The industrial sector of the fallen city was much more different than they had expected. When they crossed the border from the commercial sector, everyone unconsciously prepared for combat.
Cassian moved in front, checking the surrounding paths every few minutes.
Marcus constantly shifted his gaze between the factory roofs, abandoned warehouses, and wide streets.
Claire had kept part of her mana active from the moment they entered, so if something happened, she could immediately perform defensive and healing magic.
Even Selina and Liana were completely serious, unlike the day before.
This was the first time they had entered an area that, according to all reports, should have been full of monsters.
But... an hour passed. Nothing happened. No sound, no trace of movement, and no monsters.
Only the sound of the wind passing through the silent factories.
Two hours passed.
Again nothing. The only things they saw were cracked streets, rusty cranes, and massive abandoned warehouses.
Three hours later... even Liana could no longer tolerate the silence.
"Is this normal?"
No one answered. Not even Cassian, because he himself did not know what to say.
No, this was not normal at all. In fact, every minute that passed made the situation more abnormal.
The further they went, the more signs of monster presence appeared. Massive footprints on the asphalt, broken walls, torn steel doors.
Factories that looked like something had passed through them and destroyed everything. But the monsters themselves were not there. As if thousands of monsters had passed through this area.
But none had stayed.
Lian even activated Blood Hunt several times. His hunter’s sense spread through the environment, but he found nothing. No living creatures, no monsters, no targets.
For the first time since obtaining this skill, he felt it had become completely useless.
This bothered him more than anything else.
Something was wrong, and he could feel it, but he could not figure out what.
He could not understand why all the monsters had disappeared. Even on the way there and back, they had seen no monsters. To some extent, yesterday they had expected no monsters in the southern sector because they had been told it was safe.
But the industrial sector? In fact, the situation here should have been the opposite. They had received warnings that this area could be dangerous, so be careful.
They were ready to engage and have small fights today. But again, nothing.
’Either the monsters are scared and have retreated, or they are planning something and have a scheme.’ Lian thought to himself.
He did not think the monsters were scared. That did not make sense. What would monsters be afraid of? Him? Although in the monsters’ view, he was certainly terrifying, but not to the point that they would completely flee.
So if the first option was not true, then the second must be. And now the question was, what exactly were they planning? What scheme did they have?
Until sunset, they had searched almost the entire area designated for today.
No survivors were found. No new information was found. No signs of recent monster activity existed.
As if all traces and information had been deliberately erased, and nothing remained.
"If that unknown creature really is smart, could it have intentionally erased the traces and information that might have been here?" Liana looked at her teammates and asked.
"Not unlikely. But if I were that creature, I would find a way to kill my enemies, not hide like a coward." Marcus said sarcastically.
"Do you really think they retreated out of fear?" Cassian looked at him with a thoughtful face.
"Although I call it fear, more precisely, I think they have probably gathered in the city center and turned it into a fortress. That way, they don’t have to worry about being killed, and in fact, anyone who wants to destroy them has to go to the city center."
"A place where they have all kinds of advantages." Marcus stated his opinion.
"I feel the same way. That seems logical." Selina also nodded.
Cassian and Liana also felt that must be the case. Otherwise, what other reason could there be?
But Lian did not agree with them. He felt that the unknown white-eyed creature was planning something bigger, but he did not know what.
"As long as we don’t have to face those monsters, thank God." Claire sighed in relief. From her perspective, it did not matter why the monsters had disappeared. As long as they could stay safe, that was good.
In the end, Cassian ordered the return.
When they returned to the base at night, they were immediately summoned to the command room.
Gareth stood behind the desk, but as soon as he heard the report, a deep frown appeared on his face.
Not a normal frown, but the frown of someone putting puzzle pieces together and not liking the result.
"No monsters? Not even one?"
"Nothing." Cassian nodded.
"Maybe they’re afraid of Lian." Marcus shrugged.
A few people laughed briefly, but Gareth did not even smile.
"No."
Everyone fell silent.
"If thousands of monsters were afraid of one person, we should see signs of it. But what we’re seeing is that they seem to not be there at all." And he continued.
A heavy silence filled the room. The monsters had not fled. The monsters had not hidden. They had just gathered in the city center and were avoiding them.
Marcus explained his reasoning.
"Maybe." And the commander just quietly nodded. It really was the most likely option, but his instinct told him it was wrong.
"Did you find anything from that camera?" Liana asked after a few moments.
Gareth was quiet for a few seconds.
"The Federation still hasn’t been able to identify that creature." He then answered.
A few people frowned.
"There is no monster in the database with those characteristics. But one of the research teams has put forward several hypotheses."
Everyone immediately became curious. Even Lian.
"It’s still early." But Gareth just shook his head and said nothing more, then dismissed them.
That night, everyone went to sleep earlier than usual, but none of them had real peace. Because the more they searched, the more questions they found, and the fewer answers they got.
The next morning.
The group was ready according to plan to return to the industrial sector to continue the search.
Besides, according to the commander, today was finally supposed to be the last day of their operation.
But when they reached the base gate, they saw Gareth personally standing there waiting.
And his face... was much more serious than ever. Everyone immediately understood that something had happened.
Cassian stepped forward.
"Commander?"
"The mission has changed." Gareth said directly.
Everyone fell silent, and he continued.
"Today is the last day we need to complete the area seal."
For a moment, the group’s atmosphere became light. Even Liana sighed in relief. Even Selina became calmer.
Just today, and everything would be over.
"But today you have a more important mission." But right after, Gareth continued.
The calm disappeared.
"What is the new mission?" Cassian frowned.
"We need the corpse of a Red-Eyed Stalker." The commander answered directly.
"What?!" Liana almost shouted, and everyone except Lian was shocked.
"I won’t let my group enter the city center." Even Cassian immediately frowned.
Gareth shook his head.
"You don’t need to." Then a large hologram appeared in the air through the commander’s watch. Everyone immediately recognized that street.
The same damn street. The same place where Sarah was killed. The same place where Andreas lost his life.
The same place where the Stalker was split in two.
For a few seconds, no one spoke. The memories of that day were still fresh.
Gareth said.
"Two days ago, we thought the bodies would have been collected by now, but they haven’t."
The image became larger. The Bloodfang corpses were still lying on the ground. The Gravehide corpses were still there.
And right in the middle of the street... the Red-Eyed Stalker’s corpse. Untouched, it was there. As if no creature had even gone near it.
Everyone stared.
This was impossible. The monsters collected all the bodies. They had seen it themselves. So why were these still there?
Gareth’s gaze moved among the group members.
"I want you to go back there and bring us the corpse of that Red-Eyed Stalker. This... is your final mission." He then said quietly.
A heavy silence fell over the group.
No one said anything, but everyone knew. That street... was the last place they wanted to see again.