Chapter 1524: Into The Hostile Zone

When the ceremony finally concluded and the cameras’ glare faded, Lucas sank into the cushioned silence of the state limousine. The city lights slid across the windows in fleeting streaks as the motorcade carried him toward the hotel, where a brief rest awaited him before the gala dinner.

Lucas pulled out his phone and dialed a number he knew by heart. The call connected almost instantly. "Hey, Clift," Lucas murmured, leaning back against the seat. "How’s it going over there?"

"Everything’s going according to plan," Clift replied, his voice crisp over the line.

Lucas’s brows tightened. "And Lory? Is she safe?"

"Relax," Clift said, as if discussing the weather. "Lory’s in the Mystic Realm. She’s safer than you are."

Only then did Lucas exhale, his shoulders loosening. "Good. Then what’s next?"

"According to Igor’s tracker, he’s already inside Blackridge. We’ll tail him from here. Once we secure the code to disable Lory’s MADD, we’ll move on to uncovering the details about the Aetherion Spear." A brief pause, then Clift added, "Anyway—how’re things on your end?"

Lucas pressed the speaker button, letting the others in the car hear. Fargo glanced over with a grin; Fredhardt straightened slightly, as if preparing to deliver a report.

"Our King just managed to irritate Theodore to the point of combustion," Fredhardt declared, a note of pride in his voice. "And he dragged half the other nations’ positions onto our side while doing it."

"You should’ve seen Theodore’s face," Fargo added, practically glowing with satisfaction. "The only thing missing is Alexander Behrenn. If he’d been here too, I swear I would’ve made a meme out of both of them."

Jay, who had been quietly monitoring something on his tablet, burst out laughing as he heard the conversation from the earbuds. "Don’t worry. Alexander’s going to see the news soon enough, you might be able to capture his face from the news."

Clift let out a chuckle, "So, how many nations started to call us right now?"

"Darwood, Isenbergh, and the Aswana country have already reached out," Fredhardt reported, fingers drumming lightly against his knee. "I expect a few more countries to follow in the next couple of days. Not many, though. Most of them have already signed cooperation treaties with Luxembourg. Switching sides now means risking sanctions for breaching those agreements."

"You think they’ll take that risk?" Jay was unsure.

Fredhardt’s lips curled into a knowing smirk. "It depends. If they think siding with us gives them the greater advantage, they won’t hesitate to swallow a minor loss. And they’re not idiots—they know exactly what happens if they keep letting Theodore hold their leash."

Clift’s voice crackled through the phone, edged with focus. "What about Emery Barco? Has he shown his hand yet?"

Fredhardt let out a low chuckle, eyes gleaming with shrewd confidence. "Emery? Give it a day—maybe less. We’ll be hearing from him very soon."

Before Lucas could respond, Fargo leaned forward, his tone shifting into that rare, earnest seriousness he saved only for special occasions. "Don’t worry about our side. You’re the one sneaking into the most dangerous sector in Zenon. Are you sure you’ve prepared everything?"

The sudden concern drew a laugh from Jay. "Relax, Fargy. We’re not kids anymore. And besides—" his voice dropped into something close to admiration, "we have our prince consort with us. Nothing’s going to happen."

Fargo’s brow shot up. "Oh? Something happened?"

Jay didn’t need more prompting. He dove into the story, recounting with enthusiasm what had occurred earlier. By the time he finished, the line went silent for a heartbeat, then erupted with shock and awe. Even though they had all witnessed Zhao Li Xin’s abilities before, but still, his growth was still absurd.

It was like watching a game where the character was constantly unlocking new levels of power in every battle.

Fredhardt slumped back, muttering under his breath, "Honestly... why does Lory keep picking up dangerous things off the street? First Girsha, now her husband? Could she not pick up a cat or dog like a normal person?"

Fargo snorted and rolled his eyes. "Please. If Lory actually picked something up, it wouldn’t be normal cats and dogs."

"That’s true," Zhao Li Xin chimed in suddenly, the corner of his mouth lifting.

He remembered all too well the shadow tiger incident and the other formidable beasts drawn to Lory’s pure aura back in his world.

Everyone turned to Zhao Li Xin, curiosity sharpening their gazes at the cryptic weight behind his comment. He only offered a mild, unreadable smile.

"Anyway," Lucas cut in, pulling their attention back. "Be careful when you go there. I’m giving you full approval—do whatever it takes. Just make sure all of you come back in one piece."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Clift replied, his voice solemn yet carrying a quiet warmth.

The call ended with a soft click. When Clift turned around, the room had already shifted into mission mode.

Jay and Samuel were suited up in dark tactical gear, the fabric absorbing the light like a second skin. Blades were strapped discreetly to their boots, thin daggers sheathed at their sides, pistols holstered with silent readiness. Only Samuel bore something heavier, it was the Dragna. Even in its dormant state, the high-tech weapon radiated a quiet menace.

"You guys ready?" Clift asked, eyes moving from Jay to Samuel, then finally settling on Zhao Lixin.

Zhao Li Xin remained where he was, perched casually against the table, arms folded with the effortless calm of someone who never needed to prove himself. Clift couldn’t help the thought that flickered across his mind.

’Yup. The prince consort never loses his cool.’

Well, is not that he disliked it.

Clift straightened, his voice taking on the weight of command. "We’re going in alone. Their facility uses a private, encrypted channel for all external communication. The moment we cross the threshold, every outgoing signal will be cut. If something goes wrong, we won’t be able to contact the other Noxcra operatives outside. So stay sharp and avoid unnecessary risks."

He looked at each of them in turn. "Remember the plan. Once we’re inside, Jay and Li Xin will search for the deactivation code. Samuel and I will focus on gathering intel about the Aetherion Spear."

"Understood," Samuel replied, steady and ready.

Jay lifted his wrist-com, a sleek device resembling a digital watch, its surface pulsing faintly with embedded micro-circuits. "Luckily, this still works," he said. "It uses an internal short-range channel, with low-frequency, point-to-point transmission that doesn’t rely on external networks. The range is limited, but it should be enough to keep the four of us connected inside."

He lowered his wrist, eyes narrowing with purpose. "Alright. Let’s move. Before they realize Igor’s carrying a tracker."

They exchanged final nods and tightened the last straps of their gear. A weighted silence settled over the room, focused, disciplined, the kind that always came before a mission.

Without another word, they moved. In perfect sync, the four of them slipped out of the abandoned building that served as their safehouse and headed straight for the waiting vehicle. Doors shut softly, engines hummed to life, and the car pulled away from the curb.

Within seconds, they were swallowed by the darkness of the back streets, like shadows in motion. Behind them, several Noxcra agents followed in separate vehicles, maintaining a discreet distance.

They wouldn’t enter Blackridge, but they would remain close enough to intervene if the worst happened. The convoy disappeared into the night, headed toward danger with purpose sharpening every breath.

A moment later, they arrived at the place. Blackridge loomed like a steel leviathan in the night, a sprawling construction site dominated by an unfinished tower. ℯ𝓵.

The structure rose sharply from the ground, tall and impossibly slender, shaped like a spear aimed straight into the sky. Even incomplete, its skeletal frame carried an unsettling grace, as if it were never meant to be just a building.

The entire area was sealed behind towering reinforced iron plank walls, tightly lined and welded. They formed a barrier so dense that no ordinary person passing by would be able to see the slightest bit of what was inside. To outsiders, Blackridge resembles a fortress disguised as a construction site.

Container trucks rumbled through the gated entrance at odd hours, even this late at night, massive carriers hauling crates, machinery, or whatever secretive cargo the site demanded under the guise of construction materials.

Watchtowers surrounded the perimeter, each staffed and vigilant. High-powered lamps illuminated the grounds, while sweeping spotlights traced slow, overlapping arcs across the dirt and scaffold. The lights were so bright that darkness barely existed—every shadow burned away, every corner lay bare.

Everything about Blackridge, from its towering iron barricades, its looming watchtowers, and the relentless flow of trucks and personnel, made the place feel less like a construction site and more like a fortified military compound.

"How do we get in?" Samuel muttered, frowning as he watched another truck undergo a thorough inspection. "They even check underneath the damn vehicles."

Clift’s lips curled into a confident smirk. "Please. I see way too many openings here."

Jay mirrored the expression with a grin. "It’s all about speed."

"...and distraction," Zhao Li Xin added casually.

All three of them turned toward him, equally intrigued and skeptical. Zhao Li Xin hardly looked like someone who would resort to sneaking around or stirring up distractions just to infiltrate enemy territory.

No way, he looked more like the kind of man who would swagger through the front gates and kill everyone who dared to stop him.

Li Xin felt their unspoken judgment and lifted a shoulder in an easy shrug. "Well... I did learn a thing or two from Lory."

Jay nodded as if everything suddenly made perfect sense. "Aaah—yeah. That explains a lot."

Samuel and Clift exchanged glances, then nodded as well.

"No offense," Samuel said, "but she really does look like the type who’d do stuff like that."

"Yeah, she is," Clift agreed without hesitation.

_______________________________

’Ha-chooo!’ Lory sneezed, rubbing her nose as she sniffled.

"Mama Lory, are you sick?" Jade asked, eyes wide with worry.

"No, no," Lory said, ruffling Jade’s hair with a proud little lift of her chin. "Your Zhao Papa is probably missing me."

Jade gasped, utterly convinced. "Is that true?"

Lory shrugged with theatrical wisdom. "Of course. What else could it be?" she declared with absolute confidence.