Shrouded Seascape

"Why do you think it doesn't exist?" Anna asked, tilting her head slightly while staring at the middle-aged man on the screen. "Have you been to the Subterranean Sea?"

"You don't have to go there to know that it doesn't exist! A simple formula is enough to prove it! But I guess someone who has never learned elementary school physics will have no idea just what conditions are necessary for the creation of such a large space!"

"Tsk, I can smell your arrogance through the screen, human. Do you really think that humans are the masters of the Earth? Do you really think that you've seen everything there is to see?" Anna asked.

"Human?!" Carlo calmed down instantly upon hearing that. Anna had just implicitly admitted that she was not a human being.

Recalling Agent 2's words in Anna's files, Carlo felt a shiver down his spine as he stared at the woman on the screen. The possibility that she was indeed a giant cephalopod monster had just increased significantly.

Lucius patted his colleague's back, and then he leaned forward, saying, "Alright, we'll trust you. Assuming that this Subterranean Sea exists, how did you reach the surface? Are there others like you in that world?"

Anna raised her right hand, wagging two fingers at Lucious. "That's two extra questions. I've answered your previous one, so it's my turn to ask. How many Anomalies are being contained here?"

The answer earlier had told Anna that the most dangerous Anomaly in this site seemed to be capable of cognition distortion. In other words, if Anna were to ask about its special abilities, they'd most likely answer her in an evasive way.

The "Indescribable" Anomaly seemed difficult to work with, so Anna decided to focus on the weaker Anomalies.

"Ahem." Lucius coughed softly, and his voice sounded hoarse as he replied, "31.3 Anomalies in total. Now, can you tell us how you reached the surface?"

The two men noticed that Anna's gaze drifted slightly upward, and they immediately jotted down Anna's behavior.

"My husband sent me up here," Anna said, her gaze drifting subconsciously upward. She seemed to be in the midst of recalling old memories. "At first, I thought he'd abandon everything and come up here, but he threw me here instead."

"Your husband? Is he one of your kind?"

Anna shook her head slightly. "No, he's like you; he's an ordinary human."

Lucius found that absurd. Someone out there actually loved a woman who was clearly against humanity? Was he not afraid of getting his head chopped off in his sleep?

"Did you disguise yourself as human to marry him?" Lucius asked, setting a trap. If Anna responded positively, it would prove that she wasn't human at all.

"No, of course not," Anna said, shaking her head. "He knew exactly what I looked like, but he did not care. He does not care about appearances at all."

Lucius and Carlo exchanged looks. Appearances weren't exactly important here. If Anna was telling the truth, just what kind of person could bring himself to sleep with a giant tentacled monster?

A few extremely disturbing and R-rated images popped up in Lucius' mind, but he suppressed them quickly and forcibly. After taking a moment to compose himself, Lucius asked, "Since you have a husband, then let's talk about him.

"How did you guys meet?"

"It was a chance encounter. He visited our home one day, and my family welcomed him and his group. Now that I think about it, he was really cute back then. Ah, if I could go back in time, I'd definitely grab him by the chin and pry open his skull with my teeth. I'd drag out his brain and then devour it to become one with him.

"If I had just done that back then, we wouldn't have had so many fights later down the road. We would have been very happy together."

Carlo held his cheek, looking like he was suffering from a toothache.

Carlo seriously doubted whether Anna truly understood the meaning of the word "husband" or not. She could have mistaken the word "husband" to be synonymous with the words "food," "slave," or something else entirely.

"Ah, right, here's a secret—a certain group of people has left behind their technology and knowledge in the Subterranean Sea. That group was capable of creating just about anything, including an unlimited energy source."

Carlo and Lucius exchanged looks once again. They pondered over Anna's words, evaluating the veracity of her claims.

"Believe me when I say that you'll definitely go down in history by finding the Subterranean Sea and helping the people here assimilate that technology," Anna said.

Her words were tempting, as this was her attempt to make use of them in finding the Subterranean Sea. The chances of success were low, but there was a chance, so why not try it?

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind. Now, back to your husband. Earlier, you said that you thought he'd abandon everything and come here. Does that mean that he can come here?"

Instead of answering, Anna wagged her finger at them. "As per our agreement, I can ask you as many questions as you asked me. No cheating, so it's my turn to ask now."

Lucius felt uncomfortable at the fact that the flow of the conversation was interrupted, but he knew that he had to maintain this relaxed air, as Anna had finally agreed to talk to them.

"Fine, ask away. We'll tell you anything as long as we have access to it."

"Hmm... let me think." Anna gently held her chin, unconsciously looking toward the right wall.

"First question, who is my neighbor on the right? Are they friendly?"

Lucius' hoarse voice echoed. "She's 4105, and she's a humanoid Anomaly like you."

"Oh? Does that mean she can communicate? What's her special ability?"

"She can 'disappear' into solid matter and emerge through anything solid that is connected to that solid matter. That alone isn't dangerous, but she's extremely hostile to humans. She also has a penchant for assembling toys made from human flesh, and she prefers children as victims."

Anna stared intently at Lucius. "Is that true? Why does it sound like you're making that up."

"Feel free to think that I'm lying to you; I also can't confirm whether you're lying to me or not. In terms of credibility, however, I'm definitely more credible than you."

"Haha, sure, I believe you. Does this 4105 have a normal human body? Can she be hurt and killed?"

"Yes, just like you," Lucius replied.

Just then, Carlo suddenly touched his earpiece before tapping his colleague's shoulder.

"We're done talking for today," Lucius said, "Let's stop here and continue our 'deal' later. And one more thing… what I told you earlier is still valid.

"Tell us your goal, and we'll try our best to help you achieve it. In exchange, tell us everything you know. It's a win-win situation for both of us."