Chapter 444 - REAL TROUBLE (1/2)

When Akira left the law office, the sky was getting dark. She did not notice the late hour because she was in a bit of an overwhelmed daze. As she walked to her red car, she bumped into a few people hurrying home. She apologised absentmindedly, distracted by what Mr Oda had told her.

She did not know how to respond to the new information about her mother and her twin sister. On the one hand, she was a little happy to know that her adoptive mother had cared for her if just a little. On the other hand, she was too afraid of the implications of the unclear but most likely horrible things that occurred in Antarctica.  ​​

She wanted to hide from the truth, but she knew it would do her no good.

It was not a coincidence that Helen Brown was managing a facility in Antarctica for human experimentation, and Hu Lei was imprisoned in the same place and tortured. The two events had to be connected.

This new information also tied the mystery behind Kaito's appearance at her side together.

In simple terms, Ayumi was not lying, at least about how Kaito heard about her. The matter was definitely related to Hu Lei. She must have told him about the people who tortured her, and he could have followed the link to her.

Or perhaps, Hu Lei had investigated her and mentioned her name to Kaito, leading him to her.

But that did not make sense. She concealed her identity and past with care. Most people would not think that she was anything more than a chef if they searched into her background. Those who would dig a little deeper might discover her career as a manga artist.

And that would be all.

But somehow, Kaito was able to learn about her and even find her in Mountain Ridge. And if her suspicions were right, the people attacking her were sent by the International Health Alliance. It meant that more people were aware of her connection to the Brown sisters.

When Akira entered her car, she clutched her small handbag with shaking fingers. The bag now contained a small case with five high-capacity solid-state drives. These drives contained encrypted data on the international Health Alliance.

Still, if Akira had the guts to face the truth, she would admit that her greatest concern was not the people behind the attacks or the hot potato in her bag.

She was worried that the other words Ayumi said maliciously were true.

Now that she had an actual understanding of her hidden relationship with the famous Hu Lei, she could not help the rising fear and concern. What if Kaito had gotten close to her and disappeared just to punish her for the torture bestowed on Hu Lei by the Brown sisters?

The fear caused her to feel sick to her stomach.

Laughter almost bubbled out of her lips as she tried to suppress the urge to retch. She had not gotten morning sickness for the four months she had been pregnant. But she was about to lose the contents of her stomach over her own thoughts.

She took a deep calming breath.

Without allowing the dread to set in again, she started the car and headed out of the city. She had houses inside Tokyo, but she did not think it was practical for her to stay there. In the valley, she had the advantage of the resources for searching for Kaito.

Moreover, she could have healthy meals and access to a qualified doctor at all times. She had thought about moving to the Blue Mountain Park house after the attacks started. However, she realised it was better to be in a fortress with trained agents.

Blue Mountain Park was also secure in its own way, but an average mercenary could figure out a quick way in. Therefore, it made sense to just stay in Immortal Sword Valley.

As she left the hustle and bustle of the city centre and started driving into the outskirts, she noticed multiple cars following her. She was a vigilant person and great at pattern recognition. She was certain she had seen the four vehicles several times since leaving the city.

She frowned as she looked at them, but she did not change her speed. She was afraid that if she took action too early, the people behind her would become more aggressive in following and stopping her. She did not want to engage in a fight.