Published at 6th of December 2025 7:12 am

Chapter 1630: The Final Clue (Part 1)

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Kai couldn’t spend too long at the hospital to investigate further. There were simply too many variables, too many possible explanations. For all he knew, Jack could be secretly visiting someone who didn’t even realise they were connected to him. Or perhaps Jack was meeting someone who did know but didn’t want others in the city to realise it. Maybe he was checking on a single person every day, or maybe he was checking on everyone.

There were too many possibilities, and if Kai tried to question every staff member, every patient, every worker in the vicinity, he would quickly draw attention to himself. He didn’t have time. Jack was already heading back toward the camp, and Kai needed to beat him back.

With a deep breath, Kai sprinted off, leaping across rooftops, the wind hitting his face as he moved in absolute silence. Running on rooftops gave him a huge advantage, no crowds, no obstacles, no need to slow down. With Jack calmly walking through the city streets, Kai was able to reach the Red Wing camp long before him.

And thankfully, Jack was too lost in his own thoughts to notice anything unusual.

When Kai reached the pack grounds again, he saw Galdark standing in front of Jack’s house. Without wasting a single second, Kai landed beside him and quickly relayed everything he had seen, Jack heading back, the timing, the route.

It was the signal.

The signal telling Gary to get out of Jack’s house immediately.

Galdark didn’t hesitate. He moved with purpose, contacting those keeping watch, quietly telling them to return to their previous duties and not speak a word about what had happened. He told them the truth, but the kind of truth they could swallow.

“There is enough trouble and stress around here as it is,” Galdark told them. “There’s no need to add more.”

The Werewolves could feel it too. There was tension in the air these days, a heaviness that sat on everyone’s shoulders. Even without words, they all felt something was wrong. So they agreed not to push further, not to mention anything that might trouble Jack.

When Jack finally returned, his expression was unreadable. He approached Galdark with the same calm, heavy presence he always carried.

“There were no issues while I was away, were there?” Jack asked.

“It’s the same as usual,” Galdark replied, keeping his voice steady. Inwardly, he wondered if the others had found anything. Had any of the three uncovered something useful? Or was everything still just fragmented pieces?

Meanwhile, Lupus had finally gotten a break from forging. He wasn’t officially an employee, so he could leave whenever he wished, but Lupus had a habit, he liked to finish whatever task he was working on before walking away. Even with his massive size and intimidating presence, he had a surprising amount of discipline in his craft.

Eventually, the three of them gathered in the outdoor training grounds. They made sure to keep distance from the others. They needed privacy. This conversation couldn’t happen in a shop or a hallway or anywhere else where someone might overhear. They had made that mistake before, and they weren’t going to repeat it.

“So,” Gary said, his expression tight, “did you manage to find anything? Anything at all? Why Jack was doing what he was doing?”

Kai exhaled slowly. “Not really. Only that he visits the hospital every day.”

“The hospital?” Lupus raised a brow. “Is it just part of his daily rounds through the city?”

“I don’t think so,” Kai replied. “He didn’t stop anywhere else. He went there directly and came back directly. No detours, no errands, just the hospital. So most likely... that’s where he’s been going every day.”

Gary scratched the back of his neck. “Oh... I thought maybe he was going to see his family. I didn’t run into them in his house, but the whole place was trashed. It looked abandoned, but there were signs of a fight or... something.”

Kai turned to him sharply. “A fight?”

Gary nodded. “Yeah. The walls... the furniture... there were claw marks everywhere. But I’m not sure if it was a Werewolf, or Jack himself. The structure of the building was still standing. So if it was a fight, it wasn’t with someone strong enough to destroy the place.”

Kai fell silent for a moment, processing the information. Nothing fit together yet. Everything was still floating pieces with no clear link.

“The hospital he visited...” Lupus began. “It was one for the regular city folk?”

Kai nodded.

“I don’t think he’s seeing his family, then,” Lupus continued. “Even in this time period, medical wards are separated. There’d be one for the army, one for regular citizens, one for nobles... The king and the council might have private medical teams too.”

Lupus scratched his chin. “For Jack, someone considered a hero, even as a Werewolf... I imagine he’d be treated in a private ward. Not in a public hospital.”

That silence returned again. Heavy. Uneasy.

They had found pieces, but nothing that formed a full picture.

Kai eventually spoke. “Then the last piece is the forge. We wait for Lupus to sneak in tonight.”

Time passed.

Night finally fell, draping the Red Wing grounds in thick shadow. Houses still had crystal lamps glowing in their windows. Some Werewolves stayed awake well into the night, their bodies full of restless energy.

The forge, however, closed at exactly ten.

The moment the last worker left, heavy locks slid into place, and the lights inside dimmed.

That was where Lupus came in.

He didn’t approach the forge from the front. Instead, he scaled the back wall, climbing silently until he crouched atop the roof. He waited, motionless, until he was absolutely sure no one lingered nearby.

Minutes passed. The night wind brushed against the roof tiles. Nothing moved. No sound came from the forging area.

Finally, Lupus moved.

He headed toward one of the massive chimneys, industrial in size, wide enough for a transformed Werewolf to fit through if they squeezed. Without hesitation, he lowered himself into the opening.

A wave of soot and ash hit him immediately.

He slid downward carefully, using his claws to slow his descent. He dug into the stone just enough to control his fall, but not enough to crack or break the chimney itself.

By the time he reached the bottom, his entire body was coated in thick black soot. The room was filled with lingering heat, far warmer than the night air, but Lupus could handle that easily.

He landed in a pile of ash, exhaled quietly, then lifted the heavy metal hatch of the main furnace.

With a soft creak, it swung open.

Lupus stepped inside.

And now... the real search would begin.

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