Yuri moved closer to the wall of the carriage. The freight car had no windows, but concealed ventilation grilles had been cut into it. Through the gaps between the iron plates, his line of sight caught the thin mist that had somehow spread across the platform. Uniformed figures moved back and forth amid the interwoven light and fog, while an attendant carrying a large ring of keys locked a barred gate at the far end of the platform.
Wendy's voice came from behind him. "There have already been several 'informants,' but all of them were purged after triggering the critical consciousness locks. This time, however, the mind that disconnected from the network simply 'vanished' before triggering the lock... It seems some powerful force directly blocked all mental connections..."
Yuri withdrew his gaze and looked at the figures in the darkness, his voice low. "It seems the consecutive abnormalities have already drawn Rosetta Augustus's attention. If the Royal Mage Association has intervened, blocking mental connections would not be difficult..."
"It was expected. The Royal Mage Association and Rosetta Augustus merely reacted faster than we anticipated," Wendy said softly. "The key question now is how much damage the 'informants' can cause..."
"Most mid-level members and above have already been counted and marked. We also sent away two batches earlier, so the situation remains under control," Yuri said as he returned to the crate, speaking while he thought. "There will be no informants in the core ranks. Most who waver are below the middle ranks... Their intelligence is limited, and Rosetta Augustus will have difficulty determining our detailed plans immediately. This train should still be safe... But those who follow must establish new routes as soon as possible."
"Should we cancel the next train?"
"Cancel it. We can no longer carry out large-scale