Seo-Gyeong left a room labeled Special Cases Task Force Captain - Douglas Montgomery and closed the door behind him.

“I heard the leader of Extermination Team 1 caused massive trouble.”

“If that’s true, how is he just walking around scot-free like that?”

“There’s no definitive proof yet, I guess. But I’m sure he’s involved in it somehow since Heavenly Stems is an associate clan of Earthly Branches.”

Seo-Gyeong left the Empire State Building as he listened to the people around him mumbling about him. He gritted his teeth; the reputation he had spent years cultivating had instantly crumbled.

Who the fuck is capable of such media manipulation?! he shouted inwardly.

Many humans had smartphone D Weapons, and they had no issues with surviving each day because clans had many uses for them. They were practically cyber warriors who used the Network as their weapon. They could advertise their clan through the Network, but the more pens a clan had that could slander other clans, the better.

They’d need more than just a few smartphone users to gnaw at us with this much systematic slander. It’s the work of a major clan!

Unfortunately, Seo-Gyeong was wrong. It was the act of one person: Jurie—the Database—the creator of the Network.

“If I can’t prove my innocence within forty-eight hours, I’ll be tried at a Black-White Trial...”

Seo-Gyeong recalled the warning Douglas, the spec force captain, gave him. The upper echelons of the Union were lined with several of their fellowmen who were actively supposed to protect him. However, their lukewarm attitude in this situation only meant one thing.

They’re trying to cut me out, like I tried to cut out Heavenly Stems!

Seo-Gyeong suddenly smiled faintly.

“You’ll cut me out, huh? I fucking dare you.”

Danger tended to drive one over the brink of reason.

***

“The enemies will have no choice but to take action, however that may be. They’re bound to stand out if they try to transport or hide the kidnapped fox beastfolk,” Jurie said to Stroppa as she raised her coffee cup.

Stroppa listened carefully as his ears twitched.

Jurie continued, “It doesn’t matter whether it’s Heavenly Stems or Earthly Branches. What matters is that since we’ve rustled the bushes, the angered snake will come out.”

“Amazing,” Stroppa remarked as he stared at Jurie with awe.

The human woman had agreed to help them only three days ago, already bearing fruit with visible results.

As the human woman instructed, he and the Fox Village beastfolk had been destroying several buildings. Major investigations had not yet commenced because there were no casualties, but every building they destroyed was associated with Clan Heavenly Stems.

“As I thought, they aren’t hiding in plain sight. I’m sure there is a secret location somewhere. How many fox beastfolk have been kidnapped so far?” Jurie asked.

“Over nine hundred,” Stroppa replied.

“There aren’t many buildings that can hold so many at once. However, we can’t rule out the possibility that they could have divided them across several locations.”

Stroppa stared with fascination at Jurie tapping her smartphone.

“To think you can manipulate minds just by sitting still and tapping that small box... What an impressive spell,” he remarked.

Jurie smiled and replied, “People love a good story. You could call it storytelling magic.”

She had created several dummy accounts, using her privileges as the Network administrator, to link several stories together: the tragedy of Fox Village, Nazzareno Votto’s confession, the true nature of Heavenly Stems, the culprits of the kidnapping, and suspicions about the affiliate Earthly Branches.

Not only were they interesting and engaging topics, but she also left room for speculation. As she had planned, several speculative articles were uploaded to the Network with her articles as their source, spreading like wildfire.

“All that’s left is something that will incentivize participation,” Jurie remarked as she showed Stroppa the article she just finished writing.

An Interview with Stroppa, the Chief Guard of Fox Village!

Q: Hello. Could you introduce yourself?

A: I am Stroppa, also known among my comrades by the undeserved alias, Black Footprint.

Q: Clan Heavenly Stems was revealed to be the culprits behind the recent Fox Village kidnappings. How does that make you feel?

A: It is a shame. The fox beastfolk have never antagonized humans. I am worried this event will cause a crack in the relationship between the Union and Barbaria.

...

Q: You are currently in the Capital, but has there been any progress in the search?

A: Not at all. We have been unable to receive the Union’s cooperation. It is difficult to find the culprits in an unfamiliar place.

Q: Do you need help?

A: Desperately. I am sure the young fox beastfolk are still trembling in fear. We value even the smallest of information. If anyone assists with the search, Fox Village will promise to reward you handsomely.

...

Q: Fox Village owns the famous S-rank item, Foxfire, correct?

A: Correct. It is highly selective, so it does not yet have an owner.

Q: In that case, how about you offer the one who contributes the most to the search the opportunity to obtain Foxfire?

A: It is possible. We are willing to do anything to rescue our fellow fox beastfolk.

...

“Now, this is what I call a scoop,” Jurie said as she smiled excitedly.

***

The interview with Stroppa, published by Jurie, caused an uproar throughout the Capital because of the several components that piqued humanity’s interest.

The first was the possibility of the relationship between the Union and the beastfolk society, Barbaria, turning sour. This was the last thing the countless humans who desired peace wanted.

The second was that a Ranker from Fox Village was at the Capital, but the Union wasn’t providing him with their assistance. This was to pressure the Union to begin a proper search.

The third was Fox Village’s search request to humans and the compensation for their efforts. The most eye-catching was that one could acquire the chance to obtain the S-rank item, Foxfire. Although being chosen by Foxfire would be almost impossible, it was human nature to think they could be selected.

“This... isn’t bad. It’s a little clickbait-ey, but regardless of what happens, there’d be no harm done to us,” a man said.

Lights of various colors illuminated the dark, reverberating nightclub hall. People danced to the music on the stage, and others drank alcohol at the bar. Two men and three women were looking down at the stage from the VIP suite on a comfy couch.

“Hey! Enrique! Come up here!” a brown-haired man shouted toward the stage.

Moments later, a handsome, blond man with green eyes entered the suite, drenched in sweat.

“What? I was having the time of my life,” Enrique replied.

“You’ve been at it for hours, Enrique. I remember you clicking your tongue when we entered, saying it was a shitty club.”

Enrique, his gaze slightly blank from alcohol, laughed, “Haha! It is shit, compared to Ushuaia or Amnesia. All I need is music and booze.”

“Haaa... Why did I decide to join this kind of guy’s clan?” a blonde woman said as she stared at the pathetic Enrique.

“Haha! Gimme a break, Jane. I almost died many times over in the last dungeon I was in. I could have a heart attack if I don’t relieve all this stress.”

“Yeah, Jane. We secured the funds thanks to this guy. It’s finally time for Argos to make a name for itself.”

The six individuals were the founding members of Clan Argos, specializing in finding with Enrique Vidal as its cornerstone. They were skilled enough to have found five dungeon entrances as soon as the clan was established. Hence, they were swamped with requests from various reclaimed cities.

“Look at this, Enrique. Don’t you think it’s a good opportunity?” the brown-haired man asked as he showed Enrique his smartphone.

Enrique read through the interview article. He smiled as he finished reading and answered, “Wow. Whoever this is, they’re pretty damn smart.”

His drunken daze was gone before anyone realized it.

“Right? Shall we begin the search?” the brown-haired man suggested.

“Wait a second. There’s no need for us to get involved. We’re dungeon-finding specialists, and this is finding missing people. Detectives are a better fit for this job,” the blonde woman disagreed.

Enrique thought momentarily and answered, “Let’s do it.”

“What?”

“The public’s whole attention is on this issue. Even if we don’t deliver results, it will still raise Argos’s reputation. We should think long-term.”

“Haha! That’s exactly my point, Enrique!”

“First, let’s start by tracking the Heavenly Stems clansmen, and...”

The reverberations from the nightclub’s amps muffled their voices. Argos and various clans began to get involved with the case. They all aimed for different things—glory, Coins, the S-rank item Foxfire—but all acted to constrain Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

***

“What’s gotten into you, Team Leader? I told you, you look best with short hair!” Lalisa complained to Seo-Yeon with her D Weapon, hair shears, in one hand.

“I said, forget it. I’m sick of short hair,” Seo-Yeon firmly rejected, knowing Lalisa’s aim.

She’s planning to peek into where I’ve been and what I’ve done in the last twenty-four hours, and report them to oppa, she said inwardly.

Seo-Yeon stared at Lalisa via the mirror on the wall.

Lalisa smiled unnaturally and continued to offer the haircut. “E-even so... Let me trim it just a little bit.”

Seo-Yeon ignored Lalisa and looked at herself in the mirror. She had remained short-haired ever since she cut her hair in her third year of middle school, to reduce her mother’s anxiety. However, she always wanted to grow her hair like her peers, and she believed those feelings likely contributed to why her hair grew when she activated Mythical Beastification.

Perhaps... I’m still caught up in the past.

Seo-Yeon said firmly, as if telling herself through the mirror, “I’m going to start growing my hair.”

Lalisa bit her lip due to Seo-Yeon’s firm refusal. Seo-Yeon’s eyes sank deeply as she stared at the anxious Lalisa through the mirror.

But I’m still uncertain about why oppa put Lalisa on me.

The first thing she thought was that her brother was excessively overprotective. However, that was too optimistic. Seong-Hwi’s words continued to echo inside her head.

“Don’t trust Kim Seo-Gyeong. Don’t trust anyone. It’s easy, right? It’s what you always do, after all. Oh, and...”

Why? Why do I trust the words of a man I met for the first time that day over my brother, whom I’ve known for over a decade?

Not only was her intuition telling her so, but recent events had been far too suspicious. Clan Heavenly Stems was associated with the kidnappings at Fox Village, which also put Earthly Branches under heavy fire because of their affiliation.

What if oppa has been... deceiving me?

Seo-Yeon’s heart pounded. She did not even want to consider the idea that Seo-Gyeong, the only person on her side since her hellish household days on Earth, had never been on her side.

There’s... no way.

She continued to deny the possibility, worrying that something deep inside her heart would shatter.

Lalisa pulled a letter from her pocket and said, “Oh, right! I completely forgot. Your brother asked me to give you this letter.”

“Letter?”

“Yes! Sheesh, he sure is devoted. He’s a Ranker, he’s handsome, and he’s the leader of Extermination Team 1. You sure are blessed, Team Leader. Though... he’s caught up in some unfortunate business right now.”

Seo-Yeon ignored Lalisa and opened the letter. Her expression shifted oddly as she read it.

It’s me, Seo-Yeon; Seo-Gyeong oppa. Things are taking a weird turn. Someone is targeting Earthly Branches through Heavenly Stems. I’d bet it’s the work of a rival clan, blinded by their desire to move up the ranks.

I’m sure you have many questions. Could you come to me using the map attached to this letter? I hope you understand; it’s hard for me to go outside now. If you come here, I will answer all of your questions truthfully.

To my beloved sister.

“Now?” Seo-Yeon mumbled as she frowned, examining the map attached to the letter.

It was a circus theater on Broadway in Middle Earth.

She fiddled with the small earring she purchased a few days ago and fell into thought.

Yeah, I’ll take this chance to ask him about everything. Not being able to trust oppa is suffocating. I can’t stay in this hell forever.

She wondered if this was what her mother, who always doubted her and called her a nine-tailed sly fox, felt. Doubt was like an unremovable, poisonous seed that grew in one’s heart. She would rather face him head-on and eliminate her suspicions.

“Lalisa, call Ma Sang-Sik,” Seo-Yeon said.

***

“Cough! Kurgh! Blegh!” Duke, a driver of Clan Taxi, retched as he fell to his knees on the ground of Beverly Hills. “Urgh... I can’t... I can’t open another one... I’d rather die...”

“Good work. You were a comfortable ride. I’ll ask for you often.”

“You... demon!” Duke glared at his client as if he were his mortal enemy.

Seong-Hwi smiled brightly after completing seven requests in three weeks and stretched.

“Man! You can’t beat the air in the Capital! I wonder if anything happened while I was gone?” he wondered.