Cryptomining Supervillain

Chapter 239: 239ERYN IS MISSING?

239ERYN IS MISSING?

[After Black Halo dropped Argent in GenSyn building]

Argent stepped into an elevator. It descended past the authorized floors, sinking all the way to the lowest basement level. When it stopped, Argent didn't touch the controls. He merely glanced at the panel.

The elevator shuddered—and moved again.

When the doors finally opened, Argent stood within the building's secret basement.

With practiced familiarity, he made his way toward Kail's hidden chamber. Normally, no one was permitted inside when Kail was absent.

Not Liorea. Not even Damen.

Without Kail's explicit approval, the room was forbidden.

Argent entered anyway.

He sat in the central chair, overlooking hundreds of holoscreens streaming live footage from across the facility—and from key locations throughout the city.

"So, this was the boy's control room", he murmured.

Argent smirked, silently passing judgment on the work of a fellow mastermind.

Then, from empty air, he produced a cylindrical stone.

The Pietre Core.

"What is your secret?" Argent murmured.

The Core began to spin on its own, lifting into the air. Argent's gaze locked onto it. The rotation was mesmerizing…it was music…. and it was hypnotic.

Time slipped away unnoticed.

Hours passed.

When Argent finally blinked, a faint blue glow flashed across his irises. He turned his attention to one of the holoscreens and magnified the image.

A girl filled the display.

She was Eryn Veyran.

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[Liberty Station]

Damen reached Liberty Station via the fastest express route available.

The moment he stepped onto the platform, he felt it—the aftermath of battle.

The station was in chaos. Sections of the roof and the defensive shields surrounding the structure were visibly damaged, their scars still smoking faintly.

He looked out through the shattered glass panels and froze.

An enormous mecha was being dismantled piece by piece, its massive components hauled deeper into the city by heavy transports.

It was Project Hermes.

"How the hell did Project Hermes end up here?" Damen murmured.

A voice answered from behind him. "I don't know what this Valtor Veyran is thinking. Isn't he supposed to be our partner?"

Damen turned.

Liorea stood there, arms crossed, her expression tense.

Relief washed over him and he pulled her into a brief, tight hug.

As he stepped back, he spotted Kail a short distance behind her.

"Thank goodness you're both safe," Damen said.

"We're lucky this wasn't a full-scale assault on Liberty City," Liorea replied. "Otherwise, this place wouldn't be standing—let alone peaceful."

Damen pointed at the broken Hermes.

"That pile of scrap outside?" Kail said as he walked over, grinning. "It was easy job."

He wrapped Damen in a quick embrace. Damen pulled back, eyeing him with disbelief.

"You managed to control Project Hermes?" Damen asked.

Kail only smiled and nodded.

Damen didn't press for details. What mattered wasn't how it happened—but that his friends were alive.

"Did you manage to rescue Argent?"

The question came from Sienna, who approached from across the platform.

Damen nodded. "He's recovering at GenSyn for now. Moving him through the rail system isn't an option… he's wanted all over Silver City…. You may recover him later."

Sienna smiled, relieved. "As long as he's healthy. We'll find a way to bring him back."

Before Damen could reply, a woman in a military uniform approached them.

"The convoy is ready," General Bierra announced.

Sienna glanced at the group. "Everyone's here. Let's move."

They followed the general without delay, boarding the convoy as it prepared to depart for the Palace of Revolution.

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[Two weeks later in a secret facility in Liberty City]

"If this mecha were fully operational, it would easily rival a Rank AAA," Kalmer said as he observed the reconstruction of Project Hermes. "If only Fortress Myrone had access to parts to build technology like this…. Lord Nicaesa wouldn't be so stressed."

"This isn't just any mecha," Damen added. "It is designed to resist anti-meta abilitiesand even Quantum Mind attacks….it's one of a kind."

Kalmer nodded thoughtfully. "Who would've guessed that reverting to old-school mechanical engineering would produce the most resilient mecha ever built?"

Kalmer came to Liberty City with Damen after he revived Argent.

In the aftermath, he'd risen to become the city's chief scientist, now responsible for developing its next generation of defensive technology… he needed to come back to his research.

"the repair isn't going to be easy… not many scientists knows how to operate the complex mechanisms in the machine…. And the parts are impossible to source", Green said.

A voice called out from a distance. "That won't be a problem anymore."

Liorea approached them, her stride confident.

"Liorea….how did it go?" Damen asked.

"I secured enough components to repair the Hermes mecha, plus surplus for a whole year's maintenance," she said calmly.

Kalmer blinked in disbelief. "That should've taken months. Coordinating vendors for these rare parts alone would've been impossible in such a short time."

"We prepared long ago," Liorea replied. "When Valtor Veyran approached us to help fund their project, we secretly copied the designs and commissioned key components through hidden channels. I simply returned to Silver City to retrieve them."

Liorea planned to steal Hermes' design and build it themselves. But fortune has shone on them… now they have the real machine for themselves.

She lifted a hand.

Crates materialized in neat rows, each packed with Hermes construction parts.

"This is incredible," Kalmer said, practically beaming. "I'll begin the repairimmediately."

As Kalmer hurried off, Damen turned to Liorea. "How are things at GenSyn?"

Her expression darkened. "It's empty. Argent wasn't there. He's probably gone into hiding."

Damen paused, then nodded. "That's expected. Argent wouldn't fully trust our protection. If he left GenSyn, it means he believes he can survive on his own in the city."

Liorea hesitated. "I didn't see Eryn either. I tried contacting her, but there was no response. I was on a tight schedule—I couldn't stay to wait for her."

"I didn't contact her for weeks. The lines are not safe for inter-city communication even with Kail's encryption", Damen noted with a tinge of worry.

Damen considers it.

"Should we send someone back to Liberty City to check on her?" Liorea asked.

"We should", Damen replied.

There were many people looking for Eryn- the Veyran and Nuralith…. her disappearance should ring bells…

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