Sean heard something special.
Undercurrents surge, bubbles rise, sonar hums...
Where am I?
Sean opened his eyes, and the surroundings seemed very lively, like a golden city surrounded by night...
Sean walked among the crowd, and the excitement around him seemed to have nothing to do with him.
Between the brightly lit buildings, Sean saw an exaggeratedly large full moon with cold light in the corner of the sky.
In the full moon, the silhouettes of a flock of birds passed by.
When what followed the birds passed by, Sean realized that what he had just seen was not a bird, but a school of fish.
— because he saw the silhouette of a whale swimming across the moon.
Sean opened his eyes. The golden city and the whale swimming across the moon disappeared. What he saw in front of him was the plain white ceiling.
My whole body ached... Sean frowned and sat up.
Looking around, I saw that I was in a sunny independent ward.
"Aaliyah..." The image of her sister, whose hair had been cut short and whose face was stained with tears, flashed before her eyes.
"Olivia..." Black ice bloomed in the precise body of brass.
"Moonlight, Evan, Doug..." Teammates were scattered on the chaotic street.
Abandoned U-boat falling from the sky...
"I'm not dead?"
"Yes, you're not dead." A voice sounded.
Sean raised his head and found the independent detective named Arthur Merlin standing next to his hospital bed. "You used ectoplasm to hide yourself in the sewer at the last moment - you were only slightly injured."
"Mr. Merlin."
Sean knew that what he did was a desperate move. If he failed to save Aaliyah this time, he would lose everything, and he would most likely have to face sanctions from the association or even the divine court.
"Mr. Dickinson." Arthur Merlin raised the hat on his head, "I have heard of him for a long time.
"I didn't expect that the first time I got involved with you, I would be treated as a pawn by you." The tone of the top Ace level was calm.
Sean clenched his fists: "I have something I must do."
He is at a disadvantage and time is running out. In order to save Aaliyah, he can only do this.
Sometimes, having the courage to take risks is a strategy of last resort.
"No, don't be nervous." Merlin raised his hands, "I'm not angry, on the contrary, I appreciate you.
"I appreciate the courage and resourcefulness you showed in order to save your sister - unfortunately, your opponent was too powerful and too cunning.
"As a mere viewer, I support you unconditionally and regret the outcome."
Sean felt a pain in his heart: Failure is not terrible.
The terrible thing is that he lost news of Aaliya again.
"If I guess correctly..." The independent detective's eyes were as bright as stardust, "You are anxious about your sister's whereabouts."
"It took a lot of effort for me," Sean said, feeling a little weak all over. "It took a lot of effort to grab Kennedy's tail... I didn't expect that..."
"Don't be too discouraged." Arthur Merlin pulled out a folding chair, sat down, and whispered, "I know where your sister was taken."
Sean sat up straight suddenly, his eyes widened: "Where?!"
Merlin left the seat and pushed Sean back to the hospital bed: "Don't worry - before I reveal the information, I need to reach a cooperation agreement with you."
Sean frowned: "What kind of cooperation agreement...?" He shook his head: "If I guess correctly, I will be tried by the association next. Not only will I lose my qualifications as a explorer, but I may also face prison. , I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do to help you.”
Merlin shook his head: "No. The association has a critical attitude towards your evaluation of your actions this time, and has not yet determined.
"Of course..." He closed his eyes, "You have angered a lot of people, and many people want to take action on you, so the association prefers to sanction you.
"However, if you can make up for your mistakes and complete a secret mission, the association will give you a wide berth.
“Besides, I see no reason for you to refuse this mission.
"Because the place where this mission was performed is the same place where your sister was taken."
Sean narrowed his eyes: "Where?"
"The city located at the bottom of Atlantic Ocean—Ocean City."
——
After Arthur Merlin left the ward, Sean sat alone and thought.
After the independent detective told the details of the secret mission, Sean could feel that this mission that needed to be carried out in Ocean City was quite dangerous. However, he accepted the secret mission without much hesitation.
The reason is simple - if he refuses, he will undoubtedly be sent to the Seeker Tribunal; if he accepts, he will not only be able to use the Seeker's identity and resources, but also continue to pursue his sister.
He even felt that Arthur Merlin seemed to have given him a pretty good chance.
After making sure he was fine, Sean left the independent ward.
"I thought I would be put under surveillance and lose my freedom...
"It seems that the top management of the association is very clear about the details of the incident - they know that although my actions were arbitrary and I did not report them, in the final analysis it was a kind of risk management..."
In the Seeker Building, Sean found his teammates through the vibration of playing cards.
When he saw Yueguang, Evan and Doug, although each had cotton cloth and bandages on their bodies, they were all safe and sound, he felt relieved.
Standing on an open-air rooftop of the association, Moonlight was smoking. He turned around and saw Sean coming out and said with a smile: "Sean, before this incident, I always thought that I was the one who was good at causing big trouble in the team. Now Look, it turns out that person is you!"
From Arthur Merlin's dictation, we learned that Sean's team finally caused the orange-haired girl to go berserk and almost destroy the entire street...
Sean smiled bitterly and said: "I really didn't expect that Kennedy and their people... would be so strong. This hunting was considered a failure."
Ivan leaned on the railing, shook his head slightly and said: "If you hadn't cleared out the godhead he summoned in the end, we would all be doomed - this can be regarded as completing the hunt under impossible circumstances, but the other party has too many methods, or Let him escape."
Doug also nodded in agreement: "There is no doubt that the Ace escaped. I also think we defeated him. It is a pity that we did not rescue your sister."
Ivan and Doug had no complaints about this mission, not only because they did defeat Kennedy, but also each had good gains.
Evan Burns received a C-class mysterious inheritance called "Crow's Nest", and Doug, as a degenerate, broke through the fear in his heart.
For a degenerate, breaking through a fear means a sudden advancement. His degeneration ability and the limit of loss of control have been greatly improved, which is no less than harvesting a C-level mysterious legacy.
Sean's promise before the mission was fulfilled in full.
Not only that, Moonlight also gained a further understanding of "Unknown Nocturne" during the high-intensity battle. After "Netherworld Overture", he will also gain the qualification to play the next piece.
"By the way, where's Olivia?" Sean lowered his voice and felt his heart being squeezed.
"She recovered and left the scene before people arrived." Moonlight said, "Your family may be a little sensitive, so I asked her to hide in my house - now Wendy should be taking care of her."
Sean breathed a huge sigh of relief.
During the conversation, Sean learned that the association's top management, who had grasped the specific situation, had reached a tacit agreement and did not inform Longway Barton of the true identity of the "Red Ancient Sect" who kidnapped Benjamin.
From the Button family's perspective, it was the gang led by Charles Kennedy that kidnapped Benjamin Button.
Such treatment is naturally to maintain the reputation of the association and give Sean a chance to make amends.
However, handling it this way can be regarded as protecting Sean's team.
In addition, the Barton family had lost trust in the association, and they would rather appoint other personnel themselves than accept the association's petition to rescue Benjamin.
Thinking of the trembling Master Barton, although Sean knew that the attempt he made was to save him, he still couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
After that, on the premise of his own free will, Sean informed his teammates that he had accepted the task assigned by the association's senior management, and asked them about their wishes...
