The Transmigrated Author

267  When The Night Ends

I paced back and forth, carefully observing the scene around me. Guards moved in and out, replacing artifacts from the Montclair collection.

It was a well-oiled machine, each guard knowing their role and executing it with precision.

Suddenly, a guard stopped me in my tracks.

"Hey," he said, his voice gruff. "Are you SG-17?"

"...Uh you see."

I adjusted my half-mask, chuckling lightly. What would happen if I said no? I wondered. There was no telling what he might do, and being caught this early would jeopardize the entire mission. I had no choice but to take the gamble.

"Yes," I replied, hoping my voice sounded confident.

The guard's tense face relaxed. "Ah, good," he said with a sigh of relief. "I thought you were someone else. I wanted to ask if those girls you were talking to earlier were from Pinnacle."

"Yes, they are,"

I confirmed with a reassuring voice, however I felt uncomfortable with where this was heading.

"Well, I can't believe I'm saying this," he confessed, leaning in conspiratorially, "but they're all way too good for their age, wouldn't you agree?"

He winked suggestively, and I felt a wave of disgust wash over me. Yuck... This guy...

I held back my disgusted expression and forced a smile playing along with this retard.

During this time, all he had talked about were the Pinnacle students (females).

We chatted for a while, exchanging meaningless pleasantries, until finally, he bid me farewell and continued with his duties.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close."

Though for that guy, I made a mental note to remember that guard's face.

I wouldn't forget his disgusting intentions towards my classmates.

*

As I walked back and forth, growing increasingly weary of waiting for Han or the servant to show up, I glanced at my watch and saw that it was 3:00 AM.

"How exhausting..." I muttered under my breath. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

I guess that's how a normal shift works, so I headed down to the main floor of the artifact room, excusing myself as I passed the guards.

Now I began to regret not writing where they would meet instead of implying that they did.

Well at least I could go to sleep now-

BZZT! BZZT!

My watch buzzed in a strange sequence and realised it was a message from our squad leader.

[You've received a message from an anonymous contact. Do you wish to accept?]

Click!

"Haah... you have to be kidding me," I groaned, rolling my eyes.

I clicked a thumbs-up and headed outside. The grounds were vast. Manicured lawns sloped gently away from the mansion, dotted with sculpted hedges and marble statues that gleamed faintly in the moonlight.

I did a quick sweep of the mansion's blind spots, but found nothing noteworthy.

So I ended up following a path leading away from the mansion and into a nearby forest. The towering trees stood silent and the entire area beyond was deserted.

Though the path stretched onward, I doubt I'd encounter anyone at this late hour.

This secluded area felt far removed from the bustling activity within the mansion walls.

"It's time to call it a day."

FWANG!

[Special Ability: Pocket Realm [Grade 1] Has Been Activated!]

[The following item has been summoned: Bag Of Goods N' Stuff]

A black duffel bag materialized in my hands. I ducked behind a bush, quickly changing back into my normal clothes.

As I finished changing, I heard faint voices drifting from afar.

Peering through the brush, I spotted Han and the head servant conversing by the wrought iron gates that marked the entrance to the mansion grounds.

They were far enough away to avoid suspicion from the patrolling guards, but close enough for me to make out snippets of their conversation.

I strained to listen, but all I could discern were vague mentions of "shipments" and "goods." As the servant departed, Han lingered, pulling out his phone. He must be calling Vladimir, I thought.

Han glanced around, then moved further down the path, closer to my hiding spot. He clearly didn't want the patrolling guards to overhear his conversation.

When he was only 20 meters away, he began speaking to Vladimir about extracting something from within the Orb of Phantasmal.

"I've been sending our men in with each transfer," Han reported. "Everyone has confirmed that the pocket world within the Orb is accessible, but we can only send 16 men at a time."

-"That's a minor inconvenience," Vladimir's voice responded through the phone. "As long as the world can be used for our operations, I won't ask for anything more."

"I'm happy to hear that," Han said with a smile. "I've also hired researchers to investigate the world and extract some of its resources to get a better understanding of what we're dealing with. We've already conducted some experiments, and we'll relay the results tomorrow. Once we've harnessed the power of that world, we can use it for the projects you have in mind."

-"Good," Vladimir replied. "I expect your operation to be a success. Don't disappoint me."

"Got it," Han assured him, nodding. He ended the call and walked towards the mansion gates.

"Hmm... I don't remember that at all," I muttered to myself while scratching my head.

 Something about Han's plan felt off, like a detail I'd forgotten to include in the original story.

Just as I was about to turn around, a voice cut through the quiet night.

"Don't move."

The voice was low and intimidating, sending a shiver down my spine. BAM!

I leaned back and grabbed them without hesitation, slamming them to the ground with all my might.

"Oof!" the figure exclaimed as they landed with a thud.

"You're pretty fast for an archer," the voice chuckled, "and quite strong as well. Not bad."

I looked down to see Anouz lying on the ground, completely unfazed by my attack.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"