Published at 2nd of September 2019 10:21 am

Volume 3 Chapter 9

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translator: Aoi, LilsxD

Proofreader: Arc, Catchkatch, Wryn

Yue Baylian indolently lay on the chaise, holding on to the television remote as he channel surfed.

“The global economic situation looks pretty normal. It seems like your fabled secretary Kyle really is competent. He could actually stabilise the situation even though the both of us are missing.”

Devon Solaris sat on another chair, leaning against the backrest in a relaxed position. A cup of his favourite black coffee sat on a coffee table at his side. Besides the shackles restraining his feet, the scene looked extremely normal. It was as if two friends were sitting in the lounge drinking tea and watching TV as they chatted.

“Of course,” he coldly replied. “How could I have chosen a second-rate secretary?”

“Uh huh! Maybe it would be alright even if you didn’t return?” A tinge of malice crept into the corner of Yue’s eye. “Since it seems as long as Kyle is there, it doesn’t matter whether the Solaris Emperor exists.”

Devon ignored him, despite the provocation. He proceeded to peruse a book laying nearby.

Seeing this, Yue’s flirtatious smile suddenly went wild as he snatched and threw the book across the room. “You’re not allowed to ignore me, Dev! You know what the consequences are!” he shouted.

Devon’s expression changed as the thought of the consequences made his heart ache. Dar…

“Okay! What do you want to say?”

Yue revealed a victorious smile and went back to reclining on his chaise.

“Why do you trust Kyle so much?” he asked curiously. “Aren’t you afraid that he will take this chance to betray you? For all you know, he might have already given up on the search for you.”

Devon snorted. “Because he’s sick.”

Yue’s expression soured suddenly. “It seems like the Solaris Emperor is not even willing to tell me a story!” he said, his voice cold.

Devon rolled his eyes. Annoyed, he replied, “I mean Bill has an extremely rare genetic disease.”

“Oh?” Yue was momentarily stunned. He had not thought that was what Devon meant. He thought it was an excuse Devon invented to blow him off. He could not help but ask more. “Even if he has an illness, what does that have to do with his loyalty to you?”

“Every day he has to take medication to manage his illness. If he were to not take the medication his body would gradually calcify. Within a year, his body would be completely calcified, like a living statue. It is impossible for him to remain alive with that degree of calcification. In the final three months, when his organs begin to calcify, he will die.”

Yue frowned unconsciously upon hearing about this fearful disease.

“Only I have the medicine he requires. Every six months, I give him half a year’s worth of medication,” Devon continued impassively.

“You’re threatening him. If he doesn’t stay your loyal secretarial dog, you won’t give him medication?” Yue chuckled. “You’re so ruthless, Dev!”

Devon harrumphed. “He has no right to complain. Just the research and development for the medication cost me billions. Even if he were to be a secretary for ten lifetimes he still wouldn’t be able to repay me!”

“You put it that way, but it’s not like you only invested in the medication for his sake, right?” Yue smiled. “If you were to put that kind of medicine on the market, how could you not recover the billions?”

“It’s impossible to put it on the market,” Devon said coldly. “This genetic disease is extremely rare. There are less than three incidences a year. In addition, the shelf life of this medication is a short six months. Coupled with an extremely complex manufacturing process, and ingredients that are difficult to source, the production costs of six months worth of medication is already around ten million. How many sufferers of this disease do you think could afford medication fees of twenty million per year? Therefore, even if I didn’t monopolise the manufacturing of this medication, Bill couldn’t possibly afford it.”

Yue did not know whether to laugh or cry. “So that’s how it is. He is a secretary with a base value of billions, with an inflation rate of twenty million each year?”

Devon corrected him with a serious tone. “It’s thirty million per year; I give him a salary as well.”

“You’re making me jealous! Back then, you didn’t care about me nearly as much, even when you still saw me as Yuer!” A puzzled yet slightly suspicious look passed over Yue’s face. “Why are you willing to invest billions on a secretary? I’m really curious, Dev,” he asked.

Even though he was being forced into this conversation, Devon could not help but reminisce about the past. A bit annoyed, he began narrating.

“He was originally my personal secretary. I interviewed him myself. Initially I thought I had found a highly competent secretary, but then, afterwards, I realised that he was an agent sent by my father, from the very beginning. He even lied about his name being Bill.”

So you know his name isn’t Bill... Yue could not help but raise his eyebrows. He was rather surprised by this discovery.

“Maybe it was divine punishment. One day, he suddenly fell ill. As a swan song, he confessed that he had been sent by my father.”

Devon grew silent. Not only Avery, but even Kyle had once been a traitor. He forgave Kyle back then because he had not yet ascended the throne as the Solaris Emperor and could still make decisions based on his likes and dislikes. Even if he were to make mistakes, his father would take care of it. However, he could no longer do that.

I have already risen to the pinnacle; all the consequences of my decisions must be borne by me. No one has the power to help me fix my mistakes anymore.

Therefore, Dar, Didi! Please understand and forgive me. Gege stands at the apex but I am not my own man. I did not mean to lie to you. I must kill your beloved Papa Avery not because I hate him, but to preserve the order and discipline required for the Solaris Federation’s continued prosperity, and for your protection. Thus, this rule cannot be broken!

“I want to see my brother.” Devon frowned. One thought of Dar and he became so worried that he needed to see him.

Yue raised his eyebrow. “Didn’t you just see him this morning?”

“I want to see him now!” he shouted, furious. “He is my brother; even if I were to see him ten times a day it still wouldn’t be enough.”

Yue rolled his eyes. He could not stop himself from teasing. “Why don’t you ask other people who have siblings: who else needs to see their brother at least ten times a day? They probably wouldn’t even be bothered enough to take a glance.”

Devon was silent. He finally raised his head and looked at Yue. “I’m worried about him,” he beseeched.

“Ah! Only when we’re talking about your brother do you show an expression other than your standard look of superiority and arrogance! Okay, okay, how could I possibly deny you, Dev?”

As Yue was speaking, his fingers inched towards a few particularly messy strands of Devon’s hair. But Devon turned his head to the side and avoided them.

But Yue was not angered as he withdrew his hand. There are still many more chances for things like this. Being too hasty will only make my plans backfire.

“Let’s go see Didi.”

“He’s my didi, not yours!” Devon barked. He hated it when others tried to encroach on his big brother status.

“Yes, yes, yes! To see your little brother, alright?”

Yue laughed coquettishly as he lead the way, while Devon followed behind. The two of them stepped out of the lounge into a corridor suspended in midair like a miniature suspension bridge. Devon stepped onto the bridge and peered below. Under his feet lay dense jungle vegetation. When he looked into the distance, he was completely surrounded by the sea. This place was truly a small island.

Yue had erected lodgings on three hills, connected by suspension bridges. The main residence was in the centre, flanked by one for the modified humans and the other for...

“We’re here, Devon.”

Devon shook himself, and immediately rushed inside the residence.

Dar...

It was as if he had entered an ancient mausoleum. The dome-shaped roof, walls and ceiling were decorated with exquisite frescoes. A gigantic crystal sarcophagus was placed in the centre surrounded by four ‘tomb guards’. The only anomaly was the complex network of high-tech cables and tubing running beneath the sarcophagus.

Devon rushed straight to the transparent crystal sarcophagus, where he could clearly see the person laying within. It was a youth clothed like a young prince. Even his hands were covered with finely embroidered white gloves. His soft, shiny, closely cropped silver hair framed his face. His features were refined and elegant. It was a pity that his eyes were firmly closed, making it impossible to discern the beautiful colour of his eyes.

Although the scene looked dazzling at first glance, a closer look revealed the thick shackles securely binding the neck, waist, wrists, and ankles of the prince to the sarcophagus.

Devon heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that Daren was lying untouched in the sarcophagus, the monitor indicating stable vital signs.

Even though he knew that he could not touch him, he still placed his hand on the lid as he stared at his beloved brother. At that moment, the lines on his face relaxed; there was not a hint of cold-blooded ruthlessness.

Yue greedily drank in the rare gentleness of the Solaris Emperor’s face for a long minute before he was finally willing to speak. “So that powerful Dark Sun is actually this cute. No wonder you dote on him so much.”

Devon snorted, “Of course. Dar is the cutest boy in the world. When he’s sleeping he’s cute, and when he’s laughing he’s even cuter. If he were to open his mouth and call out ‘Gege’ it would be so cute that you could melt.”

Only you would melt away... Yue was between laughter and tears. If anyone were to hear these words, they definitely would not believe that this person was the cold-blooded and ruthless Solaris Emperor!

“Is Dar really all right?” Devon asked with a bit of unease. “When I fainted, wasn’t he seriously injured?”

“You’ve asked a hundred times already! Relax! I have already allowed the modified humans to take care of his injuries before I placed your precious didi in this space hibernation capsule.”

“You shouldn’t have ordered the modified humans to attack him.”

Devon’s face darkened. Every time he thought about Dar getting beaten in front of him, his heart would ache and his limbs would tremble.

Yue already knew how to handle this man’s brother complex by now. He quickly apologised in a gentle tone. “So-rry~! I won’t ever hurt Didi again. Look, haven’t I allowed him to wear these beautiful clothes and sleep in this beautiful place? It suits him well, right?

“We’ll stay here from now on. Your brother won’t ever be hurt again. Isn’t this for the best?”

Dar won’t ever be hurt again... Devon placed his hand on the crystal lid, feeling torn.

Within the enormous office, there were two desks. The large black desk in the center of the room clearly belonged to the boss, but was unoccupied at the moment. The other desk was white and placed perpendicular to the other. This seat was not empty. Kyle was dressed in a crisp suit as he sat perfectly straight, working away with a solemn expression on his face.

Although someone was in the office, only the tap tap tap of extremely fast typing could be heard. The man’s eyes were glued to the computer monitor. There were ten conversation windows and ten document files opened on the screen. It was a mystery how he managed to talk with so many people and handle all those files simultaneously.

In addition, the names of the conversation windows were rather unusual. There was Secretary 1, Secretary 2... All the way to Secretary 10... Kyle was addressed as the Head Secretary.

A minute later, the office that had been filled with only the sounds of typing was suddenly filled with music. It was coming from the small clock on the table. The clock was the shape of a cube and roughly the size of a fist. The surface was polished to a bright sheen, and was carved from a kind of black rock-like mineral.

Time to take some medicine.

Kyle pulled the clock towards him and pressed the ruby ornament on top. The clock opened up with a click, and dozens of green pills came into view. On closer inspection, a portrait on the clock face could be seen. The subject looked around twenty years old, his handsome features and arrogant expression captured vividly. His ruby eyes were even more beautiful than the real ruby ornament.

Kyle unconsciously let his mind wander. Solaris Emperor...

********************

“Here! Take this clock. Inside the device is the medication I spent all my savings on to research and develop. Take one pill every day and it’ll keep you alive. You may have these in exchange for your loyalty. Bill, from now on you are my secretary. You belong to me, not my father. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, Young Master Devon. But my real name is Kyle.”

“What? Who gives a damn? You should feel honoured that I can even remember one of your names, and now you want me to remember a second one? Bill, hurry up and take your medicine!”

“Yes, Sir. Excuse me, but why does it have your portrait inside...?”

“Rubbish. Obviously, it’s to remind you that I am your master.”

“Pfffft... Erhem! Yes, Young Master Devon, you are my master.”

In the blink of an eye eight or nine years have passed since I became Solaris Emperor’s secretary.

The man who once fought against his father relentlessly was now the Solaris Emperor. He had even found the little brother he loved so much. Kyle had thought that from that moment the Solaris Emperor could live a happy life with his brother.

Unfortunately, things are never as simple as they are in fairy tales. Problems had risen up one after another since Young Master Daren had returned. It was as if Daren was doomed from birth to be plagued with calamity.

Kyle stared at the portrait on the medicine case and sighed. "Solaris Emperor, when will you understand? Master Daren will never be an ordinary boy."

He picked up a pill and walked to the other side of the office to pour himself a glass of water. Just as he swallowed the medication, the alert tone for new email went off on his computer. Usually, that was nothing special. He received dozens of emails each day. But this tone was the exact same tone as the alarm of the clock where he stored his medication.

That tone... it only sounded when one specific email account received mail, and only the Solaris Emperor and Master Daren knew the email address for that inbox!

Kyle returned to his desk immediately. He looked at the screen and exclaimed.

“This—this is...”

The name of the sender was actually...

********************

Daren... Eloise placed her head in her hands, staring at the man on the bed. Unable to help herself, she reached out a finger. Poke!

“When are you going to wake up? Don’t you know both Dar and his brother have been captured? And yet you’re still sleeping here without a care in the world! Unbelievable.”

After seeing no reaction from the guy on the bed, Eloise tutted. “You should know, it was because of you that Dar couldn't wait to save his Papa and got himself captured!” she said even more unhappily.

"I really envy you. You're Dar's best friend, you know!" Eloise couldn't help herself and began complaining. "If I were in your situation one day, Dar definitely wouldn't try as hard to save me... I don't understand. Why does Dar like you so much? You don't even pay attention to him, unlike me and Elian—”

“Eloise!”

“Hm?” Eloise lifted her head and saw Elian and Eli run in. “Why so panicky? Don’t tell me... Did something happen to Dar?” she asked a little suspiciously.

Elian was still catching his breath, but couldn’t hold it in. “Found—found them,” he gasped.

“What?” Eloise jumped up. “Really? Where are they?”

“Heard they were somewhere out in the ocean.”

“The ocean?” Eloise looked confused. Could it be that they were swimming in the ocean?

After Elian finally recovered from his panting, he elaborated.

“Kyle the secretary said that the message was sent by Dar but the message doesn’t locate them precisely. We only roughly know that it’s somewhere at sea. But there are so many islands in that area of ocean, and we can’t be sure of their exact location. They’re going to send three large submarines there, then use smaller boats to search the place inch-by-inch. He also agreed to let us go along.”

“Wow!” Eloise bounced up and down in excitement. “Then I want to go as well! This time, I won’t be left behind no matter what!”

“Sure. We weren’t planning to keep you here, either,” Elian nodded. “Also, I asked Sin to help out.”

“What? Sin’s going too?” Eloise yelped.

She finally noticed the androgynous person by the door, looking neither like a guy or girl... But, boy or girl, it didn’t matter—Sin was dangerous. When he saw that Eloise had only just noticed him, Sin snorted resentfully.

"Modified humans are too strong. Without Sin it would be very difficult for just us few to win,” Elian said a little impatiently. “Besides, we also have to protect the defenseless Mr. Avery.”

“What? He’s going as well? But he can’t even fight!” Eloise protested, surprised.

Exactly! Elian sighed. It’s not like a rescue mission at all! It’s practically a field trip!

“But Mr. Avery said that the last time he saw Dar he was really badly injured, so he has to come along to make sure Dar’s alright.”

Eloise paled when she heard about Dar being hurt. “Then—then let’s just bring him along anyways,” she said. “If Dar is d-dying... then at least Papa Avery would be there to heal him.”

Elian nodded. That was also why he didn’t stop Avery from coming along. But he was still a burden with a bunch of medical equipment and absolutely no fighting skills. Elian had no choice but to beg for Sin’s help, in case they couldn’t save Dar and ended up falling into the hands of the enemy.

“Don’t forget. If we rescue Dark Sun, you and he both owe me ten battles!” said Sin, voice cold.

“Of course.” Elian smiled bitterly. Looks like the number of battles Dar owes is growing. I just hope he won’t be too upset when he finds out that besides fighting me and Ezart, he also has to fight Sin.

“The smaller boats can hold ten people each. There’s five of us, and Mr. Avery’s medical equipment is quite bulky, so it will take up two seats. We also need people to carry the equipment, so he will be bringing two modified humans with him...”

Eloise rolled her eyes. “Basically, Papa Avery will be taking up five seats all by himself.”

“There’s still a seat left. Who are you planning to bring?” Eli asked offhandedly.

Elian nodded, thinking. “I don’t have anyone else in mind. I was thinking of letting Secretary Kyle make the arrangements for us...” he said.

“Hey! I’m coming too!”

Everyone was stunned. That voice was...

********************

Daren Solaris opened his eyes, feeling very lucky. His message had been successfully sent to Kyle. Thankfully, there was still a connection left from when he hacked the internet so he could escape his cell at Baylian’s base.

All that was left was working out how to escape this sarcophagus. Not only were there sedatives in the metal cuffs around his neck, wrists, and ankles, but Yue Baylian had also injected anesthetic gas to fill the capsule. Although he remained conscious, his limbs were weak, rendering him powerless against the metal cuffs.

Even if he could move his arms and legs, there were four modified humans standing outside. With his condition, there was no way he could win.

What to do...

Just when Daren was trying to figure out a way, he heard voices nearby. It must be Gege and Yue Baylian!

Everyday his gege would come visit him at least three times. Sometimes even ten. And every time Yue Baylian came too, complaining about his brother’s persistence about coming to see him.

"Life has been so boring these days." That’s Gege's voice.

"Dev, whatever it is that you need, I'll get it for you..."

"I want to touch Dar's face, pat his head, look into those eye which are dark as the night sky, and hear him call me Gege." Devon said dismally.

Gege...

Finally, after a long period of silence, Yue Baylian said just one word. "Fine."

Devon was speechless for a bit. He didn’t expect Yue Baylian to really agree to his request. It wasn’t until he saw Baylian work the controls for the sleeping capsule that he muttered, “Thank you.”

Then, Daren heard the lid open, and felt a gentle hand caress his cheek then rub his head. These actions were more familiar than ever. Gege did this almost every day, normally. Although Daren really wanted to open his eyes, already moist with tears, and call out ‘Gege’, he kept his eyes shut. He couldn’t let Baylian know that the sedatives weren’t strong enough to render him unconscious. Otherwise, Baylian would definitely keep him captive in an environment even more difficult to escape than this one.

“He’ll only wake up after the sedatives have worn off,” Baylian explained coldly.

“Hmm.”

After waiting for what Daren thought was an appropriate length of time, he slowly opened his eyes, pretending to be confused. “Gege...” he called out with a hoarse voice.

Hearing his call, Devon’s heart melted. “I’m right here.” he whispered. “Don’t be afraid. Everything will be alright.”

Daren’s eyes filled with tears when he heard those words. “I’m sorry, Gege, Dar should never have run away from home.”

“No problem. What little brother wouldn’t run away from home once in a while?” Devon gently wiped the tears off his brother’s cheeks, consoling him.

...Don’t little brothers usually not run away from home? Yue Baylian thought at the side, not sure whether to laugh or to cry.

“You just sleep well here, alright? Gege will come to visit you all the time.”

Daren hesitated a little. Was Gege telling him not to take action? No! That way, he wouldn’t be able to protect his brother!

“I don’t want to be here alone!” he objected stubbornly.

At this, Devon frowned. He knew that opening the capsule was the most Baylian would allow. He couldn’t ask for anything further. “Dar, listen to me...” he coaxed.

“Be a good boy, Didi.” Smiling widely, Baylian looked down at Dar. He pointed to the modified humans around. “Look, didn’t I let four big brothers stay here with you?”

Daren remained silent at those words. Even if he were to escape his confinement, he wouldn’t be able to beat the four modified humans.

“Didi better not step out of this pretty crystal capsule! Or else these four big brothers will rip you into many little pieces!”

Hearing this, Daren began to worry even more. If he couldn’t even leave the sarcophagus, then there was no way he was going to get Gege out of here.

“Don’t scare him like that!” Devon barked unhappily.

“I’m sorry! But it’s for his own good. I already gave the order. The moment he steps out of here...” Baylian’s smile widened as his made a swift slicing motion across his neck.

Seeing the gesture, Devon clenched his fists in anger. He looked down at his brother and said in a voice that was almost begging, “Dar, please do this for Gege, be a good boy and wait in here for me to come see you, okay?”

Hearing Gege’s plea, Daren could only reply obediently, “Okay, Gege.”

Pained, Devon watched his brother get locked up again, paralysed. Had it not been for his helplessness in such circumstances, how could he let Dar lie in this coffin-like contraption?

Dar, I will definitely think of a way to get you out! I promise!

********************

“Elian, what island are we at now?” Eloise asked wearily.

“The sixth,” Elian replied impatiently.

Eloise wasn’t the only one feeling worn out; he was also feeling a little tired. Even though he knew they had to find Dar and Devon, it was just too hard. There were islands everywhere. Some were so small that only a single person could stand atop it. Others were large enough to almost be a country. Most of the islands were smaller, but even though they were considered small, they were all big enough to hide the headquarters. Therefore, every time they encountered one they would do a thorough search.

They’d already searched five islands and had been living in a submarine for almost a week, and there was still no sign of Dar. How could they not be worn out?

This sixth one would probably be another wasted effort.

“Stop wasting time. Just get on the island and look!” A pretty impatient voice came from the corner. He was hidden in the shade so he couldn’t be seen very clearly.

Hearing that, Elian nodded and told the captain, “Dock and let us get off.”

“Yes.” The captain obeyed, stopped the submarine near the shore, and opened the top.

Elian stuck out his head to get a good look. This island wasn’t small. There was lots of greenery and there seemed to fresh water. He ducked back down and reported to the people below.

“Looks like the island can support habitation. Let’s just get off and check it out. As usual, Mr. Avery, please stay by the beach with your modified humans. Wait for us to find Dar. We’ll send you a message when we do.”

Theodore nodded. That was a given. He didn’t want his precious equipment exposed to the humid forest for too long.

“Tsk! Can I stay here, too? Just come tell me when you find Dark Sun.” Sin laid lethargically on the chair.

“Of course not!” Elian shot him down. “If you want to have ten battles with Dark Sun, then get up and help.”

“Tsk!” Sin tossed his head, and got up from his chair a little impatiently.

Everyone gathered their equipment and weapons, and one by one got out of the submarine. When Theodore was still busy ordering the modified humans to lay down his equipment, everyone else was already ready to go.

Suddenly, Theodore stopped the person who was walking behind everyone else.

“Wait! These past few days I have had some spare time, so I made you a set of weapons,” he said. “It’s made from the leftover materials from when I made Dar’s scythe. Though it’s not as good as his scythe, it’s still a lot better than the average weapon. Take it!”

The person scratched his head, took the weapon, and without a word of gratitude he just hmphed as a reply.

Surprised, Elian asked, “Mr. Avery, aren’t you a doctor? How can you forge metals?”

“How many metal products do you think are in Dark Sun?” Theodore returned hotly. “Even his bones have metal in them. If I didn’t study this field, Dark Sun would have been a lump of useless metal.”

“Ah... you’re right.” Elian smiled, embarrassed. “Well, we’ll go investigate now.”

Theodore was busy ordering the modified humans to arrange the equipment correctly. In regards to what Elian said, he simply waved his hand, indicating that he had heard.

Elian looked at the environment around him. Besides the beach on the shore, the heart of the island was a densely-packed jungle. The island might not have been very big, but its topography was dynamic. At a glance, the mountains were tall and the valleys deep. They could barely see anything.

He couldn’t help but sigh. Looked like it was going to take a while to do a thorough search. He could only hope it wasn’t going to be another wasted effort.

Right when everyone was about to set out, Eli suddenly called out, “Wait.”

“What’s wrong?” Elian asked, surprised.

“Mr. Avery better come along,” Eli said, looking at the mountainscape. “There’s something off about this island.”

Could it be...

“Is Dar here?” Eloise grabbed Eli’s shoulder and shook him.

Eli didn’t stop her, but all he did was shake his head. “I don’t know, but there are definitely people on this island.”

Elian pondered for a while, turned around and said, “Alright then, Mr. Avery, please come with us this time.”

“Okay.” Theodore nodded, gave instructions to the modified humans to carry the equipment, and followed the crowd.

The moment they knew there were people on this island, everyone’s energy returned. Eloise even urged Elian, the leader, to walk faster. Even Theodore scolded the modified humans for walking too slowly. Right now everyone had only one thought in their minds, or, more accurately, one person...

Dar!

“There’s nothing here! Eli, is there something wrong with your telepathy?” Eloise pinched Eli’s cheeks and started pulling. After hours of searching, there was still no sign of Dar, and Eloise finally exploded.

Eli also looked confused. He completely ignored the stretching of his cheeks and simply looked up at the large vine above him. He pointed at it and said, “That’s a little weird.”

“The vine?” Elian looked up at the vine above his head. It just looks like a normal vine!

“It is a little strange.” Theodore walked towards the vine, looked up at it. “Even for a tropical rainforest, the width of the vine is too large,” he said. “The way it’s grown is also a little odd. Look, the largest vines connect each hill. They’re practically suspension bridges.”

After Theodore’s explanation, everyone looked up and observed carefully. Although they couldn’t see much due to the thick trees, they could still make out the large vines connecting each mountain. Also, there was something in common about those vines, the joins between them, and the hills: they were all obscured by large, thick trees.

Elian exclaimed, “It’s a fortress in the sky!”

Theodore nodded, “Using the trees as cover, it can hide from helicopters above and search parties below. The vines are just disguises for suspension bridges. The only person who could organise such large-scale construction without being detected by the Solaris Emperor’s secretary is Yue Baylian. Maybe this time we really found the right place.”

Tsk. Sin rolled his eyes, looked up at the vines. “Don’t tell me we’re going to climb up there,” he muttered. “I never thought that in order to fight Dark Sun I had to be a monkey first!”

Elian nodded and said prudently, “Then, should we go back to the submarine and notify Secretary Kyle...”

Ka-BOOOOooom!

The sound of a explosion cut him off. Everyone stared blankly at the one of the hills, where the noise had come from. All the trees in that area were destroyed, revealing a dome beneath it. A big part of the dome, too, was destroyed, engulfed in flames.

Dar!

“Ugh!” Eli fell to his knees and grabbed his head, his face white as a sheet.

“Eli?” Elian, the first to notice Eli’s odd behavior, asked with concern.

Eli lifted his pale face and pointed to of of the other connected hills. “There. I heard the thoughts of the Solaris Emperor. He’s calling out Dar’s name, desperately. Louder than the explosion just now...”

At this, Elian froze. After the explosion the Solaris Emperor started calling out Dar’s name in grief? Could it be...

He lifted his head, looked over at the dome, an unpleasant look on his face. “Quick! Let’s hurry over there. Dar’s probably in there!” he barked.

What? “Wait!” Theodore stopped the anxious crowd.

“Someone needs to go to the Solaris Emperor. With something like this happening so suddenly, the people looking after the Solaris Emperor will be distracted. Someone needs to go over there and save him.

“Eloise. And you, you have a lot of strength. Carry my equipment and come with me to save Dar. Elian, take Eli, who can read minds, Sin, and my two modified humans to save the Solaris Emperor. Try to keep hidden and stay on your toes. Don’t take on Yue Baylian. He’s skilled in the martial arts, and if he has the Solaris Emperor you’ll be helpless.

“Use the communicator to stay in touch.” Avery added. “Notify us immediately when there’s any change in the situation. As soon as everything with Dar is worked out, I’ll send these two to go help you.”

“Got it.” Elian nodded and gathered Eli and Sin, followed by the two modified humans. The party sprinted in the direction Eli had pointed.

“You’ll come with me...”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was tossed over someone’s shoulder. He carried Theodore in one arm and carried a black box in the other. He then turned to Eloise and said, “You carry those.”

Eloise’s sparkling eyes were fixed on Theodore. She half-whiningly begged, “Can we switch? I’ll carry Papa Avery. You can carry the equipment!”

Before the guy could reply, Theodore lifted his head coldly and said, “I refuse to trade!”

Eloise puffed out her cheeks and grudgingly picked up the equipment.

“Let’s go!”

******************** Eclipse Hunter v03c09 END********************

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