Chapter 1016: Chapter 1016

The man with the silver ponytail looked at the gloomy Christos in front of him and asked hoarsely, "Still can’t get through on the phone?"

"Completely disconnected."

Christos leaned on the chair, reached out and rubbed his somewhat messy hair, "It’s not just Linen, the entire Yilan City has been disconnected from the Federation network."

He looked up at the silver ponytail man, sighing helplessly, "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Have you received any news from the people you sent out to find Lin Na?"

The silver ponytail man raised his head and looked at Christos.

"They encountered some kind of bizarre barrier on their way to Yilan City,"

Christos rested his hands on the office desk, sighed slightly, "They tried to enter the barrier, but they got lost inside, eventually winding their way out. From their observations, the entirety of Yilan City and the nearby wilderness seem to be enveloped by this invisible barrier."

"How high is the barrier approximately? Can it be bypassed from above?"

The silver ponytail man asked in a low voice.

"They measured it, approximately a thousand meters,"

Christos rubbed his brow, "Above that is a layer of dark clouds. There’s a Transcendent in the squad sensitive to perceptions, he felt that the clouds seemed to contain a bizarre and chilling extraordinary power that is becoming increasingly stronger. I’ve arranged for a Transcendent investigative team to check it out."

"It sounds like some sort of Evil God Advent event,"

The silver ponytail man asked slowly, "Is there enough time?"

Christos shook his head, "We are the closest major city to Yilan City, we can only do what we can."

The silver ponytail man looked at Christos and began slowly, "Yilan City has Angels stationed there."

"Yes, that’s the worst part,"

Christos took a shallow breath, "That Angel couldn’t have failed to notice anything, but Yilan City was still sealed off so quietly."

He glanced at the bracelet in his hand, "It would be great if we could contact Linen; he must have noticed something."

"Perhaps it’s precisely because they were worried about people inside sending information out,"

The silver ponytail man speculated, "that’s why the culprit behind this ’Advent’ influenced and blocked the network in Yilan City."

At that moment, Christos’s bracelet vibrated.

He raised his hand, looked at the content on the bracelet, and his expression slightly changed.

"Who sent the message?"

The silver ponytail man looked at him curiously.

Christos raised his head and looked at the silver ponytail man.

"Was the signal blockade lifted?"

The silver ponytail man’s face changed slightly, and he immediately stood up and walked towards Christos.

"No, it shouldn’t be,"

Christos shook his head, "It should be a timed email; he might have anticipated some sort of ’network blackout’, so he prepared beforehand."

"Seems like he truly noticed something,"

The man with the silver ponytail sighed softly and walked beside Christos, "What did he say in the email?"

"He asked us to contact Ains to blockade all trade routes, to try as much as possible to keep people away from Yilan City and the wilderness nearby. If there are any unusual powers detected, we should also evacuate people from the vicinity of these powers, along with some suggestions on measures to prevent exposure to unusual contamination."

Christos withdrew his gaze and turned to the man with the silver ponytail, showing him the email in his hands.

"Is he making some kind of ’arrangement’?"

The man with the silver ponytail looked at the email in Christos’s hands, his voice lowering, "From this, it seems he didn’t just ’notice’ something simple, but he has even devised a strategy for ’the crisis’?"

He paused slightly, "This senior is even more capable than we imagined."

Then he seemed to remember something, sighed lightly again, "I wonder how Lin Na is currently, whether she has encountered any danger, if she has landed successfully, and met her father,"

He ruffled his hair, "Actually, she didn’t need to rush home."

"Perhaps, she has other worries in her heart."

Christos fixed his gaze on the email, then suddenly spoke softly.

Hearing this, the man with the silver ponytail also paused briefly, he lifted his head to look at Christos, and eventually, with a hoarse voice, he started, "You suspect he might be...?"

This time, Christos did not answer but looked up and out towards the numerous buildings through the window.

That direction was south, where Yilan City was located.

Vaguely, his gaze seemed to pierce through the crowded buildings, the vast wilderness, the overlapping mountains, and on to the city shrouded in dark clouds.

And there, in the city’s shadows, stood the figure with a cane, gazing at the sky, aged yet upright.

Kopes Mining Mercenary Corps Camp

"Mayor Linen seems quite concerned about that airship?"

The bearded man looked up at He Ao, a smile playing on his lips.

"Disasters are indeed fearsome,"

He Ao looked at the bearded man before him and spoke slowly, "but as a species, humans are frail beings. The reason we have survived on this dangerous wilderness till today is largely because we would actively help our fellows in danger, and unite to face the powerful enemies."

The bearded man nodded slightly and said with a sigh, "That’s also why we took the initiative to rescue those passengers on the airship,"

He sighed, "Unfortunately, we still arrived too late."

"Actually, I still want to ask the Captain,"

He Ao looked up at him and smiled, "So you really didn’t know the location of the airship?"

Looking at He Ao’s smiling face, the bearded man’s gaze paused slightly, and this time, he didn’t immediately answer He Ao’s question but asked huskally, "Actually, I have a question for Mayor Linen too,"

He looked at He Ao, slowing down his speech, "Last night, exactly how many soldiers were there on your city walls?"

He Ao turned his gaze to the bearded man, looking at him calmly, "Captain, don’t you already have an answer in your mind?"

Hearing this response, the bearded man was momentarily stunned, then he took a deep breath, and looking at the sprawling camp in the distance, said, "I have to say, your tactics were indeed brilliant, last night’s battle could even be included in the textbooks of the Federal Military Academy,

"I remember you’ve never undergone formal military training,"

He sighed deeply, "Your talent and strategy are astounding."

"Many times, I’m just lucky."

He Ao withdrew his gaze, also looking towards the distant camp.

His strategy last night was nearly all risky, very much about gambling on luck, and also betting on the mindset of the bearded man as a conglomerate mercenary.

He had even made preparations for the aftermath of North City’s potential downfall.

But he just happened to have gambled correctly.

The breathing of the man with the full beard paused, his eyes wide as he looked at the elderly man before him, biting his teeth slightly, "I wish I had that kind of ’luck’ too."

Then he took a long breath again, looked towards He Ao, and in a suppressed voice, asked, "So, about the question you just asked me, do you also have an answer in mind?"

He Ao turned back and looked at him.

The full-bearded man was stunned, and for a moment did not grasp why He Ao had thrown the question back to him.

But just as He Ao’s voice fell, a soldier breathlessly ran up from behind. He approached the full-bearded man, ready to speak. But as he looked up, he saw He Ao standing nearby.

He Ao looked at him and nodded with a smile.

The soldier gasped, looked at He Ao and then at the full-bearded man, and the words he had about to say were abruptly suppressed.

The full-bearded man turned his head towards the soldier, slightly frowning.

The soldier hesitated for a moment but cautiously came closer and whispered into the full-bearded man’s ear.

But after only his first sentence, the full-bearded man’s face subtly changed. Then the rugged looking Captain looked up at He Ao, "Mayor Linen, I need a moment, please wait for me."

He Ao raised his hand, speaking softly.

The full-bearded man glanced at He Ao and retreated with the soldier to a more distant place.

The soldier whispered quickly a few more sentences into his ear, and the full-bearded man’s expression became thoroughly grave.

Listening to the soldier’s full account, the full-bearded man slightly raised his hand, "Let them stop the pursuit."

The soldier looked up at He Ao still standing in the distance, took a breath, withdrew his gaze and stepped back.

At this time, the full-bearded man also looked up; he spoke something to the soldier standing beside him.

Shortly after, the soldier took out a bottle of red wine, which was already not much left, and two wine cups from the crowd nearby.

The full-bearded man held the wine cup, allowing the soldier to divide the wine into two portions until the bottle was empty, but still, both cups were filled halfway.

Then he walked step by step towards He Ao.

"This is my finest reserve."

He passed the shimmering red wine cup to He Ao.

He Ao looked at the wine passed over to him, calmly took the wine cup, and raised it to his lips.

"Are you not afraid that I might poison the wine?"

The full-bearded man watched He Ao with a smile.

But He Ao calmly brought the wine to his lips, took a gentle sip, then put the wine cup down, smiling at the full-bearded man, "A very rich aroma of violet and sandalwood, this wine is indeed top-quality even among Winsnie."

The full-bearded man blankly watched the elderly man before him, then he smiled, raised his wine cup, looking towards the cloudy sky, swirled his cup forward, and slowly said,

"Slokter Winery is located in the wilderness on the southern side of Vitland, where the soil is loose and sunlight abundant, producing robust flavored grapes. The most central eighty square meters of land yields grapes that make the best wines, and that is Winsnie."

"In 750 year, the Slokter Winery was attacked by an exotic beast, causing a significant decrease in grape production. As a result, the production of Winsnie wine also plummeted. However, the wine from that year, perhaps due to sufficient nutrients, was exceptionally aromatic and was hailed as the best Winsnie in fifty years."

He Ao, who had walked about ten meters away, stopped in his tracks. He turned to face He Ao and slowly raised his wine glass, the red liquid swaying gracefully within the radiant crystal vessel,

"Mayor Lin En certainly comes from a distinguished lineage, discerning the type and quality of the wine with just a sip. Yet, with such acuity, you seem oblivious to the anomalies of this camp, or were you, perhaps, conversing with me all this while to paralyze my thoughts and divert my attention?"

He Ao looked up at him, resting his hand on a golden cane, his expression calm, "It seems they have succeeded?"

"You now stand alone at the very heart of the enemy camp,"

The bearded man looked at the elderly figure before him, "All signals have been jammed, there is no one at your side who can be of use, completely cut off from the outside world, yet you managed to rescue someone right under my nose."

He took a deep breath, his expression complex, not sure if it was reflective or a bitter smile, "Linen, you truly are formidable. Your tactical maneuvers, had we been at the Federal Military Academy, I might have asked to become your disciple, sincerely seeking your guidance in tactics and strategies, becoming your follower."

He looked at He Ao, "But unfortunately, we are on the battlefield, and you are my enemy."

He raised his hand, drank up the red wine, and with a ’pop’, he crushed the crystal glass in his hand. He gazed at He Ao, his voice gradually growing colder,

"Linen, you really are formidable, but have you heard the proverb, ’Even the wise have their moments of folly; the foolish may also find success accidentally.’",

"Indeed, my strategies are no match for yours, but the moment this airship crashed around the camp, I already had the upper hand."

The cold wind swept across the icy machinery and the bearded man’s cold cheeks, "When you showed up outside the camp, in front of me, when you first asked about the airship, I knew you were thrown off balance.

"You brazenly revealed your intentions to me; strategically, the moment you asked that question and let someone probe your strength and weakness, you had already lost."

He raised his hand, a soft sword falling into his palm, which he gripped tightly, "I admit, your early arrangements did disrupt my plans and the fact that all survivors were rescued exceeded my expectations, but the outcome is the same."

He continued to gaze at He Ao, his expression passive, yet with a trace of long-suppressed emotions finally surfacing in a semblance of pride,

"I was actually prepared to reveal a flaw to you, let you find out the location of the airship, then have you send the information out. But since you figured it out yourself, the outcome is the same.

"You heard about the airship and hastily came, unlikely to bring a large force, likely only a small mobile squad to rescue them. Of course, these mobile troops are not just the ones you stationed at the camp entrance,

"Those few cats with transport aircraft were just baits to attract attention."

The cold wind blew the bearded man’s hair and He Ao’s clothing, in this hellish cold breeze, the bearded man continued,

"Your real rescue team should be a highly mobile pure squad, actually lurking nearby, waiting for an opportunity to break into the camp and rescue the survivors.

"And that, was your last ace."

The bearded man sighed deeply, a smile slowly spreading across his face,

"Linen, your courage is indeed strong. The composure you have shown since entering has made me really think you had other powers hidden, allowing you to retreat safely.

"Linen, the same strategy can’t work twice on the same person. The night before last, I chose to retreat because your cards were covered. I couldn’t see your cards and you were resting on your laurels, successfully bluffed me.

He lifted the soft sword in his hand, his gaze fixed on the elderly man in the wind, "the one resting is me, and all your cards are now displayed in front of me. Do you know why I knew you were coming but didn’t reinforce the defenses near the airship?"

His tone paused, slowly stating, "Because that was a trap, a trap to bait you into playing your last card, a trap to put you truly in danger.

"You think you can still intimidate me with that appearance of possibly having a backup plan and escape unscathed again?"

The bearded man grinned, his laugh raspy, "Linen, the battlefield is no game, don’t treat all your enemies as fools."

The surrounding guns slowly moved, aiming at He Ao standing in the middle, and in the distance, warplanes gathered like a swarm towards the central area.

"Linen, there’s something you said that was quite right,"

The bearded man looked up at He Ao, "The power of humans comes together, indeed, is mighty. An ordinary human soldier, with weapons and comrades, can handle any Grade B exotic beast and Transcendent.

"Now, you stand at the very heart of the Kopes Mining Mercenary Corps, on my home ground, and your last troops, too, have gone to rescue those ordinary people."

Thick clouds covered the last glimmer of light.

Under this pitch-dark shadow, the bearded man’s voice was calm yet icy, "No one can come to rescue you, nor can anyone save you now. The bell of death has tolled, and it’s all over. Gamblers eventually die at the gambling table, my dear Mr. Mayor."

"Why do you think I’m gambling?"

The wind-blown elderly man calmly looked at him, the gold cane pressed into the mud, "Or rather, when precisely did you develop the illusion that you had seen through me?"