Audric's words had just fallen when he recalled something and cast a nervous look at Linda next to him.

Linda, who was reading a book, turned to look at him and said, "You're right. He's a lunatic capable of killing people without any hesitation.

"His hands are drenched in the blood of hundreds of millions of people, and there is no defense for his case, as words cannot possibly wash away his sins."

Grace looked nervous as she stared at the two with the peeled apple in hand. She had no idea what they were talking about. Fortunately, their conversation was interrupted by the passengers standing up to take a look outside.

Sizzle!

A sizzling noise echoed, and white smoke began to rise from Linda and Audric.

They hurriedly put on the protective suits that they had prepared long ago.

"Dear passengers, the train has arrived at Hope Island Station. Please take your luggage and queue up to exit the station. Thank you for riding with us."

Walking out of the station at the bottom of the towering black tower that pierced the dome overhead, Weister took off his bandages and made a beeline for home.

He moved faster and faster until he was almost sprinting. However, Weister was astonished to find that his family's home had been divided into tiny compartments that were being occupied by other people.

His family members were nowhere to be found.

Weister eventually found where his family was relocated, and it was all thanks to the help of some staffers from the Ministry of Administration. When he pushed open the door, he found his family of three having dinner.

Elena was thrilled to witness her son's sudden return. She didn't even chew the bread in her mouth as she rushed up to Weister with bloodshot eyes and started patting him down, afraid that he was missing a body part or two.

"Brother, you're back? Have you already retrieved the darkness?" Mark asked excitedly. The little boy had grown considerably during Weister's absence.

Weister shook his head and smiled forcibly. "We're almost there... almost..."

"Don't just stand at the door. Come in and sit down," Elena said, pulling her son to the table. It had been over a year since she saw her son, so she asked him a ton of questions, specifically on how he had been doing all this while.

Upon seeing his enthusiastic family members chattering about around him, Weister felt warm all inside. It was a sensation that he liked. Weister answered all of their questions about the surface world; he also told them his experience. Of course, he only mentioned the good things, skipping his dangerous encounters.

Weister's younger brother and sister cast a curious gaze at Weister upon hearing about the bizarre surface world. In the middle of his recount, Weister finally took notice of their dinner.

It was a simple dinner composed of a few slices of bread, fried fish filets, a few unsightly fruits, and finally, a bowl of oyster soup with a few oysters. The dinner was only slightly better than they often had in the harbor district of Whereto.

"What's... going on?" Weister asked, showing a rare hint of anger.

"Brother, this dinner is already great. The surface world is the priority right now, so the resources here are being sent over to the surface world. It does look awful, but this is a privilege the families of surface explorers have. Others have it worse," Mark explained.

Weister silently looked at the food in front of him. Many different delicacies could be found in the restaurants and bars on the surface world. Anyone could eat to their fill, and it didn't seem like there was any supply shortage.

However, the resources that the surface world was enjoying hadn't popped out of nothing. The Subterranean Sea's sacrifice was the reason behind the surface world's prosperity.

"It's okay. This is just temporary. Once the darkness has been retrieved, we can go back to our previous lifestyle. In addition, we've long gotten used to living in poverty. I'll have you know, but Madam Hanna, our neighbor before we were transferred here, has been crying her heart out these days..."

Weister quietly listened to Elena's words. He had no recollection of the so-called "Madam Hanna," but listening to her mother's voice alone made Weister feel great.

The past was already water under the bridge. No matter what he had experienced over the years, Weister only had one goal—to protect his family. After all, they were all that he had now.

***

Early the next morning, Aliya was about to leave Dipp's arms, but Dipp thought otherwise. He pulled Aliya back into his arms and haphazardly kissed her everywhere.

"I've got to go to work. The police stations on Hope Island are extremely busy these days. James is nowhere to be found, so everything is on my shoulders now," Aliya said, sounding helpless while blushing at the same time.

"Your husband has finally returned after such a long time. Can't you take a day off to stay with me? I haven't seen you for so long. I've been missing you so much to the extent that I've been dreaming of you these days," Dipp said. Clearly, he was reluctant to let Aliya go.

"I really have to go. The death light had killed so many people on the other islands, but it had spared Hope Island. There are too many people here, but we're running out of land to house them. We're also in the midst of a world-ending crisis, so the rate of violent crimes has increased exponentially."

Dipp's hands around Aliya unconsciously loosened. Aliya took advantage of that opportunity and pulled herself out of his embrace. She picked up the torn clothes on the ground and shook her head helplessly. Then, she walked up to the wardrobe to put on new clothes.

"The darkness hasn't been located yet, so why did your captain come back? He never struck me as a person who'd retreat before his goals are achieved."

Dipp pretended like he had dozed off on the boat before replying leisurely, "I didn't really ask him any questions. However, it should be related to his wife. I'm talking about Anna."

Aliya's hands holding her clothes paused. A few moments later, she admitted, "I heard something from our informants throughout the island, and I personally know some things as well.

"However, we're in the middle of a world-ending crisis, which means that sacrifices are inevitable."

Dipp opened his eyes wide and looked at Aliya. "What do you know?"

"People have been regularly going missing on Hope Island, but no one has ever made any missing persons report. Unfortunately, she's the governor, so I dared not order our people to investigate the matter any further.

"

Hmm...

" Dipp put his hands behind his head, and his expression remained calm as he said, "I only listen to the captain. If he pretends that it doesn't exist, then I'll pretend that it doesn't exist, too.

"However, if he wants to kill that monster, then I'll be the first to make a move."

"Captain, captain, and captain! It's always the captain! Can't you think about your own family first?? Is he your wife, or am I your wife?" Aliya asked. She picked up the teacup next to her and hurled it at Dipp out of frustration.

A few moments later, she picked up her high-top leather boots and sat down on the stool to put them on. "Ah, Dipp, I forgot to tell you that I adopted a child."

"A child?" Dipp sat up, looking startled. He was already in his twenties, but he still had no desire to become a father.

"Yes, a boy. Three months ago, a patrol ship at sea stumbled upon a ship. The ship had come from an island that ended up getting submerged. Unfortunately, every single passenger on the ship had perished, while the boy in question survived the ordeal by consuming human flesh."

"Poor thing. You did a great job adopting him. Where is he right now? I want to know what he looks like," Dipp said. He stood up and got dressed.

"He's living in the school compounds," Aliya replied, "For the sake of convenience, the school now gives students a temporary place to stay. This way, their parents would have no issues going to work."