Chapter 110: Old Town Spring Disappearances

Makun turned on his phone, the screen lighting up with a soft glow.

Following Yime’s instruction, he navigated past the standard apps until he found one he had not noticed before. It sat in the corner of his screen, unassuming, its icon a simple black circle with a thin silver border.

Deeplink.

He tapped it.

A fingerprint scanner appeared on the screen. Makun hesitated, he had no memory of registering his fingerprint, but he pressed his thumb against the sensor anyway.

Access Granted.

The app opened, and Makun found himself staring at his own profile.

Name: Makun

Age: 23

Team: Team Seven

Route: Warrior

Subroute: Berserk

Tier: Apprentice, Grade: 1st Grade

Missions Accomplished: 0

Zero missions. He noted. That was about to change.

He swiped left, and a sidebar menu slid into view.

At the top sat Missions, a small red notification bubble displaying the number one beside it.

Below it were other options: Missions Accomplished, Rewards, Rank, Accomplishments, Resources, and Settings.

He tapped Missions.

The screen shifted, and a briefing appeared.

He skimmed the header first.

MIO Southern Division Mission

BriefingClassification: Grade E

Team Assignment: Team Seven

Case Number: MIO-SD-2032-0447

OPERATION: Old Town Spring Disappearances

Location: Old Town Spring, Harris County, Texas

His eyes moved to the incident summary.

Eight individuals disappeared over three weeks. 3 adults, 2 teenagers and 3 children. No bodies recovered, no ransom demands, no witnesses and to top it all, every disappearances occurred after sunset.

He scrolled further.

The investigation history painted a picture of failure. Constable Precinct 4 found nothing, Sheriff’s Office stalled the HPD, Houston Police Department flagged anomalies and passed it to MIO.

The anomalies caught his attention.

No forensic evidence at any scene. Witness reports of “oppressive silence” before disappearances. Local business owners refusing to remain after dusk and ghost tour operators reported increased paranormal activities.

Oppressive silence,

He filed that away.

The mission objectives were clear.

Determine if it was mundane or mystic, identify the threat if mystic, recover victims if possible, neutralize if within capability and report findings.

Sites of interest included the Wunsche Bros Café, the Ice House, Whitehall House, and Doering Court.

The Ice House. Former corpse storage. That sounded promising.

He closed the briefing and looked up.

…

Eight people. Three of them children.

This was his very first mission as an MIO agent, an opportunity for him to climb up the ranks of the MIO.

He could not fuck it up

.

However, he could not storm his way through it, at the end of the day, it was his first mission and he knew nothing of how things worked at the MIO.

It was best if he first observed and learned from his teammates before performing to the best of his abilities.

He looked from his phone to the others and they were busy reading the files, taking in every piece of information.

The joyous and warm Sarah had a serious expression, her brow furrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line. Meanwhile Raymond Crow’s clown face had straightened, his usual lazy posture replaced by something sharper.

They take this seriously. He noted.

Even after Yime had mentioned it being an easy mission, even after it being revealed as a Grade E mission, they were full of seriousness. This showed professionalism no matter the task.

“Hmm, why is it Grade E?” Makun asked.

Sarah had mentioned the missions being graded from F to A, but she had not explained how those missions were graded.

It was very important knowledge for his future endeavours.

“This mission, Old Town Spring disappearances, has no confirmed mystic activity yet. It could be mundane.” Yime paused. “Missions are graded by the degree of mystic activity, the grade of spiritual residue, or by the degree of danger.”

Makun nodded, then pressed further. “And what determines if we escalate? If we find something beyond our capability?”

Yime’s eyes flickered with something like approval. “You report immediately, do not engage threats above your grade. That is how agents die.”

Good to know. He filed that away too.

Before he could ask another question, Sarah spoke.

”

“What makes it suspicious?” She asked, her voice softer but no less focused. “Normally when we are called, it is because of some clue. However here there is no mystic evidence, why not contact a regular investigator?” She tilted her head. “It could just be a normal kidnapping, that does not necessitate us.”

“Lack of evidence, exactly as said in the report.” Ray said, his rough voice cutting through.

He scratched the back of his neck lazily, but his eyes were sharp. “No hair, no fibers, no footprints, nothing. If they found even a single thread that could lead somewhere, they would not have called us. The spirits don’t need to tell me that’s fishy.”

He leaned back, crossing his arms. “Personally, I think it’s a waste of time. Probably some mundane serial creep hiding bodies in the woods. But hey, orders are orders.”

Sarah shot him a look. “People are missing, Ray. Children.”

“I know.” His voice dropped, the humor fading. “That’s why I hope I’m wrong.”

The room shifted. Even Danielle glanced at Ray, something unreadable in her expression.

“Ray got it bang on, they called because of no evidence.” Yime added.

“The local sheriff worked the case for two weeks, found nothing out of the ordinary in Old Town Spring. But people kept disappearing, he forwarded the documents to HPD, and our contact there flagged it. He has a nose for things that do not add up.” She said.

She looked at Sarah. “The goal is to distinguish mystic or not. If you find nothing, that is still a result. You are not there to solve the case. You are there to determine the nature of the disappearances. Mundane or mystic, that is all.”

“She is right, Sarah.” Danielle intervened, her tone clipped and final. “It is a Grade E mission, completing it should not be difficult. We go in, we assess and report, it is as simple as that.”

She paused, her eyes sweeping across the team. “But simple does not mean careless. We treat every mission with full protocol, understood?”

“Understood.” Sarah and Ray answered.

Makun nodded.

“You guys only intervene if and only if it is determined as mystic.” Yime clarified.

Silence settled over the room.

Makun watched his teammates.

Sarah’s fingers tapped against her knee, a nervous rhythm while Ray stared at the ceiling, his jaw tight.

Danielle sat motionless, already calculating routes and contingencies.

They have done this before. He realized, But it never gets routine for them.

After a while, Yime spoke.

“I suggest you all rest tonight.” She said, her gaze drifting to Makun. “Makun arrived today, he has been through orientation, met his team, and taken a beating from Danielle.” A faint smirk crossed her lips. “He should rest before you depart, you leave tomorrow morning. Be ready by seven.”

She leaned back in her chair.

“Good luck, you are dismissed.”

“Yes boss!” They answered in unison, Makun following a beat behind, his voice joining theirs.

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