229 Chapter 229: The Phoenix Rises (1/2)
”Hey, at least the chapter title isn't 'Dark Phoenix' or something,” Shun Yin remarked as he stared above. Glen glared at him.
”What the hell are you talking about?”
”Never mind. How are things at your end?” Shun Yin switched the topic. ”The Porter clan took a really big blow this time.”
”We sure did.” Glen sighed. ”The only survivors are my family. Apparently Dad suddenly finds himself the leader of the Porter clan right now…actually, Mom should be the leader, but you know, patriarchal bullshit and all that…”
”I'm surprised they didn't just appoint Michael.”
Glen shook his head. ”Mike didn't want the role. He was the one who elected Dad to succeed his father as the new clan leader. He said that his responsibility lies somewhere else, and he won't rest until he stops his own sister.”
”…Angelica.”
Shun Yin fell silent as he continued to stare into the distance. Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists determinedly.
”I also have to stop Angelica. I'm the reason she's doing this.”
”No, you don't.”
”Yes, I do.”
”You are not responsible for Angie's actions, no more than she is responsible for yours. She made her choice and decided to kill her family except her brother and the elders. She could have gone about this a different way, but no. She decided to undertake drastic actions.” Glen cocked his head to the side. ”I mean, I somewhat understand why she chose this route. Other than Mike, none of her family members ever treated her decently. In fact, it's pretty much unnatural how she endured this long without snapping…”
”I don't know about that.” Shun Yin frowned. ”Something of this scale has had to be planned out and in the works for a long time. Maybe Angelica snapped a long time ago and began plotting and scheming the demise of the Porter clan. She needed a lot of preparations to steal your father's research and hire the Assassins Guild. I can't imagine her doing this over the last year.”
”You have a point there,” Glen admitted thoughtfully. Then he shrugged. ”But we won't know for sure unless we ask the person herself. And to do that…”
”…we have to find her,” Shun Yin finished for him.
That was how the two of them ended up in front of the Phoenix Temple that was on the outskirts of Vermillion City. It was located on a protected estate, with the city council forbidding any corporation or tycoon from purchasing the land and renovating it, or demolishing the temple. It helped tremendously that the city council was dominated by the authority of the Porter clan, one of the ten Great Families. Even with the deaths of so many elders and the previous leader, the council still found themselves bound to the will of the current leader, Henry Porter.
Glen was aware that his father wouldn't suddenly change and reverse the order regarding that, even if he wasn't a staunch traditionalist. Progressive or not, Henry Porter still respected history and tradition.
Ironically, it was someone from the main family who had desecrated the holy grounds of the Phoenix Temple.
”Are you sure this is the place?”
Shun Yin raised an eyebrow as he stopped at the entrance. Glen glanced uncertainly at the holographic screen of his smartphone before turning back to his friend and nodding a bit more confidently.
”That's what Dad said.”
Apparently Michael Porter had assigned what remained of the Porter Clan's staff to assist Michael in his hunt for Angelica, though the reason probably was more to keep an eye on him, to ensure he didn't get into trouble. While the staff serving the Porter clan had been decimated, unlike the Porter clan itself, there was still a huge number of people available. Other than the main security guards protecting the clan elders and the clan leader, the majority of the Porter clan staff had been left untouched. Angelica's goal wasn't them, after all.
Honestly, Michael didn't want to involve them, but he couldn't do this alone.
He was ambivalent toward the participation of both Shun Yin and Glen. On one hand, he wasn't comfortable with the idea of putting them in danger, but on the other hand, he was aware that Angelica had no intention of hurting them. Of course, the Assassins would still defend themselves and fight back if the duo attacked, but the chances of the two of them getting killed were pretty low. No matter what their personal feelings might be, Assassins were immaculate professionals. They would do whatever was necessary in order to adhere to their clients' demands as much as possible.
Both Shun Yin and Glen were gambling on that. It might not feel honorable, exploiting such an obvious advantage, but if they wanted to save the world, they couldn't afford to be picky about their methods.
”Why would they be here, though?” Shun Yin wondered out loud. ”You would think the last place the Assassins would hide in is a temple.”
”Ha ha ha ha!” Glen roared in laughter. ”Are you serious?! Have you not heard of the various Assassin sects that serve under the Guild? They all train in their respective temples before they become official Assassins!”
What is this, the 41st Millennium or something? And I don't suppose these Assassins are all loyal to the Emperor, are they?
Shun Yin suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. However, before he could muster any sharp retort, a huge explosion drowned out their words. He and Glen both ducked down, shielding themselves from the flying rubble.
”Seems like they've begun.” Shun Yin's lips thinned in a grim line. ”We should hurry.”
”Not that our presence is going to make any difference.” Glen sighed, but he followed after the sprinting Shun Yin.
The both of them were forced to evade when a couple of supersonic projectiles flew into their direction. Pavlichenko Assassins were camped in the shadows or eaves of the temple, taking potshots at the two. The two of them didn't even notice that they were there until it was too late. To his horror, Shun Yin realized that they were only firing warning shots.