[One week later, Heavenly Martial Capital, Urban District]
Even though he was already aware that a mysterious faction existed within the Association, the sky was being held up by taller men. Consequently, while Chen Kong kept an eye on it, he didn't dwell on it too much and returned to his routine rest.
However, a notification unexpectedly pinged his data terminal.
At dusk, Chen Kong's communicator buzzed urgently, the name "Jing Liuli" flashing on the screen. He answered immediately, and Jing Liuli's lazy voice drifted through.
"Chen Kong, bring An Qin to the Association's Supervision Office for a rendezvous."
"Zhang Qiming and Wang Yuan have made a move. They're meeting tonight at the Evernight Tavern. The Supervision Office is prepared to carry out the arrest, and we need An Qin to verify their contact signals."
"Understood, we're on our way!"
Chen Kong ended the call and sent a message to An Qin, explaining the Association's arrangement. In the medical department, An Qin propped herself up on the clinical bed. Though her body was still somewhat weak, her gaze was exceptionally resolute as she gave her answer.
"I'm fine. Capturing them is vital. Their contact signal is a specific Star-Energy fluctuation; only I can identify it precisely to ensure we don't grab the wrong person."
Chen Kong: "Understood. I'll pick you up in a bit."
With the schedule set, An Qin notified her attending physician. Knowing her situation, the doctor handed her a pale gold nutrient solution.
"This is a Star-Energy Repair Nutrient. It will rapidly replenish your spent stamina and soothe the fatigue in your bloodline."
An Qin took the solution and nodded to the doctor. "Thank you."
She unscrewed the cap and downed it in one go. Instantly, she felt the weakness in her body subside, and the agitation of the Dark Spirit Serpent bloodline settled completely.
[7:00 PM, Heavenly Martial Capital, Star Envoy Association Branch]
Chen Kong arrived at the Supervision Office with An Qin shortly after. Jing Liuli and several staff members were already waiting in the command room.
The virtual screens in the command room displayed real-time surveillance footage of the area around the Evernight Tavern. The figures of Zhang Qiming and Wang Yuan had appeared at the edge of the frame, walking toward the tavern's entrance.
"You're just in time."
Jing Liuli pointed at the screen and said, "The one on the left in the grey instructor's uniform is Zhang Qiming. The one on the right in the logistics workwear is Wang Yuan."
"Surveillance shows they haven't brought any subordinates. It seems to be a private meeting."
An Qin leaned closer to the screen, meticulously observing their movements. Suddenly, she spoke up.
"They are transmitting a signal. When Zhang Qiming raised his hand to adjust his collar just now, his right hand silently released a wisp of faint black Star-Energy. That is their confirmation signal, indicating no other organization members are around and they can proceed to business."
Upon hearing this, Director Li of the Supervision Office immediately issued an order.
"Action team, take note. Target contact signal confirmed. Move out immediately, surround the Evernight Tavern, and prohibit anyone from entering or leaving! Ensure the targets are captured alive; do not alert the enemy!"
"Understood!"
The responses from the action team came through the communicator. On the screens, several dark shadows moved quickly from their hiding spots, silently encircling the Evernight Tavern.
"Let's head over as well to prevent any accidents," Jing Liuli said, turning toward the door. "An Qin, stay behind us. If you notice them making any moves to destroy intelligence, immediately use your Dark Spirit Serpent bloodline to sense their Star-Energy fluctuations. Try to preserve any remnants of the intel."
An Qin nodded. "No problem. My bloodline can sense the trajectory of Star-Energy residues. Even if they destroy the physical intelligence, I can capture fragments of information."
When the group arrived near the Evernight Tavern, the action team had already secured the entrances and exits. Director Li gave a hand signal for 'Action,' and several team members burst through the door. Brief exclamations of surprise echoed from inside before falling silent.
Chen Kong and the others entered the tavern to find Zhang Qiming and Wang Yuan already bound by golden restraining chains, slumped on the floor with expressions of shock and indignation.
When Zhang Qiming saw Chen Kong and An Qin, a flash of malice flickered in his eyes. "Traitor! You actually dared to betray the organization!"
An Qin's gaze was icy; she ignored his shouting. "I was never one of yours. I was merely a pawn you manipulated."
She walked up to the two men and closed her eyes. Her Dark Spirit Serpent bloodline's sensory ability operated at full capacity as pale purple Star-Energy slowly flowed around her.
"You were just passing an encrypted chip containing student Star-Energy data. Where is it?"
Wang Yuan gritted his teeth. "I don't know what you're talking about. We were just here for a drink. There is no chip!"
"Is that so?"
An Qin snapped her eyes open, a flash of purple Star-Energy pointing toward Zhang Qiming's pocket. "The chip is in your left pocket. Though you tried to hide it with Star-Energy, that specific 'Abyssal aura' cannot escape my senses."
Zhang Qiming's expression shifted. He instinctively tried to cover his pocket, but was pinned down by the action team members. A member pulled a black chip from his pocket, which indeed hummed with a faint Abyssal energy.
"The evidence is irrefutable. What else do you have to say?" Director Li stepped forward, his tone stern. "Take them back to the Supervision Office for interrogation. We must extract the identity of the high-level mole and the specific details of the Star-Energy Grand Ceremony!"
Just as the action team prepared to haul them away, Zhang Qiming burst into a fit of manic laughter, a strange light glinting in his eyes.
"It's useless! Even if you catch us, it changes nothing!"
"The ceremony of the Star-Energy Grand Ceremony will succeed. Heavenly Martial Capital will eventually be swallowed by Abyssal energy!"
"By then... all of you will become sacrifices for the ritual!"
Beside him, Wang Yuan joined in the laughter. "Just wait. In less than three months, you will witness the victory of the Abyssal Heavens Organization with your own eyes!"
In response, Jing Liuli's gaze turned cold, and she took a step forward. A second later, Zhang Qiming and Wang Yuan looked as if they were experiencing a nightmare, their faces contorted in terror. They could no longer make a sound, only struggle futilely.
Having finished, Jing Liuli remarked derisively, "Another bunch of self-righteous lunatics. Take them away."
At 8:00 PM, Jing Liuli's group returned to the Supervision Office with the captives and the encrypted chip. As they entered the main hall, they saw Tendo standing there holding a file.
Jing Liuli approached and said, "Tendo, we successfully captured Zhang Qiming and Wang Yuan. We also found the encrypted chip they were passing."
Tendo nodded and handed the file to Chen Kong. "Look at this. I just visited the Association Branch to pull the files on high-level personnel, but I found that three sets of core data have been manually encrypted. The clearance level required even exceeds that of the Branch President."
Jing Liuli took the file. The virtual screen displayed three blurred names, with all other information covered by red encryption symbols.
"This is?"
"These three people are Vice-President Zhao Kun of the Branch, Director Lu Ming of the Supervision Office, and Han Wen, the Logistics Director." Tendo's tone was frigid. "Only one of those three, or someone even higher up, could encrypt data of this level."
"According to An Qin's intel, the mole is in the branch's senior leadership, so these three are the prime suspects."
Jing Liuli thought for a moment and asked curiously, "What about the Branch President?"
Tendo smiled. "You seem to underestimate our President. The Branch President of a Floating City... is not as simple as you think. So, he can be ruled out."
"I see," Jing Liuli realized.
During their conversation, An Qin approached. Looking at the three names on the screen, her brow furrowed. "When I was in the organization, I heard the higher-ups mention someone with the codename 'Night Owl.' They said he was planted in a core department of the Star Envoy Association and was responsible for coordinating the Star-Energy Grand Ceremony."
"But I never saw his face, nor did I know his true identity."
"Night Owl?" Jing Liuli said thoughtfully. "That codename is interesting. It seems we cannot alert the enemy; we must investigate these three in secret."
Caroline, meanwhile, had connected the encrypted chip to the Supervision Office's optical computer and was attempting to crack its secrets, though it was proving difficult. While operating the complex machine, she said, "The encryption level on this chip is very high. Cracking it without damage will take time."
"However, I've discovered that besides the student Star-Energy data, there is coordinate information for the ceremony site. It appears to be near the Star-Energy Core District of Heavenly Martial Capital."
"The Star-Energy Core District?" Chen Kong's expression shifted. He said instinctively, "That is the energy hub of the city! If they hold a ritual there, the consequences would be catastrophic!"
Tendo walked to the computer, looking at the coordinates. He said calmly, "The defense systems of the Core District are very strong. To set up a ritual there, one must have internal authorization. This further validates our judgment that the mole is among the three people mentioned."
Just then, Caroline's mechanical eyes flickered. Her tone was grave. "The chip has a self-destruct program. I triggered it halfway through the crack. The chip is burning."
Everyone looked up to see black smoke rising from the chip connected to the computer. The Star-Energy data was vanishing rapidly. Tendo immediately raised his hand to release a vector field, attempting to encase the chip to stop the combustion, but the self-destruct speed was too fast. In an instant, it turned into a pile of black ash, and all data was lost.
"Damn it!" Chen Kong couldn't help but curse.
"It's alright," An Qin spoke up. "Back at the tavern, I used my bloodline to memorize the fluctuation trajectories of most of the Star-Energy data in the chip."
"While I can't restore it perfectly, I can try to derive key information based on those trajectories—such as the type of Star-Energy needed for the ritual and the experimental equipment likely to be used."
Tendo gave Caroline a meaningful look before turning to An Qin. "In that case, Caroline, you will build a data model based on the trajectories she provides and try to reconstruct the information."
"As for the mole, the rest of you don't need to get involved. At this stage, many things are no longer for casual contact."
"Understood," Chen Kong and the others nodded and left one after another.
Once they were gone, Tendo approached Caroline privately and asked, "On purpose?"
Caroline nodded. "On purpose."
Tendo didn't ask her reasons, as he knew she wouldn't do something like that without a good one. He waved his hand and said, "Just make sure you handle the scale of it yourself."
"Mhm."
Over the following days, the surface of Heavenly Martial Capital remained calm, but an investigation into the mole "Night Owl" was quietly unfolding. The Supervision Office monitored the movements of the three high-level officials closely. They found no obvious overlap between them on the surface, but all three had indirect ties to the Evernight Tavern in secret.
An Qin and Caroline, meanwhile, worked in the lab, slowly building the data model from the Star-Energy trajectories. After two days and nights of effort, they finally reconstructed part of the key information.
The ceremony of the Star-Energy Grand Ceremony required collecting a vast amount of Star-Energy from students with special Star-Sources and injecting it into the energy converters of the Core District. This would trigger an energy explosion to open an Abyssal channel, allowing Abyssal energy to flood into Heavenly Martial Capital.
"Opening an Abyssal channel?" An Qin's face was grim as she looked at the data. "I didn't expect the organization's goal to be this. Once that channel opens, the entire city will be eroded. The consequences are unthinkable."
Just then, Caroline's communicator rang again. It was a message from the team monitoring Lu Ming.
"Caroline, Lu Ming has moved. He just left the Association and is heading toward the Core District. He's carrying an encrypted briefcase; it looks very suspicious."
Caroline stood up immediately. "We'll be there as soon as possible. Continue tracking him from the shadows; do not expose yourselves."
Turning to An Qin, she said, "Stay here. We'll handle the rest."
"Mhm."
Caroline took a group of high-level Star Envoys assigned to her and rushed to the Core District. From a distance, she saw Lu Ming's figure at the entrance, conversing with the guards. After the guards inspected his briefcase, they let him inside.
Caroline signaled for the group to stay hidden, not rushing to act. Though some of the team members were confused, they chose to follow her orders. Once Lu Ming had completely disappeared into the Core District, Caroline led the group to follow.
For a skilled hunter, besides knowing how to hide, one must also know how to lay out bait. While disrupting the Abyssal Heavens Organization's plan and ensuring the ceremony went smoothly was important, for Caroline, doing only that was not enough.
Therefore, she was willing to take a small risk. The risk lay in not immediately uprooting the enemy, but allowing them to proceed with their plan. In Caroline's mind, this Abyssal Heavens Organization was a very important "stepping stone" for Tendo to enter the high-ranking circles of the Association.
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A new Demon Slayer fanfic has been uploaded! Don't forget to check it out—it's really good and I think you'll love it.