NOVEL WEB Chapter 140- Sugar's Plan
"What did he do to you?" While moving, Nano looked towards Sugar, inquiring as her eyes scanned the hall where several computers were being carried in by members of the association—most likely those under Sugar.
It seemed they were establishing a network hub for Nano to work from, while also making it clear she wasn't allowed to leave.
People were arriving through portals, and the walls surrounding them were completely sealed off, with no visible door or exit. It was a one-way route—only Sugar could enter.
"It has nothing to do with you," Sugar replied firmly, shooting a sharp glance at Nano. It was clearly a warning—don't interrupt or inquire about the past. The look brought back memories of that day when Sugar had been left behind on the battlefield, abandoned to die alone.
"Then I won't help either. How do I know you're not with him?" Nano folded her arms, her expression blank. She refused to help someone who might be using her under the pretense of seeking revenge.
After all, she knew too well how he used to play such games in the past—the enemy of my enemy is my friend was one of his oldest tricks to lure people in.
"He left me to die alone," Sugar said quietly.
Her words struck a nerve in Nano. Even the wounds she thought had long healed began to throb as her fists clenched. She remembered that day—how she too was left behind to die when her lab exploded, all because of that demoness, Vampire Evangeline.
He had used her—sacrificed her—just to lure out that woman, the one referred to as "The Vampire Queen," who had an obsessive desire for him so deep that she'd been hunting and killing superheroes working under Cruxius just to find him.
And then came the betrayal, again—one of his usual habits. Sleep around. Discard. She was furious. Especially because, after she had accepted his need for freedom, he suddenly wanted to cut ties.
Things spiraled from there. Madness took over, and her rampage had begun. That's when he used Nano—to get rid of her.
"I'll help," Nano said, jaw clenched. Her voice was calm, and her gaze locked onto Sugar's. Sugar looked back, her expression unreadable, yet a flicker of shared rage passed between them—both used, both discarded by the same man.
They had been scapegoats—betrayed and left behind.
"What do you want me to do?" Nano asked, cracking her fingers and stretching her back. She was ready. Ready for another round of digital warfare.
This time, unlike before, she had the resources of the Hero Association behind her. No more hiding. No more stealth. If needed, she could go full rampage. They'd clean up the mess in the background.
"Trace his location. We'll bring Volta to our side," Sugar said, revealing her plan. Volta—one of the few heroes who wasn't a puppet of the Hero Association. Someone she could possibly trust. Someone who wouldn't be easily manipulated by him.
Sugar had already checked the data. Most of the S-Rank heroes were buried in internal politics and wouldn't act against a human like Cruxius unless he became an undeniable threat. She needed someone independent—powerful and principled.
"What?! Are you serious?! Did you see that purple woman? She would've killed me!" Nano burst out, her eyes wide, a shiver running down her spine. She remembered being chased by those gunmen… and then her—the superhero who had crushed that armored vehicle and emerged from the dust. Those eyes, that intent—there was no mistaking it. That woman wanted her dead.
She looked at Sugar in disbelief, still trembling. The fear wasn't just hers—her people had felt it too. Volta was dangerous, precisely because she wasn't affiliated with the Hero Association.
"That's exactly why I want her with us," Sugar said calmly, glancing at her.
Nano scoffed, her fingers twitching with tension. "You do realize she almost crushed my skull, right? She walked out of the fire like some damn warmonger, eyes glowing like she didn't even see me as human. You really think she's someone we can trust?"
"You hacked the drones that were under the military of Syria and other countries, turned them against the soldiers, and killed more than a million. And you really think after all that killing, someone would be sane enough to treat you well?" Sugar didn't flinch. Her voice was measured, eyes locked ahead.
Nano narrowed her eyes.
"Yes, Ytrisia might not be the best choice, considering how she is close to Kroxius. But even being that close, she trusted me or at least didn't go for your head at the first place. She had restraint due to her judgment and control. The sole reason she came here was not to catch you but the person behind those massacres," Sugar stated in a firm voice, clearly understanding that at that time, due to her presence, Ytrisia might not have been able to hurt Nano. However, given how upon her arrival she did not act violently and barged towards Nano, it made it clear at least that Volta had self-restraint.
Nano muttered, "Doesn't mean she's with us either."
Sugar turned toward her fully now, her expression firm. "That's the point. She's not with anyone. She follows her own judgment. Her own code. And that's rare in this world, especially for someone like an S-Rank Hero."
Nano's voice turned sharp. "And what if that 'code' turns against us? What if her justice decides we're no better than him? You're betting on her moral compass, but what if it spins the other way?"
"....We will have to trust," Sugar stated before sighing as she pointed towards one of the screens, adding, "Go, do your work."
As Nano begrudgingly turned toward the monitors, her fingers hovering over the keyboard, a sudden chill swept through the room. Not physical—but instinctual. A shift in the air, like something ancient had crept through the seams of reality.
And then—a ripple.
From the space between shadows, a figure stepped out as if woven from the darkness itself.
She moved like silk over steel, dressed in a scandalously short, raven-hued outfit that shimmered like wet ink under the overhead lights. High boots, midnight gloves, and violet eyes glowing faintly with a simmered lethality. Her presence didn't walk into the room—it claimed it.
Nano flinched hard, stumbling back against her chair as the figure emerged fully.
"Eventide?!" she gasped, her hand instinctively reaching toward her hip—even though there was no weapon holstered there.
Sugar, meanwhile, didn't move. She stood still, arms calmly folded, eyes already on the woman as if she'd been expecting her.
Eventide offered a coy smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Missed me, hacker girl?"
Nano stared, fury flickering behind the fear. "Why is she here?!" she snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut.
"She's with us," Sugar replied coolly.
"Are you serious?! Do you even know who she is?" Nano barked, pointing toward the woman who now leaned casually against the server rack, as if the tension in the room was beneath her.
Sugar didn't flinch. Not a blink. Not even a breath out of rhythm.
"I know exactly who she is," Sugar replied, her voice calm as a still lake before a storm.
Nano's voice cracked, half-disbelief, half-horror. "She's a traitor! A certified ghost-level asset! She was part of the Hero Association's inner circle and—and she was feeding intel for years to that underground syndicate—what were they called? Obsidian Thorn!"
Eventide stood there without reacting, like a doll, not even blinking, just giving a glance to her.
"By the way, will that Obsidian Thorn act at this time?" Looking towards Nano, Sugar, after hearing her words, recalled that Eventide was really a part of this particular organization as per her past life memory. But given she had forgotten about this organization's name, she recalled if it was the timeline when they first made a move.
"What? Can't you ask directly to her?" Nano pointed towards Eventide, telling Sugar to just inquire the fact to her. But instead, Sugar just gave a glance to Eventide, blinking before looking at front.
"Morph." As Sugar said that command, instantly, Eventide's body started to change. More like it was a robotic black doll instantly. The upper layer of the skin was turned inward, revealing a black doll that stood, causing Nano's mouth to agape. As right now she was seeing in front of her the advanced version of Morphing X368T.
It was one of the advanced versions of the mechanical robot manufactured with very high-quality technology mixed by the hybrid of modern superhero techniques, leading to them becoming one of the first hurdles that set free the monster rage and also became the reason Sugar died.
Sugar may have died due to fighting those monsters, but in truth, those monsters who were at a very high rank were none other than these robots morphed into them, manifesting their abilities and attacking the whole city, massacring and that became the end of her in that battlefield.