Parvis was out of options.
The Flame Demon Project was a collaborative effort between Rhine Lab and the military, with the latter injecting a massive amount of funding.
If...
The Flame Demon Project had failed, and the test subject had died during a rampage or escaped, it would have been understandable. Parvis would have been blamed, but not too heavily. As long as the data remained, everything would be fine. But the current situation was completely different.
The Flame Demon Project was completed!!
And the test subject was lost due to his own actions, with the military fully aware that the project had been completed. The blame for this was immense!!
In the former case.
Parvis would at most be suspended for a while. Once the situation cooled down, he could continue being the head of the Structural Section, living his life freely.
But now things were completely different!
It was no longer a matter of suspension or not.
Those high-ranking, hot-tempered, and cold-hearted military generals would probably kill him outright...
Moreover.
The vast military of Columbia was certainly not a monolithic entity.
Similar to the army groups in Ursus, the Columbian military was also divided into several major military districts.
And in the absence of war, these major districts naturally needed to compete internally. It was not uncommon for them to court major tech giants. For instance, the military district that Raythean Industries collaborated with received a large supply of the most advanced combat weapons and equipment for its soldiers every year.
On the other hand, the military faction backing Rhine Lab hoped that Rhine Lab could use biotechnology to create beings on the level of Ursus's ultimate fighting force, the [Emperor's Blade].
And Rhine Lab itself was not a solid block either.
The various generals of that military district had placed their bets on different sections.
After continuously providing a number of [Modified Soldiers], the status of Parvis's Structural Section had been quietly rising within both Rhine Lab and the military. The top-secret [Flame Demon Project] was the very capital on which Parvis's rise was built, and also the capital for the rise of the general who backed him.
The stakes were enormous.
Even Parvis, who was usually dedicated to his research and regarded life and all other things with indifference, was now like an ant on a hot pan, pacing anxiously.
"Remember!!"
Just as the head of the Structural Section's special operations team was about to leave, Parvis called out to him again. His eyes, somewhat cloudy with age, stared at the man like a wild beast.
"You must!! You must! Not harm a single hair on the head of the Raythean Industries' young miss!!"
After saying that.
Parvis collapsed into his chair like a deflated balloon.
He knew...
The biggest taboo in corporate warfare was going after an opponent's family.
Over Columbia's many years of development.
A tacit understanding had formed among the major corporations.
They would never touch an opponent's family, unless that family member held a very important position in the company and chose to get involved.
Because going after family was not worth it at all.
Even if you succeeded in killing the opponent's family member, not only would you not make a cent, but you would also provoke a frenzied counterattack, even leading to the assassination of your own family. In the end, you kill one, they kill two, and both of you end up like Batman. A total loss...
Except for those dishonorable kidnappers demanding ransom..
And Parvis had no other choice!
He had to take this risk.
Moreover, Parvis kept comforting himself psychologically.
The heiress of Raythean Industries took his test subject, and he was just 'rightfully' taking back what was his. And since he wouldn't harm the heiress, Raythean Industries would have no reason to be angry.
And.
He just needed to get the test subject back.
Everything would be fine.
With such an important Flame Demon test subject, even if Raythean Industries really did cause trouble, not only would the military protect him, but Rhine Lab would as well. If he couldn't get her back...
Either way, he was dead....
It didn't matter anymore.
But... he should be able to get her back. Even the chairman of Raythean Industries couldn't possibly station too many bodyguards around his daughter. He was operating from the shadows, and he had even deployed one of the trump cards from another lab he had invested in, a 'product of experimentation'. He should... he should be able to steal her back, unless... the bodyguard protecting the heiress was on the level of Saria.
But that seemed completely impossible.
Parvis lay on his recliner, his head throbbing.
He had spent the entire previous night reviewing surveillance footage and combat logs.
He just couldn't figure out why it was so coincidental.
The test subject's escape from the lab should have been a pure coincidence. According to the footage, it seemed the Raythean Industries heiress was shopping at the time and happened to bump into the test subject. The test subject immediately fled, but strangely, the heiress seemed to recognize her and chased after her...
Coincidence!
It was a complete coincidence!!
Parvis was more inclined to believe that this was all just the Raythean Industries heiress coincidentally knowing the test subject and helping her escape the special operations team's pursuit, rather than an act by Raythean Industries itself. It was even possible that Raythean Industries themselves didn't know that the final product of the Flame Demon Project, which they had coveted for so long, had fallen into their own heiress's hands.
Therefore, Parvis decided to quietly steal his 'test subject' back and pretend nothing had happened.
As for negotiations?
Heh...
Was that even possible?
If negotiations could succeed, it wouldn't be Raythean Industries.
Just then.
A knock sounded on the director's office door.
Parvis knew it was his student, Silence.
After seeing his student walk into the office, the originally cold expression on Parvis's face was replaced by a false, gentle smile.
"Silence? Come, sit..."
Silence didn't sit down. Instead, she directly voiced the thoughts in her heart.
"Teacher... why did you hide it from me?! The matter with Ifrit... you clearly said it was an experimental project that could advance human development?!"
Silence tried to keep her tone from sounding too anxious.
She didn't understand.
Why would her usually gentle teacher behave so coldly... so ruthlessly... when it came to experiments.
Parvis sighed. "I didn't lie to you, Silence. The Flame Demon Project itself is a project to advance human development. We are creating a [Super-Infected], a being who can escape the threat of Oripathy yet possess unparalleled power. We are working for the evolution of humanity~"
"But!! Ifrit, she!!!"
Hermione's emotions gradually escalated.
However, Parvis simply waved his hand. "She's still alive now, isn't she? She's stronger than before, isn't she? So... where do you see this experiment as inhumane? In the future, when the test subject becomes an unparalleled super-warrior, not only will she not blame us, she will even be grateful to us for granting her such immense power. My dear student... don't blame me either. I know your personality very well, which is why I temporarily removed you as the project lead. In the future... once the test subject is stable, you will continue to be her guardian."
"Teacher..."
"I heard... Ifrit has gone missing..."
"...."
The gentle expression on Parvis's face suddenly stiffened, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Who told you that!"
——————————
"*Sniffle*~ I want to go home, Ifrit wants to go home...."
During dinner today, Ifrit seemed extremely listless. Even when Jessica had the high-end restaurant in the complex deliver Ifrit's favorite dessert, Ifrit was only happy while eating. The moment she finished, her spirits dropped again.
Everyone sighed.
They knew.
Mentally, Ifrit was just a child of a few years old. It was normal for her to be homesick.
They knew that at Rhine Lab, Ifrit was just a subject of a cruel experiment. Even her supposed 'father' and 'mother' were just the project leads pretending, creating a semblance of 'family'. But Ifrit didn't know that.
In her heart...
Rhine Lab was her home, and Silence and Saria were her two mothers.
Jessica was also discussing with Lucas what to do.
Telling Ifrit the truth.
It was too cruel.
For such a young child, Lucas and the others didn't want her to realize the cruelty of the world so early. They wanted her to continue living in 'beauty'.
Keeping her locked up at home wasn't a solution either.
As for telling Raythean Industries..
Jessica thought about it and decided against it.
As the heiress of Raythean Industries, and with her parents doting on her, she had a say. But... she knew very well Ifrit's importance to Raythean Industries. If she informed them, the numerous shareholders in the company would definitely push her father to organize a team to study Ifrit. Her father would then be in a difficult position, facing pressure from the company's many shareholders.
That would be like throwing Ifrit from one tiger's den into another.
Sigh...
The group was also very troubled.
They decided to first have Magallan sound out Silence and Saria. If they genuinely cared for Ifrit, the group could send Ifrit back. After all, with Lucas's soul fragment by Ifrit's side, there was no need to worry about her safety.
Late at night.
Jessica's bed was very large.
Ceobe and Ifrit were sleeping with Jessica, while Franka and Liskarm were not staying here today due to work.
Suddenly!
Lucas, inside the necklace, opened his eyes.
A strange sense of crisis washed over him.
Are there enemies?
At the same time.
Next to Jessica, Ceobe, who had been drooling a moment ago, had her snot bubble pop. She instantly became alert like a hound. Her strong, instinctual sense of crisis allowed her to feel danger in advance.
"Ceobe..."
Lucas whispered to Ceobe.
Ceobe nodded dumbly, understanding immediately without waking the still-sleeping Jessica and Ifrit.
After Lucas entered Ceobe's body, he vaulted out the window and onto the exterior of the villa.
With Ceobe's vision, which was comparable to night-vision goggles.
Lucas could clearly see a small group of figures skillfully avoiding the patrols of the retired-military security guards in the large residential complex, gradually approaching Jessica's villa.
"People from Rhine Lab?"
Lucas didn't even have to think to guess.
"They came so quickly.."
However, Lucas didn't make a move, because there was no need for him to act personally.
Just as this small, elite team was about to approach Jessica's villa.
A slender, ghost-like figure appeared in an instant.
Blocking the path of all of them.
The figure's face was indistinct, clad in exceptionally fine power armor, exuding a sense of technological and aesthetic pressure.
Lucas had known for a while that there was a female bodyguard, like a shadow, protecting Jessica almost 24/7. However, she always maintained a certain distance from Jessica and never interfered with or spied on her private life, which is why Jessica didn't know of her existence, and she didn't know of Lucas's.
It just goes to show...
How could the most doted-on heiress of the Raythean Industries chairman not have a bodyguard?
"Apologies, approaching the young miss is forbidden..."
This bodyguard was very strong..
The fully-armed female bodyguard's comprehensive combat power was even above that of an ordinary elite operator. She would be considered an absolute elite anywhere, yet she was left to protect Jessica, which showed how much she was pampered. And her strength was verified in the ongoing battle before Lucas's eyes. A squad of elite operatives was defeated by this female bodyguard in just six minutes.
Of course.
She was only responsible for protecting Jessica in Columbia.
On previous missions, she rarely followed along, because missions usually had the protection of Franka and Liskarm, and they were all simple tasks.
After dealing with these intruders, she was just about to clean up the scene when her ears twitched as if sensing something.
She immediately rushed back into Jessica's villa.
And at this moment.
A young man who looked to be in his twenties was wandering through the villa. He was like a ghost, his expression constantly changing, and he made no footsteps. And wherever he passed, everything around seemed to be lifted by an 'invisible hand' and then gently set down, until he reached the door of Jessica's bedroom.
He didn't even move, but the expression on his face was slightly crazed.
In the next second.
The room door opened on its own without anyone touching it.
The man was like a phantom, not emitting any presence the entire time. The real ghost, Lucas, hiding in the shadows, naturally saw everything. He didn't act immediately, wanting to see what Jessica's current strength was like.
This young man...
He seemed to be floating in mid-air...
No wonder he didn't make a single sound.
However..
The moment he floated into the room.
The glass of Jessica's room suddenly shattered, and the female bodyguard, who had sensed something was wrong, charged in at once.
At the same time... Jessica instantly woke up from her bed, a light breath escaping her lips. She activated the breathing technique Lucas had taught her, instantly drawing her weapon from the bedside and transforming into a flash of lightning, striking towards the young man.
However...
Just as their attacks were about to reach the young man's body, they were suddenly halted in mid-air, as if blocked by a pair of invisible hands. Yet, the young man was forced back repeatedly by their attacks. It seemed this power was taking a great toll on his body, as he began to continuously vomit blood.
"Get out of the way!! You are not my targets!!"
Immediately, a strong psychic field erupted from the young man. From Lucas's spiritual perspective, behind this young man were pairs of invisible psychic hands constantly swirling. The female bodyguard had never seen such a technique. Through her strong sense of crisis, she could barely dodge the non-lethal attacks, successfully protecting Jessica.
But she couldn't protect a second person from the young man's strange attacks.
In the next second.
Another psychic hand emerged from the young man's body as he coughed up blood. It snatched Ifrit from the bed, while the other hands behind him gave a powerful push, launching him out of the villa like a rocket in an attempt to escape.
At this moment, Lucas, occupying Ceobe's body and standing on the roof of the villa, was somewhat curious.
This peculiar ability was quite rare.
It seemed to be able to materialize one's own spiritual energy into invisible hands, somewhat similar to his own ability to materialize his spiritual body... However, this ability seemed to take a heavy toll on the user's body. At least, in Lucas's view, after just a few exchanges, the young man's vital energy and spiritual power were already waning.
At the same time, Lucas was very gratified.
Even without him, the current Jessica was already an operator who could stand on her own.
Thinking of this.
Lucas, using Ceobe's body, slowly gripped one of the many spears Jessica had crafted for Ceobe.
A golden light flashed in the depths of his eyes.
The entire body of the spear was enveloped in crimson patterns.
[Noble Phantasm: Knight of Owner]
Properties bestowed: Spirit Piercing, Homing
In the next moment.
Scorching flames wrapped around the spear, making it shine like a rocket in the darkness.
The crimson spear, thrown with all of Lucas's strength, shot out from the high place like a meteor. The young man, thinking his mission was complete, had not yet relaxed when he felt a strong sense of crisis from behind.
At this moment.
How could he not understand.
In the villa!
Besides that woman!!
There was another master!!
And a master far superior to himself! Why!! Where did they find so many masters!! Damn it!
If this attack hit directly... he would surely die!!
Thinking of this.
The young man immediately dodged, trying to avoid the attack from behind. However...
The spear behind him seemed to have an auto-navigation system, actually turning to chase after him. This move completely caught the young man off guard. With his spiritual power somewhat depleted, he forcibly mobilized all of it to try and intercept the spear's attack, even dropping Ifrit from his psychic hand.
However...
Just as the young man thought he could block the spear with his psychic hand, in the next moment, the spear effortlessly pierced through the psychic hand and went through his left shoulder.
The dual damage to his spirit and body almost made the young man faint.
Now... he had no other thoughts in his mind, only one: escape!!
He had to escape. If he didn't, he would 100% die here.