Ethan paced the length of his private balcony, his jaw set in a tight line. He was frustrated. His Lux Point reserves were practically non-existent—every single credit had been drained to pay off the wave of mercenaries who had flooded Royal HQ with the severed heads of Celestial and Scavenger generals. According to the internal ledgers, only the two Ancestors remained at large. They had vanished from the face of the earth.

"Any luck, Crul?" Ethan asked, his voice low.

[ I have exhausted satellite surveillance, Master, ] Crul replied, her holographic form flickering with data streams. [ They are avoiding all technological hubs. I suspect they are hiding in deep subterranean caves or dense, unmapped forests. To locate them, I require more ground nodes to penetrate the earth’s crust. ] 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Under Crul’s direction, Ethan’s engineering teams had been burying nodes deep underground. These devices acted as seismic radars and signal repeaters, allowing Crul to see through solid rock and soil without needing a single electronic device nearby. Within the borders of Massachusetts, Ethan was truly omniscient. There was no corner of a building, no basement, and no hidden bunker that escaped Crul’s gaze.

Crul’s daily reports were chillingly precise. She knew who was sleeping with whom, who was drinking in secret, who was watching a soccer match, and—more importantly—who was whispering a single word of dissent against Ethan. Thousands of spies had already been caught. The Union had eventually stopped sending them altogether; after a "pleasant conversation"—the Royal euphemism for brutal torture—the spies were returned to their handlers in suitcase-sized crates containing the heads of every agent who had arrived in that batch. It was a message of absolute power.

It was exactly why the Deacon was meticulously setting his trap outside the East Coast perimeter. He didn’t know the exact range of Ethan’s influence, and he feared being detected before the "Void-Siphon" was ready.

"What are our options then?" Ethan asked.

[ To forcefully expand the network globally, we would have to annihilate every major faction on Earth and seize their resources, ] Crul stated flatly. [ However, that is currently unthinkable. A single Ancestor nearly buried your entire vanguard. If the world’s Ancestors united against us, Royal would be eradicated. ]

Ethan sighed, rubbing his temples. "Status on the supply lines?"

[[ Acquisitions are stable, ]] Crul reported. [[ We are receiving steady shipments of rare earth minerals from China and Southeast Asia to rebuild our automated ground fleet. This time, I am prioritizing heavy-attack drones over transport units. Additionally, our mining operations in Southern Africa are showing high yields for heavy metals. We have deployed Royal personnel to oversee extraction. Every worker is equipped with body cams and localized explosives; any attempt at an ambush or technology theft will result in immediate detonation to eliminate the threat. ]]

"Good. Keep the pressure on," Ethan said. "And the Worm Nectar?"

[[ The Queen has established a new nest, ]] Crul replied. [[ We are installing a pipeline system for extraction. Currently, she can produce 500 liters per day—enough for fifty new super-soldiers. However, her metabolic requirements are massive. While she is currently satiated from the ’Scavenger’ corpses we fed her, maintaining this production level will require a massive increase in high-energy nutrients, such as other spirit beasts or the corpses of high-level cultivators. ]]

Ethan looked out over the city, his eyes cold. "If she needs cultivators to feed his army, I’ll make sure she never goes hungry. The world is full of people trying to kill me. Let them be useful for once."

Ethan was interrupted by a notification on his retinal display. Congressman Thompson was requesting an urgent meeting at the HQ gates.

"Let him in," Ethan commanded Crul. "Have him wait in the executive boardroom. I’ll be there shortly."

As he stepped off the balcony to head downstairs, his personal phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen and a shameless, predatory grin spread across his face. It was Helen. He had purposely loosened the tension on the fishing line lately, giving the little fish of safety some room to swim, but he knew she was still firmly hooked to his rod.

Ethan answered, instantly putting on a performance. He made a series of muffled noises, as if stepping away from a high-stakes meeting. "Yes, excuse me... I’ll be back in a moment. Please, continue with the briefing," he said into the empty air of the hallway, stifling a chuckle at his own acting.

On the other end of the line, Helen’s heart hammered against her ribs. She felt a rush of heat knowing that this powerful man, despite being in an important meeting, had stepped away just to hear her voice.

"Yes? Hello?" Ethan said, his voice dropping into a warm, intimate tone.

"Hi, Etienne... I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were in a meeting," Helen stammered, her voice soft and apologetic.

"Don’t worry about it," Ethan replied smoothly. "I always have time for you. It was just a minor meeting of no real importance."

"I... I hate to bother you again. I feel like I’m always asking for help, but I didn’t know who else to turn to."

Ethan’s voice took on a protective edge. "Anything involving you is important to me, Helen. Tell me what’s on your mind. If it’s within my power, I’ll take care of it."

"It’s just that... well, the money you gave us was so much, and we are so grateful, but we feel this enormous debt," she explained. "My son has been looking for work, but because of what happened with the police and the arrest record, no one will hire him. I was wondering if... if you could talk to your friends and maybe get him a job within your company?"

Ethan paused, a playful glint in his eyes. "Do you know where I work?"

"I do now," she said quietly. "Since you left, the neighbors look at us with fear. After asking around, I found out you’re with Royal. Now I understand why you said getting my son out of jail was so easy."

Ethan smiled. "I have no problem giving your son a job. Consider it done. Let me make a few calls. For small things like this, you can always call me. I’m happy to help."

"I’m so embarrassed..." Helen whispered. "I feel like I owe you more and more every time we speak."

Ethan leaned against the wall, his voice lowering until it was a suggestive purr. "If you feel that indebted to me... how about you send me a photo of yourself? I’ve been missing you lately."