Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Sleepless Night (1)

The city of Royo at night was enveloped in a suffocating atmosphere of dread.

Large numbers of warriors appeared on the streets, while senior law enforcement officers on horseback directed their subordinates to establish defensive lines and seal off major intersections. Curious residents were driven back into their homes, forbidden from venturing out.

High-ranking warriors also began to emerge in the corners of Royo's Northern District, awaiting their assignments.

From the distance came the thunder of galloping horses—Lasher, Chaklay, and their team had finally arrived.

"What is the situation?" Lasher shouted as he leaped from his horse.

A law enforcement officer replied loudly, "Reporting, Lord Lasher! We have fully sealed all intersections in the Northern District and established six defensive lines near the city gates. The entire district is surrounded by 1,200 soldiers and 400 law enforcement warriors. However, we are not yet clear on the situation inside. We cannot pinpoint the exact location of Huey Glair, but we are certain he is in there and has not left."

Chaklay immediately asked, "Why haven't you sent men in to capture him?"

"Lord Chaklay, we have already lost three night-patrol squads to him. A criminal like Huey Glair is not something we can handle. We need high-level warriors and mages. Moreover, the Northern District is densely populated; sending in a large number of soldiers will likely plunge the entire area into chaos. If civilians start running, our current manpower won't be enough to resolve the situation, and it will only provide Huey Glair with an opportunity to escape in the confusion," the officer replied, neither servile nor overbearing.

"You did well, lad. Against such an opponent, we must strike with precision." Lasher patted the officer’s shoulder. "Have my men arrived?"

"Yes, my lord. They are waiting for you in that high tower over there." The officer pointed to a tall structure not far behind him.

Lasher walked toward the tower.

Inside the top floor were ten people: six high-level warriors and four mages. Following the incident at the Lanya Grand Theater, Lasher had specifically requested these specialists from the Empire to capture Huey Glair. They were the dedicated personnel for Operation Mouse Hunt.

The group consisted of five Level 6 warriors, one Level 7 warrior, one Level 5 mage, two Level 4 mages, and an alchemist.

Dawkins, a Level 5 Light-element mage, was proficient in temporal reversal spells.
Dande, a Level 4 Water-element mage, specialized in aquatic image-reproduction spells.
Ida Nole, a Level 4 Wind-element mage, was skilled in wind-based reconnaissance.
And Dim, the alchemist, was an expert in setting up magical arrays and tracking.

After entering the tower, Lasher demanded in a deep voice, "Nole, have you found Huey Glair?"

"Lord Lasher, you’ve finally arrived. We have found him."

The young mage who replied was Ida Nole. Like Huey Glair, he was a Wind-element mage, but his specialty lay in auxiliary wind spells—the very "Wind Vision" and "Wind Hearing" that Huey had abandoned.

These were reconnaissance spells that utilized wind elements. They were superior to "Wind Eagles" because they didn't trigger magical fluctuations, minimizing the risk of being detected or shielded.

Relying on this talent, Ida Nole had become the most outstanding reconnaissance mage in the Law Enforcement Bureau. Wherever he was, there was no one he couldn't find within a ten-mile radius.

"Where is he?" Lasher asked.

"Northern District, Labor Street. He is alone, followed by a strange golem and a small black dog. He has golden hair and looks quite handsome. There are two Flaming Birds in the sky above him." The young mage’s eyes glowed with an eerie red light; if one looked closely at his pupils, one could even see shadows flickering within them.

"What is he doing?"

Nole replied in a strange tone, "Walking... I think he is just taking a stroll."

Lasher and Chaklay exchanged glances.

"Keep observing."

"Yes, my lord. He looks very relaxed, not like someone on the run... He has stopped. A beggar is asking for alms, and he gave him a gold Vit... he is certainly generous."

Lasher’s brows furrowed even tighter.

After a moment of thought, he shouted, "Dawkins, I need your help. Project the images Nole is seeing onto the crystal ball."

"Understood," the elderly mage said in a deep voice.

He moved his hands in a peculiar gesture, and a low incantation echoed like a call from the distant past. A beam of light shot from the old mage's hands toward Nole, the young mage using Wind Vision, and then onto the crystal ball.

This spell, known as the "Link of Light," allowed images seen by one person to be projected directly onto the crystal ball.

The next moment, a clear picture appeared on the crystal ball.

Lasher saw clearly that a golden-haired youth was strolling down a street in the Northern District of Royo.

He indeed looked relaxed. When a street drummer was boredly tapping on a small hand drum, he even stopped to listen for a while before turning and walking away.

"Is that him?" Lasher asked Chaklay.

Looking at the handsome face and golden hair on the crystal ball, Chaklay nodded slightly. "Yes, that is him. Huey Glair." There was a trace of bitterness in Chaklay's tone.

He had finally appeared, walking openly through Royo, right under their very noses.

Chaklay felt a sense of melancholy. If he could kill him, his nightmares would finally end.

"Cahill, have Lord Kevin Bills and his men arrived?" Lasher asked again.

A tall warrior replied, "They have been notified, but Lord Bills says they will be a while longer, as they are still having dinner and haven't finished yet."

Lasher laughed in sheer frustration. "Excellent. Truly, they are 'important' figures. Very well, we shall proceed without them. Let them finish their dinner. I wish them a good appetite."

Cahill shrugged helplessly.

"Dande, project the detailed terrain map of this area onto the crystal ball. Let's see where he is heading so we can prepare an interception," Lasher ordered.

The other Level 5 Water-element mage chanted, and the crystal ball gradually displayed the complex layout of the Northern District. Huey Glair’s path formed a red trajectory, drawing a thin curve across the map. This technique of superimposing personal movements onto a map was a unique skill of the Bureau’s senior mages, allowing for a clear and intuitive observation of the target's position and destination.

The four mages Lasher brought each possessed unique abilities. They were not combat mages, but they were exceptionally skilled at reconnaissance and tracking.

For Lasher, combat was never his primary interest; finding the opponent and crushing their schemes was his true passion.

However, Huey Glair’s performance today disappointed him.

He hadn't even exerted his full strength, and Huey Glair had appeared before him of his own accord.

This opponent was always so unconventional; he never seemed to have the awareness of a wanted criminal.

Lasher stared fixedly at Huey Glair on the crystal ball, his mind superimposing this figure with another—Cesar Dadaniel.

"They really are quite similar," Lasher thought.

Just as Lasher was watching Huey, the figure on the screen, who had been strolling leisurely, suddenly looked up.

His gaze seemed to lock directly onto Lasher and the others.

A mysterious smile appeared on Huey's handsome face.

Then, he made a gesture: he extended his right thumb and index finger while folding the other three, and lightly tapped toward the sky. The point seemed to strike right between Lasher's eyebrows.

Lasher was stunned for a moment, and Ida Nole, who was using Wind Vision, screamed, "He knows I’m watching him!"

The next second, the crystal ball began to churn with smoke as magical energy gathered violently.

Lasher was shocked and shouted, "Scatter!"

Everyone dived for cover.

But it was too late.

*Boom!*

The crystal ball exploded. A massive wave of magical energy swept through the top floor of the tower, accompanied by countless shards of crystal.

The powerful blast was like a raging storm, engulfing the entire room. The warriors threw themselves toward the mages, their battle aura flaring as they shielded them with their own bodies. Chaklay grabbed Lasher and pressed him firmly to the floor.

A moment later, the tsunami-like magical energy vanished into the sky, leaving behind only devastation.

Everyone was injured to varying degrees. Had the warriors not reacted quickly, the physically fragile mages likely would have died on the spot in the sudden explosion.

A shrill, piercing scream shattered the brief silence. "Ah! My eyes!"

Ida Nole, the young mage who had been using Wind Vision, was wailing.

He clutched his eyes, rolling on the blood-soaked floor. Blood seeped through his fingers—at least a dozen crystal shards had flown directly into his eyes during the blast.

This was no coincidence; the "Link of Light" had created a conduit for the crystal fragments to follow, and the end of that conduit was the mage's eyes.

Ida Nole had taken the brunt of the damage. Even though a warrior had tackled him, the shards traveling along the link had blinded him.

Lasher stood up amidst the dust and smoke, staring blankly at the blinded Nole.

Unable to contain his rage any longer, he roared, "How can this be?! How could the crystal ball explode? And how could Huey Glair know we were spying on him?!"

Though a brilliant investigator, he was not a mage, and there were many things he could not grasp.

Dawkins, the mage who had previously used the Link of Light, said, "I fear this was no accident. It was a trap—an alchemical trap. Dim, perhaps you can give us an answer."

The alchemist named Dim examined the writhing Nole and shook his head regretfully. "His eyes are beyond saving."

"I don't care about his eyes! I want to know what happened!" Lasher bellowed.

"Give me time, and perhaps I can find the answer," Dim replied. The old alchemist slowly pulled a vial from his robes, filled with grey powder.

He sprinkled some of the powder into the air. "This is 'Revealing Sand Mist.' It helps us spot invisible objects."

Under the effect of the mist, the room became clearer, and everyone was horrified to see several "Eyes of Surveillance" planted around the room.

On the floor, a strange array was etched into the wood.

Astonishingly, four characters were written on it: *Fourteenth Avenue.*

Lasher stared, dumbfounded. "What is the meaning of this?"

Dim was equally stunned. "This... this is an energy-load array. It caused the magical energy in the crystal ball to overload, leading to the explosion."

"I am not asking you that!" Lasher screamed. "I am asking why these things are in the place you chose! Do you think I don't know what these are? These are *damn* Surveillance Eyes! Alchemist tools! Huey Glair planted them here! But how did he know we would be here and prepare for it? Damn it! While we were monitoring him, he had already seen our every move!"

"There is only one reason," the mage named Dande interrupted. "Huey Glair is also a Wind-element mage. He knows that Wind Vision is most effective from high ground. Since..."

Lasher nodded. "Since this tower is the highest point in the area, he could guess we would come here, right? Which means he wasn't driven into the Northern District by our men, nor was he flushed out by some random thugs? He appeared intentionally and prepared everything in advance. He calculated our mobilization time, strolled from the Belmont district all the way to the Northern District, and forced us to choose this tower—which he had already trapped—to spy on him, didn't he? He even knew there would be a reconnaissance mage among us. So he set this all up, waiting for us to take the bait so he could destroy our eyes!"

Lasher screamed hysterically.

Everyone fell silent. The blow was too heavy for them to bear.

The alchemist Dim looked dejected. "I apologize. I should have used the sand mist to scout the area as soon as we arrived..."

"No, no. You don't need to apologize," Lasher waved him off. "I am the one who should apologize. I knew this boy was cunning. If he came, he would be prepared. I was too careless. I focused my attention on the wrong things and neglected his secret arrangements. Dim, you couldn't have scouted every inch of land with mist. It is not your fault..." Lasher quickly regained his composure; one of his few virtues was that he never blamed others for his own failures.

"Answer me one question, Dim," Lasher said.

"What is it?"

"If Huey Glair knew we would be here, could he have used a more powerful array to deal with us?"

Dim nodded. "You know that a prepared alchemist is the most dangerous. In theory, if they are sufficiently prepared, they could even kill a Saint-level expert."

"In other words, he spared our lives," Lasher said coldly.

Everyone gasped.

Lasher looked around. Seeing everyone staring at him, he shouted, "Why are you still looking at me? That guy is on the streets of the Northern District right now! Cahill, take your men there and prepare to intercept Huey Glair."

"Where? We can't see him now."

"Fourteenth Avenue. He has already given us the location," Lasher said helplessly. He pointed to the characters on the floor. "Huey Glair must have set a trap there. You had better be careful."

"Understood, Commander." The Level 7 warrior Cahill pulled the last crystal shard from his back, threw it on the floor, and crushed it. For a warrior of his caliber, such an injury was nothing, but to be mocked by a wanted criminal like this was a deep insult to his dignity.

Especially after Dim’s comment that Huey could have killed them all.

Lasher turned to look at Chaklay. "You go too. Do what you need to do."

Chaklay nodded and walked out of the tower.

But he felt no excitement at the prospect of catching Huey Glair. The explosion had chilled his heart. He didn't know how many more tricks Huey had in store, waiting for those who came to capture him.

Watching them leave, Lasher plucked one of the Surveillance Eyes from the wall.

He stared at the tiny, moving eyeball, brought his face close to it, and hissed, "Huey Glair, if you are watching, remember this face. The man behind this face is called Lasher—Jason Lasher. I swear, no criminal has ever escaped me. You will not be the exception! You are destined to pay for what you have done today!"

Lasher roared at the Surveillance Eye.

Watching Lasher’s face, twisted with rage, Huey smiled lightly.

To be honest, he had a certain appreciation for Lasher. The man was cunning, cautious, suspicious, and arrogant, but also quite capable.

Unfortunately, Lasher didn't realize that the upper echelons of the Imperial Bureau had long ago sold the detailed files of his team to Buckler. When Huey learned that Lasher had a Wind-element reconnaissance mage, he knew it would be a major trouble.

Thus, the first person Huey had to eliminate was Ida Nole.

As for the others, their lives were only preserved because of Lasher.

For a wanted fugitive, confronting a vast empire by killing their soldiers was meaningless. As long as a fugitive was alive, no matter how miserable their existence, they were the winner against their pursuers. Only by staying alive could one have the chance to strike back. Otherwise, no matter how many people one killed, being captured meant failure.

One had to realize that an empire's human resources were inexhaustible. One person could never destroy a nation. Even if you dealt a heavy blow, the Lance Empire could always reorganize elite teams to hunt Huey Glair down. To Strik VI, Huey Glair’s wealth was far too important; he would have him at any cost.

So, Huey could have killed everyone in the tower today, but tomorrow, the Empire would send new people. And the new ones might not be as capable as Lasher. Conversely, Huey would have to spend a fortune to acquire new intelligence on his opponents.

Strategically, killing Lasher offered no benefit.

On the contrary, by sparing Lasher’s life and using Bailey as his mole, the every move of this shrewd old fox would remain under his control. That was far better than killing him.

Lasher would never dream that his frantic pursuit was becoming Huey’s best protection. With Bailey as a secret piece, Huey could launch an even more terrifying counterattack.

After all, no one could guarantee that if Lasher died, his successor would continue to employ Chaklay and Bailey. Killing Lasher would only lower the value of his own pieces while reducing his own safety.

Therefore, Huey had to keep Lasher alive—not just his life, but his position as well!

Having dealt with Nole, the mage who could use Wind Vision, Huey patted Xu’s head. "Alright, now let’s go solve the second problem."

He headed toward Fourteenth Avenue, the killing intent in his eyes growing sharper.