TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!,
===BREAK===
This was the first time Vesmir had ever seen such ferocity on the giant's face.
Before today, this fierce-looking yet kind-hearted giant had always maintained a gentle exterior. Whether provoked by Vesmir himself or by others, at most he would deliver only light punishment. Even the gangs Vesmir had heard of were far more brutal in how they disciplined people.
For the first time, the young man witnessed how the magma rivers of Nocturne truly roared.
Ignis made no unnecessary sounds. Rage, pain, and sorrow crammed his hearts, while calm, logic, and reason wrestled with them inside his mind. His body could only perform the most basic movements, a crude outlet for the violent conflict of emotions tearing him apart.
He desperately wanted to tear this damned broken house apart—but the thought crossed his mind that Emile might yet return here.
The fist aimed at the wall stopped midair.
Reason overcame instinct. Forced calm crushed the blazing fury in his chest.
Compared to venting anger here, what truly mattered was finding people—whether Emile himself or anyone connected to this incident.
"Vesmir…" He drew a deep breath, forcing his voice into steadiness. "Send me all the footage."
"O-Okay."
The young man saw an enraged dragon struggling to suppress the inferno in its chest, desperately clinging to the last remnants of rationality. The giant's voice trembled; strength and fragility coexisted within him.
Vesmir did not dare delay and immediately sent all related video files to Ignis.
"Let's leave first," The Salamander said, looking over the wrecked room. "I need to contact people from all sides."
"Mm." The young company owner followed behind him like an attendant, just as he had back when he was learning to make buns at Ignis's side.
Stepping out of the dark alley, the sudden brightness of the sunlight made Ignis uncomfortable. He looked at the night market already preparing to open and felt a strange distortion wash over the world.
As if everything were fake.
His gaze fell on the door of his own shop, where Emile had painted the Cunning Hares logo. The pink rabbit head still wore its smiling expression, making Ignis feel distinctly uneasy.
He took out his phone and forwarded all the video clips Vesmir had sent him straight to Nicole—the first friend he acknowledged here, the first person he truly trusted.
Only seconds after the footage was sent, Nicole's call came through.
"Looking for someone, right?" The owner of the Cunning Hares skipped all pleasantries and went straight to the point. "That painter kid isn't famous enough for someone to kidnap him for his own sake… which means we need to look at this from another angle."
"These guys in Public Security uniforms are obviously impostors. Impersonating public officials isn't a small-time crime. Check their shoulders and chests—see if there are ID numbers. Every officer has a unique one. Write them down and use your connections to check with Public Security. The people won't match, but the uniforms will tell a story."
"The secondhand uniform trade is discreet, but there should be traces."
"And are those his parents? Their travel style looks expensive. Doesn't look like fleeing—more like a vacation. If the license plate is clear enough, contact Rain. She knows how to pull what you need from taxi company systems."
"Also contact the Proxies. That smart housekeeper of theirs is no joke. Screenshot Emile and his parents—send them over, the clearer the better. That AI will track them through public cameras."
"Don't just stand there! Move!"
Nicole shouted angrily and hung up.
She'd even predicted his actions… Ignis let out a breath. That rabbit really wasn't simple.
In truth, in just a short span of time, Nicole had already covered nearly all of Ignis's available connections.
His first call was to Jane Doe. From the sound of it, she was in the middle of a furious battle with her keyboard, the clatter never stopping.
After Ignis briefly explained the situation, the criminal expert from Public Security immediately recorded the uniform ID numbers.
"I'll have Zhu Yuan look into it—she has influence within Public Security. Oh, and Qingyi too. She can filter internal data quickly," Jane said, still working. "Uniforms are usually reclaimed upon retirement or dismissal. It's rare for them to leak into civilian circulation. Those things have armor plates inside—they're specialized equipment meant to protect officers' lives."
"The most likely scenario is a warehouse loophole. That's not uncommon. Logistics skimming here and there is normal—but selling this?" She let out a cold laugh. "That's a serious problem."
"I'll get you answers as soon as possible. Anyone who's handled those uniforms—I'll trace them all."
"One more thing," Jane added. "Do you want this officially reported to Public Security?"
Given Ignis's special status, official involvement wasn't always the best option.
"If possible, keep it suppressed for now… Public Security draws too much attention," The Salamander replied. "I'll leave this to you."
"We don't need formalities between us, dear."
The moment she finished speaking, Ignis had already hung up. Jane wasn't offended—she simply shrugged and began drafting messages on her screen.
Soon, Qingyi replied with a single word: "Good." As for Zhu Yuan, she was likely in a meeting—it would take time.
When Rain answered her phone, she sounded numb—she'd barely been asleep. After hearing the full story, she sighed in resignation. This really was a job only she could do.
"Alright, alright. As the best hacker you know in New Eridu, I'll take it. Send me the plate number—I'll see which taxi company it belongs to."
The hacker girl sat up in bed and yawned, grabbed a drink from beside her bed, and drained it in one go. By the time she pulled her chair over, Ignis's forwarded footage—and the license plate screenshots—were already on her phone.
"I can also track spending records while I'm at it. I think you'll be interested," Rain said, fingers flying as she began breaching the taxi company's systems. "Shouldn't take too long. Their defenses aren't great… If nothing goes wrong, you should have everything you want to know tonight."
"Thanks? What do I need that for? Just remember to pay me. 'Price is whatever'? You're not worried I'll gouge you? You should know—my rates are high."
Rain held the phone between her shoulder and cheek while staying on the call. She'd planned to scare the giant with an outrageous price, then give him a massive discount—but Ignis clearly didn't care about money. He simply said, "Solve it first. Name your price," and hung up.
She tossed the phone back onto the bed. Lack of sleep made her head pound and her eyes burn—but the guy who once saved her needed help. No choice but to push through.
Next to her monitor array sat a bottle of coffee. She couldn't remember when she bought it—sometime this week, at least.
If it was this week, it couldn't be expired. Perfect timing to keep her eyes open.
She picked it up—and immediately realized something was wrong.
The damn thing was empty.
She angrily flung the empty bottle away. The outburst oddly helped shake off some fatigue, and she threw herself into cracking the system.
When this is over, I'm charging that big guy a premium.
Then I'm buying a whole room full of coffee.
She muttered to herself as her fingers never slowed.
The moment Belle saw the footage, she knew something was wrong. She immediately closed the video store for emergencies and dragged Wise into the workshop.
"Brother, you remember this kid, right…" Belle pointed at the struggling Emile. "He was there when we went to the Cunning Hares. Ignis's friend."
"Looks like a kidnapping…" Wise immediately called Fairy. "Can you try locating that van from the video?"
"Assistant Number Two has no authority to command me," the AI complained. "Retrieving nearby traffic safety camera data… This will significantly increase power consumption. Master, do you confirm?"
"Yes! Hurry up! And check any other info yourself—Ignis just sent it," Belle said, surprised as surveillance feeds began lighting up across their monitors.
The AI was comparing footage at sixty-four times speed. The vehicle's route was quickly reconstructed.
"Master, after starting, the vehicle circled through the Janus Quarter, Faunus Quarter, and Thorne District, then entered a Companion Hollow near Eighth Street in the Janus Quarter."
The AI had already plotted the route—using a custom Proxy map rather than the official New Eridu one.
"Recording kidnappers' physical characteristics. Identification will be conducted through all accessible civilian devices over time," Fairy reported.
"Wait—if we do that… how much will our power usage increase?" Wise asked, more concerned about finances. "This month's income isn't great. We went on vacation during Golden Week."
"Estimated electricity costs plus potential hardware wear… approximately two hundred thousand Dennies," the AI replied promptly.
"I can modify the utility company's billing records to erase the excess—"
"No!" Belle cut him off immediately. "That's illegal! We can afford it—charge it normally."
"Monitoring Fritz Volt's movements," Fairy continued. "Target located and currently in transit. Inquiry: shall I forcibly terminate the vehicle's route?"
"That's an overpass—and it's rush hour!" Belle immediately rejected the suggestion. "That's dangerous! Don't create hazards out of nowhere!"
"Target exiting near Thorne Quarter… suspected approach to destination. Destination estimated as—"
Fairy displayed an image on one of the remaining screens.
"The Lehman Brothers Hotel? Seriously?" Belle stared at the gothic doors, the extravagant reliefs on the walls, the line of luxury cars outside—utterly baffled.
Wasn't Emile Volt's family living in the slums? How could they afford a hotel like that?
"Retrieving public forum data. The hotel's security is extremely robust. Target's check-in likely indicates a search for protection."
Given Ignis's destructive tendencies, Belle vividly imagined him smashing through the entrance and fighting security, police sirens blaring as New Eridu Public Security demanded The Salamander stand down.
Way too much like a movie scene.
"We can't let him charge in."
"Fairy, can you identify the exact room?" Belle felt more detail was always better.
"Master, that information was already obtained." The AI displayed a number. "Room 3557."
What Ignis hadn't expected was that the fastest update came from Phaethon.
On the call, Belle explained that Fritz planned to stay at the Lehman Brothers Hotel—luxurious, heavily secured. The van that took Emile had rushed into a Companion Hollow near Eighth Street, which required a Proxy to navigate. Phaethon could help.
Both Ignis and Belle felt slightly relieved. At least there were leads now—not total blindness. Good news was coming in from multiple directions. Things finally seemed to be turning.
But storming the hotel would likely spook Fritz into fleeing. They needed a lawful, discreet way to approach him—without him knowing.
The Salamander considered his options, even thinking of calling Cerakos. That Space Marine had some psychic tricks—briefly erasing his presence. But thirty-five floors up? Even a Space Marine couldn't approach silently.
His finger slid across the screen and stopped on the name of a Public Security officer.
Looks like I'll need her help.
Twenty-three days ago, to establish authority—and to help Emile—Ignis had crossed paths with Public Security for the first time.
Two hundred and thirty days later, for the same reason, he would be asking Public Security for help.
A curious number indeed.
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa