Chapter Thirty-Seven: The New Search and Rescue Team

A colossal tornado stretched across the sky, spanning the horizon like a barrier between heaven and earth. The middle section of this whirlwind appeared strangely slender, yet this peculiar detail did nothing to lessen the overwhelming visual impact it had on Ariel.

“What… is that?” Ariel could no longer hear her own voice; she was so stunned by the sight before her that words failed her.

Very soon, however, Ariel noticed something else—why was this tornado so quiet?

Indeed, at first, Ariel had mistaken the towering vortex before her for a natural disaster, a tornado. But she was beginning to realize something was wrong.

For a tornado, it was far too silent; for a tornado, its rotation was much too slow.

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St. Lance Orphanage, 10 a.m.

Lily proposed restarting the search and rescue for John’s “Screening Patrol” team, which drew skepticism from Stevenson. After all, during their first venture across the Thames, they had encountered an enormous creature that was impossible to handle.

Lily’s solution was to use the Dunlun City subway lines as much as possible to move around, thus avoiding direct encounters with those colossal beings on the surface. While this might mean missing some clues about John’s team, if John and the others were still out there, they would likely have chosen to move underground as well.

Clearly, traveling above ground was no longer safe.

Lily emphasized, as she had before, that participation in this operation was entirely voluntary and no one would be forced to join. With that reassurance, Stevenson had nothing more to say.

“As for Ariel’s sudden disappearance, I have a general idea of what happened. Unfortunately, we’re not currently capable of finding her. But don’t worry—I believe she’s safe right now.”

Lily wasn’t speaking purely from intuition. After all, Liu Shiqin was a good example: when they found her, she had been lying quietly in an empty room of a building. Unless struck by some especially severe disaster or targeted by one of those large creatures, she was certainly safe.

Reflecting on this, Lily recalled the last search for John’s team, when she’d sensed a presence carrying something valuable as it passed through the first floor of the art museum. According to Miss Liu Shiqin’s later account—and confirmed by Lily’s own “Fate Coin”—Liu Shiqin had never been to the National Gallery.

So, who was it?

Once the list of participants for the second search was finalized, the group dispersed, but Ander stopped Lily as she was about to leave.

“Are you really sure Ariel is safe?” Ander still couldn’t rest easy.

“I’m about eighty percent certain.” Lily ruffled Ander’s hair in reassurance.

“…Alright. I believe you.” Ander hesitated for two seconds and didn’t press further, but then he asked, “Can I join the search this time?”

“Oh, my dear Ander, didn’t Sandro already describe everything we went through during our exploration two days ago? Trust me, it’s extremely dangerous.”

“I know, I know it’s dangerous.” Ander nodded, barely pausing before adding, “But I don’t want to lose both Ariel and you, sis.”

Lily paused, a little helpless. “Can’t you wish me a little good luck for once?”

Ander’s face flushed red and he hastily waved his hands, insisting that’s not what he meant—he only wanted to accompany Lily to search for Brother John.

Lily looked at Ander for a few more seconds. He didn’t back down, meeting her gaze with resolute eyes that said, “I want to go.”

With a sigh, Lily told Ander to find Aiden and decide what equipment to bring.

Ander broke into a wide grin and dashed downstairs to look for Aiden.

That afternoon, Lily set off with her new team, aiming once again for Dunlun Station on the far side of the Thames. This time, however, the roster had changed slightly: Stevenson had opted out, Ander joined, while Dunn, Aiden, and Camille remained. Sandro, buoyed by Ander’s addition, was unexpectedly talkative, happily chatting with Ander about something.

This time, Lily decided they would cross the Thames via Waterloo Bridge near the South Bank Theatre and try to reach Holborn Station. That way, they could enter the subway network and approach Dunlun Station from underground.

Since this plan had been discussed beforehand, no one objected.

The environmental effects of the Solar Eclipse left Ander dumbstruck. Though he had heard Lily and Sandro describe it, hearing was nothing compared to witnessing the devastation first-hand: rusted, ruined vehicles; buildings whose stone had been so eroded by the eclipse that only tumbled, broken shells remained; and streets now pitted, uneven, and littered with debris of all kinds.

These sights made Ander realize that the things Lily and the others had mentioned were, if anything, even more incomprehensible and terrifying than their words could convey.

Sandro, noticing Ander’s expression, patted his back and said he himself hadn’t gotten used to it either. Scenes like this, after all, only appeared in disaster films, not real life.

Hearing their exchange, Dunn joked, “Gentlemen, welcome to the world of mysteries.”

Of course, banter aside, everyone remained vigilant, remembering that even small animals might have mutated. To that end, Aiden carried a metal baseball bat for protection.

“Lily, something’s strange,” Dunn said suddenly, stepping closer and lowering his voice.

“Hm?” Lily’s hum conveyed her puzzlement. Her senses had picked up nothing alarming; she didn’t feel as though anyone—or anything—was watching them.

“Don’t you think it’s too quiet here? I mean… there are no bird calls.”

On their way, they’d heard some noise from rats and rabbits, and after confirming it was safe, continued forward. But now that Dunn mentioned it, Lily thought back for a few seconds before slowly nodding. “You’re right, it does seem that way.”

She raised her voice so everyone could hear. “We need to be alert above us now as well. Listen for birds or any sounds from overhead. If anyone hears anything—especially from birds—inform the group immediately.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Lily then drew out her Fate Coin and tried to amplify the probability of reaching Waterloo Bridge safely. To her surprise, the attempt seemed to fail—the Fate Coin gave no response whatsoever.

“Is it that there are too many uncontrollable variables?” The thought flashed through Lily’s mind, unbidden.