The Unveiling of Secret Queen

Victoria Harbour in Inderia.

The sea breeze blows over the azure blue sea nearby, rippling layers upon layers across the water, while sea birds fly over the surface. The busy port has ferries occasionally pulling their whistles, setting out under the blue sky towards their destinations...

Everything forms a peaceful and beautiful scene.

Not far away, a strong man in a green pickup truck sticks his head out to look outside, ”Boss, it doesn’t look like there are any ambushes around. What’s Nathalie Quinlan up to?”

The blond driver steers with one hand and calls out to him, ”Sit down.”

”Why are you standing up and looking around? Are you afraid of one little girl? Your reaction really embarrasses our K Organization!”

The burly man, chastised, turns red and silently sits back, murmuring in defense, ”I’m not afraid of her. I just didn’t expect she’d have the nerve to stop Nathan Garland in the center of Inderia and drag him out of the car.”

”Pfft.” The blond, chewing gum and with one hand resting outside the car window, seems indifferent to the words of the burly man beside him, only snorting in derision, ”Scared?”

The burly man adjusts his expression, ashamed yet defensive, ”I said I’m not scared!”

The blond looks at the agreed spot not far away and tucks away his nonchalant demeanor, saying softly, ”She’s not someone easy to mess with. But it doesn’t matter. We’re not pushovers either!”

The burly man is left stunned and silent.

”The K Organization has never failed a mission.” The blond blows the gum out through the car window and then rolls up the window, looking back at the burly man in the passenger seat, ”Failing this mission would be a disgrace to the organization. We can’t just report back to the leader empty-handed. If the leader asks, would you know who you lost to? At the very least, we need to meet this Ms. Quinlan before we leave!”

”Boss, do you think there’s an ambush?” The burly man, still uneasy, asks in a low voice.

The blond’s eyes are full of confidence, ”Don’t worry. Our submarine is nearby, she can’t keep us if we don’t want to stay!”

*

At an abandoned dock in Victoria Harbour, Nathan Garland is thrown to the ground.

The girl opens the car door and leans back in the driver’s seat, playing with her phone. She has somehow obtained a duckbill cap, pressing the brim down low, her cool white fingers tapping on her phone screen as if replying to messages.

”Vincent Moore said they’ve sent Mr. Fuller to the hospital.” Amadeus Yancey has just finished a phone call, casually turning off his Bluetooth earpiece and speaking to the girl.

Nathalie Quinlan is still sending messages, responding absently, ”Okay.”

Amadeus sees her still messaging, and she briefly presses the voice input button to say something to the other side.

He hears indistinctly, but it seems Nathalie mentions something about a submarine.

Soon, the screeching sound of tires on the ground gets closer as three green pickup trucks speed towards them.

Nathan Garland, who had been lying like a dead fish, immediately begins to struggle, looking expectantly towards the approaching vehicles, and makes muffled cries with a gagged mouth.

Amadeus watches his desperate struggle, turning to the girl next to him, ”Tsk, does he look like the head of the First Research Institute’s level-5 laboratory now?”

Nathalie has finally finished sending her messages, putting her phone back into her pocket. Upon hearing this, she lifts her eyes to glance at the struggling middle-aged man on the ground.