Chapter 162: Retrieval Mission

Near the central citadel, Terrence immediately ordered Noir, who was hiding within his shadow, to scout the underground structure.

He was really angry right now. No one was allowed to take what he had built. Moreover, he had wooed Stan Visor for months to finally make him properly work under him in loyalty.

He had done everything just to have a reliable subordinate. But for Stan to be taken from him just like that?

However, he was genuinely concerned about that part, since it was impossible that Stan wouldn’t fight back.

’But wait... could this be a good opportunity to raise Stan’s loyalty to me? I will save him and the others. So, that means that they will be more loyal to me if I save their lives.’

Terrence shook off the idea. It felt bitter, but he didn’t dislike the thought, since it was really a useful scheme in this case as well.

What he did was just beneficial to him, and to be honest, he wasn’t deeply affectionate toward them. He wanted those he cultivated to be loyal to him, not be disposed of just like that.

So, there was no reason for him not to react this way.

By the way, Terrence didn’t notice that he had put the guards who initially came to his Beast Shop after the commotion into absolute ruin. They were unconscious on the cobblestone road in front the shop with white eyes, completely out cold before they could even scream.

Basically, Terrence was just focused on his goal now.

A moment later, the pool of pitch-black fluid shadow beneath his feet rippled like a calm lake. Noir silently surfaced from the depths of Terrence’s shadow, melting upward into a towering, shrouded silhouette before dissolving into a surge of raw sensory information that poured straight into Terrence’s mind.

The mental map expanded like a glowing, intricate maze beneath his vision.

The subterranean network of Suran City was staggering. Beneath the quiet stone streets lay a massive, multi-tiered underworld carved directly into the bedrock, a vast labyrinth of subterranean highways, fortified barracks, and heavily guarded holding cells extending far beyond the perimeter of the surface citadel. Entire districts existed down in the dark, bathed in the dim blue hum of ancient mana crystals and heavy containment seals.

It was a sprawling, hidden fortress right under the feet of the daily citizens. This was Terrence’s very first time learning about the true scale of Suran City’s underground depth.

A sharp, dark grin slowly spread across Terrence’s lips as he processed every single security post, guard rotation, and structural weak point.

Meanwhile, hiding behind a thick stone pillar a short distance away, Filmos and Trillo were observing Terrence from a distance.

Filmos, especially, couldn’t be complacent in their position. His chest heaved as panic gripped his throat, his skin drenched in cold sweat from the lingering pressure of Terrence’s dark aura. He felt with absolute certainty that if they didn’t report now, people would die in droves the moment that "monster" moved.

"Trillo, we have to contact Deputy Commander Nair right now!" Filmos urged in a sharp, frantic whisper, clutching his communicator card with trembling fingers. "Look at him! He’s about to tear the entire citadel apart! If we don’t report this instant, this whole sector will turn into a graveyard!"

Trillo immediately reached out and snatched Filmos’s wrist, his grip like an iron clamp as he shook his head in intense frustration.

"Are you insane? Put that away!" Trillo snapped back in a harsh, low voice. "How will we prove ourselves capable if we just run back and report without complete information? This is our first mission together! Your first mission! If we panic and call in half-baked news the second things get tense, the Lady Commander will deem us completely useless!"

"This isn’t just ’tense’, Trillo!" Filmos argued, his eyes wide as he pointed a trembling finger toward the citadel square. "That guy isn’t human! He just wiped out an entire guard platoon without even lifting a finger! We need back—"

"We stay and observe!" Trillo hissed back, glaring at him with fierce determination. "We need to know where he’s going, what his target is, and how he plans! Once we have the full picture, then we report!"

"People are going to die while we sit here measuring his strength!" Filmos yelled softly, trying desperately to pull his wrist free. "We are observers, not suicidal scouts!"

"And observers don’t run away at the first sign of a fight!" Trillo barked, pulling Filmos deeper into the shadow of the pillar as they bickered back and forth in hushed, furious tones.

"I’m telling you, Nair specifically said—"

"I don’t care what you think you heard! We hold our ground!"

They carried on arguing back and forth for nearly a full minute, their voices rising in desperate friction as their nerves frayed to the absolute limit.

Finally, Filmos gritted his teeth and violently shoved Trillo’s hand away. "Fine! Look at him yourself and tell me he’s waiting around!"

Filmos whipped his head around the edge of the stone pillar to point at the top of the citadel steps.

Trillo turned his head to look as well, his eyes narrowing to track their target.

The marble plaza was completely empty.

The heavy, suffocating pressure that had been weighing down on their chests had vanished into thin air.

Where Terrence had been standing just moments ago, was now just emptiness and obviously, things felt odd that he wasn’t there anymore!

Filmos’s jaw dropped as a cold chill ran down his spine. His heart started ramping his chest like it wanted to escape.

They had lost their target!

"Where... where did he go?" Filmos whispered, his voice trembling in absolute horror.

Trillo stared at the vacant, quiet steps, his face turning pale as he realized they had argued for so long that they had completely lost sight of the "monster."

Meanwhile, right below where they were standing, a person had materialized straight through the thick cobblestone, passing through the earth beneath to stand in the middle of a dim, echoing network of sewage tunnels. Just a sharp corner away lay the wide, main underground road leading directly into the heart of the subterranean world under Suran City.