Shadow Lurking

Late at night, the streets of Arles City were silent, save for a few writers still working in homes facing the street.

This was a luxurious three-story villa with a small garden.

A sign hung above the front gate, bearing several large words in different colors: XXX Art Club.

The villa was pitch-black at the moment, with only two studies on the first floor still lit.

In a room on the second floor, a figure emerged from the pitch-black shadow of a full-length mirror. His ears twitched. After confirming that no one was nearby, he began searching the room.

The room resembled an office, with a desk, several chairs, a small sofa, and a full-length mirror. Several portraits hung on the walls.

The figure found a nameplate on the desk. It read: Vice President, Kane Ye.

"I came to the right place." An Chen's eyes lit up. He put the nameplate back and continued searching.

During the day, he had sorted through everything himself, connecting all these anomalies together.

That night, he had seen Kane Ye's soul body fighting some Monster in midair. After seeing Kane Ye's self-portrait, he had been branded with a mark.

Then he discovered that Kane Ye was also a member of this club, and that the mark had come from this club as well. Thus, he guessed that this club had to be the source of the anomalies.

He searched the room for a while but found nothing, then sank into the shadows below.

Soon, An Chen appeared in an art studio on the third floor.

He had already investigated before coming here. This studio was Kane's workspace.

Aside from some painting tools, the studio contained several paintings hanging on the walls, every one of them a portrait.

The instant An Chen entered, he felt