Chapter 374

Chapter 314: The Meeting

East Tivyán, at the stone bridge intersection.

In the afternoon, the crossroads of East District were bustling with people. The ground was still damp from the recent light rain, and a grayish white mist enveloped the streets, making passersby appear and disappear in the fog.

Under a street lamp at the intersection, Gregor stood there, wearing an extra-thick coat. His eyes were fixed on a restaurant across the road. After staring for a while, he glanced at his watch, sighing in relief when he saw the time.

“It’s time…”

Muttering to himself, Gregor closed his eyes and prayed to the distant unknown existence, hoping that He could build a bridge to connect with the unnamed detective.

After finishing his prayer, Gregor silently waited. Moments later, a male voice echoed in his mind.

“Is this Mr. Hunter?”

“Yes, Detective Sir. As per your previous arrangements, I am ready to meet with those fellows. I need your help now.”

Hearing the voice in his mind, Gregor was slightly startled but quickly replied softly. Soon after, the voice in his head continued.

“I understand. Have you already marked yourself?”

“It’s done. On my right arm inside the sleeve.”

“Very well. Please, Mr. Hunter, do not be nervous or resist,” the voice in his mind said to Gregor, who followed the instruction. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his body. Then he felt his body begin to move independently of his will, his head turning uncontrollably as if scanning the surroundings.

Gregor had experienced this feeling a few days ago on the train. He knew it was the detective using the mark on him to control his body, which seemed to be his extraordinary ability.

With renewed control over Gregor’s body, Dorothy immediately used his perspective to observe the surroundings. Soon she spotted Harren Restaurant across the street, where she and the henchman had agreed to meet. However, instead of immediately entering the restaurant, she spoke through the detective’s voice.

“By the way, before we meet with that guy… I want to ask, Mr. Hunter, did the review at the headquarters go smoothly? Did anything unusual happen?”

Dorothy asked Gregor, knowing they would inevitably discuss the review upon meeting.

“The review… Yes, I encountered quite a few things. To be honest, Detective Sir, the extent of infiltration at the headquarters… It probably exceeds our expectations,” Gregor thought seriously. Hearing this, Dorothy was slightly taken aback and then frowned.

“Infiltration exceeding expectations? Why?”

Dorothy asked, and after some hesitation, Gregor recounted his conversation with Bureau Chief Harold at the headquarters. At home, Dorothy frowned as she listened to Gregor’s words.

‘I didn’t expect Gregor was immediately assigned to the anti-spy team after being transferred to the headquarters. Could the Eight Pinnacle Nest have anticipated this and swapped Gregor?

‘And now, the An Yin Bureau actually has part of the bl**d Darkness Path ritual. Could this be intentionally leaked by the Eight Pinnacle Nest? If so, the An Yin Bureau must be deeply infiltrated. I wonder how they managed it…

‘But it’s true that Gregor ended up becoming a vampire rather than a wind mage. This fits perfectly; only as an extraordinary being of this branch can he better handle the Eight Pinnacle Nest.’

Dorothy pondered, then continued with her thoughts to Gregor.

“Thank you for the information, Mr. Hunter. It should be very useful. Now, let’s meet with the contact…”

With that, Gregor straightened his posture, adjusted his collar, and walked determinedly forward. Crossing the street, he soon arrived at the foot of Harren Restaurant.

Using Gregor’s vision, Dorothy scanned the second floor of the restaurant and quickly spotted a familiar middle-aged man in a suit, somewhat portly, sitting in a window-side cabin. That was Adeline’s accomplice and henchman from the train, who had apparently arrived first.

Seeing the man, Dorothy smiled and directed Gregor to enter the restaurant and proceed to the cabin reserved by the man. When Gregor entered, the man looked surprised and smiled.

“Mr. Adeline, you’ve finally come.”

“Lower your voice… Don’t always call me by name. Also, close the curtains. Don’t let anyone outside see,” Gregor immediately closed the cabin door and coldly stared at the man. Dorothy continued to use the effect of “The Queue of the Queen of Bugs” to make the man feel intimidated.

“Yes, sir.”

Feeling the pressure, the man did not resist and immediately closed the curtains. Dorothy then made Gregor sit opposite the man, officially beginning the meeting.

“Sir… You’re still maintaining the appearance of that dead hunter. Wouldn’t it be nice to relax and return to your original appearance at this time?”

After sitting down, the man curiously asked the person in front of him. Hearing the question, Gregor’s real consciousness felt a surge of tension, but fortunately, his anxiety couldn’t be expressed through his face, controlled as it was by Dorothy. She made Gregor snort coldly and then asked the man.

“Hmm… When have you ever seen my original appearance?”

“Eh… When we first met, before you became the train attendant… Wasn’t your face then also not your true appearance?” The man responded in surprise. He had been curious why the “Mr. Adeline” in front of him was still wearing the hunter’s face instead of his own during this private meeting. Now, hearing Gregor’s response, he realized he might not have truly seen Adeline’s true face.

Hearing Gregor’s counter-question, the man’s expression faltered. Dorothy then made Gregor continue calmly.

“As a Shadow Faced Man, disguise is a constant theme. The most important thing is never to show your true face, even to your own people. Think about it, if you were a traitor or an insider now, revealing my true face would put me in great danger.”

Speaking with a profound tone, Gregor looked at the man, who was startled and immediately defended himself.

“Sir, I cannot be a traitor. My loyalty to the organization is absolute! You must believe me!”

“Haha… It was just an example. Don’t be nervous. I’m just getting you accustomed to the rules of the Shadow Faced Men,” Gregor laughed lightly. The man finally relaxed, growing more respectful towards the shadow-faced man.

“Now that we have that covered… But time is tight… Let’s get to the point…” the man began, finally moving on to the main topic of their meeting.

“This time, the organization arranged for me to meet you to confirm your current situation, mainly the status of the review, and to see if we can provide you with a human-faced spider for communication, along with a small task.”