In the City, every Backstreets had its own characteristics.
Just like the one Arthur was currently in—
23rd Alley.
A "Flavor Alley" famous throughout the City.
Public security here was notoriously poor, and a dangerous group known as the Eight Chefs operated openly. This place worshipped extreme flavors and prided itself on unique, cruel cooking methods.
Arthur would never recommend that any normal person dine here. The ingredients used were not chicken or fish, but rather… human flesh.
If a chef from 23rd Alley smiled and asked what you wanted to eat, you would be wise to run. Otherwise, it wouldn't be impossible for him to swing a cleaver and chop off your thigh the very next second, turning it into a dish.
So where is the system's mission objective?
Arthur surveyed his surroundings, his right hand gripping the hilt of Decisive Heart, as he walked deeper into the street.
He had temporarily parted ways with Komini and the others and come alone to 23rd Alley—certainly not to eat.
There was only one reason that could have drawn him to this hellhole.
Arthur opened the system panel. At this moment, only a single task was displayed, written in blood-red text.
[Urgent Mission: Proceed immediately to 23rd Alley to assist █ █ █ █ █…..][Mission Reward: ???][Mission Failure: ???]
…..
Is this system glitching?
That was Arthur's first thought when the red text suddenly appeared before his eyes while he was leisurely riding the Warp train.
A mission description this cryptic—like a riddle—would confuse anyone seeing it for the first time.
Yet he couldn't ignore it.
Every time he saw that blood-red text, a sense of unease crept into his heart.
Assist?Assist whom?Who could he possibly know in this wretched world?
Arthur didn't know. But a deep-seated intuition told him that he had to find out—
Even if it meant taking a risk.
There were very few pedestrians on the street, and many restaurants had already closed.
This was almost unheard of in 23rd Alley, where residents revered the act of sharing food.
Arthur followed the blood flowing through the gutter, slowly walking deeper into the alley.
He could roughly guess the reason.
Blood-Red Night.
Star of the city—a bloodfiend.
She indiscriminately abducted residents from both the Backstreets and the Nests, consumed their blood vessels, and left their drained bodies behind, turning them into shambling corpses.
And 23rd Alley—a place that used human flesh as ingredients—was the perfect hiding spot.
Now, Hana Association had dispatched people to capture her.
Nearby shops had likely learned of this through underground channels and closed early, fearing collateral damage.
Then…
My obvious appearance, walking around with a blade, probably disrupted their ambush plan.
Arthur scanned his surroundings. In his estimation, they should have already come out to "invite" him.
Sure enough, as he rounded a corner, a pitch-black glove shot out from the shadows, dragging him into darkness in a single breath.
Then—
A fist as hard as alloy smashed into the back of Arthur's head.
"Ugh—!"
The blow made his skull feel like it was about to split open.
"How is it you again?!" The attacker sounded genuinely surprised. "Are you a Fixer too? Which team?!"
Arthur struggled to raise his head, his vision still blurred.
Through the haze, he saw Angelica's long gray hair.
"Angelica…"
"You still recognize me?!" She looked startled. "No—you were observing us when the Warp train arrived. Who exactly are you?"
Without answering, Arthur pulled his employee ID from his pocket.
"I'm an employee of Wings of the World—L Company. I'm not your enemy."
Angelica snatched the card and examined it carefully.
After a few seconds, she frowned, then gestured toward another patch of shadow.
Roland, still wearing his pitch-black mask, relaxed his grip on his blade and stepped out.
Good heavens… If they'd decided I was hostile, I'd already be dead.
Even in the City, Roland and Angelica were—relatively speaking—"good people."
Yet a cold bead of sweat still slid down Arthur's cheek. In such a confined space, he hadn't sensed Roland's presence at all.
"He really is an L Company employee," Angelica murmured, tossing the card back.
As a Color Fixer, she had dealt with Wings employees often enough to verify IDs instantly.
"An L Company employee?" Roland nodded, but kept his gaze fixed on Arthur. "What does Wings of the World want here?"
"…Personal reasons," Arthur replied vaguely.
Roland didn't press further. Instead, he activated his earpiece.
"Olivier. An unrelated individual has entered the area. How should we handle this?"
"Unrelated?" Olivier sounded surprised. "Identity?"
"L Company employee."
"Wings of the World… Then send him—"
Before Olivier could finish, a reconnaissance report from Hana Association reached him.
His tone changed immediately.
"Roland. The target is approaching the Chamber."
Angelica and Roland's expressions hardened.
They returned to mission mode instantly—no longer able to spare Arthur any attention.
Angelica tugged at her gloves. In the next second, silver-white twin axes materialized in her hands.
"Hey!" she shouted at Arthur as they moved. "Run back—don't look back!"
The two top Fixers vanished into the depths of the Backstreets.
Three minutes later.
They were extremely close to the target location.
Then—
Bang!!
A thunderous explosion rocked the street.
Roland grabbed Angelica and halted abruptly.
"Olivier! What happened?! Did another team move first?!"
"I—I don't know!" Olivier replied, equally stunned.
At the Hana Association command center, everyone stood up.
The smoke from the explosion was clearly visible even from two hundred meters away.