Chapter 65 – The False Oracle
A dense fog cloaked the outskirts of City B. Atop an abandoned tower on the eastern ridge, the man known only as the Oracle adjusted his gloves. A web of glowing blue monitors flickered before him, displaying fragmented security feeds, encrypted messages, and a 3D blueprint of Bai Corp's upcoming prototype.
Behind him, rows of masked operatives stood silently.
"Bai Xueqing is accelerating the plan," a low voice echoed through a voice modulator. "We may need to prompt the second phase."
From the shadows, a thin figure stepped forward. "Sir, what about our asset inside her security team?"
"She's already planted the detour," the Oracle replied. "They'll be forced to split their protection units tonight. That's when we strike."
---
Back in City A, Bai Xueqing paced inside Mo Chen's private operations room. Red string crisscrossed an entire wall, connecting names, transactions, and black-market files. The deeper they dug, the more tangled the conspiracy became.
"Everything points back to this 'Oracle'," she murmured.
Mo Chen leaned over a laptop, his eyes scanning code. "He's spoofed three different government agencies. We found traces of his signal bouncing through a server farm in Eastern Europe."
"And now he's targeting my AI project," she said bitterly. "What does he want?"
"To control the future," Mo Chen said simply. "Or destroy it if he can't."
Suddenly, Lin Nuo rushed in, pale. "We found something."
He handed Mo Chen a USB stick. On it were audio clips intercepted from Qiao Lan's phone before her detainment. One stood out—a distorted voice.
> "The Phoenix will burn twice. Once in glory, and once in ashes."
Xueqing stiffened. "He knows who I was."
Mo Chen narrowed his eyes. "He knows too much."
---
That night, Xueqing and her team staged a fake transport of sensitive tech. As predicted, the Oracle's men attacked in the outskirts of City C, masked and armed.
But instead of tech, they found empty crates—and a bomb loaded with smoke grenades and magnetic disruptors. Mo Chen's voice echoed from hidden speakers.
> "Enjoy the show."
Xueqing dropped from the roof above, eyes gleaming. "Game's over."
The agents were neutralized one by one. Only the Oracle's second-in-command managed to escape with minor injuries—but not before dropping a device labeled Project Silence: Phase 3.
Back at HQ, Mo Chen examined it with grave expression.
"This isn't over," he said.
"No," Xueqing replied, her gaze sharp. "It's just beginning."
---Let me know if you'd like Chapter 66 next, or want to deepen the mystery or explore side characters fufurtherfur