City of Tienhai. Café "Auntie's Embrace." Yo.
A respectable establishnt, even by Tienhai's standards, this café had never known silence since its opening day. Whether it's the excellent chefs or the top-notch service, it's hard to say. Though any man knows exactly why the café enjoys such wild popularity: the waitresses. They're like magnets, drawing in n of all ages, from teenagers to seasoned gentlen. No, there are hardly any young girls on staff, but there's another killer force—aunties in their pri. No revealing outfits or vulgar flirting, but the won here don't need that. They know their worth, masterfully wield subtle feminine charms, and I suspect they've taken specialized courses in psychology.
*"I might as well admit it—I've always had a thing for older won..."*—as evidenced by my early fascination with ladies like Kaya, Shizuka, and Ursa.
*"Would you like anything else, Sir?"* the waitress assigned to asked in a sultry voice.
*"Pour so more tea,"* I replied. What a stellar staff! Her warm, inviting smile never left her lips, and her body language scread obedience. Where did they find so many skilled won? Most importantly, in all the café's years, not a single rumor of intimate relations has surfaced. From what I know, if anyone oversteps, they're promptly shown the door. There are invisible boundaries here, and crossing them lands you on the blacklist fast.
*"Anything you desire, Sir,"* she said, gracefully bowing and leaning forward slightly to refill my tea. The pleasant scent of her perfu tickled my nose, and my eyes caught the bounce of her chest as she moved. And there was plenty to bounce!
*"I think I finally understand the poor souls who co here several tis a week..."* Even I, hardened to female beauty, felt a bit tight in the pants.
Fifteen minutes later, the first candidate for my secretary position joined . Of course, this wasn't the ideal spot for an interview, but I'm used to combining business with pleasure.
*"Senator Yo, greetings!"* a well-preserved man said, repeatedly glancing around as if by accident. He'd likely never heard of this café. Imdiate strike. If won distract him more than a new job, we're not a match. After a few routine questions, I politely dismissed him. He only seed to realize his mistake at the very end.
*"The agency for finding specialists didn't et my expectations,"* I thought. I should've handled the search myself, though there are still other candidates ahead.
*"Hello, hello, Senator!"* a pleasant-looking woman waved. *"I hope I'm not late! You won't believe it—there was a terrible accident, a carriage collided with a satomobile!"* She unloaded all the latest news on . Her voice echoed distantly in my mind, though amidst the useless chatter were so interesting tidbits. This one was a chatterbox and a laugh-a-minute. Keeping her close would be risky—she'd blab sothing and forget she did. But in a governnt office, she'd be perfect for extracting information. After all, serious matters are always discussed in the "smoking room."
After barely escaping her, I promised to help her find another position. For five minutes afterward, my mind was filled with ringing silence...
The next person on the list didn't even show up. Strange—I'd specified that a senator was hiring. Maybe they thought it was a joke, or they don't want to get involved in politics. Working for ans diving into that world headfirst. Honestly, I don't need a secretary just for the sake of it. After a thorough vetting period, I plan to initiate them into the secret of my identity. Besides playing the roles of all four of my bodies, each senator must show so activity, and I'm signing four tis the docunts. I want to offload so responsibilities onto soone else. Plus, in the coming months, I'll need to closely monitor one organization's movents.
Until nearly sunset, no one even remotely t my requirents. As often happens, the last candidate outshone the rest. I'm joking. I deliberately saved her for last because she had the most, shall we say, polished experience. A graduate of Gaolin University, with work experience in various fields and decent positions. At twenty-seven, she'd built an impressive resu. It also helped that she was a canonical character. And here she was—Zhu Li Moon, from the animated series, assistant to billionaire Varrick, secretary, chanic, bodyguard, soldier, politician, and eventually President of the United Republic. If she has even a fraction of her canonical qualities, I'd cling to her with every limb. Where else would I find such a versatile, loyal, and capable person?
*"Senator, my full na is Zhu Li Moon. Pleased to et you,"* she said, followed by a perfectly executed bow. Her official blazer and pencil skirt fit her like a glove, as if she'd been born in them, paired with black tights. Either she always dresses like this, or she prepared specifically for our eting. Though it doesn't really matter.
Looking at her, I saw no difference from the woman I'd once seen on my laptop screen. The sa chestnut hair in a simple style, round glasses, and the face of a model student—my mind couldn't find another comparison.
*"May I be frank? Many points in the job requirents are quite vague—I'd like more specifics,"* she adjusted her glasses. I knew I'd overcomplicated the description, trying to hint at a more responsible and personal role, only to confuse everyone...
*"I'll explain as best I can,"* I nodded, thinking Zhu Li Moon was far more confident—she took charge imdiately. *"Apologies, but I can't reveal everything now, but I assure you, the job isn't shady. It's just a matter of trust. Once I'm certain of your loyalty, I'm ready to make you... my right-hand woman, so to speak."*
A more constructive conversation followed. Before I knew it, we'd stayed until closing. Zhu Li, as she allowed to call her, lived up to her impressive resu. And there was a distinct business aura around her—a concentration of focus, purpose, and calm. We moved to another establishnt, where she thoroughly reviewed the contract and signed it. Parting on a pleasant note, we went our separate ways—or so she thought. In reality, I made sure Zhu Li Moon got ho safely. It was late, and she'd won over as both an employee and a person. Of course, I can't always watch over her, so her combat and weapons training would start the next day. Unfortunately, my "scan" of her body revealed she's a direct descendant of those who cultivated life energy. Magic isn't impossible for her, but even if her gift awakens, she'll never surpass the student level. I'll need to teach her life energy techniques later. But only after I'm sure she's trustworthy!
Back ho, I cuddled Shiku and Chitara, then spoke with Dria and Selin to prepare them to mobilize based on my location. Tonight, I wanted to find the Equalists' base, but first, I'd check on the organization's "sleeping agents."
*"They're persistent..."* I shook my head, sensing the Equalists still posing as ordinary citizens, not even trying to contact their leadership.
By elimination, I knew they were hiding sowhere in the mountains. I felt nothing beneath the city, and I'd forbidden anything but sewage systems underground. Countless movies, shows, and cartoons say it plainly: unused underground spaces are imdiately occupied by villains. They couldn't hide in water either—we're not that far into the future. Only the surrounding terrain remained.
*"I'll take Chitara with !"* I decided after failing to find a trace in the air. Over ti, the scents of the people I sought had faded, and the Equalists seed to stay in their burrows. *"Strange—Chitara's a spirit by nature, but she can track like any predator."*
An hour later, we found three small, unregistered villages in Tienhai! Chitara had tracked the hunters from these settlents, but she also ntioned other human traces.
Two hours later.
*"The trail leads here,"* Chitara said, wrinkling her nose amusingly. The paranoid bastards had tangled their tracks across the mountain, making us circle six tis! *"Good girl,"* I said, my hand instinctively resting on her head. The kitten never objected to my petting—she enjoyed it. Still, one thing bothered ... Chitara wasn't rushing to deepen our relationship, and I'd long wanted to taste her. Plus, the female side of our family had already accepted her. *"Though, let things take their course."*
Next, it was my turn. Before us was ordinary rock, indistinguishable from the rest of the mountain. But thanks to the breeze slipping through every crack, I "saw" the artificially created tunnels—their edges were too smooth. Within a minute, I found a small hidden lever, opening a wide passage. It was unguarded. I'm glad they at least lacked their usual vigilance this ti...
*"Move as quietly as possible,"* I said, concealing my energy completely.
Soon, we encountered the first people—organization mbers, identifiable by their uniforms. Luckily, the dim lighting made our bodies crawling along the ceiling nearly invisible.
*"Not bad!"* I whistled silently. About a thousand people were here. I was even more surprised next. There were training halls, labs, barracks, and many other specialized rooms, all bustling. Scientists worked, warriors trained, and soone underwent brainwashing...
*"Good that so are held here by force,"* I thought. Loyal mbers' bodies wouldn't experience severe stress. *"So, since you couldn't take Tienhai's minds, you moved to other cities..."* So of those working here had gone missing worldwide. How prudent! They took not the famous minds, but second-rate ones. *"And you've already copied satomobiles!"* The vehicles looked shoddy but functioned. No surprise—they'd had ti to buy and dismantle cars repeatedly. A few satomobiles stood there too.
*"Very strange—I don't sense a drop of dark energy,"* I thought. When I t the Fire Sages, I always felt their otherness, their inhumanity. Likely, Vaatu's using a different strategy now. I simply don't believe he hasn't touched this organization.
Eventually, we reached an office where the strongest rational mind sat.
*"Yakone, after all,"* I sighed, imdiately recognizing the man behind the mask. Listening to conversations, I realized that aside from their goal of stripping magic from all benders, they were far more sane than their predecessors, the Fire Sages. Oh, my heart tells their thods will only be bloodless for so long.
By the way, they'd twice tried to take bases protecting the portals between worlds. After all, the holes directly ruin their plans for an ideal world. They can't eliminate current benders before new ones are born. Unfortunately for them, the fortresses are ordered to destroy any unsanctioned movent toward them. The Equalists hadn't even acted before arrows, fireballs, and other deadly objects flew at them. They quickly realized there was nothing to gain there. In cities, they could at least use civilians, but the bases are mostly staffed by soldiers—nervous, suspicious people.
*"Task one—find all of Amon-Yakone's close associates. Task two—ask Dria and Selin to plant many little ears and eyes here. And finally, find a way to detect dark energy particles,"* I thought. Just what imdiately ca to mind. Looks like fun days await .
*
Sa place and ti. A fragnt of Vaatu.
*"Is soone watching ?"* wondered a small energy entity hidden deep within Yakone's spiritual body.
To remain unnoticed, the fragnt had buried itself at the very bottom, limiting its abilities. For instance, it could now only see, hear, and feel what its host did—no more, no less. Again, the fragnt isn't Vaatu's entire body, so it lacks all his powers, forcing it to sacrifice so abilities.
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