Chapter 66: CH-66
[Night Step- B] – Doubles the host’s base speed for 5 seconds in normal environments and 10 seconds in dark areas. Cooldown - 1 minute.
[Shadow Haze- B] – Increases the host’s evasion by 30–50%, scaling with the darkness of the area. Stacks with Shadow Blend and Shadow Veil.
Nice.
These two skills were solid. They will fit perfectly with my current fighting style.
On top of that, my other abilities had received upgrades too. I could barely wait to test them out later.
That last fight reminded me how weak I still was—so yeah, any improvement was more than welcome.
’I can’t be satisfied with just this...’
So far, this was the first time I actually craved power. Before, it was just part of the routine—something that came naturally with the system. But now, I wanted it more than anything.
I wanted to crush anyone who dared bring me harm and make them regret ever stepping in my way.
"Ace," Ellie’s voice brought me back to the present. "Are you alright? What happened? Who were those people?"
"They sent assassins after us, and I’m certain they also caused the fire. We have to go there ourselves."
"Why... why would anyone do this?"
"No time for questions. We’ll talk in the car."
I was about to walk away when she grabbed my hand.
"Stop! You’re bleeding—you need to go to the hospital first."
Looking down, I noticed the tear in my coat. I had almost forgotten about it because my breakthrough had flooded me with enough Qi to jumpstart my regeneration for a while. This was the power of cultivation.
Come to think of it, the breathing technique that monk taught me wasn’t even battle-oriented. If I ever get an Acting Card designed for combat, my growth would skyrocket.
"Ace?" she called out again, noticing me zone out.
"Don’t worry, Aunty. I have a self-healing ability, so I’m not in any danger. We need to hurry and check if Ethan is safe."
She went pale the instant I mentioned her son.
"Let’s go." I squeezed her hand to calm her down, and then I made a quick gesture for the other two to fall in line behind me.
There was no time for drama. I needed to figure out what was happening. In reality, I didn’t care much about those two, but if they were really dead, the company would end up in my hands.
Everyone in the restaurant was gone, likely scared off by the noise. Only the staff stayed behind.
"Sir, please wait! We should wait for the police to arrive," a middle-aged manager called, stepping in front of us—but not in a rude way. Sweat ran down his face as he kept wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.
"There’s no time for that. If they have any questions, just tell them to go straight to the Mercer Group. We’ll be there."
He hesitated, unsure whether to argue or obey. I didn’t give a shit about what he thought.
We rushed toward the elevator and slipped inside before anyone else could stop us.
By the time we reached the entrance, our ride was already waiting.
Four SUVs rolled up in formation, and the bodyguards moved fast, opening the doors before we even slowed down.
Quite frankly, these people were pretty much useless. They didn’t even come to check if their employer was okay. I should fire them all for being a bunch of incompetents.
But that would have to wait.
Inside, the leather seats smelled faintly of lemon air freshener, but it did nothing to hide the tension in the air.
Ellie kept fidgeting, her hands trembling as she tried again and again to call her son’s number.
As for Alice and Ella, I told them to return to the vacation house . There was no need for either of them to come with me.
"Head to the main building. Now."
"Right away, sir," the driver slammed the gear into drive.
We raced through the streets. People with money here could use special emergency lights—like police sirens, but white and yellow instead of red and blue.
To save time, we diverted through the restricted underground highway used only by response teams.
About fifteen minutes later, progress slowed to a crawl. Traffic ground us to a near stop, cars honking, frustrated drivers leaning on horns.
In the distance, I could already see the flames, painting the night sky bright orange.
When the authorities saw our emergency lights, they immediately became alert, quickly moving to check our identities.
"Sir, can you please show us your IDs?" one of the officers asked, stepping up to the side of the car.
"Here." I handed him my card.
A second later, he straightened, blew his whistle, and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Let them pass! Let them pass! They’re VIPs!"
Cars around us honked and swerved, but when they saw the police officers, they instinctively pulled aside.
"What a mess."
At the base of the building, firefighters shouted orders over the roar of the flames, hoses whipping water in every direction.
Police officers cordoned off the area, barking orders at panicked bystanders and directing traffic away from the growing crowd.
We were immediately surrounded by a cluster of officials after knowing our identities.
"Mr. Mercer," a firefighter called out while gasping for air. "we need to brief you on the situation."
Normally, they wouldn’t waste time explaining the situation, but the Mercer family was so high-profile that anyone with that name was treated with the utmost respect.
"Go ahead," I said.
"Sir," one of the officers began, flipping open a tablet, "there was an explosion on the 30th floor. Our initial analysis indicates it was some kind of incendiary bomb."
He paused to catch his breath. "The blast was powerful enough to ignite several surrounding floors. There may be additional explosives planted in other parts of the building."
"Other explosives? Where exactly?"
"That’s what we’re still assessing, sir. We’ve been trying to sweep the building floor by floor, but the fire is spreading faster than we can move. Our priority right now is containment and evacuation."
I glanced at Ellie, who moved closer. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides.
"Ethan? My son? " she asked, her voice rising slightly in anxiety. "Did you manage to get him out?"
The officers exchanged glances before shaking their heads in unison. We were all thinking the same thing—he was dead. If he were alive, he would already be here, barking orders and taking control like always.
"NO!" She dropped to her knees, trembling at the thought of losing her only son.
I placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her gently.
"Aunty, it’s okay. Nothing’s certain yet, and everyone’s doing their best to put out the fire."
She didn’t say a word—just broke down completely. A mother’s love for her child was a powerful thing. It could drive a woman to do incredible things... or destroy her just as easily.
Using my persuasion abilities, I did my best to calm her down.
"Get her out of here. Now," I ordered once she finally stopped sobbing.
The bodyguards moved immediately to guide her out of the press of firefighters and smoke, away from everything that could trigger her.