The Visitors Mean Trouble
In the afternoon.
Lu Yuan started from the Alchemy Workshop and walked along the stone-paved road in the inner city towards the branch.
The sunlight was bright, shining on the bronze-colored exterior of the building, giving it a warm yellow glow.
There weren't many pedestrians on the street, and occasionally a horse-drawn carriage would pass by, the sound of its wheels rolling over the stone slabs echoing in the alley.
It was very calm.
But Lu Yuan knew this calm wouldn't last long.
Raymond has already written a report about what happened at the bookstore this morning and submitted it.
The afternoon meeting was chaired personally by Deputy Chief Klaus.
The levels are different now.
When I arrived at the branch office, there were already several people standing in the lobby.
Raymond leaned against the wall, a document between his fingers.
Seeing Lu Yuan enter, she nodded to him.
Helen sat on a bench, her Notebook open, looking at something.
Karl stood by the window, arms crossed.
Hogger was there too.
This surprised Lu Yuan slightly.
Hogger is in charge of Outer City patrols and Ascension Society directions, and usually does not participate in inner city investigation meetings.
His presence here indicates that several lines have been merged together.
At 3:00 PM sharp, the door to the conference room on the second floor opened.
A young Night Watcher poked his head out.
"Come in."
The meeting room was small, with a long table and a dozen or so chairs. A map of the Bronze City's districts hung on the wall, with thumbtacks and red lines marking the areas most recently surveyed.
Klaus sat at the head of the long table.
He wasn't wearing a formal uniform jacket today, just a dark shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows.
A stack of documents lay before him, the top one titled "Inner City Disappearance Case Investigation Report."
Lu Yuan noticed that the report had been flipped through. There were creases at the corners and pencil marks in several places.
After everyone entered, Klaus did not exchange pleasantries.
He spoke directly.
"I have read the report."
The voice wasn't loud, but the room immediately fell silent.
"Three disappearances, three noble families, all on the same night. The investigation has confirmed the involvement of at least two external forces, as well as a Knowledge Path Transcendence operating under the alias 'Andre Morris' and the organization behind him."
He raised his head and his gaze swept over everyone present.
"The seal is fine. The guardians conducted a thorough check yesterday, and everything is normal."
That's a very strong statement.
Lu Yuan understood the subtext: Bronze City's Defense Line are solid; don't scare yourself unnecessarily.
"But there are things that shouldn't be here in the city." Klaus's tone turned cold. "Strange things are living here, and their appearance in the inner city is no small matter."
Hogger chimed in from the side.
"Things haven't been peaceful Outer City lately either."
He opened a briefing he had brought with him.
" In the Outer City port area, three suspicious activity sites have been discovered in the past week. Two are abandoned, and one still shows signs of activity. It's not the work of local forces; the methods are unfamiliar, suggesting an organized transfer of supplies."
"Who is it?" Raymond asked, frowning.
"Not confirmed yet." Hogger shook his head. "There's not much residue left at the scene, but it's a large-scale operation. We're investigating."
Klaus did not respond immediately after listening.
He picked up a pencil and drew a line on a page of the report.
Then he said the most important thing he said at today's meeting.
"The people from Imperial Headquarters have arrived."
The atmosphere in the room changed.
Raymond frowned. Helen stopped writing.
"They arrived three or four days ago," Klaus said calmly. "They didn't come looking for us. They went straight to the Tower of Erudition."
Silence.
Klaus didn't stop. His tone turned somber, and he spoke each word as if he were gritting his teeth.
"Not only that."
"They also brought a group of Ascension Society."
As soon as those words were spoken, it was as if the air in the conference room had been sucked away.
Hogger suddenly raised his head, his expression changing.
He opened his mouth, as if he had thought of something.
"Those three marks in the Outer City..."
"That's right." Klaus glanced at him, his tone indifferent. "Now you know who it is."
Hogger's face darkened completely.
"The Ascension Society has no foothold in Bronze City." Klaus's gaze swept over everyone. "Never."
"But now, these people are stationed in the Outer City, openly and brazenly."
He paused.
"And it didn't go through us Night Watcher."
A deathly silence.
Lu Yuan observed the expressions on everyone's faces.
Hogger clenched his fists. Raymond frowned.
Even the usually composed Karl sat up straight, a rare occurrence for him.
"You should understand what this means."
Klaus's voice wasn't loud, but every word echoed clearly in the conference room.
The Imperial Headquarters bypassed the Night Watcher and brought in a force that had never established a foothold in the Bronze City.
This is blatant fiction.
The Night Watcher Headquarters didn't even give prior notice. Clearly, the Night Watcher's interference in the Tower of Erudition had caused considerable discontent among some.
This meant something that sent chills down the spines of everyone present.
Lu Yuan memorized all this information, one by one.
Klaus gave everyone a few seconds of silence, allowing them to process the news.
Then he continued.
"Now let's discuss the arrangements."
His tone shifted from declarative to commanding.
"Three days. I need results."
"I don't need the complete truth, but at least give me some direction: are these three people dead or alive? Who took them away? And what was their purpose?"
He looked at Raymond.
"Your squad is in charge, but they're short-handed. Borrow some from Hogger."
"At the same time, I will mobilize other Night Watcher to form separate teams to participate in this mission. They'd better act quickly."
Raymond nodded without saying anything more.
Klaus then looked at Lu Yuan.
His gaze lingered for a second.
"Keep an eye on the Morris line."
"Understood," Lu Yuan nodded in response.
Keep what he gave you safe. Report any contact with him immediately.
Lu Yuan nodded again.
Klaus withdrew his gaze and scanned everyone around him.
"Our external stance is to observe and wait. We will not take the initiative to attack, nor will we alert the enemy. But all unusual activity will be reported."
He stood up and picked up the documents on the table.
Meeting adjourned.
The sound of a chair being moved echoed in the room.
Lu Yuan also stood up and followed the crowd toward the door.
Just as he stepped out, Hogger called out to him from behind.
"Wait a moment."
Lu Yuan stopped in his tracks.
Hogger walked over to him and gestured for him to move a few steps further down the corridor, away from the others.
His voice was very low.
"Do you know what the locations of those three outposts in the Outer City signify?"
Lu Yuan looked at him without saying a word.
Hogger pulled a piece of paper that had been folded several times from his pocket and unfolded it.
It was a simple map of the Outer City, with three circles drawn on it in charcoal.
"The West Harbor Warehouse District, the East Harbor Residential District, and the freight station in the North Ward." Hogger's finger circled the three points in turn. "These three points weren't chosen randomly."
Lu Yuan looked in the direction he was pointing.
The three circles are positioned precisely near the three main passageways connecting the Outer City to the inner city.
It's not a lockdown, but it's enough for surveillance.
Any large-scale movement of people from the Outer City to the inner city would not escape the notice of these three points.
Lu Yuan understood.
"They're not just stationed here," Lu Yuan said in a low voice.
"Yes." Hogger folded the paper and put it back in his pocket. "The inner city mission you're involved in Ascension Society. If a conflict breaks out, we Night Watcher might not be a match for them in the Bronze City."