Cryptomining Supervillain

Chapter 238: 238 CAPTURING OF HERMES

238 CAPTURING OF HERMES

[Back to GenSyn building some time ago- before Black Halo rescued Argent]

"Big Brother… what do we do now?" Kail asked, his voice tight with worry. "Should we go save Argent first…or help Sienna?"

Time was running out.

Sienna was already on her way to the farm outside the city to rescue Argent… but the trap would have sprung before they could intervene.

There was no reaching her in time.

Yet Argent was also in danger…he was held inside Silver City, within the Atheris building. The longer he stayed there, the more perilous his situation became.

Damen weighed the options, then spoke with certainty.

"Sienna always prepares a backup plan. Even if the farm was a trap, she won't go down easily. She's not someone to underestimate."

He exhaled. "I should rescue Argent first."

Kail stepped forward. "Is there anything I can do? If the problem is machines, I can stop an entire army of them. If Sienna's afraid of mechas, I can handle them myself."

Damen studied him.

Kail was strong…strong enough to change the tide. But that wasn't the issue.It wasn't necessary…. Sienna would have a way to get out of trouble.

The bigger problem was elsewhere.

"Kail," Damen said finally, "if you really want to help… go to Liberty City with Captain Green."

Liorea frowned. "Boss, why send Kail to Liberty City? Shouldn't he go to the farm and break the trap instead?"

"It's already too late for him to reach Sienna in the farm…. Even if he reaches there the fight would be over," Damen replied. "But he can meet her on the way back… and more importantly, she'll need him in Liberty City when she gets back."

"Why?" Kail asked. "What's waiting for me there?"

Damen hesitated, then explained, "Whoever set this trap up in the farm isn't just targeting Sienna. They're aiming for something bigger… I believe …maybe… it's a prelude to the invasion of Liberty City… they'll need a Quantum Mind to help them."

Kail's eyes widened. "Why…how do you know that, Big Brother?"

"It's the only logical conclusion," Damen said. "If Sienna and her psychic team are wiped out, Liberty City becomes defenseless. Before the Alliance of Psyche can send reinforcements… and knowing that they have captured Argent… this would be the perfect moment for the major families to seize the city."

"The conclusion is more prophetic than logical", Liorea smirked with disbelief.

"It's better to be safe than to be sorry later if my instinct proves correct… besides if nothing happens, Kail could consider it a holiday back to Liberty City", Damen added.

Kail straightened, his resolve hardening. "Alright. We'll go now."

"I'll go with you", Liorea said.

"Take the train," Damen instructed. "It's safer. Captain Green and his soldiers will escort you."

Kail nodded…and the decision was made.

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[Liberty Train Station]

Sienna and her exhausted team finally reached Liberty Train Station…only to freeze in surprise.

"Kail!!" Sienna exclaimed. "Why are you here?"

Kail waved. "Big Brother told me to wait for you here… and honestly, if I hadn't come, you'd all be flattened under Project Hermes' fist."

Gamboge blinked. "Wait…you stopped that mecha from killing us? How?"

Kail grinned. "Trade secret."

But Sienna wasn't amused.

She stepped closer, her tone was sharp.

"That's impossible. Project Hermes was built specifically to counter Quantum Mind hackers. Its body has a thick anti-psychic coating that prevented hacking from outside…," she said and added,

"…. and if that fails, they have redundant manual mechanisms in case their mech is taken over. How could you stop it?"

Kail sighed, then gave in. "Alright, alright. If you really want to know… I'll explain."

He pointed toward the towering mecha outside.

"I visited the repair bay in Melrose City when Hermes was undergoing maintenance. For fun, I slipped my own backdoor codes into its programs. So, the moment I activate them… I can seize control of the entire mecha," he shrugged.

Isabelline frowned. "Are you serious? The Veyran facility is top secret…. How did you sneak inside?"

Kail chuckled. "It wasn't easy I'll admit… I had to provide a complete set of references to convince them."

The group stared at him in doubt and also awe.

As if responding to his words, a thunderous crash echoed outside.Project Hermes suddenly dropped to one knee, its arms spreading helplessly as though in surrender.

Mortuum blinked. "What are you doing to Project Hermes?"

"Instead of asking questions," Kail said, pointing urgently, "you should send people to capture it. There are still pilots and engineers inside. And if they figure out my hidden codes, ….. I won't be able to control it anymore."

Mortuum smiled in his eerie, confident way. "Fine. I'll handle those inside. As long as they have a mind… I can paralyze them."

He strode out of the station, extending his power into the massive machine. One by one, every operator, engineer, and crew member inside Hermes collapsed, as they were paralyzed instantly.

Revolutionary soldiers rushed forward, pried the cockpit open, and stormed inside.

In a single stroke… they had stolen the Veyrans' greatest weapon…. Project Hermes.

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[The secret orchard outside Silver City]

The old man calmly pruned a meticulously crafted bonsai when two men burst into his garden.

They immediately dropped to their knees, their heads bowed so low they nearly touched the stones.

"What is it this time?" Godfather asked, not looking up.

"Godfather... our plans have failed," Exoren Atheris said shakily. "Please punish us for our incompetence."

Godfather clipped another branch with delicate precision. "Failed? How?"

Dr. Revive spoke first, his voice tense. "We failed to arrest the agents from the Alliance of Psyche at the secret farm. They must have learned about our plot and escaped back to Liberty City. We sent Project Hermes after them, but even the mecha was stopped….and stolen."

"Stolen?" Godfather asked, his calm voice cutting through the air.

Dr. Revive wiped sweat from his forehead. "I've checked all the data, and there's only one explanation: a quantum mind was involved."

"A Quantum Mind?" Godfather's gaze finally lifted, and he fixed Exoren with a sharp look. "Didn't you hold him somewhere safe?"

Exoren swallowed, wiping sweat from his brow. "That's our second failure... Black Halo rescued Ethan Lace, the Quantum Mind, during his transfer to our headquarters."

Godfather's hand paused mid-air.

Then his voice hardened. "You were supposed to keep him safe. How could you lose someone that important?"

Dr. Revive quickly added, "We... we don't know how Black Halo found out. He somehow discovered the Quantum Mind was in our HQ. I double-checked... there was no leak, no trace he couldn't've..."

Exoren hesitated before asking, "Godfather, what about the Quantum Mind?"

Godfather didn't answer immediately.

Dr. Revive spoke again, voice laced with disbelief. "This is not right. Ethan Lace was still in our custody when the Quantum who stopped Project Hermes in Liberty City appeared. How is that possible?"

"How can Ethan Lace appear in both places so far apart at the same time?"

Godfather's eyes narrowed as the realization dawned. "There could be two Quantum Minds we're dealing with now? What are the odds?"

Exoren, cautious, ventured, "What should we do about Ethan Lace... and Black Halo?"

"Black Halo?" Godfather turned slightly, one eyebrow raised. "Isn't he that supervillain who decided to play hero in Melrose City?"

"Y... yes," Exoren answered, unsure.

Godfather snorted, shaking his head. "Seems we'll have to turn him back into a supervillain then."

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