Chapter 3032 Cats Are a Special Kind of Liquid

'The Old Man is actually here? That might not be so good.'

Sizing up a familiar figure, Fu Qian sighed inwardly.

The scene suddenly unfolding before his eyes carried a distinct flavor of utmost sincerity moving even metal and stone.

After their tireless cooking, the two young people's wills had finally blossomed with radiance right at the brink of their limits, helping uncover Old Man Henry hidden here.

And even The Abyss.

Yes. Even though it had yet to fully crest the edge of the pool and the red mist had already begun marching in place, Fu Qian could easily confirm that this thing was far more than just a few mouthfuls of the Mist of the Abyss.

It was The Abyss itself, identical in nature to the place that frog had crawled out from.

He could only say this Birthday Party was getting livelier by the minute.

Not only were all sorts of veterans being tossed out like freebies, but even a Warehouse-certified pillar of the world could emerge here?

With their headquarters being an illustrious people and blessed land to this degree, did the Night Watchers know? They actually might.

Entities like the Blasphemy Monarch from earlier might be considered more closely related to himself, but The Abyss right before his eyes was clearly a different matter.

The mere sight of Chief Yuan instantly entering a combat state—with black bands erupting from her body—was enough to prove she saw the exact same scene. Not to mention, based on the previous analysis of Old Man Henry's behavior, he seemed to have been monitoring this place all along.

Now, there seemed to be a concrete reason for this behavior—long before this current incident occurred, Old Man Henry had already been guarding against this exact kind of risk.

Did these special buildings in the Birthday Party possess some deeper, special significance?

Once that point was factored in, some of the Old Man's actions undoubtedly seemed much more reasonable.

And faintly reflected behind this foresight was precisely the Night Watchers' upper echelon's grasp of the Birthday Party's true nature.

As for what the Old Man was actually doing right now?

After the initial shock, Chief Yuan was the first to break the silence. "Get away from there."

As she issued the cold reminder, the black bands directly yanked the dazed couple aside.

Tap, tap...

However, not everyone heeded her warning. Amid the faint footsteps, Madam Three-Eyed—who had been acting as a spectator this whole time—walked straight forward until she stood right in front of "The Abyss."

Tick-tock— With this movement, the Pocket Watch in her hand also ticked its final beat, entering a state of stasis.

Just like the cat inside The Abyss.

At a glance, that black-and-white figure could be seen sleeping soundly within the red mist.

...

"Teacher's condition isn't right." Although she couldn't see Madam Three-Eyed's movements, it didn't stop Yuan Shan from noticing Old Man Henry's abnormalities.

Instead of calling out to him rashly, she turned to look at Fu Qian and Classmate Su Gao, seeking their opinion.

"He's losing his balance." Facts proved that Classmate Su Gao was always reliable.

Having seen Old Man Henry in this form back in the Sacred Night Capital, she didn't look the least bit surprised. She simply nodded the moment Yuan Shan looked over.

'Losing his balance?'

Such a diagnostic result easily brought to mind terms like endocrine disorders or hormonal imbalances. However, from Professor Fu's perspective, having a relatively deep understanding of the essential nature of Old Man Henry's form, he knew very well the severity of this phrase for the older man.

He was already utilizing the special form of a servant of two masters to maintain a fragile balance—truly fighting poison with poison.

Once that point was broken, it probably wouldn't just be a question of whether he could maintain his "independent will"; even his physical form would be hard to guarantee.

"...So Teacher entered this slumber-like state because he's fighting against that?" Yuan Shan clearly knew the severity of the situation, but she still tried her best to maintain her composure and analyze the circumstances before them.

"No, what he's fighting against should be the thing beneath him," Su Gao said, shaking her head.

"It's akin to using himself as a buffer to suppress the further spread of this power."

...

'An acid-base buffer solution?'

Although it was slightly inappropriate for the occasion, Su Gao's description naturally made Fu Qian associate it with that concept.

So Old Man Henry losing his balance was actually a work injury? As a Covenanter of The Abyss, he was using this layer of connection to try and suppress its spread?

It was akin to swallowing the seeping power into his stomach, which then led to him losing his balance?

He was even continuing to lose his balance further.

If that was really the case, he could only say the Old Man wasn't collecting his pension for nothing.

And the reason he didn't like returning to this place was because, if he wasn't careful, he would be forced to use his remaining strength to make a contribution?

Fu Qian sighed inwardly. He seemed to have already sorted out a clear sequence of events regarding this sudden disappearance case—

Old Man Henry, being in poor condition, had taken his leave directly after accompanying him to get his badge, choosing to return to the Clock Tower to rest.

And while dozing off, he had incidentally fulfilled a long-abandoned duty, attempting to monitor a certain building suspected of being related to The Abyss.

As it turned out, arriving early wasn't as good as arriving at the exact right time; not long after he started resting, he discovered a dire situation.

So much so that he hadn't even informed his student, rushing over here in a hurry.

And upon confirming that a corner of The Abyss had truly appeared in the Birthday Party, he decisively initiated some kind of emergency contingency plan, attempting to control the situation...

As for why this emergency contingency plan was so damaging to his body? It actually wasn't too difficult to understand—for example, because Soral wasn't here.

Since he had the ability to help stabilize Henry's condition, the Speaker of the Night Watchers most likely also had a way to cooperatively handle this kind of emergency.

Now, lacking that power, Old Man Henry was likely under severe pressure.

"Using himself as a buffer..." Faced with Su Gao's correction, Yuan Shan fell silent for a moment.

"So it might be best if we don't disturb him?" However, her excessive concern didn't cloud her judgment; the next moment, she steadied her mind and began confirming the severity of the situation.

However, Su Gao was in no rush to answer. She simply cast her gaze toward Fu Qian.

"We must look on the bright side of things; His Excellency Soral will return tomorrow," Professor Fu said. He never failed to meet expectations, always adept at uncovering the optimistic side.

"...That's not wrong. Then is there anything we can do right now?" As news verified by His Excellency Corvos, its credibility was clearly quite high. Yuan Shan, whose excessive concern had initially clouded her judgment, instantly calmed down a little and nodded slightly.

"There is. For instance, in this kind of situation, shouldn't you report it to your superiors?" Fu Qian had evidently thought of this long ago, reminding her of the importance of reporting to superiors.

"Indeed..." As if only just realizing the severity of something like an Abyssal invasion, Yuan Shan's gaze shifted all the way from the red mist to the young couple who had been yanked out just moments ago.

But she saw that after enduring this ordeal, the two young people actually looked relieved. They were embracing each other intimately, paying no further attention to the conversation happening over here.