Chapter 479 Trap!
By the time Samuel reached the Orphanage, chaos was happening around the city. The Paris police were in uproar by the recent events; even the higher-ups thought that the city was under siege.
Lucas, the chief of police, gathered his men and went around the whole neighborhood, finding the bodies of unknown assailants. It led to the opening of an official investigation, but most of the news was being suppressed for fear of causing a public panic.
The motel that looked like the base of operation was burnt to a crisp. They did apprehend a few people after a short firefight, which made headlines, but other than that, nothing sure was known about the events.
Even police were dumbfounded when they dug up several armories and found high-tech equipment that was hard to get around. Lucas was only at the scene for half an hour when a platoon of agents swarmed their position.
DGSE, the French secret service, took over the case, and it became a classified event. Lucas was kicked out of the case, which he protested, but it was in vain. His superiors were barred from learning anything, and everything went to the Directorate-General for External Security office.
It became a matter of national security as it was impossible to breach the country while carrying this much supply without any connection to the higher government personnel. The president was briefed during an emergency meeting, and even then, no concrete evidence was found.
It's like the trail was getting cold every minute. They searched several houses of suspected individual, but all they found was dead bodies. It was a constant purge that even the president was shocked to know about. Being at the country's highest echelon, he couldn't even find out which forces invaded his country so brazenly.
What's more baffling was the person who could wipe out a whole army armed to the teeth with technology that they never heard about. The secret service was also surprised to learn about such exquisite technology, which led other country's agencies to learn about the pieces of equipment, too.
It was a mess no one had anticipated; the next few days were hell for the agency. Only then did they learn how far their agency was already infiltrated when they kept learning about spies from other nations vying for a piece of the pie.
Then, shockingly, a video began circulating around the web; it was right after everything began to cool down. It was a short recording of two men running around the city. It was Samuel, who donned full black camouflage clothes, chasing the man who was carrying Elise.
It sparked countless conversations, no matter how people looked at it. Both of them seemed out of place. Thankfully, Elise's face was unclear due to poor video quality, but that didn't stop conspiracy theorists from making wild claims.
Several related videos began to circulate, showing the area around the infamous motel right before it caught fire. Several dampened gunfire could be heard in the distance; the person recording it was holed up in his apartment while giving live commentary of unfolding events.
Most videos showed assailants with guns and wearing full tactical gear, which was uncommon even in films. Some of the netizens also concurred that it was an alien invasion! The internet went wild for a few days!
While these events unfolded, Huxley and Merikh were holed up right outside France in their rented villa following the news. They were still in denial, but even then, they knew that there was no chance for them to return to their organization.
Huxley was trying to suppress every news that remotely mentioned anything about the shadow family. He still had a chance to avoid the death penalty as long as the family taboo was not broken. He did lose six exceptional soldiers, but he believed with a significant contribution, he could maintain his position as the deputy.
On the other hand, Merikh didn't know what to say to his lord. He knew his life was over, but if he didn't return, his whole family would be slaughtered and tortured to death for his 'sins.' He knew about the cruelty of failing the mission; he was not sure his return would stop his lord from making the same move.
He hadn't contacted the base for a few days, but it was meaningless. With so much media publicity, the news must have already traveled back to Moldova. He was thinking about any solution to save his and his family's life, but everything he thought of was in vain.
" Are you done mopping? Come here and call some of your connections inside the country to suppress the news. I know you had a lot of spies in the government, old man!" The castle was big, but Merikh had cooped up in the living room, looking at empty space in a daze for a few days.
" What's the use? I am already a dead man! Fuck! If only you hadn't messed up this mission!" Merikh started blaming Huxley for his failure.
" Don't pin this on me! Who knew what madman crawled out of the hole to destroy my men like chicken! You also heard the transmission: whoever these people are, they posed the highest risk to our organization."
" Fuck the organization! I don't care if all hell breaks-"
" Old man! Do you want to die? Don't badmouth the main family, or else we don't even know how we die! Think about it: you can jump camp and come under me? I can't promise anything, but it could temporarily save your life." Huxley was feeling arrogant again. The old man who didn't give the time of day to him earlier looked so miserable at this point!
He was feeling giddy just thinking about how he would use him! It would definitely bolster his strength if he successfully poached Merikh, who was relatively high in the rival branch family's totem pole!
" No, that's not possible! Do you want me to be your dog?" Merikh vehemently refused.
" Do you have any other choice?"
" I will think of something. If I report our finding about a hidden organization, maybe I could still save my life."
" Dream on! Within this month, your master will die! Do you think he would care about something so trivial!?"
" How do you know that?" Merikh was shocked. He was sure it was a well-kept secret, but somehow, the branch member already knew about his lord's condition? Why were they helping him then? Was it a ruse?
" You underestimate us too much. It was my benevolence that I helped you. now that we don't know who the enemy is, we had to back off to protect our identity." Huxley was enjoying himself seeing Merikh's desperate expression. He knew what the old man must be thinking.
It was good to spin the story and help the family heir. The threat of a hidden force didn't take priority when it was a matter of inheriting the family's riches. With one more successor out of the picture, his mistakes could be wiped off with a more enormous gain!
He only had to make Merikh believe that Huxley was in control since they began the mission, and everything was a ruse to fail the mission on purpose. With Merikh on his side, he could learn about his lord's secrets and relay that information to the prominent family to gain recognition!
" How could you do this? That man-" Merikh fell into his trap and began doubting himself. He felt in control, but everything played as Huxley predicted. Without Elise, there was no way his master would live.
Most people could find donors, but due to his lord's unique constitution, there was only a slim chance he could find a replacement for Elise. His ties were also not strong, as he was being shunned by the family for prior misconduct.
Many heirs were eyeing the head position; most were young and ambitious, which led them to simultaneously agree to keep his lord's movements in check. Why else would he be holed up in a country like Moldova?
Merikh began weighing the pros and cons of joining hands with Huxley. Even though he was a psychopath, he had a big vision. If Merikh kept providing him critical information, he could prolong his life while thinking of a way to disappear in the future. He knew the workings of the family better than most people; it was easy for him to make it happen.
But the only problem was his family, who were still in the clutches of his master. He had to think of a way to get them out safely. He was sure they would be okay because his master would use them to lure him out.
" What do you say? The clock is ticking; don't you want to save your family?" Huxley asked with a mischievous smile. He had successfully sunk his hooks into Merikh!
" I agree," Merikh said while gritting his teeth. They were still unaware that someone else was spying on them, waiting for them to make a move!
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