"Could it be?" Iris asked in a shocked whisper.
Jin Liwei's expression turned even more serious at the implication. "According to the criteria you said—a big and powerful tool, then it's possible. Which company is the biggest and most powerful in the country right now?"
"Jin Corporation." Iris stood up and started pacing as she analyzed things based on this logic. "Not only in this country. It's also one of the most competitive companies in the world stage especially in Asia. Asia…Asia…Singapore! Liwei!"
"En." His gaze turned cold.
"Could it be that the power backing the Youngs in Singapore—?"
"Might be this Alcatraz Organización," he finished her sentence.
Iris looked enlightened. "We're not 100% sure yet if our conjectures are correct but this is a good clue to use for redoing our stalled investigations. Now that I think about everything that has been happening, it all makes sense!"
She walked over to her husband and sat on his lap. Then she gave him a loud, smacking kiss on the mouth. "You're the best, darling!"
Jin Liwei wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and pulled her closer to his body. He found her mouth and kissed her again.
Alcatraz or whatever—they could all wait.
For now, it was time for his daily show of love to his beloved genius wife.
###
Lu Zihao checked on his wife and made sure that she was fine before leaving Dragon Palace in a hurry.
Long Jinjing watched from a second-floor window as his car drove away from the mansion. He didn't say anything to her but she sensed a heavy and stormy energy emanating from him that he tried so hard to restrain in front of her. Something must have happened at Shadow Winds.
Anxiety filled her. She caressed her swollen belly and tried to calm down. It wasn't good for their babies if she stressed herself too much.
Her due date was fast approaching, but she was carrying twins, so it was possible that she would give birth earlier than expected just like her younger sister.
She already prepared herself to give birth anytime now. Despite this, she still couldn't stop herself from feeling scared.
Iris mentioned that childbirth was the worst pain that she had ever experienced but still played it down in front of Long Jinjing. It was obvious that Iris was trying not to scare Long Jinjing.
"Babies, don't hurt Mommy too much when you come out, okay?" Long Jinjing murmured while rubbing her big belly. "Mommy is a little scared of being in pain but…whatever happens, I love you no matter what."
She felt her babies moving inside her. For her, it didn't hurt at all. It was just a little uncomfortable but nothing that she couldn't handle. At this stage, she and Lu Zihao could even sometimes see the clear imprint of a tiny hand or foot on her belly whenever the babies pressed too hard against her.
Personally, she loved it. The experience always gave her an almost wondrous feeling of disbelief.
Did she really create not one but two tiny human beings inside her with the man she loved?
It was amazing.
She patted her belly and looked at the empty driveway. Lu Zihao's car was long gone.
Although Lu Zihao already revealed the existence of his criminal group Shadow Winds to her, Long Jinjing still didn't know the full extent of their activities. And to be honest, she didn't want to know everything. What Lu Zihao showed her on his own volition was already enough for her. At least, he took the initiative to reveal his dangerous secret to her.
The less she knew, the less risk that enemies could use to make her betray her husband.
She was confident in herself that she would never betray her husband. But it was rare for things to go according to one's plans perfectly.
"Be careful," she whispered at the long empty driveway outside. "Come home safely. Our babies and I will always be waiting for you."
With a sigh, she turned around and left the windows.
###
Shadow Winds Headquarters.
"As expected of Boss Drakon."
"Our investigations on the real mastermind behind Tian Kong have stalled for a long time. Then it only took Boss Drakon a few days after recovering enough from giving birth to find an important clue that we have missed. How embarrassing! We still have a long way to go to reach her level."
A golden-eyed black cat rotated his fluffy tail in a blur. "Mother is the best."
"Yes, yes. Indeed. Bacon's mother, the great Boss Drakon, is the best hacker ever."
"I d-disagree," a low voice stammered from a corner.
The other members of ShaWn looked in unison at the member who spoke just now. Their gazes were unfriendly as if their comrade just offended them by insulting their own mothers.
That particular member cleared his throat. "I…uhm, what I mean is that…I just personally think that there is one other h-hacker in the whole world who's way better than Boss Drakon…but that doesn't mean that I'm looking down on Boss Drakon. Not at all! I idolize Boss Drakon so much but…I just can't find it in me to forget about my greatest idol of all time."
"Who are you talking about?" the leader of ShaWn asked in a fierce tone.
"Fantom! God Fantom!"
Silence.
Then the computer room erupted with excited voices.
"Yes, you're right. The legendary Fantom!"
"Ah, how nostalgic! I remember following the Great Fantom's exploits in various international hacker forums almost every day back then."
"So many hackers tried to imitate the legendary Fantom but nobody succeeded!"
"Boss Drakon is the closest to God Fantom's style! That second-rate Eagle doesn't even come close."
"That's right! Now that God Fantom has disappeared, it's our Boss Drakon's era right now."
"So are you saying," a bored child's voice interrupted the clamour, "that Bacon's mother is only second to God Fantom?"
All ShaWn members stiffened and faced the large computer monitor hanging on the wall where a black cat stared at them with his creepy golden eyes like a predator eyeing his prey.
The black cat's fluffy black tail swished from left to right like the pendulum of a grandfather clock counting down the time of their deaths.
