Nighthawks in Action

As the sunlight outside gradually faded and was replaced by crimson moonlight, Tingen's Nighthawks Squad finally prepared to take action against Mrs. Sharon.

At dinner, Sica Theon came to the lounge to relieve Leonard Mitchell, who had remained silent after their brief conversation, and brought Angel's second meal at Blackthorn Security Company. The warm and talkative Ms. Sica had originally wanted to continue topics like "Anecdotes About Tingen City's Beyonder Squads," but seeing that Angel was in low spirits, she did not disturb her and silently read the newspaper nearby.

During that time, Angel followed Sica to the washroom on the company's third floor and met Daly Simone, the slightly mysterious-looking "Medium," who had just woken up.

According to Sica, contrary to Angel's earlier guess, Daly did not belong to Tingen City's Nighthawks Squad. She was a Nighthawk from Enmat Harbor, East Chester County, and had come from Enmat Harbor this time because a mysterious incident involving a Beyonder item required a Medium's assistance.

So Daly Simone was not actually among the Tingen City Nighthawks Squad's six combat personnel?

Angel removed Daly from the Nighthawks Squad roster in her mind and found that it left three vacancies. However, she did not continue asking Sica. It would seem as though she were deliberately probing for information, which would be rather suspicious when the Nighthawks were about to launch an arrest operation.

But soon, after dinner in Blackthorn Security Company's reception room, she met most of the Nighthawks Squad's combat personnel.

"The invitation from Mrs. Sharon states that her meeting with Ms. Granger is at eight tonight. To prevent her from breaking the appointment and alerting Mrs. Sharon, we will begin the operation at seven."

Dunn Smith, no longer wearing the black-and-white checkered police uniform issued by the Tingen City Police and instead dressed in a long black trench coat, sat in a high-backed chair and flipped through his palm-sized, worn notebook. The other Nighthawks stood or sat around their captain, while Angel had also left the lounge and was listening in from a sofa in the corner.

"Fry, Luo Yao, Sica, the three of you will accompany me by carriage to Sharon Hoy's residence on Olsner Street to carry out the arrest. I have already applied for authorization to use Sealed Artifact 2-105. Once we reach the destination, Fry will carry and use it. Cornley is guarding Chanis Gate today, so he will not participate. Leonard, you and Daly will remain here and protect Angel Granger until the operation is over."

This was Angel's first time hearing the term "Chanis Gate." Her memories held no clues about it. It seemed to be some special facility within this building that required someone to guard it at all times.

Fry and Luo Yao were the other two Nighthawks who had arrived at dinner. The former was a pale man in his thirties with a high nose bridge. He was taciturn, merely nodding to indicate that he understood when Captain Dunn mentioned him. Luo Yao was a cold woman with long black hair, deep blue eyes, and slender eyebrows. When assigned her task, she replied softly, "Understood."

Sica had been sitting beside Angel. Upon hearing that she would be participating in the arrest operation, she smiled and nodded slightly.

Leonard Mitchell, who had previously asked Angel whether she wished to join the Nighthawks, stood beside the entrance with his back against the wall. His emerald eyes occasionally swept across the room. Hearing that his task was to remain behind, he looked calm, as though he had known already.

With Cornley, whom Dunn mentioned last, the six-member squad's roster was finally complete before Angel.

The "Extra Personnel" Daly was still dressed in her black robe. Sitting in a high-backed chair opposite Dunn Smith, she gave off a lazy air as if she had not fully awakened. Upon learning that she would not be joining the arrest operation, she looked up at Dunn, then lowered her head again and studied the crystal pendant in her hand.

Mrs. Sharon's residence was on Olsner Street in Tingen City's Eastern District, not far from Blackthorn Security Company in the Northern District. By carriage, it would take around fifteen minutes to get there. Departing at seven gave them ample leeway and would prevent them from exposing themselves by arriving too early. Rather than sending out the entire squad against a known target, Dunn Smith had cautiously left some personnel behind to guard their base and protect an important "witness." It was enough to show his prudent style.

"Captain, didn't you say that once everyone was here, you would give us a detailed introduction to Mrs. Sharon's abilities?" Sica Theon, beside Angel, raised her right hand and asked.

"Ah, sorry, I nearly forgot..." Dunn paused before answering. He flipped through his notebook, found the relevant content, cleared his throat, and began recounting the Beyonder abilities of Mrs. Sharon that he had learned from Angel.

The other Nighthawks seemed accustomed to this and listened to their captain without any change in expression.

Was this man really reliable...? The faint admiration Angel had just developed vanished instantly.

"...These are the abilities we currently know of. The greatest threat to us is the Witch's invisibility. Once she enters an invisible state, we, lacking area-of-effect attacks, will be dragged into a difficult battle. Therefore, I will first attempt to pull her into a dream from a distance. If successful, the rest of you will enter the residence directly and subdue her. However, Mrs. Sharon most likely possesses Sequence 6 strength, so I cannot guarantee my ability will succeed. If we are forced into a direct battle, Fry must use 2-105 to attempt to steal Mrs. Sharon's invisibility. As long as she cannot turn invisible, her other abilities will not threaten us if we are prepared. At that point, I will keep her occupied. Your combat objective will change from capturing her alive to killing Mrs. Sharon on the spot. Our own safety is the most important thing."

Dunn Smith swiftly finished introducing Mrs. Sharon's Beyonder abilities and assigned the combat team's duties.

Using Cole Granger's memories of Mrs. Sharon, Angel placed herself into Dunn Smith's battle plan and mentally rehearsed it. She felt that Mrs. Sharon would be hard-pressed to escape this time.

Against Mrs. Sharon, who was likely Sequence 6, Dunn had merely said that success could not be guaranteed. Dunn Smith probably possessed abilities no lower than Sequence 7. Once he successfully dragged Mrs. Sharon into a dream, isolated and without help, she would become a lamb for the slaughter. Whether they killed or captured her would be entirely up to the Nighthawks. Even if Dream Invasion failed and they entered direct combat, the Sealed Artifact "2-105" he had mentioned could steal her invisibility, depriving her of her greatest means of escape or counterattack. Curses could not be used or take effect immediately, while flame and Frost abilities might not surpass firearms in close combat. Four against one, with the advantage of preparation and surprise—even against a Sequence 6 Mrs. Sharon, their odds of winning were extremely high.

And Tingen City alone had three squads with such combat capabilities. According to Sica Theon, the Punishers had a more aggressive style, while the Heart of Machinery did not lack heavy-firepower attack methods. No wonder unofficial Beyonders kept their heads down. Once exposed, they would have almost no chance of victory in a planned arrest operation by an Official Extraordinary organization. Even if they focused solely on fleeing, they might not be able to get away.

Lighting a candle in her heart for Mrs. Sharon's tragic fate, Angel also understood why Dunn Smith opposed her participation in the arrest operation. Everyone in this room was a Beyonder, and she might well be the weakest one. An Assassin's close-combat ability would be of little use in this operation, and going along would only make trouble.

If she had Sequence 7 or even Sequence 6 strength, she would have long since charged into Mrs. Sharon's home with a gun. Why would she need to wait here for the Nighthawks' operation results to determine her own future?

Angel sighed inwardly. Even if she had a chance to become stronger, could she truly suppress her conscience, become an Assassin and Instigator, and advance by stepping on the flesh and blood of innocents?

The four members of the "operation team" soon set off. They checked their firearms and ammunition, while Fry, with his black hair and blue eyes, brought along an object that looked like a blood vessel stripped from a human body. The four filed out through the main entrance. Before long, the sound of carriage wheels rolling over the stone road came from downstairs, gradually fading away with the crack of a whip.

Angel also met one of the Nighthawks' clerical staff, a middle-aged man named Brett. He had a thick beard, wore a suit and top hat, and bore a faint smile. Compared with a member of such a Beyonder organization, he looked more like the butler of a wealthy household.

Clerical staff like Brett would not participate in external operations. He handled daily reception, room cleaning, paperwork, and guarding the weapons, materials, and document storage. Like the Beyonders who guarded Chanis Gate, he also had to take turns on night watch.

"We originally had seven clerical staff members, including Old Neil, who transferred from being a formal member to clerical work. Five of us take turns guarding the weapons and materials storage. Cornley—the one taking his turn at Chanis Gate today—chose to become a Sleepless, while Viola did not renew her contract. Now, they are having a little trouble keeping up with the rotation."

After the four left, the reception room seemed somewhat empty. Angel, Daly, and Leonard sat around the central table, while Brett returned to continue guarding the armory after making tea for them. Watching his retreating figure, Leonard sighed.

"A newcomer arrived this week. Like you, he became involved in a mysterious incident. Although he isn't a Beyonder, he was lucky enough to survive and decided to join the Nighthawks. Rosanne thought he would become clerical staff and was thrilled. But the captain told me that he won't participate in rotations for the time being after joining. Rosanne doesn't know that yet... Oh, Rosanne is also one of our clerical staff. She's on rotation tomorrow, so you'll meet her."

Why were you telling me all this...?

Angel maintained a polite smile while listening to Leonard introduce the clerical staff's work arrangements, yet she felt slightly puzzled. During their chat that afternoon, Sica had avoided discussing the Nighthawks' internal situation, indicating that they had relevant restrictions. Yet Leonard spoke without reservation and laid everything out. Was there some special reason for it?

Daly Simone, sitting to the side, seemed uninterested in this content. After Dunn Smith and the others departed, she had fallen into a low mood. She either stared at the tea leaves floating in her cup or appeared to look toward the other two, though her gaze was not focused at all.

"By the way, the captain asked me to return your weapons to you. I also happen to have a question." Leonard had nearly reached the history of Chanis Gate when he suddenly clapped his hands, as though just remembering. He took a Wooden Box from his pocket and placed it on the table. It contained the special bullets previously confiscated from Angel.

Leonard also took out the two Revolvers, one large and one small, and placed them beside the bullet box. Then he picked up a Storm Convergence bullet engraved with complex patterns and the Goddess of the Night's Holy Emblem, placing it together with one of his Demon Hunter Bullets for comparison, just as he had in the carriage during the day.

"The church's Demon Hunter Bullets gain additional lethality against Beyonder creatures through the engraving of ritual Hermes Script and the Holy Emblem pointing to the Goddess of the Night." He pointed to the smaller but clearly more exquisitely crafted silver-white bullet, which looked expensive at a glance, as he explained.

Angel straightened slightly and listened to his explanation. Daly, who had been staring blankly with unfocused eyes, also focused her gaze and looked toward Leonard.

"But I carefully examined your bullet this afternoon. The patterns on it are orderly and should also be a form of engraving with an effect similar to a Demon Hunter Bullet. They are not Hermes Script, nor do they belong to any language I have ever seen. Like the Demon Hunter Bullet, it ultimately uses the Goddess of the Night's Holy Emblem, but I am curious—what exactly does it say?"

Of course it doesn't belong to any language you've seen. It's English, and cursive at that...

Angel felt somewhat helpless. During the day in the carriage, she had cleverly muddled through under the test of that lie-detecting Sealed Artifact. She had thought Leonard would not bring it up again, but the young Nighthawk with his scholarly spirit still remembered it and had even carefully studied the patterns on the bullet.

Fortunately, that Sealed Artifact had already been put away. Daly needed to rely on a Sealed Artifact to detect lies, which meant she did not possess that ability herself, or could not use it immediately. It was time to test whether I could lie without blushing or skipping a beat...

After quickly preparing her explanation, Angel was about to attribute this nonexistent language to some ancient faith when Daly suddenly frowned, looked around, and rose directly to her feet.

"Something isn't right. The nearby spirit bodies are filled with unease..."