Chapter 1481 - 57: Infiltration

The aftermath of destruction fiercely reverberated in mid-air, and the emotion called fear spread wantonly within the Land of Secrets.

As an Extraordinary Land, independent from the mortal world, it has always maintained absolute peace and tranquility. Even during the blood war of Scorched Earth’s rage, it hadn’t been affected in the slightest.

Thus, the majority of Condensers and The Imperfect living here had never faced real warfare, let alone when the war flames ignited directly within the Land of Secrets.

One could say, whether successful or failing, Bologue’s actions shocked these people tremendously, tearing apart their innocence and fantasy, using ruins and blood to tell them they could never stay uninvolved, much less sit above everyone else pretending to be so-called extraordinary nobles.

Most participating Low Tier Condensers stood stunned in place, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, their breaths becoming rapid. High Tier Condensers fared somewhat better; even though they hadn’t experienced such a blood war, they had forged a steadfast heart through daily training. Yet compared to the seasoned Order Bureau staff, they were still lacking.

The collapsing strata hindered the pursuers’ advance. They must prioritize cooperating with the Aurora Path, handling the mess Bologue left behind, otherwise without catching Bologue, this strata would completely collapse, flattening every factory within reach.

The bright and gorgeous surface above ground was just a luxurious decoration; the countless forges and assembly lines at the forging pit’s bottom were the foundation supporting the operation of the Land of Secrets.

"I have a guess."

While rushing, Olivia suddenly spoke.

"Speak."

Bologue’s words were straightforward and succinct.

Olivia didn’t immediately voice her thoughts but swept her gaze over Yannis and Yolanda, pausing for a moment before continuing, "If, according to what we’ve discussed, the missing population was turned into blood citizens, then they must have some means to transport the blood citizens out."

She continued to add, "The All Secrets Order keeping those blood citizens is pointless."

"Blood citizens?"

The seemingly unfamiliar term stung Palmer, who turned his head alertly to stare at Olivia’s face. Olivia’s gaze didn’t evade, meeting Palmer’s directly, expressing absolute honesty.

"What are blood citizens?" Yolanda asked.

"A kind of ingredient that looks human," Palmer said in a flat tone, "an ingredient supplied exclusively to the Night Race for consumption."

Yolanda and Yannis’s expressions subtly changed; they weren’t foolish and easily understood Palmer’s meaning.

"Just like these Condensers," Olivia pointed at the dark Dome above, "for every Condenser living like this, beneath their feet must be ten, a hundred Imperfects and regular people."

"The Night Race is the same... Essentially, the Night Race is a Debtor tribe linked by blood, but unlike Debtors, we aren’t affected by Bulimia Nervosa. Instead, there’s a strong craving for blood, also known as Bloodthirsty Syndrome."

Olivia continued, "Every Night Race member needs to consume blood regularly. Over time, a very unique blood culture emerged within the Night Race."

"Your friends should still be alive," Olivia noticed the worry on Yolanda’s face, "as the Night Race requires blood citizens to continuously produce fresh blood..."

She hesitated, unable to continue.

"So, the Night Race wouldn’t let them die so easily, but rather, they would exploit their blood to the utmost, draining every drop from their shriveled veins?"

Yolanda’s eyes were clouded, her voice steady, yet the slight tremor was discernible, "Just like livestock on a slaughterhouse assembly line."

"And after that?" Yannis wasn’t crushed by the brutal information and pressed on, "Are they just turned into mummies, discarded like trash?"

"If that were the case, it would be a good outcome," Palmer interjected.

If Palmer’s life were a novel, there would be three turning points; the first was learning about the world’s cruelty during the coming of age ceremony, the second was the unfortunate turn of becoming a Debtor, and the third was partnering with Bologue, leading to an increasingly frantic work life.

Among them, that most distant coming of age ceremony laid like a cornerstone in Palmer’s heart, becoming an essential part in shaping his character.

Palmer seemed not to have mentioned to Bologue that it was following the coming of age that he began reading the history of the Clarks, knowing about that insane Dawn War, marking the term Night Race deeply into his soul.

"The Night Race has a standard for judging the health level of blood citizens. Once judged unfit for efficient blood production, they’re taken away for Blood Donation. It sounds nice, right? Through Blood Donation, they gain the Undying Body.

But in reality, it’s inferior Night Race members who conduct the Blood Donation, and afterward, these blood citizens are immediately transformed into mindless Bloodthirsty beings, serving as the vanguard in the Night Race’s conquests."

Palmer narrated information regarding the Night Race coldly, "In those circumstances, the minds of blood citizens have been tormented to the brink of collapse. Under the survival instinct, very few would refuse Blood Donation; as for blood citizens who die directly... fresh corpses are gathered, thrown into machines, crushed, squeezed dry, extracting the last drop of blood to become fodder for the Bloodthirsty, for the Bloodthirsty are also a kind of Night Race, needing nourishment from fresh blood just the same."