"Replacing ordinary humans with genetically mutated ones, then using the Tree of Life to control minds, turning the entire world into puppets… this kind of evil is beyond imagination. Even the most brutal Bloodline Empires of ancient times couldn't have gone this far..."
Clive's face was filled with righteousness: "Some officers in the military department who were qualified to know about this plan couldn't accept it. We even formed a secret organization because of it. I'm the temporary leader, sent to unite all forces possible to fight against the Empire's corruption!"
As he spoke, Clive's face flushed red, his neck thickened noticeably, and his voice grew louder. If not for the protection of the pulse jammer, he would have certainly attracted attention.
"That's too bad... your brother, Janus, doesn't know this at all!"
Although she mostly believed him, Portia still folded her arms and sneered.
"Janus... that's also why I established this resistance organization!"
At the mention of this, a look of helplessness appeared on Clive's face, accompanied by immense sorrow and grief.
"Look at this..."
He pulled off a golden necklace from his neck. At its bottom hung an oval-shaped shell. When opened, a family photograph appeared directly.
In the picture were three boys standing shoulder to shoulder; the shadows of Clive and Janus could be faintly seen.
"This is our third brother!" Clive pointed to the little boy with fiery red hair at the edge.
Xavier looked over. The little boy was the shortest, wearing a black-and-white plaid shirt, and seemed rather shy.
"The three of us were originally very close. Later, we enlisted together, but because of my moment of soft-heartedness, the third brother became a vegetable with stunted mental faculties..."
Clive revealed a hidden secret.
"This situation was too tricky and involved the soul. Even the Empire's highest technology couldn't save him... From then on, my brother Janus hated me, and his personality grew more and more extreme and cruel. In the end, he even joined the Empire's Special Action Department. Because of his ruthlessness, he rose steadily through the ranks, all the way to the position of director..."
For some reason, Xavier suddenly felt that Clive across from him was somewhat pitiful, and so was Janus.
"What does this have to do with your brother's die-hard loyalty to the Empire?"
Portia keenly asked the question. Then she covered her mouth: "Could it be... because of Plan X?"
"No! It's the Empire's Tree of Life research project..."
Clive seemed to have already made up his mind about treason, revealing the highest-level secrets without the slightest hesitation: "The so-called Tree of Life project is to use the Shadow
"And the reason Janus is die-hard loyal to the Empire is that this project is the only hope for our third brother's recovery! Through the implantation of the Shadow Weave, combined with the resonance of that final transcendent thought-entity, our third brother could very well recover! Furthermore, the royal family has promised to grant partial autonomy over the soul—and that's also why some of the higher-ups remain loyal to the crown... An Empire completely under their control, with no public opinion, no resistance. They could do whatever they pleased—for some people, that's practically paradise!"
A mocking smile tugged at the corner of Clive's lips.
"You... could probably obtain that authority too, right? Isn't that wonderful? When the time comes, the three brothers could all live happily together again?" Xavier couldn't help but ask.
Clive's expression froze momentarily, then he gently caressed the elliptical shell in his hand.
"As far as I'm concerned, I'd willingly pay any price, if only my brother could recover... But he would never want to wake up and see such a dark world..."
Clive let out a long breath. "I've already been wrong once, and I don't intend to make the same mistake a second time. So? Are you willing to form an alliance with us and accept our help?"
"Your argument is full of holes!"
Portia shot Clive a contemptuous look, but just when Xavier thought the negotiations were about to collapse, Portia suddenly spoke: "However, if you were really an Empire mole, you could have fabricated a far more airtight background and motivation—so for now, I believe you!"
"Of course. Since neither side has been exactly friendly toward the other, and many of our members even hold grudges against each other, acting together is out of the question. At most, we can start with an initial exchange of intelligence!"
Portia's analysis made perfect sense, after all—the Bloodline Alliance and the Imperial Army's enmity wasn't something that had developed overnight.
"I accept your proposal!" Clive considered it for a moment, then nodded.
"Then... I need to know where the Bloodline members from that Star Travel Group were sent. All of them—the elderly and the children. Where were they taken?"
"The Silver Mountain Research Institute. It's located near the Imperial Capital. The coordinates are..."
Clive sold them out without a moment's hesitation. Perhaps from the very beginning, he had intended to use this to earn Portia's trust.
"It's the training and logistics center for the Special Operations Division. Due to several major losses suffered previously, they've been recruiting new blood from all over to train up. I believe their chances of survival are quite good! We have a few people stationed there as well, who've obtained several key gate codes and passwords..."
"Then my sister! Is Jia'er there?!"
At the mention of this, Xavier's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward to grab Clive's arm.
"Jia'er? I'm sorry, I've never heard that name..." Clive politely stepped back. "However... if your sister is a young Bloodline member who was sent to the Imperial Capital, that means her bloodline talent is quite high. There's a strong possibility she was sent there!"
"That's great!"
After receiving this news, Xavier clenched his fist tightly.
"Jia'er, and Mom and Dad, soon… I'll be there soon!"
He murmured silently in his heart.
"If you ever need intelligence in the future, you can find me at No. 377 Purple Gold Flower Road in the Imperial Capital. The shopkeeper there is a cripple — just tell him 'The tulips bloom again,' and he'll know exactly what you mean!"
After delivering these instructions, Clive quickly packed up his jammer and melted into the darkness.
"Sister! The target has left! No signs of an encirclement nearby!"
Portie and Xavier stood in place and waited for a while. Moments later, the communicator clipped to Portie's collar crackled to life.
"Good. Let the old man go… the other side did show some sincerity! All rescue squad members, move in!"
A ring of sparse silhouettes slowly emerged from the surroundings, forming a circular cordon. Xavier's heart lurched.
If Portie had believed the other side was lying just now, Clive would probably have gotten a bullet straight to the head?
"Contact Genius!"
A squad member carrying a radio set immediately dropped to one knee and pulled open the operational console on his back.
Portie stuffed a disk that Clive had given earlier into the slot. "Genius! This is a map of the Silver Mountain Research Institute along with several key access codes… I need you to break through all of their firewalls within half an hour and bring their defenses to a complete standstill!!!"
"No problem! I am a Genius, after all…"
The Genius on the screen still wore that same roguish look, his face tinged with regret and grief. "Damn it… why did you even give me these passwords? I could have handled them all on my own — I didn't need any of this! What could have been a great opponent, and now you've made me feel like I'm using cheat codes…"
"Scram!"
Portie cut off the transmission and turned to look at Xavier. "Well? This is the Imperial Capital! And the mightiest Imperial Guard Corps is right here — do you dare to pull off one more big job with us?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
Xavier shouted. In truth, he was genuinely a little afraid, but his family was all there — there was simply no way he could stay behind.
……
When Portia led the Bloodline Alliance's elite in a surprise assault on the Silver Mountain Research Institute, they were greeted by yet another unexpected scene.
The Silver Mountain Research Institute, once a heavily fortified large-scale base, now lay before them in ruins.
"What happened? Did someone beat us to it?"
Portia's face was filled with shock and uncertainty.
She simply could not imagine that besides her own Bloodline Alliance, any other faction would dare to be so brazen.
"The Witches' Society? No — no traces of magic. The Round Table Knights and the Martial Arts Palace? They've just lost a huge number of elites and important figures; they can barely take care of themselves… Clive, from earlier? There's nothing in it for him at all…"
One possibility after another surfaced in her mind, only to be swiftly crossed out.
"The battle traces are very fresh, and the enemy should have been extremely small in number — possibly just one person!"
A scout returned to report: "The Empire will respond soon, so we need to withdraw as quickly as possible…"
"Actually, that's exactly what I think too!"
Before Portia could open her mouth, a dark figure had already walked out from within the Silver Mountain Research Institute.
Numerous guarded gazes vanished abruptly upon seeing the figure's appearance and recognizing the familiar aura. Portia let out a cry of surprised delight: "Black Eye!!!"
"Yep! I've already wiped out this cancer of the Special Operations Division. The young Bloodline descendants inside and the prisoners have all been properly settled. I stayed behind specifically to wait for you all…"
Black Eye smiled in his usual simple, honest manner, but Xavier could sense that the aura emanating from him now had become unfathomably deep.
That bloodline-derived pressure in particular caused cold sweat to bead on Xavier's forehead involuntarily, and his body kept expressing an overwhelming desire to submit.
"Where on earth have you been all this time, you?"
Portia stared wide-eyed, scrutinizing Black Eye — who seemed to have changed enormously, yet at the same time appeared no different at all.