The sudden stillness that fell over the entire area was almost eerie. One moment, dozens of investigators, agents, and officials were moving with purposeful energy, conducting interviews, documenting evidence, and coordinating their various jurisdictional responsibilities. The next moment, every single person had frozen in place, their attention focused on something invisible to outside observers.
Everyone was reading their System notifications.
I felt the familiar mental sensation that indicated an important System message was demanding my attention. Event Quests were rare enough that most people might go years without encountering one, and their appearance always signaled that something significant was about to occur. The timing of this particular notification, just as Anthony had declared our mission essentially complete, sent a chill of apprehension through my body.
I opened my System interface and read the quest details with growing unease:
EVENT QUEST: SHADOW PROTOCOL
