Shrouded Seascape-Chapter 1117. Big Changes

Anna's thirteen main tentacles quivered as she swept across everyone's memories. With a mere will on her end, Anna could alter the memories and twist the personalities of everyone present.

The feeling of having control over everyone's fate was simply wonderful.

Anna felt a kind of comfort that she had never experienced before upon realizing that she was back in a Dioite's body. This was her true body; her fragile, human body wasn't hers.

Anna's yellow cross-shaped pupils constricted, and she opened her grotesque maw, letting out a spine-chilling, piercing roar. Licks of green flames and clusters of crystals in a variety of colors sprouted from her mucus-covered skin, making her appear even more terrifying.

The Fhtagnists present instantly knelt on the ground, praying devoutly. The fear in their eyes had disappeared and was replaced by a hint of fanaticism. Many people considered Anna's transformation as a reward from Fhtagn to His High Priestess.

However, Roy and the others didn't share the same thought as the Fhtagnists.

Their expressions were ugly as they stared at Anna from a distance.

They had long suspected that Anna wasn't a human being, but now that she had transformed into a monster before them, they had no idea what to do. In the end, they couldn't help but ponder what kind of trouble she would bring to humanity.

"You don't need to think about it. You're my subordinates, so all you have to do is obey. Do you understand?" Anna asked with a half-smile. Her tentacles had retracted at some point, and she had returned to her human form.

A powerful aura swept across everyone. They dared not raise even the slightest complaint before Anna. In fact, they dared not entertain even that thought as they realized that Anna could now freely examine their memories.

"Of course, my little darling is the exception," Anna remarked, walking over to Gao Zhiming with a smile. She picked him up and kissed him on the cheek.

Gao Zhiming was in a daze. He still couldn't process what he had witnessed. He had no idea why his grown-up self suddenly became a monster, why his sister had sent herself into the monster's mouth, and why the monster became his big sister.

"You don't need to know about what happened. You just need to know that from now on, we won't have to hide anymore. We can live a much better life," Anna remarked. Her steps were light, and she looked cheerful.

Just then, she turned to her first subordinate and said, "Jackal, our goal has changed. We're going to fan the flames."

The Shattered God was no more, and it was the IMF's turn.

In the past, fighting the IMF would be like trying to crack open a boulder with an egg, but Anna had become a Dioite once again. In other words, she no longer needed to avoid them.

"Your subordinate understands, High Priestess!" Jackal exclaimed, looking excited. He could feel that Anna was going to do something big.

While they were in the car on their way back, Anna told Gao Zhiming about what had happened, her true identity, and what Dioites were. Anna had previously said that she would tell Gao Zhiming everything, and she was going to keep her word.

There was no need to hide such trivial matters from the little boy.

Soon, Gao Zhiming finally understood what was going on. He couldn't help but feel afraid of his monster big sister. Then, disregarding his fear, Gao Zhiming sounded slightly bitter as he asked, "Are you going to alter my memories, Big Sis?"

Anna's smile faded. It seemed that it was time to alter Gao Zhiming's memories. Gao Zhiming's childhood ought to be a happy and peaceful one; the world of anomalous entities wasn't a world for children.

"Once my memories are... altered... will I forget you, Big Sis? Will I forget everyone else, too?" Gao Zhiming asked, sounding downcast.

The young Gao Zhiming wasn't exactly sure of what was going to happen once his memories were altered, but he instinctively felt sad.

"If that's the case, then... can you let me say goodbye to Tobba? He's my one and only friend," Gao Zhiming said.

Anna was moved by Gao Zhiming's words. Compared to that scumbag, the innocent Gao Zhiming before her was really hard to hate.

"No worries. We still have some unfinished business. Once we've dealt with them, then we can talk about this again," Anna remarked.

Gao Zhiming jumped up in joy upon hearing that. He wrapped his arms around Anna's neck and exclaimed, "Yay! So I'll get to stay by Big Sis' side for a while then!"

Looking down at the squirming Gao Zhiming in her arms, a tinge of hesitation flitted across Anna's face. Was altering Gao Zhiming's memories—a decision that she had been postponing again and again—really the right thing to do?

Unfortunately, it was inevitable, so perhaps the delay would only make Gao Zhiming suffer more in the future. With that in mind, Anna immediately got ready to alter Gao Zhiming's memories.

When Anna thought about it a bit longer, she realized that they weren't in a position that would allow Gao Zhiming to live a quiet and peaceful childhood. I can alter his memories now, but I won't be able to send him back to that city.

It's better to wait until the IMF has been dealt with. Anna thought. For some reason, she felt much more at ease upon making this decision.

***

Dipp was standing on a rooftop somewhere on sunny Hope Island. His arms were crossed as he swept his gaze across the streets before him.

As always, the Deep Dweller was still covered in green scales. The only thing that changed was that he now had three eyes on his forehead. The three eyes resembling fish's eyes were looking in different directions.

Evidently, they were under the control of his other personas. Dipp's vision had almost no blind spots. He could virtually see from every angle. Dipp's three personas began to communicate with each other in his mind.

"Haaa, this is so boring. There's hardly anyone willing to commit a crime, especially in the central district. My feet are already numb from all the standing that we've been doing."

"I think it's because they can see us here... that must be the reason they dare not make a move. Why don't we go to the harbor district? Remember that serial killer from a few days ago? Maybe we can find them ourselves."

"That's not our case to handle. Let's not disturb their work. Anyway, why don't we just go back inside?"

"No, we came out here for some fresh air because staying in there was just too boring. It hasn't even been that long since we walked out of there."

"I say let's just quit this managerial position. This kind of work doesn't really suit us."

"Forget it. The First Mate gave that position to us, so let's just be patient. Once a possible replacement pops up, we'll go back to District 3."

Dipp had been standing on the rooftop for quite a while now, so he was feeling a bit thirsty. He raised the canteen in his hand and opened his mouth full of sharp teeth to drink some water.

Just then, time itself seemed to come to a gradual halt. The stream of fresh water falling from the canteen froze in mid-air. Then, it rushed into Dipp's mouth before retracting into the bottle—again and again.

Dipp wasn't the only one witnessing such a bizarre scene. Similar scenes were happening not just in Hope Island but throughout the Subterranean Sea.