Cryptomining Supervillain

Chapter 235: 235 HIDDEN IN A TANK

235 HIDDEN IN A TANK

"To lure the psychics from Liberty City," Dr. Revive replied.

"They would never come unless they believed a genuine distress signal came from the boy. They trust him. Care about him. So, they walk into the farm to rescue him…"

He raised a finger.

"…and meet an ambush of machines."

Acyros tapped his foot. "All right, then why bring the Quantum Mind here, to Silver City, now? Wouldn't he be safer left in the nightmare machine at the farm?"

Revive shook his head. "The key to the ambush is the androids and the security network. Godfather cannot risk keeping the Quantum Mind anywhere near that machinery….until he's ready. If the boy wakes—even half-conscious—he could seize control of the androids instantly. That would ruin everything and save the psychics."

He pointed toward the cylindrical tank containing Argent.

"That's why the boy is here."

Nymeris shuddered. "Still the fact the boy is here gives me chills…"

"Relax," Dr. Revive said with a smug grin. "Once the psychics die in the farm, we return the Quantum Mind to his prison where he…"

He had barely finished speaking when a voice rolled through the chamber like thunder.

At that moment the wall exploded.

"You don't need to worry about the ambush in the farm…"

The air vibrated.

"…just worry about yourselves."

An entire section of the reinforced wall burst inward…. its concrete exploding like shrapnel. The guards screamed and sirens wailed as the building was choking with ash and flame.

Through the settling dust, a figure walked in, wearing dark armor like a shadow crackling with killing intent.

The meta human clones froze.

"You… Why are you here in Silver City?"

The intruder smiled…a slow, merciless grin.

"To kill you clones again," he replied simply.

Black Halo stepped forward, the floor cracking beneath each footfall.

-----

[some time ago]

Damen arrived in Silver City barely an hour after stepping out of the space rift. The moment he pushed through the doors of the GenSyn building, Kail sprinted toward him.

"Big Brother! Thank goodness you're back…I thought you'd never return from the rift!" Kail wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug.

Damen let out a small chuckle and patted his head.

"I'm back. Relax. There aren't many out there capable of killing me."

Eryn and Liorea hurried over next.

Eryn's relief broke through her usual composure, and she wrapped him in a fierce embrace.

"Finally. You're safe."

Damen nodded with a faint smile. "Safe enough."

Liorea didn't waste time. "What happened to Fortress Myrone?"

Damen's expression darkened."Fortress Myrone… is gone."

He exhaled sharply. "What about the soldiers? I came straight here…I didn't even go see Sienna yet."

After Damen's escape through the rift, there wasn't a second to spare. He had raced across cities to get here first.

Liorea stepped forward. "I did exactly what you told me to. Captain Green and Lieutenant Kalmer… along with a large number of the Myrone soldiers… chose not to defend the space rift. They came to Silver City to follow you. I've already placed them in our security division in the meantime."

"Green and Kalmer…" Damen nodded. "Good. Very good."

But before he could continue, Kail cut in urgently.

"Big Brother…there's more. Something happened in Liberty City while you were gone. That silver-haired boy…" He swallowed. "…Argent was kidnapped."

Damen froze."Argent? Kidnapped? That shouldn't even be possible. His Quantum Mind may be stronger than even you…"

Liorea stepped forward to explain. "When Sienna and Erythos went to Fortress Myrone to save the soldiers, a group of psychics with face-changing abilities infiltrated the Palace of Revolution. They tricked the boy into going with them."

"What? How could he fall for such a simple trick?" Damen's voice rose.

"We can't blame him," Liorea said softly. "Those face changers were incredibly powerful and convincing. They fooled the entire palace. Only if Sienna had been there, it wouldn't have happened."

Damen hesitated… then nodded slowly."Sienna saved many of us in Fortress Myrone. Without her, most of the Myrone soldiers would have died inside that fortress."

"Yes," Liorea said quietly. "And in helping us, she lost Argent."

Kail stepped forward quickly. "But don't worry, Big Brother—I've already helped Sienna locate Argent. He's being held on a farm outside the city. They are going there to rescue him as we speak."

Suddenly, Damen stopped mid-stride.

A thought struck him…sharp, cold, and wrong.

He turned slowly toward Kail."Are you absolutely sure Argent is being held in a farm outside the city?"

Kail nodded without hesitation."Yes. That's what Argent's own SOS message said. The signal came straight from him."

Damen's eyes narrowed."No… that's impossible."

Damen accessed his mining app. Argent was on his favorite list, but he could be located…. He was somewhere within his app's tracking range…not far out in the wilderness.

Liorea frowned. "Boss? What are you saying?"

He exhaled, his jaw tightening."Argent is still in Silver City."

The room fell silent.

Kail blinked. "But—his message—"

Eryn's face paled. "Then Sienna and her siblings…"

"…are being led into an ambush," Damen finished.

-----

[Atheris Corporation Headquarter]

"Black Halo again? Guards…. guards, arrest him!" Dr. Revive shrieked.

Black Halo stood unmoving, expression almost bored as a squad of armed guards charged in. A moment later—

FWOOM.

A sweeping plasma beam tore across the hall. The guards vanished… they were all reduced to drifting ash before they even hit the floor.

Thrynn stepped back, trembling. "Y–you… how did you become so strong?"

He didn't even see Black Halo move.

One heartbeat he was staring at him… The next, Black Halo's hand was wrapped around his throat.

When Damen fought Thrynn's earlier clone, he had been swift and dangerous.But now Black Halo was so fasthe couldn't even react.

"Stop! Stop this at once!" Dr. Revive yelled.

"Snap," Black Halo said casually.

He twisted Thrynn's neck, killing him instantly. A Rank B meta human…was now nothing but a broken puppet on the floor.

Nymeris lunged, her lightning whips crackling like living serpents.

Black Halo didn't flinch.

Electricity washed over him harmlessly—his body shrugged it off like water. He was resistant to electricity.

Orya summoned dozens of serpentine constructs forged of pure light, launching them forward in a coordinated strike.

Black Halo raised one hand.

A thin lance of electricity shot out, slicing through the summons…. and through Orya and Nymeris in the same breath.

Both disintegrated in blinding light.

"No…no! Do you know how long it took me to rebuild them?!" Dr. Revive wailed. "Those were my newest clones! You're destroying my life's work!"

Black Halo stepped toward him slowly.

"That's because," he said, "you're all terrible people. You do not deserve to exist."

He turned toward the cylindrical tank containing the captive Quantum Mind.

But the air suddenly thickened… becoming crushing, and suffocating.The battle wasn't over yet.

It was Acyros.