Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

Chapter 257: Chapter 256: Waves Arise

Chapter 257 -256: Waves Arise

“The best… outcome?” Prence murmured, repeating the words.

“Yes, the official statement will be about your removal. Once you leave the Navy, it will be considered a retirement internally. You’ll be able to receive the pension of your current position, and your insurance will continue to be effective,” White Sean said, staring into his eyes, “But you must continue to abide by confidentiality requirements, forbidden from disclosing anything that happened on DDG107 to anyone. If you violate these stipulations, not only will all the above benefits be canceled, but you may also face prosecution by the Justice Department. Do you understand?”

Prence was no rookie. He had been in the military for over twenty years and had vaguely guessed what was going on.

He clenched his fists and took several deep breaths before saluting his former superior officer, “I agree.”

The other party returned the salute and said softly, “I’m sorry.”

Prence nodded silently; he could accept it, but that did not mean it was justified. Whenever anger surged, the faces of his wife and children involuntarily came to his mind.

“May I ask another question? What will happen to the others on the ship?”

“Reassignment, transfer, and dismissal,” the admiral replied succinctly.

The implication was clear: DDG107 would welcome a new crew. As for those who were dismissed, they probably would not receive the same level of care from the commander-in-chief.

After Prence left, White Sean sat back down in his chair, his face solemn, not saying a word.

About ten minutes later, the telephone rang.

He reached out, his hand hovering in mid-air momentarily before picking up the phone.

“I’ve already taken care of your request. The news from DDG107 will not leak from the Navy,” he said.

“…You’ve done well. We’ll take care of the rest,” the calm tone on the other end conveyed neither satisfaction nor disappointment, as if all his decisions were expected.

…

In another conference room with a round table, an old hand hung up the phone, letting out a deep sigh.

“Although the incident has been suppressed, the actual situation is not optimistic,” a holographic figure across the man crackled, “Your troops did not bring back the Cryptic Stone no. 3, which is a colossal blunder. It’s hard to imagine that a base in the heart of the Western Pacific could be attacked and escaped from unscathed, even if the attackers were Angels.”

According to the organization’s planning, Walazak Island was supposed to be the most secure of the three bases; after all, there was no military force nearby that could be considered a threat. Surrounded by the sea on all sides, even in the event of an attack, the nearby naval fleet should have been able to respond immediately.

“I acknowledge it’s a significant loss for the organization, but don’t forget, the Pacific Navy and Marine Corps aren’t under my sole command. To avoid suspicion, I can’t even directly interfere with military affairs,” the elder spoke with discontent and irritation in his voice, “Moreover, this attack wasn’t entirely without gain. There’s an old saying from the Eastern powers, ‘calamity is the touchstone of a noble mind,’ fitting for this situation.”

“Oh? Why do you say that?”

“My people found, upon searching the base, that the Cryptic Stone hadn’t been taken away entirely but left behind a layer of its surface. After verification, it was indeed the original Cryptic Stone, only the contents inside had disappeared,” he spoke slowly, “Does this imply that the organization’s past research had merely scratched the surface? If we can peel away the exterior of the remaining two Cryptic Stones, perhaps we could substantially advance the progress of various research projects.”

“Is that true?” another converser joined in. Her voice sounded like that of a woman in her forties, “The information that the Cryptic Stone leaks on a daily basis is astonishing enough. If that’s just the tip of the iceberg, I can’t imagine what its core is capable of.”

“Well, if this is true, that’s some consolation,” the man said helplessly, “Considering its transformation is related to the Angel, maybe we need to increase the energy input further?”

“We can experiment in that direction,” the old man added. “There’s more to it. After investigating and gathering evidence, my team has basically been able to determine that this attack was not entirely carried out by the Angel… There’s a high possibility that a Demon was involved.”

“…” Both were plunged into silence.

After a long pause, the man spoke, “Are you certain? Although Awakeners with the abilities of a Demon are sure to appear, they are unlikely to grow strong. Our experience with Sussas shows that a Demon’s lifecycle doesn’t exceed six months, with some declining in just one or two weeks. They can’t even unleash their power in one go like Angels because sustaining life itself consumes energy… Are you saying that all these experiences are now irrelevant?”

“We can’t predict the future, so don’t expect everything to go according to plan—before the attack on the headquarters of the Angel Foundation, who mentioned that the mission might fail?” the elder said, rubbing his forehead. “Of course, the investors supporting the organization are too eager for success, which is also a reason for the failure.”

“Let’s not talk about the past. You mentioned this has to do with a Demon; do you have any evidence?” the woman asked.

“Do the two of you remember the intelligence leak that happened in City L a few months ago? MI6 was compromised, and the Sunflower Project was thrown onto the public web.”

“I remember, that was indeed gratifying,” the man across from him laughed loudly, “Those guys actually thought they could take us down with such an outlandish plan. I have to say, I almost fell for their trap.”

The elder acknowledged that, although the plan seemed fanciful and boundless, it indeed posed a threat to the organization. Conventional means were hard to separate the sunflower seeds. The exposure of this document led the organization to initiate a major purge of internal personnel, which, although it caused some damages, also strengthened the team’s cohesion. “I’m not talking about MI6, but the way the intelligence was leaked—someone bypassed physical barriers, forcibly invaded MI6’s secret servers; also the Twin Towers Bridge malfunction incident around the same period, if you look closely, also resulted from a cyber intrusion, not to mention the latter caused fatalities. All of this doesn’t seem like something an Angel would do.”

All three attendees were aware that people empowered with Angelic abilities, despite their varied personalities, were essentially not evil—whether their abilities constrained their thoughts, or only those with kindness could obtain such powers, remains a mystery to this day.

The other type of Talents had far fewer reservations.

Of course, for the organization, there is no essential difference between these two types of mutants; good and evil are mere concepts that only children would insist on. The key is whether they can be controlled and utilized. From this perspective, the organization dislikes Angels more than Demons.

“A Demon’s energy can’t withstand such consumption,” the man said hesitantly.

“What if this Demon solved the energy problem? Just because there’s no precedent doesn’t mean it will never happen.” The elder tapped the table gently, “The ‘accident’ on the DDG107 can also be categorized as a type of cyber intrusion—even though the Navy’s communication protocols are completely different from the public network. Because my team believes that this Demon’s ability is most likely related to communication networks, and with this as a premise, they have made three deductions: First, this person was born in an era of high-speed information development, so he should be between twenty and thirty years old; second, he hasn’t been awakened to his powers for long, yet his energy is quite substantial, which is completely different from the Demons we knew in the past. Third…”

The elder paused for a moment before saying, “Any network communication based on electromagnetic waves could be invaded, which naturally includes our current conversation.”

“Hey, are you serious? You still communicate with us knowing this?” the man’s voice became markedly more anxious.

“There’s a risk of plane crashes whenever you fly, but does that mean you never leave your house? It’s all a matter of probability; using satellite communication can also reduce this risk,” he said with a hint of sarcasm. “We can’t rely on messengers to pass messages, so we always have to take some risks. However, next time, I will choose a safer way to communicate… if it truly exists.”

After finishing, the elder pressed a button on the table.

The three virtual avatars on the round table disappeared in succession, and the conference room returned to silence.