After paying a 5,000 credit deposit, Yvette and Carter finalized the contract and arranged to meet with the commissioning journalist the following afternoon at the bar to discuss the details of the operation.
Unlike the devilish intermediaries rumored to be ruthless, Carter retained some remnants of humanity. He kept subtly suggesting that if Yvette felt unprepared, it would be better to back out and lose a bit of the deposit than to risk her life.
Clearly, in his view, the level of recklessness needed for this serial killer task was on par with the eccentricities of the girl reporter who made the request.
Yvette understood his concerns. With her ability to activate the “Black Eye” as a trump card, she wouldn’t have considered high-risk contracts during her last dream entry.
After leaving the bar, she rented an apartment in the Bayard District through the intermediary platform and began reviewing information regarding the Werewolf Killer.
This supercriminal had participated in another murder spree last month. Since his initial actions six months ago, he had reportedly killed at least eight people, including a powerful rune compiler. He earned the moniker “Werewolf Killer” because witnesses claimed to see him shifting between a giant wolf and a human.
According to police reports, the origin of the Werewolf Killer’s abilities remained unknown. None of the major corporations had publicly disclosed technology resembling his capabilities, and even if they did, such military-grade technology would be strictly regulated and unlikely to leak into civilian hands.
Given the Werewolf Killer’s indiscriminate murder spree, many speculated that he was the creation of some deranged scientist; this was a common trope in urban legends.
…
The next day, the sky over Agash was overcast, but it was not raining. A heavy gray mist shrouded the city, casting an oppressive atmosphere.Upon opening the door to the Floating Light Bar, Yvette caught sight of the commissioning journalist with Carter’s gesture. The young female journalist appeared to have just graduated from university.
Dressed in a standard business outfit, she sat in a corner, sipping a hot cup of coffee.
As Yvette sat down in front of her, the journalist looked a bit dazed for a moment before responding, “Please don’t tell me you are the ‘Nameless’ who accepted this commission.”
Yvette nodded slightly.
“Really??” The journalist’s expression became somewhat stiff. She had envisioned many scenarios regarding the mercenary who would take her order, picturing someone either muscular and intimidating or a seasoned cyber mage adorned with glowing magical machinery.
However, she certainly did not expect to find a strikingly beautiful girl of around sixteen or seventeen who appeared completely non-threatening.
Still, she was quite pretty, dressed in stylish black clothes that resembled an immature black rose, and she was all natural…
Admiring her in silence, she then frowned and looked toward the bar.
“Don’t look at me, Miss Irene. Aside from this girl, no one else is likely to take this job,” Carter said from behind the bar, innocently polishing a glass. “At least, Miss Nameless is genuinely a mage.”
Hearing Carter’s teasing tone, Irene rolled her eyes, retracting her gaze and introducing herself. “Hi, I’m Irene Parker, a reporter for Bird News. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Nameless.”
“Hello,” Yvette replied.
Her concise response rendered the atmosphere momentarily silent.
Not knowing how to engage in small talk, Irene jumped straight into the subject. “I hope you can protect me while I investigate the identity of the Werewolf Killer, at least until the AJSP arrives… Can you do that?”
“I can.”
“Um, let me ask first, are you familiar with the Werewolf Killer?” Irene emphasized. “He’s not just an ordinary murderer targeting civilians; he has killed a formidable mage. That mage worked for Black Tower Pharmaceuticals and had injected high-quality ‘Active Rune Sets.’ Viewed from a mercenary’s perspective, that mage was top-tier… Are you aware of this?”
“I am.”
“Then do you still think you’re capable of handling this task?” Irene’s voice slightly rose at the end.
“Sure.”
“……”
Faced with the silver-haired girl’s calm and succinct replies, Irene fell silent.
Fine, she wasn’t one to judge based on appearances; since Miss Nameless was adamant about her capabilities and was the only one willing to take the job, there was no need for her to show further doubt.
Hesitating for a moment, she decided to lower her voice slightly, saying, “Well, during the investigation, we might not necessarily encounter the Werewolf Killer… but there’s a possibility. If you happen to run into him alone, just tell him my name and say it’s ‘Irene Parker from White Sand High School’ who’s investigating; perhaps… perhaps he’ll spare you.”
Yvette’s brow raised slightly; this Irene seemed far from impulsive. It sounded like she had some form of connection with the Werewolf Killer.
Before Yvette could respond, Irene added, “This place isn’t suitable for further discussion. Let’s change locations.”
Ten minutes later, the two stood by a hidden spot along the Lorn River, facing the filthy water filled with floating garbage. Various shuttles buzzed overhead, many carrying delivery packages, resembling a swarm of busy bees.
“I think I know who the Werewolf Killer really is,” Irene said.
Yvette nodded, urging her to continue. As a bodyguard, she didn’t necessarily need to be involved in the investigation but wouldn’t mind hearing some of the insider details.
“He might be Tennyson Norton, a male classmate from my high school who came from a troubled background. We had… a decent relationship back then.”
A nostalgic look crossed Irene’s face, but when she noticed a change in Yvette’s demeanor, she quickly added, “But it’s not like that. He once had a crush on me, but he never confessed; I never accepted.”
Yvette nodded for her to go on.
“After graduation, he didn’t go to college; he went straight to work, and we completely lost touch during that time.”
“About six months ago, when the Werewolf Killer first struck, the police captured a blurry frame showing part of his profile. Even though he was wearing a mask, I felt his profile, hair color, and eye color looked a lot like Tennyson’s.”
“Out of curiosity, I tried reaching out to Tennyson, but he never responded. Eventually, I grew suspicious and visited his home, only to find out that Tennyson had gone missing last year. The police concluded he fell victim to an internet scam, having been lured by an opportunity to make money, only to be sold to Rustbone Free State. He’s either still alive, living a hellish existence, or he’s already dead, and his body and soul have been turned into experimental materials by cultists.”
Upon hearing this, Yvette’s heart stirred; thoughts of the Rustbone Free State came to her mind.
In the region of the Black Tides, while there were smaller nations, three main countries held notable reputations.
First was the New Eden United States, home to “Black Tower Pharmaceuticals” and “Linthou Biotech,” ranking among the world’s top two superpowers.
Next was the Black Tide Federation, situated on the northeastern coast of the Black Tides, largely relying on the “Black Tide Corporation” as the national economic backbone, somewhat akin to Korea’s relationship with Samsung.
Finally, there was the Rustbone Free State, even smaller than the Black Tide Federation—a chaotic society without super corporations but infamous as the birthplace of the nefarious cult “Spirit Sect.” Due to their forbidden necromancy research leading to excessive human experimentation, Rustbone Free State was often disparaged as a “country of human traffickers” or “scam nation.”
However, the prospects that necromancy could offer—such as resurrecting the dead, creating undead bodies, and employing skeletal labor—were undeniably alluring. Even if the ideology touched on murky ethical boundaries, numerous followers worldwide were drawn to it, causing governmental headaches everywhere.
Irene continued, “I suspect that the claim of being sold to Rustbone isn’t true. Normally, victims sold there will have to call home to extort money from relatives. But Tennyson’s family didn’t experience anything like that.”
“I believe something painful happened to him, leading to some circumstance where he eventually gained certain abilities. His motive for his violent murders might be revenge on those who wronged him, or perhaps he wants to convey some message to the outside world.”
With her gaze now resolute, Irene added, “I want to decipher those messages, discover the underlying truths behind the Werewolf Killer’s actions, and bring the facts to light… I hope you can help me, Miss Nameless.”
…
As an impatient young woman, once she had a bodyguard, Irene Parker took Yvette to a community park in the Bayard District that evening.
This was the location of the Werewolf Killer’s first crime, where a homeless man who had set up a tent in the park was the victim.
According to a nearby elderly woman who had given her testimony, that night she had been sleeping and awoke to hear strange and scary noises. She opened her window to see a giant wolf tearing apart the already deceased victim, its eyes glowing a terrifying red. However, after she screamed in fright, the giant wolf was startled and fled, disappearing as if it had never existed.
This information had been established through police investigations, but during her return visit, Irene hadn’t uncovered any new information. Furthermore, seeing as it had been half a year since that incident, any follow-up inquiries would likely yield less accurate results than the publicly available police records.
Over the next few days, accompanying Irene, Yvette visited the remaining areas where the Werewolf Killer had previously struck.
During this time, Irene even spent money to request surveillance footage from safer neighborhoods, but the tapes yielded no signs of Tennyson during the timeline of the incidents.
Irene’s investigation was now at an impasse.
She found that the results from her independent inquiry were no better than those of the police; she hadn’t discovered any information seemingly linked to Tennyson.
The only silver lining was that they had not become the next Wave Killer victims. Yet in some regard, this also implied that Irene’s investigation had accomplished nothing substantial.
Five days flew by, and on the evening of the last day of the commission, upon returning to Bayard empty-handed, the two walked along a small path beside the Lorn River. Yvette asked, “Will the commission continue tomorrow?”
This was clearly an inquiry on whether to extend the payment, doubling it to account for another 20,000 per day.
Irene shook her head despondently. As a novice reporter, she realized she seemed to lack the talent for detective work. There were things the AJSP could not uncover that she also could not find. Continuing would only waste her limited funds—she had just over 50,000 credits saved up, and although her parents were financially stable, she felt uneasy about asking them for help.
Seeing her first client in such a difficult position, combined with their lack of significant developments these past few days, Yvette pondered briefly and decided to offer some additional support: “I have a suggestion.”
“Hm… what is it?”
Yvette said, “Since you think your old classmate Tennyson Norton is the Werewolf Killer, why not investigate his disappearance case directly?”
Irene paused for a moment, her first instinct agreeing that this idea had merit. But soon after, doubts washed over her. “No… that might not be feasible.”
Noticing Yvette’s puzzled expression, she elaborated, “Tennyson’s disappearance pertains to the cult, the Spirit Sect, and accessing relevant information is prohibited… Even the victim’s family can only know the results of the AJSP’s investigation but can’t obtain anything further. The reasoning seems to be to prevent anyone from engaging with the cult and becoming their followers.”
“Understood.” Yvette refrained from pressing further; she could indeed utilize hacking techniques to gain access to some internal information, but that fell outside the remit of the commission.
So, after five uneventful days, Yvette’s first mercenary commission concluded, and the outcome was difficult to assess.
While she did receive her normal commission payment, equivalent to finding 50,000 credits for free, she could hardly say it had proven her abilities. It was likely that Carter would still label her as a newbie, albeit with a high degree of luck.
Clearly, she would need to take on another advanced commission…
What about directly capturing a wanted criminal? She could search for any leads on the Werewolf Killer, take him down, claim the AJSP’s 1 million bounty, and immediately prove her competency…
In that light, the clues provided by Irene Parker indeed bore significant importance. Besides, the distinction between bounty hunters and mercenaries was marginal; both could earn quick cash…
Yvette pondered these thoughts quietly.
Over the last couple of days, to conserve energy, she had purchased information from the gray market through Carter and discovered that acquiring military-grade equipment was much more challenging than anticipated.
For example, a military combat unit capable of casting spells worth 100,000 credits had an official price of 250,000, yet its price in the black market could soar to over 800,000, which was extraordinarily exorbitant. Even with the 500,000 credits she had, she still couldn’t afford it.
Therefore, just three days after the completion of the commission, while she still grappled with how to earn money to buy equipment, a sudden message from her former employer, Irene, caused Yvette’s pupils to contract slightly.
It was a voice message, attempting to keep her tone down with a palpable sense of terror and urgency. She spoke in a breaking voice, “Miss Nameless… I… I think I just saw Tennyson… He was… across the street from my house… watching me…”