The night was still, broken only by the soft tapping of rain against the windowpane. In the dimly lit study of her mother's old villa, Sophia Harrison sat alone. The flickering light from a kerosene lamp cast shadows across the room, dancing on an ancient painting hanging above the fireplace—a lotus, delicately carved from sapphire, so lifelike it seemed to breathe.
She reached out slowly, fingertips brushing the edge of the frame. With practiced precision, she pressed lightly on the lower-left corner.
Click.
A faint mechanical sound echoed. The wall trembled slightly as a seemingly ordinary wooden panel rotated, revealing a hidden compartment that had remained untouched for decades.
Holding her breath, Sophia retrieved a weathered cloth pouch. Inside, wrapped in the scent of time, was a yellowed sheepskin map. As she carefully unfolded it, symbols along the borders shimmered faintly—English, Latin, and Burmese scrawled in elegant hand.
Five points were marked with crimson circles:
Mandalay, Myanmar
Manaus, Brazil
Reykjavik, Iceland
Athens, Greece
Starlight Island, Pacific Ocean
Sophia's eyes gleamed. "So Mother had already discovered the source of the Stone of Destiny—and hid the locations of all the core memory fragments."
As her thoughts raced, her communicator buzzed to life. Ethan Zhou's face appeared on screen.
"I just intercepted a signal," he said grimly. "Someone tried to break into your mother's old encrypted account in Myanmar. Tonight."
Sophia stood, her voice steady and cold. "Then it's time. First stop—Myanmar."
The Next Day · A Gala of Glamour and Judgment
Sophia arrived in a sleek black evening gown with a high slit, each step exuding elegance and silent power. Before leaving the country, she had one final matter to settle—a very public reckoning.
Tonight's gala was hosted by the "Star Medical Foundation." Behind the façade of charity, its largest shareholder was none other than the Lin Corporation—the same conglomerate that had once provided illegal human experimentation data to Polaris.
The emcee's voice boomed across the ballroom: "Please welcome the executive director of the Lin Corporation—Miss Rachel Lin—to share a few words on this evening of generosity!"
Rachel rose with a smile—poised, polished. But before she could reach the podium, Sophia raised her hand with quiet command.
"Before that," she said smoothly, "I have something to share with our esteemed guests."
The screen behind her lit up.
A surveillance video began to play: footage of the Lin Corporation secretly transferring genetic data to Polaris. The camera captured it all—Rachel Lin signing off on a series of documents labeled "Orphan Gene Sample Authorization Agreement."
Gasps swept through the crowd.
"This is fake!" Rachel screamed, face pale. "She's framing me!"
Sophia's tone was cool and unshakable. "Forged? Then how do you explain this?"
She pulled out a stamped legal contract and tossed it onto the stage. Reporters surged forward, cameras flashing like gunfire.
"The Lin Corporation is directly linked to unauthorized human experiments," Sophia continued. "The Star Court has launched an investigation. As of this morning, all domestic accounts have been frozen."
"You ruined me!" Rachel collapsed to her knees.
Sophia turned her back without a flicker of emotion. "No. You ruined yourself—when you sold out innocent children."
Later · Aboard Sophia's Private Jet
Ethan Zhou leaned against the cabin wall as Sophia stared out at the storm-tossed clouds below.
"You're colder now than you were in your past life," he murmured.
Sophia didn't flinch. "This isn't cold. It's necessary."
"What about me?" he asked quietly. "If one day... I become one of those 'necessary to eliminate,' will you do it?"
She was silent for a moment. Then she turned toward him, her smile calm yet sharp as glass. "You'll never be my enemy. You're the only one I trust—my partner in crime, the one who never betrays."
The plane surged forward into the clouds, bound for Myanmar.
Beyond the storm, the first fragment of the Stone of Destiny waited.
And Sophia's true revenge... had only just begun.