Chapter 495: Hidden In Plain Sight

Seeing that even Mika was clueless, Nadia had no choice but to turn around and shake her head.

The reaction was immediate.

"Oh no—oh no, no, no—"

"What are we going to do?"

"Is it over? Is it really over?"

"We made it this far—we dismantled five bombs—and now we’re going to fail at the last moment?"

Despair crashed over the command center like a tidal wave.

The technicians slumped in their chairs. The officers lowered their heads.

Some of the bomb squad members, still on the screens, stared blankly at their cameras, their earlier euphoria replaced by cold, creeping dread.

A feeling of cold, creeping dread settled over everyone.

Especially the personnel physically present at the hospital. Before, they’d at least been coordinating from relatively safe distances.

But now they were standing at ground zero for the sixth device, realizing they might simply cease to exist in the next few minutes.

But despite how everyone around him was convinced they were about to die—Mika himself wasn’t truly scared.

After all, it really came down to it, he could simply handle the situation himself.

No matter how desperate things became, even if a bomb detonated right in front of his face or threatened anyone else in the world—he had methods of controlling explosions, containing blasts, or preventing detonations entirely.

The problem was that using those methods would require him to tap into his abilities on a significant scale.

And there was nothing Mika hated more than that.

Using his powers on a large scale meant spending what felt like decades or even centuries inside his own accelerated consciousness, painstakingly configuring the molecular-level mana structures required for advanced spells.

But more than the time dilation, more than the mental exhaustion—he hated how using his abilities invited the Will of the World to influence his mind.

Those horrible intrusive thoughts about destroying everything, taking it all for himself, drowning in bloodlust and chaos.

That’s why he always tried to keep his ability usage minimal, only employing small-scale spells when absolutely necessary.

But right now, it was becoming obvious he might need something much more advanced to handle bombs of this magnitude and sophistication.

He wondered grimly if he’d really have to fully commit to using his powers, thinking of it as an enormous annoyance.

But just as he was having those frustrated thoughts—

Cecilia, who had been staying quietly in a corner out of fear of Nadia’s intimidating presence, suddenly walked over and gently tugged on Mika’s shirt.

Fauna immediately turned.

"What is it, Cecilia? Do you need something?"

Mika turned to look at her. Then everyone turned—the technicians, the officers, even Nadia.

All eyes fixed on the young doctor, who suddenly found herself at the center of attention.

She flushed, embarrassed and flustered. But she forced herself to speak.

"I know this probably won’t help at all." She said, her voice trembling slightly. "I’m probably just overthinking things. But..."

She glanced at Mika nervously. "A month or so ago, I was at the new children’s hospital."

Mika frowned. "The new children’s hospital?"

She nodded quickly and explained saying,

"It’s a new block that the hospital built, a separate building dedicated to treating children. It only opened recently."

She swallowed. "I was working there, doing some late-night shifts. And while I was taking a break, I saw someone come out of the building. A man in a doctor’s outfit."

She paused, gathering her thoughts.

"I didn’t recognize him. And that was strange—I know most of the doctors in this hospital, even the ones in other departments. But he was a complete stranger."

"So, I called out to him, thinking something was off, but he showed me his credentials. And I realised, he really was a doctor. He really worked here."

She bit her lip.

"But something about him bothered me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong."

"I’ve dealt with patients for years, Mika. I’ve had to tell them that their loved ones are dying, that there’s nothing more we can do."

She said with pain in her eyes before looking up at Mika and adding,

"Because of that, I’ve learned to read people, to understand them, to know how to approach them in their darkest moments."

She looked at him with a vulnerable gaze.

"And there was something about that man. Something that didn’t make sense. I know it’s stupid. I know it’s probably nothing."

She swallowed. "But I just wanted to tell you."

She expected him to dismiss her. To say it was just exhaustion, just paranoia, just the stress of the job.

Instead, Mika’s eyes sharpened.

"Where is this new hospital of yours?"

Cecilia’s face lit up. "Follow me."

She led the way, with Mika close behind, Fauna and Nadia following.

They crossed the main hospital grounds, passed through a connecting walkway, and arrived at a smaller building set apart from the main complex.

It was covered in cheerful drawings—rainbows, smiling animals, cartoon characters.

A playground sat nearby, filled with swings and slides and colorful jungle gyms. The building looked new, fresh, inviting.

But it was completely empty.

Cecilia pointed to a specific spot.

"That’s where I saw him. Coming out of that door."

Mika stared at the building. His eyes moved across its surface—the bricks, the windows, the roof, the foundation.

He didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe. He just stood there, perfectly still, his mind working at speeds no human could comprehend.

Behind him, a subordinate approached Nadia, his face grim.

"Four minutes, Lady Nadia. We don’t have much time left."

Nadia nodded. She turned to Mika, hope and fear warring in her chest.

Around them, the staff gathered. The command center’s attention shifted entirely to the young man standing before the empty children’s hospital.

All their bets were placed on him. He was their last chance.

But most of them had already given up.

This was just a hunch, a theory based on nothing but a tired doctor’s exhausted gut feeling. They didn’t believe anything would come of it.

They were already resigning themselves to failure.

But then, completely unexpectedly—

Mika started laughing.

First silently, just a quiet chuckle.

Then louder.

And louder.

Until everyone was staring at him in shock and confusion.

Finally, he sneered with dark amusement.

"You bastards.. " He said, shaking his head with genuine admiration.

"You sneaky little bastards. Who would’ve thought you’d do something like this?"

His smile widened.

"It seems your schemes and connections run much deeper than I expected."

Everyone was completely confused by what he was saying.

But Nadia realized something. She quickly moved toward Mika.

"Do you mean...Is it possible that..."

Mika nodded, his smile turning triumphant.

"Yup. I found it, Nadia. I finally found the bomb."

He glanced at Cecilia with genuine respect.

"Just like Cecilia suspected. The sixth and final bomb really is connected to this building."

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Faces that had been slack with despair suddenly brightened with hope.

The inspection team leaders shouted orders, preparing to move.

"What are we waiting for? Let’s go!"

"Move, move, move!"

"We need to find that bomb and disarm it! Move!"

They surged forward, ready to breach the building—but Mika held up his hand.

"Hold on, everyone. Hold on right there."

They froze.

Mika smiled, a thin, enigmatic smile that sent chills down their spines.

"Rather than saying the bomb is inside the building, or buried underneath, or hidden with a cloaking spell..."

He paused. "It’s more accurate to say that the building itself is the bomb."

Silence.

Absolute, complete, horrified silence.

"What?"

"I don’t understand."

"Sir, what are you talking about?"

The squad leaders stared at their screens, their faces blank with confusion. Even Nadia, Fauna, and Cecilia were lost.

Mika shook his head and began to explain.

"The cult knew that no matter how well they hid a bomb, we would eventually find it. So they got creative. Instead of hiding a bomb in the building..."

He gestured at the children’s hospital and revealed,

"They turned the entire building into a bomb."

And before anyone ask what he meant, Mika walked toward the structure, running his hand along its outer wall.

"They basically created a new kind of explosive using arrays and runes that can be integrated into normal, ordinary things."

"This stone, for example..."

He picked up a loose stone from the ground.

"If the right arrays were embedded into it, it could become a bomb as powerful as a hundred sticks of TNT."

He tossed the stone aside.

"Now imagine that same technique applied to an entire building. Every brick. Every block of concrete. Every pipe, every beam, every tile."

He looked up at the children’s hospital.

"At least fifty percent of the construction materials used in this building have been infused with explosive arrays. They’ve been woven together, connected, made to resonate with each other."

"So, when this building detonates—" He smiled grimly. "—the explosion will be three times larger than the bombs we just dismantled."

The color drained from every face.

Some people fell to their knees. Others stumbled backward, as if trying to physically distance themselves from the horror.

A few simply stood frozen, their minds unable to process what they had just heard.

The entire capital. If that bomb went off, if that building exploded—there would be nothing left.

No buildings. No people. No city. Just a crater where the heart of the realm used to be.

A few of the more sensitive individuals had already soiled themselves. No one noticed. No one cared.

They were all too busy staring at the empty children’s hospital—the cheerful murals, the smiling suns, the playground with its gently swaying swings and realizing that it was all a lie.

A beautiful, terrible, deadly lie.

Nadia found her voice. "Mika...can you disarm it?"

And he expected her to say "Yes." or "Of course, I can." like his usual arrogant self.

But to her utter shock, Mika turned to look at her with a reluctant smile on her face and said,

"Sorry, Nadia. This one’s a bit special. No matter what I do or what anyone else does..."

"...it’s going to explode no matter what."