Chapter 1624: A Dying Man Cried

Once Fredhardt left, Lory turned her gaze back to the wall of monitors. "Put the perpetrator’s profile on Monitor Two."

Lory pushed her wheelchair beside Lucas as the technicians hurried to obey her orders. Their fingers flew quickly over the keyboard. Within seconds, the man’s profile appeared on the second screen. Then she studied the information carefully. "I see... so he went on a business trip two weeks ago," Lory muttered. "I wonder where..."

An officer quickly opened the travel log. Airline tickets, event registrations, hotel reservations, and hospital documents filled the screen.

Lory’s eyes narrowed, and she sneered, "He went to the Arwegian Nation. Veregio City, what a coincidence." It was the same place she had previously visited with Zhao Li Xin to uncover Anchora’s plans.

Lucas took a closer look and examined the log himself. "He attended an event organized by Anchora." His expression hardened. "And two days later, he was suddenly hospitalized after falling ill."

Her eyes shifted to the bottom of the report. "While there, he received a vaccine." Lory immediately noticed that detail. "Identify the vaccine. I want to know its origin, manufacturer, and distribution records."

The atmosphere in the command room grew tense. Everyone understood the implications. The sound of keyboards tapping could be heard as analysts worked at full speed. The only sounds in the room were the rapid tapping of keys and the occasional exchange of technical information.

Ten minutes later, one of the officers raised his hand. "I found it."

Every eye turned toward him. "The vaccine was produced by Orsus Pharmaceuticals. It’s called Novagen."

"Is that the same drug they’re injecting to boost immunity against the strange disease that’s been popping up lately on Gifted people?" Lucas crossed his arms. "What else does Novagen do?"

The officer swallowed hard before answering. "According to official documents, it’s a newly developed vaccine designed to combat a newly emerging disease caused by a strain of the virus caused by Bael."

A faint scoff came from someone in the room. No one believed it. They knew it was just bogus medical explanations used to justify giving the vaccine to unsuspecting people.

Lory glanced at Lucas. "Do you think he was intentionally fed food grown from Anchora’s new seeds during that incident? And when he got sick," he continued, "Orsus administered Novagen."

The room fell silent, and Lory concluded that it made sense. Meanwhile, Lucas stared at the vaccine report for a few moments before speaking.

"I have a better guess." Lucas’s voice sounded low and somber in the room. "They plan this to mess with us"

The clatter of keyboards gradually died away. Several officers looked up from their stations, their attention immediately drawn to him.

Lucas’s expression turned grim as he stared intently at the monitor and tapped the medical report displayed on the screen. "We all suspect the drug was planted by MADD?"

"Yes, but we have no concrete evidence," Lory’s expression deepened. They had indeed been suspicious when they heard that the disease only infected gifted people and that they were given some kind of injection that supposedly boosted their immunity to fight this new disease.

Lucas continued, "I’m sure they’re deliberately targeting the citizens of Harland." His gaze fell on the photo of the perpetrator.

"Is this a challenge to us?" The anger on Lory’s face was clear.

"Not only that," Lucas leaned back in his chair, his demeanor calm, but his expression filled with anger, "This is also a demonstration."

"What demonstration? How strong are they?" Lory frowned.

Lucas replied in a calm yet cold tone. "That the King’s Barrier will no longer be enough to stop them from destroying our kingdom."

Everyone in the room fell silent. The King’s Barrier was a divine protection granted by Lucient, a shield that had protected the kingdom from external threats for generations. Yet somehow, the enemy had found a way to breach that seemingly impregnable defense, not by attacking from the outside, but by using the kingdom’s own people.

It was a cunning, yet brilliant plan. From now on, they could no longer focus solely on threats outside their borders. Now they also had to be wary of the growing danger within themselves.

Lory clenched her fists, her face filled with determination and Unwavering determination.

"Ha, in their dreams, Harland is not only protected by the King’s Barrier, but also by its people, the King’s Men, the Archknights, and us. We survived the Nazareth attack, and we will definitely survive this."

The tension in Lucas’s expression eased significantly. He looked at Lory, the similar purple eyes lock at each other.

"You’re right, sister. We will protect this kingdom together."

A smile spread across his face. "As always."

____________________________________

Suddenly, on the empty, ruined road, a silver sedan came to a smooth stop at the edge of the damaged road. A second later, its engine fell silent amidst the distant rumble of crumbling concrete and the echoes of battle that echoed throughout the district.

Later on, the driver’s door opened, and a man with dark brown hair and a neat haircut stepped out of the car with ease. Fredhardt glanced at the surrounding wreckage, his brow furrowed as he calculated the damage he would need to repair later, and how much it would cost.

Fredhardt took a deep breath, stifling his annoyance, then continued walking, unfazed by the destruction around him. He was dressed appropriately for the occasion.

His dark blue tactical suit fit his lean frame, neatly enough to look formal at first glance, but reinforced where it mattered. A small silver Lucient emblem was pinned to his chest, reflecting the afternoon light with every movement.

He calmly adjusted the cuff of one glove before tucking it back into place. He didn’t even glance at the smoke billowing above the buildings. He didn’t even bother quickening his pace. The sounds of Leon’s battle echoed through the streets: explosions, shattered stone, bursts of mana powerful enough to shake nearby windows.

Fredhardt remained calm. His hands were casually in his pockets as he walked along the cracked sidewalk, weaving between abandoned vehicles and scattered debris with the ease of a nighttime stroll. There was no rush in his steps, no tension in his posture as he approached a battlefield capable of killing any ordinary man in an instant.

If anything, he seemed only slightly disturbed and somewhat impatient.

Without warning, a piece of concrete fell onto the road a few meters in front of him. Fredhardt slightly altered his path and continued forward without slowing down.

He brushed back a few stray strands of hair, then his gaze finally fell on the towering cloud of dust where Leon and his opponent were still exchanging devastating blows.

"Still fighting, huh?" he muttered to himself as he checked the time on his watch.

With a single stomp, he entered the fray. Like a bullet, he delivered a heavy blow to the assailant, sending him flying like a broken kite. The impact threw him into the truck’s container, and the truck exploded in flames.

Leon stared in shock before snapping at Fredhardt.

"What are you doing here? You’re ruining my fun!" he shouted angrily.

"You’re taking too long, old man," Fredhardt taunted.

"What?" Leon was about to lose his temper again, but Fredhardt interrupted him.

"The higher-ups want this man alive," he said curtly.

Leon fell silent at those words. No one was higher in rank than the Archknights except the King and Princess of Lorient. That meant Fredhardt had received a direct order, one that Leon was also obligated to obey.

Leon swung his sword into a ready position before solemnly declaring, "Alright, let’s get this guy...alive"

Suddenly, the burning truck hurled toward them. Leon lunged forward and sliced ??the vehicle in half with a single slash, while Fredhardt remained standing stoically. He casually waved his hand in front of his face.

"Ugh, the smoke. I need a shower after this."

From the burning wreckage, a man emerged. His body seemed to swell, veins bulging out of his skin as if they were about to explode. Fredhardt tilted his head, though his view was partially obscured by Leon’s bulk.

"Do you know how we’re supposed to bring that ’thing’ in alive?" Leon asked, not taking his eyes off his opponent.

"I have an idea."

Fredhardt shot forward, with two daggers already in hand. He slashed swiftly at the man’s arms, legs, and torso. The man fell to his knees, but his expression showed no sign of pain.

Clicking his tongue, Fredhardt kicked the man in the chest, sending him skidding backward onto the pavement and leaving a long scratch in the concrete. But Fredhardt wasn’t done yet. He leaped forward and kicked the man in the throat, pinning him to the ground.

"Go to sleep," he hissed.

The man struggled violently beneath him. In response, Fredhardt plunged both daggers through the man’s palms and pinned them to the pavement.

"Sleep," he repeated.

Fredhardt’s blue irises widened as he locked eyes with the man. But the man continued to resist. A low growl escaped his throat, more like a beast than a human.

Fredhardt’s expression remained calm. "If you want to live, follow my voice. Sleep." He increased his mind control over the man.

However, it didn’t work as he had hoped. The man seemed to have completely lost his mind. He continued to struggle, ignoring the wounds on his hands that were opening wider from the knife.

Fredhardt was beginning to think the man was hopeless when he noticed something in his eyes—fear, pain, and unwillingness.

Then, barely audible, the man whispered, "H-help... me..." The veins in his face and neck suddenly bulged, swelling horribly.

Fredhardt’s eyes widened. He immediately jump then took a backflip. At the same time, the man’s head exploded. Blood and flesh splattered across the street, creating a horrific scene.

Fredhardt landed smoothly a few meters away, but the usual calmness on his face had vanished. His expression tensed with grim realization.

"He blew his own head off?" Leon asked in disbelief.

Fredhardt took a slow breath. "No."

His gaze swept across the surrounding buildings and rooftops, searching for something, or someone. "It’s not him; he was controlled by someone."

Fredhardt’s gaze swept across the surrounding buildings before he looked up at the sky. Far beyond the drifting clouds, he could see a faint red flash hovering in the sky beyond the King’s barrier.

Fredhardt’s expression immediately filled with rage. With a swift movement, he pulled one of the daggers from the dead man’s hand, then with a sharp flick of his wrist, he threw it skyward. The dagger sliced ??through the air with deadly precision.

A second later, there was a loud ’BOOM!’

A fireball soared through the clouds as the drone exploded in a shower of sparks and twisted metal. Its debris fell in burning shards before disappearing behind the rooftops of distant houses.

Leon followed the trajectory of the throw and looked up. Only then did he realize what Fredhardt had seen. "Someone’s enjoying this show." His eyes narrowed. "What do you think, Luxemborough? Or the S.A.I.N.T. Organization?"

"Does it matter? Maybe both." Fredhardt’s gaze lingered on the fading smoke in the sky for a moment. Then he turned and began walking away from the battlefield.

"Cleaning up this mess," he said.

"And where are you going?" Leon complained, throwing his hands in the air.

"Report the failure!" Fredhardt answered without even bothering to look back.

Leon watched his retreating figure and sighed. Even without seeing his face, he could tell just how furious Fredhardt was. The man was many things, but a gracious loser was not one of them. Just like his father, failure was something Fredhardt neither tolerated nor accepted easily. Leon almost felt sorry for whoever was responsible for this mess.

Almost.

"...It’s gonna get ugly," Leon muttered.

With a heavy sigh, he turned to survey the destruction around him.

The street looked like a mini-battlefield. Cracked pavement stretched for dozens of meters, several buildings had sustained additional damage, and the remains of trucks were still burning. Debris littered the area, while curious civilians and emergency responders had begun to gather around the perimeter.

Leon rubbed his forehead.

"Yeah, this is definitely going to be a long day."

Meanwhile, Fredhardt headed to his car. He opened the driver’s door, got into the seat, and started the engine. Moments later, the vehicle sped away, leaving the debris, the cleanup, and Leon behind.