Chapter 615: The Hidden Black Gate
"Alright."
Two days later, and back in the Hero Association Headquarters’ conference room, the suited man put down the handset of the landline phone as he turned to Aurora with a weary look on his face.
"The City Council has agreed to go along with your declaration."
However, unlike the facade he presented on the outside, he was internally jumping in happiness.
Despite the Thorn Queen’s unexpected screw-up, things still ended up going their way!
"However, do keep in mind that such impulsive actions won’t be tolerated in the future. If you want to announce anything else, be sure to check with me first."
That being said, no matter how grateful he was for Aurora for serving herself on a plate of gold to her predator, her individualistic actions could never be encouraged.
Rather, the suited man was making it seem as if he was the one doing her a favor.
"Got it."
Thankfully, unlike the rebellious image she presented at the start of the project, Aurora obediently accepted the scolding just like she did back in the day.
In the end, the one thing that worried the higher-ups the most only turned out to be a passing phase. The Hero of Light was still in their grasp.
’Their suspicions are totally baseless.’
With a half-smile on his face, the suited man was reminded of the people who doubted the happenings of the last Gate he reported.
From his point of view, these people were simply being nosy.
After all, with Aurora in charge, unless she was the target herself, no foul play towards other members could have been allowed.
Furthermore, with the other two members of the Thorn Trio being the victim’s sister and Aurora on the helm, the only proper suspect was the newbie Hero with the strange moniker, but even that was just a very thin hypothesis.
’In any case, cautiousness is a luxury that this plan can’t afford.’
The Gate Clearing project was more like a high-speed train meant to crash with Aurora at the helm of the operating cabin.
Even if the timeline is messed up very slightly, it wouldn’t be beyond her to redirect the crashing train into a safe path.
Most importantly, far too many resources have been expended for the sake of the secret project by the name ’Light’s Ruin’.
Although many of these resources had ended up in the pockets of the officials and council members who might have stood against the passing of this agenda, it still made it impossible to replicate this attempt without dire losses.
It wasn’t just the financial losses either. There was simply no other opportunity that could substitute for the guise called the Gate Clearing Project.
If the higher-ups had truly delayed the final Gate Clearing to investigate properly, Aurora’s crazy healing factor was likely to catch up with their schemes, rendering all their efforts meaningless.
"Also, we already spoke about this, but this time, things will be very different."
When it came to the final and most dangerous colored Gate of them all, the Black Gate, the treatment they received in Enigma City was quite different compared to the previous eleven Color Gates.
In fact, it was even more exaggerated than the Green Gate that had been deemed a forbidden zone for many.
Ever since its appearance and the disastrous phenomenon that erupted in the area surrounding it, the higher-ups had used several supernatural means to obscure the Gate’s actual location.
Moreover, the area surrounding it had been slightly rebuilt to contain the Gate within an additional large building, making it impossible for the common man or even the common Ability User to find their way in.
"Frankly, the place is extremely dangerous, and as much as I trust you guys, even as the strongest Ability User team around, I’m not sure that you can clear it."
In reality, the suited man couldn’t care less if anything happened to them, but easing Aurora into this was still his main job.
"In fact, had it not been for Aurora’s insistence to add this Urban Legend-like Gate into the schedule, the City Council would have kept their silence about the reality of its existence. By now, the Gate Clearing Project would have already been announced as successfully completed!"
As long as it could get them to enter this final Gate, he was ready to say anything they wanted him to.
"That being said, the danger represented by this Gate is merely a sample of what might happen if such a Gate were to break, and according to the information I received, there is not much time left. So..."
All of a sudden, the suited man broke into a deep bow, closing his eyes as if forcing himself to swallow a bitter pill, trying his best to appear as if he actually didn’t want them to go.
"Great Heroes! I can only shamefully ask you to undertake this one last task for the sake of humanity!"
’What a bad actor.’
Disgusted by the sight in front of her, Kara felt like she was going to throw up.
Had she not been aware of his actual intentions, Kara was confident that she would have easily seen through his unremarkable disguise.
"I already said I would do it; I don’t require your persuasion."
Even Aurora almost broke off her obedient disguise from pure disgust. She really wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.
Only then would she truly be free from her shackles!
"Ahem, as expected of the Hero of Light. Then let us depart."
Not receiving the heart-wrenching reaction that he expected, the suited man cleared his throat before putting his sunglasses back on and running out of the conference room.
’Hmph! We will see who will have the final laugh!’
He could almost see the ridicule in their eyes, but he easily shrugged it off by remembering the rewards he would receive once the mission was completed.
’At least it will be the last time I will have to deal with this trash.’
Looking at the fleeing piece of trash wearing human skin, Kara followed him out of the building and into the dedicated armored car that would take them to their final destination.
"How long until we get there?"
Before long, with everyone on board, the armored car had already marched for eight hours nonstop, prompting Vera to question the unreasonable distance.
Although Enigma City was rather large, the armored car was also moving at an insane speed.
Considering that they started at the very center of the city, they should have crossed the city borders by now.
"Don’t worry, we are just about there."
To get back at them for what they did earlier, the suited man didn’t bother explaining.
If they had driven straight toward their target, they would have reached their destination more than four hours ago.
However, in order to dodge any possibility of someone tracking them to the Black Gate, the driver was instructed to take several detours.
"Here we are."
Suddenly, the armored car smoothly slipped into a concealed alley before finally coming to a stop.
As the suited man opened the car’s door to let Aurora and the others down, a hidden side door cracked open, revealing a man who waved at them to follow him inside.
"Sorry, but you know the protocol; no fans or media coverage can be allowed for this final stretch. In the unlikely case that you fail to clear the Gate, we can’t afford to reveal this location to the common populace."
Naturally, all of this was nothing but an excuse to cover up the final results of the operation that was about to go inside, but coupled with the introduction he gave earlier that day, nobody could refute that excuse.
"I wish you the best of luck."
Stopping just outside the door, the suited man watched New Team Aurora go in with a smile on his face. At this point, his work was practically done; he just had to wait for the good news.
Stepping in, Aurora and the others found themselves going through multiple doors and going up and down many stairs to the point that it felt like they were running around in circles.
Thankfully, after about 10 minutes of feeling lost, they finally found themselves standing in front of a much larger door. Once the guide pressed it in...
’Finally.’
The Gate that held the collective goals of the entire team lay before their eyes, flickering with dark sparks as if promising them a quick and easy trip to the grave.
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