Facing a new round of fierce attacks, Claire Harris remained calm and unhurried. In the darkness, his figure moved like a sleek, agile black panther, circling behind in the blink of an eye. With a swift elbow strike, he knocked the person to the ground, silently and thoroughly subduing them.

Perhaps dealing with civilians was too easy—Claire Harris didn’t even break a sweat, just lifted his chin: “Emily, is this your latest ex? Chased you all the way here.”

A teammate snickered: “Pfft.”

Off to the side, Ryan Bennett: “……”

This team seemed a bit different from what he’d imagined.

Neither the captain nor the members acted like proper people.

After being teased, Emily Thompson didn’t dare talk back, obediently enduring the stench as he tied up “the ex he dumped.” This was his retribution—he hadn’t been able to hold back his vomit earlier, polluting his teammates’ noses.

Even after being restrained, the homeless man kept howling madly and struggling, seemingly having lost all reason. The hoarse, bizarre roars echoed through the silent woods, sounding less like a human and more like some man-eating beast from a low-budget horror film.

Claire Harris sensed something was wrong and said concisely, “Flashlight.”

That call brought over Ryan Bennett.

Seeing him approach with the flashlight, Claire Harris remembered that this special consultant parachuted into their squad was actually their observer.

But the new observer’s nerves weren’t great—just one glance at the homeless man, and he immediately looked away.

It was obvious that the refined, clean-loving Consultant Bennett really wanted to throw up this time.

Claire Harris looked at him: “Can you handle it? If not, let them do it.”

In the shadows, Ryan Bennett’s pale neck formed a stubborn curve, clearly forcing himself: “I’ll try my best.”

Claire Harris was noncommittal, half-heartedly saying, “Then you’d better hold it in.”

In the pitch black, the flashlight’s strong beam let everyone see the homeless man’s appearance clearly.

It was a ghastly pale face, the skin covered in dark blue, web-like veins, with a pair of grayish, cloudy eyeballs in the sockets—unfocused, devoid of any trace of humanity. Even more shocking, the man’s mouth and clothes were stained with dark red blood, with bits of flesh still clinging to them!

Not just Ryan Bennett, but the teammates all wore different expressions.

Those bits of flesh had distinct features—one could vaguely tell they were human tissue.

Emily Thompson, desperate to survive, whispered, “I told you all the air here stinks.”

The stench of blood was coming from all that gore.

Chapter 5

In the early hours, a blood-soaked, crazed homeless man charged into the park woods, attacking anyone he saw—this was already unusual.

On top of that, the man likely had some disease, and his appearance was so disturbing that everyone was left speechless.

Claire Harris took the flashlight from Ryan Bennett and switched it off.

Plunged back into darkness, Ryan Bennett heard him say, “Well, should’ve checked the almanac before heading out. We’ve just broken the record for the fastest discovery by natives in Guardian history. No one’s allowed to report this when we get back—if we lose points, that bunch in Team Nine will surpass us.”

Ryan Bennett: “……”

Claire Harris’s tone was as usual, pulling everyone out of the eerie, unsettling atmosphere.

It was a reminder: they were Guardians, currently in a time and place where they didn’t belong.

“Let’s leave him nearby for now—someone will find him and call the police. It’s pitch black, we can’t see a thing. We need to get out and figure out how to contact this timeline’s Sky Dome. Stay alert as we leave, watch your surroundings—we might pass a crime scene.”

Everyone: “Yes!”

Before leaving their temporary base, they distributed equipment as usual.

William Cooper opened the armory—long guns, short guns, daggers, military knives, all fully stocked. The Guardians had the most advanced gear, and everyone had their specialties. When necessary, they’d use whatever means required—they had to be ready for anything in the future timeline.

This was Ryan Bennett’s first time carrying a weapon on a mission. When it was his turn, he chose a handgun he’d been using in the private training room these past few days.

The gun was entirely silver-white, compact, and easy to carry and conceal.

“Diamond Bird.” Claire Harris stood beside him, naming the gun. “Modeled after the last century’s PPK—Hitler and Bond both used it. Consultant Bennett, you’re quite the classic type.”

“What?” Ryan Bennett was puzzled—how could a gun make him seem classic?

Claire Harris didn’t explain, just said, “If it were me, I’d pick something better for self-defense in this situation. Still, it suits you.”

Ryan Bennett: “……” He knew some in the unit called the Diamond Bird a ‘woman’s gun.’

Claire Harris was skilled in close combat, his toned, well-proportioned muscles proof enough.

He methodically selected two military knives, sliding them into straps on his long legs, then picked a pair of gloves, a pair of knuckle dusters, and finally chose a shotgun.

Godsleep.

—That was the gun’s codename. It was heavy, with tremendous firepower—just like Claire Harris himself: bold, domineering, impossible to ignore.