Soon, the white paper crane they had been following for two days was now trembling slightly.
Its wings fluttered gently at first, and then—it rose.
It was not circling, nor was it testing.
The paper crane flew straight toward the northeast, its wings flapping rapidly, tracing a firm trajectory in the air.
Retz's eyes lit up: "Found it!"
Leo did not smile, but his tense brow relaxed slightly.
"Finally, there's a discovery."
Retz let out a long breath and raised his hand to wipe the thin layer of sweat from his forehead.
"If I hadn't found it soon, my Qi would have bottomed out. Although this ability consumes little, it can't handle being used continuously for two days."
Leo turned his head to look at him, his tone sincere.
"Thank you for your hard work, Retz. I will pay you an extra reward."
"Haha, that won't be necessary."
Retz waved his hand, but his smile carried a hint of satisfaction that "you kid is still sensible."
"Just stick to the original price. But next time you have a commission like this, remember to come to me."
"Definitely."
Leo did not delay any longer; he took out his phone and dialed Sophia's number.
It was answered after one ring.
"Master!"
Sophia's voice came through the receiver, with the sound of wind and faint car horns in the background.
"Are you looking for us?"
"Where are you now?"
"Guganyu Kingdom, we just finished dealing with a C-rank wanted criminal and were planning to take a break."
Sophia paused.
"Master, is there a situation on your end?"
"The trail of the Genei Ryodan has been found."
Leo was concise.
"It's within the Guganyu Kingdom. You and Shizuku need to come over."
The other end of the line was silent for a second.
Then Sophia's voice became steady: "Specific location?"
"Audur City, near the old town area. Contact me when you arrive."
"Understood. We will definitely arrive within tonight."
Hanging up the phone.
Leo put away his phone and looked at the paper crane in Retz's hand.
It was still flying, but its speed had clearly slowed down, as if it were guiding, or perhaps waiting.
"Follow it."
Leo said.
At the same time, in the old town area of Audur City.
This was an area forgotten by urban development.
Abandoned residential buildings were squeezed on both sides of the narrow alleyways, the wall plaster peeling off to reveal the grey-brown brick underneath, casting messy shadows in the afternoon sun.
On the top floor of an old three-story building, two figures had just pushed the door open and entered.
Feitan leaned the dark red umbrella sword in his hand against the corner of the wall and tossed the things he had just snatched onto the sofa.
His movements were light, yet carried a natural sense of oppression.
Phinks was much more casual; he walked straight to the sofa and sat down.
"Those guys at the auction, they looked quite rich, but their warehouse was full of worthless junk."
Phinks leaned back against the sofa backrest and crossed his legs.
"After robbing them for so long, only a few limited-edition games were worth looking at."
Feitan didn't speak; half his face was covered by his high collar, revealing only a pair of cold eyes, as he proceeded to unwrap a game cartridge and insert it into the game console.
With a soft "ding," the screen lit up.
Outside the window, the afternoon in the old town area was as quiet as usual.
On the outskirts of the abandoned residential area.
The paper crane hovered slowly in mid-air, its speed getting slower and slower, eventually hovering in one place, its wings no longer flapping.
Retz looked up at it and let out a sigh of relief.
"We're here. The information you provided was quite accurate; the paper crane can only pinpoint within a range of 500 meters at most, but since it has stopped here and isn't moving..."
He looked at Leo.
"The person you are looking for is in this area."
Leo scanned his surroundings.
Old residential buildings, crisscrossing alleyways, and the occasional passerby, an old person, or children coming home from school.
On the surface, this place was no different from any ordinary residential area.
But he knew that the spiders were hiding within these grey, dusty buildings.
"Good."
Leo turned to Retz.
"In that case, you should leave first. Thanks, Retz, the reward has already been transferred to you."
Retz pushed up his glasses. He didn't ask why, nor did he curiously inquire about what was going to happen next.
This experienced Hunter knew very well—some commissions do not require knowing all the details.
"I understand."
Retz retrieved the hovering paper crane into his palm; the paper crane turned back into a piece of folded paper in his hand, then gradually blurred and dissipated.
"Then I'll head back to Kent City first. If you finish things here and still need to find others—"
He paused: "Contact me anytime."
"Definitely."
Retz nodded, without any extra words, and turned to leave. His figure quickly disappeared around the corner of the alley.
Leo stood in place, watching him leave.
Then, he found an inconspicuous corner, sat down against the wall, and observed the only entrance and exit.
Waiting.
Night fell.
After nightfall, the alleyway became empty and quiet.
A few old streetlights turned on, casting dim yellow spots of light on the road.
9:20 PM.
Leo's phone vibrated.
He looked down at the screen—Sophia.
"Are you here?"
"Yes, just entered the Audur City area."
Sophia's voice was very low.
"Master, where are you?"
Leo gave a general location.
Twenty-five minutes later, two figures appeared at the end of the alley.
Sophia walked in front, her pace light but alert.
She was wearing a dark-colored sportswear set convenient for movement, her long hair tied into a neat ponytail at the back of her head, her eyes scanning the surroundings sharply.
Shizuku followed behind, still with that calm expression. She was wearing a simple black long-sleeved shirt, her glasses reflecting a faint light under the streetlamp, and that iconic cross necklace hanging around her neck.
The two approached and stood still in front of Leo.
"Master," Sophia called out softly.
Shizuku also nodded.
"Leo."
Leo stood up from the wall and brushed the dust off his pants.
His gaze swept past Sophia and landed on Shizuku.
"Feitan and Phinks are in this area."
Leo's voice was very soft, but clearly audible in the quiet alley.
"We make our move tonight."
Sophia nodded, without any extra words.
Shizuku adjusted her glasses and said calmly.
"Understood."
The night deepened.
On the top floor of an abandoned three-story old building in the old town, a faint fluorescent light from a game console screen could be seen.
And in the shadows 500 meters away, three figures were slowly approaching.
Audur City, old town area.
At 10:00 PM sharp, the night was thick as ink.
Old streetlights cast dim yellow spots of light in the alley, moths fluttering around the lamp shades.
Leo stood in the shadow of a ruined wall, his gaze locked on the three-story old building 300 meters away.
The building was dusty, its outer walls peeling, its windows pitch black, with only the top floor faintly emitting a weak fluorescent light—like the light of some electronic screen.
Sophia and Shizuku followed behind him on the left and right, the three of them having already discussed the battle plan.
Leo would lead the charge, attacking head-on.
Sophia and Shizuku would flank from both sides to cut off the escape route.
"Remember."
Leo lowered his voice.
"Feitan is fast, and his ability is to manifest a scorching sun; it will be very troublesome once he successfully casts it. Sophia, look for an opportunity to plant the mark."