Chapter 43: Paper Trail

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Paper Trail

The morning light filtering through the cheap synthetic blinds of the mid-tier hotel room was grey. The distant, muffled sirens of Genesis City provided a dull background hum, a stark contrast to the apocalyptic violence of the previous night.

Donald lay flat on his back on the stiff mattress, ignoring the dull ache in his freshly healed shoulder. His eyes were locked on the glowing golden hologram hovering a foot above his face.

[STATUS PANEL: DONALD]

[Class]: SSS+ Investor

[Level]: 13

[STATS]:

Strength: 57

Speed: 57

Stamina: 56

Mana: 59

[Free Stat Points]: 21

[SKILLS]

[Valuation Eye - EX-Rank]: Inspects targets, items, structures, and combat interactions. Reveals precise threat ranks, hidden vulnerabilities, market values, and structural flaws down to the atomic level.

[Purifying Touch - B-Rank]: Instantly channels holy, anti-curse mana through contact. Burns corrupt cellular structures, cauterizes necrotic flesh, and rapidly regenerates physical wounds when fueled by linked cores. (Evolved from Soothing Hands)

[Aura of the Vanguard - F-Rank]: Deploys a radiant energy shield to absorb physical and elemental shockwaves.

[Bull Rush - D-Rank]: Converts forward momentum into a sudden burst of speed, hardened by kinetic mana to barge through obstacles or set up point-blank strikes.

[Lesser Mana Perception - E-Rank]: Passively senses atmospheric mana fluctuations, active spell channels, and hidden magical signatures within line of sight.

[Fireball - C-Rank]: Converts mana into fire energy and into a projected explosive projectile, dealing fire damage upon impact.

[Dual-Cultivation Synergy]: Links mana cores with primary assets through physical contact. Grants active stat multipliers, shared stamina flushing, and temporary skill ascension during combat synchronization.

[EQUIPMENT & WEAPONS]

[Type-3 Heavy Pneumatic Pile Bunker (C-Rank)]: Arm-mounted kinetic shock weapon with explosive piston payload.

[Ruined Tactical Garb]: Durability: 2% (Requires immediate replacement)

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Unspent Stat Points available. Primary Asset Evelyn Vance is currently eligible for Core Expansion and Skill Re-Valuation.

Donald stared at the numbers, a quiet sense of awe washing over him. Just weeks ago, he was a starving nobody struggling to scrape together enough credits for synthetic protein paste. Now, his base stats rivaled starting C-Rank combatants, and with the [Dual-Cultivation Synergy] active, he could temporarily cross fists with the monsters that ran the city’s underworld.

His eyes drifted to the flashing notification at the bottom. He mentally tapped the text, willing the System to expand on the alert.

[Core Expansion & Skill Re-Valuation Details]

By directly injecting Capital into a Primary Asset, the Investor can force an evolution of their Class and existing Skills. Exact capital thresholds are hidden and vary based on the Asset’s psychological trust and biological capacity. Invest heavily to discover the yield.

"Invest heavily," Donald muttered to himself. "Helpful as always."

The lock on the bathroom door clicked loudly, snapping Donald out of his thoughts. He swiped his hand through the air, dismissing the golden panel just as the door swung open.

Thick, jasmine-scented steam billowed out into the cool bedroom.

Evelyn stepped through the vapor, her bare feet padding softly on the cheap carpet. She was wearing nothing but a small, white hotel towel wrapped tightly around her chest, the hem barely reaching her mid-thigh. Drops of water trailed down her collarbone, tracing the incredibly toned, lethal curves of her Vanguard physique. Her damp blonde hair clung to her neck, and the flush of the hot shower had brought a deep, healthy color to her cheeks.

Donald’s breath hitched. The adrenaline of surviving Valerius had faded, leaving only raw biology in its wake. He felt an immediate, heavy twitch in his groin, his eyes darkening as they dragged over her long legs.

Evelyn noticed the shift in his gaze. A slow, knowing smirk touched her lips as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Like what you see?" she purred, her voice carrying a husky edge. She reached up, purposely adjusting the knot of the towel, letting it loosen just a fraction of an inch to tease the heavy swell of her cleavage.

Donald sat up on the edge of the mattress, the sexual tension instantly flooding the room, thick enough to cut with a knife.

Evelyn chuckled, taking a slow, swaying step toward the bed—

"—Breaking news this morning out of Sector 4’s industrial district," a crisp voice suddenly blared from the wall-mounted television.

Donald and Evelyn both froze.

Donald grabbed the remote off the nightstand and unmuted the volume, his eyes snapping to the screen.

The news anchor sat behind a sleek desk, but the footage playing beside her was live, aerial helicopter video of a massive crime scene. Dozens of Genesis City Police Department cruisers, their red and blue lights flashing frantically, formed a massive perimeter around a familiar mountain of collapsed concrete and twisted steel.

"Law enforcement responded to multiple noise complaints regarding suspected localized seismic activity," the anchor reported over the footage. "What authorities found was a scene of unprecedented destruction. Structural engineers have confirmed the existence of a highly secure subterranean bunker beneath the warehouse, which appears to have been the site of a massive, high-tier Awakener battle."

The camera zoomed in. GCPD forensic officers in white hazmat suits were carefully bagging huge piles of gray, smoldering ash from the blasted concrete ramp leading down to Sub-Level 3.

"While no intact bodies have been recovered, forensic teams have discovered massive quantities of necrotic ash, highly acidic slag, and spatial lacerations consistent with restricted B-Rank weaponry..."

"They found it," Evelyn whispered, the playful heat completely vanishing from her face, replaced by stone-cold professionalism. "The cops got there before Wildfire’s clean-up crew could scrub the site."

"They’re going to trace the mana signatures," Donald said, his mind racing, quickly pulling up his ruined tactical pants. "Valerius’s ash is down there. When the GCPD realizes an A-Rank High Vampire was killed, they’re going to lock down the entire grid looking for whoever did it."

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

The sound was heavy, authoritative, and came directly from their hotel room door.

Donald and Evelyn went entirely rigid.

"Genesis City Police Department," a deep, muffled voice barked through the thin wood. "Open the door."

Evelyn didn’t make a sound. She moved with terrifying, silent speed, crossing the room to where her armor lay discarded on a chair. Her hand immediately closed around the cursed hilt of the Bloodhound’s Fang. Donald stood up, mana already pooling in his left hand, the thermal heat of a [Fireball] beginning to crackle in his palm.

---

High above the chaos of the streets, the Guild Master of the Iron Vanguard stood in his office.

The sprawling room was a monument to power, lined with dark mahogany bookshelves, enchanted weapon displays, and floor-to-ceiling glass that offered a king’s view of Genesis City.

Sterling stood behind his massive desk, his scarred, muscular arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, watching the exact same news broadcast on a pristine, brand-new smartphone held in his right hand.

His gray eyes narrowed as he watched the GCPD bag the ashes of Lord Valerius on live television.

The police involvement was a massive complication. The authorities were corrupt, certainly, but a scene this large—with dead elites from a recognized shadow syndicate—would draw the attention of the Awakener Association. If they managed to reconstruct the mana signatures from the spatial lacerations, they would inevitably trace the battle back to Evelyn’s unique sword aura.

And if they found Evelyn before he did, his entire conspiracy would unravel.

Sterling tapped a button on his desk console.

The heavy oak doors to his office opened smoothly. A man stepped inside, moving with a perfectly silent, fluid grace. He was completely bald, with sharp, slanted eyes that betrayed zero emotion, and wore a suit identical to Sterling’s. A faint, suffocating A-Rank aura leaked from his skin, bending the light around him ever so slightly.

"You called, Guild Master?" Damian asked, his voice smooth and devoid of inflection.

Sterling didn’t look away from the news broadcast playing on his phone. He casually tossed the device onto the desk, letting it slide to a halt in front of his receptionist.

"The GCPD is sniffing around the Wildfire graveyard," Sterling said, his voice cold and echoing in the large office. "Valerius failed. The Syndicate branch is dead. And now there is a paper trail forming that leads directly to my... former Vanguard."

Damian glanced down at the phone, his slanted eyes unreadable. "Your orders, sir?"

Sterling finally looked up, his gray eyes locking onto his elite subordinate with absolute, murderous intent.

"Find Evelyn Vance immediately," Sterling commanded. "I don’t care what assets you have to burn, or who you have to kill. Just Find her, and whoever is helping her, and bring me their heads before the sun sets."