The circular hall of the Thanatos Department of Operations was bathed in a dim glow.
A holographic star map projected onto the stone walls rotated slowly, casting faint blue spots of light onto Tangris’s cloud-covered face.
He tapped his knuckles against the oak tabletop, creating a dull thud.
Each tap seemed to count the passing seconds of time.
“Carter, is there any new signal yet?”
His voice carried a suppressed, restless anxiety.
Carter, the Director of the Department of Operations, stood before the star map.
She adjusted her glasses, the lenses reflecting a waterfall of flowing data.
“No. Since the ‘Messenger’ sent their last coordinate during the attack, all contact has been completely severed. The signal for the ‘Eye of Ra’… has also disappeared.”
“Damn it!”
Tangris slammed his fist onto the table, the force causing an empty coffee cup to jump.
“The Grade A mission for the ‘Eye of Ra’ should have been completed smoothly. X personally handled it, digging it out of the pyramids in the Valley of the Kings perfectly intact. The awakening level was confirmed to be below 50%. He clearly completed the hardest part and handed it over successfully.”
He stood up abruptly and began pacing back and forth like a caged lion.
“But what is the situation now? Where is X?”
“A ‘Ghost Tide’ suddenly erupted in Mexico,” a nearby clerk added.
“It was a disaster formed by dozens of people with Divine Sense losing control simultaneously. No one but him could have suppressed it so quickly.”
“Even so,” Carter turned around, her tone remaining calm despite her sharp gaze, “Tang Rou was also in the escort team, and she is a Grade A elite from the Execution Department. According to the contingency plan, she should be able to handle most emergencies. But now, she has gone missing… on her way back.”
“Missing?! Two Grade A members went missing while carrying the Divine Artifact we just obtained.”
Tangris’s anger finally erupted, his voice echoing under the dome.
“Why are we only now organizing a support group to investigate?! The time window is closing!”
“It was a direct order from the Principal.”
Carter’s voice was low but carried an unquestionable authority.
“The support group is ready and waiting for supplementary instructions from the Board of Directors.”
At that moment, the side door of the command center slid open silently.
A young man in a well-tailored suit with meticulously combed hair stepped inside.
He carried a silver data pad and walked with a light step that seemed entirely out of place in the heavy, tense atmosphere of the hall.
This was Elliot Lee, the Special Liaison Officer for the Board of Directors.
“Director Tangris, Director Carter,” Elliot’s voice was gentle and clear, carrying a stylized politeness.
“My apologies for the intrusion. Regarding the ‘Eye of Ra’ assistance plan, the Board of Directors has a supplementary instruction that needs to be delivered immediately.”
He handed the data pad to Tangris, a professional smile fixed on his face.
Tangris frowned as he took it, his eyes scanning the contents on the screen.
A second later, the muscles in his face tightened, and his knuckles turned white from the force of his grip.
He looked up, his gaze piercing Elliot like an ice pick, his words squeezed through his teeth.
“Let’s see what kind of trouble our dear Board of Directors has cooked up for us now…”
His voice was low.
“Regarding the assistance plan for the ‘Eye of Ra,’ they have ‘designated’…”
He paused.
“Grade A student, Lin Yu, to participate as well.”
“Grade A student Lin Yu?”
Director Carter leaned in, her brow furrowed.
“I don’t recall any Grade A student named Lin Yu in the Department of Operations or the Research Division.”
Tangris slammed the data pad onto the table.
A light screen popped up, clearly displaying Lin Yu’s brief information.
[Student Profile]
Name: Lin Yu
Age: 18
Origin: China
Divine Sense: None
Student Evaluation: Grade A — Personally certified by the Board of Directors
As he read the information, the sarcasm in his voice nearly overflowed.
He suddenly raised his volume, glaring at Elliot.
“The Board of Directors wants a freshman who knows nothing, who just enrolled, and who hasn’t even awakened a Divine Sense to participate in an extremely dangerous mission involving a Divine Artifact?! Have they stayed in the London smog so long that their brains have rotted?!”
“Tangris! Calm down,” Carter warned.
“Calm? I am very calm,” Tangris said.
“Those people on the Board were always a bunch of idiots. Of course,” he added begrudgingly, though his tone remained disrespectful, “except for our esteemed Principal. She… is at most half an idiot.”
The smile on Elliot’s face did not waver, as if he hadn’t heard the sacrilegious comment.
Carter lowered her voice.
“Director! Watch your language!”
“My language? Am I wrong?”
Tangris said dismissively.
He pointed to the red light on the holographic star map representing the crash site.
“A group of people who know nothing of the power of gods, who only know how to hide in their London mansions and play with calculators and power—they actually want to teach us how to perform a God-Slaying? They should stay home and enjoy their wealth! Sending an innocent child into a fire pit, this is—”
“Enough, Tangris.”
A voice as steady as a mountain came from the dark, high platform at the innermost part of the hall.
An old man had been sitting there in silence the entire time.
It was Vice Principal Nonakawe—the true stabilizing force of Thanatos, the former Director of the Department of Operations, and Tangris’s teacher.
Tangris’s voice cut out instantly, his surging anger catching in his throat.
He immediately turned toward the shadows and bowed slightly, his tone becoming unprecedentedly respectful.
“My apologies, Teacher.”
In the dim light, the Vice Principal slowly leaned forward, the illumination faintly outlining his weathered profile.
His gaze swept across the room before finally landing on Tangris.
“One year ago, beneath the ruins of Greece,” the old man began slowly, “we paid a massive price to achieve an unprecedented breakthrough—the first true ‘conquest’ of a Divine Artifact: ‘Fates’ Spinning Wheel.’ That was a historic step, a scene that countless ancestors only dreamed of in ancient fragments.”
He paused, letting the weight of that achievement and its cost sink into everyone’s hearts.
“We proved the path was viable, but because of that, we are standing at the center of an unprecedented storm. During this critical period, the School’s development, research, and every large-scale operation cannot function without the political and resource assistance of the Board of Directors.”
His gaze seemed to drift momentarily toward Elliot, who remained standing there with a smile.
“Certain balances, even if unpleasant, must be maintained.”
The Vice Principal’s gaze became sharp again, like an unsheathed ancient sword.
“Therefore, carry out the order,” he delivered the final decision.
“Let the boy named Lin Yu join the support group.”
Tangris took a deep breath, his chest heaving, but it eventually resolved into a silent sigh.
He straightened his body, clenched his right fist, and hammered it heavily against the left side of his chest over his heart, performing the ancient combat salute of the Thanatos Department of Operations.
“Understood.”
His voice regained its usual cold hardness.
Only then did Elliot Lee bow slightly, his face still wearing that impeccable smile.
“The instructions have been delivered. I will not disturb you any further.”
With that, he turned and exited the command center with the same light, rhythmic steps he had used when he arrived.