Anna looked around and found herself standing in the middle of the clearing where Wang Sheng and the others were working. However, the clearing was deserted, with no one else around her.

"Who are you?" Anna asked. Her voice echoed loudly in the spacious, empty clearing. Her question was directed to the invader who had taken on Charles' face.

The smooth floor bulged, and it transformed into what looked like a humanoid ceramic doll.

"You can call me Dr. Luvlyn. I don't really want to be at odds like you, so let's have a good chat, shall we? As long as you're willing to cooperate with us, everything that you've done so far can become water under the bridge."

It was a soft feminine voice, seemingly coming from a kind and amiable woman.

Anna looked around and remembered having experienced something similar to this. It seemed that someone had truly invaded her dream. However, it wasn't just an intrusion; the invader had also altered her dreamscape.

Anna stared at the faceless humanoid figure and fell into deep contemplation. In the end, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and asked, "Tell me more about what you mean by 'cooperation'."

"Tell me where you came from, where you learned those things, and... who is this Charles?"

"I've said it before. I'm from the Subterranean Sea. It is an inverted ocean beneath the earth. I already told your people about it, but they refused to believe me," Anna said. Then, she gnashed her teeth and lunged at the glass wall.

The floor undulated, attempting to restrain Anna. Having made up her mind, Anna kicked off hard from the writhing ground and charged at the glass wall like a cheetah.

Instead of smashing the glass with her hands, she used her head instead. She was once capable of manipulating other's dreams, so she keenly knew how to escape her predicament.

She just had to concentrate and overlap her consciousness with her senses. Then, she had to treat this dream as the real world before harming herself.

The act of self-harm could trigger the instincts of her sleeping fleshly body, which would lead to her awakening. The moment Anna's head made contact with the glass, the rigid glass became extremely soft as if it were silk.

A head-shaped indent appeared on the glass wall. The glass moved like water, engulfing Anna.

The faceless figure floated over to the struggling Anna.

"No, you're mistaken. We believe you."

Anna was startled. "What?"

"The idea of a subterranean sea sounds absurd, but based on the bizarre rituals you've conducted so far and your strange behaviors, there's a high chance that you're telling the truth."

Anna stopped struggling and stared at the faceless figure in front of her with some surprise. "Since you believe me, shouldn't you focus on finding the Subterranean Sea? Why come to me? 𝖗

"I'll have to thank you if you somehow end up finding it. Hehe."

The smooth, faceless countenance came closer to Anna's face, and Luvlyn gazed at the latter through a layer of glass. "So the question is—where is the entrance to the Subterranean Sea?"

Anna's heart sank, and her wariness skyrocketed to the skies.

If they were to learn about Charles' true value…

Luvlyn moved her faceless countenance away, her body circling around Anna like a jellyfish.

"The deepest humanity has ever dug into the ground was a project launched by the former Soviet Union in the early 1950s. Competing with the United States, they hired dozens of the world's top scientists in a plan to drill a hole from the Earth's surface to the core.

"It was an absurd project that only happened due to the Cold War."

"Do you know how deep they managed to dig? 12,262 meters. Temperatures in that depth are several hundred degrees Celsius, and the pressure was so high that even solids acted like liquids.

"Despite that, they couldn't pierce through the Earth's lithosphere.

"We can boldly assume that the Subterranean Sea—a massive inverted ocean beneath the earth—exists, but we have to verify the facts carefully.

"In the absence of finding physical evidence, it's just an assumption. Do you understand what I'm talking about? So where is the entrance? Evidence is necessary, as it is going to prove everything."

Upon realizing that there was no way she could escape her own dreamscape, Anna calmed down and changed her strategy. After pondering for a moment, she said, "To be honest, our relationship wouldn't be so constrained if your people were as easy to talk to as you.

"As for the entrance to the Subterranean Sea, I don't know. If I were aware of its location, I wouldn't be here today. However, I can work with you; we can search for the entrance together."

The glass around Anna fell to the ground as if it were her clothes.

Anna was free once more.

Moments later, the scenery transformed into a kaleidoscope before Anna found herself inside a cozy lounge. Luvlyn reclined on a plush sofa and said, "Sit. Let's have a good chat about that."

Anna glanced at the murals on the walls and bent down to sit on the sofa. "Sure, we can talk, but can you answer my question first? Are you part of the so-called strongest Mobile Task Force of the IMF? Is this an ambush for me?"

"No," Luvlyn said, shaking her head gently. "I work at Site 66, and my job is to use some special techniques to heal those poor people.

"As for why you're here, you can just say that it's an accident. Anyway, I've already answered your question, so it's your turn to answer mine. What's your identity in the Subterranean Sea? How powerful are you?"

"What other identity can I have?" Anna chuckled. "I'm just an ordinary governor of an island."

"

Oh?

The reports written about you said that even though you look human, you do not possess the heart of a human at all. There are even records of you consuming human flesh," Luvlyn asked.

"That's a misconception. The Subterranean Sea and the surface world are two different worlds, so their moral principles and societal norms are completely different from each other."

"Do you expect people to maintain a clean and noble soul when they've spent their entire lives making a living in the pitch-black and bizarre sea of the Subterranean Sea?

"If one were to get lost at sea, one would have to consume one's own crew to live. It is not as uncommon as you think in the Subterranean Sea.

"Believe me, an extremely domineering and ruthless captain with no empathy is far more reliable in the Subterranean Sea than a kind-hearted, righteous captain," Anna replied.

"What about the monster in your dream that Agent 2 has discovered? What do you have to say about that?"

"

Ah,

that? It was a monster I encountered while exploring the sea. We had a relationship that went beyond friendship, so that monster has a deep place in my heart."