The first problem was that the missing Hunters were still moving.
Etzel stared at the map.
Then leaned closer.
“No.”
DK stood behind him.
Saeva hovered near Etzel’s shoulder, watching a screen she understood very little of and distrusted anyway.
Etzel enlarged the incident report.
Structure Seven.
Research team: four.
Last confirmed contact: inside the dungeon perimeter.
Current status: MISSING.
That part made sense.
The next part did not.
Three Hunter identification signals remained active.
Etzel selected the first.
A small marker appeared several kilometers from Structure Seven.
Moving.
He selected the second.
Moving.
Third.
Also moving.
Etzel frowned.
DK stepped closer.
“Alive?”
“That would be the optimistic interpretation.”
He overlaid their movement history.
Three lines appeared.
They had separated after leaving the Structure Seven region.
One northeast.
One west.
One southeast.
At first, Etzel saw nothing.
Then he added the known dungeon locations.
His expression changed.
“Oh.”
DK looked at him.
Etzel pointed.
“They aren't moving randomly.”
Each route was heading toward another active structure.
Not cities.
Not Authority outposts.
Not roads.
Dungeons.
Etzel sat back.
“That seems bad.”
DK considered the map.
“Yes.”
“Thank you for the sophisticated tactical assessment.”
“Bad was your assessment.”
Etzel paused.
“Fair.”
He opened the Hunter Authority network.
For the first time, the little registration icon beside his name didn't feel decorative.
There was an option he had never used.
SYSTEM INTERFACE
[Report Anomaly]