The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

Surrounded by mountains, in this "secret realm" once designated as forbidden territory by the Lindenhild-Fayon family, the sun's rays were obscured early on by the towering peaks. However, in the humid, warm air, the scattered sunlight persisted for a long time, and thus, the long twilight finally ended at 19:20 p.m. local time.

Just as Mary had learned, before the western sky had even turned from orange to the dark blue of night, sentries with rifles drove all the laborers into makeshift sheds made of stiff canvas covered with cage-like metal frames, forbidding anyone from wandering outside.

Fortunately, since the First Imperial Guard Brigade was, to some extent, the emperor's personal "face," its supplies of daily necessities were of the highest standard. Therefore, these conscripted laborers at least had canvas folding beds to sleep on, instead of sitting on the ground or sleeping on worm-infested haystacks. Furthermore, the toilets in the corners of the work sheds were hidden behind a curtain, ensuring basic privacy.

However, the "preferential treatment" the Imperial Guard could offer these laborers ended there. Due to the large number of people, each work shed was crammed with more than twenty people, including men, women, and children. Not only were they not allowed to leave, but the doors were also closed and locked by the sentries, making the air inside the work sheds stuffy and hot, which was very uncomfortable.

More importantly, with so many people around, it was obviously not convenient for Fish and Ange to simply "disappear"—although leaving the canvas shed was not difficult at all, even if they could become invisible like Xiaoxing, they couldn't guarantee that the others present wouldn't inform the sentries.

"Don't worry," Huang Yan said after noticing their concerns. "Leave this to me."

Although there was nothing to do inside the shed, people could only lie on their folding beds and try to fall asleep—unfortunately, this was also difficult to do. Because the surrounding air was stuffy and hot, like a steam room with the worst hygiene, most people quickly became drenched in sweat and could only toss and turn, even swallowing large gulps of air like fish in oxygen-deprived water.

After exchanging a glance, Ange patted Mary on the shoulder and whispered a few words in her ear. Then, Mary slowly moved to the door of the shed and knocked on the metal bar.

A zipper on the canvas was pulled open. Then, the sentry's tired face appeared outside: "What's going on? No going out at night without permission."

"Um... kind sir, could I have a bucket of cool water? Everyone is very thirsty."

"In the middle of the night... um..." Although the sentry's expression clearly indicated he wasn't very willing to help, he eventually gave in under Mary's pitiful gaze. He left for a short while and returned with an aluminum bucket that was half full.

"Thank you, you'll definitely have good luck!" Mary said, taking the bucket as she thanked her. Unfortunately, judging from the smell emanating from the bucket, the water was mostly condensate from some kind of machinery. While not undrinkable, the faint rust and oily smell was enough to make most people with a normal sense of taste avoid it.

Unfortunately, at that moment, those in the work shed who were desperately thirsty couldn't care less about that. As soon as Mary brought in the water, everyone swarmed around it like piranhas smelling blood, hoping to be the first to quench their thirst. However, none of them managed to reach the bucket—because Fish was blocking their way.

"Excuse me, everyone! But please take it one at a time and keep order!" Fish said loudly to the thirsty, hot, and sweaty people, holding a bucket of water. With the help of Ange and Mary, it took him quite a while to finally get the crowd back in order and ensure that everyone received a similar amount of water.

Of course, no one noticed that during this process, Fish put on a semi-transparent "glove" on his right hand without anyone noticing. And the surface of this "glove" continuously oozed some kind of viscous liquid.

Half an hour later, Fish was not surprised to find that everyone in the shed except for himself, Ange, and Mary had fallen into a deep sleep, far away from the scorching heat in their dreams.

"Mission accomplished," Huang Yan said. "Not bad, not bad. The dosage of sleeping pills I prepared this time was just right. Everyone can sleep soundly through the night without any side effects. Based on my estimate, everyone should wake up in eight hours without being detected as abnormal."

"Hoo... Well, thank you very much then," Fish said. Although he already knew that Phoenix Flame possessed the ability to synthesize various complex organic compounds, and had been injected with painkillers, stimulants, and other strange drugs by his intelligent combat armor multiple times, this was the first time he had ever incapacitated a large group of people by throwing drugs into the water. "But speaking of which, couldn't you just release the anesthetic directly into the air? Why did you do it this way?"

"Theoretically speaking, of course it is possible. In its current state, my surface has a large number of micron-sized pores that are similar to the stomata on a plant surface and can open and close freely, allowing for the exchange of substances with the outside world. It is entirely possible to generate and release gases or aerosols," Huang Yan replied immediately. "But I have two reasons not to do so."

Why?

"First of all, everyone does look quite pitiful. Considering the indoor environment, many people in poor health are indeed at risk of dehydration, so I chose to have Mary ask the sentries to get them water and then drug it," Huang Yan said. "As a product of the military technology of the old civilization era, I was also required to act humanitarianly when conditions permit."

"Oh, right, and then?"

"And then there's the main reason—it's not cost-effective," Huang Yan continued to explain. "The absorption efficiency of administering drugs through drinking water is very high, but if gaseous or aerosol anesthetics are used, the drug needs to diffuse in the air. This means that a large amount of synthesized organic compounds will be wasted. Unfortunately, although I am a product of the technology of the old civilization, I cannot violate the basic laws of physics and cannot create matter out of thin air."

"So what are your usual medications...?"

"Of course, it's produced through material exchange and recycling," Huang Yan replied instantly. "I absorb substances from the outside world—both air and organisms like bacteria, pollen, and fungal spores that land on my surface, as well as various metabolites produced within your body. Then I decompose and absorb them. Anyway, most common substances are just compounds of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, and a few metals like copper, iron, calcium, and sodium. I just need to rearrange the different atomic sequences and structures."

"Wait a minute... metabolites... which means... the medication you usually inject into my body is actually..."

"Ah, a large portion of it is made from dead cells on your body's surface, sweat, and other recycled materials. Not a single bit is wasted."

"Ugh..." Although this answer wasn't enough to make Fish feel disgusted, he did feel a subtle... awkwardness.

"In short, because the total amount of substances that can be used as raw materials is relatively limited, I really can't produce various medicines at will—at least not to the point of being as extravagant as distributing them as gases or aerosols," Huang Yan said. "Therefore, don't expect me to be able to take down a large number of enemies for you in a critical situation using this method. Oral administration and injection are worth considering. Understand?"

"I know."

Just in case, Fish and Ange waited patiently for a few more minutes to ensure everyone in the shed was fast asleep before they began their operation: as the first step of the entire operation, escaping from here was actually not difficult at all. Whether it was Phoenix Flame or Golden Soup, generating a blazing energy blade with a thickness equivalent to several molecules in diameter was effortless. And in the face of this sharp blade, neither the iron cage that made up the main body of the shed nor the canvas covering it would be cut open silently, without alerting anyone.

"Mary, do you remember what we talked about during the day?" Before leaving, Ange said to Mary, "You stay here, and no matter what happens, don't wander around. Stay alert at all times."

"Okay." Mary nodded obediently.

“Well then, we should also go and meet that mysterious Lord Iskandar Lomonosov,” Fish said. “I’m fed up with passively following that guy around. Instead of continuing to react passively, let’s get straight to the heart of the problem.”

"My lord, you are wise," Ange said. "I am also very curious to know who this doctor is who has thrown the Duchy of Fayun into chaos, and even the whole world."

Although the "secret realm" was shrouded in darkness at this moment, with only the crescent moon and a few scattered starlight in the sky, and a small number of spotlights and searchlights still on at the edge of the camp, the darkness was not an obstacle for the armored warriors, but rather an excellent cover.

Thanks to the high-definition night vision system built into their intelligent combat armor, the two could easily maneuver through the gaps between camps. The armor's sound-absorbing materials ensured that as long as they moved quietly, they would be virtually inaudible. In addition, Huang Yan had also added the map Mary had obtained to his database, turning it into a dynamic map. With a single thought, Fish could see the map before him and confirm his location.

According to the map, Iskander Lomonosov's residence was relatively isolated, located deep within the "secret area," less than two kilometers from the excavation area known as the "funnel." Apart from a garage, a warehouse, and a barracks housing a guard platoon, the area around the house was quite open. Therefore, after passing through the barracks under the cover of night, the two quickly headed towards the building.

During the day, on a flat, unobstructed black glass platform, unless one could use optical camouflage like Xiaoxing, reaching Iskander Lomonosov's residence undetected would be an impossible task. But now it was night, and apart from two patrol squads that could be easily bypassed, no one would interfere with their actions.

Before they even got close to the cabin, a buzzing sound like a swarm of bumblebees reached their ears—the sound of an internal combustion engine and the air-compressing refrigeration unit it powered.

In an era where fossil fuels have long been exhausted and their extraction has become costly, the fuel used in internal combustion engines is not cheap; it must be produced from ethanol and oils derived from food crops. Transporting these fuels to the desolate, mountainous depths of Timor Island is incredibly expensive. Therefore, even high-ranking military officers cannot afford to burn fuel day and night to cool their quarters… after all, it's practically the same as burning money.

However, the fact that Iskandar Lomonosov could do so without any scruples further enhanced the credibility of the rumor: that General Rissimer, the archaeologist and not the chairman of the Regency Council, who was Antemius III's most trusted advisor, was the one who orchestrated all the changes in the Duchy of Fayun behind the scenes.

As Fish approached the house, he noticed that the security was much weaker than he had imagined: only one armed sentry stood guard outside the door, looking sleepy and exhausted. Under the nearby awning, another sentry was asleep, leaning against an off-road vehicle parked inside. He didn't even react when Fish and Ange walked right past him.

Of course, Fish didn't make things difficult for him: after covering the man's mouth and injecting the anesthetic Phoenix Flame had prepared into his carotid artery, the guy was left to continue sleeping. As for the sentry at the door, he noticed the commotion in the darkness at the last moment and instinctively reached for the alarm cord. However, after pulling hard, he was surprised to find a broken rope lying limply in his hand.

The moment he reached out, Ange had already cut the cable.

"Alright, buddy, you should get some rest too." Before the man could react further, Ange had already struck him on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious. At the same time, Fish used the monomolecular blade transformed from Phoenix Flame to cut a hole in the wooden wall of the guard barracks next to him, and began injecting the still-sleeping guards one by one with the anesthetic prepared by Phoenix Flame.

Less than twenty seconds later, there was no one still awake within a 300-meter radius of Iskandar Lomonosov's residence.

Next, Ange walked to the door of the scientific archaeologist's residence and, with the dignified demeanor befitting a noble lady, politely knocked on the door.