Regarding Compound V, even if he could not touch Vought International’s warehouses and laboratories for the time being, the supplies had to be transported eventually.
And when that time came, it would be Su Kai’s opportunity to strike.
Even if there were none, it was close to the ocean with a developed waterway system…
Could he make use of the residual underwater abilities of the original “The Deep” to stir up some trouble?
Or, why not just use the abilities of the star sea beast clan to obtain some other “energy substances”?
His train of thought suddenly opened up.
He returned to his not-so-large dormitory room and closed the door.
Twenty-four hours.
Su Kai moved quickly; after all, he did not have many belongings to begin with—a few changes of clothes and some miscellaneous personal items, all stuffed into a sports backpack, and he was ready to go.
As for that iconic blue-green fish-scale combat suit?
Sorry, he would not be needing that anymore.
He merely glanced at it before tossing it into the bottom of his wardrobe, swearing he would never wear it again.
Early the next morning, a black sedan without any Vought International markings pulled up on time at the back door of the building.
The driver was an expressionless middle-aged man who did not say a word, starting the car as soon as Su Kai got in.
There was not even anyone there to see him off.
Su Kai leaned back in his seat, watching the New York cityscape—the skyscrapers and the massive superhero billboards—speeding backward past the window.
When he saw Homelander’s fake smiling face flash rapidly across a screen, he curled his lips.
Goodbye, New York.
Goodbye, this fake hero show.
Half an hour later, the car drove directly into the airport, taking a special passage.
The tickets were already prepared—economy class—with the destination being Cleveland, Ohio.
The flight was not long, and while Su Kai appeared to be resting with his eyes closed for most of it, he was actually repeatedly studying the detailed information of the three awakening-stage beasts in the Star Sea Bestiary in his mind.
Scaled Armored Rhino, Nether Mantis, Void Jellyfish.
It was a pity he only had 30 points of Star Energy now; he could not do anything with that.
He would have to wait until he arrived to see how the “Starry Voyage” mission would be settled.
The plane soon landed in Cleveland, followed by another long car ride.
Upon reaching his destination, he was met by a junior clerk from the local environmental monitoring department, driving an old pickup truck and being quite talkative.
“You must be that Mr.
‘The Deep’ sent by headquarters, right?”
The clerk glanced at Su Kai curiously through the rearview mirror, his eyes devoid of respect, filled instead with curiosity and even a hint of schadenfreude.
“I heard you used to be in The Seven?
That’s awesome!
How did you end up getting sent to this godforsaken place?”
Su Kai did not respond, simply watching the increasingly desolate scenery outside the window.
Small towns, farmland, and then the grey-blue surface of Lake Erie, stretching as far as the eye could see.
“Our Granville Point is just a tiny place,” the clerk continued, talking to himself.
“The population is less than two thousand.
In summer, there are some tourists who come to fish, but in winter, it’s truly deadly quiet.
Your patrol station is right by the lakeshore.
Though it’s called a lakeshore, it’s actually connected to the coastline; it’s only called a lake because the area you’re responsible for is very small.
And that old house used to be a small weather station.
Your daily work is also very simple: walk along the shoreline once, record the water temperature, wind speed, and so on.
The forms are on the station’s computer.”
The clerk became more enthusiastic as he spoke.
“Oh right, occasionally, those young kids who drink too much at the bar in the town by the lake might take their boats out and cause trouble.
Just call the old sheriff in town on the radio, though he can’t be bothered to deal with it…”
Amidst the clerk’s incessant chatter, the car finally turned onto a bumpy dirt road.
At the end of the road, a greyish-white, square two-story building stood alone by the water.
Next to the building was a small wooden dock, where an old jet ski could be vaguely seen tied up.
“We’re here.”
The clerk stopped the car, fished out a set of keys from the glove box, and handed them to Su Kai.
“Here, these are the keys for the main door and the rooms inside.
You can get daily necessities at the small supermarket in town.
A supply truck comes every Tuesday to deliver water and food.
The radio frequency and emergency contact numbers are posted on the office wall.
Any questions?”
Su Kai took the keys and shook his head.
“Alright then, I’m off.
Good luck, ‘Hero’.”
The clerk said with a teasing tone, started the car, turned around, and drove off, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The surroundings became completely quiet.
There was only the sound of the wind blowing across the lake surface and the occasional cry of a water bird in the distance.
It really was; they called it a lake, but on the other side, it was an endless coastline.
Su Kai carried his backpack and walked to the front of the small building.
The door lock was a bit rusty, and it took a few turns to open it.
The moment the door opened, a wave of dust and moldy smell rushed toward him.
It was not large inside.
The first floor was an open space that served as both an office and a living room, furnished with an old desk, a desktop computer that looked older than him, a radio, and a sofa bed.
There was a small kitchen and a bathroom in the corner.
Stairs led to the second floor, which was likely a storage room or bedroom.
Simple, dilapidated, but sufficiently hidden.
Su Kai tossed his backpack onto the sofa, walked to the window, and looked at the calm, endless lake surface outside.
This was the place.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the system notification sound rang in his mind.
[Ding!
Detected that the host has left the core area of Vought International headquarters and arrived at the designated hidden location.]
[Main mission ‘Starry Voyage’, first stage ‘Escape Surveillance’, completed.]
[Mission rewards distributed: 3000 points of Star Energy, Star Sea Gene experience (trace amount), 1 random Awakening-stage Beast Clan Bestiary fragment (automatically recorded).]
[Currently available Star Energy: 3040.]
[Star Sea Gene level: Lv.1 (Awakening Stage)]
[Hint: Star Energy can be used to unlock and summon star sea beast clan members, or to extend the summon duration and expand the scale of the summon.]
Three thousand points!
Su Kai’s eyes lit up.
This was more than he had expected; it seemed the system judged the “Escape Surveillance” phase to have been completed well.
His assets had suddenly become substantial.
He did not rush to spend immediately; instead, he focused his mind first.
“Summon, Void Jellyfish.”
The air in front of him rippled again, and that familiar small spatial rift with purple electric arcs flickering at the edges appeared.
The translucent Void Jellyfish, emitting a faint blue-white light, floated out, conveying a vague, joyful emotion, as if it had returned home.
“Scan this building and everything within a 500-meter radius of it,” Su Kai ordered.
“Focus on whether there are any hidden monitoring devices, bugs, or any abnormal energy sources or life reactions.”
The core light point of the Void Jellyfish flickered rapidly.
A three-dimensional perception map, far clearer and covering a larger range than the one in the Vought conference room, instantly flowed into Su Kai’s mind.
The building’s structure, aging electrical wiring, water pipes, a few mice in a mouse hole in the corner (weak heat sources of life), and some small fish gathered under the wooden dock (even weaker heat sources)…
No cameras.
No bugs.
And certainly no radio transmitters.
Apart from himself and these animals, there were no other signs of human life within 500 meters.
As for energy sources, there were only some very weak, natural electromagnetic fluctuations and trace amounts of radiation from certain mineral veins deep underground.
Safe.
Absolutely safe.
It seemed Vought International really wanted to give up on him; they had not even installed the most basic monitoring facilities.
Su Kai let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face.
“Good job, come back.”
He let the Void Jellyfish return to the Aether Sea.
Now, it was time.
He pulled up the Star Sea Bestiary again, his gaze falling on the [Scaled Armored Rhino] and [Nether Mantis].