The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Fragments of a Hidden Network

The meeting chamber was located deep beneath the headquarters of Eclipse, far beyond the reach of ordinary civilization.

A long black table stood at the center of the room, with Vhan and Vince seated on one side and the Four Black Roses positioned across from them. Aurora, Herrera, Octavia, and Leonora were all present, while the Seven Crowns occupied the remaining seats around the table.

There was no unnecessary conversation.

The atmosphere was serious from the moment the meeting began.

Vince placed several documents on the table.

"The situation has changed considerably since the destruction of the fifth laboratory."

Vhan glanced down at the reports.

"And now the sixth has fallen."

"Their reaction was expected," Herrera said. "An organization does not lose six facilities without realizing that someone is deliberately hunting them."

"Of course they have noticed us," Vince replied. "Our name has already reached people outside those laboratories. After six facilities have been destroyed, remaining hidden would be impossible."

Octavia slowly turned through the recovered documents.

"The more concerning matter is not that they have noticed Eclipse. It is what they have done with their records."

Leonora looked toward her.

"You found something?"

"Rather, we found what they wanted us to find."

She placed several sheets on the table.

"The records recovered from the sixth laboratory contain references to other facilities, but every direct connection has been deliberately erased. Names, locations, transportation routes, communication channels, and identifying codes were removed before the facility was compromised."

Vhan’s expression hardened.

"So they prepared for exactly this possibility."

"Yes."

Octavia pointed toward several sections of the documents.

"These weren’t destroyed by the explosion, either. The information was removed beforehand. Whoever manages these laboratories understood that if one facility were discovered, the records inside it could become a liability."

Aurora leaned slightly forward.

"Meaning the laboratories were prevented from knowing too much about one another."

"That appears to be the structure."

Vince nodded.

"Each facility seems to possess only the information necessary for its own operation. Even when two laboratories exchanged materials or personnel, their records were kept separate enough that discovering one would not automatically reveal the other."

Herrera’s expression became colder.

"That makes locating the remaining laboratories considerably more difficult."

"Exactly," Octavia said. "If we had captured a complete network record from the sixth facility, we could have traced their operations systematically. Instead, we’re left with fragments."

Leonora looked through the documents herself.

"And some of those fragments are intentionally misleading."

"Correct."

She paused.

"That means we cannot assume every reference we recover is genuine. Some may have been left behind specifically to send investigators in the wrong direction."

Vhan rested his hand against the table.

"They have learned from what happened to the previous facilities."

"They had to," Aurora said. "Five laboratories were destroyed before this one, and now the sixth has suffered the same fate. Anyone capable of overseeing such an organization would understand that continuing to operate normally would eventually expose everything."

Vince nodded.

"Which brings us to the next concern."

He placed another report on the table.

"Their higher-ups have begun investigating Eclipse."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Herrera’s eyes narrowed.

"How much do they know?"

"Very little at present. They know that an unidentified organization has been attacking their facilities. They know our members are exceptionally capable, and they have begun looking into the pattern behind the attacks."

Aurora considered the information carefully.

"Then that advantage must be preserved."

Leonora nodded.

"If they cannot determine our numbers, headquarters, or the identities of those directing the operations, their investigation will remain limited."

"But that advantage will not last forever," Vince said. "The longer this continues, the more information they will collect. They will eventually begin connecting incidents that were previously unrelated."

"Which is precisely why we should not give them anything more than what they already possess," Aurora replied.

Herrera crossed her arms.

"Then the question is whether the remaining laboratories should be eliminated immediately or monitored first."

Octavia shook her head.

"Immediate destruction would solve one problem while creating another. The records are already too fragmented. If the remaining facilities realize they are being targeted and completely sever their operations from one another, recovering useful information will become even more difficult."

Vhan nodded.

"Then reconnaissance should take priority."

"We already have several teams monitoring possible locations," Leonora said. "However, none of them can be confirmed as laboratories yet."

"And that uncertainty is exactly what the enemy is relying on."

Vince leaned back slightly.

"They have built their network so that even if one part collapses, the rest can continue functioning without exposing itself. If we destroy a facility without learning what connects it to the larger organization, we gain another victory but lose another opportunity to understand them."

Herrera gave a faint, displeased expression.

"So we’re fighting an organization that deliberately leaves us almost nothing to follow."

"That is the situation."

"The destruction of six laboratories has already forced them to change their methods. Their movements will become more cautious, their personnel will become more difficult to track, and their remaining facilities may eventually be abandoned altogether."

Leonora looked toward her.

"Do you believe they will attempt to relocate?"

"They may."

"And if they do?"

"We monitor every possibility we can identify."

Vhan nodded.

"That is already being arranged."

One of the Seven Crowns finally spoke.

"If their higher-ups have begun investigating Eclipse, there is another possibility. They may attempt to use their influence to involve the kingdoms."

Vince’s expression became thoughtful.

"That is possible. If they cannot find us directly, they may attempt to make the kingdoms search for us on their behalf."

"Which could turn the situation into something far larger than the laboratories themselves," another Crown added.

Aurora remained silent for several seconds.

"That possibility should not be dismissed."

Herrera looked toward her.

"Should the organization prepare for confrontation with the kingdoms as well?"

"No."

Aurora’s answer came immediately.

"Not unless circumstances force it. The kingdoms are not our primary enemy, and creating unnecessary conflict with them would only complicate matters."

Vhan agreed.

"Our objective remains the same. The laboratories, the organization behind them, and whatever purpose their experiments serve."

Octavia closed the final report.

"There is still too much we do not know."

"Then gather what can be gathered," Leonora said. "The incomplete records may still reveal something if we compare them with the information recovered from the previous facilities."

Vince nodded.

"We’ll have the records from all six laboratories examined together. Even if the direct connections were erased, repeated names, materials, methods, personnel movements, or experimental procedures may reveal patterns they failed to remove."

"That would be the most reliable approach," Octavia agreed.

The room fell quiet again.

Everyone understood what came next.

There were countless possibilities, but none of them had enough information to make a decision concerning the organization’s next major move.

They could continue hunting the remaining laboratories.

They could investigate the people directing the research.

They could attempt to identify the higher-ups who had begun looking into Eclipse.

But none of those decisions would be made recklessly.

Vhan finally spoke.

"For the moment, operations will continue as they are. Surveillance will be maintained, the recovered records will be analyzed, and the remaining facilities will be located before any unnecessary action is taken."

Herrera nodded.

"And once sufficient information has been gathered?"

Vhan looked toward the others.

"That decision belongs to the Great Eclipse."

No one objected.

The Great Eclipse had established the direction of Eclipse from the beginning, and the members present understood their role. Their responsibility was to gather information, eliminate threats when ordered, and prepare for whatever came next.

They did not need to decide the future themselves.

They only needed to ensure that when the Great Eclipse gave his command, Eclipse would be ready to act.

Aurora stood from her seat and gathered the documents in front of her.

"The enemy has already realized that someone is hunting them."

Her gaze moved across the room.

"That means the next stage will be different from the previous six."

Leonora slowly stood as well.

"They will hide more carefully."

"They will erase more evidence."

"And they will probably become more desperate."

Herrera’s expression hardened.

"Then the next time we find one of their facilities, we should assume they have prepared for us."

Vince nodded.

"Agreed."

The meeting gradually came to an end, but nobody considered the matter settled.

Six laboratories had already been destroyed.

Yet the information recovered from them had revealed only fragments of a much larger structure.

The enemy had deliberately erased its own connections, ensuring that the fall of one laboratory would not expose the others.

It was an effective method.

It was also becoming increasingly troublesome.

But it had one weakness.

They had begun erasing their traces because they were afraid of being discovered.

And that meant Eclipse had already forced them to acknowledge its existence.

The next move would determine how much further that fear would spread.

Vhan turned the final page of the report, his expression becoming more serious.

"There is one final matter that requires our attention—the substance recovered from the sixth laboratory."

Vince looked toward him. "Substance D."

"Yes. The report confirms that the substance is capable of greatly enhancing an individual’s physical abilities and magical output when injected directly into the body. The results are considerably more effective than anything we have previously encountered."

Herrera narrowed her eyes. "And the fact that they designated it as ’Substance D’ is what concerns you."

"Precisely."

Octavia rested a finger against the table. "If D is merely the name of the substance, then there is nothing particularly significant about the designation. But if it follows a sequence..."

"Then there may be other substances," Leonora finished.

Aurora remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Substances A through C may have been previous experiments, failed versions, or compounds developed for entirely different purposes. We cannot determine which without further records."

Vhan nodded.

"That is why this matter requires further investigation. We should not assume Substance D is the extent of their research."

Vince closed the report.

"Especially considering the degree of enhancement it provides. If they have produced something stronger than D, the threat posed by the remaining laboratories could be considerably greater than we currently estimate."

No one disagreed.

The possibility of other substances had just added another unknown to an already complicated investigation.

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