Under the night sky, in a villa atop a sloping road.
The reception hall was shrouded in darkness.
Though an old-fashioned gramophone beside the liquor cabinet creaked as it rotated, no music played—only the endless, aimless sound of its turning.
Amidst this sound, faint moonlight seeped through the glass windows, gradually illuminating the dim hall and casting light on the profile of a woman seated on the sofa.
This lady had long, black hair, ruby-like bright eyes, and pointed ears that resembled those of an elf. Her lips were painted with a bewitching shade of purple.
She was none other than Lady Greed of the Hell Sect—Enigma.
At this moment, Enigma sat sideways on a single-seater sofa, one hand propping her cheek, while two glasses of red wine rested on the table before her.
One of the glasses was already empty.
Enigma slowly picked up the untouched glass, swirled it slightly, and gazed at the rippling wine inside, poised to take a sip.
But just then, her pupils abruptly contracted. She set the glass down, rested her chin on her palm, and fell into a deep slumber.
In this half-dreaming state, she glimpsed a blurred yet bustling night market, with indistinct figures of men and women walking along the streets.
Then—bang.
A sound like shattering glass echoed.
The dream shattered under some unseen force.
At that moment, Enigma's eyes fluttered open as she awoke with a languid sigh.
"Just now... did the counter-divination take effect?"
She spoke with certainty, as if already aware of what had transpired:
"Someone was divining information about me, but the preset countermeasures intercepted it?"
"On top of that, that thing on me actually failed to counter-divine the other party's information... only managing to produce a vague, unclear image?"
"This is quite rare..."
As she murmured, Enigma set down the glass of wine.
Truth be told, she was well aware of the authority possessed by the counter-divination measures she always kept on her person.
Using the terminology popularised by that organisation recently, her counter-divination method originated from a Demigod Rank Abyss Artefact.
Her technique was essentially a replication of the abilities derived from that Demigod Rank Abyss Artefact.
Its function was to redirect all divination attempts targeting her towards the artefact itself, thereby triggering the pre-set countermeasures within the Abyss Artefact.
Yet even with these countermeasures, she only received vague feedback, unlike the clear enemy intelligence she'd obtained through counter-divination in the past.
"A bustling city nightscape... indistinct figures... heh, completely devoid of valuable imagery..."
Enigma let out a derisive chuckle before coldly muttering:
"Using the currently fashionable terminology, does our opponent possess divination methods of Demigod Rank as well?"
"Since it's the same level of authority, even when countered by my pre-set measures, I only obtain these ambiguous results..."
"However, you seem unaware that vague divination doesn't necessarily mean the target can't be identified..."
"After all, in this world, there are only a handful of organisations possessing divination at Demigod Rank."
At this point, Enigma slowly curled her lips, as if mocking something:
"Of course, your group isn't officially among them, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't suspect you..."
Her eyes narrowed as she spoke, expression turning icy:
"The Hidden Management Department of the SDS?"
"Your reaction speed is truly remarkable... coming after me before I've even completed my preparations..."
"It seems that the lizard's tail is about to be caught..."
As her whispers faded, dark clouds gradually shrouded the moon, plunging the room back into darkness.
...
Akihabara, back alley.
A man in a brown trench coat crouched before a black-haired maid with straight hair who leaned against the wall, examining her condition.
"Signs of mental control... the technique's origin point should be in the lower body, possibly the uterus..."
"A method of mental control through sexual intercourse? How vile... these demons..."
Standing up, the man took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, shook two loose, and offered one to Luo Shu beside him:
"Care for one, Director Luo?"
"Apologies, I don't smoke."
Luo Shu declined with a wave before addressing the moustached man in the trench coat:
"I've already relayed the relevant information to you, Captain Asuka."
"Ah, thanks to the intelligence you provided."
Tomoki Asuka, branch captain of the Joint Operations Team responsible for Akihabara's security, calmly put away his lighter and turned to Luo Shu:
"By now, the Federal Special Operations Team should have begun clearing out the maid cafe."
With a faint smile, Asuka added:
"To encounter someone of your stature directly... one wonders whether these criminals are fortunate or unfortunate."
"I'd prefer to say they've encountered calamity - it might bring them some comfort."
After this response, Luo Shu inquired:
"The two girls who reported to the police box earlier - their personal information should be on record?"
Asuka looked slightly puzzled:
"It's been documented according to procedure. We may need to perform memory modification on witnesses if necessary later."
Studying Luo Shu carefully, he asked:
"Do you know those two girls?"
Luo Shu didn't answer, merely stating impassively:
"Subsequent handling of them will be transferred to the Hidden Management Department."
Upon hearing this, Tomoki Asuka vaguely guessed that the two girls from earlier might be special individuals worthy of Luo Shu's attention or even recruitment.
Such individuals were considered valuable new blood worth recruiting by various factions, especially those noticed by someone like Luo Shu.
However, since Luo Shu had handed over the audacious criminals to their joint task force, avoiding any operational missteps, Tomotaka naturally felt obliged to return the favour.
He was well aware that the SDS Hidden Management Department's garrison was located within his jurisdiction.
In non-mandatory situations, he had no desire to offend this high-ranking SDS official.
After all, the benefits of recruiting newcomers paled in comparison to maintaining good relations with this influential Director.
The seasoned Tomotaka gave a knowing smile:
"If you, as the discoverer of this Class A incident, say so, then we'll proceed accordingly."
With casual phrasing, Tomotaka erased the girls' report, framing Luo Shu as the first discoverer instead. He flicked his cigarette ash and glanced toward the alley entrance:
"We won't disturb you further then."
Waving to his team, several task force members immediately lifted the unconscious maid from the ground and prepared to exit the alley.
Luo Shu glanced sideways before turning away, bypassing the perimeter team and exiting through the opposite alleyway.
Just as he crossed the police line, he spotted the two girls standing beside officers blocking the right-side exit.
Simultaneously, the black-haired, golden-eyed high school girl among them looked his way.
Their gazes intersected in that moment.