"Third corner, there will be a fishman ambush." Kiro reminded Tanaka.
"Understood!"
When that fishman gripped its harpoon and charged out from the corner's shadow once more, the prepared Tanaka clone nimbly dodged to the side, easily avoiding the direct thrust with the water's current.
[Memory Erasure]'s white light followed immediately after.
The short sword smoothly stabbed into the completely defenseless fishman's neck. Seeing white threads drift from the wound, Tanaka wrinkled his nose in disgust and quickly distanced himself.
This time, Kiro didn't have Tanaka continue deeper along the original route, but instead directed him to turn into another more circuitous secret passage branch.
However, the accident still occurred. Before even reaching this new secret passage's exit, he ran face-first into another fishman and two half-demon soldiers with Puchi squads!
The instant he saw those several glaring LV10 skills on the Puchis' panels, Tanaka knew things were bad.
White light flashed almost instinctively as he turned to flee back the way he came.
But it was already too late—several mycelial tentacles sealed all retreat routes and pierced through his body!
The clone didn't immediately dissipate. Intense pain made him futilely struggle and twist in the water a few times.
Seeing escape was hopeless, Tanaka could only actively cancel this near-death clone.
...
Clap!
Round three.
Another small tuft of white fur joined the pile on the floor before Kiro.
Opposite him, a new Tanaka clone had just finished condensing, reaching out to push open the cabin door.
This time, Kiro changed strategies. He had the clone hide near the original secret passage's exit, trying to wait for that half-demon patrol to pass before acting.
However, that half-demon team, under guidance from a hurriedly arriving fishman guide, directly opened the secret door from the outside. The wall retreated, revealing the Tanaka clone on the other side who hadn't had time to adjust his posture, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
The outcome was predictable.
Fourth round, fifth round, sixth round...
No matter how Kiro adjusted routes or calculated timing differences, Tanaka's clone would always be blocked by the opposition, almost as if being specifically hunted!
...
...
...
Round twelve.
Clap!
A dull clapping sound echoed in the cabin.
"I'm in... whoa! Why'd you lose so much fur?" Tanaka, about to report he'd entered the dungeon, turned back and saw the conspicuous layer of white fluff on the floor beneath Kiro, startling him.
From start to finish, his clone had only been underwater about ten minutes—how had this fox lost so much fur?
Tanaka instinctively raised a hand to touch his own not-particularly-thick crown.
So beastmen also had hair loss troubles...
Facing Kiro's shifting gaze, Tanaka returned a look that was three parts understanding and seven parts consolation.
Kiro ignored Tanaka's thoroughly misunderstanding gaze. He was thinking about exactly what had gone wrong.
The opposition had blocked almost every possible path. This clearly wasn't coincidental patrol, but genuine discovery of Tanaka clone's traces.
But when had they been exposed?
There was clearly no fungal mat spread underwater yet!
Kiro's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to that time when, in simulations, he'd tried to enter United Kingdom territory to unseal the Demon King's clone in the Amethyst Dungeon.
Then, no matter how he chose routes, timing, or disguises, he'd ultimately be caught by Puchis.
Only after over three hundred simulation attempts did he finally determine that fungal mat was the Puchis' all-pervasive eyes and ears.
As long as you were within fungal mat coverage, any plan was useless.
But at this time point, according to the original trajectory, fungal mat shouldn't have spread inside Tidal Sanctuary yet.
Though Tanaka encountered combat Puchis, he'd repeatedly confirmed Tanaka found no traces of fungal mat along the way.
To thoroughly clarify the situation, Kiro changed tactics this time. He required Tanaka to describe every detail seen by the clone in exhaustive detail.
And when Tanaka mentioned that the fishman he'd killed had white threads drift from its wound and a parasitized status—
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Kiro's fox ears suddenly perked up.
"Huh? You asked, so I told you! What do you mean 'say earlier'?" Tanaka looked completely baffled—he had no memory of previous simulations.
Kiro had already figured out the situation.
Those individuals parasitized by mycelia had some kind of sensing between them within a certain distance!
The first fishman's death inevitably alerted other nearby parasitized individuals, which explained the subsequent continuous encirclements!
This way, all the abnormalities made sense!
However...
Kiro's heart sank.
Another deviation.
The fishman tribe being parasitized should have occurred months later according to early simulations.
His trajectory changes' influence, combined with some uncontrollable random events, had ultimately caused increasingly obvious deviations between reality's development and that initial trajectory.
Fortunately, the deviation wasn't too great.
Fortunately, the deviation's magnitude currently didn't seem too large.
If the sea surface and waterways had already become a glowing ocean like in the future, that would truly be a dead-end predicament with no solution.
...
Clap!
Round thirteen.
Beside him, Tanaka was focusing attention on the clone, probably having followed the mercenary company to the first room by now.
Soon, Tanaka's clone once again entered the secret passage.
"Third corner, fishman ambush incoming. Note—quickly subdue but don't kill it!"
"Understood!"
This time, after memory erasure, Tanaka closed in and used the short sword's metal scabbard rather than blade to viciously strike the fishman's back of the head.
Before the fishman could awaken from memory blank's dazed state, its vision went dark and it softly fainted, slowly sinking with the current.
This time, when he emerged from the secret passage, he indeed encountered no more search teams.
Simultaneously, in this intricate underwater labyrinth, several reconnaissance squads were active throughout various waterways.
They were the eyes and ears of Louisa's commanded army.
Further back, Marshal Louisa herself was commanding main forces mixed from Mycelium Puchi Fortress soldiers, various combat Puchi types, and fishmen, steadily advancing along planned offensive routes.
Reconnaissance squad captains maintained communication with Louisa through the local mycelial network.
"Group Two reporting, left branch corridor exploration complete, no enemy contact."
"Group Three reporting, right corridor secure, but one structurally weak point—suggest main force detour."
"Group One reporting, ahead on main passage, small enemy concentration discovered, approximately eight to ten, destroying a statue."
"Group One standby, crush them after main force arrives!" Louisa ordered.
After routine reports finished, Group Two's captain added supplementary information: "Though it's a bit strange—that newly network-joined fishman, I called it several times without response. Can clearly sense it's not far ahead..."
Another captain interjected: "Probably not used to talking through the network yet—very normal. When I was first symbiosed, same thing happened. Thought clearly in my head, words just wouldn't transmit."
His words immediately resonated with others.
Nevertheless, out of caution, Louisa directed another nearby fishman to investigate the situation, but this time wasn't as urgent as Kiro's previous simulation attempts.
When that fishman was discovered by its companion and the assault report finally transmitted back, Tanaka's clone had long since entered another secret passage, continuously distancing from this area.
And precisely at this time, after clearing another batch of mist monsters occupying a room, Louisa's main force discovered several people hiding around corners secretly observing the snakefolk mercenaries.
Outsiders!
The fishman guide assault incident was almost instantly connected by Louisa to these uninvited outsiders.
Without hesitation, under Louisa's concise, forceful command, the army split off multiple units to encircle the area where the snakefolk mercenaries were located.
(End of Chapter)
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