Chapter 160Gravity is a funny thing. Most people spend their entire lives fighting it, climbing stairs, lifting weights, watching their skin sag. But for Adrian Black, gravity was a very obedient, very polite employee. Currently, that employee was pinning High Councilor Seraphina Cross and her entire bridge crew to the ceiling of the dreadnought. Adrian leaned back in the plush leather of the captain’s chair, resting his scuffed, bloody combat boots on the primary holographic console. Through the massive observation windows, the curvature of the Earth glowed with the pale blue light of dawn. It was a beautiful view. "You know," Adrian said casually, popping a piece of chewing gum into his mouth that he had found in a cup holder. "I always thought the World Council would have better interior design. This is very... fascist chic. A little too much black chrome for my taste."Above him, pinned flat against the metal ceiling, Seraphina gritted her teeth. Her platinum hair was splaye

Chapter 163The library of the Black Estate was entirely silent, except for the monotonous sound that Cora Vance’s proximity radar was making. On the primary monitor, the red blip wasn't just moving; it was technically skipping across the solar system in wide and nearly impossible leaps. "Adrian," Cora whispered, her hand hovering frozen over her keyboard. "That thing... it’s not using standard propulsion. It’s tearing localized holes in the fabric of space and jumping through them. It just bypassed the asteroid belt. It’s moving at relativistic speeds."Joe gripped his pulse rifle, his knuckles turning white. He looked from the screen to Adrian, who was still casually leaning against the heavy oak desk. "Boss. You just beat your dad and you just stole a spaceship. Can we please, for the love of all that is holy, take a five-minute break before fighting an alien armada?""There are no breaks in this estate, Joe," Adrian said, his golden eyes locked onto the pulsing red blip. "Cora,

Chapter 165The bridge of the dreadnought sounded like the inside of a blender. Klaxons shrieked, bathing the command deck in pulsing, strobing red light. Through the massive observation windows, the sky above Aethelgard was no longer blue, it was a chaotic, swarming hive of crimson teardrop fighters tearing through the atmosphere. "Hull breach on Deck 4! Hull breach on Deck 12!" Cora yelled, her hands flying across the tactical console. "Adrian, there are thousands of them! The point-defense cannons are overheating, and they aren't even trying to shoot us. They're ramming the ship!""They're boarding torpedoes," Adrian said, standing dead center on the bridge, his hands in his pockets. The golden light in his eyes wasn't dimming at all. "They don't want to destroy the ship, Cora. They want to assimilate the tech. And the crew."Just then, there was a loud crunch sound as the dreadnought shuddered so violently that Joe was thrown off his feet, his pulse rifle clattering across the

Chapter 167 The silence on the roof of the central precinct was more terrifying than the gravity wells Adrian Black used to throw around. Below them, the city of Aethelgard was erupting in a tidal wave of pure, unadulterated jubilation. Car horns blared, fireworks (mostly repurposed plasma flares) shot into the morning sky, and millions of citizens poured into the streets to celebrate the destruction of the alien monolith none of them fully understood. They had seen the blinding flash of light and now, they had seen the sky clear. While they all thought they were saved, they didn't know the price. Joe sat on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling over the dizzying drop to the streets below. He had taken his helmet off and now he was staring blindly at the clear blue sky, his hands trembling in his lap. And let's be honest, right then, he didn't look like a hardened sidekick. He looked like a guy who had just lost his brother. "He's gone," Joe whispered, the words tasting lik

Chapter 169Lena stared at him, genuine shock crossing her features. "Then... what am I?""You're a Belmont," Adrian smiled. "And I just inherited a global shadow government that needs dismantling, and an alien armada that is probably very angry about their missing ship. I need a person of high intelligence. Someone ruthless and someone who hates a mess and knows exactly how to clean it up with extreme prejudice."Adrian stepped back. "Do we have a deal, Lady Belmont? Or do you want your feather duster back?"Lena looked at her empty hands and she looked at the terrifying, god-like boy standing in front of her. Slowly, a wicked smile spread across her wrinkled face. "I will require an office with southern exposure," Lena said, her aristocratic voice ringing with renewed authority. "And an unlimited budget for orbital surveillance. If I am to be your spymaster, lord Black, I will not work in a basement.""Done," Adrian agreed. "And Joseph," Lena snapped, turning her terrifying gaze