The car ca to a stop.
Gaunt stepped out.
He opened the door, moving through a long corridor before halting abruptly.
"Team Leader."
Several people turned to look at him. He gave a slight nod.
Kaizen stood among the gathered crowd, his gaze falling on Ralph.
Gaunt spoke. "All mbers of the Keek City Dark Hunter Team are here."
"We originally had over twenty operatives, but just now, nearly all of the squad led by Ina was wiped out."
"As for Rosgel’s head... I only learned about its theft from the information Ina left behind."
"There were at least two attackers."
"One is an expert in disguise."
"The other wields incredibly powerful fla-based abilities."
Aside from Ralph, most of the Dark Hunter Team mbers weren’t familiar with Wendy, let alone Kaizen. However, both had been brought here by Gaunt, so no one questioned their presence.
"Gaunt-san, may I see Ina’s body?" Wendy asked.
"This way."
Gaunt led Wendy and Kaizen into the next room. A heavy stench of blood and charred flesh filled the air.
A dozen bodies lay on the floor.
"Ina is in the first row, first body."
Wendy rushed forward, lifting the white cloth.
What she saw was barely recognizable as a person—blackened, burned beyond recognition.
"Ina...!"
Tears welled in Wendy’s eyes, spilling down her cheeks.
Kaizen stepped forward, resting a hand on her shoulder. The room was filled with the sound of quiet sobbing.
Gaunt clenched his fists. "Those bastards... I won’t let them get away with this. I’ll kill them all and avenge Ina!"
Wendy forced herself to steady her breathing. "Gaunt-san, have you reported this?"
"I tried, but the signal in Keek City has been cut off. The network is down, the base station destroyed—no calls, no ssages, no emails."
"Keek City has beco an island."
"I had no choice but to send so operatives to the capital to deliver the news in person."
Gaunt looked out the window. "But I don’t know if they’ll make it or if they’ll be intercepted."
He paused. "You two shouldn’t be here."
"Keek City is dangerous right now. We have no idea how many enemies we’re up against."
Kaizen and Wendy exchanged glances.
That much was clear.
But there was no point dwelling on it now. They were already in Keek City. The only thing left to do was figure out how to handle the situation.
"Gaunt-san, do you know the exact location of Rosgel’s head?" Wendy asked.
Gaunt shook his head. "Not yet."
"Do you have a plan?"
Gaunt thought for a mont. "First, we investigate these attackers. If they cut off communications, it ans they haven’t found Rosgel’s head yet. If Ina hadn’t discovered sothing, they wouldn’t have been forced to act."
"Now that they’re desperate, they’ll make mistakes."
"If we watch closely, they’ll expose themselves."
"Once we understand their movents, we can form a battle plan."
"They’re strong—but not invincible."
"If they were unstoppable, there wouldn’t have been any survivors from Ina’s squad. But soone did survive and managed to escape."
Gaunt turned to Kaizen and Wendy. "For now, stay at the Dark Hunter Base. We’ll act once we have more information."
"It’s too dangerous outside."
"I can’t afford to protect you."
With that, Gaunt left the room.
Kaizen’s expression shifted as a thought struck him.
"Altan!"
A shadowy figure materialized beside him. Even with the network down, Altan couldn’t reach the outside world.
"This situation reminds of what happened in Kolossim," Altan murmured. "But this ti, it’s slightly better."
"Their objective is to steal Rosgel’s head."
"Once they find it, they’ll leave Keek City imdiately."
"They won’t stick around to cause unnecessary trouble."
Kaizen turned to Wendy.
But her situation was different from his.
Kaizen wasn’t from the Kingdom of Fiora. He could afford to remain an observer.
But Wendy was a Fioran citizen.
Could she just stand by and watch as operatives from the Mimbo Republic stole Rosgel’s head?
Could she do nothing as Gaunt and the others risked their lives?
And if Wendy got involved... what about Kaizen?
"Kaizen, let’s listen to Gaunt-san and stay at the Dark Hunter Base for now."
Kaizen was slightly surprised by Wendy’s words.
Then he realized—she was saying this on purpose.
She didn’t want to drag him into this.
Kaizen sighed. "Let’s wait and see what Gaunt finds out. If we can help, we should."
If there was no chance of victory, Kaizen wouldn’t get involved.
But if the odds were good—then he’d take action.
Of course, it also depended on how the Mimbo Republic’s operatives behaved.
Kaizen wasn’t from Fiora.
"Thank you, Kaizen."
"No need to thank . We’re in this together. I was the one who brought us to Keek City."
Kaizen smiled slightly. "If anything, I put us both in danger."
They left the room, only to be greeted by Ralph.
"Kaizen, Wendy, I’m sorry."
Ralph’s face was filled with guilt.
"You’re in danger because you ca to see us."
Kaizen shook his head. "This has nothing to do with you. It was an accident. No one could’ve predicted this."
Gaunt assigned rooms for Kaizen and Wendy. anwhile, his team quietly started their investigation in Keek City, hoping to locate the Mimbo operatives before it was too late.
Kaizen glanced at the crystal ball in his hands. The energy absorption rate was accelerating.
After just one day, it had increased by 3%.
And it showed no signs of slowing down.
"Could it be that in Keek City, my Observer’s Will could reach 100%?"
The Dark Hunter Base was steeped in tension.
Kaizen and Wendy remained inside.
...
Three days passed.
By then, Kaizen’s crystal ball had reached 80% absorption.
Then suddenly—
Kaizen noticed a shift in the atmosphere.
A corpse had been placed at the very center of the hall...
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