Character Ghost

Eden made the same gesture Elysia had: she hugged her. Sakura was at a loss, and Eden quickly let her go.

After a long silence, Eden cautiously asked, "Are you sure you want to... do this?"

"I don't know, I don't know..." Sakura held her forehead, her face pale. "But Elysia said I could find out what Ling would become, and then..."

"Then decide whether to kill Ling."

"I'll do everything I can to help you," Eden said without hesitation. "Tell me what you need me to do."

Half a month later, Sakura's watch gave off a faint vibration. Someone was calling her. She lightly tapped the watch, and Gray Serpent's voice came through the tiny earpiece.

"Miss Sakura," Gray Serpent said in his characteristically humble tone, "there has been progress in the investigation you entrusted to me. I need you to use your identity as a Fusion Warrior to investigate a case."

Sakura buried her excitement beneath all her other emotions and said calmly, "What kind of case?"

"The death of an A-rank soldier."

"You know, every transaction brings gains and losses to both sides. Since Dr. Mei received help, she must offer corresponding compensation. And I have found what that compensation is: the Tenth Divine Key."

"Lord Kalpas damaged many Tenth Divine Keys. By regulation, all broken standard-issue Divine Keys should have been repaired or reforged, but I found that at least seven Divine Keys had vanished for various reasons."

"That's common," Sakura said.

"Of course." Gray Serpent chuckled in his dark voice. "Although Dr. Mei is intelligent, the person who forged the documents was an idiot. He put the files recording the Divine Keys' whereabouts in the archives. Bureaucrats seem to believe that putting files in the archives counts as destroying them."

Sakura was puzzled. "Why did he record the Divine Keys' whereabouts?"

"Many people are interested in Divine Keys. Besides, procedure is the only bottom line those officials have. She must follow procedure, and they will too, at least on the surface."

"What should I do?"

"You need to make a trip to South Ural City. An A-rank soldier named Niazepi had a reforged Tenth Divine Key. He was found dead in a sewer on the outskirts of the city over ten days ago, while the Tenth Divine Key in his hand had vanished without a trace."

"When you arrive, inform me immediately. I will arrange for others to meet with you."

"And you?"

"Me?" Gray Serpent chuckled again. His laughter made Sakura feel sick for no reason.

"I have an equally important matter to investigate."

Silence filled Sakura's earpiece. She narrowed her eyes, and a suffocating danger seemed to lurk within her blue pupils.

Even outside winter, Eastern Europe's weather could make one feel uncomfortable all over. South Ural City was like an oil painting brushed in cold hues. Gloomy clouds shrouded the silent, dilapidated streets in gray darkness, as if a fine drizzle might begin at any moment. Aviation warning lights atop the buildings flashed a striking red, while fluorescent lamps shone softly and dimly through glass windows.

The soldiers beneath the shadows of high-rises seemed veiled in black gloom. Light and shadow appeared to have reached a terrifying balance upon them; others could not see their eyes clearly, but could clearly see the gleam on their guns. The televisions in shop windows played silent news broadcasts, their hosts staring outside with solemn eyes and faces that took up nearly half the screen.

The people beneath those harsh gazes kept their lips tightly pressed and walked with stiff, weary steps, not knowing where they were headed. It was as if everyone here had lost their patience... and their faith.

Sakura lightly tapped her watch. "I've arrived."

"I understand. Please wait a moment."

Sakura leaned her back against the cold gray concrete wall and waited quietly. A few minutes later, a man in a baseball cap appeared across the street. Taking advantage of a gap in traffic, he crossed over to Sakura.

The man removed his cap, placed the hand holding it over his chest, and gave her a slight bow. "Hello, my lady."

"Hello."

"Shall I get straight to the point?" The man put his cap back on.

"If possible..."

"Of course. Follow me."

The man turned around, and Sakura followed. They went around a corner and entered an alley. Green and orange trash bins were filled to the brim, with messy garbage scattered all around. The alleyway was riddled with potholes and filled with filthy water soaking discarded trash. He stepped inside, and Sakura followed without hesitation.

"How did you discover he was dead?"

"Some unemployed drifters pass through places like that."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully.

"The person who found Niazepi's body was no decent man. He wanted to steal the sword, but a Honkai Beast scared him away. When he returned later, he found that the Divine Key had disappeared, while the Honkai Beast was still wandering there."

"No one went to confirm it in person? Do you believe a civilian's word that easily?"

The man shrugged, as though he did not care, or perhaps was mocking himself. "A B-rank soldier confirmed it in person, but he didn't collect Niazepi's body. He didn't want to go to so much trouble for a dead man."

"So they just left the matter hanging?" The shadows of a formation of grass-green helicopters swept over them, the sound of their rotors nearly drowning out their conversation. The man accidentally stepped on an empty soda can, producing a sharp crunch that pulled her attention back from the sky.

"Not exactly. An investigation was launched from above, and that was the end of it. After all, the investigation report wasn't for the local government to see. We never saw any investigation team sent from above. They were most likely wasting time in some conference room."

The man stopped beside a sewer entrance, crouched down, and shifted aside the manhole cover. Turning to Sakura, he said, "My lady, you can reach the place quickly if you go down from here." He took a crumpled rolled-up sewer map from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Your starting point is marked on it. Just follow the arrows on the map, and you will find Niazepi's body. Perhaps you'll find something there."

Sakura nodded, took the map, and jumped down through the sewer entrance.

A thin stream of murky gray water flowed through the channel. The dark red bricks that made up the sewer gathered a stench of rot and decay, making her frown tightly. Sakura unfolded the crumpled map in her hand and swiftly examined it with care, imprinting every detail in her mind.

Sakura drew Cold Prison Ice Sky from her waist. She set off along the route she had memorized, moving swiftly and choosing one path at every fork without hesitation. It was hard not to suspect that this was not her first time here.

She soon arrived at the place where Niazepi had died, but to her surprise, his body had mysteriously disappeared. The wandering Honkai Beast mentioned in the witness report was nowhere to be seen either. In its place was only a string of numbers and letters on the wall, as if they had been directly engraved into it with a laser, making them extremely conspicuous. Yet the report had not mentioned this at all.

The string began with six digits, followed by a date in the middle, and ended with a sequence of letters.

"A mystery upon mystery," she murmured.

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