"...I am currently tailing her toward the Manhattan Port area!"
"Await my command."
"..."
Egorov hung up the phone cleanly and looked back at Locke.
"My Lord."
Locke's eyes flickered slightly.
In the next second, Locke let out a soft chuckle and directed a casual glance at Egorov.
"Proceed with whatever you were doing. How you deal with Lorraine Broughton is none of my concern, just don't come bothering me. If something comes up, I will contact you."
With that, Locke turned and walked toward the entrance. He pulled open the heavy door, stepped outside, and pulled it shut behind him.
Egorov snapped back to reality after a momentary daze.
Wait. This was the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York, not some...
Egorov quickly rushed to the doorway, throwing the door open to personally escort Locke out. But as he looked out across the corridor, he froze. The guards standing near the stairwell were frozen completely rigid, resembling inanimate blocks of wood.
Where was he?
Locke had naturally departed. After all, the Jackie Chan persona linked to Locke was no longer operating outside, and George had already returned home. Since there was no Jackie Chan active, how could Homelander linger there either?
...
Wait.
On his journey back, Locke suddenly halted his steps.
Something wasn't right.
Locke turned his head, casting his gaze in the direction of the Manhattan Port. His eyes narrowed slightly. The tone of Dominika Egorova's voice over the phone just now felt entirely off.
Instinct told him that Dominika Egorova was lying. Locke trusted his instincts implicitly, just as a seasoned assassin trusted the firearm in his hand.
He possessed zero interest in whether Lorraine Broughton lived or died. What did it matter if she bore a striking resemblance to Charlize Theron? She was merely a stranger.
However, he was thoroughly intrigued by *why* Dominika Egorova was lying.
If the Continental Hotel possessed a policy of absolute elimination toward anyone who violated its codes, then any intelligence agency maintained absolute zero tolerance for deception. If that deception involved explicit betrayal, it was undoubtedly double the zero tolerance.
Therefore... why would Dominika Egorova risk the absolute wrath of Lubyanka just to fabricate a lie?
Locke's curiosity was piqued.
*Ding!*
[Quest Upgrading.]
[Merging with the quest 'Convincing People with Reason (Might)', please wait!]
[Quest Name: "Lorraine Broughton!"]
[Quest Rewards: "100,000 Achievement Points", "100,000 Potential Points", "1 Treasure Discount Coupon (70% Off)"]
[Quest Description: You suddenly realize that the story intricately intertwined with you across countless threads has only just begun to unveil its first act...]
[Quest Note: Your curiosity serves as the primary engine driving the system's quest generation. However, you are the boss, you call the shots. If you choose to decline, you may immediately extract the rewards for 'Convincing People with Reason (Might)'.]
[Accept / Decline!]
"..."
...
Inside a narrow, secluded alleyway near Manhattan Port.
*Phwt!*
*Phwt!*
Langley operative Nathaniel Nash stood expressionless behind a black utility van, clutching a suppressed Browning M1911. He methodically executed two completely bound KGB operatives inside.
Muzzle flashes flared in the gloom, and the two KGB agents were instantly struck square between the eyes, collapsing lifelessly to the floor.
Nash holstered his pistol and offered a brief nod to the two black-clad operatives waiting adjacent to the vehicle. Within moments, the two operatives climbed inside the black utility van and drove away from the scene.
Nash walked toward the mouth of the alley, approaching a sleek black sedan parked at the curb. He pulled open the front passenger door and turned to face the gentleman sitting in the rear seat—Mr. Nobody.
"It's taken care of."
Seated adjacent to Mr. Nobody in the rear was Dominika Egorova. However, Egorova appeared entirely indifferent to the fact that Nash had just summarily executed two of her colleagues.
"Splendid!" Anonymous suddenly voiced, passing the tablet in his hands to Egorova beside him.
"Your absolute immunity decree. It was freshly co-signed by the Director of Central Intelligence, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State. You will face zero accountability or repercussions for any operations you directed against us during your tenure with Lubyanka."
Egorova accepted the device, her eyes scanning the digital document displayed on the screen. The authentic, handwritten signatures of the DCI, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State were clearly legible.
"Furthermore..." Anonymous continued, keeping his gaze fixed on Egorova as she studied the screen.
"You will simultaneously be integrated into the Central Intelligence Agency. To be precise, you are joining my specific cell. Your immediate superior will be Nash. If any complications arise concerning your conduct, I won't be looking for you—I will deal directly with Nash."
Egorova raised her gaze, looking briefly at the smiling Nobody, before looking up toward Nash, who had turned around from the front passenger seat to face her. Nash gazed at Egorova with a look reserved for the woman he loved most.
In reality, Nash and Egorova were indeed a pair of lovers. It was a classic tale of a trap backfiring completely.
The previous year, Lubyanka had attempted to employ one of their traditional, time-tested methodologies—seduction.
They deployed Egorova to compromise Langley operative Nathaniel Nash in order to extract critical intelligence. Just as Lubyanka had anticipated, the deployment unfolded flawlessly, and Egorova successfully embedded herself with Nash.
But... Lubyanka had overlooked a critical, foundational detail.
Egorova had never joined their ranks out of genuine loyalty. She had been thoroughly manipulated into the apparatus by her uncle, Vanya Egorov.
Under the guise of providing rehabilitation for a severe physical injury that had permanently shattered her professional ballet career, Egorov had steered her into a so-called "Sparrow School." There, she was subjected to rigorous training that demanded the absolute abandonment of all personal moral boundaries.
Egorova's original aspiration had been to glide gracefully across a stage like a noble swan, not to utilize her physical form as an explicit weapon of espionage.
Most critically, Nash had eventually deduced her authentic identity. Yet, rather than eliminating her, he chose to stand by her side, joining her in vehement condemnation of Lubyanka's sickening training methodologies.
He then earnestly implored Egorova to permanently sever ties with that living hell and build a life together with him.
However, transitioning allegiances between rival intelligence apparatuses was never a simple matter. It required a definitive, high-value tribute.
Just as Egorova had been completely swayed by Nash and was actively searching for an appropriate tribute, she was abruptly recalled to operational status. Fearing her cover had been compromised, a terrified Egorova complied, accompanying her uncle Egorov to the United States.
And then... the moment Egorova caught wind of their specific target this time—and overheard Egorov detailing concrete evidence indicating Lorraine Broughton might still be alive—she instantly realized her perfect tribute had arrived.
Consequently, while stationed at the opera house, she initiated a secure patch to Nash.
Nash had been quite astonished upon receiving Egorova's call.
In truth, by the time Egorova reached out, Nash and Nobody had already rushed to New York City the moment they received alerts regarding the covert listening devices discovered inside Locke's residence. Mr.Nobody had initially launched into a furious tirade directed at S.H.I.E.L.D.
He genuinely assumed this entire business was another covert stunt orchestrated by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Although S.H.I.E.L.D. vehemently denied the accusation, who in their right mind would ever openly admit to such an operation? Acknowledging it meant facing a massive legal assault from Locke; as long as zero concrete evidence existed, they simply had to maintain absolute denial.
Nobody had fully intended to head straight to the New York S.H.I.E.L.D. hub the moment his transport touched down to personally confront them.
The high-value candidate he had meticulously evaluated and scheduled for recruitment was being targeted with covert surveillance by S.H.I.E.L.D. repeatedly. What was the meaning behind this? Did they assume that having the World Security Council backing them granted them absolute impunity?
Did they want to test his resolve? If pushed too far, Mr. Nobody wouldn't hesitate to deploy his considerable leverage to entirely freeze S.H.I.E.L.D.'s global operations.
However, after listening entirely to Nash's formal briefing, Nobody fell completely silent.
Subsequently, Nobody smoothly shifted the conversation with Commander Victoria Hand on the other end, casually inquiring about the finest sashimi spots in New York City before terminating the call. His expression turned deadpan and solemn.
Learning that Lubyanka had deployed specifically to locate Lorraine Broughton—and had crossed paths with Locke Broughton as a consequence—wasn't entirely shocking to him, but it was certainly within the realm of anticipation.
After all, over a decade ago, Lorraine Broughton's actions—acting as a double agent embedded within both MI6 and the KGB—were more than enough to incur the murderous wrath of both institutions.
Nobody had assumed the matter had permanently settled following the massive geopolitical upheavals in Moscow and the inversion of the dynamic between Washington and London.
He hadn't anticipated that Lubyanka would nurse that specific grudge all the way to the present day, still intent on dragging Lorraine Broughton back to their holding facilities.
Nobody massaged his brow with a sigh. "Lorraine Broughton is already dead."
Egorova frowned deeply.
"But..."
If Lorraine Broughton was dead, why did the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security mobilize instantly the moment listening devices were discovered inside Locke's residence?
Furthermore, there indeed appeared to be the faint, ghost-like trace of CIA operatives providing a protective perimeter around Locke Broughton.
Nobody couldn't help but shake his head, letting out a silent scoff of disdain. It was no wonder Lubyanka had repeatedly blundered in recent years. Maintaining a subpar intelligence apparatus was one thing, but operating entirely on wild assumptions was completely unacceptable.
With that thought, He offered Egorova a direct, simplified explanation regarding Locke's complex history with the FBI and DHS. As for the phantom trace of CIA operatives protecting him?
"Locke Broughton is an intelligence candidate currently undergoing my personal evaluation," He stated with a slow shake of his head.
"I simply had my personnel maintain a baseline monitoring presence while I was deployed overseas to ensure no rival agencies intercepted him. Is there anything confusing about that?"
Egorova's mouth fell open slightly. "So... Lorraine Broughton is truly dead?"
Nobody nodded firmly. "Yes. I buried her myself."
Though it was merely a memorial cenotaph.
Upon completing her operational objectives in Berlin and securing the classified espionage registry, Lorraine had been promptly reassigned to an entirely separate tracking mission.
She was deployed to Europe to investigate a highly classified, covert syndicate—an entity operating under the designation ICA, the International Contract Agency.
However... the deployment had met a catastrophic end.
Actually, it wasn't a failure in the conventional sense; to be precise, the deployment had been abruptly severed. The reason? Lorraine Broughton had died.