Chapter 220 Lightning Strike
Trinity was shocked. Questions swirled in her mind, each more unsettling than the last.
She glanced out the window, looking at the shattered glass and debris littering the street below. Across the way was a sniper's body, sprawled on a windowsill with his brains spread on the wall behind him.
All four snipers, neutralized with chilling efficiency.
"Like I told Beserk," Elbert's voice cut through her thoughts, his eyes scanning the office, "I am Paul Two."
His gaze snagged on something in the corner, his expression hardening. It was old-fashioned telegraph machine.
The pieces clicked into place.
The untraceable communication Robert couldn't pin down. It wasn't advanced technology shielding their activities; it was the absence of it. They were relics, operating outside the digital grid.
A chilling picture began to form in Elbert's mind.
Bennyburg Medical School. Beserk. The Card Club. A triangle of corruption, each point feeding into a larger, more sinister whole.
One supplied the test subjects, the other conducted the modifications, and the last reaped the profits from their twisted creations. A complete human modification pipeline.
"But... how?" Trinity stammered, her voice trembling. "I checked your background, Elbert. You're... you were just an ordinary guy."
"You saw what I wanted you to see," Elbert replied, looking on a safe tucked away in the corner. "Even FIC isn't immune to a little misdirection."
'FIC?' Trinity's mind reeled.
'He knew about FIC? How deep does this go?'
'Was everything he showed me, the charming clumsiness, the supposed attraction to female officers, all an act?'
She shook her head, trying to dispel the rising panic.
This wasn't the Elbert she knew.
Or was it?
With the sound of metal screeching, Elbert ripped the safe door clean off its hinges, the four-inch thick steel no match for his raw strength.
Trinity gasped.
'This sheer power... he's modified. Had he been hiding his abilities all along?'
'Was he serious about taking on those assassins?'
Heavy footsteps going up the stairs jolted her back to the present. Beserk's men were coming.
"Officer Trinity," Elbert's voice was calm and collected, "I believe you have some unfinished business to attend to."
He gestured toward the approaching thugs, his eyes glued to the stacks of documents he'd pulled from the safe. This, this was what he needed.
Like the Card Club and Petersburg, Beserk relied on analog record-keeping.
Trinity, momentarily stunned by his casual dismissal of the imminent threat, snapped into action.
Her movements were deadly. Each strike was precise and efficient, sending the thugs flying backwards before they even registered her presence.
"Elbert, you have to tell me the truth," she demanded, her voice tight with emotion as she fought. "Why hide this from me?"
Elbert didn't look up from the documents, his face growing grimmer with each passing second.
"I told you who I was," he said, emotionless. "When we first met. Programmer. Part-time gangster."
Trinity's mind flashed back to their encounter at the SOUL Queen Bar. He was right; he never lied.
Three minutes later, silence descended upon the office. Beserk's men lay scattered around the room, groaning in pain.
Elbert, his face pale with fury, slammed the last document down on the desk.
34 children in three years. Kidnapped, stolen, their lives treated with callous disregard. All shipped to Victoria, their tiny bodies frozen in time.
And the photos... those innocent faces were pale and lifeless, with their eyelashes frosted over. They were curled up in metal boxes, treated no better than cargo. Some didn't even survive the journey.
This wasn't business; it was an abomination.
He felt rage toward Beserk, the woman who orchestrated this horror. He raised his foot, ready to deliver a final, crushing blow.
"Elbert, stop!" Trinity cried out, grabbing his arm. "She's a suspect! We need her alive!"
He froze, his jaw clenched tight. "She's Veridianian," he growled, his voice thick with suppressed fury. "She'll face their justice. But those bastards in Victoria... they want to play God? I'll show them what a devil can do."
He slammed his foot down, the force of the impact shaking the entire building.
Then, he quietly went to the door, his eyes cold and unforgiving.
Trinity, her heart pounding, followed close behind.
As they reached the doorway, a figure dropped down from the roof of the building opposite them, landing lightly on the fire escape.
A soldier, clad in camouflage gear with a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder, saluted.
"Agent Trinity, Mr. Elbert," he said, his voice crisp and professional. "Sniper Nail, Veridianian Special Forces from the Celestria City division. Under Officer Reed's orders. I'm here to ensure your safety."
Trinity stared at him, stunned.
'Officer Reed has sent backup?'
"Good shooting," Elbert commented, his eyes lingering on the sniper rifle. "Four shots in three seconds. Impressive."
Sniper Nail ducked his head sheepishly. "Couldn't have done it without your help, sir. Those flashes of light... brilliant tactical maneuver."
Trinity's eyes widened. The flashes of light? That was from Elbert's Zippo.
The ruby. It wasn't just a decorative gemstone; it was a way to pinpoint the enemy's location accurately.
Suddenly, everything clicked. Elbert's calm demeanor and his knowledge of the snipers' positions. He'd planned this and anticipated every move.
"Word on the street is you're one of us, Mr. Elbert," Sniper Nail said with slight admiration. "Seeing you in action... I believe it."
Elbert raised an eyebrow. "One of us?"
Sniper Nail grinned. "You can call me Iron Three, sir."
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