Heading for the Legendary Shangri-La (5K)

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush, let me finish."

Mahiro said:

"I don't think the CIA spies infiltrated here. With their capabilities, they couldn't possibly get into a place like this. It's more likely that the Magician Association Federation deliberately invited them here."

"Why?" Mayumi, puzzled.

Given the current predicament of the New USNA, it has absolutely no way to help this emerging organization.

"I bet they're after the relics."

"Relics?"

"Uh-huh."

Mahiro nodded again, "I heard that the New USNA unearthed a white stone tablet during the last war in California. It seems to record the location of a ruin. I guess the Magician Association Federation wants to get a piece of the pie."

After all, the value of relics is undeniable; acquiring them would give one a certain degree of influence internationally.

Now that you put it that way, Mayumi understood.

If it is an ancient ruin, then a large number of relics will indeed be unearthed.

But there was still one thing that puzzled her—

"Mahiro, how do you know so much?"

It knew far more than she did.

That can only be attributed to the difference in intelligence agencies; the Kuroba Family is top-tier in terms of intelligence.

But Mahiro naturally wouldn't say that; he simply replied:

"I have my own clever plan, and as for Saegusa, I wonder if what you said before still stands?"

"Before?"

"Hmm, you've already forgotten? You really do have a short memory. We agreed that if I guessed the purpose of this party, I'd wear my secretary's outfit tonight. Sigh, what a letdown."

Mahiro sighed, feigning sadness.

"And I went to all that trouble to find out."

The words were finished.

Pfft!

Mayumi's face turned completely red, and she glared at Mahiro with a resentful look.

Unfortunately, he's resting with his eyes closed right now and can't see it at all.

Left with no other choice, Mayumi could only suppress her embarrassment, slowly approach Mahiro's ear, gently exhale, and softly whisper:

"It's getting late, it's time to rest."

"... Why can't I get pregnant?"

Mayumi gently stroked her flat stomach and sighed regretfully in a slightly hoarse voice.

A captivating blush lingered at the corners of her eyes.

Mayumi, who had just survived a war, was lying on Yotsuba Mahiro's chest, feeling the familiar touch of his muscles and listening to his vibrant heartbeat.

The battle was extremely fierce, with five back-and-forth battles leaving the hotel rooms in a complete mess.

The torn clothes were carelessly thrown on the floor and the coffee table.

Their traces were left all over the room, Mayumi's injured area was covered with white ointment.

But the most tragic item was the pantyhose, which was completely torn and lay quietly in the corner of the room.

"Well... there's nothing we can do if I can't get pregnant."

Mahiro a soft sigh.

Mayumi looked up at him, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Why?"

She knew very well about Mahiro's background.

While it's true that they are modifier mages, modifiers possess normal reproductive abilities.

The only drawback was that excessive use of magic would shorten his lifespan, but he had already made up for that himself.

Therefore, it shouldn't be like that.

Seeing her anxious look, Mahiro couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you thinking? It's not what you think at all. It's just that my genes are too strong, and your egg simply can't handle it."

He had asked Nina Adilard, the great alchemist, about this matter, since alchemy also involves the realm of life.

That was her answer.

But upon hearing his words, Mayumi pouted in dissatisfaction.

"How could that be? I'm not as weak as you make me out to Mahiro Brother."

Although she said that, she felt a sense of relief.

As long as you're healthy, that's all that matters.

Then, as if she had thought of something, she flipped over and sat on Mahiro's lap, looking down at him. Her long, black hair fell slowly down, just enough to cover her youthful beauty.

Long eyelashes cast a shadow in the moonlight.

A strange smile still lingered on her face.

"Mahiro, how do you know you can't do it if you don't try?"

That's what she said.

Then he let out a soft hum.

The second wave of success has begun.

Chapter 405 Journey to the Legendary Shambhala (5K)

After the banquet, life seemed to return to normal.

No trouble came knocking; all I did was spend my days with girls and my nights with them.

Meanwhile, several news items circulated online, all about the sudden deaths of certain wealthy individuals or families in Tokyo.

A careful observer would notice that all of these people were attendees of the banquet that day.

Furthermore, these were some of the people who got involved when Kisara Tendo and Miori Shiba clashed.

They deserved their fate.

In contrast, the New USNA East Coast is currently in a much more chaotic state...

Across the ocean.

Washington, D.C..

The streets were ablaze with neon lights, filled with energetic dancing and singing, resembling a city that never sleeps, or the roaring 20th century.

Because of the war, the currency has depreciated rapidly, and the money in everyone's hands is no longer money. Therefore, why not have a final and grand celebration?

However, behind this revelry...

In an inconspicuous apartment building in a run-down alley.

A dark figure silently pried open the floorboards and slipped into the underground passage.

The world beneath the apartment building is completely different from the dilapidated state above ground.

Bright and clean, the light from the incandescent bulbs was almost dazzling, like two different worlds.

However, at that moment, two footsteps broke the silence deep within this pristine, almost sacred, corridor.

"Yawn~ Dude, our work can finally be put on hold."

"Yeah, I've been working overtime for half a month straight. I'll have to have a good drink with you when I get back."

Two researchers in white lab coats stretched their stiff arms and leisurely complained about the overtime they had been working for the past two weeks.

For the past two weeks, they have been working day and night in the research lab to decipher the so-called [white stone tablet], and today they have finally made a breakthrough.

"In the end, it's all the fault of that Asia named Shiba Tatsuya. He insisted on building a permanent gravity-controlled magic thermonuclear fusion reactor, and the core technology he used was a replica of a magical relic called an 'artificial relic,' which caused panic in various countries and made us so exhausted."

"That's right, and I don't know what those people at the top were thinking, they insisted on taking back the west coast, and even said that the pile of broken stone slabs hid a shocking secret."

The result of the deciphering was simply the location of a legendary city called "Shambhala".

Could it be that those idiots actually believe there's some kind of advanced magical civilization there?

"Ha, if it really existed, how could it have disappeared into history? It's just a fairy tale embellished by later generations."

At this point, the two exchanged a smile, agreeing with each other.

However, the next second...

Suddenly a dark shadow flashed by, and their expressions froze on their faces.

My whole body lurched forward uncontrollably.

The moment it hit the ground, it instantly turned into scattered chunks of flesh, and the gushing blood stained the pure white ground red in the blink of an eye.

And the dark figure revealed its true form.

With her long, flowing cat tail, golden cat ears, and a cautious black combat uniform, who else could it be but Zeta?

Zeta flicked the blood off his fingertips, then bent down and pulled an ID card from the pocket of his blood-stained coat.

He immediately turned around and walked without hesitation toward the white door at the end of the corridor.

Scan the card on the card reader.

With a beep, the door opened.

Her purpose in this trip was simple: to obtain the sixteen white stone tablets held by the New USNA.

Whether "Shambhala" is real or not, she doesn't care.

As long as the task can be completed, that's fine.

However, the moment she took the stone slab, the lights in the research institute suddenly dimmed, the entire corridor was bathed in red light, and a piercing alarm sounded.

The body was found in the corridor!

A large number of fully armed military squads surrounded the underground research institute.

Zeta, who was in the research institute, twitched her cat ears slightly and immediately discerned the number of people who had come.

At the very least, it's a fully equipped company!

But a pleasant smile gradually appeared on her face.

It's a mess.

The more chaotic, the better.

Only with enough chaos could she slip away more easily.

As expected.

When the scouting team reached the underground, it was deserted, with only a mess of corpses scattered on the ground.

Meanwhile, Zeta had secretly slipped out of the research institute and crouched on the rooftop of a nearby apartment building, disappearing into the darkness as she looked down at the police cars that kept passing by.

"A bunch of idiots."

The words were finished.

Her figure vanished into the darkness once more.

The New USNA's research on the [White Slate] was originally a secret project of the country, but Zeta's actions have completely exposed it to the world's attention.

As a result, the newly independent California Republic has become entangled with major corporations from various countries, purchasing weapons and leasing troops from them through land contracts and transfers.