Anton had been reviewing a lot of information all morning about the sect performing demonic rituals. It seemed that everything wasn't over yet, as the mission on his attribute panel was still active.
This could only mean one thing: the sect he supposedly eliminated wasn't completely gone. This also meant they were hiding somewhere in this town, so he would take charge of searching the special areas where strange reports about dead animals had been made.
This prompted Anton to quickly form a large investigation team because he couldn't stop until he found them all.
"If these people can summon a demon somehow, they must be found and exterminated, or the problems will continue," Anton murmured as he held his forehead, seeing all the documents that needed to be reviewed.
He had seen the method to summon a supposed loved one, and it wasn't just anything that connected the living with the underworld, specifically a demon called Paimon, one of the seven kings of hell. He summoned the spirits of the dead to make people believe they were talking to them, but it was all a trap.
The story goes that when he faced Solomon, Paimon could make the dry desert terrain turn semi-liquid. He was also able to raise walls from the ground, which then solidified to protect her from strong impacts.
This demonstrated how dangerous his complete summoning was, besides being able to summon his army to torment the human world.
An error like this shouldn't be underestimated because the damage could be more terrifying than it seems at first glance.
"We're accessing the entire local network to hack and extract related information, but we haven't found anything. Are you sure we're looking for someone from this town?"
"We've eliminated over a hundred targets, but that's totally out of range for the truly involved. Where will we find the other three hundred targets their leader mentioned?"
Anton looked at the town map and discovered that many hiking mountains connected to another not-so-distant town. He didn't want to mention that the town was involved, but rather the mountains.
"Do we have data on the mountains?" Anton asked the management team.
"There are multiple disappearances that left no trace."
"Expand!" Anton looked at the missing reports involving this place and slightly furrowed his brows.
"[Name: Julia Martínez] Year of Disappearance: 2014 Information: Julia, 28, disappeared while hiking solo on the Santa Carmen trails. She was last reported near the mountain lookout, and despite extensive search efforts, her whereabouts remain unknown.]"
Anton approached the screen to look at the supposed route she was taking. "Mark her route and switch to the next."
"[Name: Andrés López Year of Disappearance: 2015 Information: Andrés, an experienced 35-year-old hiker, got lost during a group expedition in the depths of the Santa Carmen mountain system. Despite intense rescue efforts, including helicopters and search dogs, no trace of him has been found since his disappearance.]"
"Move to the next, but mark his route first."
"Understood, Guardian."
"[Name: Carolina Pérez Year of Disappearance: 2016 Information: Carolina, a 22-year-old, disappeared during a hiking trip with friends on the steep slopes of Santa Carmen. She got lost during a sudden storm and hasn't been heard from since, despite intense search efforts by local authorities and volunteer rescue teams.]"
When the routes these people had taken and where they had disappeared were marked on a map on a gigantic screen, everyone saw a symbol that many recognized forming.
This was no coincidence. Everyone fell silent as they saw the symbol, which many recognized.
What they saw was an inverted pentagram with additional lines intersecting in the center, creating a complex geometric figure suggesting chaos and darkness.
"Do we have data on who entered the mountain today?" Anton looked at the screen with a serious expression.
"That would take us some time to discover."
"Then find it." Anton turned to Alexander and ordered, "Prepare the elite team; bring the cars, off-road vehicles, and enough equipment to spend the night in that forest."
"Understood, Guardian!" Alexander nodded and quickly left the office.
"We've caught them."