Shrouded Seascape

Upon hearing Tobba's words, Li Lu paled in fright and rushed over to cover her son's mouth before bringing him into her bosom.

Anna paused at Tobba's interpretation of the clown's words.

"That's a pretty good idea," Anna remarked, nodding.

"Are you crazy?! Do you not have any idea that the IMF is looking for you right now? I'm sure you know that so why are you trying to provoke them now?!" Li Lu asked. She clearly didn't want Anna to raid an IMF site, as it would certainly lead to many deaths.

"It doesn't matter what I do. The IMF will never let me go, so what's the big deal with attacking one of their sites?"

Having made up her mind, Anna called the clown over to ask about the location and the defenses of the site containing humans affected by Anomalies.

Anna learned from the clown that the site was somewhere in the Sahara Desert, and its defenses could not be compared to the IMF's polar site, where they had breached containment and escaped.

However, it made sense. Those merely under the influence of Anomalies weren't as dangerous as the Anomalies themselves, after all. Anna felt a bit better. She was relieved to learn that the strength of both sides was about even.

***

An exhausted Wang Jianshe got out of his car and entered his eerily quiet villa.

Wearing slippers, he walked into the walk-in refrigerator and reached for some ice cubes. Clinking noises echoed as ice cubes were thrown into a glass. An amber liquid was then poured over the ice.

A few seconds later, Wang Jianshe grabbed the cold glass and down the liquor.

Wang Jianshe had a lot of money, so he could easily transform this villa into a lively dwelling, but he had never been fond of anything like that. If his residence was lively, he wanted it to be natural rather than fabricated.

Wang Jianshe lounged on the sofa and looked up at the news projected on the wall. Not even three seconds later, Wang Jianshe's eyelids drooped, and the motion-sensing lights dimmed gradually.

Just as Wang Jianshe was about to fall asleep, the glass in his hand slipped toward the carpet. Just as it was about to fall to the floor, a thin, pale hand caught it in midair.

The glass was raised and then tipped over Wang Jianshe's face.

The cold liquor landed directly on Wang Jianshe's face, and his eyes widened in an instant.

He instantly saw Anna standing right in front of him, and his fatigue vanished like a bubble being popped.

"You can kill me, but you won't get what you want. If I die, that boy is going to die, too! I've already arranged it, so you cannot stop it!" Wang Jianshe exclaimed.

Anna bent down to place the empty glass on the glass coffee table. She then took a few steps to sit on a wide sofa nearby. Crossing her legs, she stared at Wang Jianshe and asked, "What? You want to die that badly?"

"Since you're not here to silence me, does that mean you've already found Wang Sheng?" Wang Jianshe asked, propping himself up. He glanced at the doorway in confusion.

"Hahaha, do you really think it's that easy? I can help you find Wang Sheng, but you must provide me with some support."

"Sure!" Wang Jianshe readily agreed. He could do anything as long as it would save his son.

"First of all, you have to smuggle us out of this country. No one must find out, of course."

"No problem. Need any helpers? I can provide you with some people," Wang Jianshe replied. He didn't bother asking why she needed to leave the country to find Wang Sheng when he was apparently in her hands not too long ago.

Wang Jianshe was long aware that Anna had lied to him at the time.

"No need." Anna shook her head slightly. "Once you've smuggled us out, you have to provide me with a few things. You can just give them to me once we arrive at our destination."

It seemed that Anna's dealings with the shadow agents of the IMF had left Anna reeling from PTSD. She couldn't trust anyone else, except for when the individual shared a common goal with her.

"Okay, just tell me what you need. I'll give them all to you, and at the highest quality at that!" Wang Jianshe added. Since there was hope of seeing his son again, he was ready to agree with Anna's conditions.

Anna stared at the empty ceiling for a while before standing up and heading for the door. "Tell your people to get ready. We're leaving tonight. I don't want to wait a second longer."

A lotus pond and a Chinese pavilion were behind Wang Jianshe's villa. It was a tranquil and relaxing sight; it appeared particularly picturesque as well beneath the radiant moonlight.

Anna walked into the Chinese pavilion in the middle of the pond and gazed at the full moon. Knowing that she would soon meet the surface world's Charles, Anna took deep breaths to calm her tumultuous emotions.

However, there was one burning question in her mind.

How come Charles' living environment is different from his memories?

In Charles' memories, he was clearly living a happy life with his family, yet the surface world's Charles had to reside in a filthy trash bin.

The stark contrast was so shocking that there had to be something amiss here.

Was I mistaken? Maybe that child isn't Charles? Anna pondered with furrowed brows, but she immediately shook her head. She could be mistaken with other things, but there was no way she'd mistake her husband for someone else. After all, they had spent so many years by each other's side in the Subterranean Sea.

Wang Jianshe was starting to make phone calls in his villa. Anna heard that, and her figure vibrated at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye as she phased through the wall up ahead.

She had doubts, but she could just deal with them later. She'd surely find out what was going on as soon as they met each other.

In any case, Charles was definitely going to fall into the Subterranean Sea. Anna just had to make good use of that fact, and she'd be able to return to the seascape.

With Wang Jianshe's help, Anna, Li Lu, Tobba, and the clown easily exited the country. Without leaving even a false identity behind, the IMF couldn't possibly track them down.

They flew in a private small passenger plane over northern Africa, and they advanced steadily toward the Sahara Desert.

The items that Anna had asked Wang Jianshe to prepare were inside two large bags lying quietly in the luggage compartment of the plane.

Meanwhile, Tobba was running up and down the aisle with two toy planes in hand.

"Why do I have to come here? And why does my son have to come, too? He's just a baby!" Li Lu remarked, sounding dissatisfied.

Anna took off her eye mask and looked at her, replying, "You are pretty skilled, so you can be helpful to me. As for your son, he's useful as well.

"Don't worry. If you go all-out into helping me, then there won't be any mishaps. The clown's previous host was once contained in that site, so it's familiar with the place.

"Anyway, once this is all over, your efforts are counted as your pledge of allegiance to me. Hahaha, you won't be a captive any longer by then; you'll truly become one of us."

Li Lu was not happy to hear that at all. She frowned deeply, and her thoughts were inscrutable.

Just then, a flight attendant walked over. She flashed her white teeth at Anna and said, "Ma'am, we'll arrive at the Mauritania Airport in thirty minutes."

Anna turned to look out the window and saw a vast expanse of gold. The sand dunes glimmered like mountains of gold beneath the intense sunlight.

What a beautiful sight. I'm sure the Subterranean Sea doesn't have such gorgeous scenery. Anna thought. She couldn't help but sigh in awe at the sight.

In stark contrast, the countries within the Sahara Desert weren't awe-inspiring at all. In fact, the capital city of Mauritania looked like a dilapidated fourth-tier city from up above.