Aurora Heights.
Three figures stood at the foot of one of the tallest buildings in the district.
Towering over the surrounding skyline, the skyscraper seemed almost unnatural. Its exterior was covered entirely in reflective glass that mirrored the city below, while its structure twisted slightly as it climbed into the clouds, giving it an unsettling appearance, as though the building itself had been bent by an invisible force.
Rin Shen, Gu Yan, and Lian Ye stopped at the entrance.
For a brief moment, all three of them looked upward in silence.
Only after a few seconds did Gu Yan finally speak.
"The others are already at the top."
His voice remained calm, almost uninterested.
"You can use the elevator, take the stairs, or find your own way up."
He shrugged.
"I really don't care how you do it."
He slowly turned around to face the two of them.
"I'll be using the elevator."
"If you want to come with me..."
"...follow."
Without waiting for an answer, Gu Yan stepped through the glass doors and entered the building.
Rin Shen exchanged a brief glance with Lian Ye before silently following behind him.
Lian Ye did the same.
The elevator doors closed behind them.
A quiet hum filled the enclosed space as the numbers above the door slowly began climbing.
For a while...
No one spoke.
Eventually, Lian Ye broke the silence.
"So..."
"What exactly is the mission?"
"How many people are involved?"
"What's the plan?"
"What—"
Before he could continue, Rin Shen slowly raised one hand.
After waiting for Lian Ye to stop speaking, he calmly replied,
"I can answer the first two."
Silence returned for a moment before he continued.
"From what I read..."
"There'll be four people participating."
"You..."
He pointed toward Lian Ye.
"Me..."
Then toward himself.
"Him."
He nodded toward Gu Yan.
"...and one more person from the Informant Faction."
Only then did Gu Yan finally join the conversation.
"From what I was told..."
"The people selected for this mission are all followers, most of them might not have the time but some followers might show up."
He paused briefly.
"Main followers, to be precise."
He then continued
"My job is simple."
"I locate the Forbidden."
"The rest of you..."
"...kill it."
Lian Ye lowered his head slightly.
Forbiddens...
Right...
I read about them before.
People whose Concepts had completely consumed them...
In other words... the Concept became stronger than the person themselves.
His brows slowly furrowed.
But...
Why only followers?
He finally asked aloud,
"Why can't regular members handle it?"
Gu Yan watched the elevator display as another floor passed.
He let out a quiet sigh before answering.
"Followers are the closest existence to a God Order member."
"As you already know, Forbiddens are people whose Concepts have completely taken over."
He folded his arms.
"When that happens..."
"Their abilities may mutate."
"They may develop entirely new derivations."
"Their physical capabilities can increase."
"And..."
"...many other unpredictable things can happen."
Rin Shen quietly finished the explanation.
"Meaning..."
"Some of them can stand on equal footing with a God Order member."
Lian Ye's eyes widened ever so slightly.
"So..."
"The story about a GO being killed by a Forbidden..."
"...was real?"
Silence.
Neither of them answered immediately.
The atmosphere inside the elevator suddenly became much heavier.
Only then did something seem to click inside Rin Shen's mind.
He turned toward Lian Ye.
"...Hold on."
"If I remember correctly..."
"...you aren't a follower."
His expression became noticeably more puzzled.
"Then why are you here?"
Lian Ye simply raised both hands helplessly.
"I don't know."
"Captain Hei Zhen told me to come."
Gu Yan clicked his tongue.
"Hei Zhen..."
"He always disappears whenever you actually need him."
A faint look of annoyance crossed his face.
"He's exactly like Tel Suyin."
"The two of them..."
"...always have secrets."
Rin Shen nodded in agreement.
"True."
"Vice-Captain Tel Suyin is constantly leaving on unknown missions."
"As for Captain Hei Zhen..."
He shook his head.
"...even his abilities are unknown."
Lian Ye suddenly remembered something.
"I overheard some members of the Misfit Faction talking."
"They said Captain Hei Zhen is the follower of the god of Disorder."
He looked between the two of them.
"Do either of you know who that is?"
Once again...
The elevator fell completely silent.
After several seconds, Gu Yan finally answered.
His voice was noticeably lower than before.
"...That's Silver."
"A God Order member."
The elevator gave a soft ding.
The doors slowly slid open.
Without another word, Gu Yan stepped outside.
Only after taking a few steps did he continue,
"From here..."
"We're going on foot."
---
A few moments later...
The rooftop door slowly creaked open.
The instant it did, an icy gust of wind swept across the rooftop, brushing against their faces and causing Lian Ye to instinctively shiver.
The city stretched endlessly beneath them, while the emerald aurora still shimmered faintly across the distant sky.
Before any of them had time to adjust...
They heard humming.
Soft.
Calm.
Almost childlike.
The sound drifted toward them from the very edge of the rooftop.
Sitting there was a small boy.
He wore an oversized black sweater whose sleeves completely covered his hands.
His long white hair had been loosely tied behind his head, allowing several strands to sway gently in the wind.
He wasn't wearing any shoes.
His bare feet dangled casually over the edge of the skyscraper.
Around one ankle was a small metallic device that reflected the moonlight.
Dark circles rested beneath his eyes, making him appear as though he hadn't slept in days.
For a while...
He didn't even acknowledge their presence.
He simply continued humming to himself while staring at the city below.
Only after several seconds did he slowly turn his head.
His dull eyes landed on the three of them.
Then, in a quiet, almost emotionless voice, he spoke.
"...Took you long enough."
The little boy approached first.
He walked across the rooftop with small, quiet steps until he stopped directly in front of them. He wasn't even tall enough to reach Gu Yan's shoulder, yet there was nothing childish about the way he looked at them.
He simply stood there.
Watching.
A moment later, another figure descended onto the rooftop.
He landed behind the boy with a heavy black bag in one hand.
The man had a scar running across his right eye. His long black coat was buttoned all the way up, the high collar covering the lower half of his face. His presence was quiet, but the weight of the bag made it obvious that he hadn't come here empty-handed.
He stepped toward the boy.
Then placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, since we're all here, let's get down to business."
He lowered the bag onto the rooftop.
Click.
He began unbuttoning the collar of his coat.
Lian Ye's eyes narrowed slightly.
Kael Jinhai.
The little boy walked back toward the edge of the building and looked down at the district below.
It was strangely quiet.
Far too quiet.
"So you two are the only ones here?"
Gu Yan asked.
After several seconds of silence, the boy turned around turned around, then to Lian ye and Rin Shen, he bowed his head slightly then said,
"my name is Shen Yu, codename god eye. It's nice to meet you"
He finally stepped down from the edge of the roof.
"So, what's the new plan?"
His oversized sweater nearly swallowed his hands. He raised them, waving them slightly before pointing toward the city.
"Because as we can all see, there are more variables now."
His expression became more serious.
"That thing is still there. And it's evolving."
He looked between everyone.
"So are we doing this or not?"
Lian Ye remained silent.
They're all here.
His eyes moved across the rooftop.
The main followers.
Kael jinhai.
Rin Shen.
Gu Yan.
And the captain of the Informant Faction... Shen Yu.
His gaze eventually settled toward the distant district.
Just how strong is that thing?
Kael opened the bag.
The contents were arranged carefully inside.
He pulled out a strange cylindrical device first.
Several chains were wrapped tightly around it, disappearing into the cylinder before emerging again, each ending in a knife-like weapon.
Next came a set of kunais.
They looked ordinary at first, but each one had a small compartment built into its center. A faint liquid moved inside the transparent sections.
Poison.
Kael placed them down.
Then he removed a handgun and a black tactical outfit.
Finally, he pulled out a strange-looking firearm.
At first glance, it almost looked broken.
Then Kael unfolded it.
The compact weapon expanded into a proper long-range sniper rifle.
He handed the equipment to each person.
The chains and knives went to Shen Yu.
The kunais went to Rin Shen.
The revolver and black outfit went to Lian Ye.
Kael looked at the group.
"So."
He folded his arms.
"Who's coming up with the new plan?"
A light cough interrupted him.
Everyone turned.
Gu Yan raised a hand slightly.
"How about we go with this—"
---
A few minutes later, everything was ready.
Three figures stood at the edge of the rooftop.
Rin Shen.
Shen Yu.
And Lian Ye.
Lian Ye wore the newly provided black tactical outfit.
The clothing was almost entirely black, designed for movement rather than appearance. The high collar rose around his neck, while layered straps crossed his chest and shoulders, securing the equipment against his body without restricting his movement. Buckles and reinforced sections were built into the outfit, giving it the appearance of something made specifically for field operations.
Dark gloves covered his hands.
The fabric around his arms and torso was fitted enough to avoid catching on anything while moving, while the looser sections around his lower body allowed him to bend and slide freely.
His pale hair stood out sharply against the dark clothing.
A handgun rested securely in his hand.
For once, he looked less like someone who had wandered into the operation and more like someone who belonged in it.
Beside him, Rin Shen wore his usual clothing.
The difference was around his waist.
Several kunais were secured there, each one positioned so that he could draw them without looking.
The small compartments in their centers contained the poison.
Shen Yu stood on the other side.
Chains extended from beneath his shirt, disappearing through his sleeves before emerging around his arms.
One chain rested in each hand.
The weapons looked deceptively simple.
None of them were.
All three looked toward the fourth person.
Gu Yan.
He stood on the lightning rod at the highest point of the building.
His hands gripped the metal tightly.
The wind pulled violently at his hair and clothes.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he took a deep breath.
His gaze shifted.
He pointed toward the city.
"Out there!"
Shen Yu immediately looked up.
"Give us a view too!"
Gu Yan climbed down from the lightning rod.
He stepped forward and looked over the edge of the building.
His eyes changed.
Several circles appeared within his irises.
They began rotating.
One inside another.
His eyes became a brilliant orange.
His hair, which had previously been blond, shifted until it became a full brown.
Then—
Lights appeared.
Strings of light spread throughout Aurora Heights.
They stretched between buildings, across streets, around structures and through the district like an enormous web but lacked a regular pattern.
Some were blue.
Some purple.
Others were deep red.
A few burned with a faint orange glow.
Lian Ye stared at the network.
Gu Yan raised a hand.
"Follow the red and orange."
He pointed toward the district.
"Ignore the others."
The three at the edge prepared themselves.
Shen Yu shifted his grip.
Rin Shen checked the kunais at his waist.
Lian Ye looked down.
The distance was considerable.
Shen Yu suddenly stopped.
He turned toward Rin Shen.
Rin Shen wasn't looking at him.
He was looking at Lian Ye.
"Do you have a way down?"
Lian Ye remained silent for a moment.
Then nodded.
Rin Shen looked back toward the city.
Shen Yu followed his gaze.
There was no further discussion.
The three turned toward the edge.
And jumped.