"Heh heh~ Where to?"
A jade-hued monstrosity gleamed in the darkness as it stood atop the rooftop, watching the conflict between rival factions with morbid curiosity.
"Let's see… I can cut whoever I please, right? Heh-chi~☆"
Under cover of night, the dragon emerged from the shadows, slicing through society's malignant underbelly where profit and loss reign supreme. It was like a shark among fry, a wolf on a field of rabbits, a lynx perched above chattering sparrows.
"Which territory bastard are you this time?!"
"Well, if you'd arrived first, you'd have gotten first dibs."
I'd been itching to test this newfound power. I won't refuse a toy that comes to me first.
"Slashing is still such a delight~"
A cloud of ebony darkness—like one drifting in the night sky—swept through a man and cleaved him in two, bone and all. Unfortunately, except for a handful of onlookers, everyone else was fighting for their lives, desperate to kill anyone who crossed them.
"Then… let's see if there's anyone worthy of me~"
The strength Kashei gifted me exceeded anything I'd imagined. I'd heard it was a covert technique even within Ursus's military.
Tch… already done and dusted?
My idle thoughts had made me handle those toys more roughly than intended. Blood painted the ground. Between the ragged gashes, pink intestines pulsed, meeting the night air in a grotesque display.
That kid would have been a bit more entertaining… Live capture? Sounds… dull.
Regardless, Hongru—grumbling about how dull official assignments were—strode off. It was mid-May, and the clear, cold moon hung high.
"So this is the scene of the incident…"
The next morning, I slipped into a narrow alley—risky, but the fastest way to secure good materials—and stumbled on last night's massacre. I reported it to the Guard Bureau. By dawn, the Serious Crimes Division was already on the scene.
"The Infected corpse has been collected by the Originium Accident Response Team, so feel free to inspect the area."
A child barely mid-150 centimeters tall stepped forward. The accident response team's youngest member lunged to restrain me—worried about lingering Originium—but…
"He's with us. He's an officially authorized agent—approved by the Director. You can't stop him."
The agents of the Serious Crimes Division tried to block me, but after nearly five months of working together, they could only tacitly acknowledge Baekhyun's authority.
"…It's brutal."
"No kidding."
Bodies littered the ground like a banquet of gore. Great, another disgusting morning.
Civilians had long since been kept at bay. Even the so-called veterans of the Serious Crimes Division had vomited several times—using last night's liquor as an excuse—but Magpie examined the bodies up close, tracing blood spatter and reconstructing the night's horror.
Head smashed with a liquor bottle. They weren't armed properly. A small-scale turf war?
"So, why did they fight? Team Leader?"
"Uh… looks like we found illegal narcotics in this garage. The trade volume is roughly one million Yongmun coins. That's probably what sparked it."
One million coins… For small factions, that's enough to fight tooth and nail over.
"…What the— who's this kid?"
No… it's not him. What about the others…?
"…Team Leader. Let me ask one question."
"Go ahead. I was thinking the same thing."
"…Does one wound like this even explain that much blood?"
One corpse in particular bothered me. He'd died from a single, clean slash—yet even with time passing…
"Beats me… I've never seen a utility pole stained like this."
Indeed, his blood coated the pole's broken section entirely.
And the blood on the ground's weird too. Way too much for the number of wounded.
It's like they drained the blood intentionally.
"…This bloodstain—or rather, the characteristics of this blade—I've seen it before."
"What? Wait, you're not…"
This sword art is similar to Roja's blade. Despite the grotesque volume of blood, that only strengthened my conviction.
"The Wakashu-level operative of the Black Cloud Society, that Hongru, has personally begun to make moves."
At last, the passing clouds cast their shadow over the crow.
"Everyone heard that? I hope you heard every word. From now on, any of us could die at any moment."
The Team Leader's tone was calmer and more solemn than usual. With the carnage before us, it was a clear warning: next time, it might be us.
"Team Leader, later can you arrange a meeting with Wei Yenwu? At least let me contact him."
Faster than I expected, they'd started to move.
"Magpie, here. Have a seat."
The restaurant was surprisingly upscale. Wei Yenwu greeted me with his usual sly smile—friendly enough, but never careless.
"You wanted to see me… I assume you've got something on me?"
"Yes. Wakashu rank… in other words, at least an operations commander. I've got leverage on him."
"Oh-ho… That's a fortunate find."
He roughly downed some pepper stir-fry and got straight to the point.
"Listen, including me, Talulah, and Chen, it's hard to say any of us are safe now."
"…That's true."
"Also… do you know Kashei?"
"…!"
For the first time, genuine surprise seeped through his normally impassive mask.
"How did you come across that name…?"
"I ran into him by chance some time ago."
Whether it was truly accidental, I can't say. Only he knows.
"So… what's he like? Honestly, since he's not here, I can say I'm not exactly fond of him—"
"What exactly is he?"
I said it bluntly. Of course I didn't expect Wei Yenwu to know his true identity, but he'd at least sense that Kashei isn't some ordinary Ursus sycophant.
"…You never cease to amaze me."
"I appreciate that, but right now let's talk about him."
"What do you mean? If it's gossip, I can indulge you all day."
"Honestly, I suspect there's something between this Black Cloud Society operation and him."
It's purely a hunch, but the tip that he had dealings with high-ups in Ursus, the Black Cloud Society's sudden move into Yongmun, and Kashei… I can't shake the feeling they're connected.
"…Right. I think similarly. But the position he holds in Ursus… detaching him won't be easy."
That mosquito of a bastard—sucking everyone's lifeblood is one thing, but he won't even back down.
"So, how about engineering a situation where he has to step aside?"
"You mean set the stage to cast him out? I like it. Tell me more."
If I can't remove him alone, I'll forge an alliance. There's no mercy in a gang-up.
"First, make sure the Black Cloud Society incident gets big coverage. Push leaks and have interviews blow it up among civilians."
"And you?"
"As quickly as possible, once there's even a hint of proof tying them to Kashei, I strike."
"Hm… that's a dangerously high-stakes gamble."
"But it's worth the bet. Even if nothing else, it'll at least make the Black Cloud Society hesitate."
"Hmm…"
Wei Yenwu tapped his fingers on the table as if reluctantly considering the proposal.
"If that's for sure, now would be the perfect time to cut Kashei loose…"
His mind churned. Likely calculating which benefit—me or Kashei—served Yongmun more.
"Good. But one promise—no more than a month. In that time, you must deliver results."
"I swear it by the Slaughterer's name."
"Oh, and about Talulah."
"Hmm? What about her?"
"…You said she'd be sent off at the end of this year… to Victoria."
Originally, only Chen would have gone—Victoria's police academy.
"Right? Why?"
"…I could be wrong, but Kashei will almost certainly target Talulah…"
His brow twitched once more. I'd spoken ambiguously on purpose. No need for details.
"You'd better calculate carefully—the losses we risk in this fight, the losses Yongmun risks… and even the losses you'd risk. I'm off. Dinner was good."
Screech The chair scraped back as he stood and exited the restaurant, staring up at the sun looming over the city. It was a May day already hinting at the summer heat.
Thud
"…A note? Who…?"
'Directive: P-8—Retrieve the packaged box delivered ahead of Lin Gelrei at the designated location in the region.'
And so, the first directive came in from the Rat King.
"…This is insane…"
Summer was barreling in, leaving Magpie no respite.