The Dominance Equation: Unveiling Darkness

Chapter 37: The Puzzle

Eijin and Maria Grace arrived at the penthouse of the Quantum Building. As soon as they entered the radius of the security perimeter, they were detected by the AI security.

"It's me," Maria Grace promptly said, hoping to deactivate the defense system. Recognizing her voice, the defense system deactivated.

"Put me inside, please," she requested of Eijin. "It's freezing out here."

Eijin obediently fulfilled her request and slowly flew towards the entrance. The glass door automatically split open when it sensed their presence.

With a soft thud, Eijin landed on the carpeted floor. He removed the symbiotes enveloping Maria Grace, while she unwrapped her arms and legs from Eijin. The separation exposed Eijin's toned abs and chest, as well as Maria Grace's partially naked body. She crossed her arms over her chest to cover herself.

As a gentlemanly gesture, Eijin immediately turned around. "I am leaving now," he said, but Maria Grace held his arm again.

"Please consider my offer to join our team," Maria Grace said in an alluring voice.

Eijin turned around again to face Maria Grace, wanting to gauge her sincerity. He looked directly into her eyes. Maria Grace sensed Eijin's attempt to measure her sincerity and stood there, putting her arms behind her and exposing her half-naked body. Her intention was to show Eijin that she fully trusted him.

"I'll put consideration on it," Eijin said, his voice filled with honesty. "But as you know, we work as a team, so it won't be just my decision."

"We can work on that. I'm willing to absorb your entire team," Maria Grace exclaimed, her voice brimming with sincerity.

"I'll think about it," Eijin said before teleporting away, vanishing right in front of Maria Grace.

Maria Grace was taken aback by Eijin's sudden disappearance. Her heart pounded as she touched her lips, still tingling from the accidental kiss. The thought of it made her cheeks turn red.

She hurriedly ran to her bed and dived onto it, then she rolled over and faced the ceiling, exposing her half-naked body. She reach for the pillow beside her. However, instead of covering her body, she quickly covered her face. "What is this feeling?" she asked herself. "Is this what Mika feels towards that guy?" She had never experienced this before.

After composing herself, Maria Grace got up and wrapped her body in a soft blanket. She then sat in a high-tech electronic chair.

"Computer, search for a person named Eijin," she ordered the AI.

A holographic monitor displayed a total of 102 faces. This is all the information I found for individuals with names similar and sounds like Eyjin, Eygin, Ayejin, Ayegin, Agin, Ajin, Eigin, Eijin," the AI narrated, displaying the names as requested by Maria Grace.

"Exclude all individuals who are black and below 6 feet tall," she instructed.

After the exclusion, 36 faces remained.

"Exclude those who don't have toned body," she further commanded.

Only 3 faces were left.

Maria Grace's heart pounded when she saw one that resembled the guy she had been with earlier. She was so smart that she immediately uncovered the true identity of their mysterious ally.

Name: Eijin Natividad Decruz
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185 lbs
Nationality: Eurasian
Relationship Status: Single
Father (Foster): Julian Ngoyatub Decruz (Deceased)
Mother (Foster): Elena Natividad Decruz (Deceased)
Age: 25yrs old

Maria Grace didn't finish reading all the information as she had already uncovered the true identity of Eijin.

"It makes sense. He inherited vast wealth from his deceased foster parents and utilized that wealth to support his vigilante ways of fighting evil supernatural," Maria Grace thought to herself. "But what drives him to do this?" she asked herself again.

"Computer, please provide me with information about Julian Decruz," she ordered the AI once more.

"Julian Ngoyatub is married to Elena Firgala Natividad, and they have adopted a son named Eijin. Julian is the former founder and owner of Quantus Industries, a leading advanced weaponry manufacturing company in the world. They also own several other large-scale enterprises and hold 11.9% of the world's energy resources," the AI narrated.

Maria Grace's eyes widened in disbelief. "This guy is insanely rich," she mumbled. "So that's why he can't be persuaded by a high salary."

The AI continued, "They also own 16 large buildings worldwide, including Quantum Plaza. Nexus..."

Maria Grace didn't finish listening to the rest of the information as she felt it was enough to gather a piece of the puzzle.

"But what drives him to undertake such a dangerous mission?" Maria Grace asked herself once again. "Computer, what was the cause of Julian's death?"

"Julian and his wife were assassinated by a mercenary. The cases remain unsolved until now," the AI responded.

Maria Grace furrowed her brows, analyzing the information. "Maybe he wants to solve his parents' death?" she pondered.

"There is some information from untrusted sources saying that they were assassinated by a high-ranking official of Neoamerica, but it has not been confirmed," the AI continued.

"That will be all," Maria Grace interjected. She didn't need to hear the rest of the information to draw her own conclusion.

Maria Grace suddenly jumped up, startled. She remembered that Joyce, Selene, and the whole team could still be searching for her whereabouts.

"Computer, please connect me to Selene and Joyce," she ordered the AI once again.

Meanwhile, in the vampire-controlled district in Manizon, the Shadowstrike team had cordoned off the entire area. Military checkpoints were set up at all possible exit points, and sophisticated state-of-the-art land and air vehicles patrolled the area, searching for their director, Maria Grace.

Inside the building where the battle to rescue Maria Grace and the hostage took place, Selene and her elite guards, along with Joyce, the bodyguard squad, and Michelle, were stationed. The clearing team had already removed the bodies of the Lunar Packs from the area.

Selene and Joyce's faces lit up with delight as their mobile phones flashed, indicating an incoming call from their director. They quickly answered, but their voices were filled with confusion and worry as the call came from Quantum Plaza.

"Where are you, ma'am?" they both asked simultaneously.

"I am safe here in my penthouse," Maria Grace declared. "You can withdraw all our teams now and schedule an emergency meeting tomorrow at 12 hundred hours."

Selene and Joyce breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Maria Grace was safe. "Understood, ma'am," they replied in unison. "We will withdraw the teams and arrange the emergency meeting as instructed."

Meanwhile, in the castle of the demon king, Azrael lay in his chamber with Jovelene on top of him. Suddenly, the crystal orb, the size of a basketball, lit up, revealing Amelia in a dimly lit area. "My king, the Lunar Pack's Alpha, together with his remaining deputies, is dead," Amelia reported, her eyes brimming with lust as the scene unfolded before her.

"Summon all the remaining Lunar Pack and persuade them to join us," Azrael instructed.

"As you ordered, my king," Amelia answered, and the orb turned black.