Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 144 Doubt

The carriage stopped at the back gate of the sanatorium.

The car door opened, and Clarice got out first. Green followed closely behind.

Rick stood by the door, expressionless. Beside him, Alvin leaned against the doorframe, his entire body almost entirely wrapped in bandages, yet to Green's surprise, he could still stand despite such injuries. He leaned on a makeshift cane, looking as if he were about to collapse.

When they saw Clarice get out of the car and walk over, they both instinctively straightened up, but then lowered their heads slightly as if they couldn't bear some weight.

"Vice-Captain," Rick's voice was hoarse.

Alvin opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only moved his lips without making a sound.

Clarice's gaze lingered for a moment on the bandages on Rick's arm before turning to Elwin.

She looked at Alvin, her gaze sweeping from his face to his sling arm and forehead, finally settling on his eyes, which had lost their former luster and were now filled with weariness and a hint of barely perceptible shame.

She did not speak.

The air froze for a few seconds.

Then, she looked away, walked straight between the two men, and headed towards the back door of the sanatorium's main building. Green glanced at Rick and Alvin, then quickly followed.

Footsteps echoed in the empty corridor.

The sanatorium was unusually quiet. The occasional whispers of patients or the footsteps of nurses that used to be heard had vanished, as if the entire building had been drained of its life. Only the footsteps of the two of them echoed monotonously and clearly on the polished floor.

The secret door leading to the underground base was open, and a brighter, colder light shone from within.

As I descended the steps, a familiar scent, a mixture of old books, dust, and a faint herbal aroma, wafted towards me, but mixed with a pungent odor—a remnant of a high-intensity spiritual conflict.

The scene inside the outpost was more orderly than Green had imagined, but also more oppressive.

Several tables were pushed together, with maps and documents spread out on them.

Several office workers, including old man Jason and Misha, sat in their seats, heads down, writing or organizing something quickly, but their movements were stiff, no one spoke, and no one even looked up at the person who came in.

A tense, almost suffocating silence filled the air.

Eliza stood beside the map table, holding a document in her hand.

Hearing footsteps, she turned around, her face deathly pale, her eyes dark-rimmed, clearly having not slept all night. Seeing Clarice, she immediately hurried to meet her.

"Clarice," her voice was low and trembling slightly, "the initial inventory is basically complete."

Clarice stopped and looked at her.

Eliza took a deep breath, handed over the documents, and said in a deeper voice, "We've lost a personnel list."

Clarisse took the document and quickly scanned it. Her brows furrowed slightly, but her face remained largely expressionless.

Green stood to her side and slightly behind, unable to see the contents of the document, but he could sense the weight of Eliza's words.

"Which one?" Clarice asked calmly.

"Number A-7." Eliza's voice was dry. "A copy of the list of official members and peripheral informants."

Clarice tapped her finger lightly on the edge of the document.

"Anything else?" she asked.

Eliza shook her head, her lips pressed tightly together: "The other party's target was very clear. They only moved the seventh filing cabinet containing the Category A list and took A-7. The other files showed signs of being rummaged through, but according to the preliminary check, nothing was missing. The scene was very clean. Apart from the spiritual remnants of the forced breakthrough of the protective array, there were no physical traces left. No footprints, no fingerprints, no hair, and even the distribution of dust was unnatural."

She paused, then added, "It's like someone used the most sophisticated tools to take only the page they wanted and then put everything back the way it was. If the directory weren't checked regularly, we might not have discovered it until the next time we accessed it."

Clarice remained silent, her gaze fixed on the document, yet seemingly piercing through the paper, as if deep in thought.

A list of personnel. This is extremely important, meaning that the enemy lurking in the shadows will have detailed information about all of them. It also means that the enemy's infiltration of the Night's Watch may be deeper than imagined, or that they are looking for a specific person, and that person is on that list.

It's possible that it's both.

"Where is Deacon Solent?" Clarice suddenly asked, her voice still steady.

Eliza's face paled even more: "We can't get in touch with him. According to the itinerary he left behind, he should be on his way to headquarters to report right now, but the designated contact period has passed, and we haven't received any signal. The cathedral hasn't received any reports of his arrival either."

Clarice nodded and handed the document back to Eliza.

"Continue to inventory and verify the completeness of all Category A files, especially personnel records related to recent events. Notify all registered perimeter observers to be vigilant, reduce non-essential activities in the near future, and await further instructions."

She spoke slowly and deliberately, "Rex and Elwin, let them in."

Eliza took the document and replied softly, "Yes."

Clarisse turned and walked toward her office. After taking two steps, she stopped, without turning back, and said to Green, "You come too."

The office door closed, shutting out the oppressive atmosphere outside.

Clarice didn't sit down. She walked to the window—there wasn't actually a window, just a cold stone wall—but she stood there with her back to Green.

A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door. Rick and Erwin walked in. Erwin leaned on his cane, moving somewhat slowly, while Rick followed half a step behind him, like a silent wall.

"Speak," Clarisse said without turning around. "Where were you when the attack happened? What did you do? What did you see? Tell me from the beginning."

Her voice was calm, but Green could detect a hint of fatigue.

Rick spoke first, his voice still hoarse: "I was resting at home. I rushed over immediately after receiving the call, and then I saw that the protective magic array had failed and the door lock had been broken. I rushed in, but there was no one inside, only remnants of spiritual disturbance. I immediately triggered the level two alarm, sealed off all exits, and began an internal search."

"It seems the other party had planned this all along."

No. The other party has already left.

"Irwin".

Alvin leaned against the door frame, looking down at his hands, which were wrapped in bandages.

"I'm in the medical room. The nurse told me to stay for observation."

His voice was soft, with a rare, almost cowardly hesitation. "When the alarm went off—I was already asleep. The pain from my wound was so intense that I was slow to react. By the time I got to the archives, Rick was already there."

97

"What did you 'hear'?" Clarice asked, still without turning around. "Before or after that."

Alvin's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. "No," he said, his voice even lower, "nothing special. Just the sound of alarms."

There was silence in the room.

Clarice finally turned around. Her gaze fell on Alvin, a gaze that was neither harsh nor particularly emotional, simply looking at him calmly.

Irwin avoided her gaze.

"How long will it take for your injury to heal?" Clarisse asked.

"A day or two. It won't affect basic operations," Alvin said in a low voice.

"Okay." Clarisse nodded. "From now on, you and Green will be a team. You'll be responsible for investigating the potential risks of the list being leaked, as well as continuing the investigation of the Seagull. Rick, you'll be in charge of the internal security restructuring and personnel vetting at the base, with Eliza assisting you."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the three men. "The list is missing. This means we've exposed some of our eyes, and it could also mean someone wants to do something with this list. Until we figure out what they're up to, everyone, stay on high alert."

"Yes," Rex replied in a deep voice.

Erwin nodded without saying anything.

"Get out," Clarice said. "Green stays."

Rick and Alvin left the office. The door closed again.

Clarice walked behind the desk and sat down, gesturing for Green to sit as well. She placed her hands on the desk and looked at Green.

She stated directly, "There are a total of seventeen people on the list, distributed across the dock area, the downtown area, and several small towns. Some of these people are informants we have been observing for a long time, while others are extraordinary individuals or related parties with potential but whom we have not yet formally contacted."

"The enemy has taken this list. They may want to eliminate our informants, or they may want to use these people. Or perhaps, someone they're looking for is on this list."

She looked at Green: "The first thing you and Alvin should do is find as many people on the list as possible, issue warnings, and assess the risks. Especially for you, the temptation of an apprenticeship is great, and the situation could be very dangerous."

"I understand," Green said.

"The second thing," Clarice said, "is about Alvin."

Green looked up.

He's lying.

Clarice said, "Or rather, he covered it up. It's impossible that he didn't hear anything when the attack happened."

He was the "poet of the night," more sensitive to the rhythms of the spirit than any of us. The spiritual fluctuations generated by the precise breach of the protective array at the outpost were far more than just alarm noise.

She paused for a moment, as if considering her options.

"I don't plan to delve into why he's hiding it for now. Maybe he has his reasons, maybe he's just scared. But I need you to keep an eye on him when you're working with him. Not surveillance, just observation. If he shows any unusual behavior, or if he's willing to tell you anything, I need to know."

Green felt a dryness in his throat.

He nodded: "I will."

"Very good." Clarisse took a brown paper bag from the drawer and pushed it in front of Green. "This is a backup copy of List A-7. There were originally only three copies: one in the archives, one with me, and one at headquarters. The one in the archives is now lost. Read this copy, memorize it, and then destroy it. Don't leave any records."

Green took the paper bag and felt its weight.

"Go," Clarice said. "Talk to Alvin, then act. We don't have much time."

Green stood up, took the paper bag, and walked towards the door. Before he opened the door, Clarice's voice came again, soft but clear.

"Green, be careful. Right now—we might not be able to completely trust anyone."

Green paused for a moment, then opened the door and walked out without turning around.

Outside the door, Erwin leaned against the wall of the corridor, leaning on his cane, seemingly waiting for him. When he saw Green come out, he tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to show his usual cynical smile, but the smile froze halfway through.

"Looks like we're in for a lot of work," Alvin said in a hoarse voice.

Green looked at him, at his bandaged body and those evasive eyes, and nodded.

"Yes," Green said, "we're going to be busy."

The corridor was unusually quiet, filled with the mingled smells of disinfectant and old wood. Alvin leaned on his cane, trying to straighten up, but the wound beneath the bandages was clearly still throbbing, and his movements were somewhat stiff.

"Where to go first?" Alvin asked, his voice light but unable to hide his exhaustion.

Green didn't answer immediately. He squeezed the brown paper bag in his hand, feeling the thickness of the paper. "Let's find a place and look at the list first," he said, "and then examine the most direct connections."

Alvin nodded without saying anything more, and simply followed Green, leaning on his cane, toward the small table that had been temporarily assigned to them inside the stronghold.

The table is placed near a corner, away from other people.

Misha glanced up at them, then quickly looked down again to continue organizing the documents in front of her. Old Jason, on the other hand, kept staring at the ledger, as if something on it had captured his entire attention.

Green sat down, opened the paper bag, and pulled out the list.

The paper was specially made parchment, with some wear on the edges. It was neatly inscribed with names, codes, approximate activity areas, summaries of observation records, and the date of the last update in ink.

He glanced at it twice, roughly memorized the contents, and then took out a match and lit it.

He suddenly had a hunch that everything that had happened recently must be connected, although he didn't know what the connection was yet.

First came the banquet incident, the Viscount Fairfax's banquet, that meticulously planned death trap—it was the prelude. It tore open a corner beneath the calm surface of Oberhafen.

Then came the death of old Bob. His old informant in the docklands was murdered shortly after the "Seagull" incident; the scene was haunted by ghostly remnants, and the methods were brutal. What did he possess? Or did he know something he shouldn't have known?

Then came Aunt's death. On the surface, it was a family tragedy, the work of an out-of-control Emily, but Vera's investigation revealed a more terrifying truth—the "Dream Anchor," the work of a "fallen audience" at least Sequence 5. This meant that Aunt's death was likely not an accident, but a conspiracy against him, or against the Hayes family.

Emily's disappearance. Was she the murderer or the victim? If the victim, where is she now? Is she dead or alive? And what was the purpose of the person impersonating her?

Sura — Anchors were implanted in her.

This isn't just about creating a "witness," it's more like a marker, or a trigger? What does the enemy want to achieve through Sura?

Now, the outpost has been attacked, and the list has been stolen. The enemy has taken the Night's Watch's eyes and ears from Oberhafen.

Are they trying to remove obstacles, or are they trying to exploit these people? Or is someone they're looking for on that list?