Unholy Player

Chapter 526: Enemies Detected

With many races living together, the blend was visible everywhere in the place. It showed in the mix of clothing, signs, and building styles.

"This place is the first section of the Pacthold, where those with sufficient power reside," Sevrak explained like a professional guide.

This side of the Pacthold consisted of 2 sections.

This one was the higher section, where the Reptilian race resided as the overseers of the area.

Aside from them, most of the people here were those who had come from the Midlands and possessed enough power to settle in the section.

Every shop owner, every house owner, and every landholder in this area were people who had managed to escape from the Midlands and start anew in this place. They had built stability with their own hands, piece by piece. The clean streets reflected it, along with the steady confidence in the way they carried themselves.

The carriage rolled through the cheerful crowd and between shouting vendors.

All kinds of goods were displayed for sale. Sparks and Practitioner resources lay on stalls like cheap vegetables. However, the quality was significantly lower than anything found at the Trade Center founded by the Wanderer Merchant.

As they continued deeper, the city shifted around them. They soon entered the second section, and the difference from the first revealed itself immediately, like stepping across a thin, invisible line.

"And this is the second section, where people live with the dream of one day entering the Midlands," Sevrak introduced.

It was just as large as the previous one, but the order was gone, replaced by a chaotic sprawl that made the contrast obvious.

Uneven roads twisted between houses built with no planning at all. The walls were patched with mismatched materials. The emptiness of the streets stood out most, a sharp contrast to the noise and color behind them.

Yet the emptiness did not mean they were alone. Even with no one on the streets, the group sensed countless eyes tracking them from the shadows, watching from behind half-closed shutters and narrow gaps between buildings.

"There are many Rank 2 and Rank 3 Practitioners here," Kaelor said, sensing every presence as his attention spread outward like a net.

Most of these people were stuck at their current Ranks because they lacked the talent and resources to break through. They stayed here for one reason, hoping that one day a Rank 4 Practitioner would take them to the Midlands, where they could begin new adventures and find more opportunities to raise their evolution steps.

That hope followed the carriage closely. As it moved forward, their eyes stayed on it, and greed rose alongside hope, like a rare opportunity had finally appeared and might disappear at any moment.

They were only guessing, but the thought was difficult to ignore. Among the three robed figures, there had to be at least one Rank 4. If they were right, it was a rare chance to step forward and beg to be taken along.

But no one was brave enough to be the first to approach and introduce themselves.

Even the boldest among them froze the moment they tried to glimpse the faces beneath those hoods. An unfamiliar fear held them in place, stopping their feet before they could take a single step.

"They are just a bunch of weaklings. I do not even want to taste their blood," Arvyn said disdainfully, one of the rare moments she was not craving the blood of others.

They ignored the watchers and rolled on, treating them as beggars who did not matter.

Because of that, they failed to notice the few anomalies hidden among the crowd, the ones watching them with very different intentions.

From the window of one of the buildings overlooking the street, a dark figure was tracking the carriage. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s, following every small movement without blinking.

He pulled a small black box from under his robe. After pressing the button on its side, he spoke into it.

"Control, this is Shadow 2. Three unidentified individuals have entered Zone 3. Observing."

A response came almost immediately from the box. "Confirmed. Stay dark and report changes." There was not the slightest static or interference in the voice.

—

In the headquarters of the Human city in the Beyond, Henry Bates sat behind his desk, shoulders slightly forward, eyes moving from one page to the next as if he were trying to outwork time itself.

He had been very busy lately. For the past 3 months, he had not even found the time to return to Earth to see his wife, because the new city demanded his full attention, far more than Shelter City 9 in the other world ever had.

A stack of reports had built up on his desk, papers labeled with clear titles and neat tabs, many of them marked "Gen 3 STF Personnel: Efficient Talent Training." He was in the middle of checking the latest results, scanning numbers and notes, when a sudden beep from his wrist device cut through the quiet.

He tapped the screen once. "I’m listening."

The voice came through with no delay, crisp and professional. "Sir, a carriage crossed from the Midlands into Outer Region 3 hours and 5 minutes ago with 3 passengers. It departed the Pacthold border 1 hour 2 minutes ago. Current trajectory matches the route leading toward our city."

Hearing the report, Henry’s fingers loosened. The papers in his hand slipped from his grip and fell onto the desk. His brows drew together, his expression tightening into a focused frown.

Practitioners came through the gate occasionally to visit the Outer Region. Some were merchants. Some were wanderers searching for opportunity. A few even visited the newly constructed Human city out of curiosity, wanting to see what kind of settlement had appeared in territory that used to belong to others. That part was normal.

This call was not.

The fact that it reached Henry directly told him what he needed to know. The intelligence team stationed in Pacthold considered these 3 passengers a serious risk.