Translator: CinderTL
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The crisp sound of footsteps echoed through the deep corridor. The walls were lined with portraits, illuminated only by the faint glow of white candles.
The portraits seemed to come alive, their faces contorted in grotesque expressions. Some had bulging veins, others disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes that wept crimson tears. Still others looked as if their skulls were about to crack open.
Each portrait depicted a Disciple of the Door—a high-ranking member of the Night Watchers—in their final moments before execution.
A slender figure swayed in the flickering candlelight.
At the end of the corridor loomed a pitch-black Gate.
Embedded in the Gate was an ancient handle, worn smooth by time. Touching it felt like grasping fragments of bygone eras.
Standing before the Gate, an elegant hand grasped the handle and pushed open the rarely opened door.
Most who had once been worthy of opening this Gate were now dead, their portraits lining the very corridor the woman had traversed, their painted eyes following her every move.
As if warning her: Do not repeat our mistakes.
Creak...
The Gate swung inward, revealing a vast, gray-toned chamber shrouded in a deathly silence, broken only by heavy, ragged breathing.
"You've arrived," someone exhaled, sounding like an old man on his last breath.
Lin Wan'er tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and nodded. The old man before her was draped in a black cloak, revealing only his pale chin.
"Do you know what happened?" After a moment of silence, he asked.
"Crimson attacked the Headquarters auditorium during the execution, triggering an A-Class or higher supernatural event," Lin Wan'er replied. "They also abducted Crimson No. 4, Wei Jinting."
"That wasn't an attack—it was revenge! No, it was a meticulously planned assault! We were all deceived!" Another voice suddenly cut through the darkness.
Lin Wan'er's expression remained unchanged, clearly aware of the other person's presence.
Through the gray mist, a second cloaked figure emerged. This one looked far more disheveled, with a large scorched hole in their hood above the forehead, revealing a faint bloodstain beneath.
"Chief Inquisitor, you look unwell," Lin Wan'er remarked with a hint of surprise.
The first old man shook his head wearily. "Lin Yuan, the truth about this incident is far worse than you imagine. We concealed some of the details to prevent panic."
"This was a long-planned assault by Crimson. Everything before, including the capture of No. 4 Wei Jinting, was all part of their act."
"Their goal was to lure all members of the Twelve Families together under the guise of this incident and annihilate us in one fell swoop."
"The supernatural event triggered was S-Class. Almost no one caught in the initial wave survived. The Twelve Families suffered heavy losses among their representatives. Counting the rescue teams, only about a third of us survived, and even among those..." The old man paused, unable to finish.
Lin Wan'er understood. He meant that many of the survivors were crippled. To survive, they had overdrawn their Power of the Door, rendering them useless to both the Night Watchers and their respective families—burdens rather than assets.
"What kind of Gate was it?" Lin Wan'er asked.
The old man with the head wound snarled, "Xia Tan's Gate! He's been completely corrupted. Those treacherous bastards in the Xia Family broke their oath to execute him. They've been hiding him all this time!"
The name Xia Tan was familiar to the older generation of Night Watchers. He had once been a prodigy from the Xia Family, one of the thirteen founding families of the organization.
Xia Tan disliked being constrained, which is why he allowed his elder brother, Xia Yuan, to seize control of the Xia Family. However, Xia Yuan's skills and strategic acumen were far inferior to his brother's.
Unlike the Wei Family, notorious for its brothers' bitter rivalries and treacherous schemes, the Xia brothers maintained a strong bond. Even Gong Zhe, the current pillar of the Xia Family, had been no match for Xia Tan in his prime.
Since S-Class was the highest rank for Night Watchers, many veterans believed that Xia Tan's true potential was being wasted at that level.
Crimson's plot to use a completely corrupted Xia Tan to orchestrate a supernatural event against the Night Watchers was something they could never have anticipated. After all, the Xia Family had pledged to handle Xia Tan themselves.
"Deception!" The Chief Inquisitor's eyes burned crimson as an unseen force seemed to tremble in the air around him with his fury. "The Xia Family must also be purged—they're all despicable liars!"
"Regardless, the plan takes precedence now," the first old man said, glancing at the Chief Inquisitor. "Focus on Crimson; we'll settle scores with the Xia Family later."
The Xia Family had always been a thorn in the side of the Night Watchers. They had once produced Xia Tan, a staunch opponent of the Abyss Plan. After finally managing to overthrow him by allowing the Gate within him to completely corrupt him, they discovered that Gong Zhe was proving just as difficult to handle.
It wasn't that they lacked the means to eliminate Gong Zhe, but the cost wasn't worth it. They bore the responsibility for the leaders of all twelve Night Watcher families.
Noticing Lin Wan'er staring at the scar on his forehead, the old man known as the Chief Inquisitor scowled, seemingly recalling the bullet that had nearly killed him. He growled, "Crimson's success this time was largely due to their turning some of our wavering members against us. Those traitors stirred up chaos from within. I've already purged them myself."
"That's good," Lin Wan'er said, offering him an out.
"Lin Yuan," the old man said, "report on your situation."
"Zero has begun to suspect me," Lin Wan'er said calmly, as if narrating someone else's story.
"How is that possible?" The old man's face paled. "Has his memory resurfaced? Didn't you use your abilities to infiltrate his mind and seal off his past? He should only remember what you've allowed him to retain."
They had never doubted the woman's abilities before.
"Yes, but the last time I entered Zero's memories, someone followed me in and prevented me from erasing them," Lin Wan'er said. "A new Gate has appeared within Zero, and that person is now targeting the dormant Abyss Gate slumbering inside him."
"Then kill him! Why didn't you finish him off right there?" the Chief Inquisitor snapped, his temper flaring.
"That person is tricky," Lin Wan'er replied. "I was afraid that making too much noise would completely awaken Zero's memories." She held out her hand, revealing a faint, hairline-thin blood trace on her delicate wrist.
(End of the Chapter)
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