Empire's Far East Coast.
At the same time, it also belongs to Rock State's Thousand Layer City area.
The Red Calamity had not severely ravaged this city, but it had some impact, making fishing boats increasingly sparse.
Now, deep in winter, under the dim and dull skies, a group of old watchmen stood atop a decrepit lighthouse, smoking poor-quality cigarettes and clutching a half-bottle of cheap liquor, peering through binoculars at the sea's surface with expressions of alarm and uncertainty.
Through the snowflakes filling the air, they could vaguely see a distant coastline overwhelmed by a vast and thick darkness. This darkness, resembling clouds, stretched from heaven to earth and writhed like a living creature, profoundly eerie as if it could swallow everything, chilling them to the bone.
Such an abnormal phenomenon was something the old watchmen had never seen in their lives and found utterly baffling.
"Una, I'm not seeing things, am I? What in the world is that?"
