40. The Watchers Are Formed (Please Keep Reading~)

A cool breeze brushed against the leaves lining the street, and the gentle sunlight spilled across the road. Traffic lights flickered and changed with the passing time, while vehicles wove through the city in an orderly flow.

Marn pushed open the iron gate in front of him and stepped into the detached house along the street he had just rented. He had commissioned Ning Changkong to investigate some information about himself, and she would soon forget that this had ever happened.

Four years ago, he had lived with the woman who was now his sister. But after Marn was hospitalized, Chen Yun had moved to a much cheaper neighborhood to save money for his exorbitant medical expenses. Marn couldn't even imagine how his past self had managed to persuade Chen Yun to do that.

A few months ago, while she was away on a business trip, she had given up that tiny, cramped apartment. Consequently, now that he had been discharged, Marn theoretically had nowhere to return to—though even if he did, he wouldn't know if it were safe.

Qin Lan from the Supernatural Coordination Bureau had handled his discharge paperwork. She had arranged to meet him at the bureau in a week or two, giving him time to rest while she processed some documents.

Marn planned to use the Coordination Bureau to get to the bottom of the "angel" matter and have them spread the word that he was a "memory wiper" to deflect suspicion from himself, but that was not his only plan.

His past self had left behind two names.

The Control Bureau could filter for potential employees based on specific criteria by consuming anomaly values. He had found two candidates who met all the requirements, though he hadn't formally recruited them yet. The personalities and circumstances of these two individuals meant they were willing to become employees of the Anomaly Control Bureau—one could even say they had a need for it. Both were Tier III ability users who possessed rich resources and intelligence within their respective ranks—at least, that was the case for the Marn of the past.

Moreover, even if they saw Marn's face, they wouldn't be able to track him down or pose any real danger to him. But that point was no longer very important.

Marn closed his eyes and cast his consciousness into the Anomaly Control Bureau.

...

In the deepest ocean trench, at the very center of Atlantis, inside a luxuriously decorated girl's bedroom.

Ellie was anxiously flipping through ancient books. They mentioned the era before they were submerged by the sea, as well as the prophecy mentioned by the Four Wise Kings—that an ancient deity would awaken in their lost seventh millennium, tolling the bell of doom for both worlds.

Recently, the Sea Folk had become significantly more violent, even attacking the guard forces of several cities. Consequently, after several meetings, the Three Wise Kings had decided to send troops to the surface world to demand the land that rightfully belonged to them, hoping to alleviate the survival pressure within the ocean.

Her father had taken the prophecy to meet with the Three Wise Kings two years ago to voice his opposition. He had never returned.

...

In the southern part of the Eastern Federation, in a villa.

Xiang Yudi held a silver knife and fork, his eyes hollow as he cut into a whole roasted pig on a silver platter. On the wall directly opposite him hung several human skeletons, and evil magic arrays painted with pigments mixed with fresh blood covered the entire dining room, filling the air with a nauseating smell of decay.

He numbly fed the pork into his mouth, enjoying the "sacrament" of the highest ritual all by himself.

...

Marn sat in the conference room, looking at the two floating screens before him.

[
Ellie
Comprehensive Anomaly Strength: III-4
Description: Princess of Atlantis. Capable of breathing underwater, moving at high speeds, and possesses Tier III Atlantean magic and Tier III physical strength.

Xiang Yudi
Comprehensive Anomaly Strength: III-4
Heir to the leader of the Ranudast Cult, devil worshiper. Master of Tier III demonic magic and knowledge, capable of communicating with Tier IV demons in hell, and possesses the ability to summon demons.
]

These were the two candidates the past Marn had found. But no matter how he looked at them, they seemed a bit abnormal. Did they really meet those requirements?

It didn't matter.

These two high-status ability users not only possessed the intelligence on angels that Marn desperately needed, but both had opportunities to access Tier IV anomalous items. This was one of the reasons his past self had found them. Normally, Tier IV anomalous items were dangerous and difficult to control or utilize, but to Marn, they were equivalent to Tier IV abilities, and power could often solve all problems.

Marn lifted a finger. Light and shadow flickered.

Xiang Yudi looked up, his expression dazed as he scanned the unfamiliar environment, then fixed his gaze on the man sitting at the end of the table. Only then did he realize, with a sense of delayed shock, that he was no longer at his dining table.

Ellie blinked at Marn, feeling a vague sense that something was wrong. No, the mere fact that she had appeared here was wrong. Anyone who could summon her from Atlantis had to be at least a Tier V reality warper. Could this be a test for her people?

Then, she realized a terrifying fact. She couldn't see Marn's face at all.

"You..." Xiang Yudi said, his voice trembling. "Are you an angel? Are you here to judge me?"

"You still believe in angels?" Ellie interjected, feigning composure. "Are you a surface dweller?"

But he ignored Ellie entirely, staring straight at the invisible man. "Are you here to take me away? I am ready to atone..."

"No," Marn said gently. "I am not an angel. I am your interviewer, and I would like to offer you a job. Don't be nervous; even if you aren't hired, it won't be a problem."

He couldn't do anything anyway.

Hearing Marn's response, Xiang Yudi's expression sank instantly, but the young man didn't say anything. He knew very well that a powerhouse capable of doing this to him was certainly someone he could not resist. If that was the case, he had no choice but to accept. As always.

Ellie looked at Marn, suppressing her anticipation as she asked, "Are you a surface dweller?"

Marn gave an ambiguous answer: "I am not Atlantean."

She said excitedly, "You know about Atlantis."

Marn nodded slightly. Of course he knew; it was written on the screen.

"An Atlantean princess, an heir to the Ranudast Cult leader—you both have respectable statuses and possess the ability to provide the information we need. By the way, let me introduce ourselves. We are the Observers, and we are currently collecting information about this world."

Marn did indeed want to use the Control Bureau to create such an organization. If he could control the information of the entire world, he could easily avoid any danger.

But hearing this, Ellie and Xiang Yudi sensed a terrifying truth behind Marn's tone—he knew very little about this world. This meant he likely existed outside of the world they knew.

This prompted different, tacit imaginations in their minds. Xiang Yudi recalled the great hell-demons that other cultists often discussed, while Ellie thought of the mad gods from the ancient prophecies. A fear of destiny surged into their hearts simultaneously.

"Do we have the right to refuse?" Ellie asked bitterly.

They had no idea that Marn's knowledge of the world was actually less than that of any Tier I ability user; he had no memories of the past at all.

"Of course you can leave," he said gently. "But wouldn't you want to escape your current predicaments? At the very least, we are not the enemies you are currently facing. By the way, we are a kind organization dedicated to maintaining the world's survival. In other words, we are the good guys."

He felt a bit embarrassed saying this; he only wanted to use these two employees to collect information and become stronger. Fortunately, they couldn't see his expression, which eased Marn's sense of guilt somewhat.

But it was this very sentence that ignited hope in the eyes of both Ellie and Xiang Yudi.

"Really?" the man asked sincerely.

Ellie also looked at Marn with anticipation.

Without hesitation, he lied: "Of course."