Chapter 90: Marking The Direct Threats

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Marking The Direct Threats

With that decision made, Xavier put away the spatial ring and turned his attention to Helena. The Prosperity Pill had clearly begun working.

The deathly pallor had disappeared from her face, replaced by a healthier flush. Her breathing was steadier, and she no longer looked as though she might collapse at any moment.

Xavier felt relieved. At least the elixir was doing its job.

"Auntie, stay here for a little while longer," he told her.

"I’ll contact Samuel Bush and have him come over. He’s the one overseeing your daughter’s work in the Extraordinary Division."

Helena nodded.

Xavier then reached into his spatial ring and retrieved a mobile phone.

He actually carried three phones, each reserved for a different identity.

One belonged to Xavier Kane, another to Mr. X, and the third was registered under the alias he was currently using, Graham Cole.

For this call, he chose the phone associated with his disguised identity. He dialed Samuel’s number and waited for him to answer.

Xavier had two reasons for contacting the Extraordinary Division.

First, he wanted to leave Eastwood Mountain as soon as possible and return home before Helena arrived. If he could arrange everything properly, he would be able to maintain his cover without arousing suspicion.

Second, Selene’s corpse was far too valuable to leave behind. As the deputy sect leader of the Bloodshadow Cult, she was a wanted criminal.

The state had placed a bounty on members of her rank, and her death would undoubtedly attract the Division’s attention.

Xavier did not particularly care about the reward. He had far more important things to concern himself with than collecting a bounty.

However, maintaining a good relationship with the Extraordinary Division was another matter entirely. It was a government organization staffed by experienced investigators and powerful martial artists. Its records and intelligence networks might provide him with information he could not obtain independently.

Selene’s death could be the beginning of something much bigger.

After all, she had been cultivating the Devouring Demon Art. If the Bloodshadow Cult’s deputy leader had access to such a technique, there was every possibility that the sect master and other senior members were pursuing the same path.

And Mira’s awakened Frost Phoenix Bloodline made her an especially attractive target. If Selene had wanted to devour Mira’s power, there was no guarantee that the other members of the Bloodshadow Cult would not develop the same ambition.

Xavier’s expression turned cold. He had originally regarded the Bloodshadow Cult as little more than a troublesome assassin organization.

Now, it had become a direct threat to his wife. He was not going to sit back and wait for them to make their next move.

The entire organization would have to pay for targeting Mira.

* * *

Roughly thirty minutes later, Samuel arrived at the foot of Eastwood Mountain with Grant Mercer, whom everyone in the Division jokingly regarded as their lucky charm, and four other team members.

Samuel recognized Helena immediately.

"Ms. Helena, I’m Samuel Bush. It’s good to see you again."

She had once been the wife of the Sinclair family’s head, and he had encountered her on several occasions in the past.

Seeing her standing there in apparently stable condition, however, left him puzzled.

"Minister Bush, thank you for coming." She gave him a tired smile.

For the past two days, the Extraordinary Division had devoted considerable manpower to searching for her.

The investigation had confirmed what Mr. X had reported: Helena had been abducted by members of the Dolly Bridle Evil Faction.

Unfortunately, finding the organization had proved exceptionally difficult.

The Dolly Bridle Evil Faction was even more elusive than the Bloodshadow Cult.

Although the Division had managed to track down several suspected members, none of those leads had produced any meaningful results.

Samuel had expected the investigation to take considerably longer.

Then, barely half an hour earlier, he had received an unexpected call from a mysterious man named Graham Cole.

The caller claimed to be acting on Mr. X’s behalf and announced that Helena had been located. That alone would have been surprising enough.

But Graham had also informed him that Selene, the Bloodshadow Cult’s deputy sect leader, had been killed during the operation.

Samuel had initially struggled to believe the report. Killing someone of Selene’s standing was no simple feat, and the idea that an unfamiliar man had accomplished it while rescuing Helena seemed almost unbelievable.

Now, however, he was standing beside the woman herself. There was no denying what he saw.

"Ms. Helena, could you tell me exactly what happened?" Samuel asked. "And where is Graham Cole now?"

Helena had regained enough composure to explain the events clearly.

She trusted Samuel, so she recounted her abduction, the plans of the Dolly Bridle Evil Faction, and the intended exchange with the Bloodshadow Cult.

She then described how Graham had appeared, killed Selene, freed her from her restraints, and provided her with a valuable healing elixir.

By the time she finished, Samuel’s expression had grown increasingly grim.

The Sinclair and Lindsay families had gone too far. The revelation that both families might be connected to two organizations wanted by the state was deeply troubling.

The Sinclair family’s actions were already outrageous enough, but the Lindsay family presented a more complicated problem.

Collins Lindsay, the eldest son of the Lindsay family, had apparently developed an interest in Mira.

According to Helena’s account, the family had gone so far as to arrange a connection with the Dolly Bridle Evil Faction to force Mira into submission.

But how far did that connection extend? Had Collins acted independently, using his family’s influence to pursue his own desires?

Or had the Lindsay family itself established a working relationship with the Bloodshadow Cult?

The distinction mattered. If Collins had acted alone, the Extraordinary Division could focus its investigation on him and the people directly involved. If the entire Lindsay family had been cooperating with the underground organizations, the implications would be far more serious.

The state had spent years trying to suppress the Bloodshadow Cult and the Dolly Bridle Evil Faction, yet both continued operating throughout the southern provinces.

How had they managed to survive repeated crackdowns? Someone might have been feeding them information, warning them about investigations, or helping them evade the authorities.

Could the Lindsay family be involved?

Samuel narrowed his eyes. It was a possibility, but he was not prepared to treat suspicion as proof.

The Lindsays were one of the most influential families in the region. Any action against them would require solid evidence and careful coordination with the Division’s senior leadership.

He would have to investigate the matter thoroughly before drawing any conclusions.

Then his thoughts returned to the man who had killed Selene.

Graham Cole.

Samuel had personally fought Selene once before. He knew she had reached the peak of the Spirit Platform Realm, and he was well aware of how difficult it was to defeat someone at that level.

Yet Graham had apparently killed her almost instantly. That was no ordinary accomplishment.

Could Graham have already reached the Star Sea Realm?

If so, where had such a powerful martial artist come from? And how had Mr. X established a relationship with him?

Samuel had a feeling there was more to the mysterious man’s background than he had been told. He would have to find an opportunity to speak with Mr. X and learn more about Graham.

If the man possessed the strength and character Samuel suspected, perhaps he could even be persuaded to work with the Extraordinary Division.

But that could wait. There was someone else who needed his attention first.

"Minister Bush," Helena said anxiously, interrupting his thoughts. "I’ve heard that my daughter has joined the Extraordinary Division. Could you please take me to her? I need to see her as soon as possible."

Her hands tightened together as she spoke. After everything she had endured, the thought of finally seeing Mira again overwhelmed her completely. One moment, she had thought she would die but now, she has been given another chance.

She wanted to know how her daughter was doing, whether she was safe, and how much she had suffered while her mother was missing.

Samuel understood her urgency. He was a father himself. If he had been separated from his own child under similar circumstances, he would have wanted to reunite with them immediately.

"Of course," he assured her. "Mira has just completed the first day of the Barley Cup competition. She should be back at Arcadia Academy by now." He gestured toward his vehicle. "Come with me. I’ll take you there personally."

Samuel then turned to Grant and instructed him to remain behind with the other team members. They were to examine the scene, secure Selene’s body, and gather whatever evidence they could find.

Once the arrangements were in place, Samuel helped Helena into his vehicle and drove toward Arcadia Academy. Along the way, he took out his phone and called Mira.

There was no reason to make her wait any longer. After all, her mother was finally coming home.