Next Wednesday, 9:45 p.m.
The old textile factory district in Lemnos Hollow.
Thick clouds obscured the moonlight, leaving only a few scattered, broken streetlights casting dim yellow halos.
The abandoned factories crouched in the darkness like the skeletons of giant beasts, their shattered windows like empty eye sockets.
The air smelled of rust, mildew, and... a faint, sweet tang of blood.
"Ether concentration is slightly abnormal."
Idhila raised the detector in her hand, her purple eyes looking deep in the screen's glow. "But the fluctuations are very regular, almost as though... someone is regulating them."
"What about the crying?" Yuzuha gripped her umbrella handle, her green eyes scanning their surroundings warily.
"Nothing yet," Alice said quietly, both hands clasped around her rapier's hilt-the blade reflected a cold gleam, its perfectly symmetrical pattern showing meticulous care. "The client said the crying usually starts at exactly ten and lasts fifteen minutes."
Lucia crouched on the ground, her horns glowing faintly-a feature of her "Night Watcher" ability, which let her sense the flow of Ether.
"There are fresh footprints... four sets, no, five. All adults, weighing between seventy and ninety kilograms. The most recent passage was... two hours ago."
Manato stood at the front of the group, his large frame like a wall.
His canine ears twitched slightly, picking up sounds on the wind.
"I hear breathing."
He spoke quietly. "Southeast, second factory building, third floor. Four people, fast heartbeats... nervous."
Lin Shuo stood toward the rear flank of the group, his back against the shadows of a broken wall.
He wore no protective suit-that thing was too conspicuous and made concealment difficult. He wore only ordinary dark sportswear, with a cloth-wrapped kitchen knife hanging at his waist.
But his eyes had already quietly shifted into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Trails of flowing Ether overlaid the world in his vision-several dim red halos glowed deep inside the factory, like embers about to go out.
"The Order's sentries," Lin Shuo said calmly. "Two at the second-floor windows, one behind the rooftop water tank, and another... at the basement entrance."
Everyone looked at him.
Yuzuha blinked. "How do you know, Lin Shuo?"
"Experience."
Lin Shuo did not explain the Sharingan, simply stepping out of the shadows. "Manato, you and I will draw their attention from the front. Yuzuha, Alice, sneak onto the second floor through the west windows and take out the sentries at the windows. Lucia, Idhila, head to the basement entrance-there should be crucial clues there."
"Understood!"
"Wait." Alice suddenly spoke, her mismatched eyes turning toward Lin Shuo. "Mr. Lin Shuo... aren't you going to wear protective equipment? If they have Sacrifice Potion-"
"No need."
Lin Shuo cut her off and stepped forward. "Follow me."
The operation began.
Manato followed Lin Shuo, their footsteps deliberately amplified in the empty factory grounds-the simplest baiting tactic.
Sure enough, the red light at a second-floor window shifted.
Lin Shuo counted silently.
Three, two, one-
Bang!
A faint gunshot.
Not a live round, but a tranquilizer dart-a silver streak shot from the window straight at Manato's face.
Manato reacted instantly, bringing his greatsword across to block.
Clang!
The tranquilizer dart bounced away.
But a second and third followed in quick succession.
Lin Shuo moved.
His movements were almost too fast to see-not the Body Flicker Technique, but pure physical explosiveness.
His right foot drove against the ground, his body tilted forward, and his left hand swept across his waist.
The cloth wrapping fell open, and the kitchen knife slid free.
Moonlight traced a cold arc along its edge.
Squelch!
The first sentry did not even see what had happened. He only felt a chill at his wrist-his tranquilizer gun flew away along with half his hand.
"Aaaagh-!"
His scream had barely begun before Lin Shuo struck the side of his neck with a knife-hand chop, cutting it short.
The second sentry hurriedly swung his gun around.
But Lin Shuo was already beside him.
The three tomoe spun.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique."
The sentry froze-in his eyes, invisible stakes had pierced his limbs, pinning him in place.
In reality, he had simply fallen under the Sharingan's genjutsu.
Lin Shuo snatched his gun and struck the back of his head with its stock.
A dull impact sounded.
The second sentry crumpled.
The entire process took less than five seconds.
Manato had only just deflected the fourth tranquilizer dart. By the time he looked up, the fight was over.
His canine ears twitched, and his gaze grew more serious as he looked at Lin Shuo.
"Lin Shuo... that speed just now..."
"Take out the one on the roof first."
Without explaining, Lin Shuo looked up toward the water tank.
The rooftop sentry had clearly noticed something wrong and was reporting over his radio-but the signal seemed to be jammed, producing only static.
It was Idhila's ability.
Lin Shuo knew she could create Ether interference within a small area.
The sentry panicked and tried to retreat.
Lin Shuo bent down and picked up a broken brick.
He hefted it.
Then he swung his arm and threw.
The broken brick tore through the night like a cannonball.
Bang-crash!!
It struck the water tank's connecting pipe dead-on.
The rusted pipe burst, sending stored rainwater pouring down and knocking the sentry off balance.
Manato seized the opening, took a short run-up, and leaped-his nearly two-meter frame displayed astonishing jumping power as he caught the third-floor windowsill with one hand and vaulted up.
A brief scuffle sounded from the roof, followed by silence.
Lin Shuo turned toward the west.
At a second-floor window, Yuzuha was waving to him-beside her, Alice knocked the last sentry unconscious with her sword hilt, her movements as elegant as a courtly bow.
"Basement entrance secure," Lucia's voice came through the earpiece. "But... something's not right here."
"How so?"
"The door is open."
Idhila picked up, her voice unusually serious. "And inside... there's crying."
Sure enough, it was exactly ten.
Sobbing rose from underground.
It was not a recording-the Sharingan could distinguish vital signs.
Living people, at least three, were stifling their sobs.
"Stick to the plan," Lin Shuo said into his earpiece. "Manato, hold the roof and watch the perimeter-everyone else, follow me into the basement."
The basement entrance lay in the deepest part of the factory, its heavy iron door ajar.
Dark red light seeped through the gap, along with that sweet, bloody smell-stronger now.
Lin Shuo pushed open the door.
Stairs descended to a spacious underground chamber.
It might once have been a storeroom, but it had now been converted into... some kind of ritual site.
Dark red symbols covered the walls-not any known language, their twisted strokes resembling struggling human figures.
A huge circular formation was drawn in the center of the floor. Three people knelt around it-two men and a woman, wearing ordinary work clothes, their hands bound behind them and their eyes blindfolded.
They were crying.
Not voluntarily-Lin Shuo saw electrode pads attached to their necks, connected to a humming machine nearby.
"A forced emotion-induction device." Idhila frowned. "The Order likes using these to create 'paranormal phenomena,' drawing curious people closer, and then..."
She did not finish.
But everyone understood-this was a trap.
"Careful." Yuzuha tightened her grip on her umbrella handle. "Inside the formation... there's something."
The moment she finished speaking.
The ground at the center of the formation suddenly collapsed.
A pale hand reached out.
Then a second, a third... six hands in total gripped the ground and "pulled" a twisted body up.
The thing was barely recognizable as humanoid-but translucent, jellylike Ether tissue covered its entire body, with writhing blood vessels visible beneath its skin. Its face had no features, only a mouth that opened and closed incessantly.
"An Ethereal... in its nascent form."
Lucia stepped back half a pace, her horns glowing brighter. "It hasn't fully transformed yet, but it's close."
The monster let out a hoarse howl and lunged at the nearest hostage.
Alice moved.
Her rapier flashed free, its tip tracing a precise straight line-directly toward the monster's chest.
But the instant the blade pierced the Ether tissue, it slowed sharply, as though thrust into thick glue.
The monster swung its hand back.
Bang!
Alice was swatted away and slammed into the wall.
"Alice!" Yuzuha cried.
"I'm fine..." Alice climbed to her feet, a trace of lingering fear flashing in her mismatched eyes. "Its body... can absorb kinetic energy."
"Physical attacks have limited effect," Lin Shuo analyzed calmly. "Lucia."
"Understood!"
The blue-haired girl raised her staff, reciting an ancient incantation.
The gemstone atop her staff lit with an eerie blue glow.
Illusory outlines appeared on the ground-residual shadows of Ethereals corrupted earlier, summoned by her.
Three phantom Ethereals pounced on the monster, grappling and biting.
The monster was temporarily held back.
Idhila seized the chance to rush to the hostages and cut their ropes with a dagger.
"Can you walk?"
"N-no..." one of the men cried. "Our feet... our feet are stuck..."
Lin Shuo looked down.
A layer of transparent gel covered the ground where the hostages knelt-Ether mucus secreted by the nascent Ethereal, slowly "fixing" them in place.
"Yuzuha," Lin Shuo said. "Your umbrella."
"Huh? But-"
"Open it. Aim at the mucus."
Though puzzled, Yuzuha obeyed.
She opened the umbrella-blades sprang from the inner ribs, and the muzzle at its tip aimed at the ground.
Lin Shuo stepped behind her and closed his right hand over her umbrella-holding hand.
Yuzuha stiffened.
"Don't move." Lin Shuo's voice sounded beside her ear, low and steady. "Three o'clock, fifteen degrees down."
His fingers adjusted the umbrella's angle slightly.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan locked onto the thinnest part of the mucus.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."
It was not the complete ninjutsu-the amount of chakra was kept to a minimum, concentrated only at the muzzle in the umbrella tip.
Pfft!
A tiny burst of flame shot out, striking its target precisely.
The mucus rapidly charred and contracted upon contact with fire.
The three hostages' feet came free, and they scrambled away.
"Get them out." Lin Shuo released her hand and looked toward the monster still fighting the phantom Ethereals. "Leave this to me."
"But-" Yuzuha wanted to say more.
"Out."
Lin Shuo's tone brooked no argument.
Yuzuha bit her lip, then finally nodded. "...Be careful."
She and the others helped the hostages evacuate.
Only Lin Shuo and the monster, which was gradually gaining the upper hand, remained in the basement.
The phantom Ethereals began to dissipate-Lucia's ability had a range limit.
The monster broke free of its restraints and lunged at Lin Shuo, its six arms flailing wildly.
Lin Shuo stood where he was, unmoving.
He even closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the three Tomoe had joined together, forming a complex, pinwheel-shaped pattern.
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
The monster's movements became slow and clear in his eyes.
Every muscle contraction, every flow of Ether, was captured and analyzed.
"Seventeen openings."
Lin Shuo murmured.
Then he moved.
Not in a straight charge, but in an uncanny zigzag-every step landed in a blind spot in the monster's attacks.
The kitchen knife spun in his hand, its blade giving a faint hum as it sliced through the air.
The first cut severed the tendons of the two arms on its front right.
The second stabbed into a core node of Ether tissue in its chest.
The third-
The monster finally realized the danger and tried to retreat.
But Lin Shuo was already right behind it.
His left hand pressed against the back of its neck.
"Lightning Release: Earth Flow."
A weak electric current penetrated its skin, disrupting its nerve signals.
The monster's body went rigid.
Lin Shuo seized the opportunity to circle back to its front, raising the kitchen knife high and aiming at its featureless face.
"It's over."
The tip plunged down-
"Wait!!"
A voice came from the corner.
Lin Shuo paused.
The tip stopped half a centimeter from the center of the monster's brow.
He turned his head.
A figure slowly emerged from the darkest corner of the basement.
It was a middle-aged man in a white lab coat and glasses, holding a tablet.
"Please... please don't kill it."
The man's voice trembled. "It's a valuable test subject. Its transformation has reached 87% completion. It's about to develop independent consciousness-"
"A researcher from the Order."
Lin Shuo spoke coldly.
"Y-yes."
The man adjusted his glasses, trying to remain composed. "Sir, I can tell you're not with the Defense Force... we can talk.
"The Order needs talented people like you. If you're willing to join, we can offer-"
"I ask, you answer."
Lin Shuo cut him off, the knife's tip still pressed against the monster's brow. "The crying trap here was meant to lure civilians in to test a new Sacrifice Potion, correct?"
"Th-this is a necessary sacrifice," the man argued. "To welcome the descent of the 'Primordial One,' humanity must evolve and adapt to the Hollows-"
"The potion formula."
"I... I can't tell you..."
Lin Shuo shifted his wrist slightly.
The knife's tip pierced the monster's skin, and dark red fluid seeped out.
The monster let out a pained hiss.
"The formula!" the man shrieked. "I'll tell you! It's the P-07 Modified Type. Its main ingredient is an extract of 'Lament Flowers' gathered deep within Lemnos Hollow, combined with highly concentrated powdered Ether crystals, diluted at a ratio of 1:50. Transformation begins three hours after injection-"
"Where is it made?"
"I... I don't know the exact location. Only the bishops know! I'm just a peripheral researcher in charge of collecting data-"
"Where are the bishops?"
"It's always one-way contact! They never reveal themselves-"
The man suddenly fell to his knees, sobbing. "That's really all I know! Please, let me go! I'm just an employee. I have a family too-"
Lin Shuo looked at him.
The Mangekyō Sharingan could distinguish lies-eighty percent of what this man said was true.
But the remaining twenty percent was deliberate misdirection.
For instance, he had concealed a key catalyst in the potion.
For instance, he had left out another base the Order had recently established in Lumina Square.
For instance, as his eyes darted about, he was thinking of ways to stall until reinforcements arrived.
Lin Shuo withdrew the kitchen knife.
The man breathed a sigh of relief. "Th-thank you-"
"I never said I'd let you go."
Lin Shuo raised his left hand, holding his index and middle fingers together and pointing them at him.
The man's expression froze.
"Wh-what are you going to do-"
"Amaterasu."
Without warning, black flames ignited on the man's body.
They were no ordinary flames-they were the Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular jutsu, black flames that would not go out until their target was completely consumed.
"Aaaaaaah!!!"
The man rolled on the ground, screaming.
But the flames only burned more fiercely.
Lin Shuo watched without expression.
Ten seconds later, the screams stopped.
Only a small pile of ashes remained on the ground.
The monster seemed to sense its master's death and began struggling violently.
Lin Shuo turned and glanced at it.
"The same goes for you."
Black flames ignited once more.
This time, not even ashes remained.
The basement fell silent.
Only the dark red symbols on the walls remained, like dried blood in the lingering glow of the flames.
Lin Shuo deactivated his Mangekyō, returning to the ordinary three-Tomoe state.
He walked over to the emotion-inducing device, pulled out its memory card, and crushed it.
Then he turned to leave.
At the foot of the stairs, he stopped.
"Come out."
A small figure emerged from the shadows in the corner.
It was Lin You.
She carried Little Shukaku's backpack. Her face was a little pale, but her green eyes were bright.
"...Dad."
"I told you to wait in the car."
"I... I was worried." Lin You bit her lip. "And when Mom went upstairs just now, a sentry lying in ambush nearly caught her by surprise. I..."
Lin Shuo's pupils contracted. "Is Yuzuha all right?"
"She's fine. Little Shukaku trapped that sentry in sand, and Brother Manato finished him off."
Lin You paused, her voice growing quieter. "I... I helped too. With my Sharingan... it was only One-Tomoe, but I saw through that person's movements..."
Only then did Lin Shuo notice her eyes-deep within her pupils, he could faintly make out two Tomoe slowly rotating.
Two-Tomoe.
She had evolved.
The instant she feared Yuzuha was in danger, her intense emotional fluctuations had stimulated her Sharingan's growth.
Lin Shuo was silent for a few seconds, then walked over and crouched in front of her.
"Were you scared?"
He was asking about her witnessing him burn the researcher to death.
Lin You hesitated, nodded, then shook her head.
"A little... but I know you were protecting everyone, Dad."
She raised her head, her Two-Tomoe Sharingan looking straight at Lin Shuo. "What that man said... most of it was true, but there were lies too, right?"
"...How did you know?"
"I could feel it."
Lin You pointed at her eyes. "They're no match for your Mangekyō, Dad, but... there seems to be some kind of resonance between Sharingan.
"When he spoke, the light in his eyes was lying."
Lin Shuo looked at her.
This eight-year-old girl, this daughter who claimed to have come from the future.
She was growing at an astonishing speed-not just her Sharingan, but also her understanding of combat, human nature, and this cruel world.
"...Let's go home."
Lin Shuo stood and took her hand.
"Dad."
"Hm?"
"You were... really angry just now, weren't you?"
Lin You asked softly, "Not because that man belonged to the Order, but because... he experimented on people, just like..."
Just like what your parents did to you.
She did not finish, but Lin Shuo understood.
"...Yes."
He tightened his grip on her hand.
The two walked up the stairs.
Outside the factory building, Yuzuha and the others had already helped the hostages into the rescue vehicle sent by the Defense Force.
"Brother Lin Shuo!" Yuzuha ran over. "How did it go in there? That monster-"
"Dealt with."
Lin Shuo spoke briefly. "The researcher is dead. I didn't get much useful information out of him.
"But there's some data on the equipment's memory card. We can hand it over to the Defense Force for analysis."
He looked toward the three hostages being examined in the distance. "What about them?"
"Mild Ether allergies, but they weren't injected with the potion."
Idhila closed her notebook. "They were lucky-if we'd been half an hour later, they might have..."
She did not finish, but everyone understood.
Alice sat nearby while Lucia treated the scrape on her arm with a healing spray.
Manato jumped down from the rooftop, his dog ears twitching. "The surrounding area is clear. Also, I found this behind the water tank-"
He handed over a badge.
It was metal, its design a distorted ring surrounding an eye.
The Order's emblem.
A line of tiny words was engraved on the back: "Praise the Hollows, welcome the Primordial One."
Lin Shuo took the badge and held it in his hand. "Looks like we've caught someone's 'attention.'"
He squeezed hard.
The metal badge warped and shattered.
"No matter who they are."
Lin Shuo opened his hand, letting the fragments spill between his fingers. "If they dare reach out, I'll cut their hand off."
Moonlight finally broke through the clouds, illuminating his profile.
In those eyes, three Tomoe slowly rotated, cold as an abyss.
Nearby, Lin You held Little Shukaku, her Two-Tomoe Sharingan quietly watching the scene.
She suddenly remembered what her mother had said in the future:
"Your dad usually seems indifferent to everything. But once someone crosses his bottom line-hurts someone he cares about, or reminds him of the shadows of his past-he becomes a different person."
"What did he look like?" she had asked at the time.
Yuzuha had fallen silent for a long time before finally saying softly:
"Like an asura who had crawled back out of hell."
The wind swept through the abandoned factory grounds, carrying the scent of rust and ashes.
Tonight, the mystery behind Lemnos Hollow's "midnight weeping" urban legend had been solved.
But a greater shadow was quietly spreading.
[System notification: Side quest "Assist the Investigation" completed. Reward: Ōtsutsuki Fragment (partial) issued. Lin You's Sharingan has been detected evolving to Two-Tomoe. Additional reward: Uchiha Shurikenjutsu (Basic) granted to Lin You. Main quest "Win Over Ukinami Yuzuha" current progress: 5.8%.]
The progress bar had advanced another small stretch.
But Lin Shuo knew the real trouble had only just begun.
The Order.
And that so-called "Primordial One."
He glanced at Yuzuha, who was talking to Manato, then at Lin You beside him, clutching the hem of his clothes.
Then he tightened his grip on the kitchen knife in his hand.
Dark red traces of the Ethereal's blood still clung to the blade.