I Am A Wizard Who Can Travel Between Earth And The Other World

"Exactly. I have a feeling things are going to get messy. You might want to watch your back," Jay warned.

Jay nodded, his mind already calculating the potential threats ahead.

The hidden world around him was shifting, and once again, he found himself in the center of its storms.

Gin's eyes gleamed with sharp focus.

"Pulling tricks, huh? Yeah, I guess they're not the type to let things slide. So, what exactly did they do?"

Jay crossed his arms, his face alight with mischief.

"I've been keeping a close eye on them. You know, to get a feel for their next move. I even fed them some decoy information."

"Decoy information?" Gin echoed, his tone skeptical.

"Yep. I leaked parts of your schedule—nothing real, just altered versions designed to mislead them and see how they'd react."

Gin frowned deeply.

"My schedule? Why would you even—"

"Relax! Like I said, it's fake. It's all part of the setup to dig into their plans. And trust me, it's working."

Gin regarded Jay with newfound appreciation. There were moments, like this one, where the man proved more capable than expected.

"So, did you find anything?"

"Oh, I found plenty. Just when I was about to learn more, the city government decided to crack down on the underground workshops.

Now there's chaos down there—like blood-in-the-water level chaos."

Gin raised an eyebrow.

"Is it that bad?"

"Worse. It's like they've decided to wipe out the entire underground network while they've got the chance."

"I thought those workshops were tied to the black market. Wouldn't that make things complicated?"

"Sure, the black market's not to be underestimated. But the government has leverage. The black market thrives because it's allowed to—if the authorities wanted, they could crush them. And while the underground workshops are big players, they're still smaller than the market itself. If the black market decides to cut them loose, they're done."

Gin nodded slowly.

"So, the black market's gotten involved?"

"Exactly. They've teamed up with the city government to take the workshops down. It's a rare alliance, and they're moving fast."

"Well, that's convenient," Gin said. "But is this really important enough to come knocking at dawn?"

Jay's grin faded as his expression hardened.

"The important part is this: key figures in the underground workshop have disappeared."

"Key figures?"

"Yep. First, you've got Argay Jacet—the leader of the workshop. Then there's Froad, his right-hand man. And finally, Riastrom, their enforcer and commander of their ability users."

"An enforcer? In a workshop?" Gin asked with a touch of disbelief.

"I told you before, it's more like a crime syndicate than a workshop.

Riastrom was in charge of all their combat specialists."

Gin stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"You think they're going to come after me?"

"They'll probably try to leave the city first."

"That's not easy, is it? Didn't you say they'd need to use the airport? I doubt the authorities would let them waltz through."

"True, but there are always other ways. Loopholes. Weak points."

"So what's the plan? Let them escape?"

Jay smirked.

"Not a chance. I've got eyes on potential escape routes. The second they slip up, I'll alert the city government. We're not letting them vanish into thin air."

"Alright," Gin muttered, his curiosity piqued. "But what's the real issue here?"

Jay leaned in, his tone low and serious.

"The real question is: do you think they'll leave without taking anything valuable?"

"They'll probably grab their stashed money and treasures."

"Of course. But that's not all they'll want."

"What else?"

Jay pointed a finger directly at Gin.

"You."

"Me?"

"You're the goose that lays golden eggs. The guy who created the Runewright Shield.

If they kidnap you, they've got themselves a magical treasure factory."

Gin scowled at the exaggeration but couldn't deny the logic.

"So you think they'll try to abduct me?"

"It's not guaranteed, but it's a strong possibility."

"And your plan?"

"I already told you—I fed them a schedule. In three days, you're supposed to be handling a mission to take down a small gang on the outskirts of the city."

"And by 'you,' you mean me?"

"Who else?" Jay replied with a grin, shaking his head.

"Look, Aragay Jacet's been through enough battles to smell a trap. If we used fake info, he wouldn't fall for it. So I had to make it real enough to fool him."

"Which means you arranged a real mission?"

"Exactly. The gang is part of the setup—they're in on it. We hired a few ability-user teams to help out."

Gin narrowed his eyes.

"Teams? Are they reliable?"

His skepticism was warranted. He'd witnessed the performance of such teams during the cleanup of the Shedim's beast farm. Their capabilities had been... underwhelming. Argay Jacet, on the other hand, was a formidable mage with access to powerful artifacts. Expecting regular teams to handle him was risky.

Jay waved off his concerns confidently.

"Trust me. If they can just slow Jacet down, that's a win. Besides, I gave them access to Runewright Shields. That'll make a difference."

Gin's expression softened slightly at the mention of the shields. Overwhelming a Runewright Shield required either extreme force or the ability to deactivate it, and Jacet had already failed to do that during the last competition.

"Alright. Sounds like you've thought this through," Gin conceded.

"Exactly. Just leave it to me—I've got everything covered," Jay said with a smirk.

"If, by chance, they choose another option?"

"Like what?" Gin asked.

"Like skipping town without trying to capture you."

"If that happens, we've got surveillance points set up. If they're spotted, we'll notify the authorities immediately.

We can't afford to let them escape—they'd just come back to haunt us later."

Gin sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Let's hope they fall for the trap."

Jay chuckled.

"Trust me, they will. You'll see."

The two stood in silent understanding, aware that the days ahead would bring danger. The game of pursuit and deception had begun, and both sides were moving their pieces into place.