The clicking sound of the switch reverberated in the secret room, and the metal reeds hummed rhythmically as they were turned on and off. An invisible signal was sent to the roof and sent out by an antenna disguised as a weather vane, coming from the sea. The news about the Fog Fleet was sent into the secret room again, transformed into the clicking sound of relays and a series of regular round holes on the paper tape.
Nemo was sitting at the table with headphones on. While listening to the movements in the headphones, he tapped his fingers on the table a little irritably. A young girl in a waiter uniform next to him picked up the vomit that had just been spit out of the punch machine. When the paper tape comes out, read the round holes on it.
After a while, Nemo pulled off the headphones on his head, leaned back in his chair, and took a long breath while pinching his eyebrows.
"Captain Tirian has begun to fight against the strange fleet that appeared in the fog. The battle situation on the Frost Navy side is temporarily unknown, but the situation does not seem to be good," the young girl holding the paper tape lowered her voice and said in a somewhat nervous tone, "But there was no news in the city..."
"Dense fog blocked civilian news channels. Residents in the coastal area would not know what was happening even if they heard the sound of cannons. The city-state authorities now have to maintain order within the city-wide panic will not help the navy. "Busy," Timo pinched his eyebrows, "How's the situation on the streets outside? Where's the store?"
"The Sheriff's force has put the whole city under martial law. The streets are very quiet now, but there seemed to be gunshots coming from far away just now. Two steam walkers passed by the intersection of Oak Street and hurriedly headed north." The young girl replied, "The situation in the store is fine now. We have enough fuel for lighting, but...
"but?"
"There are more than a dozen guests trapped here by the thick fog. Now the streets have been blocked and the shelters have been closed.
At full capacity, they have nowhere to go, and over time, panic will inevitably accumulate among these people. "
"...That can't drive them out onto the street. The tavern is now their temporary shelter, and if we really drive people out, they will definitely attract people from the Sheriff and the church." Nemo shook his head, "Yes. I'll go up and check the situation."
As soon as the Sea Mist Fleet informant finished speaking, a vague muttering suddenly came from the corner of the room: "Charge again, charge again... They are coming in... Reinforcements are coming too..."
Nemo frowned immediately and stood up to look at the place where the sound came from.
There was a bed there, and an old man in shabby clothes was lying on it. The old man's back was stooped, and in his arms he held a big wrench that he didn't know where he got. He seemed to be lying very unsteadily. .
"Old ghost, old ghost," Nemo walked over and patted the old man's shoulder, "Are you having a nightmare?"
The old man holding the big wrench opened his eyes in a daze, and after a few seconds he said, "Who are you?"
"I'm Nemo," Nemo Wilkins said with a complicated expression, "What were you dreaming about?"
"Nemo... Oh, Nemo, I remembered, you are a new member of the Queen's Guards... Hello, I am the pipeline engineer of the Second Waterway...Dream ? I didn’t dream, I took a nap, just took a nap... What time is it now? Should I go inspect the power pipelines? "
"It's already afternoon now," Nemo shook his head, "Don't think about the power pipeline. We have temporarily withdrawn from that place. Now everywhere is not safe. We have to stay here and wait for instructions. This is a reminder. General Ryan's orders."
"General Tirian..." The old ghost's eyes were dazed for a moment, and suddenly he seemed to wake up again.
Standing up from the bed, "Yes! Engineer Wilson received the order! Stand by at the stronghold!"
Nemo's expression was a little complicated, but he slowly stood up straight and returned the military salute to the old man. Then he turned around and nodded to the young girl in the clerk's uniform: "You stay here and look after the old ghost. Go up there and confirm the situation."
After giving the instructions, he left the secret room and returned to the tavern on the surface through the secret passage.
In the "Golden Flute" tavern, a depressing and tense atmosphere filled the hall. Almost all the guests who were trapped in the store due to the thick fog and the clerks and waiters who were left on duty at the tavern were...
Everyone was paying attention to the situation outside the display window - and as far as the eye could see, all they could see was thick fog and the shadowy streets in the thick fog.
All the gas lamps in the city have been lit in advance. The artificial lights have barely dispelled the dimness caused by this strange thick fog. However, they are not enough to make this chaotic world clear again. Those dim yellow light groups are like rootless duckweeds. Floating in the mist, they look like rows of eyes floating above the street.
Nemo came out of the kitchen door and came to the counter.
"How's it going?" he asked in a low voice to the clerk standing behind the counter.
"Everyone is very nervous. All transportation and communications with the surrounding neighborhoods are cut off. No one knows what the situation is in other places," the clerk said in a low voice. "But fortunately, no one ran out because of stress - no one I’m willing to run into that fog at this time.”
Nemo nodded slightly: "If such idiots really show up, don't stop them and let them go - but once they step out of this door, even if they stay in the fog for just a second, they must not be allowed to come back. . From now on, no one is allowed to go out here, and everything coming from the fog will be considered evil by default."
The young clerk swallowed nervously and nodded vigorously: "Yes, store manager."
At this moment, a strange buzzing sound suddenly came from the street, interrupting the conversation between Nemo and his men.
It sounded like the sound of some equipment starting up, mixed with the sound of heavy machinery moving on the street.
There was some commotion among the people in the store. Some people nervously came to the window and looked at the movement on the street outside. Some people saw some moving red lights appearing in the fog and exclaimed in a low voice: "Steam walker· ...A walking machine appears again!"
Nemo also walked towards the window, and when he was halfway there, he heard the weird buzzing sound suddenly became sharp, and then a slightly distorted loud horn sounded from the window - it was steam walking. The PA device carried on board was shouting.
"Zizi... I would like to inform the general public... The archons and church leaders are restoring order in the city-state...
Frost is being affected by an unknown phenomenon, and we are...specially reminding residents to stay at home or in a safe shelter facility, and for safety reasons, stay away from anything around you that can produce mirrors, including but not limited to mirrors, Water surface and smooth metal······
"Again, please stay away from anything around you that may produce mirrors, that's all.
"In addition, if you find someone around you behaving strangely, please immediately hide in a safe and independent space, and if conditions permit, seek help from the person in charge of the shelter facility or the nearest guard or security officer. Do not rush to anyone you feel If a suspicious person launches an attack, please prioritize your own safety and isolation.
"If you feel that your condition is abnormal, please immediately hide in a safe and independent space and avoid talking to other people as much as possible...
"The above are reminders from His Excellency the Archon Winston and expert advisors in the extraordinary field.
"A warning to the general public..."
The sound of the broadcast gradually faded away, and together with the red warning light of the steam walker, it gradually merged into the thick fog.
Nemo raised his head and saw a pair of deep-set and nervous eyes around him.
But he reacted quickly.
"Get the cloths!" he shouted to the clerks and waiters. "Cover all the glass counters and mirrors!"
Everyone also reacted one after another. Although the tension was still there, the residents of the city-state obviously had the basic common sense and psychological quality to save themselves in extraordinary disasters. The shop assistants quickly fetched the dust-proof cloth after closing. The customers who stayed in the store stepped forward to help and quickly covered everything within sight that might produce mirrors.
And similar situations are happening in every corner of the Frost City-State.
The terror of fog is shrouding the city-state.
In the thick fog, Agatha has returned to the cathedral.
She met Bishop Ivan who had just finished his work in the lounge next to the cathedral.
The bishop walked out of the "coffin" where he usually rested, and placed himself in the coffin.
The bandages on his body were covered with the robes of an archbishop, and in Agatha's memory, she had not seen Bishop Ivan dressed like this for many years.
"Even my corpse has to get up and work," Bishop Ivan, who was wearing a robe, sat on a chair and spread his hands towards Agatha who had just entered the room. "It has been too long since I have been outside the coffin. , I feel like I’m exhausted.”
"If you still have the body to fall apart," Agatha said casually, "how is the situation now?"
"The situation, everyone is asking how the situation is - it can't get any worse," Bishop Ivan's hoarse and deep voice came out from under the bandages, "Fake goods are attacking the city, and the monsters that were lurking before are beginning to emerge. Just now, several cemeteries were attacked. Those places where the dead were temporarily parked seemed to be used by the enemy as a passage into the real world. News also came from the city hall, and gunshots were heard from several streets in the lower city. At sea, our fleet has been fighting with things emerging from the sea.
"The all-out attack has begun, but what's worse than the enemy's all-out attack is that we still don't know the full extent of this disaster or conspiracy. Those heretics hiding in the dark... How did they do it? Where are they hiding all this?"
Bishop Ivan said, slowly raising his head and looking into Agatha's eyes.
"What did you find underground? From the look in your eyes, I guess you must have seen something."
"I didn't find the lair where the heretics were hiding, but I found... more disturbing clues."
Agatha took a deep breath, paused for a moment and then slowly said——
"Our boiling gold mines seem to have been exhausted decades ago, or even longer."
