Looking at her father behind the desk, Ling sighed silently in her heart, feeling how utterly unfamiliar he seemed.
Yet at the same time, she deeply understood this kind of madness.
After all, the one hiding in the shadows had been oppressing the entire Empire and the royal family far too severely!
Ling still remembered the shock she felt as a child when she first learned of this, and the horror that followed when she discovered the efforts and blood the royal family had shed to break free of that control.
More critically, her birth and bloodline meant she could only stand on the same side as her father.
"That ruler's goal is to dominate everything, to turn the entire world into his own property. He wouldn't care about an ant's allegiance..."
In her heart, Ling felt a bitter, helpless laugh rising.
The only thing she could do now was probably to help the Emperor refine his plans to the best of her ability. The feeling it gave her was like piloting a battered canoe through a magnitude-ten tsunami—terrifying! No—worse than that!
She knew all too well that if the other side struck first, the entire royal family would be uprooted in an instant.
Perhaps that ruler had long since noticed them, but simply couldn't be bothered to pay attention—just as a normal person wouldn't bother watching ants fight every day.
Ling quietly comforted herself.
…
"Corvolan! I'm here!"
Xavier, wrapped in a black cloak, stared at the massive city ahead—dimly lit, brimming with high-tech splendor—and silently clenched his fists.
"Hey… I've got good news!"
Genius rolled over in his wheelchair. "Through the efforts of our people in the branch, your parents have been extracted. They're safe now and on their way here…"
"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Genius!"
Xavier expressed his heartfelt gratitude.
"Hehe… don't thank me—it was all Boss Portie's orders. Who would've thought—even though she puts on that rough-and-tumble act on the outside, she actually cares a lot about Crow-Eye on the inside…"
Genius quickly glanced around, then leaned in with a mischievous grin.
Bang!
A searing beam of light grazed past Genius's ear. Xavier caught it—it was a stone heated to the extreme, its edges glowing dark red as if about to melt.
"Next time, I'll aim straight for that filthy mouth of yours!"
Portie's cold voice drifted over.
"I get it!" Genius mimed zipping his lips, then, seemingly to change the subject, pointed at Xavier's palm with an exaggerated expression: "Look!! Our Xavier has improved again…"
"Indeed…" Xavier looked at his own palm, which was now covered in a layer of fine black scales emitting a dark luster—just moments ago, this was what had allowed him to catch Portie's attack without a scratch.
"This terrifying rate of growth… it's getting faster and faster…"
Xavier murmured. Almost every day he could feel his bloodline surging, his power advancing by leaps and bounds.
"Not bad at all—about seventy or eighty percent of Crow-Eye's strength. More than enough to deploy as a trump card…"
Portie, dressed in military attire, walked up between Genius and Crow-Eye.
"Any news from Mr. Crow-Eye's side?" Xavier asked Genius.
"Our contact with the Eastern Sea has been completely severed. Based on the last reports, they were ambushed by the Imperial Guard who happened to be in the area. Their luck was truly terrible—they ran right into a core member of the royal family stationed nearby…"
Genius shook his head. "From Three-Eyed Crow-Eye, we've received the latest intelligence. The Imperial side has published a list of resistance organization leaders who were killed, including the Maya Witch, the Steel Knight, and Elder Tiancan of the Martial Arts Palace… There's no news about Crow-Eye yet, and that's the best news possible…"
However, the deaths of the other three major leaders alone were enough to intimidate the other disloyal factions.
After all, only by truly understanding how powerful these people were could one fully grasp the terror of the Shadow Empire!
"The Steel Knight and Elder Tiancan are one thing, but the Maya Witch was definitely not killed by them… I've been in contact with the Coven. She apparently died performing some kind of dangerous prophecy. Before leaving the organization, she had everything arranged and already elected her successor!"
Portie shook her head.
The Maya Witch's reputation preceded her—she had heard that name everywhere.
"So it seems she had some kind of premonition even before heading to the Eastern Sea. But who knows why she went knowing she would die…"
Genius stroked his chin.
Beep beep! Suddenly, a handle on his wheelchair popped open, revealing a screen flashing with a warning light.
"Blood Nest! Blood Nest! This is Transport Team Three! We've been attacked by the Special Operations Division at Black Gem Lake! Requesting backup! Requesting backup!"
"Blood Nest! Blood Nest!…"
The urgency was palpable—the red signal light was flashing violently.
"Transport Team Three… isn't that the convoy my parents are in?"
Xavier's fists clenched tightly, fine stone powder seeping from between his fingers.
"Damn it… I thought once we rescued Jia'er, the whole family could finally reunite in the capital…" Xavier's eyes reddened slightly.
"I'm leaving—now!" Xavier dashed out.
"What a troublesome brat… I hate babysitting!" Portie cursed. "Genius! Prepare a rescue team—follow Plan Three!"
Then her body dissolved into a howling hurricane, following right behind Xavier.
"Sigh… one after another, they're all like this. Why am I always the one left behind alone…"
Genius sighed mournfully. The ground beneath his feet suddenly split open, revealing an elevator. After descending several thousand meters, a massive base materialized before his eyes.
"Attention all personnel! Emergency rescue mission now in effect!"
Genius spoke in a grave voice from the main control room. Instantly, the entire enormous base sprang into orderly action.
Most members of the Bloodline Alliance held official civilian identities, giving them certain advantages during Imperial sweeps.
This particular transport convoy had been disguised as a tour bus.
Indeed, a large group of children plus a few elderly people—no outsider would ever connect them to the enemy, and anyone's guard would be considerably lower.
Unfortunately, something had gone wrong this time.
When Xavier arrived at Black Gem Lake, all he could see were three overturned tour buses, the Star Tourism logo on their sides being devoured by flames—as if mocking his powerlessness.
"They've been taken alive. Looks like they ran into a Special Operations Division Capture Unit rather than an Annihilation Unit… There's still hope!"
Portie caught up to Xavier and gripped his shoulder, clearly warning him not to act rashly.
A large contingent of police had already cordoned off the area, and it was unclear whether more Special Operations agents remained hidden nearby.
"Fine!"
Xavier clenched his teeth, forcing out a single word.
The two then slowly withdrew. Just then, a middle-aged man blocked Xavier's path: "Young man! Looks like you could use some help?"
"Janas!"
Portie exclaimed in confusion, while Xavier instinctively struck—the Serpent's Bite Fist's energy surged outward with a piercing whistle. After all, through prolonged and relentless propaganda, the name Janas was synonymous with the devil in his ears!
—[Shadow Iron Arm!]
The middle-aged man's Swift Shadow device flashed on his wrist, and two black steel arms extended from behind him, crossing to block Xavier's attack.
"I am not Janas. And right now, you need to trust me!"
The middle-aged man's voice carried undeniable authority. He then gestured around them—Xavier's rash outburst had already drawn the attention of the police and several hidden observers.
"Leave it to me!"
The man smiled and walked toward the police, produced an identification booklet, flashed it, and exchanged a few words. The officers saluted and departed immediately.
"Satisfied? That should be proof of my good faith. If I had ill intentions, I could have just shouted!"
The man smiled bitterly.
"You're definitely not Janas! But a military-grade Swift Shadow! Plus a special face and identity—none of that makes you good news!"
Portie snorted coldly, though she didn't walk away.
"Follow me." The man led them with a rueful smile to another secluded spot.
Boom!
An electronic sphere in his hand instantly floated upward, emitting a semi-transparent energy membrane that sealed off the area.
"With this little device, we can speak freely…" the man explained on his own initiative.
Xavier also noticed the differences now—while the man bore a strong resemblance to Janas, he was clearly older, with large patches of graying hair on both sides of his head.
"A military-developed Shadow Pulse Jammer! You're high-ranking military!" Portie stated with certainty.
"Should add a 'former' to that. I used to be commander of the Anti-Air Self-Defense Command. Now? Just a gloriously retired, unemployed uncle…"
The man smiled bitterly. "Allow me to re-introduce myself… My name is Clevey! Janas's elder brother!"
"You're certainly in our intelligence records. But why betray the Empire and your own brother to help us?"
Portie certainly wanted to recruit him, but she was even more aware of how dangerous a suspicious infiltrator at close range could be—her eyes were full of warship.
"Honestly… I was loyal to the Empire. Until, after being forcibly retired, I used some old connections to learn from Janas about the Empire's Plan X and the Life Tree Project… I knew I had to stop this!"
Clevey's face was full of earnest sincerity.