Chapter 355
Croning's expression was quite intriguing; he suddenly thought of a way to stop the other party from continuing their investigation:
"I see, I understand now. So it was these two suspicious individuals who deceived Eldest Daughter."
Upon hearing this, Ceylon almost laughed in exasperation:
"Croning, they're not liars!"
"Eldest Daughter, whether these two are liars or not is not for you to decide. You've been studying abroad all this time, so you probably don't know the current situation in Sistag. Every year, countless people come forward to hinder Lord Mayor's progress in developing the city. This kind of volcanic eruption rumor isn't the first time it's appeared. It seems they were very well prepared, which is why they were able to fool you."
Ceylon caught a glimpse of his wary gaze, and spread his arms to shield Provence and Skyfire behind him:
"No, Croning. The volcano is really about to erupt. You can send someone to check if you don't believe me!"
"Eldest Daughter, I check the monitoring station's data every day and haven't found anything unusual. They deliberately set up this scam because they think you're naive. Rest assured, I will severely punish these criminals. Guards!"
Seeing the bodyguards rush into the room, Ceylon warned:
"Get out of the way! All of you, get out of the way! These two are my guests, you are not allowed to harm them!"
Croning was determined and wouldn't care about her status as the mayor's daughter.
"These two are liars! Arrest them both! Don't hurt the Eldest Daughter, get them!"
Seeing that he couldn't be persuaded at all, Skyfire exchanged a glance with Provence and nodded.
The next second, she used her staff to unleash a fire-based Originium Arts, summoning small meteorites to fall from the sky.
Taking advantage of the situation, Provence grabbed Ceylon's wrist and quickly fled from the town hall with her.
En route they ran, Skyfire continuously unleashed meteors to hinder the bodyguards' progress, urging them on:
"Provence, you should call the Doctor right away and ask where they are."
"I'm about to start, I'm playing now!"
The phone call was answered as the three escaped from the city hall.
"Huff... Huff... Hiss... Ha..."
Hearing the panting and crisp snapping sounds coming from the microphone, Amiya's tone was somewhat strange:
"Miss Provence, are you alright?"
"Ah... Amiya, we've run into some suspicious trouble. Where are you now?"
"We were on the beach at the festival, walking south from where we said goodbye earlier."
"Okay, I'll be there soon!"
The three hailed a taxi on the street and asked to go to the pedestrian street. The driver was reluctant to take the fare, but Miss Liberi surprisingly offered to pay ten times the fare.
"Hold on tight, I'm about to show you the power of the Sistag Racing God. I guarantee they won't even see my taillights!"
Twenty minutes later, the driver executed a stylish drift and drove into the street near the beach in the scenic area. After receiving payment, he quickly drove away from the scene.
After getting out of the car, the three entered the beach and used the crowd to conceal themselves as they ran further in.
Suddenly, a silver-haired, golden-eyed woman carrying a black sniper Feline blocked her way.
Upon seeing this person, Ceylon took the initiative to run up to him:
"Hei, meeting you is such a relief, I..."
"Miss, you're celebrating too soon."
Before she could finish speaking, the other party raised a crossbow and aimed it at Skyfire and Provence.
This terrified Ceylon, who spread his arms to shield the two of them.
"Hey Black, what are you doing?"
"Miss, the master isn't here, so you'll have to listen to Croning. As long as you hand those two over to me, you can cross over here. The rest, leave them to me."
Ceylon's eyes widened as she stared intently at the black figure.
What if I say no?
"Then I will arrest them for fraud and try them according to the laws of Sistag."
"Wow, what a show of official power!"
Black was completely unaware of anyone approaching, her golden pupils widening instantly. Hearing a sudden sound from behind, she quickly moved to the side to create distance.
A man wearing beach shorts and sunglasses walked towards them, smiling. No racial characteristics could be discerned from his head.
Years of experience as a mercenary had instilled in Hei a keen sense of danger. The moment she saw Shi Lei, goosebumps rose all over her body.
Who exactly is this man?!
Upon seeing her idol, Provence was overjoyed. She ran to Shi Lei's side, put her hands on her hips, and looked down at the approaching bodyguard team with her chin held high.
That smug look seemed to say something.
Come here!
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424 Volcanic Echoes 3K9 Luo
More than thirty bodyguards from the city hall pushed aside the tourists blocking their way. Armed with various weapons, they menacingly charged towards Shi Lei and his group.
The lead bodyguard, with a burly face, wearing sunglasses and a black suit, gave orders to his subordinates:
"Surround them all, but remember not to hurt the Eldest Daughter!"
Ceylon is the Lord Mayor's own daughter; if you accidentally hurt her, you'll lose your head.
At his command, the bodyguards immediately spread out and surrounded the four people from Provence.
With Zhongli there, she felt completely unafraid. She even pulled the tense-looking Skyfire behind her.
A strange man stood in front of the two female con artists. The bodyguard captain slightly lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over the top of his sunglasses as he sized him up.
Are you in cahoots with them?
Shi Lei is not Rhodes Island operator, nor did he accompany them. Strictly speaking, he is not an accomplice.
"No, I'm just an ordinary tourist."
"Tsk, why are you blocking the way? If you know what's good for you, get out of the way and don't get in our way of apprehending the suspect!"
"Sir."
Shi Lei, being polite, asked:
"What crimes did they commit?"
The head of the bodyguards remembered the instructions given by the mayor's assistant, Croning, and responded confidently:
"The two of them committed fraud by fabricating rumors that the Sistag volcano was about to erupt."
Upon hearing this, Shi Lei didn't rush to ask further. Instead, he turned his head to look at Provence, waiting for her to continue.
The latter, fearing misunderstanding, took the initiative to explain:
"What rumors? Don't listen to their nonsense. The two of us went to the volcano ourselves to collect samples and were able to confirm that this dormant volcano has entered a state of activation. It will erupt in a few days at the earliest, and four weeks at the latest."
After we printed out the test report, we immediately went to see the mayor's assistant. He, who was clearly Catastrophe Messenger, claimed our report was problematic. He even falsely accused us of being fraudsters and sent people to arrest us.
Shi Lei nodded, having already understood the whole story.
"I understand. They arrested you because of fraud. But if the dormant volcano really does reactivate, shouldn't revealing the facts not be considered fraud?"
The bodyguard captain was speechless for a moment, completely unsure how to respond. He gripped his weapon, not wanting to continue the long-winded conversation with this man.
Sometimes, whoever has the stronger fist is right.
"What does this have to do with me? We're only responsible for arresting people, not for the subsequent trial."
Faced with this attempt to shirk responsibility, Shi Lei wouldn't tolerate it and launched a counterattack with a series of rhetorical questions:
"You're bodyguards, not soldiers. Don't you have any thoughts of your own before doing anything? If tens of thousands of people die in Sistag due to delayed evacuation, can you bear the consequences?"
"..."
The bodyguard captain was speechless, completely at a loss for words. Enraged, he gripped the hilt of his knife, ready to draw it at any moment.
Black quickly shook his head, indicating not to do that.
The bodyguard captain felt somewhat aggrieved, but he still suppressed his dissatisfaction and tried to reason with the man in front of him:
"I can't prove the volcano won't erupt, but you can't prove it will either, can you?"
"No, I can."
Having held a high position for a long time, Shi Lei's words carry an unquestionable air; simply put, he exudes a powerful aura.
"If you can't make the decision, take me to see someone who can. I will personally take that person to the volcano, and then we'll know the truth at a glance."
Black seemed to sense something, his whole body tensed up, and he quickly took several steps back.
Only the bodyguard captain seemed completely desensitized, showing no awareness of the impending danger:
"Who the hell are you? Say you're bringing..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw the man suddenly fly up and hover in mid-air.
The bodyguard captain was dumbfounded, his mouth agape wide enough to fit several Kun Dan. He cast a questioning glance at Hei, but received no response.
Shi Lei's decision to expose his abilities to the public was a last resort.
If it's just a simple false accusation, you can simply go to their home and physically persuade them. But if, as Provence said, the volcano is about to erupt, then you need to give advance notice and evacuate the local population.
Such a large-scale operation can only be carried out by the Sistag government. Trying to persuade merchants to leave as a tourist would make others think you're crazy.
With this as a prerequisite, it is certain that the local government cannot be replaced by violent means.
The current leaders of Sistag must be made aware of the fact of the volcanic eruption and actively cooperate with the work.
Since his transmigration, Shi Lei has read books for two or three years, covering all sorts of genres. A small portion of these books are about geography and geology.
The formation of volcanoes is quite complex.
Some volcanic eruptions are caused by the friction and collision between tectonic plates, which creates localized high temperatures, leading to the melting of rocks and the formation of magma chambers.
Some are located deep underground in volcanoes, where there is already a large amount of hot magma. Under immense pressure, it erupts from weak points in the earth's crust.
Influenced by factors such as uneven internal temperature and density, and mantle convection, magma erupts through surface faults or weak points in the Earth's crust. This physical phenomenon is called a volcanic eruption.
In other words, a volcano crater isn't a toilet bowl. You can't just block it with a huge rock and everything will be fine.
If the volcano cannot erupt from its crater, the magma deep underground will erupt outward from other weak points in the Earth's crust under immense internal pressure, affecting a wider area.
If Shi Lei were to block the crater, the eruption's location would become even more unpredictable. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure; relocating the population is the safest approach.
Moreover, he didn't come alone this time; he brought a large group of people to Sistag for a vacation. Tracking their movements wouldn't be difficult for the authorities.
Since it cannot be hidden, proactively demonstrating strength is a more efficient approach.
Go directly to the person in charge of Sistag and take them to the volcano to see for yourself. If the dormant volcano does become active, the evacuation should be carried out immediately.
"..."
Hei's body trembled uncontrollably, and he couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal to Shi Lei's proposed solution.
In her many years as a mercenary, she had encountered countless formidable and highly skilled targets. But never had anyone put her under such pressure.
The man was unarmed and suspended in mid-air, completely defenseless. At first glance, he appeared to be full of openings.
But Hei didn't dare to act rashly, as if fear and resistance were etched into her very bones.
The specially made Mechanical Crossbow in his hand had helped Black Sniper eliminate various targets. But this time, this old companion, who was always by his side, could not provide any sense of security.
We must not lay a hand on him...
You'll die...
The bodyguard captain was of a lower rank than Hei, and his repeated questioning glances went unanswered. He could only stand there dumbfounded, not daring to utter a single word.
Following his gaze, Shi Lei turned his head to look at Feline, who also had golden eyes, and asked:
"How?"
"Okay, okay..."