Chapter 351 No Way Out

Blue Star.

The Triangle Building's highest-level secure conference room.

"asshole!"

A man with a five-star beard slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and roared at the middle-aged man with slicked-back hair in a suit opposite him:

"This is what you call foolproof? We've already lost two of our best elites! And what have we gained in return?! Enemies, enemies, and ever-growing enemies!"

The middle-aged man from the National Security Bureau had a livid face, and the muscles in his face were taut.

"General, calm down, this isn't..."

"calm?!"

Another member of parliament sarcastically remarked, "That Chinese has become a force to be reckoned with! From now on, every time his ships evolve, we'll only be able to tremble in fear! Now, he's even threatening to 're-rock' our competitors in front of the whole world!"

"But we did cheat, didn't we?"

The sparks of argument quickly ignited into a prairie fire.

"I told you long ago! Cooperating with that thing that calls itself 'Gaia's Will' is like dancing with the devil!"

"Ha...it's as if you didn't agree in the first place!"

"Let's not dwell on the past. We should immediately terminate the agreement and show goodwill to the Dragon Kingdom. It's not too late to cut our losses!"

"Bullshit! Bow down to them? Where is the dignity of America, the center of the world?!"

Inside the conference room, the two factions were arguing fiercely.

Just then, the small black metal sphere, which had been placed in the very center of the conference table as if it were an ornament, suddenly began to glow faintly.

That's enough.

A clear, childlike voice rang out.

The argument stopped abruptly.

Everyone stared in astonishment at the sphere, not understanding what was going on.

One of the lawmakers, who advocated for terminating the agreement, turned pale and pointed at the sphere, his voice trembling: "It was you...it was you who had been..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Because several spiderweb-like green beams suddenly shot out from the black sphere, precisely binding the bodies of all those who had just advocated for breaking the contract.

There was no response, and no struggle.

Those people's bodies were drained and collapsed in an instant, finally turning into a handful of ashes and disappearing without a trace.

The conference room was suddenly half empty.

The rest of them, no matter how tough they had been just moments before, were now frozen in their seats, a chill running down their spines.

"I want to quit now..."

"It's too late."

"Now that the contract is in place... you have to keep playing along with us..."

The little black ball fell silent. After a long while, someone asked dejectedly, "So... what do we do now?"

The head of the intelligence department calmed down and broke the silence:

"Let's investigate the true background of this Chinese player first; he couldn't have appeared out of thin air."

"We already investigated that."

Some people shook their heads bitterly, "All traces have been wiped clean, as if this person never existed."

"It seems the only way is to infiltrate their command center to investigate."

"Are you crazy?"

"That place is practically impenetrable now, how could we possibly succeed?"

When asked about difficult questions, everyone fell silent again.

"It's not that there's no way..."

The CI chief, who had been sitting in the middle right of the long table and hadn't said much, suddenly spoke up.

But when everyone looked over, he simply straightened his tie, remained silent, and got up to leave the conference room.

It seems...

It's time to put to use the nails that have been buried for twenty years.

......

The night in Gaul is like melted black velvet, silkily enveloping the streetlights.

In an unassuming corner bar.

The quiet conversation, the clinking of glasses and saucers, and the harmonious melody of old jazz music, along with the scents of whiskey and fine perfume in the air, are enough to make anyone relax, even if they don't drink alcohol.

"belch......"

In the corner booth.

A man, half-drunk, burped, put down his empty glass, and groped around in his suit pocket for a while, finally pulling out a gold-edged card and slamming it on the table.

The gold-plated portrait of the goddess Mariana shines brightly.

"Look...look carefully,"

He boasted, his words slurred, "Is this pass good enough? Tell me, is someone like me good enough?"

A man sitting next to him seemed completely out of place in the bar's atmosphere.

Wearing black-rimmed glasses, a well-tailored suit, and a meticulously groomed beard, he exuded the composure of the privileged class.

Upon hearing this, the man elegantly adjusted his glasses.

"Of course, of course you're qualified."

He took out a valuable-looking business card case from his pocket, took out a high-quality black business card, and pushed it towards the man with two fingers.

"In fact, many of your colleagues are already esteemed members of our club."

The bearded man casually put his arm around his shoulder to close the distance.

Then, after looking around to make sure no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice and said:

"For example, the chief of staff, and that minister who always looks worried... are our honored guests, so you don't need to worry about privacy at all."

"......Honey,"

He waved to a passing waiter and handed him a banknote.

"Give my friend another dry martini."

"Yes, sir."

Upon hearing this, the drunken man's smugness deepened. He grabbed the business card and squinted at it for a long time.

"I've had enough of this job! Seriously!"

He gulped down a mouthful of wine and began to pour out his grievances.

"And my boss! Did you see that old hag Sakura did the other day? Live broadcast! In that setting, in front of the whole world! She put on that...that..."

He gestured for a long time, making the shape of a calyx with his hands at his sides.

"Yes! That's her! She's definitely not mentally sound! My eyes are practically blinded by her!"

"My boss actually asked me... 'Is this some kind of new diplomatic protocol?' Good heavens! I really wanted to tell him, 'Yes, you should do it to everyone at the next summit!'"

He laughed so hard he almost fell over as he spoke.

"Then I have to rack my brains to write something nice. What can I write? 'That feigned innocence is so cute, showing xx's open and inclusive attitude'?! Ugh!"

The bearded man nodded repeatedly, a look of deep sympathy on his face.

While the other person was laughing and slapping the table, he subtly gathered the pass and his empty wine glass together and placed them in his hand.

At this time,

The drunk man suddenly stopped laughing and turned his head sharply, his dazed eyes staring at him:

"Honestly, I shouldn't be telling you this. You don't have any recording equipment on you, do you?"

"Of course not."

He smiled helplessly and patted the drunk man's shoulder heavily. "Friend, I think you've had too much to drink. You don't even recognize me?"

When he gestured to the waiter again for another drink,

The pass had slipped into his pocket without him noticing.

"Come on, friends! Let's drink to our damn job!"

The drunk man raised the newly served glass and drank it all in one gulp, completely unaware that something was missing from the table.

"Cheers to your bright future."

The bearded man also raised his glass, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his fox-like eyes behind his glasses.