Chapter 23: Nightfall
Night had deepened.
The room was dark. Hodell lay flat on the bed with both hands tucked beneath his head, staring up at the vague outline of the ceiling.
Sleep had almost taken him.
In that drifting half awake state, his fingers rubbed together unconsciously, and he muttered, "The WiFi password… seems like eight eights…"
His fingertips traced a small circle in the air.
A string of faint sparks crackled out.
Hodell's eyes flew open.
He sat up at once, fully awake.
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath. "This world is way too dangerous. If I keep casting in my sleep, sooner or later I'm going to wake up bankrupt and crying."
Now that he was awake, sleep refused to return.
He let out a long sigh and rolled onto his back again.
"The Star Sea Human Sleep Server must be full tonight. Guess I need to wait for someone else to log out before I can queue in."
He paused, then added in a quieter voice, "Shame you can't just call a friend at times like this…"
Just then, a light knock sounded at the door.
Knock.
Knock knock.
The rhythm was measured, steady, and oddly careful, as if the person outside feared disturbing the silence too much.
Hodell's gaze sharpened immediately. Every bit of drowsiness vanished.
He did not answer right away. Instead, he stayed still and listened.
Only one person.
The breathing outside the door was faint and even.
He rose soundlessly, crossed the room, and stopped by the door. Not for the first time, he found himself cursing the lack of a peephole on Liuli Star.
After a brief pause, he slid the lock aside.
Lamia stood outside.
Her head was lowered. Her eyes stayed downcast. Under the corridor lights, she looked timid enough to wilt if anyone raised their voice. The oversized clothes hanging off her only made her seem smaller.
"Spe Specialist Ryan…" she said softly. "I'm sorry to disturb you so late. There seems to be something missing from the daytime matter that needs your confirmation."
Hodell studied her for a moment, then stepped aside.
"Come in."
Lamia slipped inside quickly, almost like a startled animal darting into shelter. She closed the door behind her with great care.
The room remained dark. Only a faint wash of light from outside the window outlined the furniture.
The instant the automatic soundproofing barrier activated, Lamia straightened.
The timid air around her vanished.
Her gaze lifted, sharp and calm, and swept over Hodell's pale face and the weariness around his eyes.
Hodell looked back at her in silence.
Did this woman max out [Acting Skill] too?
"It seems today's mission wasn't easy," she said.
Her voice was still gentle, but there was no weakness in it now.
Hodell walked to the window and looked out at the bizarre, dreamlike silhouettes of Oluson's buildings. "Was this part of the organization's plan too?"
"No."
Lamia stopped a short distance behind him.
"The organization received intelligence. The situation in Oluson is deeper than expected. There may be another force moving behind the scenes."
She paused, as if weighing his reaction.
Hodell gave her nothing.
"You are already at the center of the vortex," she continued. "The organization needs you to stay alert, and as quickly as possible, acquire enough strength to protect yourself and cooperate with future operations."
Hodell slowly turned around.
The starlight outside traced the line of his face, and his eyes looked unusually bright in the dark.
"Alertness is nice," he said, "but it doesn't stop claws, spells, and bad luck. With what I have now, the next time something like this happens, I may not live long enough to wait for the Silver Radiance Sword."
He took one step toward her.
His stare sharpened.
"I need advanced knowledge of the Superpower System."
Lamia met his eyes.
For a few seconds, neither spoke.
Finally, she said, "I will relay the request."
Then her tone shifted slightly, colder, more practical.
"Until the organization replies, maintain your current state. Take your medicine on time, keep your condition stable, and remain cautious."
As she spoke, she took out a small black bottle and handed it to him.
Once that was done, she lowered her head again.
The change was immediate.
In a blink, the sharpness drained away, and the timid logistics worker returned.
"Sorry for disturbing your rest, Specialist Ryan," she said softly.
Then she left as quietly as she had come.
The door clicked shut.
Hodell looked down at the bottle in his hand and almost laughed.
A carrot in front of the donkey's nose.
Run, and maybe the next one will be bigger.
He stood by the window for a while longer, looking out at the strange clustered buildings under the night sky.
At some point, drowsiness finally came again.
This time, he did not fight it.
…
The next morning, Hodell pushed open the briefing room door and found, unsurprisingly, that he was the last to arrive.
Kyle stood at the front of the room.
"Everyone's here."
He wasted no time.
"We just received an emergency bulletin issued directly from headquarters. Based on the evidence we recovered and additional intelligence from the Ministry of Magic, the General Administration and the Ministry have reached a joint operation agreement."
Behind him, the crystal screen flickered to life.
The emblem of the Black Bone Family appeared and was struck through by a bright red X.
"Last night, a full scale purge and blockade operation against the Black Bone Family and all of its affiliated assets was launched."
For a second, the room was silent.
Then Baron's fist slammed into his open palm.
"Good," he growled. "Those sewer rats finally found the one wall they can't bite through."
Eileen exhaled in relief, though worry still lingered in her face. "A joint operation on that level… it's going to be dangerous, isn't it?"
"Dangerous?" Loyi adjusted his glasses and spoke in his usual dry, analytical tone. "Against the combined force of the General Administration and the Ministry of Magic, Black Bone's resistance is more symbolic than practical. This is less about combat and more about sending a message to everyone watching from the shadows."
Kyle gave a small nod.
He was just about to assign them the expected support and containment work when Hodell spoke.
"Captain."
Every head turned.
Hodell stood upright, looking directly at Kyle.
"I request permission to join the frontline purge operation."
The room went completely still.
Eileen was the first to react.
"Ryan! You're still hurt!"
Baron stared at him like he had gone mad.
Even Loyi frowned. "Ryan, those assault teams are being filled with elite combat personnel. We only just came back from a near death operation. There's no reason for you to…"
"I know," Hodell said evenly. "That's exactly why I want in."
He could not exactly say, Why would I ever turn down a live event handing out experience and clues?
So he gave them something closer to what they would understand.
"I want to see the family that nearly buried us in that cave fall with my own eyes," he said. "That matters to me."
That struck home.
Baron slammed a palm against the table. "Captain! He's right! I'm not swallowing this until I watch Black Bone choke on its own blood! If Ryan goes, I go too!"
Kyle looked at Hodell for a long moment.
He remembered the cave.
The way the boy had moved.
The way he had kept his head when everyone else had nearly lost theirs.
When he finally spoke, his decision was already made.
"Request approved."
Baron straightened immediately, but Kyle's next words cut him off.
"Ryan, you'll be assigned to the second assault echelon under my direct command. Baron, Eileen, Loyi, and Sasha will remain on the original flank containment and support assignment."
Baron opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Kyle's gaze settled on Hodell.
"Remember your role. Support and observation. You are not there to play hero. I want you back alive, and I want every useful thing you see inside the Black Bone estate brought back with you. Understood?"
"Understood, Captain."
A faint light flickered in Hodell's eyes.
This was exactly what he wanted.
…
Inside the Black Bone holding cells, morning had not yet arrived.
The place stank of rot, waste, damp stone, and medicinal residue.
The ceiling hung low. The lights were dim and sickly, casting long crooked shadows across filthy walls scored with countless scratches. Some marks were deep enough to expose the stone beneath. Others had been drawn in blood or grime, half written words and broken pleas that time had already smeared beyond recognition.
Iron cages packed the chamber.
Inside them, bodies were folded together in miserable knots, as if people had been stored there the way livestock or cargo might be stored. Hollow eyes stared from behind bars. Some bore scales. Some horns. Some furred tails. Others carried subtler traces. All of them looked exhausted beyond fear.
"Number 737! Out!"
A guard smashed a metal rod against a cage.
The clang made several prisoners flinch.
From within one of the cages, a skinny boy with small curled ram horns was dragged out. He did not fight. He only shrank instinctively, as if he had already learned resistance brought no reward.
He was shoved toward the nearby "experiment area," where muffled cries drifted from behind a curtain.
Elsewhere, in a larger side compartment, a fox eared girl was pinned to a stone table by a richly dressed Black Bone steward.
Her clothes were torn. Tears streaked her face. Her tail had puffed out in raw panic. Her helpless whimpers pressed flat against the cold slab beneath her.
The man's thick hands left red marks on her skin as he grinned with ugly satisfaction.
"These half blood things…" he muttered, voice thick with lust. "They're really a different kind of fun."
Then the rhythm of the prison changed.
Heavy footsteps approached.
Several internal guards entered first, colder and better equipped than the ordinary jailers. Behind them came servants pushing metal carts loaded with dark collars, each engraved with runes that gave off a faint ominous glow.
The prisoners began to stir uneasily.
An internal guard spoke with brutal clarity.
"By order of the Patriarch, for your safety, all subjects will now be fitted with Serenity Collars. Resistance is forbidden."
A scaled girl near one of the doors recoiled in terror.
"No… please…"
The answer was a rod driven into her shoulder hard enough to fold her to the floor.
The cages were opened one by one.
Slaves were dragged out.
Collars were forced around their necks.
Click.
Runes flared.
Then sank dark again as the locks sealed shut.
One older mixed blood man with stone like markings across his face threw himself in front of a younger boy who clearly resembled him.
"Please, my lord… he's still a child. Put it on me. I'll wear two. Just leave him…"
He was kicked so hard he crashed across the floor.
The boy was dragged away screaming.
…
At the same time, the system prompt flashed before Hodell's eyes as he moved into position outside the estate.
[You have triggered the Faction Quest: Operation Black Bone!]
[Quest Brief: This is a purge operation on the scale of a small war. As a member of the Rapid Response Department and a participant in the action, see what you can do.]
[Note: This is a faction series quest. The following objectives may be completed during the operation:]
[Reconnaissance I: Team Quest. Scout the situation inside the Black Bone estate. Reward: 3,000 EXP]
[Reconnaissance II: Team Quest. Discover specific intelligence regarding Black Bone's core activities. Reward: 8,000 EXP]
[Prevent Escape: Team Quest. Prevent core Black Bone personnel from escaping the encirclement. Reward: 15,000 EXP]
[Rescue Operation: Personal Quest. Rescue a slave. Reward: 2,000 EXP each. Repeatable]
[Combat Merit: Personal Quest. Kill a Black Bone combatant. Reward: 1,000 EXP each. Repeatable]
[Destroy the Black Bone Family: Complete the operation. Final reward will be determined by completion rate and contribution.]
[After the operation ends, you will receive a final score based on objective completion and performance. Additional rewards will be granted accordingly.]
Hodell almost laughed.
That was a very generous looking menu.
Kyle's voice came through the encrypted channel.
"Ryan, report position."
Hodell crouched on a high southeastern vantage point outside the Black Bone estate, half hidden behind a broken decorative tower and a cluster of dead ivy.
"At the assigned point, Captain. I have visual on the estate's main structure and part of the outer courtyards."
"Good. Main force is applying frontal pressure. The Ministry team is setting a large support formation outside the perimeter. The Black Bone estate is structurally dense and internally complex. We need movement routes, defensive nodes, troop shifts, and any abnormal energy concentrations. Your job is forward reconnaissance. Build us a live internal map. Stay hidden, keep the data coming, and do not engage unless absolutely necessary. Understood?"
"Understood."
The channel cut.
Hodell lowered himself further into shadow and looked down at the estate.
Inside, figures were already moving in hurried patterns. Defensive magic guiding devices pulsed uneasily. Courtyard sentries shifted too often. Something was wrong beyond ordinary panic.
He drew in a breath and began to move.
He slipped down from the high point like smoke sliding along stone. Using decorative walls, drainage lines, narrow roof ledges, and the heavy ornamental greenery around the estate as cover, he worked his way inward.
At the same time, he activated [Energy Simulation] and suppressed his own presence as far as possible. He let his energy signature blur into the weak ambient fluctuations around him until he felt less like a person and more like part of the background.
Not true invisibility.
But good enough to pass for silence if no one looked too closely.
He avoided the obvious paths and patrol lanes, choosing overlooked routes instead: exterior vents, maintenance shafts, narrow crawl spaces, roof gutters.
His reports began going out one after another.
"Second floor stone annex. Two combat mages with magic guiding weapons."
"East side main path. Ground binding trap beneath the third dead tree. Medium energy level."
"Heavy personnel movement around the flank warehouse. Possible supply evacuation or concealed passage."
His voice stayed flat and precise. Each coordinate he sent lit up another node on the tactical map forming behind the lines.
A system prompt flickered.
[You have completed Reconnaissance I. Rewards will be issued after the operation summary.]
Hodell barely spared it a glance.
He was already peering through a narrow opening toward a darker section of the estate.
Then he stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
His hand rose toward the communicator…
And then froze.
"That place…"
He lowered the device again instead of reporting immediately.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 10–50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Soul Land, NBA, and more — all in one place.]