Chapter 78 Action Begins
"Ever since the Tingen City team discovered this human trafficking case involving the entire eastern kingdom, the Nighthawks have been tracking down the extraordinary forces behind it. Not only is the 'Witch Cult' involved, but even the 'Aurora Society' has appeared."
At this time, the "Silver Bullet Detective Agency" hung a sign saying it was closed, the doors and windows were closed, and the curtains were tightly drawn to prevent any sound or light from leaking out.
In the hall on the first floor, except for the night watchmen on duty at Chanis Gate, everyone gathered together, either sitting or standing, listening carefully to the mission explanation given by Clement, the captain of Enmat Port.
Most of them were people Angel had become familiar with in the past few days, but there were also two people she had never seen before. They were probably members of the local team who had been busy "monitoring targets" recently.
Daly Simone had made up for her sleep during the day and was in high spirits. She used her gender privilege to occupy the largest sofa and invited Angel to sit with her.
Rupert Norman finally figured out his pipe, which was now trembling slightly in his mouth. He did not light the pipe, but his eyes wandered, scanning the others.
Moreau, the "Sleepless Man" of Pritz Harbor, and Brendan Poirot, the "Midnight Poet", stood behind Rupert with serious expressions and their eyes fixed straight ahead.
Two local night watchmen, one sitting and the other standing, were slightly separated from the others, their eyes looking at their captain.
The captain of the Enmat Port team, "Nightmare" Clement, sat on a high-backed chair. On the low table in front of him was a map of the city with three locations circled in red pen, located in the port area, the west area and the Dulang area.
They are all marginal areas with dense populations and convenient transportation.
"After investigation, we have locked down three areas: Warehouse No. 16 in the port area, the sugar factory on Kewo Street in the west district, and the Yarn Clinic on Fourth Avenue in Dulang District."
As the place names were read out one by one, Clement's fingers tapped the three red circled locations on the map one by one.
"The Yarn Clinic is responsible for examining those who have been abducted or kidnapped. The sugar factory handles the transit in the city. Ultimately, these 'goods' are shipped to the port area and headed for the buyer's designated destination. This year alone, this channel has handled thousands of innocent people, sending them to plantations in the archipelagos of the Raging Sea, mines deep within the southern continent, and even to certain cult sacrificial rituals."
"A large number of followers of the Goddess of Night were harmed!"
The Night Watchmen present all straightened their backs subconsciously, as if they were being looked at by the gaze of a goddess.
Seeing that everyone's emotions had been aroused, Clement smiled with satisfaction, paused for a moment, and then continued:
"Originally, this operation was supposed to be carried out by the church's elite team, the Red Gloves. Well, some of you may have heard of them, or even seen them. If they were responsible, the operation would be foolproof."
"Unfortunately, the Red Gloves have other missions and are currently unable to spare any personnel to support us. This is why everyone has gathered here."
This was the second time Angel had heard the name "Red Gloves".
It was said that this was a force composed of elite Beyonders of at least Sequence 7, selected from within the Night Watch. They operated independently of the local Night Watch teams and watched all parishes vigilantly like hounds, ready to respond to calls for help at any time, supporting teams in various regions or apprehending those extremely vicious Beyonder criminals who liked to commit crimes across regions.
It’s a pity that I only heard their voices but never saw them in person. It seems that I won’t have the chance to see these “red gloves” this time.
"Captain Clement," Rupert Norman, standing behind Angel, raised his pipe, indicating a question. "Wasn't the original plan to begin the capture operation tomorrow after Team Backlund reunites with us? Why did we do it earlier?"
"That's exactly what I was going to say," Clement nodded at Rupert. "According to intelligence, the sugar refinery delivers its 'cargo' to the port warehouse every Monday and secretly ships it out of Enmat Port at night. Unfortunately, there was activity at all three target locations this afternoon. I tried invading the dreams of several ordinary people and learned that they'll likely ship out their current 'cargo' early tomorrow morning."
"Ahead of schedule? Did the news leak out?"
Moreau of the Pritz Harbor team said with a sullen expression, making his already brown skin appear even darker.
"Probably not."
Clement shook his head, his hawk-like eyes sweeping across each person's face in turn, lingering on Angel a little longer.
"Everyone present here is the backbone of the Night Watchmen teams from each diocese. They are well-tested and I believe that no one will leak any information. Moreover, before today, most people did not know the full details of the mission, so there is no way to prevent them from leaking information."
"Could it be...divination?"
Daly said suddenly.
Hearing this familiar word, everyone's face changed.
This is the word that official Beyonders least want to hear, even though they themselves often rely on the results of divination to plan their actions.
"It's very likely that some passive divination ritual knew in advance that our actions would 'pose a danger' to them and issued a warning, or perhaps someone made a spur-of-the-moment divination and exposed our deployment."
Clement rubbed his fingers over the map, echoing Daly's remarks.
"In any case, there's a very high chance that they've discovered our actions, or at least become alert. If we wait until tomorrow night or even the day after tomorrow, by the time everyone breaks down the doors of the port warehouses and sugar refineries, they might only find empty strongholds."
"Then set out as soon as possible and capture them. You should already have a plan."
Brendan Poirot, the "Midnight Poet" who, like Moreau, came from Pritz Harbor, suggested this. He looked eager and action-oriented.
The others, including Angel, nodded in agreement.
We have traveled a long way to the Port of Enmat not to smell the exhaust fumes of these escaping human trafficking cultists. Since they are preparing to evacuate early, we should act in advance and get ahead of them!
Seemingly satisfied with everyone's reactions, Clement's serious expression revealed a hint of a smile. He pushed the map forward so that others could see it more clearly.
"As a Nighthawk stronghold, 'Silver Bullet' has a rudimentary ability to counter Divination, which is why we can hold meetings here in peace. However, once we leave this place, we must assume that our whereabouts will be monitored by the enemy, so we must act quickly and not give them time to react."
He pointed to the point on the map farthest from the coastline, the Yan Clinic in Dulang District.
"This clinic is run by a Beyonder from the Aurora Society, a Sequence 8 of the Mystical Prayer Path, a 'Listener.'"
Angel had seen records of this path in the Nighthawks' internal documents. The church only knew the names of the low-sequence potions and some extraordinary abilities of the "Secret Prayers". Extraordinary people of this sequence could listen to the whispers of hidden beings and gain certain unique and powerful abilities, but as a price, they were very likely to lose control, and if they failed to advance within a few years, they would end up out of control or die.
They either get promoted or die, and rarely stay in this sequence for long.
The other night watchmen also seemed to be familiar with the information and did not question Clement's words.
"Moro and Poirot, the two of you will go to the second floor of the hotel across from Yann's clinic. One of our team members is monitoring the clinic in room 204. After you meet up with him, go directly into the clinic to capture or kill the Listener of the Aurora Society. He has two subordinates who are not Beyonders, but there's no need to hold back. Take whatever measures you deem necessary."
"receive."
"no problem."
The two members of the Pritz Harbor team answered loudly, and Brandon Poirot looked excited, as if he had been looking forward to it for a long time.
"Daly, you lead the team. Marlo and Cliff will follow you. Take '3-0431' Frozen Eye and work with the monitors at the West District Sugar Factory to eliminate the factory guards and rescue the slaves they're hiding there."
"The factory has eight armed guards, commanded by a Beyonder. He's a Sequence 8 Hunter Path, a 'Provocateur'. He's skilled in traps and verbally disrupting opponents during combat. Use the Sealed Artifact to eliminate him directly. The others will restrain the guards and hand them over to the police. Be careful, the guards may become desperate and attack ordinary people. Lethal force may be used if necessary."
It turns out there really is a magic potion called "Provocateur"...and it matches the behavior of that guy from the Dominican Federation.
Angel mentally labeled the Dominican Federation, which was selling extraordinary characteristics today, as a "provocative."
Daly nodded, stood up and walked into a door at the back of the hall. She should be going to "Chanis Gate" to get the sealed object.
The other two Night Watchmen called by the captain were two people Angel had never seen before. One was tall and the other was short, both were men. There was no trace of tension on their calm faces.
"The last one is the warehouse in the port area. I tried several times to enter it using my extraordinary ability, but a strange force inside prevented me. After asking ordinary workers, I learned that there is a staircase leading underground, and they are all prohibited from entering the underground area."
"Besides a few workers who knew the inside story, there was only one mysterious individual in the warehouse, suspected to be a Beyonder. He discovered the first time I used my Nightmare ability. He's likely the same as me, a Sequence 7, or even slightly stronger."
A little stronger, that would be Sequence 6?
Angel looked at the people on the field who had not been assigned tasks. Apart from himself and Clement, there was only another "Midnight Poet" Rupert Norman.
Do the three of them need to deal with that Beyonder who might be a Sequence 6?
As if answering Angel's guess, Clement continued, "There are no workers in Warehouse 16 at night, but that Beyonder has never left the warehouse, so he must have been there at night. I, Rupert Norman, and Angel Granger will deal with him."
"I have requested permission to use '2-032', the Hand of Declaration. Our team will carry the Sealed Artifact and eliminate this Beyonder of unknown sequence."
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