Chapter 16 Nighthawks in Action
As the sunlight outside the window gradually disappeared and began to be replaced by crimson moonlight, Tingen's Nighthawks were finally ready to take action against Madam Sharon.
At dinner, Xijia Teong came to the lounge to replace Leonard Mitchell, who had been silent since a brief conversation. She also brought Angel's second meal at Blackthorn Security Company. The enthusiastic and talkative Ms. Xijia originally wanted to continue the topic of "Anecdotes about the Beyonder Squad in Tingen City," but seeing that Angel was in a bad mood, she did not interrupt her and instead quietly read the newspaper.
During this time, Angel, led by Xijia, went to the bathroom on the third floor of the company and met Daly Simone, a "psychic" who had just woken up and was dressed in a slightly mysterious manner.
According to Xijia, unlike Angel's previous guess, Daly did not belong to the Nighthawks team in Tingen City, but was a Nighthawk from Enmat Port in Eastchester County. She came from Enmat Port this time because she needed the help of a psychic for a mysterious incident involving extraordinary items.
So the six fighters of Tingen's Night Squad don't actually include Daly Simone?
Angel deleted Daly from the list of the Nighthawks in her mind and found that this left three vacancies, but she did not continue to ask Xiga, as this would seem that she was deliberately trying to gather information, which was quite suspicious when the Nighthawks were about to launch a capture operation.
But soon, in the reception room of the Blackthorn Security Company after dinner, she met most of the combatants of the Nighthawks team.
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"In Madam Sharon's invitation, the meeting time agreed upon with Ms. Granger is 8 p.m. To avoid her breaking the appointment and alerting Madam Sharon, we will begin the operation at 7 p.m."
Dunn Smith, who was not wearing the black and white checkered uniform of the Tingen City police, but had changed into a slim black windbreaker, sat in a reclining chair and flipped through his old, palm-sized notebook. The other "Night Watchers" were either standing or sitting around their captain. Angel no longer stayed in the lounge, but listened on the sofa in the corner.
"Frye, Luo Yao, and Xijia, the three of you will ride with me in a carriage to Sharon Hoy's home on Orsner Street to carry out the capture operation. I have applied for the right to use Sealed Artifact 2-105. Upon arrival, Frye will carry it and use it. Cornley will be guarding the Chanis Gate today and will not participate in the operation. Leonard, you and Daly will stay here to protect Angel Granger until the operation is completed."
This was the first time Angel heard the word "Chaness Gate". There was no clue about it in his memory. It seemed that this was a special facility located in this building and needed to be guarded at all times.
Frye and Luo Yao were the other two Night Watchmen who arrived during dinner. Frye was a pale-skinned, high-nosed man in his thirties, a man of few words, nodding only to acknowledge Captain Dunn's mention of him. Luo Yao, on the other hand, was a cold woman with long black hair, deep blue eyes, and thin eyebrows. When assigned a task, she whispered, "Understood."
Xiga had been sitting next to Angel. When he heard that he would be involved in the arrest operation, he smiled and nodded slightly.
Leonard Mitchell, who had previously asked Angel if he was willing to join the Nighthawks, stood by the entrance with his back against the wall, his green eyes scanning the entire place from time to time. When he heard that his mission was to stay behind, he looked indifferent, as if he had known it for a long time.
With the addition of Cornelius, who was mentioned by Dunn at the end, the list of the six-member team was finally fully presented to Angel.
The "non-staff member" Daley was still wearing her black robe, sitting in the armchair facing Dunn Smith, exuding a lazy air as if she had not yet woken up. When she learned that she was not involved in the arrest operation, she looked up at Dunn, then lowered her head and studied the crystal pendant in her hand.
Mrs. Sharon's residence was located on Orsner Street in the eastern district of Tingen City, not far from the Blackthorn Security Company in the northern district. A carriage ride would take about a quarter of an hour, giving them ample time to depart at 7:00 AM without exposing themselves too early. Faced with a known target, they chose not to attack with their entire force, but instead cautiously left a few personnel behind to guard the base and protect the important "witness," demonstrating Dunn Smith's cautious approach.
"Captain, didn't you say that after everyone is here, you would introduce Mrs. Sharon's abilities in detail?" Xiga Teong, who was next to Angel, raised his right hand and asked.
"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot..." Dunn was stunned for a moment before answering. He flipped through his notebook, found what he wanted to say, cleared his throat, and began to repeat what he learned from Angel about Mrs. Sharon's extraordinary abilities.
The other Nighthawks seemed accustomed to it and listened to the captain's speech with unchanged expressions.
Is this person really reliable... The slight admiration that Angel had just felt disappeared in an instant.
"...These are the abilities we know of so far. The greatest threat to us is the Witch's invisibility. Once she enters invisibility, we'll be in a difficult position without any ranged attacks. So, I'll first attempt to remotely lull her into a dream. If successful, the rest of us will enter the residence and subdue her. However, Madam Sharon is likely a Sequence 6, so my abilities can't guarantee success. If we engage in direct combat, Frye will need to use 2-105 to attempt to steal Madam Sharon's invisibility. As long as she can't turn invisible, her other abilities won't pose a threat to us who are well prepared. I'll then contain her, and your objective will change from capturing her alive to killing her on the spot. Our own safety is paramount."
Dunn Smith quickly introduced Mrs. Sharon's extraordinary abilities and assigned tasks to the combat team.
Angel used Cole Granger's memory of Mrs. Sharon and substituted her into Dunn Smith's battle plan. He rehearsed it in his mind and felt that Mrs. Sharon would be unable to escape this time.
As for Lady Sharon, who was likely a Sequence 6, success wasn't guaranteed. Dunn Smith likely possessed abilities no lower than Sequence 7. Once he successfully dragged Lady Sharon into the dream, she would be helpless and helpless, a lamb to be slaughtered or captured at the mercy of the Nighthawks. Even if the dream failed and direct combat began, the Sealed Artifact "2-105" he mentioned could steal her invisibility, depriving her of her most important means of escape or counterattack. The curse wouldn't be activated or effective on the spot, and fire and frost abilities wouldn't necessarily outperform firearms in close combat. With four against one, even with calculated tactics, they had a very good chance of victory against even a Sequence 6 Lady Sharon.
Tingen City alone boasts three teams with this kind of combat capability. According to Siga Theon, the Mandated Punishers are even more aggressive, and the Mechanical Heart possesses a wealth of heavy firepower. It's no wonder that unofficial Beyonders are so cautious. Once exposed, they stand little chance of success in a premeditated capture operation by an official Beyonder organization, and even a determined escape wouldn't guarantee success.
Angel felt a pang of regret for Madam Sharon's tragic fate, and he understood why Dunn Smith opposed his participation in the capture of Madam Sharon. The seven people in this room were all Beyonders, and he was probably the weakest one. His "Assassin" close combat abilities wouldn't be of much use in the operation, and his participation would only cause trouble.
If he had the strength of Sequence 7 or even Sequence 6, he would have rushed to Madam Sharon's house with a gun in hand. Why would he wait here for the outcome of the Nighthawk's actions to determine his future fate?
Angel sighed secretly. Even if he had the opportunity to improve his strength, could he really go against his conscience and become an "assassin" and "instigator" and step on the flesh and blood of innocent people to get promoted?
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The four members of the "action team" quickly set off, gathering their weapons and ammunition. Frye, with his black hair and blue eyes, carried an object shaped like a blood vessel peeled from a human body. They filed out of the main entrance. Soon, the sound of wheels tumbling over the cobblestones could be heard from downstairs, followed by the clacking of whips, which gradually faded away.
Angel also met one of the Nighthawks' civilian staff, a middle-aged man named Brett. He had a thick beard, wore a suit and a top hat, and wore a faint smile. He looked more like a butler from a wealthy family than a member of a Beyonder organization.
Civilian staff like Brett do not participate in external operations. They are responsible for daily reception, room cleaning, paperwork, and guarding weapons, materials and document libraries. Like the extraordinary people guarding the "Chanis Gate", they also need to take turns on night duty.
"We originally had seven civilian staff members, including Old Neil, who was transferred from a full-time member to a civilian position. There were five people on rotation at the weapons and materials depot. Cornley, who's on duty at Chanis Gate today, chose to become a Sleepless Person, and Viola didn't renew her contract. Now they're having trouble keeping up with the rotation."
The reception room, which seemed somewhat empty after the four men left, was occupied by Angel, Daly, and Leonard, who sat in a circle around the central table. Brett made tea for them and then returned to guarding the armory. Leonard sighed as he watched him leave.
"A new member joined us this week. Like you, he was involved in a mysterious incident. Although he's not a Beyonder, he luckily survived and decided to join the Nighthawks. Roshan thought he'd be a civilian and was overjoyed. But the captain told me that he won't be on duty for the time being after joining, and Roshan doesn't know about this yet... Oh, Roshan is also one of our civilian staff. She's on duty tomorrow, and you'll see her."
Why are you telling me this...
Angel maintained a polite smile as he listened to Leonard's introduction of the civilian staff's work arrangements, but he felt a little confused. During the afternoon chat, Xijia avoided talking about the internal situation of the "Nighthawks", indicating that they had relevant restrictions, but Leonard spoke without restraint and revealed everything. Was there any special reason?
Daley Simone, who was sitting nearby, seemed uninterested in these contents. She fell into a depressed state after Dunn Smith and the others set off. She was either staring at the tea leaves floating in the teacup or seemingly looking at the other two people, but her eyes were actually not focused at all.
"By the way, the captain asked me to return your weapon. I also have a question." Leonard was almost at the beginning of his introduction to the history of the Chanis Gate when he clapped his hands together as if suddenly remembering something. He pulled a wooden box from his pocket and placed it on the table. It was the special bullet he had taken from Angel earlier.
Leonard also took out two revolvers, one large and one small, and placed them together with the bullet box. Then he picked up a "Storm Gathering" bullet engraved with complex patterns and the Holy Emblem of the Night Goddess, and placed it next to one of his demon hunting bullets, just like he had done in the carriage during the day, for comparison.
"The 'Demon Hunting Bullet' produced by the Church is engraved with the Hermetic text used for sacrifices and the holy emblem pointing to the Goddess of Night, gaining additional lethality against extraordinary creatures." He pointed to the smaller, but obviously more finely crafted, silver-white bullet that looked very expensive and introduced it.
Angel sat up slightly and listened to his introduction. Daly, who was staring blankly at the side, also focused her attention and looked at Leonard.
"But I carefully examined your bullet this afternoon. The patterns on it are very orderly. It should be an engraving with a similar effect to the demon hunting bullet. It is not Hermetic, nor does it belong to any other language I have seen. Like the demon hunting bullet, it ultimately uses the holy symbol of the Goddess of Night, but I am very curious about its content."
This certainly doesn't belong to any text you've ever seen, because it's English, and in cursive script...
Angel felt helpless. She had cleverly passed the polygraph test in the carriage during the day. She thought Leonard would never mention it again, but she didn't expect that the inquisitive young Night Watchman still remembered it and even carefully studied the patterns on the bullet.
Luckily, the "sealed artifact" has been put away. Daly needs it for lie detection, which means she doesn't have the ability, or can't use it in real time. Now's the time to test my ability to lie without blushing or beating my heart...
Angel quickly prepared a speech and was about to lead this non-existent text to some ancient belief when Daly suddenly frowned, looked around, and stood up.
"Something is wrong. The spirits nearby are filled with anxiety..."
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