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A single body that had been switched returned to Lucas’s building.

And the other body…

“I’ll take care of the bill.”

He was settling up at the cafe.

With nimble hands, he paid the money and slid a few dollar bills to the employee separately.

It was a tip.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Thus, Jinseong and Rise vanished from the cafe.

Like ordinary guests, they sipped coffee, enjoyed desserts, paid the bill, and handed out tips.

So they positioned themselves in the minds of the cafe staff as just another tourist passing by, and by the time Jinseong and Rise exited onto Wall Street, any trace suggesting they had been seated there was completely erased.

Thus, the two bodies safely escaped the cafe.

Safely… that is.

* * *

Flap.

The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk.

A phrase related to philosophy.

But in America, this phrase holds another meaning.

Not in the sense of philosophy, zeitgeist, wisdom, or humanity… but quite literally, there exists a creature that spreads its wings only when dusk falls.

Flap.

It soars into the sky.

As twilight descends and streetlights flicker on, the signals from those lights switch on and activate.

Dark brown feathers rise, wings spread wide to the sides. The claws gleaming with a sharpness that could slice skin with merely a brush, while closed eyes open, revealing a glint of intensity.

Hooooot.

A low sound flows like a curious sensation from its throat.

Hoot.

Hoot.

One, two, three, four.

Five, six, seven, eight.

It hoots eight times, flapping its wings, lifting its body into the air.

Then suddenly seeming to recall something, it perches in the shadow of a building, sinking its claws deep into a narrow spot like a roost.

With a sharp beak pointed down, its eyes, glowing bright as piercing blue lights, take in the scene below.

Eyes.

They enter its gaze.

Ziiing.

A very small sound reverberates inside its wide dome-shaped skull, echoing and fading away repeatedly.

Every time the pupil shifts, the sound is heard, wresting at the nerves.

Yet the bird observing the road seems unfazed, as if it hears nothing.

Hoot—.

The owl, situated in an exquisite spot that escapes the notice of people.

It hides its bright, shining eyes from the streetlight’s glow and, like its own CCTV, moves its head back and forth, adjusting its angle.

Ziiing—

And as the angle adjusts, the pupil expands and contracts repeatedly.

As if a lens were focusing.

Once the focus is set, the lens continues to observe the ‘target’ as if recording it, gazing continuously until the target vanishes.

Flap.

Once the target disappears, the owl flaps its wings and moves.

To the next building.

To the alley.

To places unseen by people.

To where surveillance is easy.

To where it can observe its target.

Thus, the owl moves and moves until—

Finally, once the target enters indoors, it turns its head as if declaring its role complete.

And it spreads its wings, flying off to somewhere else.

Where could that be?

To observe another target?

Or perhaps—

* * *

Night is the time for predators.

Yet ironically, it’s also when prey is most active.

And among these prey, there exists a beast so common, so visible, and inextricable from human history.

Rats.

Creatures that have existed for ages and continue to thrive actively.

The familiar animal with countless anecdotes and symbols is right there.

Snap.

Squeak.

The rats on Wall Street tend to become particularly lively at night.

Why is that?

Have their genes somehow engraved upon them that they must be active at night, having avoided too many humans by daylight?

Or is it because of the food waste scattered in gloomy streets once people are gone?

Or perhaps, it’s due to the implants in their bodies?

Snap.

Squeak squeak squeak.

Tap tap tap.

Tap tap.

The rats began to move.

Scaling the pipes.

Navigating the sewers.

Scurrying through every alleyway.

Climbing the walls.

Diving into rat holes to peek out and observe people.

Following those who catch their attention strangely closely.

Chasing those humans who evoke an odd familiarity instead of fear.

Thus, they chase, observe, and imprint their sounds thoroughly into their brains.

As if etching that moment into their genes.

Or perhaps, through some device implanted within them, trying to relay it to a server.

The rats were in constant motion.

This lively movement continued unabated, even as the target entered indoors.

They traversed small vents, through pipes, through every crevice in the building, moving up to the ceiling of the elevator.

To capture the target.

To carry out their most crucial mission.

* * *

The owl, wings spread, became someone’s eyes.

The actively moving rat became someone’s ears.

Then who is this ‘someone’?

Like some deity.

Who commands the owl and the rat, using them as eyes and ears?

Who are these blasphemous beings that wield animals to fulfill their omniscience?

“SJ. Confirmed entry to M point.”

They were observing one individual.

No, to be precise, it was not just ‘one individual.’

They were observing all those connected to a particular street.

Wall Street.

That simultaneously short yet long.

Narrow yet gigantic street.

They were monitoring the vile desires where countless money exchanged hands, keeping a careful watch over something that held great importance within that street—

What they referred to as M point.

Metatron Investment Point.

Lucas’s company, Metatron Investment, located in the very building Jinseong currently uses as lodging.

“What are the special circumstances?”

“None.”

“Thermal Observation Drone.”

“Temperature is normal.”

“Scan Drone.”

“No suspicious items found in the scan.”

“What about the Powder Chaser?”

“No reactions. Neither explosives nor drugs were detected.”

They were discussing an individual who went in and out of that building.

A person who had briefly stepped out in the middle of the night, just to drink coffee at the cafe and return quietly.

That person was none other than Park Jinseong.

“So they really just went out for coffee and returned? Alone?”

“Seems that way.”

“Hmm… It’s well-known that Koreans love coffee… Anything else unusual? Not SJ, but about the cafe, perhaps?”

“The peculiar detail about the cafe— the owner of the cafe where SJ drank coffee is British.”

“British? Just a wealthy person?”

“No. He is the heir to a baronial family. A businessman active in both England and America.”

“Any connections to politics?”

“We need to investigate more closely, but so far, it appears there are slight links identified in the records.”

“Do you think SJ’s visit there is related?”

“We might have to observe further.”

They were reacting sensitively to every move of Park Jinseong.

From stepping outside the building to the cafe he chose—even concerning the cafe owner, they were peering into every detail obsessively.

“Suspicious. Send an agent to that cafe, and have them investigate the route SJ took.”

“Yes.”

“It would be easier if we could analyze more closely… But it just had to be that the owner has ties to Britain. Disguise them as just a regular customer, and check for energy and magic traces.”

“Understood.”

Moreover, they didn’t stop at just observing from afar; they even dispatched someone to meticulously verify.

And not just casually scanning with their eyes or asking questions, but using proper equipment for the task.

“Special detail discovered. At the bathroom, magical traces were detected where SJ had been.”

“What about the energy patterns?”

“Energy patterns—unable to confirm. It’s too faint for the equipment the agent has to properly verify.”

“Tch. If we bring more advanced gear, will we be able to detect it?”

“The volatility of the energy is extremely high. By the time we bring other equipment, it’s likely to have completely evaporated with no traces left.”

“I figured. There’s no way they only had coffee and left. What about video and audio?”

“Due to the setup created by the cafe, ‘drones’ couldn’t get close.”

“Even if they couldn’t access it, they could still record, right?”

“Currently, our specs couldn’t penetrate the specially designed glass and soundproofing.”

“Tch, is that why they chose that cafe…?”

The burly man scratched his head at the report from his subordinate.

“There’s no helping it. Withdraw the agents, and keep monitoring SJ.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, and are there any other unusual details?”

The subordinate quickly scanned through the materials related to the cafe.

Aside from a small number of tourists using the cafe—

“-No unusual details.”

 

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