Winter night gradually descended.
The aftermath of the department store incident seemed to have slowly faded into the daily life of Northveil.
The streets had returned to order.
The shopping centers remained open.
The Administrative Center was still brightly lit.
The Pollution Processing Department continued operating around the clock as usual.
Only the steadily falling snow covered the entire city in a layer of quiet white.
One by one, the dim streetlights came on.
Tiny snowflakes slowly spun beneath the lights before landing on the streets, rooftops, and vehicles, only to be covered again by fresh snow.
The wind was not particularly strong.
But it never stopped.
The cold continued to move through the streets, making the night seem especially long.
After leaving the residential district, Lucian did not stay any longer.
He did not look back.
Nor did he check the situation on that street again.
Everything that could be learned today had already been learned.
Staying there any longer would not bring anything new.
He slowly walked along the sidewalk, which had already been cleared of snow.
His footsteps remained steady.
There were still plenty of people on the streets.
Some had finished their day's work and were heading toward the station.
Some carried groceries they had just purchased, preparing to return home.
Others stood in groups of two or three outside convenience stores, drinking hot beverages while discussing what had happened today.
Ability users.
Ordinary people.
The elderly.
Children.
Everyone was living as they normally did.
No one knew.
Somewhere within this city, a hidden observation network was quietly operating among the crowd.
Lucian silently watched everything.
His expression did not change.
If he had not witnessed it himself, he would not have believed that people who had completely blended into the city's daily life could operate with such precision.
Half an hour later.
The hotel appeared at the end of the street.
It was an ordinary business hotel.
There were no luxurious decorations.
Nor were there complicated security measures.
For a temporary stay, it was more than enough.
Lucian pushed open the glass doors of the lobby.
Warm air greeted him.
Soft music was playing inside.
The front-desk staff smiled and nodded to each guest.
Several travelers sat in the lounge, speaking quietly.
Someone was dragging luggage while checking in.
Someone else was waiting for the elevator.
Everything seemed calm and natural.
Lucian briefly returned the receptionist's greeting.
Then he took the elevator back to his room.
With a soft click.
The door slowly closed.
The wind, snow, and sounds of the street outside were shut out as well.
The room was not large.
Its furnishings were simple.
A single bed stood against the wall.
The sheets were neatly arranged.
A desk stood beside the window.
The surface was clean, without any unnecessary items.
There was a wooden chair on the other side.
His suitcase was placed beside it.
The only place in the room from which the outside could be seen was the large window.
Through the glass.
The heavy snow could still be seen falling in the distance.
Lucian took off his coat.
He gently placed it over the back of the chair.
Then he walked to the window.
He quietly looked out at Northveil beneath the snowy night.
A few seconds later.
He withdrew his gaze.
He came to the desk and sat down.
A notebook that had been used for quite some time lay on the desk.
The cover was ordinary.
Its edges already showed slight signs of wear.
Inside were various pieces of information he had observed in different countries during this period.
There were city layouts.
Methods of managing ability users.
Pollution processing procedures.
Every time he arrived somewhere.
He organized the information that was truly worth recording.
These records might not produce any value immediately.
But someday in the future, they could become an important part of piecing together the entire world.
Lucian slowly opened the notebook.
Then he took a map of Northveil's urban district from his bag.
He gently spread it open.
It covered most of the desk.
He did not immediately pick up his pen.
Instead, he slowly closed his eyes.
The room became quiet again.
The clock on the wall ticked steadily.
The heating system hummed softly.
Occasionally, the howl of wind could be heard passing between the buildings outside.
Other than that.
There was no other sound.
Yet the images in Lucian's mind began to reappear one by one.
The entrance of the Pollution Processing Department.
The location where he had first discovered the observer.
The direction in which the young man had left.
The flow of people in the commercial district.
The escalators inside the large commercial facility.
The quiet streets near the residential district.
And finally, that brief moment when their paths had crossed among the crowd.
Every memory gradually became clear again, like a map being unfolded inside his mind.
Every detail was continuously rearranged.
Every time the young man stopped.
Every time he passed through a crowd.
Every time he entered a building.
Even the amount of time he spent waiting at each traffic light.
Lucian recalled all of it again.
He did not rush to search for an answer.
Instead, he broke down every movement.
Then reconstructed them.
Several minutes later.
Lucian slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze returned to the map on the desk.
He picked up his pen.
And lightly marked the location of the Pollution Processing Department.
Then he drew the first route.
The tip of the pen moved slowly.
Following the roads the young man had traveled today.
Through the commercial district.
Past the intersection.
Into the large commercial facility.
Then out from the other side.
Finally stopping near the residential district.
After completing the first route.
Lucian did not stop.
Soon.
The second route was drawn as well.
This was the route the young man had taken after entering the commercial center.
He had deliberately maintained a safe distance.
Although the direction was different.
He had always been able to maintain visual contact.
The third route.
Was the area they had both passed through before the final loss of contact.
Several lines in different colors.
Gradually covered the entire map.
Lucian quietly examined the intersecting paths.
Then.
He drew circles around several locations.
The commercial center.
The bus stop.
The intersection.
The convenience store.
The entrance to the residential district.
Each circle.
Represented a place where the young man had stopped.
Or a location where it was easiest to disappear from sight.
After drawing the final circle.
Lucian put down his pen.
He lightly crossed his hands on the desk.
And quietly stared at the entire map.
These locations.
Although they were separated by different distances.
Shared one common characteristic.
The crowds there were dense enough.
Anyone.
Once they entered one of those places.
Could quickly blend into the surrounding environment.
The crowds in the commercial center.
The people waiting for buses.
The constant flow of pedestrians at the intersection.
And the residents entering and leaving the residential district.
Every one of these places.
Was enough for an ordinary person to disappear from view.
If it were merely coincidence.
It would not happen so many times in succession.
Lucian leaned back slightly.
His gaze shifted toward the window again.
The snow was still falling quietly.
Vehicles continued to pass along the streets.
The lights of distant buildings appeared somewhat blurred behind the curtain of snow.
The greatest gain from today.
Was not the failure to follow them.
What truly mattered.
Was that he had confirmed one thing.
Those people.
Were definitely not observers who had been assembled temporarily.
They had a unified method of operation.
They knew when to enter an observation area.
They knew when to leave.
And they knew when to have the next person take over their position.
The entire process.
Contained no verbal communication.
No exchange of glances.
They did not even seem to know one another.
Yet precisely because of that.
It appeared even more dangerous.
If someone observed only one of them.
They would think.
That person was nothing more than an ordinary passerby.
But once the actions of all of them were pieced together.
It became clear.
They collectively formed a tight and complete observation network.
The task assigned to each person was extremely simple.
And extremely clear.
Complete their part.
Then leave.
The next person would naturally take over.
There was no overlap.
And no gap.
As if it were a machine that had been operating for a long time.
Every gear.
Meshed perfectly with the next.
Lucian lightly tapped the desk.
The image of Irina appeared in his mind again.
From yesterday until today.
The target of those people had never changed.
They had not approached her.
They had not created any incidents.
Nor had they shown any hostility.
They were simply observing.
Recording when she left each day.
When she returned.
Which roads she took.
And where she stopped.
This behavior.
Did not resemble preparations for an operation.
It was more like they were building some kind of long-term record.
As if what they were truly waiting for.
Was not today.
But some moment in the future that had not yet arrived.
Lucian slowly withdrew his gaze.
And looked back at the map on the desk.
Those intersecting routes.
Those repeatedly appearing observation points.
Those seemingly unrelated people.
Were gradually forming a more complete outline.
He picked up his pen again.
But did not continue adding routes.
Instead, he wrote several simple words on the other side of the map.
Observation Points.
Rotation Times.
Observation Target.
He drew several connecting lines between the three terms.
His thoughts gradually became clearer.
What these people had truly fixed in place.
Was never their identities.
It was their roles.
As long as someone was responsible for a particular position.
The entire observation network could continue operating.
Who was responsible did not matter.
And precisely because of that.
Even if one person suddenly became unable to appear.
Someone else could immediately fill the vacancy.
The network would not stop.
Nor would it be exposed.
Lucian slowly turned the pen in his hand.
His gaze fell once again on the words Observation Target.
Until now.
The target of these people remained only Irina.
There was no evidence of a second long-term observation target.
That.
Actually made him even more concerned.
There were no shortage of ability users in Northveil.
Within the Pollution Processing Department.
There were also many people whose positions were higher than Irina's.
If they were simply trying to obtain intelligence on the Pollution Processing Department.
They could have chosen someone more valuable.
But they had not.
From beginning to end.
They had focused their observation entirely on Irina.
Why?
Lucian quietly thought.
Irina herself.
Was merely an official member of the Pollution Processing Department.
She had participated in the department store incident.
She was diligent at her work.
Her ability was excellent.
Other than that.
There was nothing particularly special about her.
At least.
That was what the public records showed.
Then.
What exactly were they observing?
Irina herself?
Or something she might come into contact with in the future?
At that thought.
Lucian's hand stopped.
If it was the latter.
Then the observation network.
Had probably existed much longer than he had imagined.
And what they were waiting for.
Would certainly not be an ordinary operation.
The room became quiet again.
Outside the window.
The wind and snow continued without stopping.
Under the streetlights.
Snowflakes continued to drift downward.
Northveil remained as peaceful as ever.
No one knew.
On the other side of the city.
Two completely different forces.
Had already begun testing each other.
Lucian slowly opened his terminal.
The screen lit up.
Displayed on it was the encrypted communications channel of the Jace Family.
He did not immediately initiate contact.
Instead, he reorganized his thoughts once again.
There were not many facts he could confirm at present.
First.
There was a long-standing observation network.
Second.
Its target was Irina.
Third.
The entire network operated through fixed observation points and personnel rotation.
Fourth.
Simple surveillance would not be enough to locate their true base.
Continuing to use yesterday's method.
Was no longer meaningful.
Because the other side had clearly incorporated counter-surveillance.
Into their entire operating procedure.
Since that was the case.
He would use another method.
Human eyes could miss many things.
Communications could not.
Vehicles could not.
Neither could the various electronic devices throughout the city.
As long as these observers needed to exchange information with one another.
Even if it happened only once for an extremely brief moment.
It would leave a trace.
With that thought.
Lucian finally pressed the communication button.
The screen quickly entered encrypted mode.
After a brief wait.
The other side connected.
There was no video.
Only a processed voice.
"Lucian."
The voice was calm and concise.
There were no unnecessary pleasantries.
Lucian spoke directly.
"I need someone."
The other side waited silently.
"Not combat personnel."
"Arrange someone specializing in communications and intelligence analysis."
"Someone familiar with urban communications tracking."
"Someone capable of processing base-station records, terminal activity traces, and public surveillance data."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then came the response.
"Has something new happened?"
Lucian looked toward the window.
His voice remained calm.
"I discovered a long-standing observation network."
"The target isn't me."
"It is a member of Northveil's Pollution Processing Department."
"I want to find where they actually exchange intelligence."
The other side fell silent again.
The person did not immediately answer.
Clearly, they were rapidly organizing the information Lucian had just provided.
Several seconds later.
The voice returned.
"Does the family need to officially intervene?"
Lucian lightly shook his head.
Although the other side could not see the movement.
His answer remained clear.
"Not for now."
"Don't mobilize any external personnel."
"And don't contact any Northveil department."
"The fewer people who know about this, the better."
The other side quickly responded.
"Understood."
"Then."
"We'll arrange technical support only."
"You'll handle the field investigation."
"The technical specialist will handle the data analysis."
Lucian calmly replied.
"Fine."
This division of responsibilities.
Was exactly what his plan required.
If he suddenly increased the number of investigators.
It would instead make those observers suspicious.
One technical specialist.
Would be enough.
The only person who truly needed to investigate.
Was himself.
The other side continued.
"Among the personnel available for deployment."
"There is someone who has been responsible for long-term urban communications analysis."
"They have participated in intelligence organization for several major metropolitan areas."
"They specialize in communications-chain tracking."
"Terminal activity analysis."
"Public surveillance screening."
"Their identity arrangement will also be relatively convenient."
Lucian did not answer immediately.
He simply listened.
"They can arrive in Northveil as early as tomorrow afternoon."
"Their identity will be arranged as an ordinary business traveler."
"They will not make public contact with you."
"When necessary."
"You can decide how to establish contact."
Lucian lightly nodded.
"Arrange it that way."
The other side responded.
"Understood."
Then added.
"Additionally."
"The family recommends."
"That you do not contact the observation target too early."
"If the other side has been observing for this long."
"It means they are extremely patient."
"Alerting them prematurely."
"Could disrupt the current situation."
Lucian remained silent for a moment.
Then slowly answered.
"I know."
In fact.
From the moment he discovered the observation network.
He had never intended to tell Irina.
At least.
Not yet.
If Irina suddenly changed her daily habits.
Or displayed anything unusual.
Those hidden observers among the crowd.
Would certainly notice immediately.
By then.
The entire observation network might immediately withdraw.
Or even disappear completely.
All the clues would be cut off at once.
Since that was the case.
The best approach.
Was to maintain the status quo.
Let the other side continue believing.
That no one had discovered them.
Only then.
Would they continue operating according to their original methods.
The other side did not ask anything further.
It simply said.
"Once the technical specialist arrives."
"They will send you an encrypted identification code."
"Other than that."
"They will have no public contact with you."
"Good luck with the investigation."
The call ended.
The terminal returned to silence.
The room once again fell quiet.
Lucian gently placed the terminal down.
And looked back at the map on the desk.
The several routes.
Were still intertwined.
The observation points.
Were clearly marked with circles.
He did not make any further changes.
Because all the information that could currently be confirmed.
Had already been recorded.
What remained.
Required new evidence.
Outside the window.
The snow continued to fall quietly.
The distant Administrative Center remained illuminated.
The Pollution Processing Department had probably not yet finished its work for the day.
All of Northveil.
Continued operating at its usual pace.
No one knew.
A contest centered around intelligence.
Had already begun in silence.
Lucian slowly closed the notebook.
Then carefully folded the urban map.
And placed it back on the desk.
He stood up.
Walked to the window.
And quietly looked over the city beneath the night sky.
This time.
His target was no longer the people responsible for observation.
What he truly needed to find.
Was the person standing behind them.
As long as he could locate where their communications ultimately converged.
This observation network that had remained hidden for so long.
Would inevitably reveal its first crack.