Chapter 333
Rhodes Island has a partnership with the Commercial Union, so we can't force our way in to find out more. Therefore, I'd like to commission you to investigate Plot Zero. I'm wondering if this commission conflicts with your current commission?
Not only did they not conflict, but they also happened to coincide.
Shi Lei's current task is to protect the members of the Pinecone Knights in obtaining classified information and to expose the truth about 'Plot Zero' to the public.
"The Doctor, there's no need to entrust this to me. Someone is already working on uncovering the truth about Plot Zero."
July 13, 9:50 am
Because she was too tired from training last night, by the time Maria Saria woke up, the Bright Knight's match was almost over.
Her aunt didn't wake her up when she left, which has made her extremely anxious, afraid of missing the exciting showdown.
As they crossed the only path, a grinning man suddenly appeared in front of them. He was carrying a crossbow and wore a black uniform and a blue cloak.
"Miss Maria, please wait. I am the Azure Gold Rank of the Armored Unarmored Alliance. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Upon hearing the words "Armored Unarmored Alliance," Maria's eyelids twitched violently. She took two steps back, her gaze extremely wary.
What do you want to do?
"Hehe, Miss Maria, don't be so nervous. As long as you stay here quietly and don't run around, I won't do anything to you. After all, if you hurt the youngest daughter of the Nearl Family, the Bright Knight and Maena won't stand idly by."
Maria stared at the blue-haired Kuranta, her gaze shifting back and forth between him:
"Since you're not here to kill me, what do you want? To use my life to force my sister to admit defeat?"
Upon hearing this, Roy waved his hands repeatedly and praised:
"Oh my, how incredibly clever! The Infected Knight's self-destruction has already greatly displeased many businesses and Knight orders. If the Bright Knight wins this year's championship, the situation will become uncontrollable."
"Just give Margaret a call and make her lose to the Candle Knight. I'll let you go immediately and promise never to bother the Nearl Family again."
Once these matters are resolved, he and Monique will fake their deaths and leave the Armored Unarmored Alliance. Promising them not to cause trouble for the Nearl Family again is indeed a perfectly reasonable course of action.
"You're overthinking it. My sister won't admit defeat. Even if I call her now, she still won't give up."
Roy smiled broadly, eager to make this happen:
"How would you know if you haven't tried it? Call Bright Knight now, and I'll watch you make the call."
Maria had no matches today, so she left home unarmored and without weapons. But she wasn't afraid of these Armored Unarmored Alliance, shifting her focus backward:
What if I say no?
"Hehe."
Roy just sneered and didn't reply.
Three seconds later.
An arrow struck the trash can at Maria's five o'clock position, creating a deafening explosion.
Its power is astonishing.
Seeing Pegasus's increasingly serious expression, Roy grinned with a smug smile:
"Miss Maria, this is not up to you. Please make a call to the Bright Knight."
July 13, 9:51 AM
To avoid the Candle Knight Drost, like the Rust Copper Knight, the Rotten Knight, and the Withered Knight, collapsing in the dressing room before even making his appearance.
The spokesperson urged the Candle Knight to take the stage, so he could enjoy the cheers of the audience ahead of time.
Upon hearing this, the Bright Knight also came to the center of the arena. The long-lost venue, lights, and cheers of the audience felt both familiar and strange to her.
Seeing Margaret approach, the Candle Knight planted his weapon in the ground:
"Bright Knight, not everyone can illuminate the entire land. Most people are just small candles, barely illuminating the direction of their own lives. They are lost, confused, and at a loss."
Margaret didn't understand and asked, somewhat puzzled:
"Candle Knight, what are you saying?"
Drost bowed gracefully, like a well-mannered princess from a high tower. Her cherry lips parted, expressing her feelings in Sargon:
"If your faith is truly as unshakable as the sun, please allow me, this tiny candle, to try and steal a moment of your light."
"Knock knock".
"Please come in."
Amiya pushed open the door and entered room 404:
"The Doctor, I received a call from Nightingale and Miss Shining. They say someone just fired a crossbow bolt from an extremely long distance nearby, and they're on their way to confirm. Please don't get too close to the glass, lest..."
As she said this, her gaze fell on Doctor Zhong, and she swallowed the rest of her words.
With him here, the Doctor is absolutely safe. My worries were a bit unnecessary.
"Um?"
Seeing that the Doctor was waiting for her to continue, Amiya smiled awkwardly. She noticed that Doctor Zhong's table was empty and immediately realized her shortcomings in hospitality.
"I'm so sorry, Doctor Zhong. I forgot about it. I'll make you a cup of tea right away."
Upon hearing about crossbow bolts with extremely long range, Shi Lei immediately thought of the assassin from the Armored Unarmored Alliance.
Who knows, he might be an accomplice of that little girl.
"I'm going out to take a look, I'll be back in a bit."
Amiya felt very guilty and apologized again:
"Doctor Zhong, I'm so sorry. I haven't been very hospitable, please forgive me. Should I start preparing the bath for you now, or should I wait until you return?"
"Let it soak for now, I'll drink it when I get back."
Shi Lei opened the door and went outside. At the same time, he spread his Psychic Power outwards, scanning the rooftops and top floors of all the high-rise buildings within a few kilometers.
To fire a crossbow bolt from an extremely long distance, the opponent must be in a position with a very wide field of vision.
July 13, 9:53 AM
Roy received a call from a member of the Armored Unarmored Alliance and leaned over to listen to the report from the side with the earpiece. This allowed Monique, two kilometers away, to hear the conversation as well.
"Azure Gold Rank, we have already instructed the Knight Association to prepare for the Bright Knight's withdrawal from the competition. However, the competition is about to officially begin, and she has not yet taken any action."
"Has the Bright Knight been notified? If this continues, her sister will suffer."
Maria wasn't deaf or stupid; based on what the other person said, she roughly deduced the content of the call:
"I told you, my sister will never give up."
"Little Knight, you're too confident. Once your sister sees your ten fingers neatly lined up at her doorstep, she won't want to participate in the next match."
"..."
Seeing her reaction, Roy remarked:
"Not bad, defiant eyes. Unfortunately, it's useless. We specifically investigated the Nearl Family, and there are only two people who can come to your rescue and have the strength to do so: the Bright Knight Margaret and Maena."
The Bright Knight is currently in the arena; coming out now would be tantamount to forfeiting the match. Maena has endless meetings today and simply can't spare the time. As for Whipblade Knight Sophia, Koval, and Fugwald, they are all insignificant characters who pose no threat.
"Well, Miss Maria, your aunt just came out of the arena. Guess who she's looking for?"
Maria immediately understood; her shifty eyes could no longer conceal her panic, and she threatened:
"Don't hurt her!"
"Miss Maria, whether or not we should do anything excessive to her is entirely up to you. How about we call the Bright Knight now?"
"Do all of you members of the Armored Unarmored Alliance enjoy lounging on rooftops so much?"
Upon hearing this, Roy's eyes widened in surprise.
Because those words weren't spoken by Maria, nor were they spoken by someone coming to rescue her; they came through her earpiece.
Monique turned around and saw the Lucky Knight, and was immediately shocked. Wasn't he in the arena's private box just a minute ago? How did he suddenly end up here?
And there are so many warning devices at the stairwell, why didn't any of them go off?
She turned and fired a short-range shot; the arrow clearly struck the Lucky Knight's neck, yet failed to cause him any harm.
How... how is this possible?!
"Monique, what happened?"
Hearing Roy's call, Monique was about to answer. But before she could speak, she suddenly felt a terrifying pressure, like Great Beast appearing in the world, sweep over her. Instantly, everything went black, and she lost consciousness.
Shi Lei noticed she was wearing headphones and immediately took them off. A man's voice came through the earpiece:
"Monique, what's wrong? Answer me!"
Shi Lei remained silent, using his Rock Constructs to envelop the female assassin from the Armored Unarmored Alliance. He then swiftly flew forward, following the direction of the sniper position, to find the second assassin.
But when he reached the airspace above, he discovered that his opponent had already vanished and disappeared into the crowd. Continuing the search would take too much time, and there was no need to fight to the death with an assassin who was as easily frightened as a bird.
Rhodes Island Operator Shining arrived at the scene, dealt with some of the minions, and protected Maria.
Seeing that there was nothing for him to do below, Shi Lei decided not to land and instead flew back to the Bika Arena.
To the astonishment of the Doctor and Amiya, he dismantled the Rock Constructs and tossed Monique onto the rose-red patterned carpet of room 404. He immediately returned to his seat, picked up his teacup, and found the tea was still lukewarm.
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403 Flying Man 3K
Shi Lei returned to the private room and unceremoniously tossed Monique onto the carpet.
The Doctor, whose face was obscured by a hood, did not inquire about the woman's identity. Amiya, however, knelt down beside her, checked her breath with her hand, and looked up to ask:
"This is..."
"The assassin from the Armored Unarmored Alliance, the one who just ambushed Maria Saria, was her."
Amiya's eyes were clear as she continued to press for an answer:
What is the Armored Unarmored Alliance?
Seeing that she didn't even know about the Armored Unarmored Alliance, she probably hadn't yet come into contact with that level of intelligence.
"An assassin organization can be understood as the henchmen of Commercial Union. They typically murder Competitive Knight have no commercial value and secretly manipulate the results of matches."
"So, that rumor is true?"
Before Shi Lei could ask about the rumors, there was a knock on the door of the private room.
Amiya went to open the door and saw Shining pushing Nightingale in Wheelchair. She quickly stepped back to make way.
"Come in quickly."
As soon as Shining entered the private room, she noticed Shi Lei.
The man wearing a mask, whose true face was not revealed, gave her a sense of déjà vu.
"Miss Shining, what are the results of your investigation? Was anyone injured at the scene?"
Upon hearing this, Shining withdrew his gaze and explained to the leader:
"We spotted Maria Saria outside the arena. After helping to drive away some ill-intentioned individuals, we took her to her family."
As ten o'clock approached, the Doctor looked at Nightingale in her Wheelchair and extended an invitation to the two of them:
"Okay, as long as everyone's alright. Margaret's match is about to start, why don't you stay here and watch it together?"
Shining nodded in agreement and pushed Nightingale to the glass window. She noticed a female Feline lying on the ground, her uniform exactly the same style as the henchmen she had just dealt with.
July 13, 9:58 AM
The arena, outside the arena.
With the competition about to begin, Sophia noticed that Maria was late, so she went out to look for her. Fortunately, she managed to contact her by phone and they successfully met up near the ticket gate.