The safety of the Slipstream Sector felt like an illusion now. The revelation of the Syndicate's involvement in the deep ocean cast a long shadow over the vibrant city of Azureus. Alvian, Valeria, and Seraphina retreated to a secluded alcove overlooking the main traffic arteries of the district to regroup and analyze their loot.

Valeria leaned against a coral pillar, watching the flow of mana-skiffs and swimmers. "If the Syndicate is here, they're hiding well. The city looks... normal."

"Corruption hides in the arteries," Alvian said, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "It doesn't show on the skin until the heart stops beating."

He pulled up his inventory. The [Thundergod Bracers] he had looted from King Ida floated before him. They were magnificent—heavy bands of gold and adamantine, pulsating with trapped storm clouds inside the metal. Arcs of miniature lightning jumped between his fingers as he touched them.

[Item: Thundergod Bracers (Legendary)]

[Set Item: 1/4]

[Effect: Adds Lightning Damage to all attacks. Grants Passive [Flash Step] - Short range teleportation with lightning damage on arrival/departure.]

[Set Bonus (2/4): Locked.]

[Set Bonus (4/4): Locked.]

"Flash Step," Alvian mused. "Similar to [Void Step], but offensive."

He equipped them. The bracers locked onto his forearms with a heavy, satisfying click. A surge of electricity shot up his arms, making his nerves sing. It wasn't painful; it was energizing. His mana reacted to the new element, the violet void energy of his core mingling with the blue crackle of the lightning.

"System. Analyze synergy."

[Analyzing...]

[Synergy Detected: [Void Step] + [Flash Step].]

[Potential Fusion: High.]

Alvian's eyes glowed. He could fuse the skills later. For now, the raw stats were enough.

"Seraphina," Alvian said, not looking up. "What did your scouts find in the Storm Reef wreckage? Besides dead Naga."

Seraphina pulled out a data slate, her mechanical eye projecting a holographic map of the reef. "We found the remains of the pylons. You were right. The tech is Syndicate, but it's modified. It's... aquatic. Waterproof mana circuits, pressure-resistant casing. This wasn't imported. It was manufactured down here."

"A factory," Alvian concluded. "They have a base."

"Where?" Valeria asked. "The ocean is massive."

"We follow the money," Seraphina said, pointing to a trade route on the map. "Or in this case, the materials. To build those pylons, they needed [Abyssal Iron] and [Conductive Coral]. Both are regulated materials in Azureus. Only authorized merchants can move them."

"And who controls the trade routes?" Alvian asked.

"The Merchant Guild," Seraphina said. "But there have been reports of... ghost ships. Unregistered submersibles moving through the deep trenches, bypassing the customs checkpoints."

"Ghost ships," Alvian stood up, the lightning on his bracers flaring. "Smugglers."

He looked at the map. There was a region marked "The Silent Trough," a deep, dark trench located on the periphery of the city's territory. It was a dead zone, devoid of mana currents, usually ignored by the city's patrols because nothing lived there.

"Perfect cover," Alvian said. "If I were a rat, that's where I'd hide my nest."

"It's a restricted zone," Seraphina warned. "Not by law, but by nature. The pressure down there is crushing. Even with water-breathing potions, standard gear will buckle."

"My gear isn't standard," Alvian said, tapping his [Vestments]. "And Valeria has the Titan Bloodline. Her density increases with pressure."

"What about me?" Seraphina asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm squishy."

"You stay high," Alvian ordered. "Monitor the comms. If we find the base, I need you to relay the coordinates to Kaelen and Thorne. We might need the Guardians."

"You're calling in the cavalry?" Valeria asked, surprised. "I thought you liked working alone."

"I like efficiency," Alvian corrected. "If there's a base, there's an army. I can kill an army, but it takes time. Guardians are good for crowd control."

He walked to the edge of the platform. The dark water beckoned.

"Let's go fishing," Alvian said.

They dove.

The descent into the Silent Trough was oppressive. The light from the city above faded quickly, replaced by a suffocating darkness. The water grew colder, heavier. The bioluminescent fish that populated the upper levels disappeared, leaving only the strange, pale creatures of the deep.

Alvian moved with [Void Step], blinking through the water to conserve stamina. Valeria sank like a stone, her golden aura providing a small sphere of light in the gloom.

"Depth: 4,000 meters," Valeria's voice was tight over the comms. "My armor is creaking, Alvian."

"Hold it together," Alvian said. "We're close."

His [Perception] stat, boosted by the [Fragment of the World Shell] he had absorbed, picked up a disturbance. It wasn't sound. It was a ripple in the mana. Something large was moving ahead.

"Contact," Alvian whispered. "Kill the lights."

Valeria dimmed her aura. They drifted in the darkness, silent observers.

Ahead, a massive shape loomed out of the gloom. It wasn't a monster. It was a submarine. But it wasn't like any machine from Earth or the Academy. It was organic, shaped like a giant, armored squid, but made of black metal and pulsing with red veins.

Syndicate bio-tech.

"Bingo," Alvian murmured.

The submarine was docking with a structure built into the wall of the trench. A hidden hangar, camouflaged by illusions and rock.

"They're unloading crates," Alvian observed, his eyes enhancing the image. "Markings... [Project Chimera]. [Subject: Aquatic]."

"They're bringing the experiments here," Valeria realized, disgust in her voice. "They're trying to make water-breathing monsters."

"Or they're trying to corrupt the Sea Races," Alvian said. "Ida was just the beginning."

Suddenly, the water around them shifted. It wasn't the submarine. It was something closer.

"Alvian," Valeria hissed. "Six o'clock."

Alvian turned. Emerging from the silt were figures. They were humanoid, but clad in sleek, black wetsuits that looked like second skins. They wore helmets with glowing red visors. They held harpoon guns powered by dark mana.

[Enemy Identified: Syndicate Deep-Dive Commando]

[Level: 45]

[Status: Elite / Stealth Active]

There were ten of them. They had been waiting.

"Ambush," Alvian noted calmly. "They have sensors in the trench."

The lead commando raised his harpoon gun. "Terminate."

"Valeria, Shield!"

"ON IT!"

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