Chapter 113: Infiltrating Mehko Research Center
Night had fallen over Phane City, the moon hanging bright and full above, painting everything in silver light.
Reinhard, Marie, Roana, and Scáth walked through the streets heading north, their destination clear in their minds.
All four wore black suits designed for stealth and movement.
Roana had opted for a black skirt and stockings instead of pants, the outfit somehow managing to look both professional and practical. Their clothing blended with shadows, making them nearly invisible in the dim spaces between street lamps.
Joseph, Gran, and Niki remained at the hotel as backup. If something went wrong, if rescue became necessary, and if contingency plans needed activation, it would be them who would act.
The northern district approached gradually.
The Mekhko Research Center occupied an entire block, its grounds surrounded by high walls topped with decorative but functional iron spikes.
They reached an alleyway near the center, the narrow space providing cover. Reinhard moved to peer around the corner with his body pressed against the cold brick.
Phane City guards patrolled the street in pairs, their white uniforms standing out starkly against the night. The research center’s gates were closed with heavy metal barriers that looked designed to resist forced entry.
Through the gaps, Reinhard could see figures moving around the building’s front, which was most likely more guards and workers on the night shift. He pulled back and gestured to the others, and they waited in silence as they took note of the guard’s pattern.
A patrol passed their alley without glancing in, and their footsteps faded into the distance.
"Now." Reinhard whispered.
They rushed out together, crossing the empty street swiftly and approaching the wall. The wall was perhaps twelve feet high with no obvious handholds, and then they began leaping over it.
Marie’s fingers caught the wall’s top edge, and she pulled herself up over before crouching once she landed. She scanned the grounds beyond before then gesturing them forward, and then Roana leapt over next. Scáth flipped over the wall easily while Reinahard checked around once more before jumping over.
Reinhard saw bushes around before all of them moved into them without hesitation, branches rustling softly before falling still. Then they looked forward to seeing the three stories of stone and glass, windows showing light on the ground floor but darkness above. The main entrance faced the street, illuminated by gas lamps and watched by guards.
They circled right, moving through gardens that provided cover. Roana hand signals directed their path as she pointed to shadows, indicating obstacles, and marking guard positions.
A patrol appeared ahead, two guards walking the perimeter with a gas lamp swinging from their hands. The group froze instantly, becoming statues among the bushes.
The guards’ conversation carried clearly through the still night.
"Third shift is always the worst-"
"At least the pay is good-"
"-Heard they’re expecting important visitors tomorrow-"
The voices faded as the patrol moved away, circling toward the front of the building.
They continued forward until they finally reached the building’s right side. Windows lined the wall at regular intervals.
Most windows showed darkness beyond, but one positioned lower than the others had a faint light.
Reinhard studied each window systematically before his eyes narrowed at the bathroom window. If the building’s layout matched standard designs, the bathroom wouldn’t be a place that would be watched over constantly.
He moved to that window, the others following, and his hand extended toward a shadow cast by a nearby bush.
Shadow Striker.
The shadows inside the bathroom trembled before darkness, responding to his will. Two spears formed from that darkness, their black forms moving with care toward the window’s interior latch. The spears maneuvered with swift movement, hooks catching on metal mechanisms and lifting them slowly.
The latch released with a barely audible click.
Marie moved immediately, her hands finding purchase on the window frame. She pushed upward carefully as she focused on minimizing noise. Then the window opened smoothly, revealing the dark bathroom interior.
Roana slipped through first, her smaller frame making the entry easy. Scáth followed, then Reinhard, and finally Marie, who pulled the window closed behind them with the same careful silence.
The bathroom was covered with white tile and multiple stalls. A door led to the interior, light visible in the gap beneath.
Roana turned to Reinhard, her golden eyes catching what little light penetrated the darkness. "Do you want to take the lead, or should I do it from here?"
Reinhard fell into thought, his gaze dropping to the necklace at his throat. Three new colors pulsed within it now, magic and skills from Roana, Scáth, and Gran.
The blue color held Roana’s Grand Scan ability. When activated, it released a formless pulse that displayed every person with life within a large area, and so far, it reached an entire floor.
The limitation was that it only displayed current locations, not continuous feedback. The scan lasted perhaps a second before fading.
But that single second provided complete awareness of the place of everyone.
Scáth’s skill was her ability to construct weapons with her magic. Useful for baiting opponents who saw you unarmed, then striking when they closed the distance, assuming vulnerability.
Gran’s skill was Vector Path, which displayed the trajectory of a person’s actions seconds in advance. When Reinhard had tested it at the hotel, he’d seen light blue and grey arrows appear near his neck moments before Gran’s punch came.
The vectors showed movement intention, which allowed preemptive evasion. Combined with Grand Scan, it created a devastating tactical advantage in knowing where enemies were and where they would move.
The others were surprised he could have so many skills in the Herald Mark. But Vanna explained that because of his SSS Class Beast Spirit’s ability to withstand various magic, it acts as a better connecting node.
"Do the floors for now." Reinhard said quietly. "I’ll handle the underground. You have more experience with Grand Scan, so there shouldn’t be any mistakes."
Roana nodded before she moved to the door, pressing her ear against it briefly. Satisfied with whatever she heard or didn’t hear, she opened it slowly.
...
A hallway stretched forward, lit by occasional lamps mounted on walls. Through the hall were white walls, tile floors, and doors marked with plaques indicating offices and examination rooms.
Roana’s eyes unfocused slightly as she activated Grand Scan. Her eyes refocused, and then she gestured ahead, leading Reinhard to see two guards ahead. One moving left down an intersecting corridor, another stationary near what looked like a supply closet.
She tapped into the Herald Mark, pulling on Gran’s Vector Path ability. Blue and grey arrows materialized in her vision, invisible to others but clear to her.
The arrows showed the stationary guard would turn right in three seconds, then walk forward for five steps before pausing to check something on his clipboard.
Roana moved immediately, gesturing for the others to follow. They crossed the hallway during the guard’s turn and then slipped past the intersecting corridor before he could look back. A storage room door provided cover, and they pressed against it as they began waiting.
Another guard’s footsteps approached, paused before, and then continued past their position.
Roana activated Grand Scan again with the pulse, revealing new positions.
There were three guards now, one ascending stairs to the second floor while two conversed near the front entrance. Roana then moved once more, with the others following behind her after the guards finished climbing the stairs.
The group continued moving through the building like ghosts. Roana’s awareness, combined with her team’s Beast Master capabilities, created a synergy that bypassed security designed to stop any thief or invaders.
Then an obstacle appeared.
It was a long, well-lit corridor with no side passages, with a guard stationed at its far end facing their direction.
Roana glanced at Reinhard, who caressed his chin and then both of them mouthed Drasil Step before she tapped into the Herald Marker.
Drasil Step.
Time began to slow down extremely, with the guards freezing and everything around also stopping in mid-motion.
Roana pulled Marie and Scáth forward, all three moving towards the guards. Reinhard followed as he also activated the Drasil Step to move freely as well.
They crossed the corridor swiftly before reaching the opposite end and ducking into a side passage. Time then returned to normal with the guard finishing adjusting his cap while Roana and the others continued moving.
The pattern repeated with Grand Scan revealing positions, Vector Path predicting movements, and Drasil Step bypassing impossible situations.
They moved deeper into the building, always progressing toward the back, where service elevators would provide underground access.
A near miss came when a door opened unexpectedly, a researcher emerging with arms full of files. Scáth reacted instantly, pulling Roana backward into a recessed doorway while Marie grabbed Reinhard and pressed against the wall.
Their bodies hidden in shadows, the researcher’s eyes weren’t adjusted to see. The researcher passed, muttering about late nights and inadequate staffing before sighing. Once the researcher left, they continued moving and being a bit more careful.
Finally, they reached the back of the building, with them seeing elevators side by side, their metal cage gleaming dully in the hallway lights.
But two guards stood in front of them, positioned so they could watch both the elevators and the corridor.
The group hid behind support pillars, thick cobblestone columns that provided cover. Roana’s mind raced through options, she thought of simply moving past them with Drasil Step. But calling the car would create noise and light that would alert the guards immediately.
They needed the guards to move.
Roana activated Grand Scan again and studied the patterns. Vector Path showed one guard would check his watch in ten seconds, then suggest to his partner that they do a quick patrol of the stairwell.
She whispered to the others that the guard would move in ten seconds. They waited the seconds as they got ready to move after the guards left and before new ones came.
The guard checked his watch before speaking to his partner. Both moved toward the stairwell entrance and disappeared through the door.
Roana moved instantly, reaching the elevator as they pressed down on the metal. The mechanism engaged with a soft hum before the cage opened.
All four slipped inside, and Marie turned the lever.
The doors closed as the elevator began its descent into whatever secrets Mekhko Research kept hidden below.