Chapter 119

Chapter 119

Laura was right—this was indeed the eve of dawn.

Three days later, AGB Team 12 of the Asian Branch located 10 transferred omegas and 6 infants under the age of 5 in a house in Tangier, Morocco. With this, the first complete evidence chain was formed.

Among them, two omegas had previously interacted with members of the Nauron Family, including even Corbett’s father, Jared.

As a result, the AGB investigation team led by Laura was no longer constrained by unfair action protocols. The Security Council was forced to upgrade the operation's level and scope, doubling the number of operatives and, much like the 2004 LEBEN Cleanup Operation, granting authority to collaborate with national police forces.

Two days later, with the assistance of AGB’s European Branch, hostage strongholds in the port cities of Rotterdam and Hamburg were uncovered. The three city bases collectively held 45 omegas and 62 infants, all temporarily housed by international health aid organizations, with five additional AGB teams assigned to provide security.

By this point, the LEBEN investigation team had expanded into an international operation too vast for First-Class Police Superintendent Laura to manage alone. Thus, Amber, Director of AGB’s Asian Branch, officially accepted the appointment and joined Laura and the others in San Francisco.

The temperature in San Francisco wasn’t particularly low, but it was nothing compared to Brazil’s summer. Moreover, when Xu Zhangying and the others landed, a light drizzle was falling, making it feel chillier.

With the operation’s upgraded status, Xu Zhangying and his team’s operational conditions had also improved—for instance, they no longer needed to rent or drive their own vehicles.

A North American Branch's standard-issue BMW slowly came to a stop on the white lane. Just as Xu Zhangying was about to step out, a young brown-haired Beta Commissioner hurried over with an umbrella. "Commissioner Edmund."

"No need, thank you," Xu Zhangying smiled at the young Commissioner, scanned the gloomy sky beyond the umbrella, and made quick strides into the corridor, waiting for Xia Qing, dressed in a dark gray wool suit, to emerge from the car and join him.

After leaving South America, Xu Zhangying realized that Xia Qing’s profile within AGB had risen dramatically. Whether it was unfamiliar Police Superintendents or Commissioners, everyone recognized his face and properly addressed him as "Professor."

Xia Qing first stood beside Xu Zhangying, then turned to gaze at the vast lawn and fountain in the rain, pausing momentarily.

"How strange," Xu Zhangying muttered, equally puzzled. "Why are we conducting operations in a private residence like this?"

Xia Qing lowered his eyes to look at Xu Zhangying’s face but said nothing, simply guiding him by the back into the open white side door.

Xu Zhangying had been to San Francisco before, but never to such a wealthy enclave. The lush greenery surrounding them was thick as jungle, yet the roads were smooth and well-developed. Only by peering through the rain-soaked redwoods could one glimpse the various beautiful buildings. And not far downhill lay the ocean—it was like a storybook modern estate. Wait, this *was* an estate.

Following directions from posted Officers, Xu Zhangying and Xia Qing turned several corners before treading on plush carpeting and entering a massive study. Amber, Laura, Zeiss, Zhao Yang, and the others had already arrived.

"Damn."

Xu Zhangying stared at the floor-to-ceiling transparent windows spanning an entire wall, the swaying redwoods in the rain, then tilted his head up at the study, which rivaled a small library. Only then did he realize this was a three-story, vaulted space—and directly above them was a circular skylight.

In short, it was decor far beyond what a poor man like him could ever dream of.

After recovering from his awe, Xu Zhangying couldn’t help but glance at Amber, seated behind a mahogany desk, and skeptically questioned, "Why are we holding a meeting in a mansion like this? Can the North American branch director afford this kind of estate?"

"Clearly," Amber, dressed in a silver-white tailored suit, spread his hands and replied in Chinese, "within the entire AGB Commissioner system, aside from our dear Mr. Duncan, everyone else probably qualifies as ordinary middle-class. No one could afford a house like this."

Zeiss, leaning against a bookshelf, was inexplicably singled out and flushed with irritation. He shot Xu Zhangying a look before turning away and retorting, "I don’t live at home anymore."

"Who are you calling middle class?" Xu Zhangying, standing in the center of the study with his arms crossed beside Xia Qing, also protested loudly, "I’m clearly proletarian—my wallet's thinner than my pride, living paycheck to paycheck."

Zhao Yang and Li Jiali, standing nearby, silently covered their faces and lowered their heads, relieved that their companions and superiors were speaking in Chinese, making it hard for the North American Commissioners at the study’s entrance to understand.

"This is the Nauron Family’s property."

A calm voice suddenly spoke up—Xia Qing, who had been silent until now. He explained as if presenting experimental data: "403 El Serrito Avenue. Such properties are publicly recorded, and this one was purchased by Jared Nolan in 2010."

For a moment, Amber, who had been preparing to tease them, was caught off guard. Zhao Yang also looked up in surprise. "Xia Qing, you actually keep up with real estate?"

"No, I don’t pay attention to such things."

Noticing the odd looks from everyone, Xia Qing glanced up at the three-story vaulted bookshelves before meeting Xu Zhangying’s eyes. With a serene expression, he calmly explained:

"I used to live here when I was a kid."

For a moment, the room fell into a deafening silence.

Laura, eyes wide with shock, suddenly thought of something after two seconds. She slowly turned her gaze toward Amber, who was seated behind the massive desk, only to see her face pale as she tried to stand up discreetly.

"Don’t worry about it," Xia Qing reassured the cautious Amber with a calm shake of his head. "The entire place has been completely renovated. I only recognized it from the trees outside. Don’t worry about it."

Apart from Amber, Laura, and Zeiss, no one else—including Xu Zhangying—knew that Xia Qing's father had committed suicide in this very study, or more precisely, in the spot where Amber was now sitting. They were merely puzzled as to why Laura suddenly erupted in anger, yelling at Amber in Russian—

"You idiot! Didn’t you investigate this properly?"

"I’ve only been in this city for *like* ten hours! And the place really has been renovated! Who’d remember after so long?"

Three minutes later, Xu Zhangying sat on the study’s leather sofa and whispered to the alpha beside him, "Xia Qing."

Xia Qing turned to look at him, his handsome face showing a hint of confusion and gentleness. "What is it?"

"Did you do your homework here when you were little?" Xu Zhangying half-covered his mouth as he asked quietly.

Xia Qing thought for a moment, then nodded. "Often. Back then, my father and I each had our own desk. We’d read together."

"No *wonder* you’re such a genius," Xu Zhangying said, clapping his fist into his palm with exaggerated certainty.

Xia Qing looked puzzled. "No wonder what?"

"No wonder you’re a genius," Xu Zhangying declared, smacking his right fist into his left palm with exaggerated certainty. "Look, you grew up doing homework in a room like a library, while I lost my keys all the time in elementary school and had to do my homework on the apartment building’s concrete stairs. So, environment really does shape a child’s future—no doubt about it."

But as soon as he finished speaking, Xu Zhangying noticed an unreadable look fixed on him. He looked up to see Zeiss staring at him with an indescribable expression.

"What?" Xu Zhangying tilted his head.

Zeiss, who knew the truth but couldn’t say it, could only swallow his words and look away stiffly.

Meanwhile, Amber, standing by the mahogany desk, had already verified the property details with her assistant. It turned out that this San Francisco estate, built in the 1980s, had once belonged to Xia Gaohan, the former chairman of the VIDA Group, from 1997 to 2005.

After a series of legal auctions and procedures, it was eventually purchased by the Nauron Family—likely with the intent of searching for Xia Gaohan’s remaining documents and belongings.

However, Laura and Amber both glanced at the Elite Alpha sitting beside Xu Zhangying, who was listening to him with a slight bow of his head.

The only person who might have witnessed the truth behind LEBEN’s first Emperor's death was the second person left in that vast estate—11-year-old Xia Qing.

But as Laura watched the young man break into a small smile at Xu Zhangying’s playful remark, she withdrew her gaze.

Still no memory of his father’s death, Laura thought. Such a small child—perhaps trauma took root that very moment.

"So, the Nauron Family fled, and that’s why we’re holding the meeting here?" Xu Zhangying asked bluntly as Laura approached them.

"Yes," Laura nodded, glancing at Zeiss. "The North American branch and the FBI got a joint warrant 23 hours ago. But not only this property—their usual residence in Toronto was also empty. Aside from family members who had no contact with LEBEN, Jared, Corbett, and their wives, children, and parents have all vanished. They’ve likely left the country illegally."

Li Jiali frowned in confusion. "Joint arrest warrants are supposed to be confidential. How did Octavius find out?"

Amber gave a helpless smile. "Ask the *IGO Council*—they’d know. Two of the suspects are high-profile, so this international operation was never going to stay under wraps."

Hearing this, Xu Zhangying frowned. "Then why not just arrest those two IGO Councillors? Orlando and Upton’s influence isn’t that overwhelming, is it?"

"It’s not about their power," Zeiss shook his head calmly, looking at Xu Zhangying. "But have you considered that those two might not be the only corrupt figures in the IGO System? Their names are just the ones on the criminal records. The corruption runs deeper than it appears. Arresting them prematurely could trigger a panic from the entire upper echelon."

"We can’t take on that kind of power right now," Laura said, patting Xu Zhangying’s shoulder. "At the very least, we’d need LEBEN to fall apart like in ’04 before we can truly take them down."

This reflects an infuriatingly chaotic political mentality. Clearly, Zeiss has a far sharper grasp of this than Xu Zhangying.

"So are you saying," Zhao Yang leaned against the wall—since Laura and the others habitually switched to English when discussing serious matters, he was always a beat slower with the translator—he smirked and said,

"That the reason the 2004 anti-Life operation failed to uncover the Second Generation Eden, and why Life was able to resurge so quickly in 2009, was also because of these higher-ups, right?"

For a moment, the AGB Officers in the room went quiet. They all knew the Chinese cop was right, but they didn’t know how to confront it—because they were afraid this op would flop just like 2004’s—another laughingstock.

Just five years after the crackdown, the Third Generation Eden and the dark web of the City of David had risen to prominence again in South America.

What, then, was the point of all those grand-scale operations and sacrifices before?

"Even if failure is possible, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t act." Xu Zhangying was the one to cut through the tension. Slouching on the couch, arms folded, he spoke dismissively before turning his head sharply to meet Amber’s gaze, his voice low and firm:

"You really don’t beat around the bush, do you?" The blue-eyed Commissioner pretended to sigh as she looked at Xu Zhangying, but in the next moment, she nodded and said seriously, "You’re right. We did find something unusual."

"Something unusual?" Zeiss frowned.

"Yes," Amber straightened up, addressing the group slowly. "As mentioned earlier, the first round of joint operations against Life, launched 23 hours ago, can be considered a complete failure. Our top targets—the Naurons and Akalai—had already skipped town. As a result, we could only conduct searches of their residences, such as this very estate we’re in now."

At her words, the group couldn’t help but glance around the study again. Xu Zhangying looked at Amber and asked, "Internal Life documents they didn’t manage to move?"

"No, quite the opposite," Amber shook her head, her expression grave. "These guys run like clockwork—no loose ends. After 14 hours of searching, we’ve found no trace of the most crucial elements—the 'Holy Grail' dark web system or Life’s financial records."

"Then what is it?" Xu Zhangying stared blankly.

Amber paused for a second before lifting her gaze to meet the beta Police Superintendent’s eyes, her voice steady. "Personal medical files—found in this house, the Toronto mansion, and the CEO’s office of the Akalai Group. They got tossed in with standard checkup files, so they slipped through."

"Physical reports?"

Xu Zhangying hadn’t expected that answer at all. He leaned in for a look and blurted out, "Even if Octavius and his crew are on death’s door, that wouldn’t help the current investigation, would it?"

"It’s not that simple," Amber replied calmly as she took a sealed file bag handed to her by her deputy, Police Commissioner Joshua. "These aren’t ordinary medical records. They pertain to genetic testing and gene therapy."

"Genetic testing." Zeiss bristled at the term. "Are they still playing God with genes?"

"You’re only half right," Amber pulled out a stack of documents from the sealed bag and looked up at the young North American Police Inspector. "Among these four gene therapy files, one belongs to Corbett."

The name 'Corbett' hit like a shockwave—wait, Octavius?

"Is this some fancy immortality scam?" Zeiss asked hesitantly.

"No. We’ve already had a local university professor review them, and the preliminary conclusion is that these are indeed medical records for treatment," Laura, standing nearby, interjected.

With that, Laura took the files directly from Amber’s hands and strode straight toward Xu Zhangying.

The room grew tense. Zeiss frowned. "Why would high-ranking members of Octavius’ faction all need treatment at the same time?"

Amber’s eyes followed Laura, unreadable, before saying in a low voice, "Hold your horses. Coincidentally, our team includes the world’s foremost geneticist—so let’s let Professor Ralph work his magic."

No sooner had she spoken than Laura stopped in front of Xia Qing and handed him the files.

As Xia Qing took them, Xu Zhangying immediately craned his neck to peer at the contents—but one glance made his head spin—he waved it off, shaking his head at Zeiss and Zhao Yang across from him.

The documents were densely packed with English technical terms, along with blurry cell diagrams and charts. To non-experts, it was pure gibberish.

Of course, Xia Qing could decipher the meaning behind those symbols and images. He scanned the pages lightning-fast, laser-focused. He devoured the first file, then tore through the rest.

"How many more of these documents are there?" Xia Qing finally looked up, his usually impassive handsome face now grave. Those around him, seeing his expression, realized these files were anything but ordinary and instinctively sat up straighter.

"Only the four hard copies in your hands," Amber stood at the center of the room, saying as he pulled out a USB drive from his suit jacket. "But nine hours ago, the technical officers from the North American branch spent an entire month recovering the hard drive from the Third Generation Eden. So, there are 37 more."

The moment that number was mentioned, Xia Qing's hand holding the files stiffened slightly. Xu Zhangying, keenly noticing this, couldn't help but ask softly, "So what do these files mean? Why are Octavius and the others' medical records so important?"

"These individuals all suffer from the same genetic defect," Xia Qing turned to Xu Zhangying, a rare gravity flashing in his amber eyes. "And they are all Elite Alphas."

Xu Zhangying remained puzzled. "What does that mean? Genetic defects are inherited, not contagious."

Not just Xu Zhangying, but Zeiss, Zhao Yang, and the others also looked equally confused. At that moment, Xia Qing opened the first file and said to the group, "This states that Corbett Nauron is 30 years old."

"The other three patients are 29, 27, and 26 years old respectively."

"What does age have to do with it?" Zhao Yang blurted out. "Isn't the important part what condition they have?"

Then, Xu Zhangying suddenly realized something, his expression changed suddenly. He looked up sharply at Amber, who met his gaze and slowly said, "Correct. The other 37 individuals who underwent gene therapy are all under 31 years old—born after 1991."

After an eternity—perhaps five minutes, perhaps three—Xia Qing finally looked up, gripping the stack of thin papers, and nodded at the silent group.

"This was engineered. These genetic reports all show varying degrees of deletion and mutation in the SF1 gene located in the 33rd region of chromosome 9. While not as critical as the SRY gene, which determines human sex, SF1 encodes steroidogenic factors (hormone regulators) involved in gonadal differentiation and development."

Xia Qing's explanation contained many technical terms most AGB Officers couldn't grasp, but his concise summary directly confirmed a lurking suspicion they'd dared not voice.

"Since the 1980s, SF1 has been theorized by academia to potentially determine the pheromone hierarchy of second genders," Xia Qing's tone was cold and grave as he shook his head at Amber. "But to this day, this hypothesis remains unverified because gene expression is an incredibly complex and difficult-to-prove subject."

"Yet this conclusion was already applied 30 years ago."

Xu Zhangying's voice cut through, voicing the horrifying truth they all feared.

"So that's it," Xu Zhangying leaned forward in the Nauron Family's spacious sofa, hands clasped, a sardonic smile twisting his lips. "I finally understand why Octavius and his group are so extreme and desperate."

"—Because they themselves are the defective products of the Second Generation Eden."

Even Laura and the others, deeply familiar with Life, found it hard to believe. The Second Generation Eden, founded in Serbia in 1987 with the participation of top LSA scholars, not only began gene research on pheromone hierarchy in the early 90s but actually implemented it clinically within just a few years, offering it as a premium service to billionaires and politicians like the Nauron Family.

"So Corbett and the others' Elite Alpha designation was genetically engineered?" Laura stood before the sofa, her expression complicated despite her preparedness. "Doesn't that mean the Second Generation Eden was actually successful?"

"That's not quite accurate," Xia Qing gently closed the file in his hands, calmly meeting Laura's gaze. "It depends on the definition of an A-grade Alpha. Since the 1960s, international academia's classification of pheromone hierarchy has encompassed many factors—purity, expressivity, individual perception, and control over pheromones."

"A true A-grade Alpha or Omega should excel in all aspects compared to lower-tier second genders. But current international testing methods for pheromone hierarchy are extremely simplistic."

"You've all been through it," Xia Qing turned to the group, his gaze mirror-like. "The test is just a standard blood draw analyzing pheromone purity—because higher purity enables the pheromone suppression culturally associated with Elite Alphas."

"So you're saying," Zeiss caught on, frowning, "Corbett and the others only meet the Elite Alpha standard in pheromone purity, but not necessarily in other aspects?"

"The medical records already state," Xia Qing replied gravely, "Corbett's blood pheromone levels remain abnormally high, indicating no control over them. His pheromones also severely impact his organs and systemic functions, forcing him to rely on long-term gland-blocking injections to suppress production."

"Jesus," Zhao Yang finally grasped it, looking stunned. "Then what kind of Elite Alpha is Corbett? He's practically worse than even a sub-C-grade inferior Alpha."

"But whether on social media or in high society," Zeiss mused, "Corbett and Theodore from the Akalai Family are hailed as flawless Elite Alpha heirs—constantly representing their families at events. And there are over forty of these... things?"

"Reality proves," Laura smirked derisively, "in human society, the empty prestige of being an Elite Alpha far outweighs any actual physiological difference."

"I still can't believe it," Qi Feng, who had been sitting silently beside Zhao Yang, looked utterly perplexed as she turned to Xia Qing. "They could genetically modify to this extent as early as 1992? Life actually let these aristocrats bear 'Elite Alpha' children."

"This wasn’t some cutting-edge or complex technology," Xia Qing explained with a grave expression. "If anything, the scarcest resource in this whole mess was the courage of those LSA scholars back then—they actually dared to apply such crude, rudimentary experiments directly to human embryos."

Perhaps noticing that the others still didn’t fully grasp it, Xia Qing paused for a few seconds before raising his head to address Qi Feng and the rest.

"Look at it like this: those LSA scholars at the time discovered that partial deletion of the SF1 gene could enhance the pheromone purity of alphas, but they lacked the ability to fully decipher the complex role of the SF1 gene in human biological functions. In fact, even 30 years later, the academic world still doesn’t possess such capability."

"So, even in the '90s, LSA scholars could easily knock out a gene in an embryo, even using the most primitive ZFN technology."

As he spoke, Xia Qing’s handsome face finally revealed an indescribable coldness. "They just had no way to control the ripple effects—for example, Corbett, now 30, has already begun experiencing kidney failure, while Theodore from the Akalai files, 27, shows less severe symptoms due to individual differences but has never possessed the ability to perceive pheromones. And according to the genetic reports, it’s highly likely that the pheromone composition in their bodies differs from typical pheromones."

"Wait a minute," Zhao Yang frowned, finding these words eerily familiar. Then he looked up at Xia Qing in shock. "Isn’t this the same shit Octavius pulled on ordinary kids in San Vicente and those destroyed Second Generation Eden facilities?"

"It’s the same, but still in service to them," Xia Qing stood up, pulling a specific document from the files and handing it to Laura. "This is Corbett’s treatment record. Last year, he underwent lentiviral vector-based cell gene therapy. Akalai Pharma pushed similar treatments too, but the therapies Corbett and others received were never officially approved—yet they needed tons of human guinea pigs."

"These lunatics," Laura muttered, staring coldly at the document Xia Qing had handed her. "They turned their own kids into cripples just to create so-called Elite Alphas, and now they want to use others’ lives to patch up their own."

"But it’s truly baffling," Li Jiali said, her face pale with confusion. "Even the Akalai Family, a North American pharmaceutical oligarchy, actually believed in Life’s insane experiments back then. Is this some kind of religious zeal?"

"No, it shouldn’t be that simple," Xu Zhangying raised his head and spoke solemnly to the group. "Do you remember why things escalated to this point—why the Octavius faction broke with the Third Generation Messiah?"

"They still believe the Second Generation Eden was once successful."

Amber stepped forward, clutching a USB drive, and nodded at Xu Zhangying. "So this explains everything—the blood feud between Life’s senior members, led by Octavius, and the Messiah. Based on current intelligence, it appears the Second and Third Generation Messiah monopolized Eden’s achievements and deceived them into accepting flawed genetic experiments."

"Does tech to guarantee Elite Alpha births really exist?" Zhao Yang hesitated, then turned to Xia Qing, the authority figure. "I feel like the technology to determine the sex of IVF babies only emerged a couple of years ago."

"It’s pure dumb luck," Xia Qing said gravely. "But personally, I don’t believe in events with near-zero probability."

"What fluke?" Zeiss and the others felt their hearts skip a beat as they looked up at the Elite Alpha.

"A lottery-ticket fluke," Xia Qing lifted his gaze, settling on Xu Zhangying, who was lost in thought on the sofa. "Just like what Octavius and the others did to innocent children in the Second Generation Eden—constantly deleting, inserting, or replacing gene segments. If, in one experiment, they blindly achieved a specific sequence, luckily inputting the correct code, they might have cultivated a healthy Elite Alpha embryo."

Before he could finish, even Laura beside him widened her eyes slightly. But the next moment, the next-in-line LSA chief shifted his tone, his expression detached yet resolute. "But that would be a one-in-a-million shot—lower than the odds of winning the lottery jackpot."

"Do you believe it?" Xia Qing turned to the Alpha Inspector, her faith clearly wavering.

"I—" Laura hesitated. "Should I?"

"But Octavius and his people truly believed it," Xu Zhangying, leaning back on the sofa, shook his head. Dressed in a deep brown pinstripe suit that accentuated his pale, handsome features, he chuckled softly at Laura. "Just like when they experimented on their own descendants—bat-shit crazy with conviction."

Xia Qing glanced at the beta, then handed the file to Laura before walking back to the sofa and sitting down beside him.

"That’s true, but I don’t think it was entirely the Nauron Family’s delusion."

At that moment, Amber suddenly spoke up. As soon as his words landed, Police Commissioner Joshua, who had been standing nearby, sent a document to everyone’s email in the room.

Almost instantly, nearly a dozen message alerts chimed simultaneously. Xu Zhangying gripped his vibrating phone, a familiar sense of dread flashing through him. Recovering, he shot Amber an exasperated look. "Blasting everyone’s inbox without notice? Peak Life behavior. I legit have PTSD now."

"Honestly, I think Life’s branding game is on point," Amber blinked his blue eyes before sighing in admiration in Chinese. "That whole mysterious vibe—total badassery."

Laura had long given up on critiquing Amber’s dry humor and began skimming the document. Within seconds, she frowned. "A ballistics report? Since when?"

Xu Zhangying, now seated snugly beside Xia Qing, lazily snooped at Xia Qing’s screen instead of checking his own phone. He quickly recognized it as a report issued by AGB Asia Branch’s forensics lab. But the moment his eyes dropped to the content, he went stock-still.

"What’s wrong?" Xia Qing asked gently.

"Nothing," Xu Zhangying lifted his face and smiled at him. "Just... caught off guard."

"This is the crime scene of the Danish professor assassinated in January," Zeiss, who was very familiar with the cases he handled, looked at Amber with confusion and asked, "Why re-examine the bullet marks?"

"No, this bullet mark report is the old one. The three following reports are the new ones." Amber folded her arms and explained patiently.

Only then did everyone notice that the three subsequent bullet mark reports were actually from the ruins of the Second Generation Eden in Serbia, Morocco, and Vietnam. From the photos, it was evident that even in the fire-ravaged Moroccan hospital, charred hallways still bore gunshot traces.

Zeiss, scanning the email, suddenly understood something. He quickly scrolled down to the final test conclusion and, sure enough, found identical bullet marks from an MP-443 pistol in all four reports.

"Exactly what you're thinking," Amber said, noting Zeiss’s reaction, and got straight to the point. "When the lab handed me the report, I coincidentally noticed this pattern—the MP-443 'Grach' semi-automatic pistol, produced by the Izhevsk factory. While not commonly used by North American or Asian Officers, it's standard issue for Russian forces and mercenaries."

"From the Vietnamese orphanage purge in January 2018 to the first LSA scholar murder case this January in 2022, these pistol traces appeared. Strangely, the MP-443 was absent in the subsequent six LSA assassination cases."

Zeiss grasped his meaning and, after a stunned pause, asked Amber, "So you're saying we can now confirm the murder of the first Danish scholar wasn’t *Octavius’s faction*’s doing, but rather, like the Second Generation Eden purge, was carried out by the Fourth-Seat Emperor Nero?"

"Not just that," Amber added calmly. "Over the past week, Joshua helped me investigate the deceased Danish scholar, Professor Kefei. We found he had regularly traveled between South America and Morocco—not just in the '90s, but consistently until 2017."

The group finally understood her point. Amber continued frankly, "Yes, the first murdered LSA professor was actually part of *Octavius’s faction*. Though it’s unclear why he thought the Eternal Life Society killed him, he had served the Third Generation Eden for thirty years and maintained the Second Generation Eden’s operations after 2004."

"No wonder Nero killed him," Li Jiali frowned. "He was a remnant of the Second Generation Eden."

"So, viewed this way, the death of this key figure and the sudden purge of the Second Generation Eden likely deeply provoked *Octavius’s faction*," Xia Qing analyzed coolly. "It reinforced their belief that the Third Generation Messiah was obstructing their search for the 'successful' experiment results."

"Then, does this mean," Zhao Yang said, confused, "the Third Generation Messiah actually possesses successful gene-editing data? So, did the Second Generation Eden really strike gold back then?"

"While I trust Professor Ralph’s judgment," Amber shrugged helplessly, "we still can’t confirm what truly happened back then."

"However," Zeiss, who had been deep in thought, suddenly spoke up, looking at Amber earnestly. "Your attention to this detail is impressive. When I handled this intel, I missed that the first LSA assassination had this unique mark—especially since every scene had over four different bullet tracings."

"Not that impressive—just a coincidence," Amber waved modestly, then explained to the younger agents, "Actually, this bullet mark is somewhat special, but you might not recognize it. The MP-443 semi-automatic pistol typically uses 9×19mm Luger rounds, but it can also fire Russia’s 7N21 high-pressure *armor-piercing* rounds. Coincidentally, all four scenes had these exact marks, which caught my eye."

Zeiss was taken aback. The blue-eyed Director of the AGB glanced at the silent Laura, then smiled faintly at him. "Also, by sheer coincidence, an acquaintance of mine frequently uses this exact pistol and ammunition."

Xu Zhangying looked up intently at Amber and asked, "Who?"

"An AGB Officer named Lawrence."

Every AGB Officer present instantly wore an odd expression, while Zhao Yang and Qi Feng only looked puzzled.

*Plink.* A raindrop finally struck the glass wall.

In the abruptly silent room, Amber turned at the sound, gazing at the undulating forest outside. After a moment, she murmured, almost to herself:

"Дождь усилился."

*(Russian: ‘The rain intensified.’)*

—The rain poured harder. But just as before, Laura ignored her.