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East Backlund, Iron Gate Street.
Early September in Backlund had long shed the dryness of August; a gentle breeze sweeping across one's face should have brought comfort, but the poor air quality in the East Borough made it impossible to feel pleasant.
Aaron, dressed in casual clothes, his leather shoes echoing crisply on the flagstones, was followed by Glenn Weil, who wore a bitter smile.
It had been over a week since Aaron joined MI9.
Yet, in all this time, not a single mission had been assigned to their Fourth Special Investigation Team.
Although he had anticipated some degree of suppression before coming, Aaron truly hadn't expected to encounter obstacles even when interrogating prisoners.
Since no missions were being assigned, he decided to take the initiative and find one himself.
After making up his mind, he and his team leader, Glenn, came to Iron Gate Street, intending to try their luck at "Bravehearts Bar" and ask Kaspars if he had any recent insider information.
Brave Bar, behind the counter.
Kaspars looked melancholic, his brows tightly furrowed, lost in thought, until he saw two special customers enter through the door.
They were special because of the aura they exuded; even dressed plainly, it was hard to conceal from an old hand like him.
Aaron and Glenn walked into the bar, found two seats near the counter, and ordered two Southville beers.
Because he was with someone this time, Aaron didn't want to expose his Death Mask ability, so he simply applied some light makeup to avoid being recognized.
Kaspars felt a faint sense of pressure emanating from the two people in front of him, and as if something came to mind, his face turned a little pale.
Aaron clearly noticed the abnormality on his face, his heart stirred, and he exchanged a glance with Glenn before speaking and taking out his identification:
"You're Kaspars, right? We're from MI9, and we'd like to ask you about something."
Kaspars clearly knew about MI9; his face was a bit tense as he glanced around, then led the two in front of him to a private booth.
As soon as they entered the booth, he immediately closed the Door, and Kaspars said with trembling lips:
"Sirs, those matters truly have nothing to do with me, and I don't know why they disappeared."
Aaron's heart also brightened; he hadn't expected that trying his luck would actually lead him to a case. He looked at the familiar face in front of him and said:
"Whether it has anything to do with you isn't for you to decide. Explain the situation clearly, and I will naturally make a judgment."
From Kaspars's account, Aaron learned about the recent events.
In Backlund, becoming a bounty Hunter wasn't difficult, but becoming a famous bounty Hunter required a certain uniqueness, such as possessing some Beyonder ability.
In other words, among the active famous bounty Hunters, at least seven or eight out of ten were low to mid-Sequence Beyonders.
And in the past week, many famous bounty Hunters in the East Borough had disappeared one after another. What made Kaspars most uneasy was that all those who disappeared had previously come to him for missions.
As an information broker, he keenly noticed these anomalies and was constantly terrified by them.
After explaining the situation, he mentioned something that piqued Aaron's interest.
"There was a bounty Hunter who was attacked, but she didn't disappear; instead, she managed to escape. I think she should know something. Oh, right, her name is Xio."
Aaron's eyebrows twitched upon hearing the familiar name, and he nodded slightly, indicating that he understood the entire Sequence of events.
The two sirs didn't seem to intend to arrest him, which made Kaspars relax, and his expression softened.
Suddenly, a deliberately lowered voice sounded from outside the booth: "Is Kaspars there? I've completed the last commission."
Kaspars immediately turned to look at Aaron. Before he could speak, Aaron raised a hand, signaling him to go out.
Using his Sheriff Beyonder ability, even with the deliberately lowered voice, he recognized the owner of the voice as Xio Derecha.
Xio wore a black robe, covering the elevated parts beneath her feet, concealing her most obvious characteristic.
Xio was also quite helpless. This outfit was found for her by Fors. Ever since she was attacked last time and barely escaped, Fors, seeing her covered in injuries, absolutely refused to let her go out again, making her hide at home for two days.
Seeing that the deadline for the commission was approaching, hiding indefinitely wasn't an option, so she changed clothes and secretly slipped out, intending to check the situation.
Unexpectedly, Fors discovered her. Although she didn't want her friend to risk herself with her, she was persuaded by Fors to come along. The reason was simple: if all else failed, they could use that stone that could teleport to escape danger.
Kaspars didn't dare to say much and completed the commission handover with Xio as usual, paying the bounty.
After receiving the bounty, Xio quickly went to the Door and met up with a slightly nervous, peeking Fors. The two walked into a small alley and instantly disappeared.
Kaspars immediately returned to the booth, only to find it already empty.
At 100 Iron Gate Street, not far away, Xio and Fors emerged from a somewhat illusory Door on the wall. Xio looked at Fors with some envy:
"Your Door-opening ability is really useful! If we go this way, no one should be able to track us."
Fors slightly raised her chin, just about to give a proud reply, when she heard a hoarse, unpleasant voice from the corner.
"Hehehe."
A mass of shadow rose, revealing four black-robed figures within.
The leader was Kolan Yunus, a Sequence 7 Shadow Ascetic. After Mr. A took full responsibility for coordinating with MI9, the subsequent task of apprehending Beyonders for experiments fell to him.
Behind him, a one-armed black-robed man named Barry Gezar was the same person whose arm was torn off by Mr. A last time. A cruel smile appeared on his face as he stared at Xio:
"Last time, I let you slip away by mistake. This time, with Lord Kolan making a move, you two definitely can't escape."
Xio and Fors looked at the four people opposite them with somewhat pale faces. The leading black-robed man gave them a fatal sense of danger, and the other three were also clearly Beyonders.
Fors let out a bitter laugh, no longer holding onto any hope. She tightened her fingers around the stone on her wrist, preparing to take Xio and escape.
Suddenly, a light sword formed by light and a flaming spear appeared abruptly, shooting directly towards the leading Kolan Yunus.
Kolan Yunus was unable to dodge in time and was directly hit. A puff of black smoke rose, and his black robe was directly melted away, revealing his body beneath, which was tattooed with various strange symbols and distorted patterns.
In the alley on the other side, Aaron and Glenn slowly walked out, their light sword and flaming spear reforming in their hands.
Fors immediately shivered, somewhat fearfully withdrew her gaze, grabbed Xio's arm, and pulled out a rough, dark green stone.
She quickly chanted a word in ancient hermes: "Door."
The two figures rapidly blurred and shattered, disappearing from their original spot. Aaron's eyes slanted slightly as he witnessed this scene, feeling a bit speechless.
"Do I look like a bad guy or something? Running away so fast."
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