Cryptomining Supervillain

Chapter 216 216: 216 STILL LOOKING FOR THE QUANTUM MIND

216 STILL LOOKING FOR THE QUANTUM MIND

Macan Nuralith returned to headquarters and immediately called an emergency meeting with his brothers and senior staff.

"What do you make of this whole mess with the Veyrans?" he asked, scanning the room for ideas.

His tone was calm, but his thoughts were restless. Ever since his talk with the Godfather, something hadn't sat right with him—there were too many coincidences, too many convenient answers.

"The evidence is solid," Frembois said. "It was the Veyrans who struck first."

Macan lifted a hand to stop him. "I know the evidence. But tell me—what motive would they have? Would they really risk a war with us just to protect a disowned relative's daughter?"

The room fell quiet. Their heads shook unconvinced.

"You're right, brother," Embose said after a pause. "We acted too emotionally. Looked at rationally, the Veyrans gain nothing from attacking us—or from killing Rey."

"If it were the Trionix behind this, that would be another story," Frembois muttered.

Macan slammed the table. "Exactly. Both we and the Veyrans are bleeding, and yet Trionix hasn't lost a single aur. Doesn't that strike you as convenient?"

"The Trionix aren't known for this kind of elaborate scheme… Jax Trionix is a brute, now a schemer," Embose countered.

Macan's eyes narrowed as a thought struck him. "Wait. Didn't we catch that Eryn look-alike at the auction the other day?"

"Yes," Embose said. "Even Valtor Veyran confirmed she wasn't the real one. What is wrong with her?"

"But what if she was indeed Eryn Veyran?" Macan said slowly. "What if she changed her face?"

"Face-changing?" Embose frowned. "That's a rare ability… but possible. And come to think of it, the Eryn who killed Rey made no attempt to hide her identity. It was almost as if she wanted us to believe it was her murdering Rey."

Macan nodded. "And the real Eryn couldn't have escaped me during that chase…unless she changed her face mid-escape, or someone stronger was impersonating her."

"So, what's our move?" Frembois asked.

"Wait," Macan said suddenly. "That Eryn look-alike at the auction….who was she with?"

Embose hesitated. "Damen Dark. From GenSyn. He's a nobody connected to Aukouma Auctions."

"Aukouma Auctions…" Frembois murmured. "Isn't that the one sponsored by Trionix Corporation?"

Macan leaned back, a cold smile spreading across his face. "Trionix. Now it's beginning to make sense."

He rose from his chair. "Gather everyone. We have work to do."

-----

"I can't believe it. These Nuralith just won't give up…they've been hacking our servers for days," Kail complained.

"Are you sure they're still at it?" Damen asked.

"More than sure," Kail said. "Dackerie and his team haven't slept in two days."

Damen leaned back, thinking. "What could the Nuralith possibly want from us? Did they find out about Eryn?"

"It's possible they're just fishing for information," Liorea suggested. "They've done it before."

"But this time it's different," Kail said. "They're relentless, putting in way more resources than before. Dackerie's going to burn out….I should help him."

Damen shook his head. "We can't risk exposing Eryn. And you, Kail….you can't reveal your abilities either. It's too dangerous. We'll need a proper plan if this keeps up."

Kail sighed. "We should stay over at West and Strong for a few days."

"That's a good idea," Damen said. "We'll all go."

"Then I'll shut down the basement. Nobody would find out about us even if they have a Quantum mind", Kail added.

-----

Strong and West Detectives had come a long way.

Their new office stood in a respectable building downtown…with polished glass, proper signage, and a steady stream of clients who actually paid on time.

No longer were they chasing petty thieves in the slums; now, they handled corporate investigations too.

"We've got plenty of spare rooms in the agency," Dorin said as Damen and the others arrived with their bags. "Usually reserved for witnesses, but you can stay there."

"We won't be here long," Kail assured him. "Once the hackers back off, we'll head home."

"Good," Lander said. "In the meantime, Kail, can you take a look at my datapad? It's been acting slow lately."

"Sure," Kail replied, taking the device. His eyes narrowed as lines of code flickered across his mind. A few moments later, he frowned.

"Lander… you've been bugged."

"Bugged?" Dorin's tone sharpened. "Are you sure? Who would bother with us?"

Lander exchanged a grim look with him. Given their line of work, enemies weren't exactly in short supply.

"I can clear it," Kail said, but Damen raised a hand. "Wait."

"What's wrong, Big Brother? Those bugs are easy to clean out."

"Do you know where it came from?" Damen asked quietly.

Kail hesitated, typing rapidly in his mind. "It's strange… there are multiple relays and masking layers. Almost impossible to trace…..almost," He stopped, his expression hardening. "But the root signal leads back to… Atheris Corporation."

Damen froze. "Atheris? Are you certain?"

"Why would Atheris Corporation have any interest in us?" Dorin asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lander said grimly. "Atheris is still hunting for Ethan Hayes. And their only connection to him or at least they think…" he tapped his chest "….is me."

Kail stayed silent. Lander still didn't know the truth…that he was the missing Ethan Lace.

"This never ends," Dorin muttered, rubbing her temples.

Damen turned to Liorea. "Can you offer a solution?"

"Me, boss?" she said with a playful smile. "I'm only an assistant."

Dorin snorted. "Don't be modest. If there's anyone here more devious than Damen Dark, it's you."

------

A woman in black leather strode down the dim corridor, her heels striking sharply against the polished floor. The brim of her uniform hat cast a shadow across her face, her expression unreadable.

When she reached the reinforced door at the end of the hall, it hissed open.

"Madam Lectaris, it's an honor to have you here," Exoren Atheris said, rising from his seat.

Lectaris didn't return the courtesy.

An aura of cold arrogance surrounded her—clearly irritated that she'd been summoned. "Where is the subject?" she asked flatly.

"I'm rather busy. Were it not for the Godfather's direct order, I would not have come," she smirked.

"Of course, Madam," Exoren said with a respectful bow. "We won't take much of your time. It's only because of the case's… difficulty that we dared to ask for your assistance."

At his signal, two guards dragged a man into the room…his head covered with a black bag. They forced him into a chair.

One of the guards reached for the bag, but Lectaris raised a gloved hand. "Don't remove it."

The guard froze and stepped back immediately.

"Madam," Dr. Revive said uncertainly, "this is the subject. Shouldn't we remove the cover for interrogation?"

Lectaris gave a thin smile. "Only amateurs need to see their subject's face. I could interrogate him from the next room if I wished."

Exoren nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. The Godfather spoke highly of your… talents."

Lectaris crossed her legs and gestured impatiently. "Then proceed. What do you want to know?"

"We believe this man knows the whereabouts of the Quantum Mind…Ethan Lace," Exoren said.

"Then you do the questioning," Lectaris replied, settling into a chair in the corner. "I'll listen."

Dr. Revive approached the restrained man. "Wake him up."

The guards shook him roughly until the man stirred.

"Alright, alright," he muttered, voice muffled under the bag. "What do you people want now?"

"What is your name?" Revive asked.

"You already know that," the man snapped. "What is this, another stunt from Bullseye? I told you…the evidence of his cheating's already in court. Holding me won't change your divorce case."

"We're not talking about that, you idiot!" Exoren barked.

"Then what case are we talking about?" the man demanded.

"Ethan Lace," Revive said sharply. "Where is he?"

"Ethan who? I don't have any customer by that name," he said, then paused. "Wait… not this again. I told you people, I've got nothing to do with that boy's disappearance."

"Lander Strong," Exoren said coldly, "you were the last person in the facility when he went missing. Don't feed me the same lies you told the SIA."