Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

"This is two thousand times the normal value!" A cheerful hum seemed to come from Wu Jianmiao's side.

"Hmph~ This is quite a rare medical record. You've really found me an interesting corpse. I feel like my medical skills have improved again..."

Luo Tianming quickly interrupted, "So, he died of mercury poisoning, right?"

Takemi: "Simple mercury poisoning wouldn't have this effect. Even if he jumped into a pool full of mercury and came out immediately, it wouldn't cause such a high level."

"As you know, mercury is a silvery-white liquid metal with strong toxicity. It is widely used in scientific instruments and industry, but it poses a serious threat to health and the environment."

"But what's in his body isn't the common elemental mercury, but organic mercury... This compound is more easily absorbed and more dangerous than inorganic mercury. Even milligram levels can cause poisoning, especially dimethylmercury, whose dimethyl portion is similar to fat..."

Luo Tianming: "Wait, I've almost forgotten all my high school chemistry knowledge. Can you just give me the conclusion?"

Takemi Tae: "...Simply put, organic mercury binds more strongly to the human body and causes poisoning faster—less than 0.5 grams of organic mercury can kill an adult."

"The sample you sent is clearly an organomercury dimethylmercury poisoning."

“Once these organic mercury compounds enter the body, they can affect the central nervous system, causing lesions and leading to motor dysfunction.”

"Physically, this means that the patient's balance function will become very poor, and in severe cases it will affect writing and speech abilities, and even lead to symptoms such as aphasia."

"The most critical point is that organic mercury poisoning is almost incurable... As long as dimethylmercury accumulates in organs through blood circulation, it will combine with fat in the organs, causing rapid organ paralysis."

"The brain is composed of 60 percent lipids, which binds to organic mercury more quickly, which is why patients experience rapid deterioration of their nervous system."

"The nerve problems led to life-threatening symptoms of kidney failure, heart failure, and lung failure. Unfortunately, this guy also ingested a large amount of THC. In this state, the human body is like a soap bubble; even a breath could kill him on the spot."

"And the experimental sample you gave me is unprecedented in the medical field; its lifespan can be measured in seconds."

At this point, Takemi Miyo took a sip of coffee and slowly said:

"What's even more interesting is that the second blood sample was also remarkably consistent."

"A second one?" Luo Tianming's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't send you a second experimental sample..."

At this moment, Nan Mengya suddenly spoke up: "I sent it. I asked the people who retrieved the bodies to draw blood from the third victim's body."

Takemi Tae: "Yes, although there is a lot more contamination than the previous experimental sample, the mercury content in this guy's blood is also unusually high... In other words, they were both killed by dimethylmercury."

Chapter 123 Crisis

Upon hearing this answer, Luo Tianming fell into deep thought.

Did Mozart also die from dimethylmercury poisoning?!

He didn't fall into the septic tank and drown!

The appearance of this message once again stirred up Luo Tianming's thoughts.

"..."

(If both died in the same way, could they have been killed by the same person?)

If Schubert's death was caused by Bach, then his surprise at the time was too 'genuine,' as if he had witnessed something unbelievable.

However, he seemed much colder towards Mozart, who also died from dimethylmercury, and even put on a 'surprised expression' for everyone to see.

He was also surprised by the way Mozart died, but he had judged that something had happened to him in the first place, which shows that he was mentally prepared.

If he was the murderer, then he shouldn't have allowed everyone to see through his deception in front of Schubert's body.

Unless, Bach was unaware that Schubert died from dimethylmercury poisoning.

"..."

The emergence of this new idea plunged Luo Tianming into a new round of brainstorming.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Painted Skin Cult, which had just imprisoned two high-ranking members, was now in a state of 'leaderlessness'.

Doubts arose about whether the 'concert' should continue... No one had even the slightest bit of initiative.

The 'missionary,' now concealed, looked at the chaotic, swarming crowd of believers below and spoke with some impatience:

"Phew... these are really just a bunch of lackeys who can only wave flags and shout... well, let's just hope you don't wet your pants next."

"—!"

With a cold snort, an unbearable sonic attack immediately reverberated from the Vienna station.

-

Beep-!

After the dizzying shock, some people discovered that a new channel had been forcibly entered into their public radio channels:

[Buzz... This is Europa Alliance, Third Combat Fleet. Listen up, everyone inside—the current sea area has been blockaded by 17 of our submarines. Cease resistance immediately!]

You have committed crimes including illegal assembly, misappropriation of Europa Alliance public resources, and conducting non-compliant experiments on humans. Cease resistance immediately, hand over the number one criminal 'Yakov Subra', and all resisters will be treated as terrorists.

[Repeat this: Stop resisting immediately...]

After the broadcast, the believers at the site were filled with terror.

How did Europa Alliance discover them?

Wasn't this 'alternative concert' supposed to be held in secret? Why did the Alliance find this place... and with a combat fleet no less?

Those fleets should be in the cold cave area. Isn't the Alliance caught in the predicament of besieging the Painted Skin Algae that have appeared in the lower caves?

Moreover... they're being asked to hand over Archbishop Yakov, but the Archbishop isn't even here. How are they supposed to hand him over...?

Could it be that the archbishop secretly sneaked in?

"..."

No one knows the answer, and no one can make the decision.

The leaders of those sects were either dead or imprisoned.

When Bach heard about the commotion, he was furious, banging on the door loudly and cursing repeatedly.

"It's definitely that guy! I told you he was a spy sent by the Europa Alliance! Let me out!! I want him arrested immediately!!"

"You lot...did you hear me! I'm a high-ranking member of the sect, release me immediately!"

However, several believers who had been with the missionary replied indifferently, "Even so, we cannot let you go."

"Our orders are to guard you until you are cleared of suspicion. Your men will not release the captain either, so you can rest assured."

[Bach]: "Damn it, this is a 'special situation'! Didn't you hear?! Alliance ships have blocked this place!"

They shrugged: "That's none of our business. You could wait until the Alliance arrives and they'll release you..."

【bach】:"……"

He paused for a moment, then roared even louder:

"Is anyone there?! Someone, let me out of here! These damned traitors have gone mad!"

"Guards! Where is my second-in-command?!"

The guard quickly closed the small iron window on the door to allow ventilation, so that Bach's anger could only be vented inside.

No one could notice what was happening here...

In contrast, Luo Tian was noticeably calmer... no, he was beyond calm.

He was so tired from thinking that he fell asleep immediately.

"..."

He only learned of everything, half-asleep, when Levi roared in his earphones.

"Alo, those guys aren't kidding!"

Levi said through gritted teeth, "The Alliance fleet has launched an attack and blocked all routes out of the port."

"They're trying to use force to coerce us! If we don't hand over the people they want, they'll sink this site along with us!"

Luo Tianming: "..."

Lucy's situation was also not optimistic: "Captain, I tried to hack into those fleets' systems, but I failed... The defensive measures these ships take are the same as their missiles—in combat, they do not accept any external commands."

"How about I try using 'Hermes' to see if I can attack their control system?"

Luo Tianming sighed: "Never mind, Lucy... I believe you can do it, but you can't infiltrate and exit completely without leaving a trace. It will be even more dangerous once the other party discovers your existence."

“We don’t need to take any risks at all… After all, I’m still the captain of the Europa Alliance. With the intelligence department’s assurance, we won’t run into any problems.”

"But what I'm afraid of are those 'painted skin cultists.' If they really develop a rebellious attitude, they might drag us into it."

"The main task at present is to control the site... to prevent anyone from making any rash moves, and at the same time to prohibit everyone from entering our ship."

“If anyone tries to force their way in, then shut off the airlock…open the sea valve. I don’t believe these people would risk flooding the station by turning against us.”

Lucy: "Understood."

Levi scoffed in annoyance: "What about you? Do I need to force my way out and rescue you right now?"

Luo Tianming looked around the cabin, which was surrounded by walls. There couldn't be a safer place than this right now.

He replied, "Forget it, don't act rashly at a time like this. The more intense you act, the easier it is to... fall into... passivity."

Towards the end, he practically spat out each word.

Because he suddenly realized—this crisis might actually be an opportunity.

He excitedly spoke into the communication device:

"Because now is a good time to 'fish in troubled waters'! Not only for us... but also for the murderer!"

"Levi! I might have a way... to lure the killer out!"

-

Chapter 124 Bluffing

Six hours after the alliance issued its warning, the Masked Cult members at the Vienna site had moved from panic to despair.

After a series of investigations, they found that what the alliance said was true:

The site has indeed been blocked, and the threat is real.

Some submarines are equipped with nuclear torpedoes for the purpose of attacking sites and preventing people inside from escaping.

Worse still, apart from the Nautilus, which was still docked at the airlock connection, the entire site had very limited means of preventing resistance.

With just a few broken guns and a few bullets... are they really going to fight against the attack fleet of the Europa alliance?

Meanwhile, the besieging fleet outside issued an ultimatum to the Painted Skin Cult inside:

If Archbishop Yakov Subra is not handed over within 12 hours, the Alliance will launch a full-scale attack on Vienna Station... at which point everyone will be arrested.

"..."

If they could hand over the archbishop, the Painted Skin Cult would probably not hesitate at all.

But the problem is—the archbishop isn't here.

No matter how many times they reiterated this point, the Europa Alliance did not believe it and insisted that handing over the archbishop was their last chance.

"How did these rigid officials manage to conclude that the archbishop was at the station?"

A believer sat on the floor in front of the door and sighed.

"We don't even know the archbishop's whereabouts, so why do they think we're harboring him?"

"How about we let the Alliance people log onto the site? They can search it one by one, and if they can't find it, will they let us go?" A believer who was clearly a 'surrenderist' weakly offered his opinion.

He quickly faced opposition.

"Don't even think about it. Once you're in Europa Alliance's prison... you'll be black as hell. You can't get out of there. Believe me or not, they'll frame you for aiding and abetting terrorists and send you to a mining prison to dig rocks."

The believer who said this shook his head: "There are only two options now: either we tell the Alliance that we don't know where the Archbishop is, or we choose a 'new Archbishop' to take the blame."

"..."

"Will this work?" others questioned. "The league specifically wants Yakov Subra. Sending just anyone to make up the numbers will only make the league keep dragging us out of this."

"We have no choice but to do this since we can't find the archbishop."

Another person said, "Do you think it's possible that the archbishop really did sneak into this station?"

"..."

“I think it’s unlikely… If it really were him, he would never act so discreetly.” The person who made the suggestion continued, “Let’s get back to the matter of finding someone to take the blame… Sending out a civilian directly is definitely not an option; there are only two church officials left now.”

"We need to decide who to send..."