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General Valerius's laugh was a harsh bark that echoed across the blood-soaked battlefield. He straddled the massive corpse of the Red-Feathered Eagle, his steel-hardened fists still glowing faintly. With a perfunctory, brutal motion, he smashed the creature's skull and reached into the gory mess, pulling out a fist-sized, pulsating Aura Core.
"Payday," he grunted, wiping gore on his pants. He tossed the E-rank core to the Mayor. "Everett. You need the boost more than I do."
The two of them were both masters at Rank Four, but the General's assessment was correct. As the city's military commander, Valerius had fixed, rigorous training time every single day, which had allowed him to reach a solid Rank Four, Level Four. Everett Thorne, on the other hand, was buried in political affairs and administrative duties; his personal training often took a backseat, leaving him at Rank Four, Level Two.
The Mayor caught the core, its energy warm in his hand, but his expression was firm. "This is state property, Valerius. It goes into the city treasury, and then it gets requisitioned. By the book."
The General spat on the ground. "Tch, always the stickler. 'Live by the book, die by the book'. It's so boring." He'd just slain a powerful mutated creature, but the most valuable spoils weren't his. Who wouldn't grumble?
Everett sighed, understanding his friend's frustration. "There's no way around it, Val. You know the protocols. If this beast had attacked your patrol out in the wilds on its own, its spoils would be all yours. But it instigated a city-wide beast tide. That makes this a public matter, and the spoils of war must also belong to the public."
Valerius waved his hand impatiently. "Alright, alright, you've said it a hundred times." He pointed a thumb at the massive eagle corpse. "This mangy bird's carcass doesn't have to be handed over to the public treasury, right?"
The Mayor allowed himself a small smile. "That doesn't need to be. Taking it as a morale booster for the troops is a reasonable part of the job."
"Good," Valerius grunted with satisfaction. He hoisted the entire Red-Feathered Eagle onto his shoulder. "I'll take it back to the barracks and let the kitchen staff prep the ingredients. You come over for a bite later!" With that, he turned and began the heavy trek back toward the military camp.
Everett Thorne watched him go. "Relax, I haven't eaten Rank Four mutated creature meat many times either. I wouldn't miss it." After his friend was a good distance away, Everett turned to head back himself, already mentally drafting the official requisition forms for that Rank Four Aura Core. Just as he was about to leave, he heard frantic footsteps.
"Mayor, this is bad!" his secretary cried, rushing towards him.
Everett frowned. "Why are you in such a panic? What happened?"
"Mayor, just now, Director Jansen from the Public Security Bureau contacted me. His patrols found an egg inside the city limits. After inspection… it is suspected to be the egg of a Red-Feathered Eagle."
"What?!" Everett's blood ran cold. He snatched the datapad his secretary held out. The image was undeniable. "Are you serious? This is no joking matter!"
"Sir, I'm not joking!"
His hands clenched the datapad. The egg… the beast tide… the eagle's expression of pure hatred. The pieces clicked into place with horrifying speed. It wasn't a random attack. It was planned. The eagle was a lure, a desperate mother used as a sacrificial pawn to draw all our eyes to the wall… while something else happened inside the city. But what?
"Is anything missing from the treasury?" he snapped.
"I've already checked, sir. Nothing is missing."
"Phew~~" A tiny bit of tension left his shoulders.
"However," the secretary continued, his voice trembling, "Director Jansen reported that his units found people from the Evolution Cult trying to capture a student."
"Ah!!!"
"But by the time they rushed over, the student had already… single-handedly killed all of the cultists."
"Phew~~" Everett felt a wave of dizzying relief.
"But, sir… when they went to the student's home to inquire, they found that he never returned. We suspect… we suspect the Evolution Cult had other, even stronger people who captured him afterwards."
"Ah!!!" This up-and-down rollercoaster made Everett's heart feel like it was about to burst. "Tell me something good, now! Before my heart gives out!"
The secretary swallowed hard. "Um… there's nothing else, Mayor. Although the surveillance in that area was destroyed, it's now basically confirmed that the student was captured by the Evolution Cult."
"Who is the student!" the Mayor demanded, his voice a low growl.
"It's the first-place winner of the New Veridia Psionic Academy High competition, sir. Ethan Atherton."
"Ethan Atherton!" Everett Thorne was now truly, completely stunned. The boy is no simple character, he thought frantically. He has a confirmed Earth-rank talent. He has an aunt with a Legendary-rank talent at Pinnacle University. He has two other relatives doing business in Pinnacle City, and knowing Lily, they are likely becoming powers in their own right. He is also best friends with the heirs to the Vance and Linley families… This wasn't just a kidnapping. It was a political firestorm waiting to happen, a strategic attack on the future of his city.
He grabbed his comms unit. "Find him!" he roared, his voice shaking with a mixture of fear and fury. "Send people out immediately! Scour every corner of the wilds! I want to see the person if he's alive, and the corpse if he's dead!"
"Yes, sir!" his secretary relayed the frantic order. Everett Thorne didn't wait. He ran, not towards his comfortable official vehicle, but straight towards the military camp to find General Valerius.
After hearing what had happened, Valerius also didn't dare to delay for a single moment. He immediately began to gather his elite troops to go out and find the boy. It wasn't just because Ethan was a special case; it was because this incident involved the Evolution Cult. Anything related to the Evolution Cult could not be taken lightly and had to be dealt with with the strictest, most brutal attitude. Moreover, they had captured Ethan and would definitely try to take him out of the city. The Public Security Bureau was only responsible for matters within the city; a wilderness search and rescue… they had to rely on his soldiers.
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