Chapter 168: 168

A sharp crunch of boots on gravel behind him.

Kael froze.

A masked man stepped out from the shadows near the corner of the craft. He had broad shoulders, and the heavy rifle on his back shifted as he moved.

"What are you doing here?" the man asked, voice muffled behind the thick mask. His hand hovered near the hilt of his waist-sword, body tense.

Kael didn’t flinch.He turned around slowly, calm as still water. His eyes met the man’s through the tinted visor of the mask.

"Checking," Kael replied flatly.

"Checking what?"

Kael pointed lazily at the half-empty weapon racks.

"For missing content. Some of the inventory hasn’t been logged. You wouldn’t want to be blamed for that, would you?"

The man paused, hesitant.

Kael could almost see the gears in his head grinding. He looked at Kael’s uniform which was stolen but still clean. The badge was straight. The mask is flawless. His voice didn’t shake. His posture was too relaxed to be fake.

"You new?" the man asked, his tone softening just a bit.

Kael nodded, eyes sharp. "Yeah. Just got assigned two days ago."

"Hm." The man looked around and then stepped closer. "You hear about the incident on Dock C? Heard someone got caught stealing."

Kael’s mind raced but it didn’t reflect in his behaviour.

He leaned in just a bit, lowering his voice. "Yeah... that’s why I’m here. Got ordered to double-check inventory before some rat makes us all look bad."

The man stared for a moment too long.

Kael smiled under the mask. He was quite calm and steady.

Things like this happen often.As long as your body language doesn’t give way you will not be caught cause one thing Kael least after his repeated sneaking in was that all the low rank ones consisting of guards and security know nothing.

They just do what they were told so in most cases just give random reasons pointing at Superior without giving a name.

Then the man nodded.

"Alright. Just don’t take too long. Patrols are changing soon. You don’t wanna get caught in the shuffle."

Kael gave a short nod. "Got it."

As the man turned away and disappeared into the smog, Kael exhaled quietly.

His fingers twitched around the hidden blade tucked into his sleeve. Just one wrong word, and blood would’ve been on the floor.

He grinned to himself, his voice low and amused.

"...Man, these guys are too trusting."

He gave one last glance around and disappeared into the fog again, dragging the stolen rifles behind him.

Kael stood still, eyes sweeping over the whole place.

"Just where are these things going?" he muttered.

His brows furrowed deeply. He thought hard. If he remembered right, past the sea ahead was only a large frozen land. That place was mostly ice and snow. Only a few wild tribes lived there. No proper cities. No kingdoms.

Still frowning, Kael turned his eyes around the port.

Ahead, ships stood in line—big ones, engines still rumbling low. Behind him was a large building—clearly part of the transport system. Probably where the crates were packed or sorted before getting shipped.

"Should I go into one of the ships... or check that facility?" he whispered to himself.

It was a tough call. But after a moment of thought, he made up his mind.

"I’ll go for the building. Might find some useful intel inside."

He looked to the side. For a second, he thought about dragging a guard and forcing answers out. But with the Ice Elves nearby, that could go bad real fast.

If noise broke out, he got caught. And he was strictly told not to cause chaos.

"Tch... Guess I’ll have to do it the hard way," Kael sighed.

With that, he moved toward the facility, body low, eyes sharp, like a shadow slipping through the fog.

Kael slipped inside the building quietly, sticking close to the wall. The air was warmer here, but it carried a strange oily smell—like burning metal and old blood. The faint hum of machines echoed in the halls. Dim lights flickered above, casting shadows that danced along the corners.

The place was huge. Steel beams, crates, and tools lay scattered around. Conveyor belts ran slow and steady, carrying wooden boxes sealed with thick iron latches. He saw workers—masked and silent—moving like machines. No one talked. No one looked around. Everyone focused on their tasks.

Kael ducked behind a pile of stacked boxes. His eyes scanned the area.

There was a glass control room up top. A few men were inside, looking at screens and papers. Below them, in the center of the hall, was a large open crate. Inside were more of those strange rifles he saw earlier—long, with carved wooden stocks and smooth black barrels. Old in design but clean and polished. Deadly.

Kael narrowed his eyes. He spotted something else—papers lying on a desk nearby. Possibly shipment logs or transport routes.

Slowly, he moved again. Silent steps. Careful breath. He got near the desk and crouched. The paper had handwritten notes and strange codes.

One word stood out—"Northern Depths."

Kael’s eyes twitched. That place barely livable. What the hell are they doing there?

Just then, a voice rang out behind him.

"Hey! What are you doing there?"

Kael froze.

He stood up slowly and turned around. A man in a grey uniform stood, holding a baton.

"I’m checking for missing items," Kael said calmly, tapping the crate beside him.

"Supervisor told me some of the previous shipments went short. Just making sure this one’s fine."

The man raised a brow, clearly unsure.Seeing this,Kael walked up to him, smile wide under the mask.

"You new here? I haven’t seen you before either."

The man hesitated. "Yeah... just joined last week."

"Ah," Kael nodded. "Then don’t get in trouble. If someone hears you doubting a checker, you’ll be doing toilet duty."

The man scratched his neck. "Right. Sorry."

Kael clapped his shoulder. "No worries. Go back. I’ll be done in a few."

The man walked off. Kael exhaled quietly and turned back to the desk, grabbing the notes and stuffing them inside his coat.

He looked up at the control room once more, then at the map drawn roughly on the paper.

"Northern Depths, huh..." he whispered. "What are you hiding out there?"

With that, he moved again, deeper into the facility.