "exotic species" was the formal term for these creatures.

Cyrus returned to her room, and Argentum curled up on the sofa under a thin blanket to rest.

His eyes closed, a tuft of white hair poking out from the blanket like a cat that thought it was well-hidden.

Cyrus reviewed Argentum's actions and inwardly assessed him: "Aside from being obedient and having supernatural abilities, he's pretty much a naive cat."

There was still more of the Enforcement Department's data she hadn't finished reviewing, and she didn't have enough time to go through it carefully now. She skimmed through, focusing on sections related to "monsters" and "exotic species."

At the end of the document was a passage: The Enforcement Department's Emergency Response Team, with an unknown leader and variable members, had their office three levels below ground in the Enforcement Building. This covert team's primary duty was to secretly dispose of exotic species that appeared in various locations.

The Enforcement Department harbored many secrets, such as the mysterious Emergency Response Team. The second world contained many oddities, such as the "monsters" Argentum spoke of, the exotic species.

With little time to rest, Cyrus put down her bracelet and forced herself to sleep.

...

Cyrus slept for eight hours straight.

When her alarm went off, she rose from bed, washed up, and changed clothes.

Splashing cold water on her face, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, murmuring to herself, "Fear can paralyze a person."

She couldn't afford to stand still, not in the first world and certainly not in the second.

Cyrus opened the bathroom door and headed to the living room, just in time to catch Argentum clambering through the balcony window.

"Let's see what's on the reading page, shall we?"

"I went shopping this morning; ordering takeout is too expensive," Argentum declared, holding several bags of groceries with hopeful eyes turned toward Cyrus.

"Right, it seems like time for breakfast," Cyrus conceded. "Put away any extra food in the fridge."

Seeing he had spent his own money on groceries, Cyrus allowed a slight increase in her tolerance level for him.

She quickly prepared two breakfasts, and after eating, Argentum dutifully collected the dishes to wash.

While washing, he asked, "I'm almost healed; any directives for today?"

So soon? Cyrus thought incredulously.

Did every person with supernatural abilities heal this rapidly? Argentum hadn't used any high-tech medical pods for his recovery, yet he was bouncing back alarmingly fast, unnaturally so for a human.

"No directives for now," Cyrus replied as she put on her shoes by the door. "If I'm assigned to patrol the port area, I'll let you know. Otherwise, stand by. You're free to move as you please in the meantime."

Umbrella in hand, she pushed open the door and stepped out.

The rain in Blackwater City had been relentless, turning it into a veritable Rain City. Cyrus waited at the hover train station, and within a minute, the train arrived punctually.

By day, Blackwater City lost the embellishments of neon lights and holographic ads, appearing much more subdued. Through the drizzle, every building took on a hue of deep gray, oppressive to the eyes.

Minutes later, Cyrus arrived at the Enforcement Department building.

"Welcome back, Trainee Security Officer Cyrus. Please place your umbrella on the public rack," Adam's voice greeted her.

Cyrus did as instructed and took the elevator to Shu Xuyao's office.

She knocked.

"Come in," Shu Xuyao called.

The door opened, and Cyrus's heart skipped a beat as she entered. The office was filled with four or five people, all members of Field Team Seven. As Cyrus stepped in, they all turned to look at her in unison.

"Enough with the pleasantries," Shu Xuyao tapped the desk to regain the team's attention. "Take a seat, Cyrus. We're about to discuss the target of our next mission."

Cyrus pulled out a swivel chair and sat down.

Shu Xuyao activated the holographic projector, and a lifelike three-dimensional figure materialized in the air.

"This is our target. Swordwood, a level-six citizen, convicted of first-degree murder. However, due to his mental illness, he did not serve time in prison but was receiving treatment at the Blackwater City Mental Hospital," Shu Xuyao explained. "Last night, he escaped after attacking his psychiatrist."

"How did he manage that?" inquired the man seated to Cyrus's left. "Is his psychiatrist alive?"

"The psychiatrist suffered minor injuries but is otherwise unharmed," Shu Xuyao replied. "As for how he escaped... analysis suggests he may have awakened."

"Awakened? He's become an awakened being with supernatural abilities?" The members of Field Team Seven showed surprise.

"Adam has determined he likely possesses a non-lethal supernatural ability. The psychiatric hospital's security equipment wasn't violently breached, so he most likely used his newfound powers to escape," Shu Xuyao continued. "Our mission is to apprehend him and bring him to justice. If he resists violently or endangers civilians in the process, we are authorized to take him down on the spot."

"I have a question," Cyrus interjected. "Is the patient's mental state stable? Did he show any signs or abnormal behaviors before his escape and attack on the psychiatrist?"

"Indeed, there were signs," Shu Xuyao furrowed his brow. "The hospital provided us with Swordwood's treatment videos. He insists he's not ill and repeatedly told the doctors that he's not from Blackwater City. He believes he comes from a city called 'Jinling'..."

"That's some serious delusion," one of the team members chuckled.

The comment drew chuckles from the others.

Cyrus, however, had no interest in joining the laughter to fit in.

Jinling. The escaped mental patient, Swordwood, claimed to be from Jinling.

Swordwood was a player from the first world!