49 Apocalypse Rules

"It’s perfectly normal for you to attend your own grandmother’s birthday party, so your presence won’t raise any suspicion. And even if Sikokun is powerful, she won’t have time to interfere if it all happens in a flash," Gaelic said.

Rijeka nodded, turning to look at him. "Gaelic, I knew I could count on you. To think you’d come up with a plan to use my grandmother’s party as an opportunity to strike."

"Heh, I merely took advantage of the situation. This wouldn’t have been possible without Madam Konia’s tacit approval... It seems she really does love you."

"Of course." Rijeka smirked. "Our grandmother has doted on me the most since I was a child. How could Yelena possibly compare? Now that we’re competing, of course she’ll support me."

"In that case, I’ll go make the preparations."

"Go on."

A few minutes later, Yelena entered the room. A woman in her sixties with curly hair was sitting on a sofa in front of the fireplace, watching the flames.

"Grandmother, I’m here," Yelena said. "Happy birthday."

Madam Konia turned at the sound of her voice and said with a smile, "Yelena, my dear child. Come, sit."

Yelena sat beside her grandmother, who took her hand and looked at her face.

"My dear, you grow more beautiful every day. You truly are the pearl of Sisiya."

"Yelena’s here?"

Rijeka was coming down the stairs.

"Brother," Yelena greeted him, then looked at her grandmother. "Where’s Father?"

An unnatural expression flashed across Madam Konia’s face. "Your father... ah, he had some urgent official business to attend to. He went back to the office and will be over when he’s finished."

Yelena was slightly taken aback but then nodded. "Things have been rather busy lately."

"Well, that’s what happens when you sit in his position." Konia patted Yelena’s hand. "Don’t mind the other families and their jealousy. You know how hard your father has worked all these years."

"When your father was young, he was a young man as proud as a lion. But after he took over your grandfather’s position, he grew more and more silent. That position completely changes a person."

"I know, Grandmother," Yelena said softly. "I know."

"So..."

Yelena cut her grandmother off. "So if Father chooses me, I will learn from him and dedicate my heart and soul to this country to make it better."

Hearing this, Madam Konia’s face fell almost instantly. She was silent for several seconds before forcing a smile. "My dear child... very good. I’m going to my room to rest for a bit. You and your brother can talk."

After speaking, Madam Konia got up and went upstairs. When she was halfway up, Yelena stood and said, "Grandmother, is that it? This is your birthday."

Madam Konia’s steps faltered for a moment, but she continued up the stairs.

Yelena was utterly disappointed. ’My own grandmother, my own flesh and blood, is actually using her birthday party to plot against me, her granddaughter, for the sake of her grandson.’

The pain of being betrayed by family was countless times worse than any pain an external enemy could inflict.

But even in her agony, she didn’t let it show on her face.

Rijeka looked at Yelena’s emotionless face and sneered. "Yelena, my foolish little sister. Couldn’t you see that Grandmother was giving you a chance just now? If you had just gone along with what she was saying and given up the competition..."

"Would that have changed anything? If I had said that, would you have given up on your plan for today?" Yelena asked, Rijeka’s grim expression reflected in her purple eyes.

"...That’s right. No matter what you answered, the result would have been the same."

The sound of numerous footsteps echoed from outside the room as the hidden men sprang into action.

"If you must blame someone, blame yourself for overestimating your abilities and daring to compete with me." Rijeka suddenly flew into a rage, the veins in his neck bulging. "Have you ever thought, Yelena, how people would see me if you won? They’d think I’m a good-for-nothing who can’t even beat his underage sister!"

"And you’re not?"

Rijeka was so furious he laughed. "Hah... you think you’re safe just because you have that bitch Sikokun protecting you? She should worry about herself first!"

Yelena’s eyes sharpened. She suddenly darted toward Rijeka but was blocked by seven or eight men and women who rushed in from outside the room.

Rijeka gave a cold command, as if the person before him wasn’t his own sister, but an unfamiliar enemy. "Don’t hold back because of who she is. Just leave her barely alive!"

...

「Banzhen Public Security Bureau, Case Room 109.」

On the large touchscreen, the Profile sketch that Suzuki had drawn was now displayed in the very center.

Below the picture were the words "Shadow (Suspected)," with several lines connecting it to different individuals.

Among them were people from the North Star Faction, people from the former Andai Kingdom, and one line connected to Shangyuan Zi.

"We need to proceed with the investigation under the assumption that our target is Shadow," the team leader said, tapping the screen.

The Divine Son had already left, leaving only the members of the special task force in the room.

The group stood in front of the screen, brainstorming as they studied the connections.

"If Shadow really did this, what was his motive? Why rescue Baqizi? Did the two of them know each other?"

"Lord Divine Son provided some information," the team leader said. "Before our homeland sank, Baqizi met with Shadow without authorization and gave him an important item. This indicates the two have had secret contact before."

"So they did know each other... But how did Shadow know where she was?" one person asked, completely baffled. "After she was placed under house arrest, her Psychic Power never recovered, and she had no equipment to contact the outside world."

"Perhaps something went wrong during a handover. In the files Lord Divine Son gave me, it mentions that one of Baqizi’s abilities is creating illusions. Maybe she secretly manipulated someone into making contact for her... Another team is currently investigating that. Our objective must remain focused on finding Shadow and Baqizi."

"Team Leader, forgive me for being blunt. If Shadow is really the one behind this, finding him will be incredibly difficult..."

The members of the special task force were not optimistic.

Far too many organizations and powers around the world wanted to find Shadow, including behemoths like the Soloma Empire.

If even the Soloma Empire’s intelligence agency couldn’t find Shadow, the idea of this special task force—new to this land and unfamiliar with their surroundings—finding him was nothing short of a fairy tale.

"Don’t be discouraged!" Suzuki, an outsider, chimed in to boost everyone’s morale. "Lord Divine Son has placed so much faith in us; we can’t let him down!"

"Suzuki’s right," the team leader nodded. "We can’t betray Lord Divine Son’s high hopes. Alright, we’ll investigate through two channels. First, mobilize manpower for a nationwide search... We don’t know Shadow’s true appearance, but Baqizi’s features are very distinct."

The team leader pointed to his own neck and arm. "We have a portrait of her face. Also, if her Psychic Power restraining bracelet is removed, scales will appear on her body. That’s something she can’t hide. Deploy all Sheriffs and have them focus their search on this characteristic."

"The second channel will require the cooperation of the diplomatic department. Shadow is from North Star, and he has cooperated with North Star officials under the earthquake protocols before. The North Star government must have a file on him... We’ll go through diplomatic channels to request North Star’s assistance."

"Will North Star agree?" a team member asked doubtfully.

"Why wouldn’t they?" the team leader retorted. "Both North Star and Sakura Prayer are member nations of the Human Federation. They have an obligation to share intelligence."

"Besides, even if our borders are open to each other, isn’t it going too far for a foreigner to infiltrate an official administrative building? Not to mention Shadow also attacked one of our vice-ministers and abducted a key person. These are major criminal acts, and they also violate the new laws North Star just recently enacted."

"Yes, sir. I’ll make the call right away."

RING RING RING!

The office phone suddenly rang, and the team leader immediately went to answer it.

After listening for just a few moments, he was overcome with pleasant surprise. "What? Yes! I understand!"

After hanging up, he turned around. The team members all looked at him curiously, wanting to know what good news he had received to make him so happy.

"Baqizi contacted two of her former team members!" the team leader said excitedly. "Her team members notified the Divine Son immediately. We can use this lead to find Baqizi directly—and maybe even Shadow!"