Deviant: No Longer Human

Sakura nodded, confirming Luna's suspicion. "Yeah... It's weird."

"..."

A heavy silence enveloped them, the weight of this discovery settling in.

Luna's thoughts raced, trying to connect the dots, to understand the implications of this global emergence of power.

Breaking the silence, Sakura glanced at Luna, a question lingering in her gaze. "What about Gabriel? Do I send someone after him as well?" Her question, though casual, carried an undercurrent of readiness, a willingness to mobilize at Luna's command.

Luna's annoyance was growing as she wrestled with the complexities of their situation. "He hasn't broken any rules to warrant official action against him. Too much interference by us can backfire... Before we make a move, we need to understand their source of power. Have you found anything more? Is there any connection between them?"

Sakura, her fingers deftly moving across the large screen, sifted through layers of data with a practiced ease. "No, none of the individuals we've identified seem to be connected in any manner. They are completely random," she replied, her voice laced with disappointment.

The mystery of the situation deepened, the lack of connection between the individuals with newfound powers only adding to the complexity of the already existing complex world.

Luna sighed, a sound of resignation that seemed to echo through the room. "Whatever... Let others take care of it. That's not my problem..." Her attempt to distance herself from the situation was a thin veil over her underlying concern.

Sakura, unable to hide her amusement at Luna's statement, let a smirk play on her lips. "Luna... Your territory doesn't even have humans to rule," she reminded, poking fun at Luna's grandiose statement.

Luna's response was a silent glare, a storm brewing behind her eyes.

The conversation took a sudden turn as Sakura glanced at the control panel of their Nexus network. "Oh yeah, Luna... Weren't you after that new mission to find the eighth guardian?" Her curiosity piqued, she leaned in, trying to catch a glimpse of something, or someone, behind Luna. "I don't see him anywhere... Didn't you say you were going to chain him and bring him to Antarctica? Is he outside?

Where is he?" Her questions, rapid-fire and tinged with mischief, sought to draw Luna out of her brooding.

Luna, feeling Sakura's prying eyes, her frustration reached a boiling point.

Boom!

With a swift movement, she grabbed Sakura's head, forcing her attention back to the screen. "Focus here!" she commanded, her voice a blend of anger and urgency.

"I want you to close that mission and recall all the ghosts," Luna clarified, her order clear.

Sakura, taken aback by the sudden physicality, managed a confused "Huh, really?"

Luna's gaze hardened, her eyes piercing Sakura with a warning that brooked no argument. "Yes, or do I need to make you repent?"

Sakura, recognizing the seriousness in Luna's tone, nodded instantly, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "Done! I've closed the mission, and the communication will be sent out shortly."

Luna's eyes gleamed with delight, she let out a nod of approval, "Good, now remove all the surveillance from him."

"All? You mean..." Sakura's voice trailed off as she hastily began the process, her mind racing with questions. 'What happened to Luna today?' she wondered, a chill running down her spine as she contemplated the drastic nature of Luna's orders. The usual calm and calculated Luna seemed to be on edge, pushing boundaries in ways that left Sakura feeling uneasy.

Finally, after several tense moments, Sakura exhaled a sigh of relief, her fingers ceasing their frantic dance across the keyboard. "It's done. I've blocked all the surveillance over him, except for Prometheus and Oracle network. They are beyond our capabilities," she announced, trying to catch Luna's eye, seeking some sort of reassurance or explanation.

"Block them as well," Luna stated flatly, her gaze never leaving the screen. The finality in her voice brooked no argument, yet it left Sakura feeling more adrift than ever.

"Huh?" Sakura's was shocked by Luna's request, and before she could formulate a response, she felt a hand land gently on her shoulder, its grip firm yet somehow comforting.

"Sakura, did you not hear me?" Luna's voice, closer now, carried a hint of impatience mixed with an underlying warning that Sakura couldn't ignore.

Gasp!

The room went deathly silent as everyone around them took in a sharp cold breath.

Swoosh!

One by one, they began to edge away, pretending to be engrossed in their work, leaving Sakura feeling isolated in the eye of the storm.

'Bastards, don't abandon me! She's losing her mind again!' Sakura cursed inwardly, her frustration mounting. She took a deep, steadying breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

Memories of the last time Luna had taken such drastic measures flooded her mind, recalling the chaos that ensued when Luna, in a similar fit of determination, created the Ghost network using the already existing X-files Nexus.

To those on the outside, the Illuminati was a shadowy organization synonymous with corruption and sinister machinations, a cabal that seemingly fostered crime at every turn.

Yet, this perception barely scratched the surface of the truth—a truth known only to a select few.

The Illuminati endured not because it was invincible, but because those charged with its eradication were, in fact, its architects and stewards.

The irony was as stark as it was unsettling.

"I-I would need your authentication to block them..." Sakura's voice was hesitant as she vacated her seat, moving to stand to the side, her posture betraying her unease.

Luna, ever the picture of impatience, clicked her toungue. "So annoying..." She slid into the vacated seat with an ease that spoke of her familiarity with the command center.

Her fingers danced across the keyboard, a flurry of precise movements as she began the authentication process.

Her credentials and bio-signature were keys to a digital kingdom, one that she ruled with an iron will.

As she completed the final steps, a grin spread across her face. The screens before them, once filled with the images of Wang Xiao, now blinked into emptiness, his digital footprint erased from their surveillance network.

"Now... He is only mine..." Her words were a whisper of possession, her tongue tracing her lips unconsciously—a gesture that sent a shiver down Sakura's spine.

Sakura, standing just off to the side, felt a chill that had little to do with the temperature of the room.

The predatory satisfaction in Luna's expression, the possessive glint in her eye, did not bode well in Sakura's mind.

She harbored a whirlwind of questions, each more pressing than the last, yet the instinct for self-preservation held her tongue.

The desire to live far outweighed her curiosity.