Chapter 411 – Foggy Panic
Chapter 411 Fog Panic
The clicking of switches being pressed resounded continuously through the chamber, metal reeds humming rhythmically as they were turned on and off, unseen signals being sent to the roof and out by antennas disguised as weathervanes, and messages from the Sea Mist fleet being sent back into this chamber, transformed into the clicking and clacking of relays and a series of regular round holes in the paper tape.
Nemo sat at the table with his headphones on, tapping his fingers on the tabletop in slight annoyance as he listened to the commotion in his headphones, while a young girl in a waitress uniform picked up the paper tape that had just been spit out of the punching machine next to him, and read the round holes on it in defense.
After a while, Nemo yanked the headphones off his head and leaned back in his chair, letting out a long breath while pinching his brow.
“Captain Tirian has begun to engage the strange fleet that appeared in the fog, the battle on the Frost Navy’s side is unknown at the moment, but things don’t seem to be going well,” the young girl holding the paper tape lowered her voice and said in a somewhat nervous tone, “and not a peep out of the city ……”
“The fog is blocking civilian news channels, the residents of the coastal district won’t know what’s going on even if they hear the cannons, and the city-state authorities have to maintain order within the city limits right now – widespread panic isn’t going to help the Navy,” Timo pinched his brow and “What’s the situation out on the streets? What about the stores?”
“The sheriff’s forces have put the whole city under martial law, the streets are very quiet right now, but just now there seemed to be gunfire from a long way off, and two steam walkers passed by the Oak Street intersection, hurrying north,” the young girl replied, “The store is doing fine right now, and the fuel we use for illumination is plenty, but ……”
“But?”
“There are a dozen or so customers trapped here by the fog, and now that the streets are blocked off and the shelters are full, they have nowhere to go, and it’s inevitable that panic will build up amongst those people over time.”
“…… That doesn’t mean we can kick them out onto the street, the tavern is now their temporary shelter, and really kicking people out will definitely attract the sheriff and the church,” Nemo shook his head, “I’ll go up there in a moment to See what’s going on.”
As soon as this Sea Mist Fleet informant’s words left his mouth, a muffled mumble suddenly came from the corner of the room, “Charge again, charge again …… They’ve fought their way in …… Reinforcements are also coming… …”
Nemo instantly frowned and got up to look at the location where the sound came from.
There was a bed placed there, and a scruffily dressed old man was lying on it in a muddle, the old man’s waist and back were hunched over, while in his arms he was holding a large wrench that he didn’t know where to bring it from, and it looked as if he was lying in a very unsettled state.
“Old ghost, old ghost,” Nemo walked over and patted the old man’s shoulder, “you had a nightmare?”
The old man holding the big wrench opened his eyes in a muddled state and was sluggish for several seconds before he spoke, “Who are you?”
“I’m Nemo,” Nemo Wilkins looked a little complicated, “What did you dream about?”
“Nemo …… Oh oh Nemo, I remember, you’re a newcomer to the Queen’s Guard …… Hello, I’m a plumbing engineer for the Second Waterway …… Dreams ? I didn’t dream, I dozed, just dozed …… What time is it? Isn’t it time for me to go on a power pipeline tour?”
“It’s afternoon now,” Nemo shook his head, “Don’t think about the power pipeline, we’re pulling out of that place for now, it’s not safe anywhere right now, we’re going to stay on this side of the stronghold and wait for instructions – that’s Ti General Ryan’s orders.”
“General Tirian ……,” the old geezer’s eyes drifted off for a moment, then suddenly seemed to wake up again, immediately rising from the bed, “Yes! Engineer Wilson received orders! Stand by at the stronghold!”
Nemo looked a bit complicated, but slowly stood up straight and returned the old man’s military salute, then turned to the young girl in the shopkeeper’s uniform and nodded, “You stay here and watch over the old geezer, I’ll go up there and confirm the situation.”
After giving his orders, he left the secret room and returned to the tavern located on the surface through a dark passage.
Inside the “Golden Flute” tavern, a depressing and tense atmosphere filled the hall, the customers who were trapped in the store due to the thick fog, the clerks and waiters who stayed on duty in the tavern, almost everyone was paying attention to the situation outside the window – and as far as the eye could see, the only thing that could be seen was the thick fog, and in the thick fog, the only thing that could be seen was the fog, and in the thick fog, the only thing that could be seen was the thick fog, and in the thick fog. The only thing that could be seen as far as the eye could see was the fog, and the streets that were shadowed in it.
The gas lamps throughout the city had been lit in advance, and the artificial lights barely dispersed the dimness brought by the strange fog, but they were not enough to make this chaotic world clear again, and those dim yellow light clusters floated in the fog like rootless duckweed, looking like rows of eyes floating above the streets.
Nemo emerged from the door of the back kitchen and went to the counter.
“What’s the situation?” He asked in a low voice to the clerk guarding the back of the counter.
“Everyone’s on edge, all transportation and communication with the surrounding neighborhoods is down right now, and no one knows what’s going on elsewhere,” the clerk whispered, “but the good thing is that no one’s running out the door because of the stress – no one wants to run into that fog at this point.”
Nemo nodded softly, “If any such fools do show up, don’t stop them, let them go – but once they step outside this door, even if they’re only in the fog for a second, they should never be allowed back in. From now on, no one is allowed to leave or enter this place, and everything that comes through the fog is an evil spirit by default.”
The young clerk gulped nervously and nodded vigorously, “Yes, store manager.”
And just then, a strange buzzing sound suddenly came from the street, interrupting the conversation between Nemo and his men.
It sounded like the sound of some kind of equipment starting up, interspersed with the sound of heavy machinery moving down the street. The people in the store were in a bit of a commotion for a while, some people nervously came to the window and looked at the movement on the street outside, some people saw some moving red lights appearing in the fog, and then they whispered and exclaimed in alarm, “Steam walking machines …… have appeared again!”
Nemo also made his way to the window, and he was just halfway there when he heard the strange buzzing sound suddenly sharpen, followed by the slightly distorted sound of a loud speaker blaring out of the window – it was the broadcasting device carried on the steam walker shouting.
“Zip …… To the general public …… the consul and the head of the church are restoring order to the city-state …… Frost is being affected by an unknown vision, and we’re being …… Special reminder to residents to remain in their homes or safe sheltered facilities, and also to stay as far away as possible from anything around them that creates mirrors, including and not limited to mirrors, water, and smooth metal, for safety reasons ……
“Again, please stay away from everything around you that can create mirrors is everything.
“Also, if you notice anyone around you acting strangely, please immediately hide in a safe, separate space and seek help from the person in charge of the asylum facility or the nearest guard or sheriff if conditions allow, do not rashly attack anyone you feel suspicious of, and please prioritize ensuring your own safety and isolation.
“If you feel that your state is abnormal, please also hide immediately in a safe and separate space and avoid talking to others as much as possible ……
“The above is a reminder from His Excellency Winston, the Consul, as well as expert advisors in the Transcendent Realm.
“To the general public ……”
The broadcast was fading away, fading into that fog along with the red warning lights of the steam walker.
Nemo looked up, and all he saw was a pair of deeply nervous eyes all around him.
But he quickly reacted.
“Get the cloth!” He shouted to the clerks and waiters, “Cover all the glass counters and mirrors!”
Everyone responded in turn, and although the tension was still there, the residents of the city-state clearly had the basic, common sense and mental capacity to save themselves from a transcendent disaster; the clerks quickly fetched the covering cloths that were used to keep out the dust after closing time, and the customers who had stayed in the store stepped forward to help out, covering anything within sight that might produce mirrors at breakneck speeds.
And a similar situation was being played out in every corner of the entire Frost City State.
The terror of the fog was enveloping this city-state.
In the midst of the fog, Agatha has returned to the cathedral.
She met Bishop Ivan, who had just finished his busy day, in the lounge next to the cathedral.
The bishop had come out of the “coffin” where he usually rested, and had put on his archbishop’s robes over his bandages, which Agatha remembered not seeing for many years.
“Even a corpse like me has had to get up and work,” Bishop Ivan in his robes sat down in a chair and spread his hands out to Agatha, who had just walked into the room, “It’s been so long since I’ve had to move around outside of my coffin that I feel like I’m falling apart from exhaustion.”
“If you still have the body to ‘fall apart’,” Agatha said casually, “How are things now?”
“The situation, every one is asking how the situation is – bad as bad can be,” Bishop Ivan’s hoarse, low voice came out from underneath the bandages, “The fakes are attacking the city, and the monsters that were lurking before are starting to emerge, and just a Just now, several cemeteries have been attacked, those temporary parking places for the dead seem to have been used by the enemy as ‘passages’ into the real world, word has come from City Hall that gunfire has been heard from several streets in the lower city, and out at sea, our fleet has been fighting with contraptions that have sprung up from the sea.
“The all-out attack has begun, but worse than the enemy’s all-out attack is the fact that we still don’t know the full extent of this disaster or conspiracy, those heretics hiding in the shadows …… How the hell did they do all this and where are they hiding? ”
Bishop Ivan said, slowly raising his head and looking Agatha in the eyes.
“What did you find underground? From the look in your eyes, I bet you saw something.”
“I didn’t find the nest where those heretics were hiding, but I found …… more disturbing clues.”
Agatha inhaled softly, and after a moment’s pause slowly said-
“Our boiling gold mines, it seems, ran dry decades ago, if not longer.”
(End of chapter)