Black Phoenix Heir
Chapter 170 — Missing
Victor and Lyra eventually made it to the Cavalier barbecue stall.
The smell reached them before they even reached the line.
Smoke drifted through the air as pieces of meat sizzled over an open fire. The sound of fat hitting the flames mixed with the voices of people waiting for their food.
Victor and Lyra found a place in line.
By now, they had become comfortable with silence.
They didn't always need to talk.
Nala was curled up on Victor's shoulder, fast asleep.
Victor glanced at the little Firebird.
She had been incredibly excited about the barbecue.
Apparently, the excitement hadn't been enough to keep her awake.
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Victor smiled.
He couldn't express how much he cared about the little bird.
Nala had become a part of his life so naturally that it was difficult to imagine things without her anymore.
Victor looked toward Lyra.
She was staring directly at the meat cooking over the fire.
She hadn't moved for several seconds.
Then Victor noticed something.
A small strand of saliva slowly dripped from the corner of her mouth.
Victor almost laughed.
He quickly stopped himself.
No.
He wasn't going to tease her.
Not this time.
Six months ago, he had been in exactly the same position.
He remembered the first time he had smelled the barbecue.
He had practically been drooling before the food even reached his hands.
So Victor simply looked away and pretended he hadn't noticed.
The line slowly moved forward.
Another customer stepped up.
Then another.
Victor and Lyra moved closer to the front.
A few moments later, two Tower guards joined the line behind them.
Victor paid them little attention.
He wasn't the type to deliberately listen to other people's conversations.
Unfortunately, the two guards weren't exactly quiet.
"I don't know what to tell you, Carl, but things are getting wild recently."
The other guard frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The number of serial killer cases in the Tower has reached a new high."
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Victor's expression remained neutral.
He continued waiting.
"The last year has been worse than the previous hundred years combined."
Carl's expression changed.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. And we don't know why."
The guard lowered his voice slightly, though he was still loud enough for Victor to hear.
"Whoever these serial killers are, they're good. Really good. We can't track them down. They barely leave any traces behind."
Carl shook his head.
"I understand what you're saying, Brandon."
He sighed.
"It's been strange down in Basement Level Five too."
Victor's attention sharpened.
Basement Level Five?
Carl continued.
"For the last three months, more than six hundred and fifty slaves have gone missing."
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The other guard's voice immediately rose.
"Six hundred and fifty?"
"Yeah."
"That's outrageous."
"I know."
Carl paused.
"The weird part is that their slave bracelets don't show them as dead."
Victor's expression became slightly more serious.
"They're still showing as alive."
The guard frowned.
"We have no idea where they are. It's like they disappeared completely, but somehow they're still alive."
"Could they have escaped?"
"Maybe."
Carl shook his head.
"But where would they go? And how would hundreds of them disappear without anyone noticing?"
The other guard didn't answer.
Carl continued.
"Normally, we'd lose maybe a hundred and twenty slaves throughout an entire year down there."
He paused.
"Six hundred and fifty in three months?"
Silence followed.
Victor's mind immediately went back to everything he had seen in the lower levels.
"What do you think is happening?" Brandon finally asked.
Carl shook his head.
"I don't know."
He looked toward the surrounding Tower.
"But it can't be good."
Brandon sighed.
"And that's not even the worst of it."
Carl looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Last month alone, there were around a hundred and fifty missing persons on the main level."
Carl's eyes widened.
"One hundred and fifty?"
"Yeah."
"We can't even find their bodies."
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Brandon shook his head.
"This Tower isn't what it used to be."
He lowered his voice.
"The higher-ups don't even seem to care about the slaves or lowborn people who disappear. They barely investigate."
Victor's expression hardened.
Brandon continued.
"They forget that people like us are the ones who keep this Tower running."
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Carl sighed.
"Yeah."
He shrugged.
"But it's been like that since the beginning."
"What can you do?"
Carl looked down.
"I just hope things get better."
"Yeah."
"So do I."
Victor finally reached the front of the line.
He pushed the conversation to the back of his mind.
There wasn't much he could do with the information right now.
But six hundred and fifty missing slaves from Basement Level Five was an enormous number.
And one hundred and fifty missing people on the main level in a single month?
That was even more disturbing.
Something was happening in this Tower.
But it didn't matter to Victor.
He had too many problems already.
For now, his priorities were simple.
Keep his group safe.
That was enough.
Victor ordered a full set of Cavalier barbecue for himself and Lyra.
Then he ordered a smaller portion for Nala.
He walked back to the table and gently woke the little Firebird.
Nala immediately opened her eyes.
Chirp!
Victor laughed.
"Sorry."
Chirp! Chirp!
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
Nala looked ready to complain.
Then the smell of the meat reached her.
Her expression changed instantly.
The complaints disappeared.
Within seconds, the little Firebird had transformed from a sleepy bird into a tiny carnivore.
Victor laughed.
Lyra was already eating.
Victor watched the two of them for a moment.
Despite everything happening around them, there was something peaceful about the scene.
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People were talking.
The fire crackled.
The smell of barbecue filled the air.
Lyra was quietly enjoying her food.
Nala was attacking hers with far more enthusiasm than Victor thought was physically possible for something her size.
After ten or fifteen minutes, the food was gone.
Nala sat on Victor's shoulder.
Her little belly was so full that she looked almost uncomfortable.
She huffed softly.
Victor stared at her.
"I've never seen a bird have meat sweats before."
Nala chirped weakly.
Lyra laughed.
Victor smiled.
They eventually left the market and began walking back toward their apartment.
They hadn't gone very far when Victor heard shouting.
A woman's voice.
Panicked.
"My daughter!"
Victor and Lyra both stopped.
The woman was farther down the street.
She was running from person to person.
"Has anybody seen her?"
She grabbed the arm of one passerby.
"Please! Have you seen her?"
The person shook their head.
The woman moved to someone else.
"My daughter! Please! Have you seen her?"
Nobody knew anything.
The woman was crying now.
Her voice cracked as she continued asking everyone she could find.
Lyra stared at her.
Her expression slowly changed.
"That poor lady."
Victor nodded.
"It seems like she lost her daughter."
Lyra's eyes remained fixed on the woman.
"Yeah."
Victor sighed.
"This is a difficult world."
Neither of them said anything else.
They continued walking.
As they passed the woman, she suddenly noticed them.
Her eyes widened.
She rushed toward them.
"Please!"
Victor stopped.
The woman clasped her hands together.
"You have to help me."
Her voice trembled.
"My daughter…"
She could barely speak through the tears.
"She's my everything. She's all I have left."
She looked between Victor and Lyra.
"Please."
Victor shook his head slightly.
There wasn't much they could do.
Victor glanced at Lyra.
She was staring at the woman.
Then she looked at Victor.
There was determination in her eyes.
Victor knew that look.
Here we go.
He sighed.
Lyra immediately stepped forward.
"Tell us what happened."
The woman began speaking rapidly.
"We were in the market."
She wiped tears from her face.
"I was holding her hand. We were walking together, and I looked away for just a second."
Her voice broke.
"When I looked back…"
She shook her head desperately.
"She was gone."
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Victor frowned.
"How long ago?"
"Maybe thirty minutes."
She looked at Victor.
"Everyone was just walking around. I don't know what happened."
A holographic image appeared above her citizen ID.
Victor looked at it.
A young girl appeared.
She looked around eleven or twelve years old.
Blonde hair.
Blue eyes.
A few freckles scattered across her face.
She looked happy in the picture.
Innocent.
Victor stared at the image.
"I'm sorry."
He shook his head.
"We haven't seen her."
The woman's legs gave out.
She dropped to her knees.
Tears streamed down her face.
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"Please…"
She looked toward Lyra.
"Please help me."
Lyra crouched down beside her.
The woman's hands trembled.
"Please…"
Lyra looked at Victor.
"I'm going to try to help her."
Victor stared at her for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"Okay."
He looked toward the crowded streets around them.
"Let's do it."
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