Chapter 444: 444
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When Akira left the law office, the sky was getting dark. She did not notice the late hour because she was in a bit of an overwhelmed daze. As she walked to her red car, she bumped into a few people hurrying home. She apologised absentmindedly, distracted by what Mr Oda had told her.
She did not know how to respond to the new information about her mother and her twin sister. On the one hand, she was a little happy to know that her adoptive mother had cared for her if just a little. On the other hand, she was too afraid of the implications of the unclear but most likely horrible things that occurred in Antarctica.
She wanted to hide from the truth, but she knew it would do her no good.
It was not a coincidence that Helen Brown was managing a facility in Antarctica for human experimentation, and Hu Lei was imprisoned in the same place and tortured. The two events had to be connected.
This new information also tied the mystery behind Kaito's appearance at her side together.
In simple terms, Ayumi was not lying, at least about how Kaito heard about her. The matter was definitely related to Hu Lei. She must have told him about the people who tortured her, and he could have followed the link to her.
Or perhaps, Hu Lei had investigated her and mentioned her name to Kaito, leading him to her.
But that did not make sense. She concealed her identity and past with care. Most people would not think that she was anything more than a chef if they searched into her background. Those who would dig a little deeper might discover her career as a manga artist.
And that would be all.
But somehow, Kaito was able to learn about her and even find her in Mountain Ridge. And if her suspicions were right, the people attacking her were sent by the International Health Alliance. It meant that more people were aware of her connection to the Brown sisters.
When Akira entered her car, she clutched her small handbag with shaking fingers. The bag now contained a small case with five high-capacity solid-state drives. These drives contained encrypted data on the international Health Alliance.
Still, if Akira had the guts to face the truth, she would admit that her greatest concern was not the people behind the attacks or the hot potato in her bag.
She was worried that the other words Ayumi said maliciously were true.
Now that she had an actual understanding of her hidden relationship with the famous Hu Lei, she could not help the rising fear and concern. What if Kaito had gotten close to her and disappeared just to punish her for the torture bestowed on Hu Lei by the Brown sisters?
The fear caused her to feel sick to her stomach.
Laughter almost bubbled out of her lips as she tried to suppress the urge to retch. She had not gotten morning sickness for the four months she had been pregnant. But she was about to lose the contents of her stomach over her own thoughts.
She took a deep calming breath.
Without allowing the dread to set in again, she started the car and headed out of the city. She had houses inside Tokyo, but she did not think it was practical for her to stay there. In the valley, she had the advantage of the resources for searching for Kaito.
Moreover, she could have healthy meals and access to a qualified doctor at all times. She had thought about moving to the Blue Mountain Park house after the attacks started. However, she realised it was better to be in a fortress with trained agents.
Blue Mountain Park was also secure in its own way, but an average mercenary could figure out a quick way in. Therefore, it made sense to just stay in Immortal Sword Valley.
As she left the hustle and bustle of the city centre and started driving into the outskirts, she noticed multiple cars following her. She was a vigilant person and great at pattern recognition. She was certain she had seen the four vehicles several times since leaving the city.
She frowned as she looked at them, but she did not change her speed. She was afraid that if she took action too early, the people behind her would become more aggressive in following and stopping her. She did not want to engage in a fight.
She did not want to risk Little Precious, especially knowing that her speed and flexibility was not what it used to be. If she faced off too many people, she might not be able to avoid injuries. Her only hope was to keep her cool and accelerate when she was close to the entrance of the Immortal Sword Valley.
Unfortunately, her plan depended on the patience of the people behind her. But the cars following her accelerated as soon as she turned into the meandering road heading towards the valley. The drivers were obviously not going to give her a chance to escape.
This road was usually abandoned because the Immortal Sword Valley was technically a part of a national reserve. As far as anyone knew, the area was protected due to environmental concerns relating to underground aquifers and water quality concerns.
The lack of a residential district in the area meant that very few people used the road.
The worst thing she could do for the moment was to allow the people behind her to box her in. If they did, she would be in real trouble. Of course, the curves on the road were also problematic, but she was familiar with the road.
As they drew close to a particularly dangerous bend, she slowed down and allowed two of the vehicles behind her to almost catch up. Then, she accelerated, knowing they would follow. However, without knowledge of the road, they could not make the sudden turn up the road.
Akira heard the crash as the two vehicles hit the barrier. She did not stop to check the carnage. However, when she heard another loud bang her lips quirked up into a smile. It seemed that someone else had fallen into the black spot.
Before she could rejoice too much, she noticed a vehicle behind her. She pursed her lips. She had only hoped to take out two of the cars at the bend. The third one was a bonus. Still, she was worried about dealing with the fourth one.
As she thought of her next manoeuvre, the car hesitated before a loud sound came from the engine. Even in the darkness, she could see the dark smoke rising. Something seemed to be on fire. She quickly pulled over to the side of the road.
She did not hesitate to pick her handbag. She did not dare take the risk that her SSDs would sustain damage if the fire was not contained by the hood. She slung the bag across her shoulder before pulling out a katana from beneath her seat.
The vehicle following her pulled up on the other side of the road, but the people inside did not leave the automobile. It seemed that the other party did not intend to ram her with their car. As she thought, the thugs chasing her did not intend to kill her, at least not immediately.
Her phone rang at that moment. She hesitated before taking it out of her bag. It was Raiden. She picked while keeping an eye on the silent car.
"Akira, I think the person coordinating the attacks is within the valley." The young man shouted.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I requested for the daily scans of the vehicles going in and out of the valley from the security personnel. Since you have been attacked every time you left the valley, I thought it was a good idea to check the state of the car in case of tampering, for instance, a tracker." Raiden explained.
"Turns out I was right. But the car was tampered with during the repairs after the attack three days ago. There was something new in the engine when you left the valley today. Just be careful in case it is something dangerous."
Akira looked at the still-smoking car engine. "Too late."
"What?" Raiden shouted.
The doors of the car across the road opened, and two people stepped out. They both had masks over their faces, but one was only holding a phone while the other was also wielding a sword. It seemed that these two were well-prepared.
"Listen. If someone is targeting me from the inside, I cannot stay in the valley anymore. Go to my room and bring me my go-bag immediately. Do not tell anyone. You will find me on the road just past that black spot bend. You know which one." Akira ended the call.
After that, she walked to the centre of the road with her sword in hand and faced the other party. She moved her head from side to side to loosen the tension from her neck before lifting her sword. Despite the situation, her lips quirked into a little smile.
If they wanted a show, she would give them a show.
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When Akira left the law office, the sky was getting dark. She did not notice the late hour because she was in a bit of an overwhelmed daze. As she walked to her red car, she bumped into a few people hurrying home. She apologised absentmindedly, distracted by what Mr Oda had told her.
She did not know how to respond to the new information about her mother and her twin sister. On the one hand, she was a little happy to know that her adoptive mother had cared for her if just a little. On the other hand, she was too afraid of the implications of the unclear but most likely horrible things that occurred in Antarctica.
She wanted to hide from the truth, but she knew it would do her no good.
It was not a coincidence that Helen Brown was managing a facility in Antarctica for human experimentation, and Hu Lei was imprisoned in the same place and tortured. The two events had to be connected.
This new information also tied the mystery behind Kaito's appearance at her side together.
In simple terms, Ayumi was not lying, at least about how Kaito heard about her. The matter was definitely related to Hu Lei. She must have told him about the people who tortured her, and he could have followed the link to her.
Or perhaps, Hu Lei had investigated her and mentioned her name to Kaito, leading him to her.
But that did not make sense. She concealed her identity and past with care. Most people would not think that she was anything more than a chef if they searched into her background. Those who would dig a little deeper might discover her career as a manga artist.
And that would be all.
But somehow, Kaito was able to learn about her and even find her in Mountain Ridge. And if her suspicions were right, the people attacking her were sent by the International Health Alliance. It meant that more people were aware of her connection to the Brown sisters.
When Akira entered her car, she clutched her small handbag with shaking fingers. The bag now contained a small case with five high-capacity solid-state drives. These drives contained encrypted data on the international Health Alliance.
Still, if Akira had the guts to face the truth, she would admit that her greatest concern was not the people behind the attacks or the hot potato in her bag.
She was worried that the other words Ayumi said maliciously were true.
Now that she had an actual understanding of her hidden relationship with the famous Hu Lei, she could not help the rising fear and concern. What if Kaito had gotten close to her and disappeared just to punish her for the torture bestowed on Hu Lei by the Brown sisters?
The fear caused her to feel sick to her stomach.
Laughter almost bubbled out of her lips as she tried to suppress the urge to retch. She had not gotten morning sickness for the four months she had been pregnant. But she was about to lose the contents of her stomach over her own thoughts.
She took a deep calming breath.
Without allowing the dread to set in again, she started the car and headed out of the city. She had houses inside Tokyo, but she did not think it was practical for her to stay there. In the valley, she had the advantage of the resources for searching for Kaito.
Moreover, she could have healthy meals and access to a qualified doctor at all times. She had thought about moving to the Blue Mountain Park house after the attacks started. However, she realised it was better to be in a fortress with trained agents.
Blue Mountain Park was also secure in its own way, but an average mercenary could figure out a quick way in. Therefore, it made sense to just stay in Immortal Sword Valley.
As she left the hustle and bustle of the city centre and started driving into the outskirts, she noticed multiple cars following her. She was a vigilant person and great at pattern recognition. She was certain she had seen the four vehicles several times since leaving the city.
She frowned as she looked at them, but she did not change her speed. She was afraid that if she took action too early, the people behind her would become more aggressive in following and stopping her. She did not want to engage in a fight.
She did not want to risk Little Precious, especially knowing that her speed and flexibility was not what it used to be. If she faced off too many people, she might not be able to avoid injuries. Her only hope was to keep her cool and accelerate when she was close to the entrance of the Immortal Sword Valley.
Unfortunately, her plan depended on the patience of the people behind her. But the cars following her accelerated as soon as she turned into the meandering road heading towards the valley. The drivers were obviously not going to give her a chance to escape.
This road was usually abandoned because the Immortal Sword Valley was technically a part of a national reserve. As far as anyone knew, the area was protected due to environmental concerns relating to underground aquifers and water quality concerns.
The lack of a residential district in the area meant that very few people used the road.
The worst thing she could do for the moment was to allow the people behind her to box her in. If they did, she would be in real trouble. Of course, the curves on the road were also problematic, but she was familiar with the road.
As they drew close to a particularly dangerous bend, she slowed down and allowed two of the vehicles behind her to almost catch up. Then, she accelerated, knowing they would follow. However, without knowledge of the road, they could not make the sudden turn up the road.
Akira heard the crash as the two vehicles hit the barrier. She did not stop to check the carnage. However, when she heard another loud bang her lips quirked up into a smile. It seemed that someone else had fallen into the black spot.
Before she could rejoice too much, she noticed a vehicle behind her. She pursed her lips. She had only hoped to take out two of the cars at the bend. The third one was a bonus. Still, she was worried about dealing with the fourth one.
As she thought of her next manoeuvre, the car hesitated before a loud sound came from the engine. Even in the darkness, she could see the dark smoke rising. Something seemed to be on fire. She quickly pulled over to the side of the road.
She did not hesitate to pick her handbag. She did not dare take the risk that her SSDs would sustain damage if the fire was not contained by the hood. She slung the bag across her shoulder before pulling out a katana from beneath her seat.
The vehicle following her pulled up on the other side of the road, but the people inside did not leave the automobile. It seemed that the other party did not intend to ram her with their car. As she thought, the thugs chasing her did not intend to kill her, at least not immediately.
Her phone rang at that moment. She hesitated before taking it out of her bag. It was Raiden. She picked while keeping an eye on the silent car.
"Akira, I think the person coordinating the attacks is within the valley." The young man shouted.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I requested for the daily scans of the vehicles going in and out of the valley from the security personnel. Since you have been attacked every time you left the valley, I thought it was a good idea to check the state of the car in case of tampering, for instance, a tracker." Raiden explained.
"Turns out I was right. But the car was tampered with during the repairs after the attack three days ago. There was something new in the engine when you left the valley today. Just be careful in case it is something dangerous."
Akira looked at the still-smoking car engine. "Too late."
"What?" Raiden shouted.
The doors of the car across the road opened, and two people stepped out. They both had masks over their faces, but one was only holding a phone while the other was also wielding a sword. It seemed that these two were well-prepared.
"Listen. If someone is targeting me from the inside, I cannot stay in the valley anymore. Go to my room and bring me my go-bag immediately. Do not tell anyone. You will find me on the road just past that black spot bend. You know which one." Akira ended the call.
After that, she walked to the centre of the road with her sword in hand and faced the other party. She moved her head from side to side to loosen the tension from her neck before lifting her sword. Despite the situation, her lips quirked into a little smile.
If they wanted a show, she would give them a show.
When Akira left the law office, the sky was getting dark. She did not notice the late hour because she was in a bit of an overwhelmed daze. As she walked to her red car, she bumped into a few people hurrying home. She apologised absentmindedly, distracted by what Mr Oda had told her. She did not know how to respond to the new information about her mother and her twin sister. On the one hand, she was a little happy to know that her adoptive mother had cared for her if just a little. On the other hand, she was too afraid of the implications of the unclear but most likely horrible things that occurred in Antarctica. She wanted to hide from the truth, but she knew it would do her no good. It was not a coincidence that Helen Brown was managing a facility in Antarctica for human experimentation, and Hu Lei was imprisoned in the same place and tortured. The two events had to be connected. This new information also tied the mystery behind Kaito's appearance at her side together. In simple terms, Ayumi was not lying, at least about how Kaito heard about her. The matter was definitely related to Hu Lei. She must have told him about the people who tortured her, and he could have followed the link to her. Or perhaps, Hu Lei had investigated her and mentioned her name to Kaito, leading him to her. But that did not make sense. She concealed her identity and past with care. Most people would not think that she was anything more than a chef if they searched into her background. Those who would dig a little deeper might discover her career as a manga artist. And that would be all. But somehow, Kaito was able to learn about her and even find her in Mountain Ridge. And if her suspicions were right, the people attacking her were sent by the International Health Alliance. It meant that more people were aware of her connection to the Brown sisters. When Akira entered her car, she clutched her small handbag with shaking fingers. The bag now contained a small case with five high-capacity solid-state drives. These drives contained encrypted data on the international Health Alliance. Still, if Akira had the guts to face the truth, she would admit that her greatest concern was not the people behind the attacks or the hot potato in her bag. She was worried that the other words Ayumi said maliciously were true. Now that she had an actual understanding of her hidden relationship with the famous Hu Lei, she could not help the rising fear and concern. What if Kaito had gotten close to her and disappeared just to punish her for the torture bestowed on Hu Lei by the Brown sisters? The fear caused her to feel sick to her stomach. Laughter almost bubbled out of her lips as she tried to suppress the urge to retch. She had not gotten morning sickness for the four months she had been pregnant. But she was about to lose the contents of her stomach over her own thoughts. She took a deep calming breath. Without allowing the dread to set in again, she started the car and headed out of the city. She had houses inside Tokyo, but she did not think it was practical for her to stay there. In the valley, she had the advantage of the resources for searching for Kaito. Moreover, she could have healthy meals and access to a qualified doctor at all times. She had thought about moving to the Blue Mountain Park house after the attacks started. However, she realised it was better to be in a fortress with trained agents. Blue Mountain Park was also secure in its own way, but an average mercenary could figure out a quick way in. Therefore, it made sense to just stay in Immortal Sword Valley. As she left the hustle and bustle of the city centre and started driving into the outskirts, she noticed multiple cars following her. She was a vigilant person and great at pattern recognition. She was certain she had seen the four vehicles several times since leaving the city. She frowned as she looked at them, but she did not change her speed. She was afraid that if she took action too early, the people behind her would become more aggressive in following and stopping her. She did not want to engage in a fight. She did not want to risk Little Precious, especially knowing that her speed and flexibility was not what it used to be. If she faced off too many people, she might not be able to avoid injuries. Her only hope was to keep her cool and accelerate when she was close to the entrance of the Immortal Sword Valley. Unfortunately, her plan depended on the patience of the people behind her. But the cars following her accelerated as soon as she turned into the meandering road heading towards the valley. The drivers were obviously not going to give her a chance to escape. This road was usually abandoned because the Immortal Sword Valley was technically a part of a national reserve. As far as anyone knew, the area was protected due to environmental concerns relating to underground aquifers and water quality concerns. The lack of a residential district in the area meant that very few people used the road. The worst thing she could do for the moment was to allow the people behind her to box her in. If they did, she would be in real trouble. Of course, the curves on the road were also problematic, but she was familiar with the road. As they drew close to a particularly dangerous bend, she slowed down and allowed two of the vehicles behind her to almost catch up. Then, she accelerated, knowing they would follow. However, without knowledge of the road, they could not make the sudden turn up the road. Akira heard the crash as the two vehicles hit the barrier. She did not stop to check the carnage. However, when she heard another loud bang her lips quirked up into a smile. It seemed that someone else had fallen into the black spot. Before she could rejoice too much, she noticed a vehicle behind her. She pursed her lips. She had only hoped to take out two of the cars at the bend. The third one was a bonus. Still, she was worried about dealing with the fourth one. As she thought of her next manoeuvre, the car hesitated before a loud sound came from the engine. Even in the darkness, she could see the dark smoke rising. Something seemed to be on fire. She quickly pulled over to the side of the road. She did not hesitate to pick her handbag. She did not dare take the risk that her SSDs would sustain damage if the fire was not contained by the hood. She slung the bag across her shoulder before pulling out a katana from beneath her seat. The vehicle following her pulled up on the other side of the road, but the people inside did not leave the automobile. It seemed that the other party did not intend to ram her with their car. As she thought, the thugs chasing her did not intend to kill her, at least not immediately. Her phone rang at that moment. She hesitated before taking it out of her bag. It was Raiden. She picked while keeping an eye on the silent car. "Akira, I think the person coordinating the attacks is within the valley." The young man shouted. "What do you mean?" She asked. "I requested for the daily scans of the vehicles going in and out of the valley from the security personnel. Since you have been attacked every time you left the valley, I thought it was a good idea to check the state of the car in case of tampering, for instance, a tracker." Raiden explained. "Turns out I was right. But the car was tampered with during the repairs after the attack three days ago. There was something new in the engine when you left the valley today. Just be careful in case it is something dangerous." Akira looked at the still-smoking car engine. "Too late." "What?" Raiden shouted. The doors of the car across the road opened, and two people stepped out. They both had masks over their faces, but one was only holding a phone while the other was also wielding a sword. It seemed that these two were well-prepared. "Listen. If someone is targeting me from the inside, I cannot stay in the valley anymore. Go to my room and bring me my go-bag immediately. Do not tell anyone. You will find me on the road just past that black spot bend. You know which one." Akira ended the call. After that, she walked to the centre of the road with her sword in hand and faced the other party. She moved her head from side to side to loosen the tension from her neck before lifting her sword. Despite the situation, her lips quirked into a little smile. If they wanted a show, she would give them a show.
