Shrouded Seascape

The entire process of severing her own arm was far from easy. After all, human limbs had nerves. Though Anna had a high tolerance for pain and could endure the ordeal, it didn't mean that she enjoyed it.

When she had finally severed the rotting limb, droplets of sweat had beaded on her forehead. The entire table was also soaked with her blood.

The clown approached Anna, and with its entire body, it gestured an apology.

Anna reached for the cup on the table and took a sip before shaking her head.

"I'm not blaming you," she said. "I should've guessed. It's impossible for you to have an ability like limb regeneration. This makeshift arm was just a temporary measure.

"Anyway, I called you over here not to talk about this arm but about us."

The clown adjusted its tailored suit and then silently made a theatrical gesture of attentiveness, signaling Anna to continue.

"I think you should know this even if I don't spell it out. You know what life is like being contained by the IMF. I'm sure you hated that kind of life.

"Since we are both Anomalies, that puts us in the same boat, so we should stick together to make sure that they can't drag us back in."

"Don't worry," Anny added, "This life of running and hiding won't last for long. What I once had is beyond anything you could imagine, and when I reclaim it, this entire situation will be overturned.

"I don't care how the other Anomalies want to live. But when that day comes, as long as I want to, Anomalies shall roam freely on the surface.

"My man said I lack the ruthlessness of humanity, but I do have emotions—some of them, at least. If you stand by me during hard times and help me achieve my goals, I won't forget your efforts," Anna concluded in a steady tone.

Anna was starting to extend olive branches. Even though the clown would likely stick around without her saying all these, she believed voicing her thoughts openly was beneficial for both of them.

The clown paused for a few seconds before it adjusted the lapels of its perfectly tailored suit and dropped into a single-knee bow.

"As long as you understand where I'm coming from," Anna said. "There's no need for these theatrics. Now, head out and keep an eye on those two. They're important to me—especially the woman. She's not the type to sit quietly and accept her fate and will definitely try her luck."

The clown nodded in silence. It then reached for the brim of its oversized top hat, grasped it firmly, and pulled it downward. The hat expanded and consumed its entire form; the next moment, the clown vanished.

Left all alone, Anna remained seated in her chair. She closed her eyes as she mentally calculated her available resources. As a fellow fugitive, the clown mask was basically a trustable ally and could be considered a valuable helper.

Then, there was Tobba. Though Anna wasn't entirely certain how much of what he said was true, his experiences with Charles back when they were in the Subterranean Sea suggested that Tobba was dependable—most of the time.

Even if he harbored ulterior motives, they were still allies against the IMF.

Apart from those two, she still had the Fhtagnists. Unfortunately, she had no idea where the IMF had imprisoned them, which meant that they were not available for her use.

Humans aside, the only remaining resources she had at her disposal were the Anomalies she had absorbed into her body.

The first one was the Anomaly that made her vibrate at a high frequency, allowing her to phase through solid matter.

This ability she had absorbed at the polar containment site had vastly improved her chances of escape. Moreover, it surely had untapped potential. The more she used it, the closer she was to discovering its hidden applications.

In addition, she acquired the ability to construct grotesque flesh puppets. The spliced creatures could assist her in both menial tasks and combat.

However, the ability had a significant drawback. Not only did it require a substantial amount of raw material, the flesh puppets were far from inconspicuous. Worse yet, this ability was already known to the IMF.

The effectiveness of any ability was in its secrecy. If one of her grotesque creations were ever caught on camera, it would be the same as putting up a neon sign telling the IMF exactly where to find her.

Aside from the two abilities, Anna had also absorbed a third one. Her eyes dropped to her severed limb.

Under her gaze, iridescent crystals began to emerge from the stump and sealed the still-bleeding blood vessels with unnatural precision.

Following which, from the right side of her head, seven or eight new pupils began to force their way out of her eye socket, crowding her original eye until there was almost no sclera left visible.

The air before her began to shift and transform into a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues. Her vision had expanded to reveal a world beyond the spectrum of an ordinary human; each element and compound in the air now manifested as distinct shades in her eyes.

This strange visual enhancement allowed her to perceive things invisible to ordinary humans—such as the strange bubbly Anomaly she had seen back at the containment site.

However, that was all there was to it. She knew nothing else about the third ability. Though it sounded like a joke, Anna had indeed assimilated with an ability that she couldn't fully understand.

She had no idea what those strange crystals embedded in her body were truly capable of. Apart from her enhanced visual spectrum to detect Anomalies like those interlocked bubbles, she couldn't find any other usage for it.

Of course, the IMF surely had the detailed information about this Anomaly, but they certainly weren't about to share it with her.

This was the full extent of the anomalies Anna had absorbed so far.

They had also reminded Anna of one thing—if she wanted to assimilate another Anomaly next time, she had to understand its capabilities first.

If she were to accidentally absorb two conflicting powers or one with severe side effects, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Knock, knock.

Anna's thoughts were interrupted by knocking on the door.

"Come in, the door's not locked," Anna called out lazily as she pulled down her sleeve to hide her severed arm. With a practiced flick, she tossed the decayed hand lying on the desk into a nearby trash bin.

The door swung open to reveal Li Lu standing at the doorway with a grim expression.

"Where did you go earlier?" Li Lu asked in a demanding tone.

Anna let out a cold snort. "Remember your place. You're a prisoner."

Li Lu drew in a deep breath as she tried to restrain her emotions. "I don't care what you're up to. Just stop leaving this place unless necessary. The IMF is definitely scouring the world for you. If they find you, they'll find all of us!

"Moreover, you destroyed an entire polar containment site. They've probably elevated your threat level to the highest. Once they track you down, they'll surely send their most elite combat team to take you out!"

Hearing this, Anna's interest was piqued. "Do you know the members of the IMF's most elite combat team? Any names? How do they measure up to me in terms of strength?"

Li Lu shook her head slowly. "I have no idea. My clearance level isn't high enough. However, all these years, the IMF has been gathering and containing all kinds of Anomalies that are far more powerful than you."

"If they have the means to deal with those things, they have the means to deal with you, too. No matter how good you're at manipulating people, you're still flesh and blood.

"A bullet can kill you just like anyone else.

"The only option we have now is to stay hidden. We lay low until their attention on us has shifted elsewhere. The IMF has bigger priorities to juggle than just us.

"Once we become less of a priority, things will become easier from there," Li Lu concluded.

The most elite combat team of the IMF, huh… Anna's mind raced with thoughts.