The next day, as the morning sun rose, no one noticed the disappearance of the two Red Fang Gang members from the night before.
People carried on with their daily routines. But for some, their day began with an unexpected surprise.
At a local precinct of the Public Security Bureau, the officer on duty that day was Zhu Yuan—the youngest squad captain in the bureau. Known for her efficiency and kind demeanor, she was well-liked by both senior officers and junior colleagues.
Their precinct had also been investigating the Red Fang Gang's whereabouts. But if even HQ had no leads, what hope did a local branch have?
Because of this, Zhu Yuan hadn't slept all night, working straight through the night and into her morning shift. As a result, she was visibly off her game.
Staring at the towering stack of reports on her desk, she hadn't even had time to review them before dozing off on the spot.
Suddenly, a sharp knock jolted her awake. Realizing she'd fallen asleep; She forced herself upright and went to open the door.
Standing outside was her partner—senior colleague and subordinate—Qing Yi.
Seeing Zhu Yuan open the door, Qing Yi's expression was unusually serious. "Zhu Yuan, you need to come see something."
Still groggy from sleep, Zhu Yuan didn't immediately register the urgency in his tone, but she followed him nonetheless.
Their destination turned out to be the precinct's interrogation room—a place reserved for questioning suspects. Unless it was something serious, Qing Yi would never bring her here.
That alone told Zhu Yuan something big was going on. When she entered the room, her eyes immediately landed on two Red Fang Gang members tied up tightly with ropes.
She blinked in disbelief. "You caught them?" she asked Qing Yi, surprised.
Recently, the Red Fang Gang had drastically reduced its activity in New Eridu. Combined with the influx of new recruits blending into the general populace, many members had gone undetected.
These newer members also served as eyes and ears, reporting Public Security movements back to the gang.
That mix of visible and invisible forces was one reason the bureau's investigations had yielded so little.
More importantly, there might have been a traitor in their midst. Otherwise, there was no way those spotters could've maintained such a perfect grasp of bureau operations.
The higher-ups had issued strict internal audits, but so far, they'd uncovered nothing—proof that this cancerous root lay buried too deep to dig out easily.
Still, capturing two Red Fang Gang members was a big deal—and could be a breakthrough in tracking the gang's movements.
They also had priority rights to interrogate them.
Zhu Yuan had assumed Qing Yi's team had made the arrest, but his response was unexpected.
"These two were found this morning by a rookie on patrol," he said. "They were stuffed in a garbage bin near the station. Already tied up when we found them—clearly someone left them there on purpose."
Zhu Yuan's expression turned serious. She started wondering who could've done it. But with no sleep for over a day, she couldn't focus. So instead, she turned her attention back to the two gang members.
"Have they said anything useful?" she asked, shaking her head a bit in an attempt to stay alert.
Qing Yi shook his head. "Nothing. They're both new recruits. Their job was to keep tabs on us and eliminate rival groups nearby. They don't even know where the gang's main base is—let alone where Silver is hiding."
He paused for a moment, then added, "Also… they can't remember who tied them up or dumped them in the trash. It's like that part of their memory is just... gone."
Missing memories? That raised a red flag. Zhu Yuan would sooner believe they were faking it to avoid giving up more information.
But interrogating criminals—especially ones linked to high-stakes cases—was a long, tedious process. Patience was essential.
So she didn't press too hard. Instead, she turned to Qing Yi. "What's your take, senior?"
"Me?" Qing Yi blinked, then adopted his usual jaded tone. "What do I think? This tumor's grown too deep. HQ doesn't know how to treat it, so we just sit here and pray a masked hero drops us a miracle. What can we do? Just take the win, I guess."
Zhu Yuan sighed. Qing Yi's sarcasm was typical—and exhausting.
He was capable, sure, but his mouth had a way of grinding people's nerves. Especially when in a foul mood. He was the kind of guy who'd stand by and watch a suspect get eaten alive by an Ethereal if he thought it was more efficient.
"So, these two won't be much help?" she asked, shaking her head with a sigh.
She then instructed the junior officers to continue the interrogation, hoping that with time, they might cough up something useful.
...
Meanwhile, deep underground in New Eridu, aboard a speeding metro train—
The so-called city hero Qing Yi had mentioned—Zhong Yan—was currently fighting off sleep.
Last night, he had read the memories of the two Red Fang Gang members, only to discover they weren't even proper grunts. They were so green they didn't even count as cannon fodder, and they had no clue where Silver was.
Fortunately, they did know where the district safe house was located. So, after tying them up and tossing them into a trash bin near the Public Security Bureau—erasing all memory of him in the process—Zhong Yan made his way to the address.
That particular safe house had a dozen or so gang members. Most were newbies like the two he'd captured, but the one managing the place was a seasoned member.
Zhong Yan took the opportunity to read his memory—finally getting a sense of the Red Fang Gang's recent operations.
Their activity had grown considerably. Almost every district had a hidden outpost.
Not only that, their headquarters had been relocated. And even that seasoned member didn't know where it was.
Most tasks were issued at designated meet points with Silver's inner circle. That way, even if someone got caught, the bureau couldn't trace the gang through digital footprints or IP addresses.
And after the mission? The operatives knew nothing of Silver's people or their movements.
Efficient, cautious, nearly flawless. Zhong Yan hadn't expected this. In the game, the Red Fang Gang was barely relevant—more of a background threat.
But here in reality? They were extremely competent.
No wonder the Public Security Bureau hadn't caught them months after the lab raid.
Turns out... they were the real deal all along.