Chương 588: Chapter : 588

Ken Eliot slouched his shoulders. He reached into his plastic bag. He pulled out the very last chocolate chip cookie. He tossed it into his mouth and chewed loudly.

"Well, that was a very solid plot twist," Ken mumbled lazily. He dusted his hands off on his pants.

"The writers really delivered today. The fake boss is dead. The real villain is hiding in the shadows. I give that dying monologue an eight out of ten. He spoke very clearly for a giant bug." Naomi looked at Ken. She did not laugh at his joke. Her green eyes were completely serious. She realized the massive implications of the monster's speech.

"Ken," Naomi said softly. She crossed her arms.

"This changes everything. The entire Succession War is completely compromised."

The magical television screens across the Belmontia Empire went totally blank for a fraction of a second. The live feed from the ruined plaza cut off. The broadcast abruptly switched back to the news studio. Bob the news anchor sat at his glossy desk. He wore his plain black suit. He looked absolutely stunned. He stared directly into the camera. He did not wave his hands. He did not yell with enthusiastic energy. He looked like he forgot how to speak. Sarah the anchor sat next to him. She wore a dark gray blazer.

She pushed her hair behind her ear. Her hands shook violently. She picked up a stack of papers. She dropped them back onto the desk.

"Citizens of the Empire," Bob finally spoke. His voice cracked. He sounded incredibly faint.

"You... you have just witnessed a truly unprecedented event. The dying confession of the mutant swarm leader." Sarah leaned forward. Her eyes were wide with pure panic. She stared at the camera lens.

"We are receiving massive reports from across the capital," Sarah announced. Her voice trembled.

"The public reaction is absolute chaos. The streets are entirely flooded with confused citizens. The people are demanding immediate answers from the Upper Council." Ken Eliot sat on his broken piece of concrete in the plaza. He pulled a small magical mirror device from his pocket. He turned it on. He watched the news broadcast on the tiny screen. He slouched his shoulders.

"The news anchors are panicking again," Ken commented lazily. He held the mirror up so Naomi could see.

"They look like they saw a ghost. They really need to drink some water. Panicking causes severe dehydration."

"This is not a joke, Ken," Naomi replied softly. She looked at the tiny screen.

"The people are terrified. They thought the bugs were just wild monsters. Now they know a secret enemy is actively trying to destroy the city." On the news broadcast, Bob wiped his forehead with a tissue. He tried to regain his professional composure. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"The implications of this revelation are massive, Sarah," Bob stated. He looked at his co-anchor.

"The Bug King explicitly stated a mysterious manipulator provoked the invasion. Someone directed the swarm toward the capital. This means an external force is actively orchestrating attacks against the Belmontia Empire."

"Exactly, Bob," Sarah agreed quickly. She grabbed her microphone.

"The Succession War is no longer just an internal political competition. It is no longer just a battle between Royal siblings. The Princes and Princesses are currently fighting an unknown, highly dangerous third party." Sayma walked over to Ken and Naomi. The intelligent Vice-Captain looked at the tiny screen. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She opened her neat notebook. She clicked her pen.

"The broadcast is entirely correct," Sayma analyzed politely. Her dark eyes were very focused.

"The political stakes of this war have completely shifted. The Emperor suspended the tournament matches. He told us to defend our sectors. But we were just fighting a distraction. The true enemy used the bugs to test our defenses. They wanted to see our magical capabilities." Laxmi jogged over. She crossed her arms. Her golden eyes burned with intense frustration.

"So we just wasted all our energy on a fake invasion? We burned a million bugs for absolutely nothing?"

"It was not for nothing, Laxmi," Princess Iris said smoothly. The Princess joined the group. She sheathed her silver rapier. She looked very resolute.

"We protected the citizens. We stopped the destruction. But Sayma is right. The game has changed entirely." Princess Iris looked around the ruined plaza. She saw Prince Zeus marching back to his fancy black carriage. She saw Princess Hestia ordering her immaculate servants to clean her white dress. The other Royal units were also processing the shocking news.

"The external force is actively targeting the capital," Princess Iris explained. Her violet eyes locked onto her team.

"They want to dismantle the Empire. They used the Solurious blast to destroy the Bluemoon Kingdom. They used the bugs to attack us. They are incredibly organized. They possess vast resources." Zinia cracked her knuckles. The strong earth mage offered a tough, confident smile.

"Then we need to find this mysterious manipulator. We need to track them down and smash their plans. We cannot let them control the board." Ira stood perfectly still near the broken fountain. Her pale face showed zero emotion.

"Statistically speaking, locating a single, unnamed manipulator within a global population is a nearly impossible task. The parameters are too broad. We require specific data points to initiate a search." Luna rubbed her sleepy eyes. She leaned against Zinia's shoulder. She let out a massive yawn.

"I agree with Ira. Searching the entire world sounds incredibly exhausting. Can we just go back to the estate? I want to take a nap. My bed is calling my name." Risa hugged her stuffed teddy bear. She looked up at Princess Iris.

"Will the bad man send more bugs?"

"We will not let him, Risa," Princess Iris promised gently. She patted the young healer's head.

"We will be ready next time." Ken lowered his small magical mirror. He turned the device off. He shoved it deep into his pocket. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He let out a long, dramatic sigh.

"This new plotline is way too complicated," Ken complained lazily. He stared at the sky.

"A mysterious manipulator hiding in the shadows? That sounds like a massive amount of detective work. Detective work requires reading books. It requires asking questions. It requires walking. I absolutely hate walking. I am officially opting out of this storyline." Naomi laughed a bright, happy laugh. She liked his goofy, relaxed attitude. It kept the team grounded.

"You cannot opt out, slacker," Naomi teased warmly. She smiled at him.

"You are part of this unit. We need your strange luck to find the clues. You will help us search."

"I will provide excellent background supervision," Ken offered casually. He gave her a goofy grin.

"I will sit in a comfortable chair and watch you guys do the searching. I am a master of delegating tasks."