Chapter 448 Aftermath
<3rd Person POV>
After returning home, Shao Mi wasted no time in convening a meeting to discuss their next plan of action.
With the Zol Clan's focus on Asia, the conflict had erupted in their turf, putting them at a huge disadvantage.
As she walked down the hallway toward the meeting room, the sound of her footsteps echoed on the wooden floors.
She knew she needed to focus on the task at hand, but she couldn't help but remember the man she had met earlier.
He came across as arrogant and narcissistic, the way he spoke reeked of self-importance.
But, strangely, she couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't just boasting. In fact, she found him surprisingly humble.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
'How could that man be humble?' she wondered, shaking her head. The thought was crazy.
"And how could he ask for... a date?" she whispered, a warm flush spreading across her cheeks as she remembered his offer.
She knew he was probably just teasing her, but the mere thought of it made her heart skip a beat.
'Stop, Shao Mi, stop,' she scolded herself internally, berating herself for feeling flustered.
How could she let her guard down and entertain such thoughts?
How could someone like her, with her perfect appearance and impeccable reputation, allow herself to be swept away by sweet talk like some character in a romantic comedy?
"Lady Shao Mi, we've arrived," her female assistant's voice jolted her from her thoughts, bringing her back to reality .
Shao Mi took a deep breath, gathering her composure. She couldn't afford to let herself get distracted.
Inside, she settled onto a sturdy wooden chair at the head of a long, intricately carved table, flanked by other high-ranking elders.
The table bore elaborate Eastern designs, its surface adorned with intricate patterns reminiscent of ancient Asian motifs.
The room itself exuded a sense of tradition, echoing the grandeur of an ancient Asian palace, with ornate tapestries adorning the walls and the faint scent of incense lingering in the air.
Shao Mi remained calm and composed, as usual, radiating wisdom and authority with every gesture.
Her presence seemed to command respect effortlessly. She possessed a timeless beauty that captivated all those present, regardless of gender or age.
Merely seeing her seated there, breathing, was enough to evoke a sense of awe and admiration among the other elders.
Beside her, Master Rung, a respected warrior elder, leaned forward, his eyes narrowed in thought.
"Shao Mi, what happened earlier? I heard reports that you spared someone after they killed one of our own," he asked, his tone serious.
She wasn't surprised to hear this; after all, her actions had been quite illogical.
With their numerical advantage and her presence, they must have thought it would be an easy feat against a single individual.
"He's stronger than you think. If we confronted him, dozens of our members would likely die," she admitted, knowing that sometimes exaggeration was the only way to make the elders see reason.
'I'm giving that man too much credit,' she sighed inwardly, feeling that she was overestimating him
Little did she know that what she said was actually downplaying it.
Dozens? If they had fought him, all of them would have died, except for her. And it wasn't because she was powerful enough, but because she had been spared.
Read the latest on empire
"I see," Master Rung nodded. He knew her niece wouldn't say something like that without a good reason.
He then redirected his focus to the ongoing meeting by speaking first.
"We need to act fast," he said, his voice low and steady. "We cannot afford to wait."
Elder He, a scholarly woman with a knack for strategy, nodded in agreement.
"Yes, we must strike back quick. But we must also be careful not to lose too many of our own." She glanced around the table, taking in the serious expressions of her fellow elders.
"We can't afford to lose more people, or the other families will devour us. Now that the balance is broken, a war would escalate."
The others nodded in agreement, sharing their own ideas and suggestions. Shao Mi listened carefully, considering the possibilities.
She had reached out to the Azura Family in India for assistance, but had not yet received a response. It appeared they were also anticipating the war as well and were unwilling to offer manpower.
"How's the outside world ? " She turned towards the elder responsible for their external affair.
"Everyone was now aware of the Gifteds, and panic was spreading. Plus, many rogues were behaving recklessly, leading to a surge in gifted-related incidents, increasing the fear among the masses," the elder explained.
Shao Mi nodded in understanding. She had anticipated this outcome; in today's technology, a single video could become viral in an instant .
The only effective measure to prevent such chaos would have been to cut off all internet connections worldwide, but that opportunity had already passed them by.
"Where does Cerebrum stand?" Shao Mi asked.
Despite being a puppet organization, they held considerable sway over humans government and could be seen as representing the ordinary populace .
"They made every effort to convince people that the video was fake, but with an entire city destroyed, there was no way to hide the truth,"
She sighed after hearing all of this. The humans had served as a buffer between the families, but now, those buffers were no longer effective.
"Let's forget about them; they'll be cannon fodder now that the secret's out," a male elder spoke up, his voice tinged with indifference.
No one objected after hearing his words; to them, he was merely stating facts. The concerns of the ordinary populace were of little importance to them.
After finishing some topics, everyone redirected their attention to the main goal of the meeting: figuring out how to find and eradicate the Zol Clan.
But, despite their best efforts, the group found themselves unable to formulate a viable plan to track them down.
The best they could manage was to secure a potentially useful artifact.
Unfortunately, this artifact was currently under the possession of another powerful family in Europe. Given its power, they couldn't simply borrow it.
'I need to find a way,' she thought to herself.
What do you think?
Total Responses: 0