An abandoned underground tunnel lay dark and silent.
Footsteps rang out.
The man had neatly combed hair and wore fine clothes, looking every inch a polished gentleman.
"Hello, everyone."
"I've come with a sincere heart to negotiate with you."
In the darkness.
Shadows quietly emerged, one after another.
They occupied advantageous positions and guarded the exits ahead and behind before slowly closing in.
The man was surrounded.
"Skinner..."
One shadow spoke first. "You ruined our plans before, and you still dare come looking for us?"
"I'm here to discuss cooperation. The Silent Church's illustrious reputation makes you worthy partners," Skinner said with a smile.
"You think you qualify?" the shadow asked.
"Don't say that. All right, I'll offer a gift first," Skinner said.
He opened his briefcase.
Inside was a beating heart.
"I enjoyed that traitor your church has been hunting. After some thought, I decided his heart might be something you desired-"
"After all, you favor this method of sacrifice."
"It's yours, as a small token of respect."
The shadows looked at the heart, slowly catching on.
When he had said he had "come with a sincere heart to negotiate," he had meant this heart.
"What do you want?"
The shadow asked.
"We're going to the Great Tomb. We hope you can provide some people to help us stage a diversion," Skinner said.
"No," the shadow refused flatly. "Doing something to mortals is a minor matter, but going to the Great Tomb would immediately alert those powerful figures on the Frontline. It would definitely fail."
"You only need to send a few capable people," Skinner said.
"Every one of our brothers is precious. They can't be your pawns," the shadow said.
"What I'm doing is something major. When people speak of it in the future, your Silent Church will