Chapter 94 - 76: Illuminati
’Illuminati...’
The name cast a heavy shadow over his heart.
He took out his communicator and dialed Luo Qian’s number.
"Hello? Lin?"
Luo Qian’s voice, tinged with sleepiness and surprise, came from the other end of the communicator.
"What time is it? It’s only been a few days of vacation, and you miss me already? Or is it... a long, lonely night, and you can’t bring yourself to sleep?"
Lin Yi ignored his banter.
His tone was heavy as he got straight to the point.
"Luo, how much do you know about an organization called the Illuminati?"
He was usually engrossed in his cultivation and knew little about matters outside of school, certainly not as much as the well-informed Luo Qian.
"The Illuminati?"
Luo Qian’s voice sobered instantly, taking on a grave tone.
"Hiss... I’ve heard of them. I think they’re some extremist group from the United States. They’re supposedly completely insane, and their methods are bizarre. What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly asking about them? Are you in some kind of trouble?"
"It’s nothing," Lin Yi said, making up a quick excuse. "I just happened to hear someone mention the name and thought it was weird, so I was curious."
They exchanged a few more pleasantries.
Lin Yi ended the call.
The communicator’s screen went dark.
Lin Yi’s expression turned completely grim.
’Illuminati...’
Even in the world he came from, that name had been legendary!
Rumor had it that it was a secret society in the United States, formed by top-tier conglomerates and celebrities.
They secretly controlled the very lifeblood of that superpower.
But that was all ancient history from hundreds of years ago, before the advent of the Red Moon disaster!
’If...’
’If today’s "Illuminati" was truly a continuation of that ancient organization, having survived, evolved, and grown...’
’...after enduring more than three hundred years of bloodshed and secretly amassing power during the Red Moon Era...’
’...how unfathomably deep would this organization’s foundations have to be?’
It was almost too terrifying to imagine!
Lin Yi’s pace didn’t slow, but his mind was in utter turmoil.
He quickly tried to piece together the connection between the red-haired woman and the Illuminati.
’If...’
’If this "woman" really is Yan Hao, then he can’t have joined the Illuminati very long ago.’
’Otherwise, with the Illuminati’s resources, how could they possibly have let him be imprisoned and tortured by the Public Security Bureau for all those years?’
The most likely scenario was that during the last Public Security Bureau raid, Yan Hao was gravely wounded and near death when he was rescued by someone from the Illuminati.
Then.
The organization used some inconceivable means to not only heal his injuries but also completely change his gender, allowing him to assume the identity of a real woman and go into perfect hiding!
’No wonder... No wonder the Public Security Bureau turned the city upside down and issued a city-wide manhunt, yet couldn’t find a single trace of Yan Hao!’
’Who could have possibly imagined that an infamous male fugitive would suddenly transform into a glamorous woman?’
’But...’
Lin Yi’s brow furrowed. There was still one thing he didn’t understand.
It was perfectly logical for Yan Hao to come seeking revenge, since he had personally killed Yan Hao’s brother, Yan Shan.
’But the Illuminati?’
’Why would the Illuminati be targeting him?’
’He was just a high school student who was only just beginning to make a name for himself!’
A dreadful thought rose in his mind...
’Perhaps the Illuminati wasn’t just targeting him!’
’He was likely just one of many fish caught in the Illuminati’s vast net—one that just happened to meet their criteria!’
’What if... what if the Illuminati’s target is all the rising geniuses of this generation in the Dragon Country?’
’Their goal is to silently eliminate the Dragon Country’s future elite, cutting off the foundation of the nation’s Martial Dao!’
At that thought, a bone-deep chill shot up Lin Yi’s spine and straight to his scalp!
’The Illuminati’s ambition... It’s simply too vast!’
What was even more terrifying was the power the organization had demonstrated!
They could so easily alter a person’s gender, appearance, and identity, allowing them to perfectly replace someone else and infiltrate the very social fabric of the Dragon Country!
’That kind of ability...’
’It’s impossible to defend against!’
’Then how many more Illuminati spies like ’Yan Hao’ are currently hidden within the Dragon Country—their appearances altered, lurking in the crowds?’
’Just imagine returning home to your parents. They have the faces and voices you’ve always known... but in reality, that shell of a person has long since been replaced by the Illuminati!’
’If the Illuminati really has laid such a vast and secret spy network within the Dragon Country...’
’No! My strength... is still far from enough!’
An unprecedented sense of urgency rose in Lin Yi’s heart, making him restless and uneasy.
’I must get faster! Stronger! I must become stronger at any cost!’
’Before the college entrance exams, I must break through to the Second-Grade Martial Artist realm! At the same time, I have to cultivate both the Overlapping Waves Intent and the Fast Gun Intent!’
The harshness of reality far exceeded his imagination.
The situation on Blue Star was a hundred times more dire than he had anticipated!
The Dragon Country not only had to face the coming Red Moon doomsday and deal with increasingly powerful Demon Beasts, but relations between the world’s other major powers were not exactly harmonious either!
Threats from within and without!
If the Illuminati was truly trying to secretly eliminate the Dragon Country’s current generation of geniuses, as he suspected, his name was bound to end up on their list eventually!
Only power—absolute power—was the sole guarantee of survival!
A terrifying glint flashed in Lin Yi’s eyes.
One day, when he was strong enough, when he possessed the power to crush any and all obstacles, he would lead an expedition across the sea and annihilate this Illuminati!
...
「Back in Yang City.」
Back in his familiar home.
Lin Yi took a cold shower.
The cold water washed over his body, as if trying to cool his seething thoughts and killing intent.
It was late at night. Exhaustion washed over him like a tide, and he collapsed onto his bed, falling into a deep sleep almost instantly.