Shrouded Seascape

In a subway station filled with the stench of urine, there were quite a few people in tattered clothes waiting in a daze for the old train that had been running for more than sixty years.

The old train ought to have been scrapped long ago, but they had no choice. Since the economic crisis, infrastructure had basically bid farewell to repairs, and it was good enough as long as it could still be used.

The people coughing constantly failed to notice two men standing at the edge of the pitch-black tunnel whispering to each other in English.

The first one to speak was an old man with gray hair. "The ship that the target has purchased will soon enter Uther Wharf. It's a second-hand ocean liner, and according to 8's report, it is highly likely that the target will gather some people and transfer them to that ship."

"Once they're on a ship, they will be off the grid. Isolated spaces such as ships are perfect for brainwashing people, which is why we decided to send you as reinforcement.

"At the moment, her next step is unclear, but it is certain that she is going to make a big move."

A bearded vagrant with a ruddy nose was the one listening to the gray-haired old man. He opened the file in his hand and asked in a low voice, "Who is 8, and what is her position in the cult?"

"To avoid getting caught in one fell swoop, I can't disclose that information. Your mission does not overlap with hers, so there's no need for you to know."

"Does she know about me?"

"Great. I don't want some unprofessional people dragging me down in this mission, but before we proceed, I need to ask you something," the vagrant said. Then, he scratched his neck, covered in jet-black grime, before staring at the old man before him and asking, "You promised me that my last mission would be to infiltrate the Order of Maxwellism, so how come there's another mission?

"I'm sure you know that I submitted my retirement application two years ago."

The gray-haired old man gently patted the vagrant on the shoulder and replied, "Roy, the capable are always in demand. You're an expert in this domain, and you're second to none when it comes to gathering intelligence, even among so many people in the organization.

"I promise you; this is really the last time. The reward for this mission has already been transferred to your card in advance."

"This is not about money. I've had enough of being an underground rat. I just want to go to the surface and see the sun again. Every time I see your face, I can't help but wonder whether I'm still a member of the IMF or not.

"In fact, I don't even know where the headquarters is located right now!"

Just then, the rusty train pulled into the station. The flickering light from within the train cars illuminated Roy's weathered face.

"Roy, I'm sure you knew prior to joining us that shadows like you can only communicate with us through a single point of contact."

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Roy stuffed the file into his bosom, and his voice was thick with sarcasm as he remarked, "A single point of contact, huh? I'm afraid I'll truly become one of the homeless people here if you drop dead one day."

"Don't worry about that; you will always be one of us. Anyway, the higher-ups have authorized the mobilization of a Level C Controllable Anomaly to assist you in this mission.

"It's already inside your tent. If I end up dropping dead one day, they'll definitely come looking for you to recover that anomaly as long as it's still in your possession."

Roy looked particularly surprised by the news. "They've authorized the mobilization of a controllable anomaly? This mission is that serious in the headquarters' eyes? I'm sure you already know, but I didn't even have to use a controllable anomaly when I went to infiltrate the Shattered God."

"Yes, the cult that you are about to face is different from all the other organizations you've come into contact with throughout your career. No matter how great the harm they inflicted, we have records of how they inflicted them.

"However, your mission target is different. It was like she was created out of thin air; there were no traces of her at all. Moreover, her magical arrays showed no reaction when the Research Department replicated them.

"Your mission is to make use of that anomaly to find the target's origin, the organization behind her, and her accomplices," the gray-haired old man said.

Roy nodded with a solemn face. Then, he turned around and walked into the train door that was about to close.

Through the glass windows covered in boogers and grime, Roy saw the old man surreptitiously gesturing at him to be careful.

The train was old, but it was barely managing to complete its task.

Roy walked out of the dilapidated subway station and walked along the garbage-filled street. Soon, he found himself at a homeless camp. The rows of ramshackle tents pitched by the roadside looked particularly unsightly.

It took no time for Roy to find his tent, and he crawled straight into it.

There was a square black box on a thin and torn cotton blanket. Roy seemed a little nervous at the sight of it. He had been with the IMF for so long, but he had only seen a few anomalies. To make matters worse, they had given him permission to make use of a Level C Controllable Anomaly.

Roy took a moment to compose himself before reaching out toward the box. Upon opening the outer packaging, a fist-sized wooden tapir appeared in front of Roy, and there was a piece of paper next to it.

Anomaly Name: 301—Dream Stealer

Anomaly Level: Level C

Anomaly Description: Dream Stealer is a wooden sculpture carved from a parasol tree. Dream Stealer should only be used by those with Level A2 mental training, and it allows one to peek into the dreams of other people.

It can also be used to modify the dreams of those with weak wills, influencing their decisions without leaving any traces.

Like other anomalies, Dream Stealer has special negative effects. Even having gone through Level A2 mental training, if one were to use it to influence others, one would also be influenced by the dreams of one's target. The duration of the influence varies on the strength of the target's will and spirit.

Frequent use of this anomaly will slowly and invisibly transform one into a patchwork of those whose dreams one had snooped on.

One notable event was XXX. Upon using the Dream Stealer for a staggering one hundred twenty-five times in Mission 9-14, her sexual orientation, language, memories, and personality changed completely, and the changes were all spliced from her targets.

Roy cast a surprised look at the wooden tapir in his hand. The side effects were terrifying, but he had to admit that the anomaly was extremely useful for agents like him.

"Make good use of it, 5. Its range of influence is fifty meters, which should be enough for you to peek into the target's dreams." A deep voice echoed from outside the tent, and Roy's scalp went numb upon hearing it.

Roy quickly unzipped the tent and poked his head out but found nothing amiss. He saw nothing but drunkards, vagrants, and filth. It was like the words that had echoed in his ears just a few moments ago were just an illusion.

However, Roy knew that it couldn't be an illusion. The organization was definitely keeping an eye on him now. Roy surmised that his life was probably not as important as the anomaly in his hand.

However, it made sense. The majority of anomalies were uncontrollable, after all, and controllable anomalies like Dream Stealer, which was also incredibly useful, were just too rare.

Cosyjuhye's Thoughts

That seems like the Foundation on the surface.