2025-03-12 00:37:15A telephone began to ring repeatedly, breaking the silence of the room with its insistent tone. Someone picked up the receiver and answered:
“Hello, Marie, how are you? How’s everything going?” said a familiar and friendly voice from the other end.
“Mr. B, how are you? We need your support to solve a case,” Marie replied, her tone tinged with urgency, though she tried to keep it subdued.
“Ah! I see. Although I was on break, I’ll make an exception for you and for my former pupil, Agent B Twelve. So, you heard about what happened,” he responded, maintaining a calm but curious tone.
“Yes,” Agent B replied, his voice firm and decisive.
“Good, I’ll help you. Where are you?” he asked, ready to take action.
“In Styria, Austria,” Marie responded without hesitation.
“Ah! Perfect. I’m nearby, in Vienna,” he said enthusiastically. “I’ll put on my uniform and head over. I’ll be there in an hour. Send me the exact location. See you soon.”
Agent B hung up the phone. At that moment, the silhouette of a sixty-year-old man could be seen rising from his bed with determination. He wore an impeccable black suit, paired with a tie and shirt that matched perfectly. He left his apartment, greeting everyone with a polite but distant smile, and descended the stairs to the parking lot. There, a car-shaped cover lay. He lifted it to reveal a vehicle similar to Agent B Twelve’s, though this one was an elegant dark green. He got into the car, started the engine, entered the coordinates into the navigation system, and set off, determined to solve the case.
Back at the orphanage, the prospective parents began to arrive. Some children were taken away by their new families, while others still had to wait, including Billy and Maria.
The mother superior felt that something was amiss, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. For that reason, she decided to inspect all the rooms with the help of her assistant, Elsa, a young novice with rich brown skin, bright brown eyes, and curly hair, though like the other sisters, it wasn’t visible because she wore her veil.
“Elsa, you can go and check all the girls’ dormitories. I’ll take care of the boys’ rooms,” the mother superior instructed calmly.
Elsa headed to the girls’ dormitories, painted a soft pink, while the mother superior went to the boys’ rooms, decorated in light blue. Elsa quickly finished her search and met Ana on the third floor of the boys’ dormitories.
Maria, noticing that both were checking the dormitories, said to Billy with concern:
“And now what are you going to do if they find out Aiden isn’t here? Wait a minute—did you take the pillows from Aiden’s bed?” she asked, frightened.
To which Billy responded with a nervous “Oops!”
“You need to hurry—I’m not allowed to go there,” Maria warned him.
Billy ran with all his might, though he wasn’t very athletic. He climbed the floors as fast as he could, trying to avoid being seen. He reached the fourth floor just as Mother Superior and Elsa were starting to ascend to the fifth. He tiptoed past them, hiding his heavy breathing, and continued to the fifth floor. Once there, he took the hidden pillows and returned them to the closet. However, before he could leave the room, he heard footsteps approaching. With no time to escape, he hid inside the closet with the pillows, closing the door behind him.
Mother Superior and Elsa entered the room, inspecting every corner. Everything seemed normal until, unfortunately, Elsa noticed that the bed was poorly made and a few feathers from the pillows were peeking out of the closet. They opened the door and saw a hand sticking out. Surprised, Elsa pulled the hand, and Billy stumbled out, completely embarrassed.
“Billy, what are you doing here?” the mother superior asked sternly. “You should be downstairs with the others,” she scolded him.
"Well, you see, I was afraid of leaving this place, so I decided to hide in the dormitories," Billy stammered nervously.
The mother superior, who had known Billy since he was a child, could tell when he was lying. Her penetrating gaze settled on him, filled with a mix of severity and concern.
“Billy, you’re sweating and trembling. Why don’t you tell me what happened? I want the truth,” she said firmly but calmly, as if giving him one last chance to confess.
Feeling pressured and cornered by the stares of both women, especially Mother Superior’s, Billy had no choice but to give in and tell the truth: Aiden had escaped the night before. The mother gasped in frustration and disapproval, bringing a hand to her chest as her face reflected deep concern. Without wasting a moment, she instructed Elsa:
“Elsa, call the police. This is serious.”
Elsa ran toward the mother superior’s office, where the only telephone in the building was located. In this institution, mobile phones were strictly forbidden; only computers were allowed in the school wing’s computer center. However, Aiden, Billy, and other children had learned to use modern phones by secretly watching videos on the internet during the moments when everyone had gone to sleep.
Meanwhile, the mother superior turned her attention back to Billy, whose expression of regret was evident.
“Billy, you’re in serious trouble, young man. If you aren’t adopted today, you’ll have to clean the bathrooms and dining hall for a month,” she said severely, though her eyes showed more concern than anger.
Although Billy tried to apologize, insisting that he never usually lied and that he was truly sorry, it was already too late; the punishment had been decided. The mother superior, with a softer but equally firm tone, added:
“Pray that nothing bad has happened to your friend. You don’t know all the dangers out there and what could happen to children.”
Billy, deeply remorseful, lowered his head and returned to the courtyard with a heavy heart and slumped shoulders. Meanwhile, Elsa dialed the police number. At the other end of the line, a deep voice answered:
“Chief of Police Jeff speaking.”
“Yes, Sheriff, good afternoon. This is Elsa from the orphanage. We have a missing child, and we don’t know his whereabouts. Please, we need your help to find him,” Elsa said urgently.
Jeff exhaled slowly before responding:
"I'm sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough personnel available right now. A large plane has crashed in the forest, causing a massive fire, and we’ve mobilized our search and rescue unit."
Both men left, though before getting into the car, Jeff couldn’t help but glance one last time toward the window, where Ana was still watching him from a distance. It was then that Tecro snapped his fingers in front of him, pulling him out of his reverie.
“Well, we’re off,” Tecro said with a teasing smile, and the patrol car began to move slowly.
At the same time, an elegant black car arrived in the alley. Out stepped an imposing figure: a tall, distinguished man who removed his sunglasses as he walked toward Marie. He wore an impeccable black suit, a perfectly knotted tie, and gleaming black shoes. His dark mustache, shaped like an eagle’s wings, framed a serious expression, while his red eyes glowed intensely beneath his half-black, half-gray hair.
“Hello, Marie,” the man greeted her in a deep voice, holding his sunglasses in one hand.
“Ah! Hello, it’s you, Agent B,” she responded in a neutral tone, though her cheeks flushed slightly pink.
“I feel bad about what happened to one of my pupils. I know you cared for him deeply... and that you liked him,” he added with a hint of mischief in his voice.
Marie tried to remain composed, but inside, she was as red as a strawberry. She cleared her throat lightly before responding:
“He’s not dead yet; he’s just in a coma thanks to the technology we have. I hope he recovers,” she said, somewhat annoyed by the insinuation.
“As always, you’re reserved, and don’t fall for my provocations,” Agent B commented with a mischievous smile, chuckling softly. “Anyway, back to why I’m here. This is the artifact we found, but there are no other clues, not even a fingerprint.”
Agent B began inspecting the area with his eyes, moving slowly and observing every detail with almost hypnotic concentration. The workers on-site exchanged intrigued glances, murmuring among themselves.
“But what is he doing? All we see is him standing there, staring at the area. Isn’t that something we’ve already done?” One of the workers asked, frowning skeptically.
“Silence, please… let him work,” Marie said firmly, silencing the curious onlookers with a calm but authoritative gaze. “Ah! The red eyes of perception can see what happened as if it were a scanner. The only difference is that they can view events as if watching a live movie. It’s one of Agent B’s unique abilities,” she explained, her tone blending admiration and respect, as if revealing a fascinating secret.
Everyone was astonished by Marie’s explanation, now observing Agent B with renewed curiosity and respect. In B’s eyes, now glowing like burning embers, images of the past are reflected as if a movie were being projected directly into his mind. He could visualize the exact moment of what had happened: every movement, every detail, every shadow. However, something deeply intrigued him. He couldn’t perceive the magic emanating from the artifact—a mystery that only strengthened his determination to solve the case.
“So there was another living being by your side, Nick,” he murmured to himself, smiling with satisfaction at uncovering a new clue. His mind raced, piecing together the fragments of the puzzle that was beginning to take shape. “Bingo, I know where we need to go. To the kennel.”
With renewed determination, Agent B turned toward the team, his red eyes still glowing with intensity. His stance was commanding, radiating confidence and leadership as he prepared to share his discovery and guide them into the next phase of their investigation.
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Agent's Dog System 9.Optional Quest
As they walked under the flickering light of the lantern Aiden carried, Podbe and he wondered who that mysterious person could be who had taken possession of the artifact in which Reia traveled. It was a mystery that tormented them, but they had no way to answer it; not even Reia knew. The images they had glimpsed were blurry, and the figure of the person remained shrouded in shadow.“Hey, hold on a second!” exclaimed Podbe in his high-pitched but friendly voice. “Aiden, don’t those little wounds hurt? Plus, your clothes are… well, let’s say they’re still fashionable, though they’re torn to shreds. Let’s stop by that spring so you can at least clean those wounds and keep them from getting infected. And no, I’m not joking, although they say dog saliva can heal them.”Aiden smiled faintly as he approached the crystal-clear water. He bent down to wet his hands and wash the red marks streaking his skin. “Well, I think with all the adrenaline running through my veins, I didn’t feel anythi
Agent's Dog System 10.Ten Deliveries
The two left the house somewhat puzzled by Adia’s last comment, but in the end, they had made the decision themselves, and therefore, they had to fulfill what was asked of them. “Well, a deal’s a deal,” they said in unison, with a mix of resignation and determination.Another concern that weighed on them was why, now that Aiden was about to reach level four, his progress was advancing so slowly. “I wonder if things will be like this from now on,” Aiden commented, frowning as they walked.Reia intervened then, explaining that she didn’t have a clear answer either. However, on the screen that only Podbe could see (and which Reia described in detail to Aiden), it indicated that one hundred experience points were needed to level up. The three fell silent, deep in thought, but since they still didn’t have an answer to this great mystery, they decided to set it aside for the moment and focus on finding the delivery points.“I can’t see anything,” Aiden murmured, squinting as he tried to m
Agent's Dog System 11.The Great Boot
While our heroes slept soundly, worn out from their deliveries, Agent B revealed that, thanks to his special ability, he had managed to glimpse a small, dirty animal, shaped like a dog, that had been with Agent B-Twelve at the moment a flash struck them. Later, the canine was taken away by a municipal pound worker. Perhaps that’s the key. Everyone present was left puzzled by Agent B’s words.At that moment, Marie checked her tablet to see how many nearby pounds there were in the area and began searching. The closest one was half an hour away. Then, there’s no time to lose. Agent B and I will go to the pound, and you two, Linda and Dingo, will head to the police station to investigate what they know about the plane crash and whether anyone has reported anything related to this scene, though I doubt it very much, said Marie.Miss Marie, we’re not called Linda and Dino. We’re Lidia and Rino, and both replied kindly but firmly.Oh! A thousand apologies. You’re new recruits training to be
Agent's Dog System 12.A Collar and a Tag
Immediately after crossing the border and passing through the control center, Adia instructed her robotic chauffeur to speed up in order to reach Milan. What normally takes six hours by car, they completed in less than four.Reia began reviewing the areas they were passing through and noticed that the system was sending her numerous notifications. She wanted to wake up Podbe, but seeing him sleeping so peacefully, she decided not to disturb him, not even with a few gentle electric shocks.As they approached the city, the greenery of the fields gradually gave way to concrete. More gray than green, yet they always found traces of nature in parks, gardens, and buildings like the Bosco Verticale. They could see clusters of motorcycles and cars parked everywhere, people bustling about, technology intertwined with history in both ancient and modern architecture. The sun was already high in the sky, casting its light over bridges connecting streets and canals visible from every corner, colo
Agent's Dog System 13.Adventures in the Supermarket
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Agent's Dog System 14.Is This the First Time?
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Agent's Dog System 15.From Love To Hate
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Agent's Dog System 16.Something Smells Bad
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76.The Uncovering
The team Melisa was traveling with dropped her off at her house, along with Creg and Ian. The three of them got out of the helicopter, but not before bidding farewell to the professor and his companion. They made their way into Melisa’s apartment. She opened the door and said,“Well, guys, feel free to take whatever you want from the kitchen. I’m going to take a shower after being in all that dust. If you’d like, there’s also a guest bathroom downstairs, and I think there’s some of the clothes you left last time, Creg. Ian, you can use the clothes my brother doesn’t wear anymore; they’re about the same size as yours. It’s down that hallway.”Melisa went upstairs to shower, while the other two, driven by the hunger left by their adventure, began to eat, though Creg ate more than Ian. Afterward, they took turns showering and changing.Meanwhile, Melisa had finished showering and was drying her hair with the blow-dryer. She looked in her closet and began searching for her special outfit:
75.The Start of the Play
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74.The Legacy Continues
“Doctor Laos, we have arrived,” announced one of the soldiers accompanying them on the ship.“Excellent. Take these four containers and tell my team to prepare them; they’ll know what to do. And, soldier,” the doctor added with a severity that made the man tremble, “be extremely careful with the contents. They are extremely fragile. If anything happens to them, you will know the fury of our lord Zeus.”The soldier swallowed hard and nodded with a rigid movement of his head, hurrying to take the four containers away on a cart. These containers, resembling polarized capsules, held the four kidnapped youths.“Where are we, Doctor?” Swang asked.“Ah, that’s right, you don’t know this place. It’s a secret base known only to high command. This place is the most important to me. This is where it all began,” Doctor Laos said as he walked off the ship, followed by Doctor Swang, who watched him with a furrowed brow and a thoughtful expression. What does he mean, ‘where it all began’? She wonder
73.Old Faces, New Paths
The ship carrying Azulema and her team quickly approached the designated direction. Leila, with a worried expression, addressed Azulema:—But how are we going to take someone else? There's no room for anyone else here. We're already cramped, and Mark is squeezed in with you.Azulema let out a light laugh before responding:—Relax, girl, we'll figure it out. Don't get all worked up, or you'll get wrinkles.Leila frowned, feeling somewhat offended, and replied:—I'm not upset, and I'm not getting wrinkles... am I?Rosa, who was sitting nearby, glanced quickly and said with a mischievous smile:—No, although you're starting to look a bit like a raisin.—Really? —Leila asked incredulously.—It's just a joke —Ada chimed in, trying to stifle a laugh.Rosa and Ada burst into laughter at Leila's offended expression, who muttered something unintelligible while crossing her arms and looking out the window.—Alright, girls, we've arrived. This is the place —Margaret announced from the cockpit as
72.The Unexpected Draw
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71.Mission Accomplished, Whats Next?
Inside the ship where the Zeus team was traveling, one of the guards noticed something strange. One of the injured, who had been motionless just moments ago, now seemed hypnotized, his eyes fixed on a broadcast playing on one of the monitors. The guard, curious, was also captivated by the screen.Zeus, who happened to be passing through the area at that moment, noticed the scene. At first, he called out to the guard to get his attention, but he didn’t respond. Frowning, Zeus decided to approach directly to snap him out of his trance.Just as he was about to look at the monitor, he felt a tug on his arm. It was Aragon.“Sir, don’t look at that,” he warned firmly. “Someone is using a mental control frequency to manipulate the events and memories of the battle. I’ve managed to block it thanks to my use of the aura.”Zeus raised an eyebrow, intrigued.“Your ability seems to be very effective,” he commented, as an invisible energy suddenly enveloped him. A warm sensation began to flow thro
70.Red Alert: Last Breath
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