The sky over Northveil remained gloomy.
The new snow that had fallen last night had not completely melted.
Gray-white layers of snow, crushed beneath passing vehicles, still remained along both sides of the roads.
A cold wind slowly swept through the streets.
It carried tiny snow particles with it.
The entire city.
Still maintained the same orderly rhythm as always.
Office workers heading to work.
Buses running on schedule.
Vehicles constantly passing through intersections.
No one knew.
That within this ordinary neighborhood.
Lucian had already set his sights on an ordinary office building.
...
7:40 a.m.
Lucian had already arrived at the observation point he had used yesterday.
Unlike yesterday.
Today.
He did not remain on the rooftop.
Remaining exposed at the same observation point for an extended period was not a good choice.
Especially after the target location had already been confirmed.
Any repeated behavior.
Could become a reason for someone to notice him.
Therefore.
The technicians had spent the night planning a new observation point.
Approximately four hundred meters from the target office building.
Inside another commercial tower.
The location was originally a shared office space rented to the public.
Different people came and went every day.
Even if someone sat by the window all day.
It would not attract any suspicion.
The room had already been rented in advance.
The position by the window provided a clear view overlooking the target building.
The technicians had delivered new observation equipment the previous night.
A high-magnification military-grade telescope.
A telephoto camera.
Long-range audio equipment.
And an observation terminal capable of automatically recording a timeline.
Several screens on the desk were already lit.
One was responsible for live recording.
Another recorded personnel entering and leaving.
Another continuously updated the timestamps of public surveillance footage around the entire office building.
The observation system.
Could cover nearly every publicly accessible area of the target building.
Lucian gently pulled out a chair.
He sat down by the window.
After adjusting the telescope's focus.
The entire office building immediately came into view.
The lobby.
The elevators.
The parking entrance.
The side entrance.
The emergency stairwell exit.
And the sixth-floor offices.
Everything was clearly visible.
The technicians' voices came through his earpiece.
"Equipment connection is normal."
"Recording is normal."
"Automatic logging has begun."
Lucian simply acknowledged them with a quiet response.
Then he stopped speaking.
Today.
He intended to spend the entire day.
Getting to know this company again.
...
8:20 a.m.
People began entering the office building one after another.
The first to appear were the property management staff.
They turned on the lobby lights.
Checked the access controls.
Then began cleaning the lobby.
The entire process took less than twenty minutes.
After that.
The convenience store opened.
The café opened its doors as well.
Delivery vehicles began arriving one after another.
Everything.
Followed the same schedule as every other day.
The technician recorded everything while speaking.
"Property management enters at 7:55 every day."
"Convenience store opens at 8:00."
"The café opens at 7:50."
"Everything is identical to yesterday."
Lucian did not respond.
He simply continued watching.
The person he was truly waiting for.
Had not appeared yet.
...
8:50 a.m.
The first office workers began entering.
Suits.
Briefcases.
Coffee.
Breakfast.
Everything was no different from any ordinary office building.
Some people hurried in to clock in.
Some stood in the lobby making phone calls.
Others had barely entered through the doors.
Before being stopped by coworkers.
They began discussing the day's work together.
Employees of the Data Management Company gradually appeared in the lobby as well.
Some greeted one another.
Some complained about not getting enough sleep while scanning their access cards.
Others carried large bags of breakfast.
They handed them out to coworkers who had arrived early.
The atmosphere throughout the office.
Was relaxed and natural.
It looked nothing like a place hiding any secrets.
Lucian did not bother counting the employees.
His attention remained fixed on every person entering the sixth floor.
Because the technicians had already investigated the building yesterday.
The real place worth watching.
Was not the entire building.
It was the sixth floor.
...
9:02 a.m.
The automatic doors of the lobby opened again.
A young woman slowly walked inside.
She wore a light-colored long coat.
Underneath was a very ordinary business outfit.
She held a freshly purchased cup of hot coffee in her left hand.
And a kraft-paper document folder in her right.
Her pace was steady.
Her expression natural.
Neither deliberately fast.
Nor deliberately slow.
As if she followed the same route every day.
The receptionist in the lobby looked up.
A smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Good morning, Manager."
The woman nodded lightly.
"Good morning."
Her voice was soft.
Without the slightest emotional fluctuation.
She then continued toward the access gate.
Taking out her access card from her pocket.
She scanned it lightly.
The gate opened automatically.
The entire movement was smooth and natural.
Without the slightest pause.
Lucian slowly raised the telescope.
The lens gradually zoomed in.
The woman's face became clearer.
She appeared to be in her early twenties.
Her features were soft.
Her skin was very fair.
Her long hair naturally fell over her shoulders.
At first glance.
She even looked somewhat quiet and reserved.
If she were walking around a university campus.
It would be easier to mistake her for a young teacher who had only recently graduated.
But what truly caught Lucian's attention.
Was not her appearance.
It was the pair of white gloves covering both her hands.
They were not thick gloves meant to protect against the winter cold.
They were thin white gloves that fit closely around her palms.
The material was light.
The surface was exceptionally clean.
There was not a single stain.
Not even a wrinkle.
She held her coffee.
Scanned her access card.
Pressed the elevator button.
Throughout the entire process.
She never removed them.
The elevator doors slowly opened.
The woman stepped inside.
A few seconds later.
Sixth floor.
The elevator opened again.
Several employees who had already arrived immediately stood up.
"Good morning, Manager."
"Good morning."
The woman merely nodded lightly.
Then walked through the office area.
She entered the private office at the very back.
The door slowly closed.
The entire office area.
Returned to its normal working rhythm.
Lucian did not lower the telescope.
He simply stared silently at the closed office door.
This was the first time.
He had truly seen the person in charge of the company.
Time slowly passed.
The morning workday officially began.
The sixth-floor office gradually became busy.
Printers continued running.
Telephone bells rang from time to time.
Employees carrying stacks of files moved back and forth through the office.
Some organized physical documents.
Some scanned old records.
Others continuously pushed boxes of materials into the archive room.
The entire workflow was orderly.
Lucian did not rush to search for anything unusual.
Instead.
Like a hunter.
He patiently observed every detail.
...
9:20 a.m.
The manager left her office for the first time.
She held a document in her hand.
Walking over to an employee.
The two quietly exchanged a few words.
The employee nodded.
Then immediately modified the information on the computer.
The entire process took less than a minute.
The manager returned to her office.
Without making any unnecessary movements.
9:48 a.m.
Another employee knocked on her door with a contract.
After receiving permission.
The employee entered the office.
Less than two minutes later.
They came back out.
The contract in their hands had already been signed.
10:05 a.m.
Two clients arrived at the company.
A receptionist led them to the meeting area.
The manager personally came out to receive them.
The conversation lasted more than twenty minutes.
Both sides repeatedly reviewed the documents.
Occasionally.
The manager could be seen picking up a pen and marking something on the contract.
In the end.
The clients left satisfied.
The entire process was extremely professional.
There was no obvious flaw.
...
The technician continuously recorded the times.
"9:20."
"First time leaving the office."
"9:48."
"Document signing."
"10:05."
"Client reception."
"So far."
"All of her behavior."
"Completely matches that of a normal company manager."
Lucian did not respond.
He simply continued observing.
Because what truly concerned him.
Was not the manager's work.
But the way she worked.
She almost never remained in the office area for long.
Every time she came out.
There was a clear purpose.
Assigning work.
Signing documents.
Meeting clients.
Once finished.
She immediately returned to her office.
No casual conversations.
No tea breaks.
She rarely even stood in the office area to observe her employees.
It was more as if she deliberately minimized the amount of time she spent in public areas.
...
11:30 a.m.
Employees began leaving their offices one after another.
Some prepared to go out for lunch.
Others ordered delivery.
But the manager did not leave.
A young woman who appeared to be her secretary entered the office.
A few minutes later.
She came back out carrying an empty coffee cup.
Then.
She brought a lunch into the office.
Throughout the entire lunch period.
The office door never opened again.
The technician suddenly spoke.
"Interesting."
"She doesn't go out for lunch."
"She's done this for four consecutive days."
"Every lunch is delivered to her."
Lucian nodded lightly.
And continued recording.
...
1:00 p.m.
The office area became busy again.
The manager appeared once more.
The work in the afternoon was almost identical to the morning.
Reviewing documents.
Assigning business tasks.
Occasionally holding short meetings.
Every employee behaved naturally when facing her.
There was no fear.
No nervousness.
It was more like they were dealing with a capable direct supervisor.
Someone even took the initiative to discuss a weekend gathering with her.
The manager occasionally showed a faint smile.
And responded with a few words.
The entire process.
Showed no abnormalities.
...
2:40 p.m.
A delivery worker pushed a cart into the company.
There were more than a dozen cardboard boxes.
The recipient.
Data Management Company.
After an employee signed for the delivery.
They began moving the boxes inside one by one.
Lucian immediately became attentive.
Because the boxes.
Were not taken into the warehouse.
Instead.
Every box was moved into a storage room beside the manager's office.
After the door closed.
It never opened again.
The technician immediately pulled up the purchasing records.
Less than a minute later.
He found the corresponding information.
"Ordinary office supplies."
"Printer paper."
"Archive boxes."
"Folders."
"And some scanner components."
Everything matched.
There were no unusual items.
Lucian still said nothing.
He increasingly felt.
That the greatest characteristic of this company.
Was how normal it was.
Almost deliberately normal.
...
3:20 p.m.
The manager left her office again.
She personally led two employees to the archive room.
The three remained inside for approximately fifteen minutes.
Then came out together.
The employees returned to work.
The manager returned to her office.
Lucian slowly adjusted the telescope.
The lens stopped on the archive room.
The door was completely ordinary.
There was no special lock.
No additional security.
No matter how he looked at it.
It was simply a room used by the company to store documents.
But for some reason.
His instincts told him.
That place was worth remembering.
So.
He silently marked it on the terminal.
Storage Room.
Third entry.
...
4:00 p.m.
The technician's voice came through the earpiece again.
"I checked the manager's background again."
"No problems."
"Her academic credentials are genuine."
"Her employment history is genuine as well."
"We can even find classmates from her university days."
"Her social records are extremely complete."
The technician paused.
A trace of doubt entered his voice.
"If we hadn't tracked the trail all the way here."
"She would be a person with a completely normal background."
"So normal that we wouldn't be able to find anything wrong with it."
Lucian looked toward the office.
Then slowly said:
"The more complete it is."
"The more it means someone prepared it carefully."
The technician fell silent.
Because.
He could not refute those words.
A person's background.
Could be genuine.
But it could also be something built little by little over several years.
For an organization that remained hidden for a long time.
Two years.
Three years.
Or even longer.
Was nothing.
If they truly needed a manager.
Then this manager.
Would have been a real manager from the very beginning.
She would leave no obvious flaw that could be easily discovered.