“Big Baby Koni! “
Under the soft, warm light that made the yellow hue seem even paler, several figures inside the gondola—adorned with large prints used as backdrops—joyfully clapped their hands in the air.
“The plan has been fully approved,” one person said with high-spirits.
“Now, our new equipment auction plan—everything ties down to the administrative orders of this world’s greatest nation—has been broken through. And we even gained unexpected benefits along the way.“
Beside the hurried discussions inside the gondola, a young man who had shown remarkable performance during the great city fire spoke cheerfully:
“That’s also due to the efforts we’ve put in here for so long.“
Hearing this, the man with the side-swept hair—holding a bottle of beer that, at this moment, had already become a super luxury item—draped one shirt-sleeved arm over his shoulder. Lowering his head, he hummed softly with a breath heavy with alcohol:
“Are you referring to having earned the Prime Minister’s friendship?“
The young man let out a sound of confusion:
“Isn’t that the case? We’ve done so much for Stiefen and even reconnected the Prime Minister’s information transmission channel to the entire nation. The Prime Minister must be very grateful to us, which is why we managed to weather the storm so smoothly, right?“
“Yeah, yeah—grateful, I’m sure.“
With that, he took a sip of beer, let out a low hum, and continued in a whisper:
“But what you definitely don’t know is that Chairman Yang hadn’t originally wanted to come to Klenn.“
“Don’t want to? ” The man thought back to a month ago, when it was indeed the Mo-tapfu team and the scientific heritage that had invited the radiant Yang Buchen over. “Then… “
Chairman Yang was willing to linger in the capital even after the disaster, hm.
He patted the man gently on the shoulder.
“Anyway, I don’t know if it’s friendship or not, but if the Prime Minister had his way, would he really want us to hang around here forever? “
“I… ” The young man looked down and thought for a moment; he really hadn’t considered that angle.
But with that reminder, he imagined himself sitting in Stevenson’s position as Prime Minister… Ha, he wouldn’t have the heart to run them off, but couldn’t afford to let them stay either—too dangerous.
Now, however, Coln was already inviting the World Ark to set up its headquarters in the capital. It seemed the Prime Minister had finally decided to fully support their team moving forward.
Thinking this, the young man felt his spirits lift even more.
This reassured him that choosing to stay in Coln with the World Ark and continue searching for the birthplace of brilliance was absolutely the right decision.
The sound of two women’s footsteps echoed inside the gondola. The high-spirited group of people stopped their lively chatter and turned to greet them.
“Miss Hei Yang. “
Hei Yang, dressed in a rather functional trouser suit with some makeup on her face, nodded.
“Miss Xue Mei, you’ve both come down. “
Standing next to the elegant lady with a neck as long and graceful as a swan’s, Zhao Xuemei, wearing a cool blue coat, smiled and said:
“With all the excitement down here, we could hear everything from the rest deck above. “
Two other female figures also descended from the narrow ladder.
“We’ll follow Miss Snowmei to the 028 to protect Miss Koni. “
“Just let her come over directly, ” one person suggested. “Anyway, our side is responsible for broadcasting and recording. With Miss Koni joining, wouldn’t it be better for everyone to record together? “
“That suggestion is actually not bad. “
Hei Yang thought and said:
“Since Koni was forced to become the turning point of this node, we should continue to involve her more deeply in the subsequent process. “
“Yes, it’s best to solidify her as the representative image of the Grainwood People family within the World Ark, “
The man, whose elbow rested on the shoulder of the young man beside him, held a wine bottle and laughed:
“That way, in the future, she can be capable of vying for a bit more on behalf of the Haili family, which will probably be suppressed… “
“What, the public’s vocal support? Sir? ” The young man on whose shoulder his arm rested turned his head and inquired.
“Uh… yeah, that’s right. Our Miss Koni will become a great announcer that everyone will remember. “
The men and women standing beside the rough set pieces nodded repeatedly.
Just as he was lost in thought, one after another they turned somewhat strangely to gaze out the porthole, gradually falling silent.
Hei Yang’s slender, dark eyebrows twitched faintly like a willow touched by the breeze. A faint sound of a flock of ducks quacking drifted in from the silent city.
A figure stepped over to the window and looked down.
The man holding the beer, along with the two beside him, also walked to the side and peered downward with some confusion.
Between the silhouettes of the towering high-rises, one or two desolate, pitch-black streets filtered a faint“Moo~ “sound; it echoed sparsely among the layers of buildings gradually shrouded in morning mist.
Some people stared down at the street below, full of confusion.
“Where did these come from? “
“They couldn’t have been released on the Prime Minister’s orders, could they? “
They knew that, in this city now, aside from the guardians, only a small number of State Affairs personnel representing the heart and mind of the nation of Shidefen, with the Prime Minister as their symbol, still remained in this empty city.
……
A farm hidden from view by high walls.
“Baa~ ” The rising and falling sounds echoed chaotically within this area.
Amidst the densely packed, water-black and brown-mottled goat flock, warriors in black Wenzike Army uniforms, with sleeves rolled up to their elbows, were bent over, hoisting the goats wrapped tightly by the sheep.
“Oh my god. ” An Air Force logistics manager holding a notebook, sent to take records, witnessed the scene before him, his mouth slightly agape.
But soon he spat a few times, expelling the gamey dust that had drifted into his mouth.
An Army corporal with a big nose came over carrying a goat. The Air Force logistics manager signaled that he could proceed with the weighing and registration.
After recording the goat’s weight, he gestured with a pout for the corporal to take the goat to a few nearby soldiers responsible for tying them up. Only then did he slowly exhale, his mouth having been held shut with effort.
“I never imagined that my first task following the Defense Department would be catching goats. “
Muttering to himself, he motioned for the next soldier in line to begin the goat weighing. This soldier handed the sturdy goat, which struggled a bit in his grasp, to the young man standing by the scale.
Watching the needle on the scale, the Air Force logistics manager shook his head.
“Sorry, it’s a bit over the limit for my responsible net. Swap it for a smaller one. “
“Well, just let this one go then. “
With those words, the soldier before him immediately turned and ran without hesitation into the fenced area.
Just then, this air force logistician heard the engines of some high-end sedans approaching. They were, of course, distinct from the roaring sound of a truck’s powerful engine. The man turned his head to look.
Under the glow of street lamps swirling with moths, two black sedans, with backswept roofs arched like beetles, drove onto the hard, packed dirt ground inside the high wall and iron gate.
He saw a young soldier, with a tall, sharp figure and a capable demeanor, step out of the front car and run to the back door of the vehicle behind.
Then, a coarse-haired man wearing a felt hat, a loose, wide shirt, and sturdy corduroy trousers with insect-proof leggings on the outside, stepped out of the back seat.
Then came a second man in a similar outfit.
“Hey, sir. ” A shout snapped the registrar back to reality.
Letting out a slightly startled “Oh, ” his eyes fell on the rough-coated goat being held in the Soldier Army’s arms.
“We can weigh it. The weight is… “
The back-line logistical administrator, feeling a bit uneasy, watched the Soldier Army in front hand the goat in his arms to the scale, its pointer jumping back to zero from a negative reading after the goat’s hooves were placed on it. The needle then swung sharply and settled around the 80-kilogram mark.
The soldier in front said with some regret, “This one should be okay. A ewe is lighter. “
That billy goat from before was one he’d had a hard time catching in the flock.
“Oh, ” the logistical clerk responded, his pen landing on the record book in his hand as he wrote down the weight.
……
Lier returned to General Ross’s office, where the General was currently eating noodles from a military iron bucket. Even so, his gaze did not move away from the new documents that had just been delivered beside him.
“General Ross, ” Lier said, then turned and closed the office door behind him.
Ross looked up at Lier, who had walked back. He felt the air grow a little quieter and said:
“The plan to light the Campfire Fire has been smoothly promoted to more of our neighboring countries. “
Following General Ross’s words, Lier said, “Their ability to join immediately will also provide better protection for our southern cities. “
“However, I’m afraid ordinary people might inevitably have some speculations. The traditions of the Hellfire Sect are hardly a secret. “
Hearing this, Lier’s heart tightened with apprehension.
Even if the secret protecting Scorched City weren’t exposed tonight, it would sooner or later cause Team Zhao Mu to suffer a hidden loss. Let alone Jin Bei and those other old diehards—Ruan Wenxiong didn’t even want to think about it.
And according to that information… following from that, the situation barely afterward for Heiwen Zike wouldn’t be much better either.
“General, are we really not going to inform Chairman Yang and just activate the Goatherd now?“
The General, gripping his dinner fork, cast his eyes slightly downward.
“Tell me honestly,” Ruan Wenxiong said. “Is it the Senior Prince who ordered our Headquarters to…“
“It has nothing to do with His Highness. I proposed it myself. Facing the one who threatens disaster on Doomsday, do you think our Headquarters should still seek permission from anyone other than the National Congress?“
Ross shifted his body sideways, draping one arm over the low wooden back of the chair before continuing.
“Yang Buchen’s team has already helped us a great deal. Setting aside everything before, the intelligence you and I obtained tonight alone is an indescribably significant contribution.“
Riel understood as well. Logically speaking, as the Kingdom of Heivenzike, whose prestige in the world today had already surpassed that of Stephen, it would indeed be unreasonable to ask someone who had provided such exceptionally valuable intelligence to hand over the treasure in his possession to the hostage-takers under such circumstances.
Nevertheless, Riel felt more strongly that this general, though he had consistently shown great trust in his team, still harbored an invisible barrier with him from the core.
“Since His Highness also supports the General’s decision, I’ll go carry it out.“
With that, Riel walked toward the door. As he pulled it open, the General’s voice came from behind: “Thank you for coming back specially to remind me.“
“I… just suddenly thought there might be a hidden risk.“
“It’s okay.” The sound of slurping noodles continued. “No one will forget our contributions.“
“Then… very well.” The door clicked shut with a bang.
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