Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 11 Undercurrents and Hidden Moments

"This is not like simple political retaliation; it's more like a... hunt targeting the Vanderbilt family."

Green muttered to himself, his fingertips unconsciously tapping on the cover of his journal.

Thomas Jr. has shown astonishing talent, which means that a new powerhouse is about to rise in the Vanderbilt family.

This will undoubtedly disrupt the existing power balance in Oberhafen, especially for the National Unity Party, which is actively expanding its influence, and its supporters. A potentially powerful rival must be nipped in the bud.

The extraordinary person who accurately located William and could precisely state information about his family members employed highly professional threatening tactics.

William compromised, using his influence to serve his opponent. But shortly afterward, his son died.

The diary entry mentions, "I clearly did exactly what they said!"

This suggests that the other party's true objective may never have been William's compromise, but rather to completely destroy or control him.

Or perhaps, Isaiah Thomas's death was a retaliation by his own people against a traitor...

Furthermore, the appearance of the Scarlet Cult is far too coincidental.

Green even suspected that the extraordinary being who threatened William might be connected to the Scarlet Order, or at least know about their existence and how they operate.

The entire incident, from the threat to Thomas's death, may have been a meticulously planned "prelude to a ritual" designed to perfectly transform William, an extraordinary being on the "order side," into the degenerate that those people desired!

Thomas's death may not be the end of political retaliation, but rather the "key ingredient" that led William to his downfall.

The whole incident appears to be a "directed degeneration and transformation" of William Vanderbilt, an extraordinary individual, orchestrated behind the scenes by the Scarlet Order, using political infighting as a stage and catalyst.

The goal is to obtain a powerful, corrupt individual who is filled with hatred, has some official experience, and has completely broken with the past.

Thinking of this, he suddenly recalled the white cat's doubts and unease at that time.

That makes perfect sense!

The fact that an extraordinary individual undergoes a targeted transformation speaks volumes.

"That's... a clever tactic." Green felt a wave of nausea.

The evil that twists a father's love for his son into a force that destroys himself and his family is far beyond the scope of ordinary crimes.

This also means that the Scarlet Order's tentacles may have already penetrated deep into the political core of Oberhafen.

"So... what about me?"

Green couldn't help but feel worried; if his speculations were true, his situation would become extremely dangerous.

The Crimson Cult's long-planned scheme was ruined by his own actions. If he can't find a powerful backer, he'll probably be a rat for the rest of his life...

Silencing him is probably the best outcome. In their eyes, he, a mere investigator who has just entered the realm of the extraordinary, is probably no different from an ant.

Green took a deep breath and began to think about how to break the deadlock.

First, he must assume that he has already been exposed, or will soon be exposed, because the effects of the William affair are not yet over.

Secondly, he needs power. Not only to deal with potential dangers, but also to seize the initiative.

If he can't even protect himself, returning to a normal life is just wishful thinking. The "stepping into the extraordinary" that the white cat mentioned is no longer an option, but the only way out.

Finally, he needed information.

Regarding the Crimson Order, the political undercurrents of Oberhafen, and the knowledge of the extraordinary, based on the existing clues, there seem to be many paths, and he must choose the one most suitable for him.

He needed to ascertain the current situation of William's family. Had the authorities intervened? Was the scene sealed off, or was it handled covertly?

Furthermore, if the white cat doesn't appear, he must actively seek it out. He needs a force he can temporarily rely on to provide security.

For the next three days, Green locked himself in the somewhat cramped room at the Three Crows Inn.

Every morning, he would pay the hotel owner a few extra pennies to bring him the latest copy of the Oberhafen Morning Post.

The official tone in the newspapers remained calm as always, with the front pages mostly featuring insignificant bills passed by the city council or reports of factory owners donating money to charity.

He carefully perused every page, especially the social news and obituaries sections, searching for any clues that might be related to William's family.

No.

The tragedy that befell the Vanderbilt family seemed to have been quietly erased by an invisible hand, without causing the slightest ripple in the public eye.

This is a highly unusual signal.

It's impossible that no one noticed such a big commotion caused by the interruption of the ceremony.

Either the authorities suppressed the news for some reason, or... the Scarlet Order did a clean and efficient job of handling the aftermath.

Besides newspapers, the hotel owner became his primary source of information.

This middle-aged man, who is somewhat bald and likes to wipe wine glasses behind the counter, is a well-informed person in the neighborhood.

Green would strike up a casual conversation with him while he delivered the food, and of course, he would always have to pay him an extra penny as a reward.

"Boss, what's new in town these days? I'm exhausted and don't want to go out."

The boss usually starts chatting as he puts down the food:

"Hey, what big deal could it be? Same old story. But I heard there was some commotion on Oak Street the other night. The sheriff was there. Apparently, some stray dogs broke into a yard and made a mess... Also, over at the docks, 'One-Eyed' Ravel of the Sea Serpent Gang and 'Scarface' Guillaume of the Hook Gang clashed again over the new 'herring quota.' They even drew knives in the tavern. I heard it caused quite a stir..."

Green listened carefully to these rumors, trying to sift through them to find useful fragments.

What's going on on Oak Street? Could it be the Scarlet Cult?

While uncertain, this is not good news. Gang warfare, on the other hand, is commonplace and currently shows no clear connection.

He also subtly inquired, "I seem to have heard... things haven't been peaceful at the city hall lately? Has any important person been transferred?"

The boss usually lowers his voice, with a hint of smugness as if sharing a secret:

"Who can really know what's going on with those bigwigs up there? But I've heard the National Unity Party is really riding high lately, and they've put their people in several key positions. We ordinary folks just hope they don't raise taxes."

The fragmented information was like pieces of a puzzle; although it didn't reveal the whole picture, it gradually confirmed some of Green's guesses: the political infighting was indeed intensifying, and William's incident was being deliberately covered up.

Waiting is agonizing.

Each day passed, and the white cat did not appear; the outside world seemed to remain unchanged.

But this normalcy only made Green more uneasy, like the stillness before a storm.

On the third day, when the owner came up to ask if he wanted to stay longer, he got dressed and left the hotel at noon. Hiding here wasn't a solution.

The afternoon sun was a bit too bright, and Green subconsciously squinted as he stood on the steps at the hotel entrance, briefly adjusting to the long-lost outdoor light and noise.

He pulled down the brim of his hat, hiding most of his face in the shadows, before taking a step and blending into the crowd on the street.

He did not choose to go directly back to his aunt's house; he did not want to bring any potential danger back until he was absolutely sure it was safe.

His first stop was the firm located on Oak Street.

His pace quickened unconsciously, and the closer he got to the office, the more vigilantly he observed his surroundings.

Was the newsboy on the street corner glancing in this direction, intentionally or unintentionally? Was the man reading the newspaper alone in the coffee shop across the street lingering for too long?

He took in every unusual detail and carefully considered it in his mind.

Finally, the familiar firm came into view.

From the outside, everything seemed normal. The door was still locked, and the small piece of paper he had slipped into the crack when he left was still perfectly in place.

Just as he was about to walk over and open the door, he suddenly sensed something was amiss. His gaze swept over the pedestrians on the street and finally landed on a strange woman in a corner.

She was a girl of about eighteen or nineteen years old, with delicate features.

She was wearing a plain gray dress, and at first glance she looked no different from the other pedestrians around her, but Green keenly noticed that the fabric of the dress was very delicate.

"Expensive goods... poor disguise," he thought to himself with a sneer.

Just as Green's gaze lingered on her for two seconds, the girl suddenly looked up at him and smiled slightly.

Although the smile was clear... Green felt a strange sense of dread.

"People from the Scarlet Cult...?"

A sense of doubt arose in his heart. He looked away, pretending it was just a casual glance, and his gaze naturally turned to the old woman's stall selling hot bread on the street corner.

I walked up to him, spent two pence on a loaf of bread covered in blueberry jam, and acted like a genuine passerby throughout the whole process.

Despite trying to appear natural, Green noticed out of the corner of his eye that the girl was watching him with great interest.

That look in his eyes was as if he were looking at a toy.