The Damned Demon

Cecilia\'s eyes widened, her composure momentarily slipping as the question pierced through her diplomatic facade. A flush of indignation flared within her, but she quickly masked it with a steely calm, "I dedicated my entire life—and still do—to ensure a better future for this world," she said, her voice steady despite the underlying anger, "I married my husband not for any transactional purposes but because he shared the same ideals and we understood each other. So believe me when I say that my husband doesn\'t have any personal agendas except to protect us all from the demons."

Vladimir\'s gaze lingered on her, his expression inscrutable, "Unless my perception is waning, just from the look in your eyes, I can see that you truly believe what you are saying, which only makes this even more pitiful...for you."

Cecilia\'s frown deepened, her eyes narrowing with a mixture of confusion and offense, "What do you mean by that?"

Vladimir\'s eyes narrowed further, his tone growing colder, "Your husband isn\'t as righteous as an angel as you think. I find it even more unbelievable that you know nothing despite being his wife for more than 30 years."

A sharp breath escaped Cecilia\'s lips, her expression hardening into one of fierce determination, "What...I am sorry, but I didn\'t come here to hear you speak ill of my husband. As you said, I am his wife. I am afraid you can\'t know him as well as I do."

Vladimir let out a cold, dismissive scoff, "The only reason I decided to entertain your presence is that someone persuaded me to see if you were dipping your hands in blood along with your husband. But I am shocked to see that my expectations were wrong."

Cecilia\'s brows furrowed, wondering what he meant by that and why he was talking like this. But then she thought he was disrespecting her and her husband because of his anger towards the WHA.

And so she said with her expression slightly cold but her tone still respectful, "I am sorry, but if you have any misgivings regarding this project, then you may state them please. I would rather you not deviate from what we decided to talk about here. If you are not in the mood to discuss, then we can discuss later." Vladimir\'s smile was sharp, almost mocking, "Don\'t be in such a hurry. I am not trying to offend you but to discern the truth. Do you even know what your husband is exactly doing on Mars?"

The mention of Mars struck Cecilia like a cold slap. Her heart skipped a beat as she processed his words. Could he know about Project Mars? Despite the Infinity Tower being hidden perfectly, the possibility of Russian spies discovering its location was unnerving. Yet, Cecilia kept her face composed, unwilling to reveal any sign of uncertainty, "I am afraid I don\'t know what you are talking about." Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

Vladimir\'s smile widened with a hint of satisfaction, "Good. So allow me to show you something." He turned his gaze to Mikhail, who stood a few paces behind him, "Son, why don\'t you show her what her husband is doing so far away on Mars?"

Mikhail, maintaining his refined demeanor, stepped forward. With a fluid motion, he placed a sleek tablet on the polished wooden table between them. His fingers danced over the screen, and a moment later, a beam of light projected upwards, casting a sharp image into the air.

The display revealed a large screen showcasing an imposing structure—a massive black pyramid-like tower that seemed to pulse with a dark energy. Its angular facets gleamed ominously, contrasting starkly with the serene opulence of the room.

Cecilia\'s eyes widened as the sight registered in her mind. It was the footage or probably the memory fragment of someone looking at the Infinity Tower.

Her heart pounded as she struggled to maintain her composure, her gaze flicking between the towering image and Vladimir\'s cold gaze as if he knew exactly what this tower was.

"What is this... Where did you get this?" Cecilia\'s voice was as steady as she could manage, though the tightness in her tone betrayed her anxiety. She was determined not to reveal her own knowledge or panic until she understood exactly how much Vladimir knew.

Mikhail, standing a few steps behind Vladimir, shot a brief, knowing glance at Asher. Asher, catching the subtle exchange, allowed a faint, inward smile. This footage, along with more damning evidence, had been procured with the help of Rachel\'s covert operations. He relished in the thought of their carefully crafted plan unfolding.

Vladimir leaned back in his imposing chair, his arms crossed over his chest. His gaze remained icy as he addressed Cecilia, "Maybe you know what this is, or maybe you don\'t. But since you seem oblivious to many things, let me start from scratch. This is the Infinity Tower—your husband\'s favorite cave where all sorts of interesting things are happening. This tower is a huge part of what he calls \'Project Mars.\' But this project is an umbrella for various other projects going on within it. Do you at least believe in the existence of secretive projects hidden from the rest of the world?"

Cecilia\'s eyes narrowed, her mind racing to piece together the implications of Vladimir\'s words, "Even if all this is true, it must be classified and led by my husband for a good reason. He is the kind of man who doesn\'t reveal anything until he is sure it would work for the betterment of mankind. He doesn\'t like disappointing people."

Vladimir\'s lips curled into a sardonic smile, "Is that so? Then..." He gestured with a sweeping motion, and the screen flickered, transitioning to a new footage. The image now showed a large, sterile hall filled with people of various ages, lying on medical beds and hooked up to a tangle of tubes and screens that monitored their vitals.

Some of the individuals were unconscious, while others grimaced in apparent agony as doctors injected a shimmering liquid into their veins.

Cecilia\'s eyes widened in horror, her voice trembling as she asked, "What... What is this...?"

Vladimir\'s smile widened, revealing a cold satisfaction, "This is Project M.A.M—Mana Adaptation Module technology. It\'s something your husband is developing by conducting experiments on our people behind our backs. This is merely the current state of the project, which unfortunately works at a great cost to their lifespan. But do you have any idea how many lives were sacrificed to develop this technology to this extent, including Hunters?" Vladimir swiped his hand, and the screen shifted to another disturbing scene.

The new footage showed an elderly woman lying on an operating table, her lower back surgically opened. Medical staff were seen inserting a miniature device into her body. Moments later, her body convulsed violently, and she screamed in agony before her form exploded into a grotesque splatter of blood and flesh.

Cecilia\'s breath caught in her throat, her face paling as she looked away, visibly shaken by the horrific sight. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, unable to process what she had just seen.

"That old woman was a retired but poor Hunter with a family," Vladimir continued, his voice a harsh whisper of contempt, "She signed up for this experiment to provide for her loved ones. But we know that she never expected her life to end in such a horrific manner. Don\'t you agree?"

Vladmir asked with a sharp gaze and added, "Do you want to see more? There are even young candidates as small as-"

Cecilia\'s eyes squeezed shut, tears of frustration and horror pricking at the corners, "Enough!" she cried out, her voice cracking with distress, "Enough…"

Vladimir\'s eyes gleamed with a mixture of satisfaction and coldness. He looked at Mikhail, who nodded with a satisfied smile.

Asher, observing the scene unfold, felt a surge of grim satisfaction as well.

Seeing Cecilia\'s distress confirmed that the plan to manipulate her emotions and leverage the evidence had been effective. His hopes for the success of his strategy were bolstered by her visible reaction.

He knew it would be too suspicious to reveal these things to Cecilia himself and might also end up exposing himself.

So he saw no other choice but to ask for Mikhail\'s help to do this. Since the Russians were always trying to destroy the WHA, it wouldn\'t be a far stretch to believe that they might have spies within the Infinity Tower and Rachel\'s cover would still remain safe.

It would also look more credible to see all this being presented by the patriarch of the strongest Supreme Class Family in Russia.

But Asher wasn\'t quick to think that this plan would end in a success since everything would depend on what Cecilia was going to do now. What she gonna do? :#