69novels Page 77
Page 77
Chapter 61 A Meeting in the Shadows, The Queen's Loyalty, The Underground Doctor of the Wind Capital
The night in this windy city always carries a unique kind of bustle.
Neon lights flashed, and figures mingled.
At this moment, the city's underground world was in complete uproar because of a shocking piece of news.
"Have you heard? The eldest daughter of the Sonozaki family, the high and mighty Queen Saeko, has actually defected!"
"Really? This is huge news! How could she defect? Would the Sonozaki family let her leave so easily?"
"It is said that he was kicked out and had nothing, like a stray dog."
"Tsk tsk, how the tables have turned. The former queen, now a discarded pawn. I wonder how she plans to live from now on."
Various versions of rumors spread rampantly in the shadows, spreading rapidly like a virus.
Everyone who heard the news wore an expression of disbelief and shock, along with a hint of schadenfreude.
They speculated about the tragic end of the former queen, imagining how miserable she would be after losing everything.
However, the central figure in these discussions, Saeko Sonozaki, is quite different from the down-and-out person they imagined.
She drove a low-key yet high-performance sports car at high speed through the night, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city center.
Finally, the vehicle smoothly drove into a private estate located in the far suburbs of Fengdu.
The estate is vast and heavily guarded, making it impossible for ordinary people to approach, let alone enter.
This is one of Su Chen's many hidden businesses.
Deep within the estate, a classically styled villa stands quietly.
In the study of the villa, the lights were deliberately dimmed, and the flames in the fireplace flickered, illuminating the old oil paintings on the walls.
The air was filled with the faint aroma of cigars and aged wood.
Not long ago, Sonosaki Saeko was in the public eye playing the role of a "traitor" who was ruthlessly abandoned by her family, had nothing, and looked desperate. Now, she is standing in the center of the study.
Her face shed all pretense, replaced by an almost distorted excitement and frenzy.
Her gaze was fixed intently on the area behind the desk.
The man, Su Chen, was leisurely leaning back in a large leather chair, a cigar between his fingers, and gently swirling the red wine in his glass with his other hand. His deep eyes looked particularly unfathomable in the dim light.
"Owner."
Saeko Sonozaki's voice trembled slightly, a result of a mixture of excitement and awe.
She took a few steps forward, respectfully picked up a tiny data chip the size of a fingernail with both hands, and gently placed it on the smooth mahogany desk.
"Everything is proceeding smoothly exactly as you planned."
Her tone was full of self-satisfaction.
"Inside here is my father, Sonozaki Ryubei's, entire plan against you."
"Including how he instructed me to approach you, how to gain your trust, and how to find opportunities to steal your core technology."
"And, detailed contingency plans for all possible follow-up actions against you should the plan be exposed, or he deems the time ripe."
She paused, her eyes burning with even greater fervor.
"Besides that, there's something even more important here."
"It was through my 'volunteer' attitude, indicating my willingness to go deep into the lion's den for the sake of the family, that I obtained from him the most crucial financial network diagram of the 'Museum' organization, as well as the highest-level confidential information about all their hidden overseas smuggling channels."
Sonozaki Saeko took a deep breath, as if to pour out all the excitement in her heart.
"I offer you, my one and only master, everything I have been able to access as an 'undercover agent' and all the valuable intelligence I possess."
Her words were like the most sincere vows.
Su Chen's gaze shifted from the wine glass to the tiny chip.
He stretched out his long, slender fingers and picked it up; the icy touch from his fingertips contrasted sharply with the immense value it contained.
He nodded slightly in satisfaction, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.
Saeko Sonozaki's "reverse double agent" technique is truly masterful.
She not only used her father's plan to create an identity for herself that allowed her to stay by Su Chen's side openly and legitimately.
An identity of being "forced to seek refuge" is enough to dispel any potential suspicions.
More importantly, she used this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring immeasurable and decisive strategic value to Su Chen.
This intelligence is enough to give Su Chen an absolute advantage in his struggle with the "museum".
“Well done, my queen.”
Su Chen's voice was deep and magnetic, and he generously gave her the highest praise.
The phrase "My Queen" was like the sweetest honey, instantly filling Saeko Sonozaki's heart.
Having received her master's supreme affirmation, the smile on her face grew even brighter, a pure satisfaction and joy that came from the depths of her soul.
She slowly, step by step, walked up to Su Chen.
Bathed in the flickering firelight and the soft glow of the lamp, her figure appeared exceptionally graceful.
Then, she did something that would make anyone who knew her past identity drop their jaw.
Saeko Sonozaki, the once proud and arrogant eldest daughter of the Sonozaki family and the queen of Fuuto's underworld, now knelt down on one knee with utmost piety and elegance.
Her posture was as perfect as a knight swearing allegiance to his monarch in a textbook.
She tilted her head slightly, her stunningly beautiful face filled with undisguised adoration and love.
Her gaze was focused and intense, as if the entire world had dwindled to just the man before her who controlled her body, soul, and even destiny.
At this moment, she completed her transformation from "the eldest daughter of the Sonozaki family," a identity burdened with the shackles of family honor and ambition.
The "Blade of Su Chen," a sharp and deadly weapon wielded only by one person, represents its final and most complete transformation.
Are you satisfied with my acting?
Her voice, at this moment, carried a hint of deliberately flirtatious charm, mixed with a little girl's expectation of praise.
Su Chen put down his cigar and wine glass.
He reached out, his movements gentle yet with an irresistible force, and gently lifted her perfectly curved chin.
This forced her to meet his gaze more clearly.
"very perfect."
His voice carried a hint of amusement, and he leaned forward slightly.
Under the gaze of the Queen's moist eyes, brimming with loyalty, adoration, and expectation.
Su Chen lowered his head and imprinted a mark that belonged to the victor, and also to the master—an intimate reward imbued with a sense of possession.
The air in the study seemed to become even hotter at that moment.
Only the flames in the fireplace continued to dance tirelessly, witnessing everything that happened in this dark room.
And, the complete submission of a queen.
The forces under Su Chen's command were now like an extremely sophisticated and massive machine.
Every component and every transmission began its relentless operation with astonishing efficiency that surpassed anything seen before.
The newly established AIMS special response unit, carrying his will, launched its first ruthless "purge" operation against the hidden underworld of Fengdu.
Wherever its sharp edge points, filth and impurity recede.
Yua Yaiba and Aya Kujo, the former police officer who underwent a special Humagear transformation, became the sharpest front end of this cleaning machine.
Using their legitimate police status as cover, and with the absolute information advantage brought by the all-pervasive, city-wide intelligence network of the Ark satellite, they transformed into two sharp scalpels gleaming with cold light.
With unparalleled precision, they sliced through the intricate gray industrial chains that were inextricably linked to the "museum" organization.
The decaying body had nowhere to hide before them.
Following a lightning raid on a workshop illegally modifying and distributing Gaia Memory, before the smoke from the operation had even cleared, they returned with a heavy report that carried an ominous aura.
The importance of this report is self-evident.
"Reporting to the president."
Yua's voice came through the encrypted communication, as cold and steady as ever, devoid of any personal emotion, as pure as the reading of the most precise instrument.
"After conducting in-depth interrogations of several captured dopant users, we discovered a common thread that warrants serious attention."
She paused, seemingly organizing her thoughts to make sure every word was accurate.
"In all of their testimonies, a mysterious doctor was mentioned repeatedly."
"This person can not only provide secret treatment for those whose bodies have been damaged by the abuse of Gaia Memories, but also... it is rumored that he can 'upgrade' the Gaia Memories they possess, enhancing their power."
Almost at the same moment that Ren Yua's report arrived on Su Chen's desk, intelligence from another direction also quietly arrived.
Sonozaki Wakana, her voice trembling, contacted him through a secret communication channel that Su Chen had reserved for her.
"Su Chen... I feel like I'm being watched, a creepy feeling that's always on my mind."
Her voice was filled with barely concealed fear and helplessness, completely unlike the proud princess of the Sonozaki family she usually was.
"Recently, in the high society of Fengdu, among those well-dressed circles, a terrifying rumor about a 'miracle doctor' is circulating wildly."
"It is said that he possesses miraculous skills that can significantly enhance the power of the Gaia Memory, allowing it to break through its original limits."
"Even more frightening is that he also claimed to be able to repair the deep damage caused to the human body by the Gaia Memory, and even reverse its erosion."
"Today, just now, he formally invited me to 'treat' him through a channel that I simply couldn't refuse."
“I could sense... him, he was very dangerous. It wasn’t an invitation, it was more like an unquestionable ultimatum.”
Su Chen's private office was silent.
Only on the huge holographic operating screen, data streams representing different intelligence sources flickered and converged silently.
Two seemingly unrelated intelligence leads—one from the Ames's iron-blooded sweep at the lower levels, and the other from Wakana Sonozaki's terrified plea for help in high-level social circles—are being rapidly compared, analyzed, and integrated by Izuna's superhuman computing power.
The "underground doctor" hidden in the shadows, discovered by the Ames unit.