Biological Supercomputer System

In the week that followed their daring mission, life for Erik and his team slowed down considerably.

Everyone, except for June and Erik, visited a healer from the Band of Giants to tend to their wounds.

On the other side, Shade's side, the situation was anything but calm.

News of Gabriel's death spread like wildfire, and the subsequent attack on his villa didn't go unnoticed, either.

The aftermath stirred up tensions, leaving everyone on edge about the potential repercussions.

For a second, Erik thought that Shade had the means to find out who the onyx sculpture belonged to, making it so that their attack on the Villa had been for naught.

However, this concern was put to rest. After a careful check using his biological supercomputer and a detailed hand-eye examination, he concluded it was unlikely for Shade to trace the sculpture back to Gabriel, meaning they could still enter the meeting without problems. At least in theory.

There was also the chance that the guy might have changed the key, even if it wasn't easy to do. After all, it was Shade they were talking about, and nothing about him was simple.

This realization brought a sigh of relief to Erik and his team. Their operation, risky as it had been, wasn't for nothing, and for now, they could proceed.

Yes. But while their secret operation hadn't been linked back to them, Shade was now undoubtedly on high alert.

The infiltration and retrieval of the onyx sculpture meant that Shade was aware someone had inside information on his meeting.

This left Erik pondering a crucial question: Would Shade continue with his plans as if nothing had happened, or would he take precautionary measures like changing the location or delaying the meeting altogether?

Throughout his efforts to unravel the enigma that was Shade, Erik had gleaned some insights into the man lurking in the shadows.

Intelligence was a trait that stood out; Shade was no ordinary person. However, Erik couldn't find out his physical strength.

Not that it mattered much to Erik, confident as he was in his own abilities, but it was a piece of the puzzle.

Another characteristic of Shade became apparent to Erik during his investigation: his immense pride.

This trait might be Shade's weakness. Erik deduced that Shade's pride might prevent him from altering his plans too drastically for fear of appearing weak or intimidated.

"I don't think he will postpone the meeting."

"Why so?" June asked, as he was the one who made the question to Erik. "Because he doesn't like rats sniffing around. He likely increased the meeting's security."

"It won't be enough," June said.

"It might. What if there are a thousand people protecting him? Even I can do nothing about it."

Then Erik stood up. There were more pressing matters to think about. "Let's go. We have a meeting to attend to."

Erik and June navigated the intricate corridors of the Band of Giants' headquarters, their footsteps echoing softly against the stone floors.

They arrived at the small meeting room Rebecca had secured for their strategy session.

Erik pushed open the door, stepping into the space designated for plotting and planning.

Upon entering, he took stock of the room's occupants. Rebecca, Camille, and Ramon were around the table.

They were familiar faces, but Erik's eyes were drawn to an unfamiliar figure, a woman seated at the far end of the room. Her presence was unexpected.

Rebecca caught Erik's lingering gaze on the newcomer and sensed his curiosity.

The woman's appearance was striking, with keen eyes that seemed to miss nothing and an air of confidence that suggested she was no stranger to the dangerous world they all navigated.

Rebecca read the unspoken question in Erik's eyes and prepared to introduce the woman.

"This is Laria," She said. "She will help us through the next step."

"Help? Aren't we enough?"

The others looked at each other. By then Erik understood they talked among themselves when he and June were not there.

"You see…" Ramon said. "Our trip to the villa opened our eyes."

"In what way?" Erik asked.

"It's easy. Really, we are not nearly as strong as you guys."

An embarrassed silence ensued for a couple of seconds.

"While me and Camille can take care of ourselves, Rebecca here is still too weak to…"

He said nothing further, as Rebecca lowered her gaze in embarrassment.

"Anyway, since it's likely Shade is going to increase the security in tonight's meeting, we thought it would be good to go there with a squad."

Erik glanced at them. "We can't just charge in. If we slip up, Shade could escape, and tracking him down again would be a real headache. We only have that list of names, and working through it to find Shade will take time. Plus, we might not get another chance like this."

"We know that," Rebecca said.

"We don't plan on attacking them openly, but to at least have a backup in case something bad happens."

"And what can she do to help us?" Erik said, looking at Laria.

"I don't know if you are aware of this," the woman said, turning to Erik.

"But I was the one overseeing the operation in Frant. I obviously know how to command troops."

"How many troops are we talking about?" June asked.

"300."

Erik looked at the woman with skepticism. 300 people weren't easy to hide. How did she plan on making them approach the meeting location without Shade noticing? He voiced that concern.

Besides, what if there were more people as they were predicting? What if Shade had tens of thousands of people protecting him? Could these 300 be enough to complete the mission?

"Our troops are highly trained, and of course, we will only bring stealth specialists. Believe me, this guy, Shade, won't even understand what hit him."

Somehow, he wasn't keen on believing that, but if Rebecca and the others felt more at ease doing this, it's not like he could protest.

To kill Shade was important, but not at the cost of losing them. If Rebecca died, the Fierce Lioness would hunt him to the end of the earth.

Erik sighed. "If you say so."

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