He feigned madness for eighteen years, all for the power of a god.

Yin Yun took a deep breath.

She took another slender cigarette from the cigarette pack on the table and lit it with a "snap".

He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

Amidst the swirling smoke, her hoarse voice rang out, carrying a chilling undertone:

"The Hanged Man is dead."

Just five words.

Like a thunderclap from a clear sky, the spacious office instantly fell into a deathly silence.

"What?!"

Assistant Xiao An exclaimed in surprise, nearly dropping the tray she was holding.

Her eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief: "How is this possible?!"

"Mr. Hanged Man is at the peak of the third level, a powerful figure with one foot already in the fourth!"

"And he's only been missing for less than three days... Before, Mr. Lighthouse was missing for a month and wasn't declared dead, so why is he dead so quickly this time..."

Yin Yun turned around, looking at the night outside the window with a deep gaze.

"You don't understand."

"This is a special method used by headquarters."

She flicked off her cigarette ash and explained in a low voice:

"The astrologer at headquarters has a special tarot deck."

"Each Major Amulet is bound to the life essence of a core member of the organization through a secret method."

"The cards are there, but so are the people."

"The card falls, the person dies."

At this point, Yin Yun paused:

"We received the message from headquarters just an hour ago."

"The card representing the Hanged Man, in full view of everyone..."

She stretched out her finger and made a snapping motion.

"With a snap, it broke in two."

"That means he's dead."

Assistant Xiao An's face turned deathly pale instantly.

He could hardly believe that the expert who was at the peak of the third level and close to the fourth level had died.

"Then... what about Mr. [Lighthouse]?"

Xiao An's voice trembled slightly, as if she had grasped at the last straw:

"He's been missing for so long, his cards..."

Yin Yun sighed, her gaze becoming somewhat complicated.

"The situation at the Lighthouse is quite unique."

"The card representing him, although its surface is wrinkled and even somewhat distorted, looks like it might collapse at any moment."

"But it stood there stubbornly, neither broken nor fallen."

"This shows that he has encountered great trouble and is in a very bad situation."

"But he's not dead yet."

Assistant Xiao An scratched his head, somewhat puzzled:

"Didn't Mr. Lighthouse say he was going to clean up a simple second-floor weirdo quest? How did he suddenly disappear and end up like this?"

Yin Yun shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either.

"I've already sent people to investigate the last place he was seen."

"There was nothing there except some bizarre remains of corpses on the second floor."

"He seemed to have vanished into thin air."

At this point, Yin Yun seemed to have thought of something, and a helpless, bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"However, that guy has always been known for his toughness and resilience."

"He's a ruthless guy who managed to escape alive and kicking even after being chased by three fourth-level experts."

"He must have some trump card to save his life."

"Now, we can only hope he has good luck."

Yin Yun stubbed out her cigarette, stood up, and walked to the huge city map on the wall.

Her finger traced several areas on the map.

He finally stopped at several red markers, his tone becoming more anxious than ever before.

"The current situation is very unfavorable for us."

Greywater is a remote city.

The Tarot Club only has a branch here.

The number of combat troops assigned was not large.

There are only three high-level combatants here who are given the names of Tarot cards.

They are the Hanged Man, the Lighthouse, and the Star.

"The cause of death of the Hanged Man is unknown. His death was too sudden. Losing such a great general at this critical juncture is simply a disaster."

The lighthouse is missing.

"And the only remaining high-end combat force, [Star]..."

Yin Yun tapped her fingers heavily on the table:

"He was also sent to another city last week to assist in a secret mission, and it will be at least another two weeks before he returns."

Silence fell over the office once again after these words were spoken.

Although Xiao An was just an assistant, she understood the meaning behind it.

The current Tarot Club branch is like an empty shell with its core removed.

There is no expert with a "Tarot card name" in charge.

This means that if a powerful enemy or a highly difficult mission were to come knocking now...

They didn't even have the ability to fight back.

This is a true example of the "empty city stratagem".

Xiao An lowered her head and muttered something under her breath:

"Yeah... what if something happens during this time..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Yin Yun's sharp gaze shot over like a knife.

"Shut up."

Xiao An immediately realized that his jinxed mouth was probably going to cause trouble again.

He quickly covered his mouth, swallowing back the rest of his words.

Yin Yun withdrew her gaze, looked out the window at the city that seemed calm but was actually turbulent beneath the surface, and sighed deeply.

All she can do now is pray.

Before [Star] returned from his business trip.

During this period when this Tarot Club branch is at its weakest.

Please, please, don't let any more trouble or chaos occur.

......

The night was as dark as ink in the distant suburbs.

Inside a sprawling, luxurious private winery, the lights were on full display.

This is a secret stronghold of the Hidden World Society, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, with only expensive grapevines and tranquil night breezes.

The crystal chandelier cast a warm yellow glow, illuminating the intricate patterns on the Persian carpet in exquisite detail.

Abraham stood in front of the huge French windows, his slender fingers gently swirling a wine glass.

He changed into a well-tailored tuxedo.

She wore an exquisite silk scarf around her neck, and her long, sea-blue hair was casually tied back.

If you ignored his excessively pale complexion.

Anyone would assume he was a medieval nobleman preparing to attend a banquet.

But his mood at this moment was not as calm as it appeared.

"It's been two days..."

Abraham took a sip of red wine, his brow furrowing slightly.

His gaze was fixed on the dark night sky outside the window, as if searching for something.

"Why hasn't my [Demon Scythe] returned yet?"

In his mind, the Demon Scythe is not only a weapon, but also a living curse.

According to his calculations, the scythe sealed within it was a grotesque, violent, and unpredictable force.

Let alone a junior at the third level, even an extraordinary person at the fourth or fifth level.

If anyone dares to rashly attempt to claim a master, their life essence will be instantly drained.

Or you could have your head chopped off by the [Demon Scythe].

Once the host dies, the [Demon Scythe] will follow its instincts, sense the original owner's aura, and automatically fly back through the air.

This should have been a script with no suspense whatsoever.

But now, it seems there's a problem with the script.