Fine snow was still falling over Northveil.
The sky was covered by thick clouds.
The sunlight never managed to break through them, leaving only a gray-white canopy hanging over the entire city.
The roads that had already been cleared were once again covered with a thin layer of fresh snow.
Snow-clearing vehicles moved slowly along the main roads.
Orange warning lights flashed continuously.
The metal blades pushed the snow aside, piling it into rows of snow walls along the roadside.
Vehicles traveling along the wet, slippery roads rolled over the surface.
The sound of tires scraping against the ground mixed with the low rumble of engines.
Shops along the streets gradually opened for business.
People constantly entered and left the convenience stores.
White steam rose from breakfast shops.
The air carried a mixture of coffee, bread, and the crisp chill unique to winter.
All of Northveil continued to move slowly according to its own rhythm.
The Administrative Center operated as usual.
The Pollution Processing Department also began another normal day of work.
The Department Store incident had gradually faded from public discussion.
News channels had begun reporting on new social events.
Online discussions about the incident were also steadily losing their intensity.
Aside from a small number of people who had actually participated in the investigation, almost no one continued to pay attention to the pollution incident that had already ended.
Even fewer people knew that the long-term observation surrounding an ordinary employee of the Pollution Processing Department was still continuing silently on the other side of the city.
At the same time.
Another, far more secretive investigation had officially begun.
Lucian arrived near the Pollution Processing Department earlier than he had the previous day.
It was not yet eight o'clock.
The flow of pedestrians had not yet reached its peak.
Office buildings were gradually lighting up.
Many employees hurried across the streets carrying briefcases.
Others walked while drinking freshly purchased hot coffee and checking their work schedules on their terminals.
Lucian did not stop.
Nor did he choose any fixed observation point.
He simply walked slowly along the sidewalk as usual.
His pace was not fast.
His speed remained consistent with the pedestrians around him.
When he passed a bookstore, he stopped.
Through the display window, he glanced at the newly displayed books.
A few seconds later, he continued forward.
When he reached a convenience store, he casually picked up a bottle of mineral water.
He paid.
Then left.
There was nothing deliberate about the entire process.
He looked more like an ordinary traveler preparing to begin his day.
No one would have given him a second glance because of it.
Yesterday.
He had already changed his method of investigation.
He no longer followed the people responsible for the observation.
The reason was simple.
The technicians' analysis had already proven that continuing to tail them would only lead into a field that the other side was most familiar with and best equipped to handle.
The observers themselves were not the focus of the investigation.
What truly needed to be found was the flow of information supporting the continued operation of the entire observation network.
As long as he could locate the place where intelligence was exchanged, the organization behind the observation network would eventually reveal its true outline.
Therefore, today's task was only one thing.
Record.
Record every rotation.
Record every time point.
Record every piece of data that could be verified.
8:38 a.m.
The flow of people in front of the Pollution Processing Department began to increase noticeably.
Government vehicles slowly emerged from the underground parking lot.
Employees gradually left the office building.
Some were preparing to head to pollution inspection sites.
Others drove toward the opposite side of the city.
Several logistics workers pushed transport carts carrying inspection equipment toward the parking area.
Lucian stood on the opposite side of the street.
His calm gaze swept across the entire area.
He did not focus on any particular person.
Nor did he show any sign of deliberately observing anyone.
He simply watched the street naturally, as though waiting for a traffic light.
8:42 a.m.
The entrance of the Pollution Processing Department opened again.
Irina walked out of the office building.
She was still wearing her Pollution Processing Department uniform.
A work bag hung from her shoulder.
She held a terminal in her left hand.
While checking the day's assignments, she slowly walked along the familiar sidewalk.
Her expression was no different from usual.
She clearly had no idea that the moment she left the office building each day would become the signal for an organization somewhere to begin operating.
Almost at the exact moment she stepped onto the sidewalk, the first observation point began to change.
Beside a newsstand.
A man who had been flipping through a magazine slowly closed it.
He returned the magazine to the shelf.
Then slowly walked away along the street.
The entire movement looked completely natural.
There was not even a moment of hesitation.
Less than ten seconds later.
Another young man carrying a briefcase approached the area.
He looked as though he were waiting for a friend.
He lowered his head and adjusted his scarf.
Then stopped beside the newsstand.
His eyes occasionally swept across the street before quickly moving away again.
From beginning to end.
No one would have thought there was anything unusual about him.
At the same time.
In the direction of the bus stop.
An elderly man waiting for a bus slowly stood up.
He glanced at the sign.
Then slowly walked away.
A few seconds later.
A young woman arrived at the same location.
She was wearing earphones.
Her head was lowered as she browsed her terminal.
Occasionally, she raised her head to look at a bus approaching in the distance.
Her movements were so natural that there was not a single obvious flaw.
Lucian did not continue watching them.
His gaze lingered only briefly.
Then he lowered his head and looked at his terminal.
8:43 a.m.
The first rotation was complete.
He entered no evaluation.
He simply recorded the time.
Then continued walking forward.
The entire street remained no different from usual.
Cars continued moving.
Pedestrians continued talking.
Shops continued operating.
Everyone's life moved forward slowly according to its own rhythm.
Only a very small number of figures hidden among the crowd were carrying out their respective duties.
Ten minutes later.
The second change appeared.
In front of a convenience store.
A man smoking a cigarette threw the cigarette butt into a trash can.
Then slowly walked away.
Almost at the same time.
Another young man carrying a breakfast paper bag stopped nearby.
He stood less than ten meters from the convenience store.
While drinking hot coffee, he looked toward the other side of the street.
There was no obvious connection between the movements of the two men.
Nor did they exchange a single word.
They looked like nothing more than two ordinary strangers who happened to pass through the same place.
8:54 a.m.
The second rotation.
Lucian recorded the time again.
Still without any unnecessary movement.
9:09 a.m.
The third rotation.
9:21 a.m.
The fourth rotation.
As time continued to pass, the entire observation network continued operating as steadily as it had the previous day.
It did not change because of the weather.
It did not change because of the flow of pedestrians.
Nor did it change because of road conditions.
The observers continued to change.
The observation points remained fixed.
Every movement was precise, like a clock that had been programmed in advance.
Each person was responsible for only a few minutes.
Then they naturally withdrew.
The next person took over without any gap.
The entire process contained neither hesitation nor confusion.
Lucian silently stood among the crowd.
He quietly watched everything.
If he had not already observed the area for two consecutive days, no one would have realized that these seemingly unrelated people were actually part of a massive observation network covering the entire street.
11:40 a.m.
Lucian left the area around the Pollution Processing Department.
He did not head directly to the agreed meeting place.
Instead, he slowly walked along the commercial street.
He passed a bookstore along the way.
He stopped inside for several minutes.
Then he entered a convenience store.
He casually bought another bottle of mineral water.
Finally, after taking a detour around two blocks, he arrived at the same café as yesterday.
He pushed open the glass door.
Warm air greeted him.
Soft music was still playing inside.
The aroma of coffee mixed with freshly baked bread filled the air.
The lunch break had just begun.
There were noticeably more customers than yesterday.
Some had opened their laptops to handle work.
Some were quietly reading documents.
Others simply sat by the windows and rested.
Everyone was immersed in their own affairs.
No one paid attention to the young man who had just entered.
By the window.
The technician had already arrived.
Today.
His table was even tidier than yesterday.
His computer was already turned on.
Beside it sat a cup of black coffee that had barely been touched.
Various data continuously scrolled across the screen.
Maps.
Timelines.
Signal numbers.
Base-station coverage areas.
And several constantly changing statistical charts.
Lucian sat down.
Neither of them exchanged greetings.
The technician simply turned the computer toward him.
"Today's morning data."
"The first round of processing is already complete."
Lucian's gaze fell on the screen.
The electronic map had been enlarged.
Several blocks surrounding the Pollution Processing Department were displayed in full.
The observation points recorded yesterday had already been marked with blue circles.
The new data from today was layered over the map in different colors.
The technician lightly clicked on the first observation point.
A time record immediately appeared on the right side of the screen.
08:43:12.
"First rotation."
Then.
The second set of data expanded.
08:54:31.
"Second rotation."
The third set.
09:08:47.
"Third rotation."
Every time matched the data Lucian had recorded that morning almost perfectly.
The difference was less than two seconds.
The technician continued operating the computer.
A new analysis window slowly opened.
"Based on your records."
"I compressed the communication screening range."
"To thirty seconds before and after each rotation."
"At the same time."
"I restricted the coverage area to within one hundred meters of the corresponding observation point."
He spoke at a steady pace.
It sounded like an ordinary work report.
"After doing that."
"The original millions of communication records."
"Were reduced to a few hundred."
"After excluding residents' normal communications."
"Commercial payments."
"Public network synchronization."
"The remaining data."
"Isn't much."
The screen changed again.
Several dozen identification numbers appeared in a list.
Each one was accompanied by its appearance time.
Duration.
And connected base station.
Lucian quietly watched.
He did not interrupt.
The technician continued.
"Most terminals."
"Only appear once."
"Or twice."
"Those can basically be excluded."
"The ones truly worth paying attention to."
He lightly tapped the keyboard.
Several identification numbers were immediately enlarged.
"Are these."
Five numbers appeared in the center of the screen, marked in red.
The technician explained.
"Every time they appear."
"The duration is extremely short."
"The longest is zero point eight seconds."
"The shortest is zero point two seconds."
"No voice."
"No continuous data transmission."
"It's more like a tiny data confirmation."
Lucian looked at those timestamps.
Then slowly said.
"Before the rotation begins."
The technician nodded.
"Almost every time."
"And."
He enlarged the data again.
"After it ends."
"There is another one."
On the screen.
Almost every rotation was accompanied by two extremely brief communications.
One at the beginning.
One at the end.
The timing was astonishingly consistent.
Lucian narrowed his eyes slightly.
In his mind.
The scenes of the observers leaving and being replaced appeared again.
Without this data.
Anyone would have assumed they were simply ordinary pedestrians.
But now.
Every action had begun to carry another meaning.
The technician continued.
"What is truly interesting."
"Isn't the communication itself."
"It's the location."
The map was enlarged again.
Several red dots slowly lit up.
They were distributed across different blocks.
They were not particularly close to one another.
Yet they always remained around the perimeter of the Pollution Processing Department.
The technician said.
"This morning."
"These identification numbers."
"Didn't remain in one fixed location."
"They kept moving."
"But the way they moved."
"Was almost synchronized."
"With the changes in the observation points you recorded."
Lucian slowly said.
"The terminals follow the observers."
"More accurately."
The technician corrected him.
"The observers carry the terminals."
"With every rotation."
"The terminals move with them."
"Therefore."
"We can't determine yet."
"Who is actually issuing the instructions."
As he spoke.
He reopened another map.
This one showed the distribution of base stations throughout Northveil.
Thousands of green signals covered the entire city.
And after each communication.
Those several identification numbers connected to different base stations.
Then immediately disappeared.
The technician leaned slightly back in his chair.
"They're extremely cautious."
"They don't stay in one place for long."
"And they don't repeatedly connect to the same base station."
"If we only have today's data."
"We can't prove anything."
Lucian nodded.
He understood.
A real investigation was never going to end in a single day.
The technician continued.
"However."
"We already have a direction."
He opened another statistical chart.
New numbers began appearing beneath the five identification numbers.
"If they appear again tomorrow."
"And continue appearing the day after."
"For three consecutive days."
"I'll be able to confirm."
"That they belong to a fixed operational system."
"At that point."
"We can analyze backward."
"The location of each terminal's final connection of the day."
"And we may have a chance to find the information aggregation point."
Lucian's gaze stopped on the words "final connection."
He remained silent for a moment.
Then slowly spoke.
"In other words."
"We don't need to follow the people."
"We only need to follow the signal they send."
"After their day is over."
"The final signal."
A faint smile appeared on the technician's face.
"Exactly."
"People can hide."
"Routes can change."
"Identities can be replaced."
"But after the day's work is finished."
"The intelligence has to be gathered somewhere."
"As long as an aggregation point exists."
"It will leave a trace."
"That is our breakthrough point."
Silence returned between the two.
A server placed a fresh cup of hot coffee on the table.
"Please enjoy."
Then turned and walked away.
She did not disturb them.
Lucian picked up the coffee.
He did not drink it immediately.
He simply looked out the window.
Snow was still falling quietly.
Pedestrians continued moving along the streets.
In the distance.
In the direction of the Pollution Processing Department.
Another rotation was probably still taking place.
The observation network hidden among the crowds continued operating as usual.
Precise.
Stable.
Without any obvious flaw.
But this time.
It was no longer leaving behind only the movements of people.
It was also leaving behind strings of data that were almost impossible to notice.
The technician closed the computer again.
His tone remained calm.
"Starting today."
"Don't change the investigation method."
"Continue recording."
"The more precise the time."
"The more reliable the analysis will be."
"Also."
"Don't try to approach the observers again."
"Right now."
"Our advantage."
"Is that they don't know."
"That they've already started leaving traces."
Lucian nodded lightly.
"I understand."
Neither of them continued the discussion.
The information they had obtained today was already enough.
What remained required time to accumulate.
The technician packed up his computer.
Then stood.
Like an ordinary businessman, he straightened his coat.
Then naturally walked toward the counter to pay.
Throughout the entire process.
He never looked back.
Nor did he exchange another word with Lucian.
A few minutes later.
Lucian also stood and left.
The two walked one after the other.
Then merged into streams of people heading in different directions.
As though they had never met.
Snow continued to fall slowly.
Northveil remained peaceful.
And among the countless communication signals moving through the city.
Several almost insignificant pieces of data had already been quietly marked.
They might be the first key to unraveling the entire observation network.