Empire Building With Infinite Warehouse-Chapter 81: The Spy From Another Earth

The drive into District 2 was like entering a completely different world, as always, the dusty streets of the lower districts were replaced by perfectly paved roads and tall buildings that looked like they had never seen a monster.

Isabella’s van finally pulled up to the main Association headquarters for District 2, which was a massive complex that looked more like a high-tech fortress than a guild building.

Levi hopped out of the driver’s seat and opened the back doors, moving with that same smooth, unbothered precision as he helped unload the injured.

Chris was still completely out of it, groaning weakly as Association medics carefully transferred him to a stretcher, and Alice stayed right by his side, her hands still stained with dried blood as she followed the medics into the main infirmary wing.

Julien tried to follow them to make sure his friends were okay, but Isabella stepped in his way and gave a subtle shake of her head.

"They are in the best hands money can buy," Isabella said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"You and I are going somewhere else."

Julien wanted to argue, but his hand was throbbing, and he was honestly too tired to fight a billionaire guild master, so he just sighed and followed her into the building.

The regular Association staff completely ignored them, stepping aside and bowing slightly as Isabella walked through the crowded lobby like she owned the entire place.

She led him past the reception desks and down a quiet, heavily guarded hallway until they reached a private elevator at the very back.

Isabella swiped a black keycard, and the steel doors slid open silently, but instead of pressing a button for one of the upper executive floors, she hit a blank panel near the bottom of the dashboard.

The elevator immediately dropped downwards, sinking deep beneath the Association building.

When the doors finally opened again, Julien’s eyes went wide, and he completely forgot about his throbbing hand for a second.

He was expecting a dark basement or a standard bunker, but instead, a high-tech base crept up in his view.

The underground floor was huge, filled with rows of advanced computer terminals, glowing tactical maps of the districts, and several people in sharp suits moving quietly between the stations.

’What the hell is this?’ Julien thought to himself, looking around at the insane setup.

’This looks like a supervillain’s secret lair.’

"This is where I monitor Awakeners who show true potential," Isabella said, walking casually past the busy technicians and heading toward a raised platform in the centre of the room.

She sat down on a white leather couch and gestured to the seat across from her.

"Sit."

Julien walked over and sat down, sinking into the soft leather as he looked around the room.

"Tell me, Julien," Isabella started, crossing her legs and leaning back.

"How much do you actually know about what is going on?"

Julien thought about it for a second, running through everything he had learned since the apocalypse started.

"I know about all the gates," Julien replied carefully, rubbing his good hand against his knee.

"I know how we only usually clear the blue and red ones, and I know all the standard protocol stuff that Gina told me when I first registered."

"Okay, then I will tell you the rest," Isabella said, her red eyes locking onto him.

"My system class is an Examiner. Whenever I activate my specific skill, I can instantly identify an entire person’s ability, their stats, and their fatal weaknesses."

Julien felt a sudden chill run down his spine, realising exactly how exposed he was.

"I saw your SSS-rank the very first time you sold those basic potions at the guild lounge," Isabella continued smoothly.

"I actually came down to that lower district specifically to see whether my suspicions about you were right, and seeing your low-level potions perform like premium gear helped me confirm it instantly."

Julien frowned, leaning forward slightly as his mind tried to catch up.

"Okay, but why are you revealing your own power to me right now?" Julien asked, looking at her sceptically.

"I don’t think someone in your position would just hand over their system secrets without a good reason."

"That is right," Isabella nodded, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"Because as the months passed, my ability started upgrading itself. It evolved. Now, I can even examine the gates themselves. I can see exactly what type of monster lies behind the portal, how long it will take to erupt, and the exact threat level of a break."

Julien’s eyes widened in total shock as the weight of that revelation hit him.

’What an incredible ability,’ he thought, staring at the leader.

’She can literally see the future of a gate and hide before anything bad even happens. She is untouchable.’

But then the logic clicked in his head, and the admiration turned into a sharp spike of anger.

"Then why didn’t you or Gina stop Kane?" Julien demanded, his voice rising a little as he pointed back toward the ceiling.

"If you can see the gate breaks coming, why did you let him destroy the entire district? People died today, Isabella."

Isabella did not flinch at his anger; she just looked at him with that same indifferent expression.

"Because Kane is also an SSS-rank," she stated simply.

Julien blinked, the anger suddenly stalling out in his chest.

"What?"

"We do not know his exact skill yet, but he is one of you," Isabella explained, her tone turning serious.

"He is an anomaly, and he is incredibly dangerous. And as for Gina..."

Isabella’s red eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned forward.

"Does she seem different to you lately? Why do you think she forced you to handle a Red Gate when she knew you were just a merchant?"

Julien honestly didn’t know what to reply, so he just shrugged his shoulders defensively.

"Well, she asked me to raid it, not exactly clear the boss," Julien muttered, trying to piece the events together.

"And then the break happened unexpectedly."

Isabella actually let out a humourless laugh.

"Did you really think you had a chance at surviving that clearing mission?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Julien admitted, shaking his head.

"But she said she would kill me if I refused. I had no idea why she was suddenly acting so crazy and hostile."

Instead of answering directly, Isabella turned toward the wall next to them and pressed a button on a remote, causing a massive bank of multiple TVs to flicker on.

The screens showed a live, high-definition feed of Gina sitting alone in an office, quietly smoking a cigarette and staring out a window.

"Are you hacking the Association cameras?" Julien asked, totally bewildered by the live feed.

"I set the cameras there myself," Isabella corrected him smoothly.

"Okay, but why are you showing me a video of Gina?" Julien asked, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"She is simply smoking. What does this prove?"

Isabella looked away from the screens and stared directly into Julien’s eyes, dropping the biggest bombshell of the day.

"Because that is not Gina, Julien," Isabella said quietly, her voice dead serious.

"The real Gina died three months ago in a raid. That woman on the screen is an imposter from another Earth."

Julien felt his jaw actually drop, his brain completely short-circuiting as the words hit him.

"What?" Julien gasped, staring at the woman smoking on the screen.

"That Green Gate she told you about," Isabella explained, her eyes tracking the fake Gina’s movements on the monitor.

"It doesn’t spawn monsters, Julien. It bypasses the boundaries entirely and acts as a direct doorway for the other Earths."