Zack sighed. Before the apocalypse, his life had been fio a different social css, far removed from this shadowy elite. “ you trace the founder of this anization?” he asked, his voice edged with impatience.

  “Apologies, Sir, but I couldn’t find any information about the founder,” Ego admitted. Then, after a brief pause, he added, “However, I did find signifit financial ties between ASR and several global syndicates, as well as half the individuals on Forbes’s billionaire list.”

  Zack’s jaw tightened. “So, they’re tied to the elite and criminal underworld alike,” he muttered. “Iing.” Turning back to Lilian, Zack gestured for her to tinue. “How did you get involved with them before the apocalypse?”

  “It was during a business iation,” she said, her voice calm but reflective. “I was meeting with a t, and they brought someone else along. Later, I found out that person was a member of ASR.”

  Zack raised an eyebrow. “What did they want? Were they trying to recruit you?”

  “Possibly,” Lilian said, tilting her head in thought. “They didn’t say it ht, but they seemed ied in f a long-term partnership. At the time, I dismissed it as just another business deal.”

  Zack leaned back, his mind rag as he pieced together the fragments of information. The Vanguard anization wasn’t just a pyer in the shadows; it was a kingmaker, pulling strings behind the ses. And now, in this post-apocalyptic world, it posed a direct threat to his pns. “Ego,” Zack said after a moment, his voice sharp, “dig deeper. Pull up anything we use to find their active members or hidden bases. If they have assets, I want to know about them.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Ego replied. “I’ll begin piling the data.”

  Turning back to Lilian, Zack’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Good work. Now, it’s time to dismahis Vanguard anization piece by piece. We’ll start with their visible assets and move from there.”

  "Um," Lilian he voice from her sound-geing device was much youhan her actual voice—light and sweet, almost childlike. “To be ho, my assets at the time didn’t meet their standards. Most of the people who got ihe ultra-rich, the kind you’d see topping the Forbes rankings,” she said, dropping a bombshell. It was hard to imagihat having tens of billions in assets wasn’t enough to qualify.

  “Then why did they still approach you?” Zack asked curiously. But as soon as the questio his mouth, something clicked, and he answered himself. “Wait—it’s because your pany is focused on import and export trade!”

  Zack remembered hearing this in the news. Lillian’s Group was well-known for dominating the import-export industry. “Exactly, Master,” Lilian firmed with a nod. “ASR’s maiions are overseas, but they haven’t abahe domestic market. From what I know, they didn’t just approach me; they also tacted other wealthy individuals in the try, like the rodschilt.”

  “And they all agreed?” Zack asked, surprised. “What’s so special about this Vanguard anization that makes so many rich people line up to join?”

  “No one said no,” Lilian replied with a slight shake of her head. “And there’s a good reason for that. ASR has developed a drug that extends human life and slows aging. It’s not just a promise or a’s real. ical trials have already proven it, but only a handful of people in the world know about it. When ASR representatives approached us, they brought samples of this drug to prove its authenticity.”

  Zack frowned. A drug that defied aging? It sounded like something out of a sce fiovie. “But ter, I started to have doubts,” Lilian said softly. “I began to suspect that the so-called miracle drug we took back then might have beea virus in disguise. The reason the virus spread worldwide ht might be because people like us—wealthy elites—ed it, thinking it was some kind of elixir.”

  “What?!” Zack’s voice rose in shock. “Are you saying the virus was man-made?”

  “No, not necessarily, Master,” Lilian said quickly, waving her hands. “It’s just a theory. I’m not certain about it. In the Vanguard anization, I was only a team captain. My authority was much lower than the Bck Hands, and I had no access to the anization’s top secrets. I don’t know for sure where the virus came from.”

  Her denial didn’t do much to ease Zack’s growing unease. What she had just said pnted a seed of doubt in his mind. “Ego,” Zack called out internally, “is there any ce the Zeta virus was artificially created?”

  This question was critical. If the answer was yes, Zaew he’d stop at nothing to take down this anization,”= even if it meant fttening half the p. “Sir,” Ego responded immediately, “based on the current level of human bioteology, the probability of the Zeta virus being man-made is zero.”

  Zack let out a breath of relief. Ego’s answer wasn’t ambiguous or filled with pertages—it was a definitive zero. “However,” Ego tinued, “the possibility that the virus is a biological on from an alien civilization ot be ruled out. Theoretically, with a suffitly advanced level of teology, anything is possible.”

  “Aliens, huh?” Zack muttered, shaking his head. “Not my problem for now. Let’s focus on dealing with the Vanguard anization.”

  “How much do you know about their bases and operations?” Zack asked Lilian, turning his attention back to her.

  “Not much, Master,” Lilian admitted. “As a team captain, my knowledge is limited. But I do know that the Vanguard anization has a base in Siberia, another one in the Yangtze River Delta in a, and a bran Japan, although I don’t know its exact location. There’s also one in Australia,” she said, marking the locations on the holographic map Zack had projected.

  For locations she was certain of, she pced precise markers. For others, she drew rough circles to indicate the general area. There were four locations in total—one domestid three abroad. “As for their internal structure, I don’t have much to offer,” Lilian said apologetically. “The anization is incredibly strict about partmentalization. The headquarters doesn’t tact us directly. Orders e through the Bck Hands, and we only hear what’s relevant to our assigs.”

  “That’s fine,” Zack said with a dismissive wave. “Just knowing their bases is a good start.”

  With his aromagic devices and meical army, Zack wasn’t too ed. If the Vanguard anization tried to e after him, they’d regret it. And if they didn’t? Well, once he deployed his global strike system, they’d face their reing soon enough. The m, sunlight streamed into the third floor of the Mansion, bathing the room in a warm glow. Zack opened his eyes, g the disheveled quilt, a out a quiet sigh. He got up carefully, slipped on his clothes, and prepared to head downstairs.

  Since Lillian’s death, Sophia had bee a pletely different person. She g to Zack like never before, terrified that one day he might leave her behind. “Are you awake?” Sophia’s groggy voice came from behind him just as he was about to leave the room.

  “Yeah. You should rest a bit longer,” Zack said softly, pausing in his tracks. His strength was nearly thirteen times that of an average person, but Sophia was just a regur human. The differeween them was overwhelming.

  Maybe it’s time to give them the Super Serum, he thought to himself as he made his way toward the stairs. “By the way, Zack…” Sophia’s hesitant voice stopped him again. “That new girl, Shadow… where did you find her?”