The chaos at the scene did not last long; under efficient action, the area was quickly cleared, and the staff dispersed, returning to their posts.

Bologue and Palmer were unable to accompany Lebius; in the absence of Nesanel and without instructions from the Decision Room, these group leaders represent the highest authority of the Field Operations Department and have the right to make independent decisions.

Lebius went to inquire about the injured personnel, while Bologue and Palmer stopped briefly at the Observation Tower before returning to the Special Operations Group activity room.

Leaning on the sofa, the two began discussing the recent events.

Palmer asked, "What do you think happened?"

"We encountered a sudden enemy attack when wrapping up operations and preparing to return to the Order Bureau."

Bologue said calmly, but there was hidden concern in his eyes. He wasn't sure who the injured were or what mission they were executing, but from Lebius's words, he discerned that the attacker was likely a Defender.

What kind of mission could encounter an enemy like the Defender?

"Indeed, such incidents are quite common; hence the employee handbook emphasizes that it's not safe until completely leaving the scene and returning to the Order Bureau."

Palmer paused after speaking, lowered his voice, and whispered to Bologue, "I know who they are."

Bologue looked at Palmer with confusion, only to see Palmer respond mysteriously, "They are members of the Tenth Group, the Hunter of Many Nations."

"How do you know?"

Since joining the department, Bologue had never seen members of the Tenth Group, primarily because these people operate in the Narrow Countries and, like the Fourth Group, the Abyss Watchers stationed long-term at the Desperate Outpost, they wouldn't return to the Order Bureau unless necessary.

"I once worked with the Tenth Group while stationed at Crow's Nest," Palmer said, "Remember the unlucky guy who broke his leg? His name is Marlori; he is a member of the Tenth Group."

Palmer continued, "They must have encountered an extremely urgent situation; otherwise, they wouldn't have used the Curved Path Breakthrough to return to the Order Bureau."

Alchemists refer to all means of distorting space as the Curved Path, among them the safest and most stable mode of transport is the Curved Path Gate, offering point-to-point two-way travel.

Apart from safety, the drawback of the Curved Path Gate is its fixed transportation points, which cannot be altered.

Curved Path Breakthrough involves forcibly breaking through from one point to another, highly risky but offering convenience; the Observation Tower's Vortex Gate is a large alchemy equipment specifically facilitating Curved Path Breakthrough, to urgently deploy groups to target locations when necessary.

Similarly, in emergencies, targets can communicate through complex rituals to allow the Observation Tower to determine their location and bring them back from danger. This is what the Tenth Group currently faced.

Bologue remarked, "So they returned from the Narrow Countries via Curved Path Breakthrough?"

"It seems so."

Oath City, Opus, positioned between the Kagader Empire and the Rhine Alliance, with the Narrow Countries extending on both sides, forming a wall of nations that separates the two giants.

This setup avoids direct conflict to some extent, but due to this geographical positioning, the Narrow Countries often become battlefields for multiple forces, providing an opportunity for the Devils.

Earlier, Lebius mentioned the Tenth Group's actions in the Narrow Countries had ended, but now this problem arose, inevitably causing one to consider their task after destroying the Foul Sect.

"Don't worry, don't worry; compared with our small-scale operations, the Tenth Group truly has substantial resources and, like the Sixth Group, always operates in groups."

Palmer patted Bologue's shoulder, "Only a small portion of the Tenth Group appeared in the Observation Tower; most members are likely trapped in the Narrow Countries, and the Field Operations Department should be dispatching reinforcements soon."

"You also heard Lebius mention the enemy who unexpectedly attacked them is likely a Defender."

Whenever thinking about the Defender, Bologue felt a profound sense of helplessness, for they were truly formidable adversaries.

"I heard that, but isn't the leader of the Tenth Group absent from the scene?" Palmer said, "I've seen the leader of the Tenth Group; he's like a shepherd, never straying far from his team members."

"If he didn't appear in the Observation Tower, he must have stayed on the other side in the Narrow Countries. With him, I don't think there'll be any major accidents."

Bologue asked, "You trust him that much?"

"Of course, the position of the Tenth Group leader isn't one that ordinary people can hold."

Seekers of Glory rarely appear on the battlefield, so Defenders represent the ceiling of power in the Extraordinary World. They usually hold extremely important positions, but some operational groups, due to their special responsibilities, are also led by Defenders.

For example, the Fourth Group guarding the Abandoned Land, whose leader Holt is a young Defender.

As Hunters of the Narrow Countries, the leader of the Tenth Group is also of the Defender tier.

"Instead of worrying about these things, think about what's next," Palmer's face fell, "You know, among the action groups in the Field Operations Department, only ours remains available."

```

Bologue understood Palmer's implication; perhaps when Lebius returned, he'd bring a list with the names of Bologue and Palmer, and then the two would happily embark on a business trip to the Narrow Countries.

If it were just the two of them, it would be manageable, but this incident clearly couldn't be resolved by two Prayer Believers alone. Lebius and Geoffrey would certainly accompany them, working alongside their boss, which was far from comforting.

Palmer emphasized, "Don't think about those things. Focus on the now."

"What's going on with you? Such a big change in attitude?" Bologue noticed Palmer's change, "You're usually not like this."

"It's called transformation."

Palmer pretended to be mature and composed, "You can't worry too much about future matters, worry about this and that, it's endless."

Bologue was about to sigh at Palmer's growth during this return trip when Palmer continued, "But still, we need some plans for the future, like... if this thing has nothing to do with us, shall we play board games together tonight? I've arranged it with Hart."

"No, you play by yourself."

Bologue shook his head; he shouldn't have expected anything from Palmer. Why doesn't he learn his lesson?

Palmer asked, "Then how will you go back?"

"I'll walk back by myself, it's not far, besides... I feel like taking a walk."

Bologue had a heavy weight in his heart, a weight called the Demon Dispute. As Palmer said, worrying now was pointless. Bologue tried not to think about it, but it was too significant, he needed some time to absorb and ease into it.

A walk was a good choice; Bologue liked wandering aimlessly on the streets. Opus was an interesting city, full of quirky surprises, who knows, he might encounter one tonight.

Like some lost demon?

Bologue chuckled to himself, the sudden laughter making Palmer slightly uncomfortable.

Lebius hadn't returned all day, nor had Geoffrey. Both spent their time in the Field Operations Department until closing time arrived.

It seemed this sudden incident wouldn't have a resolution today. After waiting a bit longer, Bologue and Palmer each went their separate ways off work.

Palmer drove straight to the Undying Club, Serey wasn't around, but he had tricked Bode into joining, accompanying them in board games.

Incidentally, Wei'Er joined in the board game too; based on their setting, Wei'Er was a hunter infected by a demon, still retaining sanity, but her body had transformed into a beast.

Hmm... a cat.

Wei'Er really liked this setup, she said she would lead them to beat the game.

Bologue waved to Palmer, and in the rear-view mirror, Palmer nodded back at Bologue. With that, the two separated, heading in opposite directions.

Ever since living with Palmer, the two were inseparable. Now that they parted, Bologue surprisingly felt a sense of inexplicable freedom.

Bologue enjoyed this feeling of solitude, not thinking about anything, not worrying about anything, completely emptying his brain. The sensation was wonderful.

He wandered the streets, not stopping at red lights and turning right directly. Bologue didn't know where he would end up; he liked this random sense of the unknown.

In terms of seasons, it was already spring, but due to Opus' lousy environment, the weather remained cold. People walked down the sidewalk wrapped in thick scarves, their heads bowed silently, as tiring work had drained their energy for conversation.

Bologue blended into the silent crowd, like a black lamb jumping into a flock of sheep, unfamiliar faces flickering past Bologue's eyes, and then a cold dagger silently stabbed alongside his body.

It was a perfect assassination, launched when Bologue was most relaxed, without invoking any ether, not triggering Bologue's awareness of the ether.

But the attacker overlooked one thing: just before the dagger was about to fall, a powerful hand grabbed his wrist, pressing hard, the intense pain storming through his nerves.

Before the attacker could scream, Bologue raised his arm, laying it over the man's neck, choking him. The suffocating feeling turned the man's face instantly red.

"Hey, long time no see."

Bologue greeted the man warmly, without drawing anyone's attention.

The two moved forward a few steps in this intimate manner, then Bologue dragged the man into an alley, twisted his wrist, snatched the dagger, and kicked him into the trash heap.

"Really stinky..."

Bologue pinched his nose, unsure whether commenting on the garbage everywhere or the rotting stench emanating from the man.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.