Chapter 5: The Kidnapping Case

“The only son of the Kraf Group’s chairman has been kidnapped. The ransom is set at two million Gard. This made the headlines today.” Yvette said. (Gard is a globally recognized currency, roughly equivalent to one US dollar.)

The Kraf Group wasn’t listed among the world’s top 500 enterprises, but it was close—definitely a major corporation.

Mo Ying had indeed seen the news earlier that day.

“But isn’t this a job for the police?” Mo Ying asked.

“Normally, yes. But if an Affinity User is involved, it’s not that simple.” Yvette tapped on the table.

Governments had special divisions dedicated to handling Affinity Users. However, considering their relatively small numbers and their general reluctance to work under strict government control, many cases involving Affinity Users ended up requiring assistance from private organizations.

“It’s from the chairman himself.”

“So, here’s the situation. The police, combined with the corporation’s resources, managed to locate where the hostage was being held. But when the police raided the place, they were completely wiped out.” Davis’s expression turned grim.

“There were Affinity Users?” Mo Ying asked.

“Exactly. The bodies of those police officers were found the next day by a river, their faces twisted in agony. However, apart from some minor wounds, there was only one fatal injury on each of them, and no traces of drugs were found in their bodies. This wasn't enough to cause the extreme pain that distorted their expressions.” Yvette nodded.

“That’s why we suspect it’s someone with a Calamity Affinity. That kind of Affinity is a nightmare to deal with.” Ansel shook his head.

To be fair, no Affinity was easy to handle in combat.

Now, let’s take a moment to talk about Affinities.

There were many types of abilities, and after the gods appeared, people started categorizing them. Currently, there are twenty known Affinity types. Fifteen of these were named after existing deities, while the remaining five had no associated gods.

The deity-associated Affinities were: Death (Death God also governed the underworld and was often called the Nether God), Life,Radiance, Umbra, Terra (Terra God also known as the God of Commerce), War (War God also known as the Fire God), Omniscience, Fate, Pioneer (Space), Harmony, Order, Ocean, Chaos, Deception, and Tempest.

The five Affinities without corresponding gods were: Mental, Artisan, Judgment (Justice), Calamity (Pain), and Romance.

Alright, I know this is a lot to take in, but don’t worry—you don’t have to memorize it. You’ll naturally get familiar with them as the story progresses.

A person might have more than one Affinity, and sometimes, a single ability wasn’t enough to determine an Affinity. Often, it wasn’t until a second ability manifested that their Affinity classification became clear.

Since Affinities were a classification system created by humans rather than an inherent trait, there were always disputes about how they should be defined. Scholars frequently argued over how to categorize and interpret them.

Between Affinity Users and gods, there was an important intermediate stage: Demigods.

Demigods possessed abilities fundamentally superior to regular Affinity Users. A single Demigod could easily destroy a city and pose a threat to an entire nation.

Of course, becoming a Demigod wasn’t easy. Currently, there were only about a hundred known Demigods in existence.

Back to the story—Calamity Affinity, as its name suggested, brought forth disease and suffering. There was once a Demigod Affinity User who created a plague that claimed tens of thousands of lives. It wasn’t until another Demigod with the Life Affinity intervened that the disease was eradicated.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“After the raid, the kidnappers naturally changed locations. The police haven’t found their new hideout yet, and the kidnappers warned that if there’s another attempt, they’ll kill the hostage immediately. They’ve also set a deadline—two days from now, the money must be delivered.” Yvette finished explaining the mission details.

“It sounds like they don’t trust the police. But isn’t that what the Special Operations Division is for?” Mo Ying asked.

“Given how badly things went at the start, losing faith in them is understandable.” Kagumo added.

“Because our client doesn’t trust the police, we won’t be working with them. However, the Special Operations Division is already involved. Per the chairman’s request, we’ll have access to the same intel they do.” Yvette said.

“I’ve sent all the information to the group chat. Take a look. Kagumo, add Mo Ying to the chat.” Yvette said.

Mo Ying took out her phone and skimmed through the messages. Most of it was what Yvette had just explained.

The additional information was that a member of the Special Operations Division had an Omniscience Affinity and had managed to pinpoint the general area where the kidnappers were hiding.

The Omniscience Affinity was unique. Before reaching Demigod status, its users had almost no combat abilities. Most Omniscience Affinity Users were involved in academia, as abilities were influenced by one’s own aptitude and experiences.

Essentially, they had access to hidden truths of the world and could easily uncover past events. For example, this Special Operations Division member had an ability called "Crime Scene," which allowed them to recreate the past events of a crime scene. Thanks to this power, they had solved numerous cold cases.

There were also Omniscience Affinity Users who could instantly understand all the details of an ability after witnessing it in use. In short, while Omniscience Users lacked offensive power before becoming Demigods, they were incredibly powerful in a support role.

Even now, despite the gods having vanished for so long, the temple of Tai Yi, the God of Omniscience, was still packed with visitors every day—especially before major exams.

All praying for better test scores, of course.

“So we just continue tracking in this direction?” Ansel asked.

“Exactly. Davis and I will handle that part.” Yvette pulled out her phone and sent a message.

“You’re contacting him?” Davis asked.

Yvette nodded. “That’s right.” Then she turned to Ansel and Kagumo. “You two show Mo Ying around. After that, follow the plan and meet with the chairman. Davis and I are heading out.”

With that, Yvette put on a cap, pulled two pistols from a drawer, twirled them stylishly before holstering them at her sides, and then walked out with Davis.

“I have a question.” After the two left, Mo Ying spoke up. “May I ask what they did before forming this mercenary group?”

They seemed to be in their thirties, and judging from the state of the suite, the mercenary group hadn’t been around for long. So, what had they been doing before this?

“No idea.” Ansel and Chi shook their heads in unison.

“Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t simple. But let’s not worry about that.” Chi led Mo Ying to the kitchen.

“This is the kitchen.” It was a standard-sized kitchen, fully equipped with a microwave, oven, and all the necessary appliances.

“Ansel and I often come here for late-night snacks. One time, Yvette caught us.” Chi said.

“With you here, we can finally recreate that classic ‘sneaking snacks from the fridge’ meme.” Ansel said with excitement.

Mo Ying: “……”

That meme was more popular in the Eastern Continent. How did Ansel even know about it?

“Don’t worry, Yvette won’t do anything. But there’s one important rule for the kitchen: Never let Davis in.” Chi emphasized.

“Would it be… life-threatening?” Mo Ying joked.

Then she saw both Ansel and Chi nod seriously with grave expressions.

Oh no. The classic ‘anime character who’s a disaster in the kitchen’ trope had appeared!

“Got it.” Mo Ying nodded solemnly.

“Oh, by the way, how old are you? I’m twenty-four.” Ansel asked.

“I’m nineteen.” Chi said.

“Twenty-two.” Mo Ying replied.

“You’re younger than me? Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you look old. It’s just that you have a really mature aura—like someone who’s been through a lot.” Ansel said in surprise.

Been through a lot… That was true.

Afterward, they showed Mo Ying the dining room and the workshop.

“There’s more to the fourth floor.” Ansel said. “But since you’re not an official member yet, it’s off-limits for now.”

“That’s fine. I understand.” Mo Ying replied.

“Let’s head upstairs. The rooms are up there. There’s an empty one you can use for now.” Chi led the way.

They climbed to the fifth floor, where a hallway stretched before them with three doors on each side, all closed. The trio stopped at the room closest to the stairs.

Inside was a spacious, well-lit room with a single bed, a desk, and a wardrobe—simple but tidy.

“It’s very clean. Someone’s been maintaining it.” Mo Ying noted.

“The captain is big on cleanliness.” Chi said.

“Thanks. So, when are we meeting the chairman?” Mo Ying asked.

“Seven in the evening. That’s… two and a half hours from now.” Chi checked her phone.

“That’s enough time. I’ll go get my luggage.” Mo Ying said.

“Ok—?” Ansel barely got a word out before Mo Ying vanished.

“She’s fast. She could be an assassin.” Ansel mused.

“Healer, support, marksman, fighter, assassin… Nice, we’ve got a full team!” Ansel nodded.

“This isn’t a MOBA game!” Chi rolled her eyes.

“Still a decent way to think about it. Anyway…” Ansel’s expression suddenly sharpened.

Chi glanced at him. “I know what you want to say. Let’s go downstairs.”