Chapter 241
Shi Lei was far away in Trimon and could only try to analyze the battlefield situation based on the intelligence he had.
There are roughly three possibilities why the Ursus Emperor did not muster the forces to eliminate the rising Rhodes Island.
The first reason is that Schuratzburg City is not a strategic location. Moreover, its northern location makes it scarce in resources.
If troops were to be sent to attack, the attackers would suffer far greater losses than the defenders. Perhaps it was because the gains were disproportionate to the costs that no troops were mobilized.
The second scenario is that the Ursus emperor is unable to muster an army.
The situation in Ursus is very complex, similar to that in Victoria.
Within the territory, many Dukes from different factions held their own armies and ruled their own territories. They outwardly obeyed the orders of the Ursus Emperor, but in reality, they followed orders without question.
These Duke may have Ursus blood flowing through their veins, but they are not necessarily the men of the Ursus Emperor.
Sending troops to attack Schuratzburg City would only result in the loss of the private soldiers they had recruited. Such a low-return endeavor should be avoided if possible. If they received an edict from the Ursus Emperor, they would most likely deliberately delay.
Emperor Ursus is unlikely to send his personal guard on a distant expedition. These soldiers are there to protect him and the capital. Losing more than half of them in the Battle of Schuratzburg City would have very serious consequences.
Those Dukes with ulterior motives have long coveted the throne. If given the chance to seize power and replace the emperor, few could resist the allure of authority.
This is also one of the reasons why no troops were dispatched.
The third scenario is the most serious and worst-case scenario. It suggests that Ursus has grand ambitions and intends to use the Mobile Cities as bait to reel in a large fish over a long period.
The attitude towards infected people in Ursus has always been one of strong resistance, with people wishing they could kill them as soon as possible.
Rather than letting infected individuals roam freely, it would be better to have the Rhodes Island bring them together. Then, wiping them out in one fell swoop would achieve a permanent solution.
Fortunately, in mid-April, the situation in Ursus took a major turn for the better.
The last Pureblood Wendigo of Terra, former Ursus Captain, 'Patriot' Broca, has announced his joining the Rhodes Island to jointly defend the Mobile Cities.
The Patriot's guerrillas did not participate in the Rhodes Island's attack on Schuratzburg City. This suggests that he was not optimistic about the siege.
With five fewer Inner Guards to stop them, Talulah was able to lead the infected to break through the defenders' lines.
Every day the Ursus Emperor remains inactive, the danger to the infected increases.
Patriot knew that infected people needed to unite more at this time, which is why they set aside their prejudices and announced their participation.
However, there are certain risks involved in his actions.
After all, the partisans didn't participate in the initial attack on Schuratzburg City. Now that they've captured it, their return inevitably gives the impression of them reaping the rewards of victory.
A person like Broca doesn't care about how others perceive him.
But what about those who are infected?
Will those infected by the Rhodes Island develop a rift because of this?
Overall, this choice is more beneficial than harmful.
With Broca this fresh force, the Rhodes Island can last longer. Judging by the timeline, it should be able to drag things out until Shi Lei's cooperation with Rhodes Island ends.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
In the blink of an eye, it's already the end of April, instead of the middle of April.
The situation in Schuratzburg City remained unchanged. During this period, the Emperor of Ursus neither issued any declaration of war nor amassed any troops.
In order to preserve the city's already limited supplies, the Rhodes Island spent seven days removing all non-infected individuals from the Mobile Cities of Schuratzburg City.
This process is unlikely to be very civilized.
The people of Ursus have always had a very hostile attitude towards the infected, and it is a deep-seated contempt.
Now that infected individuals have settled in cities, retaliatory actions will still occur even if Talulah explicitly forbids them.
If it goes undetected, it's practically the same as not doing anything at all.
These acts of retaliation are minor issues. The situation in Schuratzburg City remains delicately balanced.
Throughout April, Rhodes Island did not give up investigating the clandestine human experiments. All four Reconnaissance Squad were dispatched, but unfortunately, they found nothing.
Shi Lei and the others did not return to Trimon, but remained on the Rhodes Island This Ship. They only instructed Exusiai and the Operator on the island to contact the four Reconnaissance Squad every hour to understand their investigation progress and approximate locations, in order to prevent the same thing from happening again.
April 30th was Rhodes Island's last day in Trimon. On May 1st, they would pick up Ifrit and This Ship away from Columbia to begin their return voyage.
April 30th.
Upon learning that Rhodes Island was leaving the next day, Saria took some time to visit the Melander Foundation.
She wanted to investigate the bombing at Haidon Pharmaceutical and what Kristen had been hiding from her lately.
Perhaps due to the high level of intelligence, the receptionist only provided an address, saying that as long as one went there and found the intelligence officer, the desired information could be obtained.
Saria arrived at the designated location, only to find that the address on the note did not exist. Just as she was at a loss, a homeless man nearby provided the next address.
Saria arrived at the next address, which was still the wrong house number, but someone on site would provide a new address.
This cycle repeated itself several times, with many twists and turns. She had explored almost all of Trimon before finally arriving at a bar called 'Black Beat'.
Upon seeing a stranger enter, the security personnel at the bar entrance stopped him and asked:
Who are you looking for?
"The Melander Foundation sent me here to trade intelligence with an intelligence officer."
Saria showed the note to the other party:
"Tell me, where's the next location?"
The security guard glanced at the note, confirmed it bore Maylander's stamp, and then bowed and said:
"So you're a guest of the intelligence officer. Please."
Saria followed the security personnel into the bar, heading to the northwest corner. It was daytime, and there weren't many customers. Sitting at one of the seats was a man dressed as a detective, but whose face resembled a mechanical structure... a man?
"Lisa, bring this La Signora a cup of coffee."
The other person stood up and extended their hand in a friendly manner. The mechanical hand gleamed with a brass luster.
"Nice to meet you, La Signora. Saria. You may call me Tin Man."
Saria recognized the name before; he was Trimon's most famous private detective. It wasn't surprising that he knew her identity.
"I never expected you to be an intelligence officer for the Melander Foundation. But you are far too cautious; I practically scoured half of Trimon just to get here."
"I apologize, this is for security reasons, I hope you understand. La Signora. Saria, what intelligence have you come here to obtain this time?"
"I want to know the truth about the Haidon Pharmaceutical bombing a month ago, and whether Kristen has been secretly planning something behind my back?"
"Crunch."
The Tin Man interlaced his fingers, producing a mechanical sound:
"Forgive my frankness, but your motives are very puzzling to me. This is the first time I've ever seen someone investigate themselves."
Upon hearing this, Saria's heart skipped a beat:
"What do you mean?"
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"What do you mean?"
The Tin Man shifted into a slightly more comfortable sitting position, his body creaking slightly as he moved. He stared at the renowned head of Rhine Lab Defense Division, his stiff face revealing no emotion.
"La Signora. Saria, I was quite surprised when I first learned what information you wanted to investigate. I originally thought you were trying to cover up Haidon Pharmaceutical's illegal human experiments and wanted to shut us up. After all, you've already closed that case as an accident."
From Ifrit's overreaction to the white coat, Saria could deduce that Ifrit had undergone human experimentation in Haidon Pharmaceutical's Experiment No. 1.
"No, I think you might have misunderstood. I went to Haidon Pharmaceutical at the request of the mayor. Rhine Lab did close cases quickly, but it did not participate in human trials. This is intolerable to me. That's why I haven't given up the investigation. I've been investigating Haidon Pharmaceutical to find out who's behind it all."
The Tin Man stared at her for several seconds, his mechanical pupils unable to reveal any amusement.
"Even if what you say is true, I don't believe that you can buy hard-earned intelligence just by offering a price."
"Clear."
Haidon Pharmaceutical may have far-reaching connections, and leaking information to her carries a certain risk. Saria would need to pay a substantial price to obtain this intelligence:
"Mr. Tin Man, as far as I know, ever since the Locken Water Tank incident was exposed, the Melander Foundation has been secretly investigating and preventing illegal human experimentation. On this point, we share the same goal. If you are willing to provide information, you can receive support and assistance from Rhine Lab in the future. If you had no intention of selling information, you wouldn't be meeting me today."
The Tin Man neither agreed nor refused. He simply raised his head slightly and stared at the woman before him:
"So what happened to the Experiment Subject you led the team to retrieve last time?"
"She received treatment and observation in the Structure Department and is now almost fully recovered."
The Tin Man's face remained expressionless upon hearing this. However, his surprise was clearly palpable.
"The Experiment Subject is still alive?"
"Yes, and she does have a name. She's not called 'Experiment Subject,' she's called Eve."
The Tin Man was silent for a moment, then tapped the table five times with his right knuckles, the crisp tapping echoing like a code in the quiet bar.
Upon hearing this, the bar staff and customers quickly packed up their belongings and left the scene.
Saria knew that the Tin Man was clearing the area, which meant she was getting closer and closer to the truth.
In less than two minutes, the bar was completely empty, with only two people remaining.
The Tin Man made a phone call, and shortly afterward, a waiter brought in a bulging file folder.
"La Signora. Saria."
He picked up the file folder and handed it to him:
"Here is the information you wanted."
When Saria grasped the document bag, the Tin Man didn't immediately let go. His mechanical arm gripped the middle of the bag tightly, as if he could forcibly pull it back at any moment:
"I need to remind you that this is a very tricky case. In my long life, I have had countless painful experiences. These experiences have taught me that the more thoroughly something is hidden, the more likely it is that there is something extremely heinous behind it."
This intelligence will uncover forces you cannot handle. If you are not determined to investigate thoroughly, do not touch this document.
Saria's expression turned serious, sensing the weight of this intelligence. If even the Melander Foundation found it troublesome, could there be a government connection involved?
After a moment's thought, she finally took the file folder, opened it, and browsed its contents. At the top of the first chapter was the name of the experiment designed by Haidon Pharmaceutical:
"The Flame Demon Project?"
"That's right, La Signora. Saria. Do you know about Flame Demon? The most powerful lineage of this Sarkaz race is the extinct 'Royal Flame Demon'. Some people covet the power of this legend, so they collect crystals called Flame Demon Shard from their remains and transplant them into Experiment Subject in an attempt to recreate the power of the Flame Demon."
Saria quickly scanned the pages, continuing to flip through them. The name of the Ministry of Defense stood out prominently on the paper.
"Ministry of Defense..."
The Tin Man peeked slightly, saw that she had seen this page, and began to speak:
"Yes, the Ministry of Defense has commissioned medical institutions to study these Flame Demon Shard, attempting to find lost power within them for the military's use. Once the research is successful and mass production is possible, the Ministry of Defense will possess the power to disrupt the strategic balance between nations."
"I understand."
Saria continued flipping through the pages, nodding in agreement:
"So Haidon Pharmaceutical is just an agent."
"We thought so at first, but what's strange is why the Ministry of Defense would entrust such an important military project to a small company? Their research area is clearly just Chimera surgery."
Upon hearing the word "chimerism, "Saria's eyelids twitched violently. She truly hadn't expected the truth to be like this:
"Haidon Pharmaceutical doesn't have the capability to research the Flame Demon Shard. There must be a large, technologically powerful contractor behind them..."
At this point, Saria suddenly stopped.
Considering the other party's earlier statement about "investigating themselves," the truth is now crystal clear. This large contractor is none other than Rhine Lab!
The Tin Man's lips curled slightly, and his mechanical smile looked particularly strange.
"I think you've found the answer."