Chapter 642

At night, in an unknown place.

In the darkness, a kerosene lamp lit itself.

The dim yellow flame flickered within the glass shade, then stabilized, illuminating a small, blurry space around it.

The stone slabs on the ground, the rough brick walls, and a staircase beside them that seemed to stretch on forever.

It looked like a basement, but it was deeper, colder, and the air was more stagnant than an ordinary basement.

Kerosene lamps lit up one after another, outlining an oval-shaped space in the darkness.

The space was not large, capable of holding about twenty or thirty people.

There were no windows on the walls, only a low iron door; no light could penetrate the gap in the door.

Gradually, figures emerged from the darkness.

These figures seemed to "condense" directly out of the air.

First came the blurry outlines, as if someone were quickly sketching on dark paper with charcoal.

Then the outlines became clear, the lines turned into solid forms, and the colors shifted from transparent to opaque.

Within a few seconds, over a dozen people in black robes appeared out of thin air in the halo of the kerosene lamps.

These people stood in a circle, facing the center.

Hoods covered most of their faces, revealing only their chins and mouths.

After meeting, none of these black-robed figures spoke; there was only the faint sizzling sound of the kerosene lamp wicks burning.

The person standing in the center was a head taller than the others, and the texture of their black robe was slightly different, looking like silk with a faint sheen. The edges of the hood were embroidered with dark silver patterns that shimmered faintly under the firelight.

"Half a month has passed, and the Shadow Thief has still not returned. The collection of life force has been interrupted for half a month." The person in the center spoke, their voice low, unhurried, as if stating a confirmed fact. "It can be confirmed that it has been captured."

No one around spoke, but the lips beneath the hoods tightened slightly.

"For the past half month, the Spirit Medium Association's control has significantly tightened. Most of our material channels have been cut off, and personnel movement is restricted. Until the situation becomes clear, everyone's contact frequency will be reduced to the minimum." The person in the center paused. "Unless you receive my direct order, you are not to initiate contact."

The black-robed figures in the circle nodded slightly.

"Meeting adjourned."

The person in the center did not wave, and the other black-robed figures dispersed one after another.

Some figures faded and vanished, some turned and walked toward the low iron door, and some stood in place for a while before slowly fading away.

Finally, only two people remained.

One tall and one short; the tall one was the person who had just been speaking in the center.

The short one stood to their right, their hood pulled very low, almost covering their entire face.

"The Shadow Thief was not captured by the Spirit Medium Association." The tall one spoke, their voice much lower than when they were speaking earlier, as if discussing something that a third person must not hear.

"Are you sure?" The short one's voice was very light, making it impossible to distinguish their gender.

"At least I haven't received any relevant information. If the Spirit Medium Association had really caught the Shadow Thief, I would definitely have received news." The tall black-robed figure spoke very casually; from their words, it could be inferred that they likely held a high position within the Spirit Medium Association.

The short one was silent for a few seconds. "So it's a third party."

"Yes, a third party." The tall one's tone carried a rare trace of solemnity. "It seems there are others in the Fog City—not people from the Association, and not our people—who snatched the Shadow Thief before we could."

"This means that person also knows the internal operational intelligence of the Association and has the ability to complete the capture without alerting the Association." "It's not just knowing the Association's intelligence." The tall one turned around, facing the short one.

The gaze beneath the hood fell on the other's face; although the eyes could not be seen clearly, the weight of that gaze was real: "To be able to capture the Shadow Thief silently, that person's understanding of anomalies is likely no less than the Association's top researchers. Perhaps even deeper."

Another silence followed.

The kerosene lamp's flame flickered in the weak air, and the two people's shadows swayed on the wall.

"Then the previous plan... what should we do?" the short one asked.

"I will find a way to find a substitute for the Shadow Thief." The tall one's answer was without hesitation. "Also, since the Shadow Thief has been captured by a third party, let the Rift Walker out."

The short one's body moved slightly, as if restraining some instinctive reaction. "The Rift Walker... if we release it now, wouldn't the risk be too great?"

"Even if the risk is great, it must be done." The tall one's voice was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. "The Shadow Thief and the Rift Walker are twin anomalies; they are our core assets. The Shadow Thief is responsible for stealing life force, and the Rift Walker is responsible for ensuring the Shadow Thief does not escape. Now that the Shadow Thief is lost, keeping the Rift Walker in our hands is useless. But it still has a use... it can find the Shadow Thief."

"You mean..."

"The connection between the Rift Walker and the Shadow Thief is bidirectional. Wherever the Shadow Thief is, the Rift Walker can sense it. Even if the Shadow Thief is sealed in a sealed container, even if it is locked down by layers of sealing runes, that connection will not completely disappear. This is determined by their nature; no sealing technology can cut it off."

The tall one raised their hand, palm facing up.

Their palm was empty, but when the short one's gaze fell on that hand, their pupils contracted slightly.

"Release the Rift Walker." The tall one's voice was calm, almost chilling. "Let it find it. Once it finds the location of the Shadow Thief, it will inevitably trigger large-scale anomalous fluctuations."

"At that time, an obvious anomalous crisis will appear in that area. We only need to keep an eye on the Association's movements and see where they send people, and we will be able to roughly lock down who captured the Shadow Thief."

"And then?"

"And then." The tall one withdrew their hand. "We will be able to know who that third party is. Whether it's a single person or an organization. Whether they just want to study anomalies or have other goals. Once we figure these things out, we will decide how to deal with them."

The short one was silent for a long time, but finally nodded.

"I will make the arrangements."

The tall one did not speak again.

Their figure began to fade, starting from their feet, as if being "erased" from the ground upward by some force.

A few seconds later, they completely disappeared from this space.

The short one stood in place, facing the empty basement, the kerosene lamp's flame burning in circles around them.

They lowered their head and glanced at their own palm.

There was an almost invisible black pattern on the palm, extending from the base of the finger to the wrist.

That pattern squirmed slightly under the firelight.

That was the Rift Walker.

The short one clenched their fist and turned to walk toward the low iron door.

The iron door closed behind them, making a dull sound.

The kerosene lamps went out one after another, and darkness filled the entire space again.