The person on the other end of the phone was speaking rapidly, and Baili Qing's expression was particularly solemn. Yu Sheng, standing nearby, didn't want to interrupt, so he leaned in to listen intently. He caught keywords like "Gathering Point," "disappearance," "traces," and "surrounding energy responses." But when he heard the term "Angel Remains," he instantly became alert.

After a while, Baili Qing began instructing the person on the other end about some matters, including the emergency lockdown of certain "traffic nodes" and the retrieval of surveillance footage, scanning walls and the Boundary Stele. After she hung up, Yu Sheng stepped back half a step and curiously asked, "Sounds like... something happened?"

"It's the remains from the Angel Fall event," Baili Qing took a deep breath. Though the matter was classified, Yu Sheng was directly involved in the Angel Fall event, and they would need to cooperate in the future, so she did not hide anything. "You should have seen the footage of the falling process at the time—I'll be straightforward. The main structure of Anka Aela disintegrated and vanished during its 'falling and ascending,' but some tangible fragments fell towards the ground as they crossed the skies over Boundary City. The Special Service Bureau dispatched several recovery teams for this reason. One of the teams just reported back that some of those remains... may have gone missing."

Yu Sheng felt a dull pain start to throb in his molars.

"All that's left at the site is an impact crater, and it's empty," Baili Qing said with a grim look. "The Special Service Bureau's people are still searching the surrounding area, but the situation doesn't look promising."

"...Well, on the bright side, maybe it just 'evaporated' into thin air," Yu Sheng said, not really believing his own words. "After all, it's the Dark Angel, right? It already had unusual properties when it fell into our world. Fragments disappearing after hitting the ground isn't entirely out of the question."

"I really wish I could think that way," Baili Qing sighed. "But I've long since gotten used to ruling out all optimistic options first."

"Alright," Yu Sheng scratched his head, "Did you find any suspicious traces at the scene? Someone might have beaten you to it..."

"This is the biggest worry now. The Dark Angel fragments must not fall into the hands of crazies like the Angel Sect or Venerate Saints Monastery, but according to the reports from the recovery team, no other people were spotted around the landing point," Baili Qing said, her tone somber. "However, that doesn't rule out the possibility of someone secretly taking the fragments. This world is vast, and there are always some tricky individuals who can do things without leaving any traces."

Yu Sheng's eyes widened slightly. "That skilled, huh? They can steal something right under the Special Service Bureau's nose and vanish without a trace?"

Baili Qing kept silent, just quietly looking at him.

After being stared at for two seconds, Yu Sheng reacted and awkwardly retracted his neck. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I didn't take it..."

"Of course, I know it wasn't you," Baili Qing's voice was filled with fatigue. After a few seconds of silence, she continued, "The incident happened in the 'suburbs.' The wilderness beyond Boundary City isn't as stable as the inner city. Occasionally, lawbreakers sneak in through gaps near the Boundary Stele to do some shady dealings, black market trades, petty thefts, some of whom have 'skills'... But this is Boundary Land, after all. Those rats don't dare to make big moves under the Special Service Bureau's watchful eyes, much less take something as dangerous as Angel fragments, which require special containment in high-risk zones."

"That also assumes they know what it is," Yu Sheng spread his hands, "It's not unheard of for someone passing by to see something shiny in a roadside crater and pocket it. This world is a huge random mix..."

Baili Qing didn't respond, just pursed her lips. After a moment, she pulled out her phone again and quickly contacted a subordinate to give more instructions.

Yu Sheng watched her busy demeanor carefully and, after a few minutes, tentatively spoke again, "How serious could this get?"

"Honestly, nothing can be determined now," Baili Qing glanced at Yu Sheng. "The severity of the situation depends on who took the Angel fragment and what the fragment itself 'is.' The first batch of recovered remains is en route to the city. Once they return to headquarters, they will first undergo quarantine observation. The fragments will go through a preliminary risk assessment before being sent to a high-risk laboratory for further analysis. We need to understand its properties first. As you said, in the best case, they might just be some stones with special significance, but in the worst case..."

She didn't finish, but Yu Sheng understood her meaning.

"Alright, let's wait and see," he sighed, slowly returning to the couch to sit down, staring at the sky in a daze. After two seconds, he murmured, "Anka Aela, you left such a big mess even after you're gone..."

"Some things will always go beyond plan," Baili Qing sat back across from him, much calmer in her response, "Get used to it."

"Seems like you're even more at ease than I am," Yu Sheng reached for his half-finished drink on the coffee table, gulping it down, and waved his hand. "Looks like there's no quick resolution to this. I'll head home first; got a lot of things to deal with there."

"Alright," Baili Qing stood up, "I won't see you off then."

Yu Sheng nodded, but just as he was about to open the door to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Baili Qing, "By the way, one more thing."

"Go ahead."

"The 'Fairy Tales' kids are having a celebration tonight," Yu Sheng said earnestly, "It's in the valley. I know the Special Service Bureau has always taken good care of that orphanage... so do you want to come?"

He paused, then added, "Um, I know you're very busy, especially with this troublesome situation. If you don't have the time..."

Before the words were finished, Baili Qing interrupted him: "Is that 'Hunter' here?"

Yu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then gently nodded after realizing: "Yes, 'they' are here too, along with the squirrel."

"I have time," Baili Qing's mouth seemed to show a slight smile, "then please come and pick me up when the time comes."

"Alright, it's settled then. The time is tentatively set for six o'clock. I'll call you in advance," Yu Sheng smiled and waved his hand at Baili Qing, "see you tonight."

"See you tonight."

The illusory door silently closed and then quietly disappeared.

Baili Qing stood there, gazing after Yu Sheng's departure and then quietly thought for a while before letting out a barely audible sigh and turning back to the bar.

She poured herself half a glass of strong drink and slowly sipped it while sitting on the bar stool.

The gigantic colorless eyes slowly appeared in the air behind her, silently watching.

"If you want to go, just say it. Why put on an act as if you're going because of those deep divers?"

"Just a casual question," Baili Qing didn't turn around as she listened to the voice appearing in her mind, "what about you? What did you talk to him about?"

"I asked a bit about the Dark Angels, the rest was just small talk," the eyes said unhurriedly, then as if casually mentioned, "By the way, I told him my name."

"Name?" Baili Qing's hand holding the glass suddenly paused, her tone carrying a hint of surprise.

"Is it necessary to be so surprised?" The eyes moved in front of Baili Qing, floating several meters away from her, "Just told him my name, basic manners, you know."

Baili Qing didn't speak, just looked at the eyes in front of her. After a long time, she finally spoke: "I mean...what is your full name again?"

"..."

"Just kidding," Baili Qing tugged at the corner of her mouth, "always so tense, need to relax a bit."

"I had forgotten, you used to be able to joke around too," The eyes couldn't convey any emotional fluctuation, but their gaze seemed a bit gentler, "Let's not talk about this anymore—when do you plan to announce this 'Angel Fall' event?"

"I'll announce it once the batch of 'fragments' we've found are safely sent back to headquarters," Baili Qing said, "As for the specific situation of Anka Aela, we'll communicate it only with the senior levels of Terra Academy, Algered Astrological Association, and Bamasa Hermit Association for now. 'Dark Angels can be communicated with'—this information shouldn't be fully disclosed for the time being."

"Oh?" The eyes were somewhat puzzled, "Why? Isn't this an exciting new discovery? After so many years, our understanding of the Dark Angels has finally made a breakthrough..."

"And then countless mysterious 'rational and objective' and 'benevolent and progressive' groups will emerge from the corners, waving little flags to rally all forces to establish mechanisms for communication and understanding with the Dark Angels, and discuss the possible tragic fates behind each Dark Angel and the possibility of 'saving' them. In a few months, they'll be shouting slogans like 'love and understanding', 'reflection', and 'tolerance', targeting the frontline troops who have been fighting the Angel invasions."

Baili Qing paused, letting out a sigh: "Having a bunch of Angel Sect believers is already headache-inducing enough. Can you imagine what it would be like to have Dark Angel protectionists in this world?"

The floating eyes visibly trembled.

"...If I still had skin, I'd have goosebumps right now." She said.

"Yeah, that's the kind of ridiculous situation that would arise. Collective wisdom and collective stupidity are the most incredible things in this world," Baili Qing swirled the glass in her hand, "I really dislike that kind of situation, so at the very least, I have to postpone its occurrence. Even if one day in the future, we truly grasp more secrets of the Dark Angels, even confirm that they are all communicable individuals like Anka Aela, the process must be reasonable, controllable, and gradual. Most importantly, we must prioritize the interests of this world—bottom line is, I don't like stupid things, and it's always been like that."

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