Infinite wealth In A New World-Chapter 425: Hidden Base
[City X — The Factory Ruins]
BOOM!!
Reality snapped back into place with the force of a thunderclap. The air pressure shifted violently as the massive factory building rematerialized instantly in the vacant lot. The resulting shockwave blasted outward, throwing the police perimeter lines into chaos and smashing the officers backward onto the pavement.
"What the?" The head officer gasped, scrambling to his feet. He stared, dumbfounded, at the dust settling around the structure, and then at the five figures walking calmly out of the main entrance.
He blinked, realizing who it was, and rushed toward them, adjusting his cap frantically.
"Lady Esther! What happened?! Just now, the building?"
"Yes." Esther said, her face pale, though whether from the battle or the lingering terror of Lucian’s domain, it was hard to tell. "I was attacked inside by a Ghost member, he called himself the Tenth Ghost... If it hadn’t been for these four friends who were Summoners, I would be dead by now."
"Summoners?" The head officer was speechless. He stared at the four young people standing behind her—distinct, powerful, and utterly unbothered by the destruction.
’Wow... The Marriott family is so wealthy they could afford four Summoners to protect their Miss. I wish I had such powers,’ he thought with a pang of envy. He bowed deeply to Esther.
"I understand, so the building vanishing?"
"That’s due to the battle, so the backlash won’t affect you and the city," Esther lied smoothy, covering up the existence of the terrifying spatial domain.
"Wow!! Lady Esther is so thoughtful, thank you for your hard work!!" He yelled in relief, grateful the city hadn’t been leveled.
"No worries, just doing my duty as a citizen. Oh... The Tenth Ghost’s body is in there." She smiled, that practiced corporate smile, and began walking toward Jinx’s Rolls-Royce.
Behind her, a surreal scene was unfolding. Lucian, the entity of destruction, was silently carrying Esther’s heavy duffel bags to his Bugatti.
"Fufufu... I can’t believe he helped her carry the bags as apology," Treasure whispered to Destiny, covering her mouth to hide her amusement. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
"I am surprised he hasn’t started complaining," Destiny added, watching with raised eyebrows.
The two watched their elder brother place the bags in his car with surprising gentleness and get into the driver’s seat.
"Are you coming?" Jinx’s cool voice snapped them out of their shock.
"Oh! Right away!"
They ran toward their cars, engines roaring to life. The convoy peeled out of the lot, leaving the dumbfounded police force in a cloud of exhaust and awe.
"Come on! Let’s get inside and deal with the body!!" The head officer yelled, regaining his composure. With his command, twenty armed SWAT officers followed him into the reclaimed building.
The factory was silent as a grave. After searching for a while, they reached the top floor hallway and found the twisted, lifeless body of Hunchback Poison on the ground.
"They actually did it!" The head officer thought in shock, staring at the corpse of a Legendary-grade threat.
"What do we have here?"
The voice was deep, dripping with malice.
"Huh?!"
The officers were stunned. They instantly aimed their automatic rifles at the sound, watching in horror as a man with obsidian-black skin phased directly out of the concrete wall. He was dressed in all black, the signature cloak of the Ghosts billowing behind him as if caught in a spectral wind.
"A Ghost!!" The head officer exclaimed, his blood running cold.
The black-skinned man stared at them with glowing red eyes for a few seconds, analyzing their fear. Then, he lowered his gaze to Hunchback Poison.
"So bad... He not only killed you but also destroyed your soul... Anyway, your beasts will be delicious."
He stretched his hand toward the body. Suddenly, writhing black tentacles shot out from his palm, piercing the body’s chest. The tentacles pulsed, draining his spirit energy in seconds.
"Stop him!!!" The head officer yelled.
"YES!!!"
RA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA!!
The squad opened fire instantly, a wall of lead flying toward the intruder.
"Useless."
The Ghost stretched his left hand toward them. More tentacles erupted from his sleeve, spinning violently like a biological propeller to form a shield in front of him.
BAM!!!!
All the bullets collided with the spinning tentacle shield, flattened, and fell harmlessly to the ground.
"What the?" The remaining officers were paralyzed with fear.
"You should have stayed outside for some minutes rather than rushing inside!!" The Ghost yelled, his voice thick with killing intent.
"Tentacles Slash!!"
Instantly, the spinning shield expanded, the tentacles elongating and sharpening into razor whips that covered the entire width of the hallway. Before the officers knew it, the wall of death shot toward them.
"Fuck!!!"
The deputy fired one last shot, but the group watched in slow motion as the bullet was sliced in half mid-air.
"No!"
BAM!!!!!!
Silence returned to the factory.
_____
[The City Outskirts]
"Where is your base?" Jinx asked, stopping her car at the edge of the city border where the urban sprawl met the rocky terrain.
"Come on!" Esther got out of the car and started walking toward a nondescript hill standing before them.
The group exited their vehicles, exchanged confused glances, and followed her. The hill looked completely natural, covered in scrub and dust.
Esther looked over her shoulder at them. "Don’t worry, I have also informed my grandfather. The moment he heard your name, he was shocked." She looked up at the darkening sky, her expression serious. "He said he’ll arrive tomorrow."
Jinx nodded, accepting the timeline, and followed close behind.
After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at a sheer rock face. Esther drew one of her daggers and thrust it into a small, imperceptible hole in the hill’s surface, then turned it clockwise like a key.
CLICK!
Jinx, Treasure, Destiny, and Lucian, who was holding the bags, watched as a section of the rock face slid back, revealing a high-tech interface with a palm print and eye scanner. Esther placed her palm on the glass, then leaned in to scan her right eye.
BAM!
CLICK!!
The hill trembled beneath their feet. A massive section of the wall slid open with the hiss of hydraulics, revealing a sleek, metallic elevator large enough for cargo.
"Come on in." Esther entered.
The group quickly followed, crowding into the elevator. The rock doors slid shut, sealing them in, followed by the outer camouflage returning the entrance to its natural appearance.
____
[The Hidden Base]
BAM!
The elevator doors opened, and the view shifted from cramped rock to a massive, open-plan command center. The room was filled with banks of servers, holographic displays, workbenches covered in gadgets, and five distinct individuals waiting for them.
"Esther!!"
A girl with bright pink hair rushed toward them, launching herself at Esther and hugging her neck tightly. "I thought we lost you!! Then Peter saw you in the city cameras and we were relieved!"
She quickly separated, rushing over to Jinx. "Thank you, thank you so much for protecting the Miss!" she said, bowing continuously like a bobblehead.
"Umm... It’s ok, you don’t have to keep bowing," Jinx said quickly, stepping back. Her calm words seemed to freeze the pink-haired girl in place.
"Don’t mind Maggy, she is hyperactive," Esther said with a weary smile.
"Yes, and I am also her best friend!!" Maggy yelled. She jumped backward, landing in front of the four boys. She zipped over to a boy with messy black hair and headphones around his neck, grabbing him in a playful headlock.
"This here is Peter, he’s our computer genius! He knows everything about coding, hacking, decoding, tracking, and even building computers."
Destiny stared at the screens behind Peter. He saw a live feed of the hill entrance, and other feeds cycling through city cameras—including one focused on the motel they had stayed in.
"So you have been watching us from the very start?" Destiny asked with a slight frown.
"Well, yes... But we don’t know what’s happening inside. Seems there’s no camera in there," Peter said, pulling his headphones down, his voice apologetic.
’Ok, seems they have no idea what we talked about when inside,’ Destiny thought, nodding his head at them.
"Ok, now let’s show you our fighter!!" Maggy jumped toward a massive guy with blue hair, whose muscles were even larger than Lucian’s.
"This here is Kong!! He’s our main fighter, all his summons are fighting base!!" Maggy smiled.
She jumped to the last two, who looked identical. They were smaller, looking seventeen at most, both with purple hair and eyes.
"These are our twins... Kiki and Kima!! Kiki is our medic, he treats our wounded, and Kima is our sharpshooter, you can take him as an assassin!!"
She moved back to the center, standing proudly in front of the visitors. "And lastly, Maggy! Which is me... I am good at almost everything!! Everything!!" she yelled with a beaming smile.
"WOW, she has even more energy than Treasure... They are both noisy," Lucian muttered, rubbing his ears.
"Hey you!!" Maggy pointed her finger directly at Lucian’s nose, stunning him.
"You might be the most handsome guy I have seen, but that doesn’t mean you’ll look down on me!! Besides, you’re just a human, while we are all Originals! I can take you down in one---"
"Shut up!!"
Esther lunged forward, grabbing her friend and clamping a hand over her mouth before she could sign her own death warrant.
Lucian, with a frown on his face, stared at them: "Hmmm...."
"Mmm... Hmm..." Maggy struggled.
Esther sighed, releasing her.
"What the hell was that for?!!" Maggy yelled, dusting herself off.
"Of course, we are Originals, it’s something to brag about, but before these guys, we are nothing," Esther said, her voice dead serious.
"....?!"
The room went silent.
"These four are the best of the best," Esther continued, looking at her team. "Each one of them is an SSS-rank Summoner."
"AHHHH!!!!"
Five pairs of eyes widened in horror, mouths hanging open in shock and disbelief. The air left the room. They had just challenged gods.
