Somewhere in New Eridu – inside a Red Fang Gang hideout.
"Boss, the two guys who went drinking last night still haven't come back. Should we send someone to look for them?" A newly inducted gang member asked, clearly anxious, addressing the veteran overseeing the safehouse.
The Red Fang Gang maintained extremely tight control over its members—especially after the attack on the White Star Institute's research facility. Since then, Silver had personally ordered all operations to be kept low-profile.
Even minor activities had to be reported if there was even a chance of exposure.
This system had allowed the gang to evade all attempts by the Public Security Bureau to track them—but not everyone followed the rules.
Just yesterday, two rookies had snuck off to visit a club and hadn't returned since.
It wasn't hard to guess—they had likely been captured by Peace Officers. Otherwise, why wouldn't they come back?
"Forget about those two. Tell everyone: we're relocating the hideout tomorrow. Make sure everyone is ready." The senior member barked back with a grim expression.
With those two likely caught, the hideout could be compromised. To avoid being wiped out, they had no choice but to move to a backup location.
It was a sound command—but what none of them knew was that this "senior member" had already been placed under illusion by Zhong Yan.
At that very moment, Zhong Yan—disguised as Uchiha—was lurking in Kamui's dimensional space, patiently waiting for Silver's confidant to arrive for the scheduled meeting.
Before long, a sealed envelope appeared at the entrance of the hideout. A rookie spotted it, picked it up, and quickly handed it to the hideout manager.
After reading its contents, the manager set out at once, heading for the designated meeting point.
It was a small alley, not far from the hideout. There, a figure in a black cloak was already waiting—one of Silver's trusted couriers.
As the manager arrived, the man in black looked around carefully, then whispered, "You weren't followed, right?"
The manager shook his head. "No. But two rookies went missing yesterday. I suspect the Public Security Bureau got them."
The courier's face darkened beneath the hood. "Seriously? You're a vet—you can't even manage a few newbies? If this hideout gets hit, don't expect the boss to send a rescue."
These were sensitive times. Until the safe was delivered to the unnamed official, the Red Fang Gang had to stay in the shadows. Losing even one outpost could ruin everything.
The implications... were massive.
"I know. That's why I already ordered a full relocation—" But before he could finish, the manager suddenly staggered, limbs limp, and collapsed to the ground.
The courier froze in confusion—then took a step forward. "Hey! What are you doing? Don't you start playing dead on me! Get up—"
Before he could finish, a figure emerged slowly from the shadows.
A white, swirling mask. Blood-red eyes, glowing like a demon's, stared straight at him.
"W-Who the hell are you?!" the courier stammered, panic rising fast. He fumbled for a small device in his pocket and smashed the emergency button.
It was a security measure. Pressing it should summon elite Red Fang members stationed nearby to eliminate any threat.
But... nothing happened.
No footsteps. No reinforcements.
Zhong Yan's voice came deep and low, reverberating with oppressive force. "Don't bother. I've already dealt with all your men."
The courier's face went pale.
Terrified, he turned and bolted, trying to flee.
But he only made it a few steps before a voice thundered inside his mind.
Then everything went black. His weapons were gone. His body—suddenly—was no longer fleeing. He was standing, trembling, face-to-face with Zhong Yan, who now had one hand clamped tightly around his skull.
"It's not wise to lock eyes with someone unless you can tell illusion from reality."
Their gaze had crossed—just for an instant—and that was enough. The Sharingan's genjutsu activated.
Rather than run, the courier had unknowingly walked straight to his doom.
Zhong Yan used this technique often. It didn't work on Ethereals—but for humans? It was practically unstoppable.
Unless you kept your eyes shut the entire time, there was no escaping once you were caught.
That was the terrifying nature of the Sharingan.
"M-Master, please! I'll tell you everything I know—just don't kill me!" the courier begged.
Zhong Yan ignored him.
The moment their eyes locked again, he activated another illusion—not to control, but to extract memories.
In an instant, a storm of memory fragments flooded his mind.
As Silver's trusted agent, the courier knew far more than that safehouse manager. Zhong Yan learned the gang's HQ location, Silver's current movements... even that there were spies inside the Public Security Bureau.
When the memory dive ended, Zhong Yan released his grip.
But memory extraction via the Sharingan caused irreversible brain damage.
The courier had already fainted before the process was over.
Whether he'd wake up a vegetable... Zhong Yan didn't know. And frankly, he didn't care.
He now knew where Silver was—and that meant it was time for the next phase of his plan.
But first, he had to contact the Phaeton siblings.
After all, they were his handpicked allies.
...
The next morning, Zhu Yuan found herself standing once again outside the interrogation room—staring at the two Red Fang members, still unconscious.
She frowned.
So New Eridu... really does have a masked city hero now, huh?