241: A must-try rooftop meeting

Outside Crossbell City, the orbal car drove steadily on the way back to the city, but the atmosphere inside the car was much more somber than when they arrived.

Moonlight streamed through the car windows, casting a faint silver glow on everyone's faces.

Lloyd sat in the passenger seat, his fingers gently tapping his knee: "This incident, I just feel it's not that simple."

Noel gripped the steering wheel with both hands, her gaze fixed on the road ahead: "From the mine entrance being blown open, to those purple mists, and then to that eerie demonic dragon, it doesn't look like it happened naturally at all."

Ellie flipped through the records in her manual: "And the timing is too coincidental. The gate was blown up last night, monsters appeared this morning, and we just happened to come today to test the communication terminal..."

Wazy leaned lazily against the window: "But, our going today should be an accident, right? After all, Director Roberts's commission was only decided today."

"If the mastermind behind the Old Mine incident targeted us, then it means the consortium was also involved."

Randy crossed his arms, his brow slightly furrowed: "There's no reason for the consortium to target us. If the Old Mine was a trap for us, even without Roberts's commission, we would still receive a mission and come after the mayor reported it."

"The question is, who would do this? The Empire? The Republic? Or that mysterious Dr. Katja you mentioned?"

Lloyd pondered for a moment: "The Empire and the Republic certainly have motives, but the motives aren't strong enough to deal with us in this way, are they?"

"Oh, right, that strange monster..." Noel's voice was hesitant, "Could it be the remnants of the DG Cult? Are they trying to get revenge on us?"

"Not likely." Wazy narrowed his eyes, "The Cult has been completely wiped out, that much is certain, but it's hard to say if some Biotechnica has leaked out."

Randy suddenly sat up straight: "Ellie just mentioned the gate being blown open. I smelled gunpowder after the explosion when I went in."

His expression turned serious: "That smell was different from any explosive I know."

Lloyd turned to look at him: "What do you mean?"

Randy explained: "After orbal weapons became widespread, gunpowder weapons were mostly phased out. But due to historical reasons, the Empire still retains some gunpowder troops, and Reinford is also developing new explosives."

"The Garrison also has a lot of weapons in stock, and teaching and training also involve them."

He paused: "But even the Empire's most advanced explosives couldn't have this kind of power. To the extent that the metal gate was almost completely sublimated during the explosion."

Upon hearing this, Ellie immediately took out the investigation photos she had taken and carefully examined them: "So, the metal fragments remaining at the entrance are indeed suspiciously few..."

Noel recalled: "Indeed. Even adding the scattered fragments in the passage, the amount of those fragments is not enough to restore a complete gate."

Wazy leaned back in his seat, his eyes narrowing: "Oh my, this is getting interesting~"

Lloyd's fingers unconsciously tapped the armrest: "Not an unknown explosive, plus that kind of abnormal monster..."

His voice grew softer and softer: "Behind this, I'm afraid there's a force at work that we don't know about."

A brief silence fell in the car. Amidst the low hum of the orbal engine, everyone pondered possible answers.

The clock had just struck midnight, and Topaz stood by the railing on the top floor of the clock tower, the night wind blowing through her silver hair, her gaze calmly fixed on the distant night view.

Footsteps came from behind her, neither hurried nor slow.

"You're three minutes and eleven seconds late," Topaz said without turning her head, her voice carrying an undeniable sense of pressure, "It seems the Empire's Special Operations Captain needs to improve his sense of time."

Lechter Arandell stepped out of the shadows, moonlight illuminating his red hair.

Compared to three days ago, his posture was noticeably more restrained, and although that cynical smile still hung on his face, there was an unmistakable wariness in his eyes.

"Oh my, Director Topaz is timing me~" Lechter chuckled, "I ran into a little trouble on the way."

Topaz turned around, her pupils glinting with a cold light in the moonlight: "Did you get lost, or were you plotting some little trick?"

Lechter's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and the memories from three days ago instantly flooded his mind.

A fine layer of cold sweat seeped from Lechter's back. He forced a smile: "How could that be~ Chancellor Osborne attaches great importance to the company's proposal and specifically instructed me to be fully prepared."

Topaz raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh?"

She walked slowly towards Lechter, her high heels clicking crisply on the stone slabs. Each step seemed to land on Lechter's nerves.

"So," Topaz stopped a step away from him, "what is Chancellor Osborne's reply?"

...

Three days ago, the Empire's Capital, the "iron blood" Prime Minister's office.

Chancellor Osborne stood by the window, his back to the screen. The pipe in his hand had gone out, but he didn't notice.

"...The other party calls themselves Interstellar Peace Corporation, one of Ten Stonehearts," Lechter's voice came through the loudspeaker, uncharacteristically devoid of his usual flippancy, "They possess technology far beyond our comprehension, Prime Minister."

Osborne slowly turned around, his resolute face appearing exceptionally stern in the shadows: "Continue."

"That young man named Yanqing, his strength is probably above the Sword Saint of Wind." Lechter's image flickered slightly, "As for the three mechs they displayed..."

His voice was a little dry: "I have never seen that kind of design; there's no trace of orbal energy, and they operate without the awkwardness of the Empire's experimental mechs. The weapon systems are completely unanalyzable, but I can feel that these mechs possess extremely terrifying destructive power."

"That feeling is even stronger than what the Divine Knight gives me!"

The office fell into a dead silence.

Chancellor Osborne walked to his desk, his fingers unconsciously tapping the surface. This was a rare moment of hesitation for the "iron blood" ruler.

"Completely different power, huh?" he murmured softly, "Such a force actually still exists..."

Suddenly, he looked up sharply: "Arrange a meeting."

Lechter's image was visibly startled: "Prime Minister?"

"The trade conference is imminent; I will arrive in Crossbell a day early, a secret itinerary." Osborne's voice was as hard as steel, "You choose the location; it must be absolutely safe."

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "Let me meet this 'Director Topaz'. I want to know what this company ultimately wants to do."

...

The recollection ended, Lechter took a deep breath, and took a gilded envelope from his in arms: "Chancellor Osborne will arrive in Crossbell one day earlier than scheduled."

He handed over the envelope with both hands, his posture more respectful than ever: "The day after tomorrow, eight PM, the VIP room of the underground casino 'Paradise'. That is an Empire safe house, absolutely confidential."

Topaz took the envelope, her fingertips gently caressing the wax seal. She didn't open it immediately but looked at Lechter meaningfully: "It seems Chancellor Osborne has more courage than I imagined."

Lechter gave a wry smile: "After all..." He chose his words carefully, "Your company's displayed 'sincerity' is truly impressive."

Topaz chuckled lightly and turned to walk to the railing. The night wind lifted her hair, silver and pale gold intertwined in the moonlight.

"Tell Chancellor Osborne," her voice drifted with the night wind, "I look forward to meeting him."

"I hope he is a sufficiently rational person."