Rain watched as they disembarked from the plane and approached the police officers already present. Among them, a muscular man with a bald head stepped forward, radiating authority.
"You must be the team from the Ghost Department," he said, extending a hand. "I'm Jeff, leader of Investigation Team 14."
Sky met his handshake with a firm grip. "Yes, that's us. I'm Sky, the leader of this unit," she said, gesturing toward her group. "This is Damian, Lily, Siobhan, and Rain."
Damian gave a calm nod, Lily smiled warmly, and Rain offered a brief nod, his gaze taking in Jeff's team with curiosity.
Jeff motioned toward his own group. "This is Paige and Liam. Two more of our team members are currently out on the street, checking where Callum disappeared. We've been on this case since the boy's disappearance was reported. Callum was supposed to join my team."
"Good to meet you all," Sky replied. "Let's pool our resources and figure out exactly what we're dealing with."
Jeff nodded and activated his BIT, which projected a holographic map of the sector. Two key locations were highlighted—one marking Callum's dorm and the other pinpointing the street where he had vanished. As the map hovered in the air, Jeff initiated a video playback on the holographic display.
The team watched closely as the footage showed Callum exiting his dorm. Another child could be seen trailing him. Rain's instincts immediately kicked in; he suspected the second child was likely Francis, transformed to mimic someone else and follow Callum unnoticed. The video continued, capturing the two walking along a busier street with a few passersby. But then, as Callum turned down a quieter street with no one else around, the child continued to shadow him closely—and then, in an instant, both of them vanished.
One moment they were walking, and the next, they were simply gone.
Rain's mind raced. "It's as if they were erased from existence," he muttered under his breath, already considering the possibilities of domain interference or other forms of manipulation. As he pondered, two people—a man and a woman in police uniforms—approached the group. One of them spoke up, "Leader, we checked the cameras on all nearby streets. No issues with any of them." Rain guessed these were the remaining two members of Jeff's team.
Sky nodded thoughtfully, "Francis' mirror clone ability can manipulate light energy, which means he could easily make himself and others invisible."
Jeff chimed in, "The city's A.I. flagged the child as likely being Francis in disguise—about a 70 percent match, but there's still a chance it could be someone else."
Sky's expression turned resolute. "After watching that footage, I'm certain it's Francis."
Jeff furrowed his brow. "But if he could turn himself invisible, why reveal himself at all? He could've avoided being detected, and we wouldn't have identified the culprit so quickly."
Sky paused, thinking through the situation. "Francis's real body never entered the city—only his clone did. A clone doesn't have as much energy as the original, so it might have shown itself because it was running low on power. Or, knowing Francis, this could be his way of throwing down the gauntlet—challenging us to catch him."
Jeff's face grew more intense. "Wherever he is, he's still on this floor. With the enhanced security in the lifts, there's no way he could have escaped."
A tense silence followed as everyone tried to figure out where Francis could have taken Callum.
Rain's mind raced, sifting through possibilities. *If Francis' clone was running out of energy, he'd have to hide somewhere without cameras, somewhere off the grid.* Every street on the 6th floor was covered by surveillance, and most buildings were too dangerous to hide in. Then a realization hit him—a place he'd trained in frequently, before opening his spirit gate.
"Parks," Rain said quietly, his voice breaking the heavy silence.
Sky's eyes lit up. "Yes, parks! On the 6th floor, other than the inside of buildings, the only place without cameras is the parks. Good job, Rain!" She clapped him on the back, a small smile of approval crossing her face.
Jeff immediately pulled up the holographic map on his BIT, highlighting three parks near their location. "There are three parks nearby—one between Sector 2 and Sector 3, another between Sector 3 and Sector 4, and the last one between Sector 3 and Sector 6. We should search these first."
Sky nodded in agreement. "We'll need to split up our teams. Mixing them will be better since your team cannot handle weird domains, and we know Francis has previously built a pseudo-weird domain on the 10th floor inside the sewer tunnels. We don't know how long it takes him to create one, but we can't take any chances."
Jeff raised an eyebrow but quickly added, "I'm at peak D-rank according to my latest checkup, and my spiritual defence has reached low C-rank." Rain processed this new information, realizing that in order to join the Ghost Department, one must open their spirit gate before breaking through to D-rank, and their spiritual defence needed to be at least C-rank. This added a layer of understanding to the rigorous requirements of their line of work.
Sky smiled with approval. "That's great news. We can manage this situation. The first team will be me, Siobhan, and two of your members. The second team will consist of you and Lily, and the last team will be Damian, Rain, and two more from your team."
Jeff nodded, quickly assessing the situation. "Adrian and Kate will go with you, Sky, and Liam and Paige will join Damian and Rain."
Without hesitation, Sky confirmed the plan. "Alright, my team will check the park between Sectors 2 and 3."
Jeff followed up, "I'll take Lily to the park between Sectors 3 and 4."
Damian, with his usual composed demeanor, concluded, "We'll cover the park between Sectors 3 and 6."
With their plan solidified, the teams exchanged nods and promptly set off in their assigned directions. Each group moved with urgency, knowing the clock was ticking. The looming threat of Francis potentially creating a pseudo-weird domain weighed heavily on everyone's mind as they raced toward the parks, their determination evident in every step.
Rain, Damian, Liam, and Paige moved swiftly toward the park between Sector 3 and Sector 6, their steps measured but purposeful. The tension in the air was thick, their eyes scanning every shadow as they navigated the quiet streets. Anticipation hung over them, each of them alert for any trace of Francis or signs of something amiss. As they approached the park, its vast expanse came into view, with snow dusting the artificial pine trees and covering the ground. The park, surrounded by a faint energy shield, loomed ahead—a place filled with hidden paths and secluded corners, perfect for concealing danger.
A small crowd had gathered near the gate, residents being ushered out after an announcement was made to evacuate. Rain knew that warning the people to leave would likely tip Francis off, but considering his current state—only a clone—it was a calculated risk. Entering the park, Rain immediately felt a biting cold. The chill wasn't just from the snow; the atmosphere itself seemed heavier, colder, as if the very air had been altered.
Inside the park, the environment was carefully controlled, an intricate balance of technology and nature. The artificial trees stood as feats of engineering, designed to mirror the function of real trees despite their mechanical core. These trees not only purified the air but also regulated the park's climate, creating a self-sustained ecosystem. In a world where radiation had wiped out natural forests, such creations had become essential to survival. Yet despite the technological marvel, there was something unsettling about the cold that lingered in the air. It felt unnatural, sending an involuntary shiver down Rain's spine as they pressed further into the park's eerie stillness.
Liam broke the silence, "Should we split up to cover more ground?"
Damian quickly shook his head. "No. It's too dangerous. Even if it's just a clone, it's still the clone of an A-rank strongman."
The group pressed on, moving cautiously through the park's increasingly unsettling atmosphere. The snow crunched beneath their boots as they ventured off the paved paths, Rain struggling slightly as the deeper snow made walking difficult. Every step seemed to echo unnaturally in the stillness of the park, heightening their awareness of the danger lurking around them. The cold air bit at their skin, and the eerie quiet made their task feel more daunting with each passing moment.
Suddenly, Damian raised his hand, signalling for them to stop. "Over there," he whispered, nodding toward a cluster of trees ahead.
Peering through the snow-covered branches, Rain saw it—a faint pulsing green light emanating from the centre of a small clearing. His heart raced as they carefully approached, their steps slow and deliberate. As they drew closer, the source of the strange light became clear.
In the middle of the clearing, they found it—a large, pulsating cocoon, its surface slick and vibrant with green energy. Inside, the unconscious body of Callum lay wrapped in tendrils of the cocoon, his chest rising and falling slowly. It was unlike the lifeless cocoons they had encountered in the pseudo-domain within the sewers. This cocoon seemed alive, throbbing with a disturbing vitality, as if feeding off something.
And then, just beside it, stood the clone—Francis's clone. It stared at them with cold, unblinking eyes, its presence unnerving. The clone didn't move but stood there, guarding the cocoon as though daring them to make the first move.
Rain's pulse quickened, the realization sinking in. Whatever Francis was planning, this was just the beginning. The cocoon, alive with green energy, pulsed ominously, casting an eerie glow over the clearing, as the team prepared to confront the danger before them.