Hero Hack: Reversing Heroes and Raising Harem-Chapter 218: Definitely Not Bait

Days passed. No new attacks.

Neuro stood near the second-floor AA-Lounge window, visor dimmed, arms crossed.

Blazren leaned against the wall beside him, silent, eyes on the mission feed.

Nothing.

No movement from the Heavenly Demon Sect. No activity from the Beastkin Brood.

It didn’t make sense.

Neuro’s fingers twitched.

"Something’s wrong."

Blazren didn’t answer at first.

He scanned the reports again, one hand swiping across the display, switching tabs.

All the usual signs—disappearances, movement patterns, hacked surveillance—they had stopped.

"No strikes. No sightings," he muttered.

"Even the Heavenly Demon Sect isn’t doing anything."

Neuro’s head turned slightly.

"They acted every day before."

"Attacks, subduing villains, moving in shadows. Now? Zero."

Blazren stepped forward. His boots echoed lightly against the metal floor.

"They’re waiting. Planning," he said.

"That kind of silence? It’s not peace. It’s prep."

Neuro looked down at the city through the glass.

"Beastkin Brood only attacked once. Then vanished."

"I don’t like it," Blazren said, arms folding.

"They should’ve hit again. Tested more. Pushed harder. But they didn’t."

"They got results," Neuro replied.

"Scavratt reached AA-rank. Then died. Maybe they’re recalibrating."

Blazren shifted.

"Or maybe they saw him fail and now they’re building something worse."

Neuro’s visor lit up again. A signal blinked on the side panel.

"They’re back," he said.

Blazren, sitting on the edge of the table, stood up immediately.

"The other AA-Ranks?"

Neuro nodded. "Returned from their investigation on Beastkin Brood’s past territory."

Blazren rolled his shoulders once, then started walking.

"Let’s hear what they’ve got."

They reached the meeting room moments later.

Three AA-Rank heroes were already inside. One sat, arms crossed, the other two standing near the display panel.

Skybrand stood with them, pacing, her braid swaying as she moved.

Blazren opened the door wider. "Report."

One of the heroes looked up. "Nothing solid."

"Traces, energy residue—same as always. No bodies. No gear. Cleaned out."

"Completely abandoned," the second added.

"No one’s touched the place in at least two to three years."

Neuro narrowed his eyes. "No movement? No signatures?"

"None."

Blazren exhaled through his nose. "Waste of time."

Then Skybrand stepped forward.

She dropped a black briefcase on the center table with a sharp click.

Everyone looked at it.

Blazren raised an eyebrow. "What’s this?"

Skybrand tapped the top of the case.

"I found this in the abandoned Beastkin site. Hidden under a sealed hatch."

She paused, then looked at them.

"I opened it... but it’s better if I just show you."

She pressed a latch. The case unfolded.

Inside were two glass tubes—each filled with a glowing liquid.

Metallic needles were attached to both, with data strips hanging loosely from the sides.

Blazren took a step closer. "These are... serums?"

Neuro didn’t move at first.

Then he slowly stepped forward, eyes locked on the contents.

"Yes," he said after a moment. "Looks like them."

Skybrand crossed her arms.

"No labels. No creator ID. But the readings from my scanner went wild when I got near."

Blazren stared at the cloudy red one. "This... this feels familiar."

Neuro finally reached forward and picked up the red one carefully.

"Same type as what was used on Scavratt?"

Skybrand shook her head.

"I don’t know. I just found it there. It was the only thing they didn’t take."

Neuro stared at the liquid a bit longer. Then turned to Blazren.

"I’m taking these to the lab."

Blazren nodded. "Do it. Fast."

Skybrand looked at both of them.

"If they left those behind... either it’s trash—or bait."

Blazren looked back at the briefcase. His fingers tightened into a fist.

"Either way, we find out," he said.

"And if they’re planning something with more of those..."

Neuro was already heading for the exit, serum in hand.

"...then we hit first," Blazren finished.

---

Syvarn stood alone in the lab, fingers twitching as he typed.

Monitors flickered, serum readings ran down the screen, and error logs stacked up.

He stared at the numbers. Then slammed the table with his palm.

"Still five percent," he muttered.

"Damn it. I rewired the entire bloodline route and it still won’t pass five."

Wires sparked slightly as he adjusted the console. A low hum filled the room.

The door slid open.

Drask walked in, tall and silent, his yellow eyes scanning the lab.

"What’s the status, doc?"

Syvarn didn’t look up.

"Bad. I’ve pushed every model. Spliced new genes. Adjusted ether flow."

"It barely moved. Five percent success. Five. That’s it."

He finally turned and faced Drask.

"What are you doing here? You’re not scheduled."

Drask crossed the room with quiet steps, boots clicking once against the metal.

"The Hero Association is moving. They checked one of our old zones."

Syvarn froze. "They found it?"

"They walked through it. Left some sensors too."

Syvarn hissed and rubbed his temples. "Of course they did. They’ve caught on."

Drask walked forward and placed a black briefcase on the table in front of Syvarn.

Syvarn looked at it. "What’s that?"

"Found it while double-checking the site."

"Was buried in a locked case under the flooring. We missed it before."

Syvarn unlatched the case. As it opened, he paused.

Inside, two familiar-looking vials rested in foam slots—each with a glowing core.

They were the same kind that was found by Skybrand.

Same briefcase. Same serums.

Syvarn carefully pulled one vial out.

He slowly checked it and frowned when he checked it further.

"These weren’t made by me. This—this is someone else’s work."

"Might be from one researcher that worked with me in earlier branches."

Drask didn’t move. "Check it. Quickly. We don’t need another Scavratt situation."

Syvarn nodded. "Give me ten minutes. I’ll break it down."

Drask stepped back. "Just be careful." freewёbnoνel.com

Syvarn placed the vial under the scanner and activated the diagnostics.

"We can’t lose again," Drask said, voice low.

"We won’t," Syvarn replied.

"But next time—if they come near our real lab—we erase them all."

Drask nodded once.

Then turned and walked out, leaving Syvarn alone with the samples and the hum of the machine.

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