Cryptomining Supervillain

Chapter 215 215: 215 PIETRE’S CORE

215 PIETRE'S CORE

"Please! Spare my brother! Spare us!!" Anduro begged.

The shadows tightened and their cries died. Moments later, the two brothers collapsed …. There were nothing left of them but blackened skeletons.

Footsteps echoed from the corridor.

"I didn't expect anyone to arrive before us," Exoren said quietly. "The meeting isn't for another few hours."

Exoren Atheris and Dr. Revive entered the garden, halting when they saw the charred remains.

Dr. Revive's eyes widened. "Oh… gods."

The old gardener turned to them.

"Come," he said simply, walking toward a vast chamber beyond the garden.

Inside stood an enormous throne carved with the shapes of puppets dangling from invisible strings. The old man sat upon it, raising his hand to reveal a black ring glowing faintly with inner light.

Exoren immediately dropped to one knee, pressing his lips to the ring. "Godfather… I am Exoren. I came to pay my humble respects."

Dr. Revive followed suit, trembling as he kissed the same ring.

Only after they rose did they dare glance back toward the garden … where two heaps of blackened bones still smoked under the sunlight.

"Idiots," Exoren thought. "Who dares anger the god of Silver City and expects to live?"

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"Exoren Atheris," the old man's voice was calm but heavy, echoing across the hall. "You have failed me."

Exoren immediately dropped to his knees, bowing low until his forehead nearly touched the floor.

"Forgive me, Godfather… we did everything we could. We sent Rank-B meta humans to Melrose City to capture the Quantum Mind, but they were all slaughtered—by the same villain—Black Halo. We sent more, and they met the same fate. Before we could send reinforcements, Melrose City fell into chaos. All our leads vanished," he struggled to explain.

Godfather said nothing at first.

He reached into his pocket, cut the end off a cigar with precise care. Exoren scrambled to light it for him, his hands shaking. The flame flickered in the dim room, casting shadows across the old man's expressionless face.

"Those excuses," Godfather murmured, taking a slow drag, "I've heard too many times before. I do not care to hear them again."

Exoren swallowed hard. "Then…then tell me, Godfather—what do you desire? I'll deliver it, whatever it takes."

"The Quantum Mind is no longer in Melrose City," Godfather said, smoke curling from his lips.

His eyes glinted faintly, like black glass. "He's here… in Silver City. And you failed to find him."

Exoren's head snapped up. "H-he's… here?" His voice cracked from disbelief. "In Silver City?"

Before Godfather could answer, the great doors at the end of the hall opened. A man in a gray governor's coat stepped in, flanked by bodyguards.

"Governor Lawrene Orleone, seeks the audience of Godfather," one of the attendants announced.

Lawrene strode forward and immediately knelt before the old man. "Godfather," he said reverently, "I ask for your blessing."

Godfather extended his hand.

The governor kissed the glowing black ring before rising to take his seat beside the throne — one of several arranged in a crescent around it.

Each chair bore the insignia of a powerful family in Silver City.

One by one, the other family heads began to arrive … their faces grim, their steps silent. The air thickened with the weight of power and fear.

Godfather raised his hand slightly. "That will be all, Exoren."

Exoren stood shakily, bowed again, and returned to his seat beside Dr. Revive, trying not to look again at the blackened skeletons lying cold in the garden outside.

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"Godfather, our family has been wronged!" Macan Nuralith's voice boomed across the chamber. "The Veyran family murdered my son, Rey, and now they've declared war on us!"

"Lies," Roine Veyran snapped before the Godfather could answer. "We delivered Eryn Veyran to you as a gesture of good faith. You lost her … that's not our fault. And it was you, Macan, who raided our research facility first."

"You have no proof of that!" Macan barked. "But I saw Eryn Veyran kill my son with my own eyes!"

"We do have proof," Roine shot back. "Your hackers' signatures were all over our servers the night of the raid. We even caught your IT manager trying to install a relay device in our main office."

"Lies! You forged that evidence!" Macan slammed his fist on the table. "We found your digital fingerprints when you hacked our accounts and stole seven billion aurs!"

The room erupted …. both men shouting, their guards bristling for a fight …. until the Godfather raised his hand.

The chamber fell silent.

His voice was low but sharp.

"It is strange," he said, "that whoever raided your facilities would leave such obvious traces behind."

Both Macan and Roine paused.

The Godfather's words cut through their fury like a blade.

He was right … their systems were fortified, their cyber divisions the best in the world. No real hacker, not one worth the name, capable of breaching their systems, would ever leave a trail that could be so easily found.

Godfather leaned forward, smoke curling from his cigar. "And nobody in their right mind would kill the heir of the Nuralith family inside the Veyran mansion…. Least of all the Veyran themselves. That's too …. deliberate. Someone wanted both of you to bleed."

Macan frowned. "But I saw her. I saw Eryn Veyran murder my son."

The old man smiled thinly. "Human eyes," he said, "are the least trustworthy instruments in existence."

Roine nodded eagerly. "Godfather is right. It could have been an android or a face-changer, someone posing as Eryn to frame us."

Macan hesitated. "But who would want my son dead, if not your family?"

"Think, Macan," Roine said, his tone cooling. "We are not allies but we've never been enemies. Why would we risk war with you? We sent Eryn Veyran to you as a peace offering … she's a bastard from a branch line…. A worthless pawn. We wouldn't start a war over her."

Godfather raised his hand again. "Enough."

Both men fell silent instantly.

"Then this matter," the old man said, "is settled. You may all leave now."

One by one, the family heads rose from their seats, bowed, and departed through the great doors. Outside, their convoys rumbled back into the night.

The war between Veyran and Nuralith was over.

Only Exoren Atheris remained.

Godfather glanced toward him, his eyes gleaming through the haze of smoke. "Your turn."

Exoren bowed slightly. "Forgive my boldness, Godfather, but… do you suspect the one stirring this conflict … the one who framed both families … is connected to the Quantum Mind?"

Exoren finally understood. The mess that the Nuralith and Veyran were in could only be caused by someone with the help of a Quantum Mind.

"No wonder Godfather believes the Quamtum Mind is in town."

For the first time that night, the Godfather smiled. "I wasn't wrong to choose you for this task…. you are not as dumb as the others," he said. "Find him."

Exoren lowered his head. "Yes, Godfather." Then he turned and left the chamber.

When all had gone, silence reclaimed the mansion.

The old man rose from his throne and walked down a side corridor to a hidden study. A vast portrait of himself dominated the far wall. Without hesitation, he stepped through it — the surface rippling like water — into a secret space beyond.

Inside, dim blue light flickered off glass and steel.

At the center stood a large transparent cabinet, within which floated a chunk of dark, cylindrical stone pulsing with faint energy.

The Godfather approached it slowly. His reflection rippled across the glass.

"Pietre's Core," he whispered. "You shall find a home soon." He touched the glass, his eyes burning with ambition. "Once I find the right host for you…"

He exhaled a low laugh — quiet, dangerous, echoing through the chamber.

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