Chapter 17: Special Operations Department

Chapter 17: Special Operations Department

"Blackthorn Security Company."

Seeing the sign, Klein froze for a long time, feeling a sense of something unexpected yet entirely logical.

It really was... he didn't even know how to comment... He shook his head with a wry smile, climbed the steps, and extended his right hand to lightly knock on the half-open door.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The slow, rhythmic knocking echoed, but there was no response from within, only the faint "tap-tap-tap" sound of something being typed.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Klein repeated it, but the result was the same.

He switched from knocking to pushing, widening the gap. His gaze drifted inside, seeing a set of what appeared to be classical sofas, soft armchairs, and a light wood coffee table—perhaps for receiving guests. He saw a desk directly opposite, and behind it, a brown-haired girl with her head bowed low.

Even if the "Security Company" sign was just a disguise, wasn't this a bit too... unprofessional? How long had it been since they had any business come through the door? *Well, I suppose you don't really need business...* Klein grumbled inwardly as he approached, tapping twice more on the desk near the girl's ear.

Knock! Knock!

The brown-haired girl sat up straight instantly, her hands snatching up the newspaper spread before her to hide her face.

*The Tingen Honest Man... a good name...* Klein thought to himself as he waited for the girl to lift her head from the side of the newspaper facing him.

"The steam train 'Flying' directly to Conston City opens today... Honestly, when will there be a direct line to Bay of Dici? I don't want to take a boat again, it's so uncomfortable, so incredibly uncomfortable... Huh, who are you?" The brown-haired girl went through the motions of reading aloud and expressing her opinions. As she spoke, she lowered the newspaper, revealing a smooth forehead and light brown eyes. She looked at Klein first with a look of placating politeness, then with sudden astonishment.

"Hello, I am Klein Moretti. I have come at the invitation of Mr. Dunn Smith." Klein removed his top hat, held it against his chest, and gave a slight bow.

The girl looked to be in her early twenties, wearing a light green, Loen-style casual dress. Beautiful lace adorned her cuffs, collar, and chest, making her features appear even more lovely.

"Captain... Okay, please wait here a moment, I'll go ask him." The girl stood up in a hurry and entered the inner room through a side door.

*She didn't even offer a glass of water... her sense of service is worrying...* Klein smiled faintly and waited in place, rather than heading toward the sofas or chairs.

After two or three minutes, the brown-haired girl pushed the door open and said with a sweet smile

"Mr. Moretti, please follow me. The Captain is on duty at the 'Chanis Gate' today and cannot leave."

"Alright." Klein stepped forward warmly, though he was wondering to himself.

*Chanis Gate? What is that?*

Through the partition, the first thing that entered his view was a short corridor, with about three offices on either side.

Some of these offices were locked tight, while others were open, revealing people inside typing incessantly on heavy mechanical typewriters.

As his eyes swept past, Klein actually spotted an acquaintance: the young officer with black hair and green eyes who had come to search his house the other day—the one with a romantic, poetic temperament.

He wasn't in formal attire; his white shirt wasn't even tucked into his trousers, giving him a somewhat uninhibited appearance.

*Perhaps he really is a poet...* Klein nodded in greeting, and the man returned a smile.

The brown-haired girl turned the handle of the office on the left at the end of the hall, pushed the door open, and pointed inside with a smile

"We have to go down a few more flights of stairs."

The office contained no furniture; there was only a grey-white stone staircase descending downwards.

Elegant gas lamps lit the walls on both sides of the stairs, their steady light dispelling the darkness and bringing a sense of peace.

The brown-haired girl walked ahead, staring intently at her feet, walking with great caution

"Even though I walk here often, I'm still afraid. I'm always worried I'll trip and go rolling down, tumble-tumble... You wouldn't believe it, Leonard did something so stupid. On his first day as a 'Sleepless,' on the very first day he hadn't fully mastered his powers, he tried to sprint down. And then, then he turned into a human wheel, haha! It's so funny to think about. Yes, he's the guy who just greeted you. That was three years ago. Speaking of which, I've been a Nighthawk for five years now. I was only seventeen back then..."

The girl chatted familiarly while watching her step. Suddenly, she gave her forehead a discrete tap and said

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Roselle. My father was an official member of the Nighthawks; he died in an accident five years ago. We should be colleagues from now on. Er, I suppose 'colleagues' is the right word... we can't quite call ourselves teammates yet, since neither of us are Beyonders."

"I hope to have that honor, but ultimately it depends on what Mr. Smith says." Klein observed the enclosed surroundings, feeling as though they were entering the underground—the stone walls seeped a cold dampness that dispelled the summer heat.

"Don't worry, if you were allowed to come directly here, it means the Captain agreed. I've always been a bit afraid of the Captain. Although he is very kind and caring, and gives me the feeling of my father, for some reason, I'm just scared." Roselle's voice sounded as if she were holding a piece of candy in her mouth.

Klein responded humorously

"Isn't it normal to be afraid of one's father?"

"That makes sense." Roselle reached out to steady herself against the wall at a corner.

As they spoke, the two finished the winding staircase and arrived at a stone-paved level.

This was a long corridor, with gas lamps encased in metal grilles embedded in the walls on both sides. The light spilled downward, casting long shadows of Klein and Roselle.

Klein keenly noticed that a "Darkness Emblem" was placed at regular intervals on the walls. It was the symbol of the Evernight Goddess—"A deep black background, adorned with brilliant stars, surrounding exactly half of a crimson moon."

These emblems didn't seem particularly special, but as he walked among them, Klein's state of mind gradually became tranquil. Roselle also fell silent, no longer chatting as she had before.

Before long, a crossroads appeared ahead. The brown-haired girl gave a brief introduction

"To the left leads to St. Selena's Cathedral; to the right is the armory, materials, and archives; straight ahead is the Chanis Gate."

*St. Selena's Cathedral? Is Zotlan Street on the back side of Red Moon Street?* Klein was momentarily stunned.

St. Selena's Cathedral on Red Moon Street was the Tingen headquarters of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, a sacred place longed for by local devout believers. Together with the "Church of Sacred Numbers"—the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery in the suburbs—and the "Church of the River and Sea"—the Church of the Lord of Storms located in Tingen's North District—they supported the religious landscape of Tingen City and its surrounding towns and villages.

Feeling that his current identity made it inappropriate to ask too much, Klein simply listened in silence.

Passing through the crossroads and walking straight ahead for less than a minute, a pair of black iron double doors engraved with seven emblems appeared before them.

It stood there, giving an immediate impression of heaviness, coldness, and superiority, like a giant guarding the darkness.

"The Chanis Gate," Roselle mentioned, pointing to the room beside it. "The Captain is inside. Go in yourself."

"Alright, thank you," Klein replied politely.

The room Roselle pointed to was just ahead of the "Chanis Gate." The window was open, and light spilled out. Klein took a breath and knocked steadily.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Come in," Dunn Smith's deep, warm voice drifted out.

Klein gently pushed open the ajar door and saw only a table and four chairs inside. The high-foreheaded Dunn Smith, wearing the same black trench coat from last night, was leisurely reading a newspaper. A golden watch chain hung near his chest buttons.

"Sit. Have you thought it over? Are you sure you want to join us?" Dunn put down the newspaper and asked with a smile.

Klein removed his hat, bowed, sat at the table, and nodded slowly.

"Yes, I am sure."

"Then take a look at this contract. Heh, nowadays everyone likes to call it an agreement." Dunn pulled open the desk drawer and took out two copies of a contract.

There weren't many clauses; they were mostly what Dunn Smith had mentioned before. The focus was on the confidentiality clause, stating that violators would not be tried through the Kingdom's courts, but would instead be judged directly by the Arbitration Tribunal of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, much like soldiers or officers facing a military tribunal.

*A five-year contract... a weekly wage of two pounds and 10 shillings, plus a 10-shilling confidentiality and risk allowance...* Klein read through it all and answered solemnly

"I have no problem with it."

"Then sign it." Dunn pointed to the dark red fountain pen and the inkwell on the table.

Klein first tested the pen on a scrap of paper, then took a discrete breath and signed his full name—Klein Moretti—on both copies of the contract.

Since he did not yet have a seal, he could only provide a fingerprint.

Dunn took back the contracts, pulled a seal from the drawer, and stamped it at the end and at several key points.

Having finished, he stood up, handed one copy of the contract back with one hand, and extended the other toward Klein

"Welcome. From this moment on, you are one of us. Remember, the contract must also be kept confidential."

Klein stood up accordingly, taking the contract while shaking the other man's hand with a smile

"Then should I address you as Captain?"

"Yes." Dunn's grey eyes were exceptionally deep in the dim light.

After the handshake, the two sat down separately. Klein glanced at the seal on the contract and found the text read: "Nighthawk Team, Tingen City, Ahole County, Kingdom of Loen."

"I really didn't expect you to use 'Blackthorn Security Company' as a cover," he remarked casually with a smile.

"Actually, we have another sign," Dunn said, pulling a piece of paper from the drawer.

It bore the dual seals of the municipal government and the police department. The content consisted of two lines of text

"Seventh Group, Special Operations Department, Ahole County Police Department, Kingdom of Loen."

"The first four groups are regular police handling security, such as the VIP Protection Group, Important Site Protection Group, and so on. From the fifth group onwards, they target supernatural incidents in the various cities within the county. Our Seventh Group is responsible for incidents related to Goddess believers in Tingen. If there are believers of different faiths, they are divided by region; we mainly cover the North District, West District, and Golden Paulownia District, among others."

Dunn gave a brief overview. "The Sixth Group, which belongs to the 'Punishers' of the Church of the Lord of Storms, is responsible for the Docks, East, and South Districts. The University District and the suburbs belong to the Fifth Group, which is the 'Machine Heart' team in Tingen."

"I see." Klein found nothing else to ask about this and instead smiled. "What if someone actually comes to commission a task because of the 'Blackthorn Security Company' sign?"

"We take it. Why wouldn't we? As long as it doesn't interfere with our daily duties," Dunn replied in a steady, humorous tone. "The money earned is just extra allowance; the members are quite happy to do it. Anyway, trivial and bothersome tasks like finding lost cats or dogs are all handled by private detectives now."

"How many people are in this Nighthawk team in total?" Klein asked, following the topic.

"Supernatural incidents are not frequent, and Beyonders are even rarer. There are only six official members of the Nighthawks in the entire city of Tingen, including myself. Heh, if you count the clerical staff, there are six of you now," Dunn answered unhurriedly.

Klein nodded and finally asked the matter he cared about most

"Captain, what did you mean by Beyonders losing control? Why does it happen?"