075. Velazi Security
Vanlenkov's urban planning was simple and crude, with wide roads and docking ports designed only for large military vehicles, rather than for the convenience of residents.
Vanlenkov never considered the convenience of residents, viewing becoming a warrior as an honor, and dying on the battlefield as a life's ultimate destination. Blood-stained money was what they desired.
With cash in one hand and heads in the other, they would spare no expense to equip themselves with good gear and powerful weapons—it was just practical.
Yet, for a long time, Vanlenkov's rulers failed to realize that a legion's most crucial supply and logistics should never be entrusted to outsiders.
Soren Nikita puffed on a cigarette from the "United Group" as he sat at one of their tables, grimly watching the streamlined and powerful security personnel of Viral.Z—United Group's subsidiary—across the road they had built.
He raised his terminal, gazing deeply at the image of his daughter on the lock screen.
"I'm sorry, Sola."
He deleted the screensaver and all family-related information, recording a final message on the terminal:
"The time has come. Long live our great motherland. Vanlenkov will never be reduced to a mere footnote in a grand narrative."
After sending the message and deleting it with precision, he made sure no trace remained.
Room 6409, an apartment where Viral.Z personnel rested, had been meticulously trapped and alarmed by him, alerting him to any movement.
Viral.Z, a defense subsidiary, was known as United Group's "favored child." Its personnel came from elite units of allied planetary civilizations, carefully selected from high-tiering officials and nobility, trained to be formidable Delta-tier soldiers, with commanders reaching Zeta-tier. They possessed powerful rapid-response capabilities and aggressive combat forces.
Being from elite noble families, they were also highly educated, capable of operating complex equipment. They were all technical troops, unbound by interplanetary treaties, and even patrolled with planet-destroying weapons.
Viral.Z existed as United Group's strategic placement in the star system, aimed at sowing chaos within the Abyss, disrupting and fragmenting to divert attention from the other two narrative-level civilizations.
Everyone knew the chaos was Viral.Z's doing and that United Group was behind it, but did that matter?
With elite equipment and personnel, Viral.Z quickly became United Group's prime operator in the Novt Nebula, dominating nearly all mercenary city-states except for Valkyrie Fortress—another United Group stronghold.
"Damn company lackeys. You've destroyed my homeland."
Nikita cursed, pressing his head in frustration. As a jobless veteran, he understood that once a mercenary city-state lost its employment, it was powerless against well-equipped and well-trained Viral.Z.
Moreover, Vanlenkov had poor production capabilities, with almost all its war materials imported, leaving it without the means for a last stand.
But Nikita couldn't understand.
Why would a narrative-level civilization's dependent branch compete with a mercenary city-state?
Nikita wasn't alone; the entire mercenary city-state was baffled.
That's why he went to such lengths to stay in this apartment, observing Viral.Z closely.
He stubbed out his cigarette, focusing his four bright eyes on the Viral.Z docking port in the distance, where two Zeta-tiered security guards were setting up a molecular restructuring teleportation device, a shimmering blue energy field waving like a water curtain, from which a formally dressed carbon-based individual emerged.
Nikita quickly grabbed his terminal, matching the individual's features: light green skin, black hair, a sailfish tattoo on his hand, and golden dragon-like slitted pupils, marking his exceptional draconic heritage.
The distinct traits quickly yielded a match.
The data made Nikita nearly gasp.
"Andrew Viral.Z. My god... he's the heir to Viral.Z."
Andrew looked young but composed. He greeted the security team as he arrived, then turned to the division manager, his demeanor sharp.
Nikita recognized the manager. "Julitus, the branch manager... this guy's responsible for all the expansions that stole our contracts..."
Nikita took an enhancement pill to improve his sensory acuity.
Close enough to activate his alien hearing, he filtered out the teleportation and aircraft noise, opened the translation module, and held his breath to listen intently.
Any eavesdropping device would be at risk of detection, but no one would suspect a poor, jobless Vanlenkov alien would risk his life to overhear their conversation.
The usually arrogant branch manager in Vanlenkov was now overly flattering, filled with nauseating compliments:
"Master Andrew! Your arrival brings great honor to our humble area. Although the facilities here are lacking, don't worry; I've prepared a special hotel for you—"
"Spare me the pleasantries; I'm not here for a vacation," Andrew replied, visibly impatient. "Manager Julitus, my father is already under pressure from the board, and the narrative group is urging us. (Draconic) [Aura of Domination]."
Under the weight of the dragon magic, Julitus trembled, stammering as he replied:
"Uh... please rest assured. Vanlenkov's market is a fresh blue ocean, and our first entry... well, our marketing department believes enhancing equipment and empowering soldiers is necessary. After repeated screenings, we've optimized unqualified personnel—"
"That bureaucratic nonsense might fool outsiders and interns. I want straight talk."
Andrew snapped, dissatisfied.
"Uh... Master Andrew… we haven't found the Blood of Nakis yet."
—The Blood of Nakis?
It was the first time Nikita had heard the term, and he listened as Julitus practically pleaded:
"Sir! You know this—it's not a mere mineral or individual. Even with narrative-level methods, we can't directly locate such an abstract entity... please grant us a few more days."
"Sigh." Andrew sighed. "You could've said that from the start, couldn't you? Deceitful, bureaucratic, inefficient... being so timid shows a lack of trust in the company and irresponsibility toward your subordinates."
Seeing that Andrew wasn't angry, Julitus let out a breath of relief, hurriedly apologizing:
"It's my fault, Master. I'll intensify the search immediately; please give me another chance."
"Relax, I wouldn't be so foolish as to change leaders at the front line. These are your men, and you know Vanlenkov's environment best. Why would I replace you?"
Andrew patted Julitus's shoulder with a reassuring smile.
"Thank you, sir—"
Before he could finish, Andrew's eyes glowed, and he grabbed him forcefully, lifting him off the ground as Julitus screamed in agony, his entire soul being drained and condensed into a flame.
Andrew handed the soul to his assistant, who respectfully placed it in a magical lantern, extracting its essence and uploading the memories to the local network within moments.
In less than three seconds, every Viral.Z employee received Julitus's memories and insights on Vanlenkov.
As Viral.Z's young master, Andrew didn't forget to add:
"Be sure to modify this guy's body, implant an artificial soul, and have him continue to serve the company."
"Understood, Master Andrew."
"I'll head to the office. The other two narrative-level entities have noticed Viral.Z's invasive actions. Now, the group is urging us; within two standard months, we must produce results, or the Galactic Alliance will intervene, and we'll lose our chance to acquire the Blood of Nakis."
Despite all this, Julitus's subordinates seemed unfazed, even more respectful and admiring of their young master's decisiveness.
Nikita overheard whispers:
"As expected of HQ. Getting rid of Julitus just like that. Pity, though—he was barely embezzling funds."
"I heard Andrew is only 120 years old, already Zeta-tier. Out of the chairman's 409 children, he's not only the most favored but also has the rare green swamp dragon bloodline at a concentration of 17%—a true genius..."
"We'll have to be extra careful now. With Andrew in charge, slacking off won't fly."
"No one expected him to eliminate Julitus directly. The gradual takeover strategy won't work now."
"We only entered the market to search for the Blood of Nakis... can't let the other narrative levels know about this..."
Their conversations revealed a wealth of information. As Nikita focused on eavesdropping, a voice echoed in his mind:
"So, they're after the Blood of Nakis."
Nikita nodded.
Suddenly, he spun around, transforming his hand into a scorpion-like claw, swinging it backward.
Humming—
Space rippled as a headless humanoid deftly evaded his attack, casually leaning against the bed frame.
Though the figure lacked a face, Nikita felt the stranger's gaze scrutinizing him.
"Who are you?"
"You can call me Leoz, Mr. Nikita."