Chapter 743: Unparalleled Intelligence
Chapter 743: Unparalleled Intelligence
As the niece of the Aquarius Director and having grown up within the Aquarius Bureau, the female cleaner, Mei Li, naturally held a certain "spoiled darling" status among the Bureau's staff.
Upon her anxious cries, the cleaners still within the Aquarius Bureau hurriedly left their rooms and gathered in the largest felt-covered yurt at the center, which was none other than the Director's office.
"Grand-Uncle Hope! We must go down there immediately! If the Carnage King Society members succeed in sabotaging the seal and release the Ground Tribes from the Marrow Realm, our Grand-Uncle, who pursued them, might be in danger!" Mei Li explained the situation briefly to the Aquarius Bureau's cleaners before turning to a middle-aged man wearing a fur hat, his posture upright, and spoke with urgency.
"Mei Li, calm down for a moment." Hope, the middle-aged man, glanced at Lyon, who stood silently beside him, counting the number of people. He furrowed his brows slightly, then adjusted his leather hat and spoke thoughtfully, "According to what you said, the Director and the Carnage King Society members had only recently stepped onto the magma channel. But the Director's descent into the Thermal River was a week ago, and the underground river beneath Hot River City has been experiencing a crazy surge in water levels for over half a month, constantly overflowing. If the anomaly in the underground river is indeed a sign of the opening of the core magma channel, it means that the channel has been open for more than two weeks."
"And yet, the Carnage King Society members chose this precise time to descend, just as the Director was investigating the river. They were discovered by the Director and then pursued further away from the city... Don't you find this a bit too coincidental?"
Indeed, upon hearing this, Lyon's eyebrows lifted slightly, and he looked at the middle-aged man with surprise.
This mature and steady-looking man seemed to possess exceptional analytical skills in addition to his elite-level cleaning abilities. After listening to Mei Li's jumbled account, he merely frowned in thought for a moment before identifying a crucial discrepancy.
The underground river beneath Hot River City had been acting strangely for quite some time, but the Carnage King Society members "happened" to enter the core magma channel, were "happily" discovered by the Director, and then "happily" pursued further into the core, away from the city.
The three "happily"s combined created a strong sense of luring the tiger away from the mountain, and the plot seemed all too obvious.
Upon realizing the possible alternative intentions of the Carnage King Society, thanks to Hope's reminder, Lyon's brows furrowed in concern.
When the Director encountered this situation, he likely hesitated about whether to pursue them or not. However, the magma channel in the Thermal River led directly to the core, and if he dared to let it go, the Ground Tribes in the Marrow Realm might indeed be released.
The Purification Bureau had initially mobilized two directors and four Yellow Dao Bureau chiefs to seal the Marrow Realm, and if the Ground Tribes were released now, the already stretched-thin Purification Bureau lacked the manpower to reseal it.
In other words, this was a cunning strategy, betting on the fact that the Aquarius Director would not dare to let them go.
Indeed, upon further reflection, such dilemmas would likely be frequent, given the Purification Bureau's vast territory and limited manpower. With 87 divisions and a total of several thousand cleaners, all with varying degrees of mental instability, they were tasked with guarding a planet with a surface area of several hundred million square kilometers and a population of at least two to three billion. It would be a miracle if issues didn't arise.
In the X Country, there were tens of thousands of staff members, yet they couldn't fully comprehend a single Earth. It was rather difficult to expect these few thousand psychiatric patients to guard the present world, which lacked even basic communication devices, from the relentless harassment of "aliens" without any support.
With a somewhat helpless shake of his head, Lyon turned towards the seemingly intelligent middle-aged man, intending to listen to his judgment while there was still time before the Water Bottle Bureau's full arrival. Perhaps there was more to gain from this situation.
However, at that moment, the middle-aged man beat him to it, his brows furrowed in inquiry.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
"?"
"I can tell that you've been waiting for everyone to arrive."
Lyon adjusted his leather hat as it kept sliding down, his sharp eyes, like those of a hawk, fixed on the middle-aged man.
"But all the First-Level Purifiers who can be of assistance against a True God are already here. In this time-sensitive situation, instead of immediately taking us down, you've been waiting for those Second and Third-Level Purifiers... What are you planning?"
"..."
Of course, I plan to consume as many as possible to avoid running out of energy in a prolonged battle... Did I make it that obvious?
"Uncle Hop, Lyon is here to provide support from the headquarters."
As the middle-aged man seemed confused and began to question Lyon, the female purifier quickly explained, "We were attacked on the airship. The three other Bureau Chiefs who came to assist us were thrown onto the Hexagonal Snow Mountain. That's why Lyon wants to bring some Second-Level Purifiers down with us."
"He's lying to you, or he's not telling you his entire plan!"
The middle-aged man glanced at the female purifier and pulled her behind him. Then, with a suspicious gaze fixed on Lyon, he continued, "Haven't you noticed? He hasn't said a word to us yet!"
"Huh?"
"Even if the people he wants to take down haven't arrived, he could still brief us on the known information or use this time to ask about our abilities... Why isn't he doing that?"
After stating his concerns, the middle-aged man noticed the female purifier's bewildered expression and continued his explanation, "The reason he hasn't said anything is probably because he doesn't think it's necessary! He doesn't want our 'help' at all!"
...
Perfect!
Concealed within Hop's tumultuous heart, Lyon watched as the purifiers, influenced by his subtle suggestions and incitements, unknowingly encircled him. Their expressions were filled with caution, and Snow Miser's grin widened beneath his mask.
Although the distance made it challenging to control this elite First-Level Purifier completely, a mere hint in his heart lake was enough to make him believe that these realizations were his own.
The accusations of "he's lying to you" and "he's silent because it's unnecessary" were all fabricated to stir up trouble. By making the Food God speechless and anxious, Lyon could agitate the heart lakes of the other purifiers, leaving them vulnerable to his manipulation.
"I never expected to find someone as brilliant as you in the Water Bottle Bureau."
Lyon couldn't help but admire the middle-aged man, whose shiny bald head was revealed as his leather hat slid off.
"I didn't tell Melly the truth, and I didn't think it was necessary to communicate with you earlier. Your guesses are all correct... I need to consume all of you."
"..."
Huh?
━Σ(Д|||)━
(End of Chapter)
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