The abandoned streets of the harbor district were shrouded in an eerie silence behind the curtain of mist. The man and Ran moved carefully between the dilapidated buildings, taking each step with caution. They stepped gently on the gravel beneath their feet to avoid making too much noise.

"Look at that building." Ran whispered, pointing with her finger. "The windows on the upper floors are broken, but the ones on the ground floor are intact. Someone must be using it. It might not be as abandoned as we thought, sir."

The man nodded. His eyes scanned the surroundings, examining every corner and shadow. He noticed movement in the street ahead.

They quickly pressed themselves against a wall. A group of two people passed through the street carrying flashlights. They wore gray cloaks. Thankfully, the thickness of the mist had kept them from being spotted.

"They're patrolling." the man murmured. "The factory must be close."

They had taken just a few more steps when they stopped suddenly at the sound of footsteps behind them. Another patrol was approaching. The man quickly grabbed Ran by the arm and pulled her behind the nearest garbage container. They held their breath and waited. As the patrol passed by, one of the men shone his flashlight directly where they were hiding. The beam of light passed over their heads, and for a moment they thought they would be discovered.

"Did you see something?" asked one of the patrol members.

"No, probably just a cat." replied the other. "This damn mist makes every shadow look like it's moving."

As the patrol moved away, they both breathed a sigh of relief. But the danger wasn't over yet. The patrols became more frequent as they got closer to the factory. It seemed there was a lookout at every corner, a patrol on every street. They advanced step by step, slipping between the shadows.

At one point, when they noticed another patrol approaching, they were caught in the open. The man thought quickly. They rolled under an old car nearby. As the rusty metal creaked above them, the patrol's boots passed right by them. They were so close that the edge of the man's cloak almost touched their faces.

Ran's gills were irritated by the dust and dirt under the rusty metal. While struggling to breathe, she let out a small sneeze. The man immediately covered Ran's mouth with his hand. The patrol paused for a moment, looking around. Ran's gills were still itching and her eyes were starting to water. The man put his finger to his lips making a "shh" gesture. Ran nodded, but the pained expression on her face clearly showed how uncomfortable a fish could be on dry ground. Fortunately, the patrol soon moved on and Ran could finally breathe easily.

Ran couldn't help but giggle. In a tense whisper, she said, "Look at me, sir! As a fish, I'm hiding under a car for the first time in my life. And on completely dry ground! My mother would be so angry if she saw me like this."

The man smiled too. In this strange situation, laughing felt good despite all the tension. "I must say, this is also my first time hiding under a car with a fish." he whispered. "If we could take a picture right now, it would definitely be my most bizarre moment."

"I have my wrist computer with me, sir. If you'd like..." she said and rolled up the sleeve of her orange and white outfit.

On her wrist was a metallic gray device that looked like a simple round wheel. Thin blue lights blinked around its edges, and small symbols appeared on the small screen on its surface. Despite its simple appearance, the device seemed to possess quite sophisticated technology.

"You're going to take a photo at a time like this?"

Ran's gills were still trembling, but this time from laughter. "I apologize, sir, but just think about it - it would be an amazing moment to show my children or grandchildren one day! I won't if you find it inappropriate."

An unexpected warmth spread through the man's chest. Emotions that years of being dead had made him forget were gently rising to the surface. Strangely, in the middle of this dangerous mission, under a rusty car, laughing with his half-fish companion, the peace that filled him was surprising. For the first time in a long time, his smile was this natural and genuine.

"This moment is worth immortalizing." the man finally said with a slight smile. "Go ahead, take that photo, but be quick." Ran immediately adjusted her wrist computer and captured that strange scene of dust and rust under the dark car.

"You look very good in it, sir!"

"Fools... What do you think you're doing? Taking photos while hiding under a car in enemy territory, in the middle of a mission! Such careless behavior in such a dangerous situation could have given us away!"

"Relax a bit. The men have already passed."

"Relax?" said Geminga in a harsh tone. "I'm not here to make friends with you, to watch you make friends, or to have a good time. Don't forget our agreement - you help me, and I help you. My only goal is to reach Zeta and learn who I am. I have no other expectations. No friendship or anything else. Especially in this situation - you were wondering about your wife and daughter's fate, weren't you? Who they are? If you want to find them, that's how you should act. Focus and be serious."

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The man took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Geminga's words echoed in his mind - now was not the time for emotional behavior, he needed to set his priorities. He needed to focus all his attention on learning something about his wife and daughter. Instead of giving in to his emotions, he needed to act with logic.

The man swallowed and turned to Ran. "That's enough." he said in a low voice. "Let's get out of here now." His voice was calm as usual, but Ran noticed the man's face had suddenly fallen.

Ran wanted to say something but changed her mind. They silently crawled out from under the car. The man went ahead, checked the surroundings, and signaled Ran to move forward. Neither of them spoke for a while. There was only the mission, only the objective now - nothing else mattered. Or at least that's how it should appear.

Ran glanced at the man's face from time to time, trying to understand what had changed. Had she been too friendly? She'd only wanted to make a good impression. But this wasn't the moment to dwell on such thoughts. Perhaps later, when they were somewhere safe, they could talk...

After carefully checking the doors of dozens of factories, they saw a factory with a large, real rusty anchor above its door. They were both covered in sweat. Constantly hiding, moving silently, and being alert at all times had strained their nerves. But they had succeeded - they had reached their target without being seen by anyone. Now they stood in the shadow of the factory, examining the enormous structure.

"This is it." Ran said excitedly. "But how will we get in?"

The man carefully examined the factory. The main entrance was probably under surveillance. There must be a cargo entrance at the back. Maybe from there...

"Wait." Geminga said suddenly. "Look at the roof."

A silhouette could be made out on the factory roof. It was scanning the surroundings at regular intervals, then returning to the same spot.

"We can't get in tonight." said the man. "First we need to learn the guards' shift changes. We also need to identify all the building's entrances and exits."

The man was right. Rushing could ruin everything. "Well, where shall we wait, sir?"

"That old building." said the man, pointing to a small building a little further ahead. "We can observe the factory from there. We'll note the shift changes, entry and exit times. We'll figure out all their routines in a day or two."

So, they headed toward the old warehouse. When they went inside, they found a small room on the upper floor. They could easily see the factory from here. Now all they had to do was wait and watch. They would need to be patient to uncover the secrets of the Mist Thieves.

Ran and the man took turns observing for hours from the room on the warehouse's upper floor. They noted every movement, every change they saw. There was clearly a pattern at the factory - guards changed every four hours, and groups patrolled at regular intervals.

"Look." Ran whispered towards midnight. "Someone's coming out of the door."

Indeed, a group of three people had emerged from the factory door. They were carrying large bags and looked hurried. They quickly disappeared into the curtain of mist.

"We don't know what they're carrying." said Geminga. "But they're definitely making night deliveries."

"But where to?" asked the man. "We should follow this group. Maybe they'll lead us to a warehouse or meeting point."

"Too risky. For now, we should focus only on the factory. Besides..." He couldn't finish his sentence. They had heard footsteps from below.

They quickly retreated to the dark corner of the room and held their breath. The footsteps were getting closer, each step echoing on the wooden floor as the tension mounted. Someone had entered the warehouse and was climbing heavily to the upper floor. Every creak of the steps made their nerves more taut. Ran's heart was pounding in his chest, his hands trembling slightly. The man, meanwhile —following Geminga's advice— had pressed himself silently against the wall; his muscles tense, watching for the perfect moment to lunge at the intruder's throat. Both remained motionless like statues, continuing to wait in the darkness.

The stairs creaked. A silhouette appeared in the room next to where they were. It was a tall man, not wearing the gray cloak of the Mist Thieves. He entered the room and walked toward the window. Just then, a whistle was heard from outside. The man quickly pulled out a small flashlight from his pocket and flashed it three times - he was giving some kind of signal.

Ran and the man held their breath as they watched this scene from the corner. After the mysterious man gave his signal, he descended the stairs with the same silence and left the warehouse.

"This isn't good at all." Ran whispered. "What was that!?"

"I don't know." said the man. "But at least we learned something important - it seems the Mist Thieves have their own light-based communication system."

As the night progressed, the sounds from the factory began to change. First came the distant noise of machinery. Then came the echoing footsteps and conversations of workers in the corridors. As the hours went by, the sounds became stranger - metallic clangs, unintelligible murmurs, and occasional odd hums filled the factory. At other times, the factory would be plunged into complete silence, until a new wave of noise began.

Ran shuddered as she looked out the window. "Something's happening in there." she whispered. "But what?"

The man continued watching the factory. A greenish light was flickering in one of the upper floor windows. With each flash of light, shadows passed in front of the window - whether they were human shadows or something else, he couldn't be sure.

"Sometimes," Ran said hesitantly, "sometimes I hear... voices from within the mist. Like someone whispering."

"I feel strange things too." said Geminga. "This factory... Something dangerous is happening inside."

Past midnight, thick, dark smoke began rising from the factory's enormous chimney. As the smoke coiled spirally toward the sky, it formed eerie and unnatural shapes - sometimes appearing like a face, sometimes dancing in the air like long arms. This strange smoke, instead of dispersing in the wind, gathered and dispersed as if it had its own will, disappearing into the mist only to reappear again.

The man scribbled something in the notebook he'd gotten from Ran. "Every two hours," he said quietly. "Every two hours, the lights on the upper floor change. And each time..."

Before he could finish, a muffled sound rose from the distance. As if someone... no, multiple people were crying out at once. But the sounds weren't natural. They resembled human voices, but there was something odd about them - they weren't quite human.

"What should we do, sir?" Ran said anxiously. But the man didn't move.

"We do nothing. We continue to observe. No matter what."

Toward morning, a large vehicle left the factory. Strange sounds came from its closed compartment - muffled, indistinct sounds. The mist grew thicker where the vehicle passed, taking on strange forms.

Ran and the man looked at each other. There was something unnatural about this factory. They would need to observe more to find the answer.

"One more day." said the man. "Let's watch for one more day. Then we'll take action."

But they both knew that what they had seen would change them forever. The secret in the factory, the dark truth hidden in the mist, would change everything.