“Alright. The rest of the threads knot back to the Shadow Division. As for Muyan, his trail stinks of Dark Ability Users.”

Tang Coco looked over the crowd, calm as a moonlit lake.

Silence pooled like ink.

Everyone watched Tang Coco, moths circling a lamp, waiting for her to draw back the curtain.

“First—too much erupted inside the Shadow Division. Hong Wei fell, a candle cut by wind. The rebellion’s ugly. I fear it’s gone feral, like a wildcat off the leash.”

She sat beside Su Xinhua, voice steady as winter rain.

“Did Dark Ability Users breach the Shadow Division?” Gu Xin asked, a blade of doubt flashing.

“Could be,” Tang Coco said, storm-quiet. “Like smoke sliding under a door.”

“What about the others?”

“The other staff can’t be confirmed. From what I saw, the Shadow Division’s base got swapped out. Not a single familiar face—only masks changed at midnight.”

“This might tie to Hongcheng. I suspect he did the swapping,” Hawkeye added, eyes sharp as a hawk over snow.

“Right, Mom, have you ever heard if Hong Wei had a younger brother?” Tang Coco turned to Su Xinhua, the question hanging like frost.

“Hmm… seems no. He’s a good bit older than me. Some things I never asked.” Su Xinhua shook her head, the past drifting like mist. Back then she only asked Hong Wei about Tang Ke; she never pried into his family.

“This Hongcheng likely connects to Dark Ability Users. Even if he isn’t one himself, if he truly is Hong Wei’s brother, there’s a shadow behind him.” Tang Coco’s thoughts moved like black water. Hongcheng’s stance was too dark to be a coincidence.

“In the afternoon, at the base, Hongcheng told me some things…” Hawkeye finally spoke, as if lifting a lid off a boiling pot. Then he relayed those Shadow Division ‘rules’ Hongcheng had recited.

Ten minutes later…

“How could it be like this…” The room fell heavy as rain-soaked cloth. Aside from Hawkeye, everyone sat stunned, especially Gu Xin and the others. Their old home, and rules like rot in the beams…

“The Shadow Division… really has rules like that?” Gu Xin frowned, disbelief clinging like burrs.

“I’m afraid it’s real,” Tang Coco said from the side, her mind weighing Hong Wei’s apology. The threads matched, like constellations aligning.

“If it’s real, you should get your bodies checked. There might be hidden risks inside you, like nails under the floorboards,” Su Xinhua said, worry rising like a tide.

“Mm. These few days then. Lulu, give everyone a check,” Tang Coco said.

“Okay.” Lulu nodded, obedient as a sparrow.

Suddenly, Tang Coco noticed Hawkeye staring straight at her, gaze like a drawn bow.

“Why’re you staring at me like that, wide-eyed?” she asked, amused and wary.

“I’m just… stunned. Captain, how could you…”

“Ahahaha… that part, I’ll explain later~” Hawkeye was about to spill it, but Tang Coco cut him off. Li Muyan was still here. Thankfully he never cared much about the Anomaly scene, and didn’t know Asura had originally been male. Besides, no one except those who’d fought Asura had seen Asura’s true face.

“Uh…” Hawkeye got the hint and shelved the question, like putting a knife back in its sheath.

“Xin, the ones who came picking fights—new Shadow Division members?” Tang Coco exhaled, then turned to Gu Xin.

“Yeah. They sent six. From what I know, there should be twelve new members. But No. Eleven and No. Twelve stay in the base due to their Anomaly Power. I’ve never even seen them,” Gu Xin said, memory surfacing like old photos. Hong Wei had mentioned the two; their powers were special, so they rarely took missions.

“But I already flattened the base~” Marilyn lifted her hand, proud as a cat with a fish, like she’d done something glorious.

“...” Everyone went speechless, faces blank as paper.

“I didn’t sense any other Anomalous Energy in that base,” Tang Coco added, voice cool as shade.

“So… they’ve slipped somewhere else? Could all twelve have come to Ninghai?” Meng Yuting guessed, the thought a crow flitting across the sky.

“Not likely. The mini-sub we wrecked didn’t have much fuel. They didn’t plan to hide far. I suspect they have another stash within Huaguo, near the coast,” Tiantian said, fingers steady as she recalled the sabotage.

“Mm. Tiantian’s right,” Tang Coco nodded, like tapping a drumhead.

“By the way, I caught two. We could just ask them,” Su Xinhua said suddenly, tossing a pebble into the still pond.

“Huh? Mom, you caught them?” Tang Coco stared, surprise flaring like sparks. Everyone, except Tiantian, looked stunned.

“Yep.” Su Xinhua nodded, adorably clueless, like a rabbit blinking.

“Why didn’t you say earlier!”

“I… was listening too hard just now and forgot…” She rubbed her ear, cheeks pink as peach petals.

“...” The room fell speechless. How did Su Xinhua run such a big company…

“Where are they?” Tang Coco asked, blade-sharp again.

“I locked them in the basement,” Tiantian answered for her.

“I’ll go see them. Xin, Yuting—fill Hawkeye in on a few things,” Tang Coco said.

“Got it.” Gu Xin nodded, firm as a pillar.

“I’m coming with you,” Li Muyan rose, calm as stone.

Tiantian led Tang Coco and Li Muyan to the basement behind the villa. The whole neighborhood was newly built, so even the basement was clean, bright, and well-finished, like a ship’s hold scrubbed for launch.

Tiantian flipped on the light. Tang Coco saw two people chained to pillars, iron biting like frost.

“Mm~ unexpectedly obedient,” Tiantian said, lips hooking like a fox’s.

“Hmph!” Number Four turned her head away, jaw set like iron.

“Coco, they’re yours. I’m heading up,” Tiantian said.

“Okay.” Tang Coco nodded, then walked toward the two captives, steps soft as falling ash.

“Do you know me?” she asked, eyes reading them like runes.

“No.” Number Four met her gaze. She hadn’t seen Tang Coco’s face when she’d scouted Ouyang Lingxue’s villa. Now she was stunned by that beauty—Number Five even more so, thunderstruck.

“What about Asura—have you heard that name?” Tang Coco asked, straight as an arrow.

“Asura!!!” The name hit like a bell. In the Shadow Division, everyone knew that codename.

“You’re Asura?” Number Four asked, disbelief cracking like thin ice.

“Mm. That used to be my codename,” Tang Coco said, voice light as snow.

“That’s impossible. Asura is clearly… uh—” Number Four didn’t finish. A mechanical long blade bloomed in Tang Coco’s hand, cold light kissing Number Four’s throat like moonsteel.

“Now, it’s my question time.” Her tone turned chill, a winter night with no wind. She didn’t want Li Muyan hearing certain things.

“...” Number Four hadn’t expected Tang Coco to flip faces so fast—sun one second, shadow the next.

“Who sent you?”

“...” Number Four stayed silent, then lifted her chin like a small hawk. “If you’re Shadow Division, you know we won’t say.”

“Oh? Heh~ really?” Tang Coco smiled, a blade’s curve. The long knife edged closer, cold seeping like river ice.

“If she won’t talk, will you?” she asked Number Five, gaze drifting over like a black tide.

“...” Number Five worried for Number Four. His face twisted, a knot in wood.

“Number Five!” Number Four snapped. “If you speak, I’ll die right here!”

“...” Hearing that, Number Five shut his eyes, like a door slamming.

“Click, click… worthy of the Shadow Division. Strong spine. I’m impressed,” Tang Coco said, nodding like a judge. Inside, she asked the System, a whisper in her blood: “System, data collected?”

“Collection complete. Confirmed—no Dark Energy on them,” the System replied, calm as a clock.

“I see…” Tang Coco looked at the two, her eyes softening like dusk light. She withdrew the blade and turned away, steps light as mist.

“Let’s go… Muyan.”

“Huh? We’re done already?” Li Muyan blinked, surprise like a drop on glass.

“What else? They won’t say,” Tang Coco said, palms up, helpless as drifting leaves.

“...” Inside, Number Four and Number Five gaped. They hadn’t expected Asura to let them off so easily.

“Coco, you’re too gentle. You could force it out,” Li Muyan murmured behind her, voice low as a cat’s pad.

“I know. But someone else is better at this. I’ll leave it to her,” Tang Coco said, a secret smile curving like a crescent moon.

They returned to the living room. Only Su Xinhua and her assistant Tiantian sat on the sofa, talking company affairs, words stacking like files.

“How was it?” Su Xinhua asked, worry like a thin veil.

“What do you think? I came out of the Shadow Division,” Tang Coco said with a helpless shrug, humor dry as old tea.

“Ah… should I send people?” Su Xinhua sighed, like wind through reeds. She’d already guessed this outcome.

“No need. Yuting loves this kind of thing—especially with girls involved.” Tang Coco’s lips quirked, sly as a fox.

“...” Su Xinhua and Li Muyan both felt a chill for the girl in the basement, a winter gust under the door.

“Where are they?” Tang Coco asked.

“In the bedroom. Some things are better discussed among your own members,” Su Xinhua said, hands folded like a bridge.

“Mm. Then… Muyan, let’s head back. It’s getting late.”

“Sure~” Li Muyan nodded, steady as a hill.

“Mom, I checked the two downstairs. No unusual energy signals. No one should be able to locate them,” Tang Coco said.

“Good. Keep them there for now,” Su Xinhua replied.

Then Tang Coco and Li Muyan drove into the neighborhood, picking up treats—roast duck, pizza—warm comfort like lanterns, to make up for Meng Xiaoxiao and Li Muyan waiting at home.

While they were eating happily, like sparrows at dawn, a luxury RV sat in a deserted mountain at the southern border of Ninghai City, where it met the neighboring city—alone as a stag in fog.

“What do we do… still no word from Number Four and Number Five,” Number Seven said, worry pacing like a caged tiger.

“Not just them. The base hasn’t replied either,” Number Eight said, playing with her tiny spider, delicate as silk threads.

“They failed. They’re likely in the enemy’s hands,” Number Ten said, voice flat as slate.

“Then what do we do? Do we go rescue them?” Number Seven asked. She was close with Four and Five, her concern rising like smoke.

“No. Their strength didn’t match our intel. We need a new plan,” Number Ten said with a frown, like thunder bottled. Li Muyan’s sudden appearance had scattered his pieces across the board.

A shadow by the door—Number Nine stood, silent as a crow, then opened the door and stepped out into the night.

“Where are you going?” Number Eight asked, eyes glinting like spider eyes.

“I don’t like being with trash,” came a hoarse voice from under the hood, gravel rolling in a stream.

“You—!” Number Eight bristled, hackles up like a cat.

“Enough. Let him go,” Number Ten said, palm down like a lid on boiling water.

No. Ten raised a hand to hold the team back, his palm a closed gate.

No. Nine had rarely trained with them; same intake, different orbits, so their bond was thin as frost on glass.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, head bowed, and walked toward the ink-dark trees, a forest breathing cold like a beast in sleep.

From the thicket, a cackle scraped like rust.

"Kekeke..."

"Dark Energy confirmed... kekeke... in Ninghai..."