Chapter 403: Strung Along

Chapter 403: Strung Along



[Actually?]

Raising a brow, Emir looked to his left, and Lyra materialized, only visible to his eyes.

[Yes, but, like always, it wasn't much. I'll send the data through now.]

She put up her right hand and touched his neck.

{Accept Link Point?}

A hologram appeared and he accepted it in under a moment, closing his eyes shortly after.

The dark world he saw changed into a bright one.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Digital screens surrounded him while the figure of a concealed man stood at the center.

Lyra appeared next, floating above him, her long white hair unmoving.

[As we expected, most caught a whiff of what happened. Apex Dynamics knows their employee was killed. How? They already knew of Darius's redesign, so they had him on watch by this man over here.]

The screens on each side displayed walls of text, feeding directly into Emir's mind.

He absorbed the information swiftly, processing all they knew about the figure standing before them.

[A few of our guys in the Shadow Squad spotted him snooping around the area where we kidnapped Darius. They chased after him, and eventually, saw him get back to his base of operations. He disappeared and hasn't been seen since.]

Emir grinned and commented:

[Nathan didn't give up there, though.]

Lyra descended slightly and circled him, still floating in the air.

[Correct. They investigated further, and that apartment led to the discovery of a series of middlemen who owned the property. That line of owners eventually connected to Apex Dynamics as one of their throwaway executives was the last connection.]

He became lost in thought for a moment, then asked:

[You think they found any evidence that it might be us?]

Lyra shook her head.

[No, they would've sent the UEF guard if they did. But there's no denying that they heavily suspect our involvement.]

[True... as unfortunate as that is. Anyways, what's the current status of the Shadow Squad?] [They're keeping a low profile, monitoring the area. We've got eyes on the base, but there's been no activity. It's like he vanished into thin air.]

[Good...]

Emir paused his reply for a second and his mind had already formed a plan.

[Keep the best two there to maintain surveillance, the rest must get out by tonight and regroup with the Elite Cohort. It's risky, but we need to know the moment there's any movement. We can't afford to let anything through our fingers.]

[Understood. I'll keep you updated.]

Their entry into Corp Plaza couldn't be done in secret.

They had to show themselves to allow Nathan's men, the recently named Shadow Squad, an easy way in.

And yes, those ninjas were in fact strapped to the undersides of the vehicles, clinging like spiders.

They weren't caught thanks to their invisible augmented suits and Lyra's Shadow Veil.

Now, all they had to do was get out, which was considerably easier than getting in.

The exit protocols were more lax, giving the Big Eight some leeway in their illegal activities, and negating the need for any elaborate extraction.

[But for now, that doesn't matter as much. What we need to know is if they're able to retrace what Darius did and build it anytime soon. Like last time, a minor disaster still happened even though we contained it, so I don't doubt the same will happen again.]

She repeatedly nodded at his words and flicked her hand once he was done, changing the scene, allowing different screens to show themselves alongside a hologram of a long oval column where Darius's brain was housed.

Information invaded his mind once more, and he blinked his eyes open, returning to the real world.

[...I see.]

Emir gave him a blank stare.

"...I'd rather you not do that. What did you invite me here for?"

Seeing how quickly he changed the subject, Amon deemed it sensitive and played along.

"Well, first tell me, did those prisoners do your students any good?"

Emir proceeded to sit on one of the two seats in front of Amon's desk while saying:

"They did great. It'll take a while for the students to process their first kill, so I can't make any concrete comments, but I think it's safe to say that it's a solid step in the right direction."

Amon solemnly nodded, his smile fading.

"...Thank you for doing what I can't."

"You're welcome, just make sure to keep my 'rewards' coming."

They both knew what those rewards were, so the joking mood quickly shifted to one of rising

tension.

Their eyes locked, and Emir leaned on the table, getting closer, but Amon did the opposite,

pushing himself further back.

"You trying to kiss me, son?"

Clicking his tongue, Emir looked away, and the tension diffused along with him.

"And here I thought that you wouldn't dodge-"

"No, I'll tell you about your father."

Amon cut him off while waving his hand as an apology.

"Just don't expect it to be quick. I'll use you as much as I can... After all, I'm sure you'll dip the

moment you know their names."

Emir's brows twitched.

"And you called me shameless?"

Amon chuckled.

"Like father, like son, eh?"

Leaning his head on his now clutched fist, Emir asked:

"What's up with you calling me son? I don't see you doing that to the other professors."

The principal's smile returned, and it was the brightest one Emir had ever seen adorn his face.

"I am the king of this place, am I not?"

Emir nodded, admitting:

"You are."

"Then, are you not its prince?"

|| ||

They looked at each other for a few seconds, silent, until Emir blankly said:

"So it was a pun?"

Amon chuckled once more.

"No, no, it's to remind you of your place..."

In that short moment of pause, his eyes dimmed, and a crown materialized above his head.

"For what is a prince to a king?"