Chapter 209: Mobilizing for War

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Mobilizing for War

Lucian walked out of the room. His expression was calm — unnervingly so for a man who had just torn through someone’s mind and killed them in cold blood. Clara stood immediately, her silver eyes scanning his face. Mickey leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

"Well?" Clara asked.

Lucian wiped a drop of blood from his lip with the back of his hand. "The Apeps are expecting a delivery from the Khalfanis within a week. About one hundred humans from the blood farms."

Mickey’s jaw tightened as his crimson eyes darkened.

"This gives us a window," Lucian continued. "One week to plan. We suppress the news of Khalfani’s destruction and move before the Apeps realize their supply chain is broken."

Clara nodded slowly. "So what’s the plan?"

"We’re going to New Miami," Lucian said. "To the Knights."

Mickey frowned. "The Knights? Who are the Knights?"

Lucian glanced at him. "The Knights of the Horizon. A secret organization that operates outside government control. They maintain Earth’s peace against threats that regular institutions can’t handle — dungeons, beast hordes, vampire clans, rogue awakeners. I’m a recruit."

Mickey blinked. "You’re a member of a secret organization that fights vampires and rogue awakeners?."

"Among other things."

Mickey then shook his head. "Of course you are."

Lucian turned to Clara and Mickey. "Raid the building. Underground vaults — credits, weapons, resources. The task force could be here any minute. We need to move fast."

Clara and Mickey moved. Clara took the lead, her Gravity Manipulation shredding reinforced doors. CRASH. CRASH. CRASH. They descended into the underground levels of the Khalfani Grand Hotel.

The vaults were impressive. Reinforced steel doors protected by mana locks. Beep. Beep. Clara crushed the locks with gravity pulses. Crunch. Inside — rows of credit chips, mana crystals, weapons, rare herbs, and cultivation resources. The Khalfanis had been hoarding wealth for decades.

Mickey whistled, his crimson eyes wide. "This is... a lot."

He grabbed storage bags from the shelves and began filling them. Credits. Mana stones. C-Rank weapons. B-Rank weapons. Pills. Herbs. Everything that wasn’t bolted down went into the bags. Clink. Clink. Clink.

They found the secret meeting room on the lowest sublevel. A soundproof chamber with a circular table, communication devices, and a wall safe. Clara tore the safe open. Crunch. Inside were documents and encrypted drives.

Mickey scanned the documents. Names. Dates. Transactions. Shipping routes. Blood farm locations. And repeated references to the Nasrullah family.

"Lucian," Mickey called through the telepathic link. "The Nasrullah documents are here. Communication logs. Minister Harun Nasrullah has been feeding World Government intelligence to the Apeps for years. Patrol routes. Academy defense layouts. Troop movements."

Lucian connected to the link from upstairs. "Take everything. Every document. Every drive. Every communication device."

They raided the vaults clean. Millions of credits — over three million in high-denomination chips. Weapons. Resources. Documents. Everything packed into storage bags. Clink. Clink.

But these were not all of the Khalfani’s wealth. More were hidden in various locations and banks.

The trio quickly left the Khalfani hotel and went back to the hotel they rented when they arrived in Cairo.

Mickey hefted a bag over his shoulder, grinning. "I used to live in a slum. Now I’m carrying three million credits in a bag."

Lucian stepped onto the rooftop of their hotel. Cairo’s skyline glittered below. In the distance, the Khalfani Grand Hotel burned. Fire trucks and Task Force vehicles surrounded it. Wail. Wail. Sirens echoed through the streets.

He pulled out an encrypted communicator. Beep. Beep. Beep. The line connected.

"Solstice."

A pause. Then her voice annoyed. "Lucian? Do you have any idea what time it—"

"I have evidence the Nasrullah family is compromised," Lucian said. "Minister Harun Nasrullah has been feeding World Government intelligence to the Apep vampire family for years."

For a moment, there was a heavy silence.

"How do you know this?" Solstice’s voice was dangerous quiet.

"I just finished raiding the Khalfani Grand Hotel in Cairo. Ramses Khalfani is dead. I have his documents, his communication logs and a lot of other things."

When Solstice spoke again, her voice was carefully controlled. "You raided the Khalfani Cartel. Alone."

"Not alone. I had help."

Solstice exhaled as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Lucian... how far have you grown in less than two years? When you first walked into this base, you were a Peak Neophyte. Now you’re telling me you killed a Late Grand Core cartel leader?"

Lucian didn’t answer the question. "I’ll bring the evidence and documents when I get to New Miami. We’ll talk more then. I also have information on the Apep family base. That’s what I need to discuss with you in person."

"The Apep family base? You found—"

"I found quite a lot. See you tomorrow."

Click.

They rested in the hotel room for the night.

Meanwhile, the Task Force swarm the Khalfani building. Searchlights swept the skies. Fwooom. Fwooom. Drones circled the perimeter. Officers in tactical gear combed through the rubble, searching for unidentified masked attackers who had assaulted the hotel.

But the attackers were gone. Three vampires slept quietly in a modest hotel room three blocks away, their storage bags bulging with millions of credits and enough evidence to topple a World Government minister.

The next day. New Miami.

The flight from Cairo to New Miami took six hours. They landed at a private airfield on the outskirts of the city. A Knight of the Horizon vehicle was waiting. Vrrrrm.

They arrived at the Knights base. The same massive mansion Lucian had visited months ago. Two Early Grand Core guards at the gate recognized Lucian.

Miss Solstice’s office. Top floor. Lucian pushed open the heavy oak door. Creak.

Solstice sat behind her desk. Her pink hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her expression was grim. Files and documents covered her desk — the evidence Lucian had sent ahead through encrypted channels.

Lucian sat across from her while Clara and Mickey waited outside.

Solstice stared at the documents. Then at Lucian. "Minister Harun Nasrullah. A sitting World Government minister. I did suspect something but we never had concrete evidence. And to think he was even feeding intelligence to vampire clans." She shook her head slowly. "If this goes public, it would shatter the World Government’s credibility."

"It needs to go public," Lucian said flatly.

"Not yet. Nasrullah has connections. Deep ones. If he gets wind of an investigation, he’ll disappear. We need to build a case first. Quietly."

Lucian leaned forward. "I don’t have time for quiet. The Apeps are expecting a delivery from the Khalfanis within a week. One hundred humans from the blood farms. When the delivery doesn’t arrive, they’ll know something is wrong. We have one week to hit them."

Solstice’s eyes narrowed. "Hit them? You mean—"

"Destroy the Apep family. Their base. Their people. Everything."

Solstice stared at him. The silence stretched.

"Lucian," she said slowly, "destroying even one of the vampire families is like declaring war on all vampires on Earth. The Du Mauriers, the Khamsins, the Apeps, not to talk of the other powerful vampire clans. You attack one, the others respond. You’re talking about igniting a conflict that could dwarf the human race on this planet."

Lucian slammed his palm on the desk. BAM!

"Can you not see what these vampires are doing already?!" Lucian’s voice was cold. "They’re taking humans as blood farms. They destroyed the European All-Star Academy — one of the most prestigious institutions on the planet. They killed students, teachers and even the Vice Principal. And might I also add, they were involved in the New Geneva case too. The Dark Order. The plague. The Titan Ape. Thousands dead."

He pointed at the documents on the desk. "And here’s proof that a World Government minister has been helping them. For years. This isn’t a future threat, Solstice. It’s happening. Right now."

Solstice stared at him. Her jaw tightened. Her fingers drummed on the desk. Tap. Tap. Tap.

She exhaled heavily.

"What do you need?" she asked.

Lucian leaned back. "The Apep family base is located in the Sahara. Eight hundred kilometers southwest of Cairo. An underground fortress carved into ancient bedrock beneath a rocky plateau. They call it the Temple of the Forgotten Sun."

Solstice’s eyes widened slightly. "You’re serious."

"I have the coordinates. Their patriarch is Seth al-Apep — a Peak Grand Core Realm. But I also confirmed there’s at least one other Peak Grand Core vampire in the clan. Possibly an elder."

He paused. "I need two Peak Grand Core masters on my side. Ones with strong combat sense and experience. Vampires are superior to humans in every physical category. Regeneration, speed, strength and even senses. Even at the same realm, a human cultivator is at a far disadvantage."

Solstice rested her chin on her folded hands. "That can be done. But do you know how many other vampires are in the clan?"

Lucian thought for a moment. He remembered his time with the Du Mauriers. The structure of a vampire clan. The Du Mauriers had no more than fifteen True Borns and over fifty Turned Vampires. The Apeps were a similar or lower tier.

"No more than a hundred vampires total," Lucian said. "No more than two Late Grand Core masters. Three to five Mid Grand Core masters. And maybe five to eight Early Grand Core vampires. The rest would be Core Realm or below."

Solstice sighed. She looked at the ceiling. "Do you know how much power you’re planning to mobilize? Two Peak Grand Core masters. Multiple Mid Grand Core combatants. Support teams. Logistics. Intelligence. This is a military operation."

Lucian shrugged. "The Knights can easily mobilize that kind of power."

Solstice’s lips twitched.

Lucian then adds. "And one more thing."

She lowered her gaze to meet his. "What?"

"We need to act fast. They have to be isolated. I need you to find someone or something that can isolate them. Cut their communication lines. Block teleportation. Afterall, I wouldn’t want any of those fuckers escaping."

Solstice smiled.

"Am I the boss or are you?"