Translator: CinderTL
He caught a strange scent in the air.
That afternoon, Fatty received an urgent call from Huai Yi, who sounded panicked, as if an emergency had occurred. Huai Yi explained that he had been trying to reach the Doctor, but his phone was switched off.
Knowing that some matters were too sensitive to discuss over the phone, Fatty told Huai Yi to come straight to the studio and speak to the Doctor in person. Huai Yi had visited before, so the studio's location wasn't a secret.
In less than an hour, Huai Yi burst in, looking flustered. Cautiously, he had changed into clothes completely different from his usual style and even wore a helmet.
Upon entering and seeing Jiang Cheng, Huai Yi removed his helmet and exclaimed urgently, "Something's happened!"
"Don't panic," Fatty said, pouring him a glass of water and gesturing for him to sit down. "Take your time and explain calmly."
Huai Yi gulped down several large mouthfuls of water, wiped his mouth, pulled a laptop from his backpack, and swiftly entered a series of passwords.
"Take a look at this," he said, turning the laptop screen toward Jiang Cheng and Fatty.
Fatty blinked, staring at the screen. "What's going on?"
The website, normally filled with posted missions, had been completely wiped clean. Seconds later, Huai Yi's account was automatically logged out.
"The website's down," Jiang Cheng said, staring at his computer.
Sensing that the others hadn't grasped the gravity of the situation, Huai Yi exclaimed urgently, "This has never happened before, and the consequences could be catastrophic!"
Fatty tore his gaze away from the screen and turned to Huai Yi, his expression seeming to ask, "So what if we can't accept new missions? How bad could it be?"
A moment later, Fatty suddenly leaped to his feet, as if struck by a sudden realization. "Damn it!" he roared. "The website hasn't run off with our rewards, has it? Who are we going to claim them from now?"
Their recent mission had been a near-death experience for the entire group. If they ended up empty-handed, Fatty would be the first to raise hell.
"That's just one part of the problem," Huai Yi said, realizing Fatty still hadn't fully understood the scope of the crisis. "We veterans who have completed our missions will be fine, but what about those who just accepted new assignments and are gathering at mission locations, or waiting for further instructions from the website?"
"The website isn't just a place to find missions. It's a platform that helps us conceal our identities and handles many things we don't even know about. If it goes down, the consequences could be devastating."
Huai Yi only hinted at certain things, but Jiang Cheng understood perfectly. The website functioned more like a platform for exchanging information, with the vast majority of users being Disciples of the Door or individuals connected to them, forming a tight-knit community.
In essence, it was a supernatural community where members could share and trade vital intelligence for their endeavors.
Crucially, the platform was legitimate and guaranteed confidentiality for all communications.
However, the most terrifying consequence of the website's collapse was the disruption of this vital exchange of information.
After all, no one knew exactly what kind of intelligence had been shared through the platform.
For example, imagine someone accepting a C-Class supernatural event, only to have its difficulty suddenly spike to A-Class shortly after due to unforeseen circumstances. With the website down, they would never receive the warning. And then...
And then there would be no follow-up.
Jiang Cheng pondered this for a moment before looking up. "Do you know what caused it?"
Huai Yi's expression turned peculiar. He stole furtive glances at Jiang Cheng's eyes, his own demeanor growing increasingly unnatural.
"Just spit it out," Fatty said, still mired in disappointment over the lost reward. Unlike Jiang Cheng, he wasn't inclined to overthink things.
In his mind, the website was like the company he used to work for, where the boss and his sister-in-law had run off with everyone's wages.
"I heard... I heard there might be trouble with the Night Watchers," Huai Yi suddenly lowered his voice, his tone uncertain. "Their headquarters recently experienced a major incident—a high-level supernatural event erupted. Many members were involved, and the Night Watchers suffered heavy casualties. Members on missions abroad have been recalled en masse."
Hearing this, coupled with Huai Yi's cautious demeanor, it was clear he blamed Crimson for the incident. In his eyes, Jiang Cheng, Fatty, and Lin Wan'er were key members of the organization. He had come to test the waters.
Jiang Cheng, however, had no patience for explanations. He cut straight to the point: "Is your source reliable?"
"Reliable," Huai Yi said, sounding pained. "I mortgaged my villa to get this intelligence. I didn't want to miss any crucial information."
For the past few weeks, he had been living in hotels with his "sisters-in-law." The hotel staff's sidelong glances had grown increasingly suspicious, and he even feared they might call the police.
"Keep following up on this," Jiang Cheng said. "Notify me immediately if you hear anything new."
Seeing Jiang Cheng's tone, Huai Yi decided not to press further. If Jiang Cheng was deliberately withholding information or putting on an act, questioning him would be futile and might even cause trouble.
Huai Yi knew where his priorities lay.
His loyalty clearly leaned toward Jiang Cheng and Crimson. After all, it was Crimson who had saved his life during a crisis, while the Night Watchers behind the website... well, they had dispatched an entire team to kill and loot.
Contrary to Huai Yi's assumptions, Jiang Cheng was more focused on the connections between recent events. Huai Yi had mentioned that the website's problems had started three days prior.
By Jiang Cheng's calculations, that was shortly after they had left Grey Stone Town. In other words, not long after the Night Watchers began pursuing Pi Ruan, Luo He, and the others, a devastating supernatural event had struck their headquarters, resulting in heavy casualties.
Was this just a coincidence?
Jiang Cheng agreed with Huai Yi's suspicions: this supernatural event was no accident; it had been deliberately orchestrated.
By Crimson.
This was Crimson's retaliation against the Night Watchers.
Jiang Cheng had no energy left to dwell on Pi Ruan's fate—whether he was dead or captured by the Night Watchers. He had a far more pressing matter to confront:
Lin Wan'er's true identity.
Or rather, her true allegiance.
After Wu ruthlessly exposed Lin Wan'er's duplicity, Jiang Cheng finally realized that her disguise had been far from perfect, almost carelessly executed. He hadn't been completely oblivious to the inconsistencies, but each time, he had subconsciously dismissed them.
This woman, who had always been by his side like an older sister, had been his deepest source of comfort, his unwavering belief, even his moral compass.
But now, all of that was gone.
He had always been alone.
Perhaps that was for the best.
(End of the Chapter)
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