The Red Kestrel's hull had extensive scorch and carbonization marks, and beneath its cracked shell, a silver and black inner skeleton was visible, wrapped with muscle-like metal cables.

Red Kestrel conducted a close-range scan, "Your mobility is severely impaired right now, energy is continuously leaking, and the Light Imprint Structure has been partially damaged. Do not send large data signals; instead, send a code requesting support to reduce consumption and processing."

"What exactly happened?"

That was what Zhou Yi wanted to ask as well.

The signal lights on Red Kestrel flickered, "I came here for routine inspection and also to represent the Detective Team in investigating whether the Wasteland Development Company is related to the continuous incidents in this sea area."

"In the last two months, within an area about 30 kilometers east of this region, two Chuneng City vessels have disappeared."

"The first was the D-class cargo ship 'Mingji,' which lost contact after its last communication with the transportation department two months ago. Until then, it had shown no signs of any anomalies."

"The second was the C-class survey ship 'Ding Mao.' Three days ago, it sent a message indicating some abnormalities in the sea area it was in, but further observation was required. After that, it too lost contact."

"Two… Two… Two…"

Some electrical arcs flickered on the Detecting Machine's hull, causing its voice to stutter.

"The disappearance of both ships is highly consistent, with their last known locations only three kilometers apart in a straight line. We suspect that this is not an accident, but rather an attack."

"We sifted through the shared data from nearby cities and eventually found that the Seventh Fleet's 'Wind Organ' from the Dead Sea Knights also lost contact within the same area."

Zhou Yi's face twitched.

He understood now.

This Detecting Machine came to investigate him, suspecting that Wasteland Development Company was the mastermind behind the scenes.

Zhou Yi asked, "Did the Dead Sea Knights suggest you investigate us?"

"No."

Red Kestrel replied, "They just shared their data with us; there were no suggestions. The Dead Sea Knights surmised that winter is inherently a high season for accidents and chaos; preemptive measures should be prioritized. A thorough investigation of the Dead Sea is unfeasible; mitigating losses is preferred over exhaustive investigations."

Zhou Yi pondered internally.

After all, the Dead Sea Knights were established sea powers with a practical focus. One could not underestimate this maritime organization just because Deputy Commander He Jiu and Ji Zhang had misused official resources for personal purposes.

"Sys… Sys… Sys…"

It got stuck again, and Red Kestrel continued, "After this survey, I've confirmed that Wasteland Development Company's business plans are mainly land-based. Even the Dead Sea Dam has only recently been completed, and their fleet is insufficient. The Dead Sea Alien is indeed powerful, but it falls asleep upon entering the Dead Sea, making it highly unlikely to be involved in maritime attacks."

"Therefore, I believe there's another reason behind these incidents, which is why I came to investigate underwater."

Red Kestrel reminded, "You weren't authorized and should not have undertaken this risk alone."

"The authorization process is too complicated."

Red Kestrel emitted a series of electrical sounds, "From the time of the accidents up to now, whether to initiate an in-depth investigation, to search for the wreckage of the two ships, has always been stuck in the city's decision-making process. It must go through evaluations by various departments and decided upon based on probabilities and mathematical expectations, and what form any action would take."

"Based on the experience of previous rescue teams, we have already missed the optimal time for rescue, leaving the chances of survivors' recovery slim to none. I must consider if there's still a solitary chance now."

Zhou Yi, listening, found it outrageous.

Bureaucratism kills.

Mechanical City's advantage was data-driven decision-making, but the downside lay in the same. If accumulated experience and data were insufficient, dealing with emergencies appeared slow and difficult.

"I avoided dangerous creatures and entered the Dead Sea, only to discover anomalies in the seafloor region."

Red Kestrel projected a dynamic image on the rooftop.

The screen was hazy with mist, accompanied by intermittent flashes—Zhou Yi recognized it as the familiar environment of the Dead Sea.

There was something strange at the bottom of the sea, dark and glossy all over like a kind of rolling sludge or paste, reminding Zhou Yi of stirred asphalt.

The black mud stretched in all directions, resembling a giant black hand changing shape slowly.

Could it be Light Amber?

As Zhou Yi pondered, he found the scene increasingly familiar.

The origin of the black mud was from a damaged overpass; it seemed to seep out from the pillars of the bridge.

He remembered a sinister hole on the cover beam of the overpass.

Zhou Yi hadn't approached it before but had only marked the area.

Red Kestrel stated, "This is 'Breaker,' creatures that come from another world. The void behind it is the 'Dark Domain,' the gateway to the Otherworld."

Zhou Yi understood suddenly.

One who could pass through the Dark Domain was a Breaker.

The lights on the left wing of the Lin Chi flickered twice with red light: "I penetrated deep into that area and found two black boxes in the underwater ruins; they were confirmed to be from the Mingji and Ding Mao. The black boxes recorded the process of their being attacked."

"The Breaker has an ability to jam signals in a certain area, resulting in their complete inability to call for help. However, since the hulls were destroyed in a short period of time, they only recorded a small amount of text data."

"The Breaker attacking them has two methods of attack. The first is a broad-range coverage with heavy firepower, capable of reaching B+ destructive power with an attack interval of about 16 seconds. The second is high-frequency, medium to close range burst firing on individual targets, relatively weaker in power, with an attack interval of 0.5 seconds."

"But these two attacks are combined."

"The Lin Chi explained, "The area attack mode marks the hit targets. Burst firing at high frequency in single-target mode can detonate these marks, causing high-temperature detonations powerful enough to penetrate armor layers."

"Fortunately, it is still at the B-level life stage, otherwise I would not have been able to escape this time."

Zhou Yi was hearing about combination techniques for the first time.

He wanted further confirmation from the other party, "Its current strength is B-level?"

Zhou Yi remembered that only A-level beings, the Skywalkers, could cross the Dark Domain to reach the other side.

"Confirmed. At least for now."

The Lin Chi stated, "It is more troublesome than ordinary B-level beings because Breakers have the Undying Attribute. Even if destroyed, they will return from the Dark Domain. Although initially weak, after a period of absorbing energy from the Dead Sea, it can quickly recover to its previous state."

Breakers cannot be killed completely.

But there must be some restrictions; otherwise, the Dead Sea would have been dominated by these Breakers by now.

Zhou Yi pondered in his mind and said aloud, "Doesn't that mean there are a lot of Breakers coming over?"

"That's impossible. The Dark Domain only opens in winter, and after it ends, it closes. Breakers can only appear in winter. A Dark Domain coordinate can only accommodate one Breaker...er...er..."

The Lin Chi buffered for two seconds.

"The Breakers hunt down all visible life around them to acquire Light Seeds. Even though electromechanical life does not produce Light Seeds, they still engage in slaughter. They lack the ability to accurately recognize our world."

"Their presence is also one of the reasons for the frequent chaos and conflicts during the winter."

The Detecting Machine added, "The Breaker here has already passed the initial weak period; now, even B-level sea territorial masters will have difficulty killing it, and the nearby sea areas have become its hunting grounds."

Zhou Yi frowned.

This Breaker sounded a bit like... something a player would do?

Kill, kill, kill, the déjà vu of looting equipment.

Zhou Yi immediately sought confirmation: "I once heard of a similar group. They can enter Otherworlds, kill various lives to acquire equipment and materials, and enhance their levels through battle and special items..."

The Lin Chi quickly grasped the implication: "What you're saying can, indeed, be understood that way."

"After entering the Dark Domain, a projection is created in another world, which carries the entrant's consciousness and a portion of their energy, but the projection can only move within the coverage area of that Dark Domain coordinate and cannot exceed it."

"The initial projection of a Breaker has only 10% of the strength of their actual body and must utilize the local environment to acquire energy and supplement itself until it reaches the same standard as the original body."

"Otherworldly life crosses over through the Dark Domain to our world to plunder Light Seeds. But our powerful beings, like the Skywalkers, also enter their world through the Dark Domain."

"It's hard to gain much from killing a Breaker, so aside from Skywalkers or strong sea territorial masters vying for specific Dark Domain coordinates, no one is willing to spend extensive resources to risk exterminating them."

Zhou Yi understood.

Both sides could project into each other's worlds, so it boiled down to each relying on their own ability.

However, since there is a period of weakness, as long as you can take them down once, you can guard their 'corpse' on the other side of the Dark Domain.

The Breaker in its initial state is the weakest.

Take it down every time it appears.

Zhou Yi immediately asked, "Do you have specific data on this Breaker? The more detailed, the better, it can help me minimize unnecessary injuries."

"There are some reference values... but you plan to...?" The Detecting Machine seemed uncertain.

"Of course, to eradicate the Breaker."

Zhou Yi moved his shoulders, naturally stating, "It's too close to us here; it could affect our company's industrial safety."

The Dark Domain is not far from the unnamed neighborhood beneath the bridge, which is currently Zhou Yi's collection site for building materials. With a Breaker in the way, his submarine development would become extremely perilous.

If nothing is done, we're trapped here.

Strike now while it is still unstable and at the B-level stage, take the initiative to attack!

This winter, whoever wins here calls the shots.

Now, with Lie Hai, a true B-level being available, along with myself and the Samurai Crab Army, it's time to clash with the opponent.

Zhou Yi felt a sense of eagerness.

Let's see what the strength of a sea territorial master level really entails.