Shrouded Seascape

Anna actually wanted to find the "Indescribable" that Carlo and Lucius had mentioned.

According to them, it was the most dangerous Anomaly contained in the entire site. If she could release it, it would further amplify the ongoing chaos.

The more chaotic things became, the better her chances of escape. Of course, if the situation permitted, it would be to her advantage to absorb the ability of the "Indescribable."

Apart from 681, Anna had already absorbed the powers of two other Anomalies; those two powers could be seen at a glance.

Unlike the Foundation of the Subterranean Sea, which often placed the classified files within the cell of the contained relic, the Foundation on the surface world had no such habit.

Without access to the Anomaly's information, she was severely restricted even when she had the ability to absorb their powers.

She certainly wanted to absorb powers to strengthen herself, but she had to be cautious. Without knowing the true nature of their abilities, she dared not fuse with too many of them.

Another door melted away under her corrosive flames. This time, the cell contained a massive amber block; it was as large as a small house.

"Well, well. Look who we have here. A woman? I like women. Hello, my girlfriend." A faint, distorted voice echoed from the amber block.

It can speak? Anna was taken by surprise. After encountering and releasing so many Anomalies, this was the first that seemed capable of communication.

Most of the time, the Anomalies didn't talk at all. Some didn't even hesitate to attack her on sight. It was logical, after all; if they had been capable of communicating, they wouldn't have been contained.

"It's a madhouse outside right now. If you want to escape, now is your best chance," Anna said to the amber block.

"Escape? Why would I want to escape? Where could I escape to? Why don't you stay here like me? I would like to enjoy a chat with you."

A shadowy figure began to take form within the massive amber block. Judging from the vague and strange outline, Anna was certain that it was definitely not human.

Anna's brows furrowed together. She felt that conversing with this amber block was a waste of time. She turned on her heel, ready to leave.

However, just as she was about to exit the cell, she halted in her steps. She turned back again and fixed her gaze on the shimmering amber block.

"Do you know where the most dangerous anomalies in this site are being held?"

"Ah…" the shadow stirred and continued without hiding any information. "You are asking about them? They are just four more levels down. Further down three levels, you'll find a layer of ice—ten meters thick. It's a decoy meant to trick people into thinking they've reached the bottommost level. However, the bottommost level is actually beneath that layer of ice.

Anna scrutinized the amber block and the shadowy figure within. She was somewhat doubtful. Why was it so open to sharing? If it was so cooperative, wouldn't the IMF have exploited it to make it work for them?

She turned back toward the exit, but before she could take another step, an agonizing pain exploded in her chest. She looked down to see a razor-sharp bone spike pierced through her chest.

Anna's eyes widened in shock as she lifted her gaze to see a bloodied woman with wild, disheveled hair standing before her.

When she saw those eyes brimming with madness, realization dawned upon her. The woman was herself.

With a shkrrk, the spike was ripped out, and Anna crumpled to the ground, clutching her chest as blood seeped through her fingers.

Her body began to dissolve and eventually melted into a viscous, golden liquid on the floor.

Upon killing "Anna", Anna retracted her bone spike. With a sharp and wary gaze fixated on the amber, she rapidly backed away.

"Don't go," the voice from the amber called out. "It's so rare to see anyone willing to talk to me. Let's chat a little while more."

Now Anna finally knew why the IMF had locked this thing away. Nothing contained in this facility was ever harmless, and this Anomaly was no exception. 𝘳

Although she had almost been deceived by that amber block, she decided to selectively trust the information that it had given to her. After all, it was better than wandering aimlessly.

The ground beneath her rapidly melted away under her corrosive flames, and she continued her descent.

Just as she reached the second to the bottommost layer, she spotted a clown in a garish, brightly colored suit standing in the middle of the corridor.

Clap, clap, clap!

The clown's applause echoed through the vast space as it watched Anna descend from the ceiling, seemingly applauding her for her ability to reach this floor.

"Stop following me. Escape while you can!" Anna snapped, her brows furrowed as she looked at the clown before her.

The clown was an Anomaly she had released from Level -11 earlier. Unlike the others, it hadn't run rampant or attacked her. Instead, it was trailed her quietly and would occasionally appear beside her.

Removing its top hat, the clown reached inside with a white-gloved hand. The next moment, it pulled out a bouquet of fresh chrysanthemum and extended it toward Anna.

Anna resisted the urge to roll her eyes and continued to focus on burning away the next layer of flooring.

When the concrete finally melted away, a solid expanse of thick ice came into view. This further deepened her trust in the amber block's words.

Meanwhile, the clown twirled around Anna in a graceful pirouette, the hem of its suit flaring as if it were performing a macabre ballet. Then with a sudden halt, it thrust a hand forward to present Anna with a perfectly cut ruby.

It pointed first at the gleaming ruby in its hand and then at the empty ring on Anna's finger.

"If you've got nothing better to do, go and open every containment cell on this level and let every Anomaly out! I'm not in the mood for your nonsense!" Anna snapped, her tone laced with frustration.

The clown nodded in affirmation before producing a crimson cloth from its sleeve. It draped the cloth over its head with an exaggerated flourish, and in an instant, its upright figure vanished.

The moment the clown disappeared, several towering robots emerged from around the corner. Their bulky forms dominated the entire hallway.

Anna's figure vibrated at a speed imperceptible to the human eye as she phased through the floor and dove directly into the layer of dense ice beneath her.

The ice was immensely thick, but it was useless in Anna's path. She phased through it without even breaking a sweat.

Upon reaching the bottommost level, Anna immediately felt that something was terribly off about this place. It was just too quiet

Unlike the cold metal walls of the upper floors, the surfaces here were covered in wrinkled, sound-absorbing paper-like material.

The area wasn't vast and had only three doors in total. Anna's gaze settled on the largest of the three.

A large "43" was marked on the door.

So the the "Indescribable" is behind that door, Anna thought to herself.

"Alright, let me see just what you are that is not square nor round."

Anna then raised her right hand and snapped her fingers with a casual grace. A burst of corrosive green flames erupted in the shape of a circular portal as it latched onto the door and continuously burned away.

But whatever substance that door was made of, Anna had never encountered it before. It seemed to be resistant to everything. Even her potent corrosive flames that could burn through everything were being slowed down to a frustrating crawl.

Despite the agonizingly slow burning, the lack of interference allowed the three-meter-tall flaming portal to sear through the unknown material finally.

The blinding light from outside flooded the containment cell.

Anna immediately sank partially into the floor, her sharp eyes scanning the room through the newly created opening, but she realized that it was empty.

There was nothing.

"What… is this?"

Halting her descent, Anna pondered for a moment before she conjured a sphere of corrosive flames and hurled it into the room. The fireball made a round within but encountered nothing.

Halting her descent, Anna pondered for a moment before she conjured a sphere of corrosive flames and hurled it into the room. The fireball made a round within but encountered nothing.

Halting her descent, Anna pondered for a moment before she conjured a sphere of corrosive flames and hurled it into the room. The fireball made a round within but encountered nothing.

Halting her descent, Anna pondered for a moment before she conjured a sphere of corrosive flames and hurled it into the room. The fireball made a round within but encountered nothing.