MMORPG : Ancient WORLD

Chapter 557: Things Take a Dire Turn (III)

"It looks like you are in luck. Nachtmahr is currently on a job, so let me show him to you in action." Magnus said, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Magnus threw a dark marble onto the table, and the marble swiftly projected a holograph image above the table, a live feed coming into view.

It displayed a penthouse atop a towering building, a marvel of modern architecture with sleek lines, expansive glass walls, and a shimmering infinity pool reflecting the city lights.

The entire place was crowded, not with ordinary people but with men dressed in black who stood guard at each corner, armed with guns.

The feed started with an eagle-eye perspective, capturing every detail from above, but seconds later, the perspective shifted as binoculars were lowered, revealing that the feed was coming from someone's first-person view.

The man, dressed in a skin-tight black suit, stepped forward and dived from the airborne plane he had been standing on, heading straight for the building he had been monitoring.

Magnus tapped on the dark-beaded bracelet he wore, and instantly, the first-person view shifted to a third-person perspective from different angles. The camera now showed the starry sky above a bustling city, with a few stars managing to outshine the city lights below.

The cameras moved in a blur, quickly reaching the top of the penthouse just in time to capture a flurry of darkness, turning a guard into ribbons of flesh and blood in an instant.

The apparition coalesced into a recognizable figure, a man standing tall at 6.5 feet, clad in black. His long hair flowed down like blending shadows, his physique lean yet muscular.

His face was hidden behind a veil of darkness, leaving only his icy blue eyes exposed, eyes that were inhumanly dull, as if one were looking at a corpse rather than a living, breathing individual.

The blaring of sirens shattered the chilling silence of the building, and like moths drawn to a flame, some guards rushed to the location of the disturbance and others into the building, but their target had already vanished.

The man seemed to dissolve into the shadows, coming out in a flash to claim another life, leaving chaos in his wake.

Alex watched as some guards rained down bullets that exploded into concentrated fiery balls on impact while others, clearly awakened individuals, wielded swords and knives whose edges glowed with an energy-based brilliance like they were covered in plasma or lasers.

However, their retaliation appeared to be nothing but frantic struggles, as the shadow kept claiming one victim after another, and the guards could not do anything to even slow him, let alone corner him.

Magnus tapped on his bracelet once more, and the marble projecting the feed stopped before it floated back to him and seamlessly rejoined the other marbles that formed his bracelet.

"Efficient and deadly as always,"

"Nachtmahr and my men should be done with their job in a few hours, so your associate will return home safe and sound within twenty-four hours,"

Alex spent some time in his hotel room before having dinner at the in-house restaurant, and then he left for the private airport to board a plane back to America.

-------------------

"Twenty-Four Hours Latter"

Alex was seated on a chair in his front yard, and beside him sat Andrei, with a third empty chair on his right. The sun was setting, and the shadows of the night were slowly creeping in, while birds were chirping softly, and a slow, cold wind was blowing, adding a serene yet somber ambiance around them.

A sleek black car rolled up to their house and stopped. A man dressed in a black pant coat stepped out, and as the car swiftly drove away, Venedikt made his way toward the duo.

Alex stood up and welcomed Venedikt with no words, just a brotherly hug, and Andrei followed with a hug of his own before all three silently sat down. The rush of emotions and thoughts momentarily overwhelmed them as a sense of relief washed over everyone.

"Is our house safe," Venedikt said after moments of silence.

Alex nodded and stood up, walking into his home, followed by his brother, knowing that they were probably being watched at the moment.

Venedikt took a minute to meet with his mother and laughed with her at the great happiness that had come their way before the trio made their way to Alex's room.

"So what happened," Venedikt said once everyone settled on their seat.

Alex knew that Venedikt's perspective on things was vastly different from his own because neither he nor Andrei was aware of Magnus's involvement and how everything was his doing.

Two hours ago, the news from the official channel had been published of how the Russian government had found the Ivanovich family, the family who owns the largest private military and weapon manufacturer firm, guilty of treason.

The government had raided their locations, their family members killed or captured, their assets frozen, and their corporation dissolved.

The government also removed all stigmatization against Sir Slavik and bestowed honors upon him for his service to the country, painting him as a great hero.

Before the news went public, a Russian representative came to his house to meet with Aunt Irina in person, inform her of the event, and invite her back to Russia to receive a public apology and the honors her husband deserved.

Andrei believed it was his doing, and he had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, he borderline hated it, but he also appreciated it after seeing his mother cry tears of joy upon confirming the clearing of her husband's name.

Alex did reveal that his father was innocent but did not reveal what really happened, telling him to wait for Venedikt to arrive, and now it was time to share what was really going on.

"We are in deep trouble, and it's all because of us," Venedikt said after learning the inns and out of their situation while Andrei was left speechless, his head down absentmindedly staring at the floor.