Click.
Ed took out the key from the flower pot with only a dead branch left in front of the equipment room door, and opened the door carefully, making almost no sound.
In addition to this public key, there is another one in Eaton's hands. Although this does not sound like what the world's most mysterious and dangerous secret police agency should do, so far this set of "security measures" has indeed not gone wrong.
Anyway, except for the clerks from the Crow's Nest who come to check the files every Wednesday and Sunday, investigators like them are basically the only ones stationed in the Eastern District Stronghold.
The first thing that catches the eye is the dragoon armor hanging on a special armor stand. Although the signs of wear and tear are becoming more and more obvious, all parts have been re-oiled. This is the greatest maintenance that Ed can do.
The precious pocket watch bomb was placed on the left side of an ordinary wooden desk with a brick leg.
From the outside, it looks more like a desk used by a part-time teacher at a church school to prepare lessons at home. Even Wooden Leg Denver wouldn't give it a second glance.
Done.
Ed pulled open the drawer, took out two pocket watch bombs, made sure the safety devices were intact, stuffed them into his coat pockets, and then put the list signed by Eaton inside.
It's best to go back quickly on this trip and don't let the sea monster know about it.
Just when he quietly locked the door of the equipment room, buried the key, and planned to slip away silently, a familiar, tearing and hoarse bubble sound sounded behind him:
"Hey, Ed..."
"Huh?" Now that he had been hit, Ed had to turn around to face him, "Oh, it's Mr. Sea Monster."
The sea monster was not wearing the heavy metal diving suit. He was only wearing shorts and a gray linen vest. He was still wet, as he had obviously just climbed out of the bathtub.
As his eyes focused further, Ed immediately noticed the problem——
The sea monster's body was obviously a bit more stooped than before, and his scanty blue-grey hair was now scattered around his face like kelp. The gills on both sides of his neck were also filled with dark, yellowish, foul-smelling mucus.
The black eyes that were originally protruding but very clear and clear were no longer as shrewd as before, but instead looked more dull and haggard.
"Are you... okay...?"
Ed asked carefully, even a blind man could tell that something was wrong with the sea monster's physical condition.
"It's not bad." The sea monster coughed twice, covered his cheeks on his neck and took a deep breath, "They are all old habits, good and bad. When people are free, they make endless mistakes. Wait. You’ll understand when you live to be my age.”
"I'll try my best," Ed agreed. It seems that Mr. Eaton is right. In any case, Mr. Kraken's condition is indeed not suitable for staying in the East Area Team.
"...By the way, has Dr. Luo Wen prescribed any medicine for you?"
"Of course, he prepared a lot of medicine for me. There are...for example..."
Mr. Kraken frowned and tried to remember the names of the medicines, but nothing came out of his lips.
"... Anyway, I insist on taking it. Luo Wen is a good doctor and the medicine he gives always works very well."
It doesn't seem to work that well. Ed pretended to nodded, and walked back towards the door as if nothing had happened:
"That's good...you'd better go back to your room and rest for a while. I have to meet a friend here, so I'll leave first if I have nothing else to do."
"Wait a minute, Ed." The sea monster stopped him, "I heard you just came out of the equipment room. Did Eton give you any tasks?"
"Oh, I'll just tell you clearly."
At this point, Ed couldn't pretend any longer:
"A member of the Royal Society disappeared during a wingsuit flying competition. Mr. Eaton sent me to investigate the matter. The job I am doing should not require the use of knives or guns. The main thing is to collect intelligence. At most, I will bring some bullets. Self-defense is enough.”
But whether it was out of duty to Mr. Eaton's order or out of consideration for Mr. Kraken's physical condition, Ed could not take him to find Burke Orton.
Hearing this, the sea monster also fell silent. He also knew that he was too conspicuous walking on the street and was not suitable for situation collection:
"So is there anything I can do to help?"
"Of course I need your help, but you might as well restore your physical condition first, so that you can be of greatest help to us. Once I need help later, I will give priority to you for help. What do you think?"
"Well..." The sea monster had no choice but to agree, "That's fine."
"Then I'll ask you to take care of Charlotte."
Ed waved his hand and said goodbye to the sea monster.
Although judging from Mr. Kraken's condition, I'm afraid it's unclear who is looking after whom, but Ed still tried his best to speak nicely.
This reminded him of the rumor among some sailors that reef dwellers had the same magical power of eternal youth as sharks.
Reef dwellers with greyscale are a more special and mysterious group than lycanthropes. Their bodies become closer and closer to fish than to humans as they age.
The good thing is that their body functions degenerate more slowly than ordinary people. Their physical strength in middle-aged and old age is the same as that of young adults. Even if all their permanent teeth fall out, they can still grow back.
The bad thing is that once signs of aging appear, it means that their lifespan is coming to an end.
Hopefully that's just a rumor. Ed prayed in his heart.
…
