Ling sighed once more as she looked at her father behind the table. She felt like the person was a stranger.
And yet, she deeply understood his insanity. After all, the degree to which that person behind the scenes had oppressed their imperial family was ingrained into their very bones! She still remembered the shock sheâd felt when she heard of the incident at a young age, being aghast at the kind of sacrifices the imperial family had to make to break away from control.
More crucially, her background and bloodline only allowed her to stand in the same faction as her father.
âThat master intends to control everything, turning the whole world into something that belongs to her alone without caring for the ants seeking refuge in it.â In her heart, Ling could only smile with helplessness. The only thing she could do now was to dedicate her all to bringing this project to fruition, to helping her father. It was a horrible feeling, like she was piloting a broken canoe in the largest of seas. No, it was much more terrifying than that!
She understood that if the other party were to strike first, the whole imperial family would be destroyed in a momentâs time. Perhaps they knew about it long ago but didnât pay much attention. Humans didnât care much about ants fighting either.
Ling tried to console herself internally.
âŠâŠ
Xavierâs body was wrapped up in a black cloak. He was staring at the dim lights in the vast advanced city, clenching his fists as he spoke, âKerallen! Iâm coming!â
âHeh⊠we have good news!â Genius came over, seated in his wheelchair. âOur branch members managed to pull your parents out safely, theyâre currently en route here as we speak.â
âOh? Thatâs great, thank you Genius!â Xavier sincerely gave his thanks.
âHa Ha âŠ. You donât have to be grateful to me, this were all Sister Bobbiâs orders,â Genius glanced around him like a thief, moving closer to Xavier and whispering, âI didnât expect that she cared so much about Crowley despite how she acts aloof on the surfaceâŠâ
*Bang!* A ray of heat brushed past Geniusâ ears, caught by Xavier with his bare hands. It was an extremely hot piece of stones, the edges of which were about to melt.
âThe next one will be aimed directly at your smelly mouth,â Bobbi said in a cold voice.
âI got it!â Genius made a gesture of sealing his mouth. He then pointed at Xavierâs palm, trying to shift attention towards him again. âLook! Xavierâs improved again!â he said with an exaggerated expression.
âIndeedâŠâ Xavier looked at his palm, the surface of which was covered in a layer of fine black scales that were emitting a dark light. Heâd earlier relied on this protection to be unscathed as he blocked Bobbiâs attack.
âThis terrifying improvement⊠Itâs growing faster and fasterâŠâ Xavier muttered. He could feel his bloodline roiling every day as his body strength leaped up.
âYes, it is good. Youâre about 70 to 80 percent as strong as that smelly snake now, enough to be dispatched as a trump card.â Bobbi was dressed in military uniform, and she arrived to stand between Genius and Xavier.
âIs there any news from Crowley?â Xavier asked Genius.
âOur communication with the eastern seas has been severed completely. The last we heard, they met with an attack by the imperial guards in the vicinity. Their luck is terribleâ to meet a core member of the imperial family nearbyâŠâŠâ
Genius shook his head, âThe latest news from the three-eyed crow says that the empireâs troops released a public list of rebels who were eliminated in the encounter. Witch Maya, Steel Man, and Tian Can from the Martial Arts Association⊠The good news is that thereâs no information about Crowley right nowâŠâ
However, the deaths of three leaders was enough to intimidate the other forces. After all, only after thoroughly understanding how strong these people were would they be able to know how terrifying the Shadow Empire was.
âWe canât say anything about Steel Man and Tian Can, but Maya wasnât killed by the enemy. Iâve been in contact with the Witch Association, she shouldâve been killed by a dangerous prophecy. She already arranged everything and selected her successor before she left.â
Bobbi shook her head. Witch Maya could be considered a person of repute.
âSo it seems that she already had a premonition while heading towards the Eastern Seas. Why did she head there after knowing what would happenâŠâ Genius touched his jaw.
*Beep Beep!* Suddenly, one of the handles on his wheelchair opened and revealed a screen with a blinking warning light.
âBlood Nest, Blood Nest! Weâre Transport Fleet 3. Weâre facing an attack from the Special Forces near the Black Onyx Lake. Requesting assistance. I repeat, requesting assistance!â
âBlood Nest! Blood NestâŠâ
The current situation of the other party was extremely precarious, and red light flashed intensely on the screen.
âArenât my parents on that fleet?â Xavier clenched his fists, causing a trace of powdered stone to fall from the gaps between his fingers.
âHateful⊠Iâd originally thought that saving Jill could allow us to have a family reunion in the capitalâŠâ His pupil slightly turned red. He rushed out immediately, âIâm leaving!â
âSuch a troublesome little brat, I hate being a babysitter the most!â Bobbi cursed, âGenius, prepare a rescue team according to Transport Fleet 3âs situation.â Soon after, her silhouette suddenly changed into a hurricane and she followed behind Xavier.
âSigh⊠all of you are the same, why is the one staying behind always meâŠâ Genius sighed, and following that a layer of the earth beneath him suddenly split apart to reveal an elevator. Following Genius sighing, the layer of soil beneath suddenly split opened and revealed an elevator. A few kilometres of travel later, a large base surfaced in his eyes.
âEveryone, attention! An urgent rescue mission is in operation!â Seated in the central control room, Genius spoke with a serious tone. The whole base turned orderly in a momentâs time.
Most members of the Bloodline Alliance owned an untainted citizenship record, thus receiving an advantage when in the face of the Imperialâs inspection. This time around, the transport fleet had been disguised as a tourist bus, littered with young children and elders. Outsiders wouldnât link them with the enemy, so their guard would be reduced.
Unfortunately, a problem arose this time around. When Xavier rushed to Black Onyx Lake, what he saw was three overturned tourist buses, and the flames on the body of the tourist bus sign seemed to be laughing at his incompetence
âLooks like they were all taken away. They shouldâve met the capture team of the Special Forces, not the extermination team. Thereâs still hope for their survival.â Bobbi rushed to Xavierâs side and grabbed his shoulders, apparently warning him not to be rash With a large number of policement sealing the scene, they couldnât be sure that there werenât any Special Forces members lingering in secret.
Biting his teeth, Xavier managed to squeeze out one word, âAlright!â
As the two of them slowly left, a middle-aged man blocked Xavierâs path, âYoung man! It seems like you need help?â
âJavis!â Bobbi suddenly cried out in puzzlement, and Xavierâs own subconscious reaction was to attack. Snakebite Fist activated suddenly, and a sharp cry sounded out as he shot forth. After all, with all the current propaganda Javis was synonymous with the devil to the Bloodline Alliance!
Shadow Arm!
The middle-aged manâs arms flashed rapidly, as two black metal arms extended from behind him to form a cross that managed to block Xavierâs attacks.
âIâm not Javis. You have to believe in me right now!â The manâs way of speaking could convince people. He pointed at their surroundings, where Xavierâs actions had attracted the attention of the neighboring police and a few observers.
âLet me handle this.â The man walked to the policemen with a smile, showing them an ID and speaking a few words. They turned to leave, and he saluted them.
âHmm? Is that sufficient to show my sincerity? If I had any bad intentions, all I had to do was shout,â the man laughed bitterly.
âIndeed, youâre not Javis. However, such high level Rapid Shadows are only used by the army, and they have unique ways of masking their identities. Iâm afraid youâre nothing better.â Bobbi snorted coldly, but she didnât immediately leave.
âFollow me!â The middle-aged guy laughed bitterly, leading the way and bringing the two of them to a secluded place.
*Bang!* An electronic ball was suddenly suspended from his hands, emitting a layer of translucent energy that isolated the area.
âWith that taken care of, we can speak at easeâŠâ The middle-aged guy took the initiative to explain.
Right now, Xavier has also discovered a slight difference in this man. Although he looked quite similar to Javis, the greying hair at his sideburns showed that he was obviously older.
âThatâs the shadow pulse jammer developed by the army! Youâre a military official!â Bobbi said with certainty.
âAdd former to that. I was once the head of the anti-air team at headquarters, but now Iâm just a glorified retiree, an unemployed uncleâŠâ He laughed bitterly once more, âLet me introduce myself. My name is Clive, Iâm Javisâ older brother.â
âHmm⊠We do have intel about a Clive. However, why would you abandon the empire and your little brother to help us?â Although Bobbi obviously wanted to rope in the other party, she knew how terrifying it was to have a someone with ulterior motives hidden beside you. Her eyes were thus filled with vigilance.
âI naturally intended to be loyal to the country at first. But then I retired, and I used my previous connections to get the Project X plans from Javis. I have to prevent that from happening!â Cliveâs face was filled with sincerity.