Chapter 189: Lunch, Lies, And Locked Files

Rina took the USB drive, her fingers steady as she plugged it into the lab computer.

Technically, uploading unverified data was against Bureau protocol, but Rina’s clearance as a forensics lead bypassed most restrictions.

The screen flickered to life, displaying a directory of encrypted files.

"Let’s see what we have here," she murmured, her enhanced senses picking up the faint electrical hum of the drive.

Kane leaned over her shoulder as she navigated through the folders. His stomach clenched when he saw the file names:

"Synthetic Enhancement Protocols," "Spirit Fusion Trials," "Containment Modifications."

"There," Kane pointed to a folder labeled simply "Chimera."

Rina double-clicked, and the screen filled with detailed schematics and research notes.

Images of grotesque hybrid creatures filled the monitor—spirits twisted into unrecognizable forms, their natural abilities perverted into something monstrous.

"My goodness," Rina whispered, scrolling through pages of experiment logs. "He was trying to create artificial super-spirits."

Kane’s fox ears flattened against his skull as he read the clinical descriptions of pain and failure. The chimeras’ survival rates were abysmal; their lifespans were measured in days rather than months.

"Project Chimera," Rina read aloud from the header file. "Objective: Create controllable spirit hybrids for military applications."

She paused at a video file titled "Trial 847." ℴ

"Should we...?"

Kane nodded grimly. "We need to see what we’re dealing with."

Rina clicked play, and the screen filled with grainy surveillance footage from one of Elias’s labs.

A salamander spirit writhed in restraints as technicians injected glowing compounds into its scaled hide.

The creature’s agonized shrieks echoed through the lab speakers.

Kane’s hands clenched into fists as he watched the spirit’s body convulse and change.

Wings sprouted from its back—not graceful like a dragon’s, but twisted and membrane-thin. Its eyes turned milky white.

"Enhanced strength, flight capability, and thermal resistance," a cold voice narrated. Kane recognized it immediately—Elias.

The transformed salamander broke free from its bonds, lashing out with newfound power.

It moved faster than anything its size should, leaving scorch marks across the lab floor.

"Terminating trial," Elias continued dispassionately.

Gas flooded the chamber. The chimera collapsed, convulsing once before going still.

Rina stopped the video, her face pale.

"There are dozens more files like this," she said quietly.

Kane stared at the frozen image of the dead creature.

"He turned them into weapons," Kane whispered. "Then threw them away when they didn’t perform."

His phone buzzed—a text from Cyrus asking about lunch plans. The normalcy of it felt surreal after witnessing such horror.

Kane’s fingers trembled slightly as he typed back to Cyrus:

Just grabbing sandwiches with colleagues. Don’t worry about me or order any fancy takeout. I’m fine.

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and returned his attention to the screen.

Rina scrolled through more files, her enhanced senses allowing her to process the information faster than before.

"The timestamp on this salamander trial," she said, pointing to the corner of the video. "It’s from eighteen months ago."

Kane leaned closer. "That early?"

"This is probably one of Elias’s initial experiments. Look at the crude equipment, the basic restraint systems." Rina’s voice carried a clinical detachment that didn’t quite mask her disgust.

"He’s been perfecting this for over a year."

She continued navigating through the directory tree, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

"Wait." Rina paused, her cursor hovering over a file buried deep in the subdirectories.

"This one’s different."

The folder name made Kane’s blood run cold: "The Eternal God Crystal—Project Genesis."

"The Eternal God Crystal?" Kane repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "What the hell is that?"

Rina double-clicked, but the file demanded additional authentication—biometric scanners and encryption protocols far more sophisticated than the other documents.

"It’s locked down tight," she muttered, trying different access approaches. "Whatever this project is, Elias considered it his most sensitive work."

"Can you crack it?" Kane stared at the locked file icon.

Rina’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, her expression thoughtful as she studied the encrypted file.

"I’ll need to work with the IT department on this," she said, pulling back from the screen.

"Their decryption software is more sophisticated than what we have down here in forensics."

She saved the USB contents to a secure server and logged out of the system.

"How long do you think it’ll take?" Kane asked, watching her clean up the workspace.

"Could be days, could be weeks. Depends on the encryption type." Rina shrugged, but Kane caught the slight tension in her shoulders. "These military-grade protocols aren’t designed to be cracked quickly."

Kane glanced at his watch. It’s nearly noon; Kane isn’t particularly hungry but wouldn’t mind some coffee.

"Speaking of time, it’s almost lunch. Want to grab some coffee from the BSA cafeteria? I heard they finally fixed the espresso machine."

Rina’s hands stilled on the keyboard.

"Actually, I have other arrangements," she said, not meeting his eyes.

"Other arrangements?" He crossed his arms, studying her face. "Since when do you have lunch plans?"

A faint flush crept up Rina’s neck. "I just... someone invited me out. It’s not a big deal."

"Someone?" Kane’s eyebrows shot up. "Rina, you literally just rose from the dead. Who could possibly—"

Her phone buzzed on the lab counter. Rina snatched it up faster than her enhanced reflexes should have allowed for such a casual gesture.

Kane caught a glimpse of the notification before she could hide it, but the text was too brief to read clearly.

"Look," Rina said, powering down the computer and ejecting the USB drive. "I’ll let you know when IT cracked the drive."

She gathered her jacket and bag.

"Just... don’t mention the lunch thing to anyone, okay? It’s nothing serious."

Kane watched her hurry toward the lab exit, noting how she clutched her phone like it contained state secrets.

Since when did Rina get mysterious about lunch dates?

And why did she suddenly seem nervous about something as simple as eating with another person?

Kane shook his head, bemused.

Between dragon eggs, synthetic spirit enhancement, and now Rina’s secret social life, his world was getting stranger by the day.

Kane wandered into the BSA cafeteria alone, grabbing a lukewarm coffee from the supposedly "fixed" espresso machine.

The bitter liquid made him grimace as he found an empty table near the windows.

His phone buzzed with another message from Cyrus:

In the BSA parking lot. Come outside.