222 Chapter 222: Vermillion Aquarium (1/2)
”All right, I've gotten permission to conduct a check on Vermillion Aquarium.” Glen lowered his smartphone to stare at Shun Yin. ”They'll let us in.”
”Are you sure it's a good idea to let them know we're coming? If they've been thoroughly infiltrated by the enemy…”
”Yeah, I thought of the same thing. So I went higher up.” Glen grinned. ”My dad has contacts with the security department. We just had them adjust the security systems to recognize our…uh, authority. The staff working at the aquarium doesn't know we are paying them a visit. Actually, the staff has mostly gone home at this time, so there's nothing except a janitor or a security guard. Easy to sneak past them since…thanks to the higher-ups, we will appear invisible on the security cameras.”
”What if those higher-ups have been infiltrated as well?” Shun Yin questioned skeptically. Glen shrugged.
”Then we have bigger problems to worry about than Vermillion Aquarium. It means the enemy has penetrated way deep into the Porter clan, and we're probably screwed regardless of whether we go to the aquarium or not. Besides…” he shrugged again. ”That's the problem for the Internal Security Agency in our clan to solve, not us. It's the ISA's job to root out traitors and insurgents from within our own ranks.”
”Okay.” In other words, they had no choice but to trust these Porter clan higher-ups. If Glen went that far to tell him about the inner workings of his clan, then he probably thought they could be relied upon. Shun Yin was in no position to doubt any further, and Glen had a point. If they started being paranoid over everything, then they would get nowhere.
Furthermore, the security system of the aquarium would be tight. They didn't want to trip an alarm and bring the police and authorities down upon the place, thus scaring away the enemy before they could find them. Shun Yin was trained to be a hero fighting for justice, not to sneak around like some criminal burglar. There was no way he could avoid tripping an alarm or triggering the security system. He just didn't have the skills for that.
He didn't know about Glen, though. Now that he thought about it, even though the two of them were supposed to be friends and they had hung out for months now, he still knew next to nothing about Glen, except about his family and magic.
For now, the two of them just decided to head toward the place.
”Hey, you said that it was the Assassins who weren't satisfied with spirit weapons and want to summon a spirit, right?”
”Michael was the one who got that information,” Shun Yin corrected, but Glen would not be stopped.
”Yeah, Cousin Mike did. But I mean to ask…about the way you put it. It sounds as if the Assassins are the one who wants to summon the spirit, not their clients. I thought they were doing this for their client?”
Shun Yin paused for a moment. Taking the micro flash drive, he inserted it into his smartphone and conjured up a hologram. After reading the analysis that Michael had included in the file, he turned back to Glen and nodded.
”Yeah…it seems like a separate program. Something the Assassins want for themselves rather than their clients. They are developing their own weapons for their own Assassins. At least that's what I gather from here. Michael did not elaborate on much.”
”Yeah, it's not as if we'll find that information lying around. But still…that's pretty interesting. What happened to their clients? Was there a conflict of interest? Did they…?”
”Unlikely.” Shun Yin shook his head. ”Just because they are siphoning off the data Angelica stole and developing their own weapons doesn't mean they terminated their contract with their employers. I think it's more likely that they are using this opportunity to improve their own weapons and technology. Their employers probably wouldn't mind…if the Assassins get better weapons, they would be able to do their job better. Angelica would probably be more than happy to share the data with them, separately and privately, if her goal is to destroy the Porter clan.” He took a deep breath. ”Imagine…an army of spirit summoners assaulting the Porter clan. You're already powerful enough with White Tiger, but it takes you quite a lot of time to finish casting that summoning spell. What if an army of people shows up, able to instantly summon powerful spirits, each as powerful as your White Tiger?”
”That's…”
Glen looked a little pale, but he swallowed and nodded grimly.
”Yeah, that would be a disaster. We've to stop them...” he smiled suddenly. ”…or grab the technology for ourselves.”
Always the practical one, Shun Yin noted mentally. Even in a situation like this, Glen was looking to exploit it to get the best for himself or his family. Especially since this was data and technology stolen from his father's academy in the first place. In which case, Glen was probably justified for retrieving the data for Vermillion High.
He was sure that Rebecca and Gabriel would appreciate it. They were still struggling to piece their research back together, but to redo the whole project from scratch was outright demoralizing and devastating. Getting their data back would speed things up tremendously.
Perhaps they would find some of their previous research data in the aquarium. If they did, then Shun Yin vowed to recover it for his friends.
The duo reached the aquarium a little after 9pm. Glen was right – Vermillion Aquarium was closed and most of the staff had gone home for the day. The lights were all off, and there was nobody manning the front. Not even a security guard.
”Where's everyone?” Shun Yin couldn't help but ask.
”Home,” Glen replied as if it was obvious. He continued up the steps and placed a hand against the huge glass door. ”Come on.”
The doors automatically slid open to grant them entry. The security cameras located outside were scanning Glen, unmoving, probably to confirm his identity. With the doors open, Glen wasted no time stepping into the dimly lit aquarium. Shun Yin hastily followed after his friend, looking around warily to ensure there weren't any traps.
The tanks were illuminated with minimal lighting, and fishes from a myriad of species continued to swim about in their artificial environments, darting through weeds and aquatic plants or soaring through the tip of the enclosed spaces. The great sharks glided silently through the waters, their predatory snouts curled into a feral, toothy grin. Huge manta rays spread their wings out like underwater bats, almost sheltering the smaller schools of fish under their wing. Brown clownfish peeked out from the wriggling tentacles of sea anemone, with a father clownfish finding his son.
”Perfect place to bring a girl on a date, eh?” Glen joked, but Shun Yin didn't respond to that. Instead, he continued to look around. Unfortunately, he saw no sign of any suspicious activity. On a normal day, there would be visitors admiring the fish in tanks, overawed and inspired, but at night, it was completely bereft of amazed guests staring at a Great White Shark.
Shun Yin didn't think the Assassins would leave any sign of their presence in obvious sight of public visitors, but he hoped he could at least find some clue. Anything…
”What are you looking for?” Glen asked, amused, when he caught sight of Shun Yin intently inspecting the walls and floor of the aquarium.
”The Assassins, of course.”
”Do you really think they'll just leave visible signs of them being here blatantly lying in the open?” Glen rolled his eyes. ”Follow me.”