S-Class War Alert

The 19th block of the Fifth District is a street lined with Mechanical Workshop.

This place is filled with all kinds of mechanical shops, big and small. Some sell all kinds of steam equipment, parts, and firearms, while others provide mechanical repair, custom-made individual Mechanical Skeleton, armored personnel carriers, and even custom Mechanical City design services.

"Karl's Mechanical Repair Shop" is not a large shop, located on a corner of a back street.

As you step into the shop, a strong smell, a mixture of butter and rust, hits you.

Inside the shop, various tools were scattered everywhere, and some samples for sale and unfinished products for unfinished orders were hanging on the walls. Most of them were small Mechanical Arm or Mechanical Exoskeleton.

Little Karl seems to have a particular fondness for delving into this field.

Upon hearing the purpose of Rein's visit, Karl was shocked. "What? Grandpa Neto has been captured?"

"Yes. People from the Winst Family came last night."

As he spoke, Rein briefly recounted the threats made by the Winst Family last night, and then said, "Now I want to make sure that the teacher is safe and sound, and whether he has been captured by Omar's men."

He had just arrived in the City of Radiance and his foundation was still shallow, so he wanted to ask Karl, a permanent resident, about the situation.

Only if the old man is still alive can we try to see if we can rescue him.

As Karl listened, a seriousness, more typical of an adult, appeared on his young face.

But he didn't seem too surprised, only saying angrily, "Those despicable fellows from the Winst Family really did it!"

Upon hearing this, Rein asked in surprise, "You know?"

"Yes, actually, this isn't the first time the Winst Family has come to see Grandpa Neto."

Karl, having known Ilubeck longer, understood the whole story and added, "About a year ago, that old man from the Winst Family had no hope of prolonging his life. He somehow found out that Grandpa Neto had a secret surgery that could extend life, and then sent someone to make contact."

Needless to say, that old man Ilubeck's volatile temper certainly didn't leave anyone with a pleasant expression.

Then he refused many times, which angered the people in the Winst Family.

The old man was already in a semi-retired state, hiding in the sewers tinkering with experiments. He would only intervene when faced with unavoidable favors like those he had with Bazel before; otherwise, he would never have any contact with the outside world.

However, he does possess a "Head Transplantation Surgery" technique that makes the top elites crave it.

The Winst Family, the head of the Five Great Families of City of Radiance, has power comparable to that of top nobles such as kings and grand dukes.

But the more power those high-ranking figures wield, the more afraid they are of dying!

In their eyes, refusing to help someone in distress was a complete disrespect to the Winst Family.

Since you're "completely useless," why should I be polite to you?

You have a big reputation, I can't afford to offend you, but there are others who can.

It just so happens that Omar also has the intention of "extradition." The two sides are currently in a period of ambiguity regarding signing an alliance, which led to Ilubeck's arrest.

"I've also heard recently that a special patient has been admitted to the intensive care unit of 'Winst Hospital,' and the whole city is now searching for top doctors to prolong his life. It seems to be the old patriarch of the Winster family, whose lifespan is nearing its end."

Karl said this with a look of disgust on his face.

He also disliked the emergence of a privileged class in the "City of Freedom," saying, "Grandpa Neto had long been wary of them playing dirty tricks, so he told me about these things."

Rein frowned as he listened.

So, after all that advice the teacher gave me yesterday, I had a premonition that this would happen?

Oh, right.

At this moment, Karl seemed to remember something and said, "Grandpa Neto left his old research data, medical cases, potion recipes, and so on with me. He originally said that after his accident, he would seal these things away and destroy them if anyone came looking for them."

As he spoke, he tapped on the steel wall in the shop, revealing a secret box with a mechanism. He then changed the subject, saying, "But not long ago, after taking you, Brother Rein, as his apprentice, Grandpa Neto changed his mind."

"Did the teacher leave these things for me?"

Rein was taken aback when he saw Karl handing over the box.

I've only been learning from the old man for a little over a month, probably the shortest apprenticeship he's ever had.

He never expected that Ilubeck would leave such valuable research data to him.

"Um."

Karl nodded and said, "Grandpa Neto originally wanted to give it to you directly, but he was afraid that if something unexpected happened and you were caught, the things would be taken by bad guys. So he didn't tell you."

He paused, then continued, "Brother Rein, I'm entrusting this to you. Grandpa Neto also said that in case of any unforeseen circumstances, he asked me to tell you that these things are still too profound for you right now. Originally, they were meant to be learned after you advanced in your skill level. He hopes you'll build a solid foundation before trying to figure them out."

"."

Rein took the iron box from Karl, his expression somewhat complicated.

These research materials, potion recipes, and medical cases are the most important things for a scientist who is engaged in scientific research.

He knew without even opening it that what was inside was priceless.

Suddenly, he felt a heavy weight in that small box. It contained the culmination of a top scientist's life's work.

Those potion recipes alone are priceless treasures.

By passing these things on to himself, Ilubeck was also passing on his legacy.

But does this also imply entrusting one's orphan to another?

Is the old man planning to pull another stunt like the "Prince Fox's sudden death" incident?

Rein thought for a moment and asked, "Karl, can you find out where the teacher is? At least, we need to make sure he's safe."

Karl thought for a moment and said, "I'll go find 'Red Nose' Hook on the street right away. He's an intelligence dealer, and he should know some clues."

As he spoke, he prepared to run out of the shop, saying as he ran, "Brother Rein, could you watch the shop for me? If Grandpa wakes up, tell him I'll be back soon."

Rein nodded. "Okay."

Karl rushed out of the shop and disappeared around the corner.

Rein checked the storage ring inside the box; it was filled with countless folders. He didn't intend to look at them closely, but instead moved all the documents into the folding space.

At this moment, from the shadows, Bazel, probably fearing that Rein might do something irrational, also spoke up, "Dr. Ilubeck should be safe for now. Even if he is extradited back to Omar, no one will dare to kill him."

"Um."

Rein nodded.

Now that a Fourth Tier expert has arrived at "Blackwater Platform," the old man's weak fighting ability is definitely not even qualified to put up a fight.

On the other hand, this is also a good thing.

As long as a person is alive, everything is fine.

Don't worry too much.

Bazel didn't want Rein to put himself in danger, so he added, "The Oma Royal Family is probably afraid of the scandal being leaked, or maybe some old fogies are still not giving up and have come up with the idea of targeting those forbidden researches. Anyway, they're just arresting people, so he's definitely not in danger in the short term."

Rein listened without saying a word.

Ten years have passed, and the PhD has rarely appeared in public since, and his reputation is no longer as sensitive as before. Arresting him now would certainly reduce a lot of trouble. But there shouldn't be any danger to his life.

I'm afraid the old man might have a moment of despair and deliberately cause some trouble.

Waaah... waaah... waaah.

Before Karl returned, suddenly, a low, mournful alarm sounded throughout the city, like an air raid siren.

The slightly tense voice pierced through the streets and alleys, causing everyone in the "City of Radiance" to show expressions of shock.

Rein's eyes sharpened, and he frowned in confusion.

Meanwhile, the seasoned veteran Bazel clearly understood something, raising an eyebrow and muttering, "Huh? An S-Class War Alert?! Is it Beast Tide attacking the city, or is the city lord's mansion about to make a big move?"

Good news with a silver lining. The planned release on the 1st has been postponed. The editor said there's still hope for my book to be included in the Sanjiang Literature City, so we'll wait another week and see. This is good news for the book, but it disappoints readers who were expecting a massive update on the 1st.