Chapter 685: Convergence of Secrets

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In Flame City, as flames suddenly soared skyward, outside the city an intense surge of Mental Power fluctuations rippled through the air.

Outside the bustling, brightly lit Flame City—resembling a steel forest sprawled across the earth—vast open areas, enormous factory districts, and patches of farmlands and orchards stretched out. The most striking features, however, were the gigantic electric towers standing like sentinels on the ground.

The Red Moon had already dipped toward the west, leaving the earth feeling empty and silent.

Only the stars above emitted their faint glimmers.

In the dim night, Mom, the Dark Queen, Doctor An, and Number Seven—riding a new motorcycle—arrived from different directions. Their gazes met with wariness, careful scrutiny, and a subtle hint of pride.

“Sister, you did it…”

The Dark Queen stood silently beneath an electric tower, with odd little insects bouncing around her skirt in a frenzied dance. She paid them no heed, while the air by her side occasionally rippled with a chilling vibe.

Her voice was colder than the ripples as she said flatly, “You didn’t just deceive the Cangzhang Sect; you tricked us as well…”

“You never mentioned giving him the Pale Hand when we first discussed the plan…”

“…”

Listening to her words, Doctor An and Number Seven exchanged similarly cool glances toward Mom.

A strange kind of intensity shone in their eyes, as though they were communicating with Mom and the Dark Queen through some kind of spectral lens.

In response to the Dark Queen’s mild accusation, Mom only gave a slight laugh and said, “It was just a minor sleight of hand.”

“Besides, when we planned this, we only discussed what to do—nobody said you couldn’t do a bit extra, right?”

“Weren’t you the ones aiming to keep his authority away from us?”

“…”

“Just a few chains, that’s all…”

Doctor An suddenly chuckled, “If you want it, take it. But as for that Cangzhang Sect’s true nature…”

Mom replied, “I can share that with you all as well.”

“Really?”

At these words, the expressions of the Dark Queen, Number Seven, and Doctor An shifted subtly.

“Of course.”

Mom smiled, “The item is in his possession; just go and get it from him.”

The three other women—more accurately, feminine presences—wore expressions that darkened ever so slightly.

“The plan is merely a contract. Just execute it, everyone.”

Mom’s expression also turned somber as she lightly touched her chin and said, “But anything beyond the plan is left to personal choice. This time, not only have we prevented a premature second arrival, but you’ve also reaped substantial domination power—you’ve made a tidy profit.”

“Any more complaints?”

“…”

A palpable tension hung in the air, so much so that even the Red Moon seemed veiled in a haze.

Above, on one of the electric towers, sparks of electricity scattered, forming slender, snaking electric threads.

After a while, a light laugh shattered the silence. The Dark Queen giggled, “Sister, you really believe in him—you’ve schemed so much for him, even taking risks to snatch such an important asset…”

“That’s not like you at all.”

“For you, throwing everything on the line isn’t out of character, is it?”

“…”

“You, too, have wagered a lot…”

Mom looked at the Dark Queen and smiled, “Otherwise, how else would you have gone to such lengths to help that child build such a grand mental palace? Once upon a time, no one in your eyes could be allowed near you, but now even I sometimes feel you’re no longer the lofty Dark Queen but just a lapdog before that child…”

Whoosh!

The Dark Queen’s face instantly turned icy as she glared at Mom, “Aren’t you the same?”

“Of course I’m different.”

Mom laughed, “He treats me like family—and gets furious over my affairs, even risking everything…”

Mom’s smile seemed to sting the Dark Queen more than any cutting word.

The mental ripples around her grew denser, murmuring low, “That’s because you’ve been deceiving him…”

“When he eventually learns the truth, what fate awaits you?”

“…”

Mom answered with surprising calm, “No matter how tragic it gets, I’ll always fare better than you.”

The Dark Queen fell silent, yet the mental power around her intensified, as if it were ready now to end things with Mom.

“Hmph, fresh intelligence…”

Just then, a self-murmur echoed nearby.

Doctor An from the Research Institute quietly pulled out a pen and paper from under her white coat and began jotting notes with focused intent:

“One: For the person she chose, a mental palace has been built. One could infer that an unknown fantasy kingdom now exists in this world…”

“Two: Some dealings with the Single Soldier have involved deceit; the contradictions are…”

“…”

Both Mom and the Dark Queen turned their gazes toward her, their eyes sharpening with disapproval.

The air itself seemed to drop in temperature under their scrutinizing stares.

“Sigh…”

Under their watchful eyes, Doctor An casually tore a sheet from her notebook and tossed it to someone nearby.

Immediately beneath her palm, a mental vortex materialized. A short figure wearing a black top hat—the Undercover Unit—appeared, took the paper, then removed his hat and presented it to Doctor An in exchange for a few coins she tossed over.

After completing the exchange, he respectfully bowed to Doctor An, Mom, and the Dark Queen before vanishing into the vortex.

He completely ignored Number Seven.

Doctor An, seemingly unperturbed by dispatching this intelligence, smiled as she nonchalantly looked at Mom and the Dark Queen, “Why do you always make such a fuss? Why must you offend our world?”

Mom shot her a piercing look and replied, “As a Researcher, you shouldn’t be asking such questions. Just as you can’t help but feel an intense urge to hunt whenever you see a mental entity—or try to restrain a capable Ability User at first sight—that’s just in your nature. Fate hides in even the most random events. Is any further explanation really necessary?”

The Dark Queen looked at her with cold arrogance, “We didn’t join forces with the Cangzhang Sect—that, in itself, is our greatest stroke of luck in reality.”

“Otherwise, how many Ultimates could the Research Institute hold off?”

“…”

“You can’t team up anyway.”

Doctor An lowered her expression slightly but spoke with a hard edge, “All you agreed upon earlier was precisely that—it’s just human nature.”

“Besides…”

She paused, then looked toward Number Seven, saying, “In reality, there are those with the ability—or rather, the nerve—to stand up to Ultimates.”

“And it’s not only the Research Institute.”

“…”

With her words, all eyes shifted toward Number Seven.

Number Seven kept a bit of distance from the others.

Among the intertwined mental radiations in such a confined space, hers was noticeably weaker than that of the others.

Compared to the rest, she was like a candle flickering amid roaring tornadoes—a slight misstep, and she could be snuffed out completely.

Yet, astride a motorcycle with one foot on the ground, she maintained an air of nonchalance. Perhaps partly out of defiance stemming from her perceived weakness, she coldly looked at Mom and said,

“So, are you actually scared?”

“…”

Mom narrowed her eyes slightly as she regarded Number Seven.

Number Seven met Mom’s gaze squarely and said in a low voice, “The Orphanage Director doesn’t appreciate others upsetting his plans.”

“Then he has to be bold enough to show up.”

After a moment, Mom replied softly, yet her light voice carried an unusual mix of cold detachment and confidence, “He’s grown up now—becoming quite a fine child. He shouldn’t remain someone else’s experiment any longer.”

Mom continued, explaining calmly, “Besides, speaking of fear—I do have some fears.”

She added, “But what I fear isn’t your so-called Old Director.”

She continued, “What I fear is a demigod who originally wished only to grow up in peace, yet is relentlessly provoked by a madman…”

“And once that provocation finally bears bitter consequence…”

She pressed her lips together, then coldly looked at them and said, “Aren’t you terrified?”

Both the Dark Queen and Doctor An fell silent; even the slightest trace of a smile had vanished from their faces.

“What’s the use of all this talk?”

Number Seven, the weakest of them all, only paused briefly under the trio’s expectant gaze.

Then she lifted her head and, unflinching, softly said to the three, “You think the Orphanage Director is mad—sometimes I do too. But I firmly believe in two things: First, everything he does has its reason.”

“Second, he won’t change just because of your attitudes.”

“…”

Shaking her head slightly, she then looked at the three across from her and said, “The world’s smartest have already taken their own lives.”

“The Orphanage Director claimed it was because they saw a desperate end.”

“He saw it too, but he never truly believed in despair, nor did he intend to bow to fate.”

“Just as he once said, there are no gods in this world.”

“So…”

Her pupils constricted as she fixed her gaze on Mom and the Dark Queen, “You’re nothing but monsters.”

“One day, you’ll all be eradicated!”

Her voice suddenly rose, surging with a powerful, repressed anger.

It wasn’t so much her own words speaking, but as if her very being was echoing the thoughts of others. A newfound authority and determination shone from her features as she declared, “This world will find its peace, and the Research Institute—having erred so gravely—will pay a terrible price!”

“That is the Orphanage Director’s stance!”