Chapter 499: Trumpet Flower
Chapter 499: Trumpet Flower
Is the Gemini Division still functioning normally?
Upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, Lyon couldn't help but pause, slightly taken aback.
Regarding the fate of the Gemini Division, Nicole and Lyon had imagined various scenarios, including partial escapes, complete capture, or even total annihrequiring, but they never considered that the Gemini Division would still be operating as usual.
After all, Atifi-01 had directly attacked the Gemini Division, and there were even suspicions that it had taken control of the Corlock Kingdom. It was almost like openly declaring war against the Purification Bureau, so why keep the Purifiers around?
"Have the people from the Gemini Division been controlled?"
After furrowing his brows in thought for a moment, Lyon cautiously asked, "Perhaps something strange was implanted in their brains, or their will was influenced by some anomaly, or maybe their relatives and family members, residents of the Corlock Kingdom, were taken hostage?"
"We're not sure."
Both young men shook their heads in unison, and then the older one spoke, "Edward had considered capturing someone from the Gemini Division for interrogation, but none of us are skilled in that, and we don't have the ability to erase memories afterward.
Considering the current uncertainty about the royal family, Edward decided to temporarily abandon this plan and focus on confirming the situation with the royal family and locating the physical body of Atifi-01."
"..."
Both young men exchanged glances, looking somewhat helpless, and then the older one spoke, "The terrain of the Corlock Kingdom is too complex, with over eight hundred blocks, and the layout frequently changes. Mona's ability consumption is significant, and Edward and his team have spent several days investigating, only managing to search through thirty-odd blocks.
What's more, the Corlock Kingdom is about to hold a celebration in a few days, during which most of the blocks will change positions and be rearranged. Once the already-searched blocks shift, they'll likely have to start over."
"..."
So, you guys just ended up investigating for nothing, huh?
Lyon shook his head in extreme disbelief and then carefully inquired about the progress of the Scorpion Division. He then frowned and said, "You two, Edward is taking too long with this method of investigation. And there's no guarantee of success. If we're unlucky, we might just be dragged along indefinitely.
Edward had expressed similar concerns."
The middle-aged man nodded in agreement and then helplessly said, "But after discussing it, we couldn't come up with a better plan. Considering the possibility that the royal family members of the Corlock Kingdom might have been controlled by Atifi-01, and to avoid provoking it and causing harm to the royal family, we had to take a slow approach."
What a joke! With this hit-or-miss investigation method, if you really want to find something, you'll probably have to keep investigating until the Watchtower Palace falls into disrepair.
"You two, I may sound a bit harsh, but..."
As the two young man, who looked a bit tense, Lyon furrowed his brows and said, "But if you continue like this, it won't work. I even have reason to suspect that they've already discovered you and are just stalling for time.
So, I hope you can help me contact Edward. I want to discuss with him and see if we can try my method first."
"That... is fine."
After exchanging glances, the middle-aged man reached out and supported the two sides of the leaf petals. From the green plant, he dug a small pit in the onion-sized bulb and planted a tiny seed.
Immediately afterward, he covered the pit with soil and then took out a miniature spray bottle from somewhere, lightly watering the area where the seed was buried.
"Pfft."
A faint sound was heard, and a plant with short, soft hairs on its root stem gently pushed through the soil. It then quietly wrapped around the edge of the flowerpot and, within two seconds, grew and blossomed into a plant with several pink, red, and purple trumpet-like flowers, all while Edward, who was standing nearby, watched in surprise.
"Trumpet flowers?" he wondered.
Before he could finish his thought, the flowers had already completed their growth and blooming process. Edward blinked in astonishment, then, at the gesture of the middle-aged man in the leaf costume, leaned down and cautiously spoke.
"Sir Edward?"
"..."
After a few seconds of "delay," a voice, sounding slightly surprised, came from the trumpet flower closest to Edward.
"Lyon?"
Damn, not only could he shrink and hide inside a flower, but he could even use a trumpet flower as a speaker. This ability was truly fascinating.
Edward glanced at the middle-aged man in the leaf costume with surprise, then responded, "It's me."
"Of course, I know it's you."
The voice from the trumpet flower, belonging to the Scorpion Director, sounded puzzled. "But you should have just gotten off the airship and are currently haggling with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Why did you suddenly contact me?"
"I sent the Minister of Foreign Affairs away, and I'm currently with..."
Edward glanced at the two men in leaf costumes and continued, "After exchanging some words with the two seniors, I feel like the situation might not be right. So, I wanted to discuss with you and see if we can change our investigation approach."
Change the investigation approach?
After hearing Lyon's words, the Scorpion Director on the other end of the trumpet flower fell silent for a few seconds, then spoke, "Give me a reason."
"Well..." Lyon hesitated, "We might have been exposed."
Recalling the information he had heard from the female reporter about the Corlock Kingdom, Lyon frowned slightly. "The two seniors just told me that because the Corlock Kingdom's districts frequently change, your investigation progress is unusually slow. But in reality, while the Corlock Kingdom's districts do change often, they shouldn't be this frequent."
"Explain it in more detail."
"To be more specific," Lyon said, "Among the six types of districts in the Corlock Kingdom, the residential, administrative, and research districts have relatively stable populations, and there's usually no need to move them around. So, they are rarely relocated.
Only the production and military industry districts, due to the large amount of raw materials and finished products involved, need to frequently connect with other districts like the airport, which is why they often need to change their positions."
So, besides the production and military industry districts, the other districts don't move frequently? After hearing Lyon's words, the Scorpion Director on the other end of the trumpet flower slightly recalled the situation of the districts they had investigated these days, and his eyebrows furrowed unconsciously.
If the districts that usually don't move frequently have recently started to change positions frequently, the reason is naturally to slow down their investigation. So, their supposedly discreet investigation might have already been noticed.
"I understand what you mean," the Scorpion Director said after judging from Lyon's information that they were most likely exposed. He pondered for a moment, then decided, "What do you plan to do?"
"I plan to get an 'insurance' first," Lyon replied after some thought.
"You know that the bureau can't accept the situation where the Corlock Kingdom's royalty is wiped out, which would reduce the effectiveness of the Watchtower Palace. Since we have the identity of an embassy delegation, we can legitimately contact the royal members of the Corlock Kingdom. So, let's avoid the worst-case scenario and catch ten or eight princes and princesses first!"
(End of Chapter)
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