The bullet struck the man's shoulder. Miao Miao didn't miss the opportunity. She quickly raised her leg and kicked him forcefully. The impact twisted his wrist unnaturally, and he lost his balance, falling to the ground.
"Ahh…"
Seizing the moment, two police officers quickly rushed forward, restrained him, and put handcuffs on him. From their conversation, it became clear that the man was a fugitive who had been sought for a long time.
The middle-aged officer looked at Miao Miao with gratitude and said,"Thank you. If you hadn't signaled us, we wouldn't have been able to carry out our duties properly."
Miao Miao let out a light breath and replied,"No, thank you… for saving me."
From outside, she tried to appear calm, but in her mind, she thought—"If you hadn't understood my signal, I would have died at this man's hands for the third time…"
Miao Miao lay on the bed and let out a long breath. She thought,"Today's events were truly intense. Madam Dolly and Mrs. Summer were trembling in fear, but the parasitic Amon—hah, he was completely calm, as if nothing had happened. That really is his nature."
"And to be honest, among the crowd caused by today's incident, there were a few Mid-Sequence Beyonders."
She closed her eyes and said slowly,
"Now I have to attend the 'Eye of Wisdom' assembly. Hmm… his real name was Isengard Stanton. Oh, he's a well-known detective. As far as I remember, he was affiliated with the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom."
Miao Miao chuckled lightly,
"I don't know exactly which pathway he has… but once I attend the assembly, I'll see everything with the glasses' help."
A sense of excitement stirred within her.
"Alright, now it's time to rest, and then be fully prepared for the assembly."
Miao Miao glanced at the clock. The hands were just touching half-past seven.
She slowly put on her white coat, slightly lowered her hat to cover most of her face, and checked herself in the mirror to ensure she wouldn't be recognized in this outfit. Then, using the coat, she made herself almost completely invisible.
She then stood by the window and waited.
"Klein is going to the assembly today…" she thought to herself.
She had forgotten to buy the Backland Morning Post yesterday, so she didn't know the exact address of the assembly. She only knew that it would be held somewhere near the Braveheart Bar.
But the problem was, she didn't know exactly where the Braveheart Bar was.
Miao Miao sighed lightly in frustration.
"I've only been in this world for three days… yet I barely know anything about the city's locations."
She felt a little regretful. If she had studied the city map or important locations earlier, she wouldn't have gotten into so much trouble today.
After thinking for a moment, she shook her head.
"There's no use regretting now. The simplest way is clear…"
A flash of determination appeared in her eyes.
"Follow Klein."
She went to the door and quietly waited. She wouldn't move until Clein came out.
Miao Miao, hidden by her invisible white coat at the window, watched Clein's every step. The lamplight reflected in her eyes in the night breeze, and the cobblestone street glimmered faintly.
She waited until Klein rented a car, then quietly followed behind, making sure not to make a sound.
The car arrived at Iron Gate Street in the Bridge District. Klein stepped out and surveyed the darkness and lamplight around him.
Miao Miao followed him a short distance on foot and reached the Braveheart Bar. Light and the sound of people came from the front of the bar, but she noticed a quieter, darker alleyway at the back.
Following Klein, she entered the alley, where the surroundings were silent and the night breeze was cool. After walking for a while, they arrived at the entrance of a dark room.
Miao Miao quietly followed Klein into the dark room. Klein, wearing a mask, entered the darkness and stood before a wooden door, raising his hand to tap a code—seven strong knocks, one light knock, six long knocks, and two short knocks. Miao Miao memorized the sequence attentively.
After seven or eight seconds, a small wooden panel in the door opened. A pair of brown eyes appeared inside. The eyes studied Klein for a long time before finally opening the door, allowing him to enter.
Now it was Miao Miao's turn. She made herself visible in the darkness. Her white coat turned black, and she put on a mask.
Standing before the wooden door, she followed the same knock sequence as Klein. A few seconds later, the pair of brown eyes appeared again from the panel.
After a long scrutiny, the door finally opened. A person wearing an iron mask stood there, his voice harsh:
"The assembly will start in one or two minutes, so hurry up!"
He closed the door, turned, and led Miao Miao through the dark living room to the candle-lit sitting room on the first floor. A candle on the coffee table cast a dim light, and shadowy designs spread across the room.
Around the table, nearly a dozen people sat on sofas and chairs, all wearing iron masks. Through the marks above their heads, she could tell which pathway each person belonged to. She noticed the Fool-pathway mark indicating the person sitting in the center—Klein.
Miao Miao found an empty chair and sat down, surveying the room once. Soon, her eyes fell on an elderly man seated in an armchair. Deep wrinkles ran across his nose, and his skin was slightly sagged.
Miao Miao observed the old man's demeanor and the respect shown toward him by others. Every small gesture, solemn gaze, and weight of presence confirmed it—this was surely the "Eye of Wisdom," detective Isengard Stanton. She leaned forward slightly and looked up at the top of his head. Under the candlelight, a tower-like symbol was visible, inscribed with:
"White Tower"
"Sequence 7 – Detective"
Eye of Wisdom raised his head to look at the mechanical clock on the wall and chuckled.
"There's a lot of people here today."
"Let's begin."
Before the Eye of Wisdom could finish speaking, the plump medicine seller hurriedly began talking.
"For my experiment, I need a Beyonder creature. If it's an animal, and if it's already somewhat tamed and not too dangerous, that would be the best."
From a corner of the room, someone said calmly,
"That would be quite dangerous and could easily attract attention. Wouldn't it be easier and more discreet to simply kill them and obtain the external ingredients?"
The potion maker was clearly someone who refused to lose in an argument. So he immediately curled his lips and said,
"What a foolish idea!"
After a moment, he cleared his throat with a light cough and continued,
"I've brought several bottles of potions. You all know their effects. If you're interested, you can come talk to me at the end of the gathering."
At that moment, another calm voice spoke from the center of the gathering—
"You could buy a Sequence 9 formula, gather the corresponding Beyonder ingredients, and then prepare the potion to feed it to the animal you choose. That way, you would have a Sequence 9 Beyonder creature, and later you could gradually guide it toward higher sequences."
Miao Miao—immediately realized in her mind,
"This must be Klein."
Then the same voice continued,
"Of course, this assumes that you're wealthy enough… and that you have the ability to deal with those who lose control."
The potion seller was stunned for a few seconds, as if he had truly never considered such an idea before. After a moment, he said in surprise,
"What an incredible idea!"
Then he shook his head slightly and sighed,
"Just saving money and searching for Beyonder ingredients for myself is already difficult enough. On top of that, there's the possibility that an animal might lose control after consuming the potion. To succeed, I might have to try many times."
Finally, he added with a faint smile,"Anyone who can afford to do that must surely own a mine… or at least a bank."