Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 913: Indian Ocean

Anna froze upon hearing the news. Li Lu actually got pregnant. However, she soon came to an understanding as her mind immediately connected the dots. She knew who the father was. She then turned to look at Li Long, hinting at him to continue his report.

Receiving her gaze, Li Long added, "She has only just gotten pregnant, but because of the gunshot wound, there's a high risk of miscarriage. How do you wish to proceed, High Priestess?"

"A child, huh?" Something seemed to spark in Anna's mind as the corners of her lips curved upward to form a faint, unreadable smile.

"That's great news. Go tell the ship doctors that no matter what, they must make sure the child survives."

"Understood!" Li Long nodded eagerly before hurrying off toward the cabin door.

"How convenient…" Anna muttered as a new idea emerged in her head. "Here I was thinking how to get her to talk, and a solution drops right onto my lap."

According to the High Priestess' orders, Li Lu was soon given the best medical care aboard the Narwhale. As soon as the bullet was safely removed, she was transferred to a pristinely clean care ward.

Not only have her living conditions improved, but her meals had also gotten a drastic upgrade. Li Lu even noticed a bowl of fresh fruit salad on her dinner tray.

On an ocean liner that was sailing thousands of kilometers away from the mainland, fresh fruit was a rare luxury that wasn't easily available to anyone. The sudden privileged treatment made Li Lu feel doubtful. Just what had happened when she was under anesthesia?

Initially, Li Lu was confused by the change in treatment, but as the days passed and the morning sickness from the first trimester set in, realization finally dawned upon her. She was pregnant.

"Don't stay cooped up in your room all day," Anna advised as she sat on the edge of Li Lu's bed and reached out a hand to gently caress Li Lu's flat stomach. "You should head out to the deck and get more sunshine and exercise, especially at a time like this."

If not for the wary followers surrounding them armed with electric batons and loaded anesthesia syringes, and the heavy chains binding Li Lu to the bed, the scene would have been a heartwarming one.

As Li Lu felt Anna's soft fingertips brushing against her skin, every hair on her body stood on end. She felt as though the very next second, Anna would directly slice open her belly, dig out the unformed bloody fetus, and devour it right there and then.

"Do you think you can use this child to threaten me? Stop dreaming. Do you really think I'd care about the product of a rape?" Li Lu spat out.

"Well. I think you will," Anna countered. "A mother's love is instinctive, and you won't be different from others.

"I'm a woman, too, and I've been pregnant before. As I feel that little life inside me grows day by day, it's impossible not to get attached.

"Back then, I went through so much pain and struggle to give birth to her. The moment I saw her tiny, adorable face, I felt that it had all been worth it. I even wanted to hold her forever and protect her from all harm."

While Anna recounted her story, she seemed to be lost in memory as a faint smile surfaced on her visage.

Standing at a distance, a thought crossed Roy's mind. He silently filed away this crucial new piece of information in his head—Anna had once been pregnant and had a child.

Yet the next moment, his curiosity was piqued. Just what kind of man would marry such a dangerous madwoman? Would he not be afraid that she would kill him in his sleep in the middle of the night?

Anna leaned in, her tone smooth yet coaxing. "Li Lu, believe me, this isn't something I want to do. Stubbornness won't do either of us any good. So how about this: tell me who sent you and why they're after me, and I'll let you and your child walk free. Sounds fair?"

Up till now, Anna knew nothing about the organization behind Li Lu, and the lack of knowledge put her at a disadvantage. If she didn't know who the enemy was or their numbers, how could she even possibly devise a strategy?

One way or another, she had to make sure Li Lu started talking.

Despite Anna's tempting offer, Li Lu's mind was as sharp as usual.

"No, you won't," Li Lu replied in a cold tone. "The moment I talk and lose my worth, I'll only end up as fish food or a sacrificial offering."

Anna shook her head and stared into Li Lu's defiant eyes. "I keep my word. If you choose not to leave, the Fhtagn Covenant has its doors open for you as well.

"No matter who you guys are, you were the ones who infiltrated my life with ulterior motives first. I don't think I've done anything wrong in this situation. If our roles were reversed and I fell into your hands, I doubt my fate would have been any better, right?"

Hearing Anna's words, Li Lu couldn't even bother to argue. She simply closed her eyes and leaned back against the white hospital bed.

Without any reaction from Li Lu, Anna pressed on, "No matter who you guys are, truth be told, we haven't had any direct conflict yet. Perhaps, we could come to a win-win situation." ?

Anna held up the watch that Li Lu once used as her communication device and suggested, "Here's the watch you used to communicate with your handler. How about you call them and let me have a chat with them?"

Li Lu remained unmoving; she lay still like a cadaver in a morgue.

Seeing Li Lu's resolve, Anna patted the back of Li Lu's hand and stood up. "I'll come back again after some time. Perhaps, you might change your mind when your baby's a bit bigger.

"If I were you, between my child and the organization, I'd choose my child without a hint of hesitation."

Anna held her splinted arm and turned to leave the room. The armed followers trailed after her, and the last to leave was Roy.

"The High Priestess has never talked like that to anyone. You are the first. Come to our side, Li Lu… Also for the sake of… our child."

At the mention of the child, a myriad of emotions flickered across Roy's face.

This time, Li Lu finally moved. Her eyes snapped open, and she turned toward Roy. With unmistakable disdain and disgust, she snapped, "Get lost!"

For a moment, their gazes locked, and Li Lu seemed to realize that Roy was trying to pass a message to her.

Their interlocked gaze lasted for a mere second before they both turned away. Li Lu slumped back onto the bed while Roy turned and left the room.

Left alone in the room, Li Lu stroked her abdomen tenderly as she ran her tongue over the poison capsule still tucked behind her molar. The act brought a small sense of calm to her otherwise irritable mood.

As the days passed by, Li Lu's belly began to swell noticeably. After using the ship's advanced medical equipment, the baby was confirmed to be a boy.

Meanwhile, Anna had visited Li Lu during the earlier days of her pregnancy. But when she realized that Li Lu was still unwilling to cooperate, her visits became less frequent.

After all, she had something more important at hand; after sailing for such a long time, they were about to arrive at the Indian Ocean.

A dark-skinned corpse was rapidly disassembled; his organs and parts were carefully arranged on the deck to form a new ritual circle.

The man hadn't been a part of their crew but a pirate who had tried to raid their ship. Pirates still existing in this day and age seemed absurd, but reality often disregarded logic, and here they were.

Sitting on the deck, Anna felt the salty sea breeze as it toyed with her bangs, making them sway along with the wind. She quietly stared at the expanse of deep, endless blue ahead of her.

"So this is the Indian Ocean…" Anna muttered to herself.

On the surface world, the Indian Ocean was nothing more than the name of a vast, ordinary sea. However, on the other side of the world, in the Subterranean Sea, it was the area where God Fhtagn lay in slumber.

Her purpose of heading to the Indian Ocean was to get closer to Fhtagn and increase the chances of a successful sacrifice.

This location on the surface world was the closest she could reach to being near God Fhtagn.

In fact, this critical piece of information was something she had learned from combing through Charles' memories from before. Specifically, it was from that very memory when he first learned that Fhtagn was 003.

Anna leaned over the railing to look into the azure waters. She seemed to see something, but at the same time, it seemed like there was nothing at all.