They walked straight toward the end of the road. Matthew kept his eyes forward. Jarvis scanned the shops on both sides, looking for fuel or supplies he could take if needed. They hadn't gone far when they heard it. The clear sound of waves. Even Jarvis froze. He turned toward the noise and quickened his pace. "What's going on?" Moments later, the shoreline came into view. Waves crashed against the coast. A vast ocean stretched out before them, running all the way to the horizon. Matthew and Jarvis were stunned. Matthew said, "Jarvis, I'm not seeing things, right? That's the ocean, isn't it?" Jarvis nodded. "It's the ocean." If it were a lake, it would have frozen solid in weather this cold. Only the sea could stay alive and moving like this. But this place was supposed to be inland. How could it suddenly become a coastal city? They stood there in shock for a long moment. Then several people walked past them, carrying kayaks and fishing nets. They looked like they were heading out to fish. Matthew grabbed one of them right away. "Hey. Is this Derton?" The man looked him up and down. "Yeah. Why?" Matthew muttered to himself, "I knew it. The road sign said, ‘Welcome to Derton.' There's no way I read it wrong. But this..." He looked at the ocean again, unable to believe it. "Wasn't this an inland city? How can there be a sea?" The man glanced toward his companions, who were already reaching the water. He looked impatient. "That was before. This is now." He tried to leave. Jarvis suddenly drew his saber and blocked his path. "Answer properly." The man's companions seemed to be a temporary group. When they saw him held at blade-point, none of them rushed over to help. Instead, they quickly entered the water. The man's face went pale. With the saber so close, he didn't dare resist. He swallowed and answered. "This place really wasn't coastal before. But a few days ago, a huge amount of seawater suddenly flooded in. After that, it became like this." Matthew stared at him. "Seawater suddenly rushed in?" As he listened, Matthew kept his eyes moving, carefully watching their surroundings. He was tense, afraid they might be attacked if they let their guard down. Just a few days ago, the two of them had been ambushed while questioning someone. A group of people had rushed out of nowhere. If Jarvis hadn't been strong enough, Matthew would have nearly died under someone's machete. So while scanning the area, he continued asking, "What's going on around here? If there's an ocean, why are only a few of you fishing? Where is everyone else?" The man gave a bitter smile. "You said it yourself. This wasn't a coastal city before. How could everyone know how to handle the water? This is the ocean, not a swimming pool. "Plenty of people have already drowned these days. The ones who still dare to go into the water are all excellent swimmers. Even so, it's way too cold right now. They usually come out around noon, when the sun is strong and the temperature is a bit easier to handle." Matthew still didn't relax his guard. "Then why are you out so early?" The man curled his lips. "I don't want to fight over space. Fishing is already hard enough, and it's easy to get robbed when it's crowded." Matthew glanced toward the sea. "And your friends? They just left you?" The man followed his gaze and spat. "What friends? They're just neighbors. Bunch of cowards. They'd watch someone die and do nothing." At that moment, Jarvis finally lost his patience and shouted at Matthew, "You fool! All useless questions!" He grabbed the man and took over the interrogation himself. "You fool! Know where fuel is?!" That accent... The man frowned and studied Jarvis closely. When he didn't answer and kept staring, Jarvis flew into a rage. He pushed his saber forward, slicing a thin line across the man's neck. Blood immediately appeared. "Answer me, dumbass!" The man lowered his eyes. Two seconds later, he looked up with a wide grin. "I know! Of course I know! A gang in this city has it." He pointed toward a distant building. "See that one? The tallest building over there. They took over the entire place. All the fuel in the city is controlled by them. Anyone who wants fuel has to go through them." Jarvis and Matthew both turned to look in that direction. "You're not locals, are you?" the man asked, studying their expressions. "What do you need fuel for? Power generators, or cars?" Matthew squinted at the tall building and answered casually, "Our vehicle ran out of gas." "Oh!" The man nodded, thinking it over. "You two don't look ordinary at all. Impressive. You can still drive in weather like this?" Flattery works on almost anyone. Matthew smiled right away. "Why not? Just drive a big vehicle." As he spoke, he pulled the man away from Jarvis's blade. "Kid, you don't think quick enough. Alright, get back to your business."