Meanwhile, Talia had already charged straight toward the Governor's Mansion. Salarian special forces and guards from other units kept rushing in along the way. By the time they reached the Governor's Mansion, their numbers had exceeded 3,000.
The Governor's Mansion was surrounded from all sides, its entire structure illuminated as brightly as day by glaring searchlights. Talia leaped down from her Speeder, her Lightsaber humming and trembling in her hand. She sprang into the air and glided directly up to the fourth floor on the wings on her back.
However, she found only Shi Aimin standing guard there. Four medical droids stood nearby. Shi Aimin's face was expressionless as he held a blood-dripping neural suppressant injector—the needle was still embedded in Governor Shilka's neck. The medical droids were administering emergency treatment to Governor Shilka on the spot. On the vital signs monitor, his heartbeat was faint but stable.
"The assassin left. He was probably a Blood Knight." A deep scorch mark ran across Shi Aimin's shield, left by a Lightsaber. "He seemed to be in a hurry. He left quickly without even confirming whether the assassination had succeeded."
Though he spoke lightly, it was obvious that the situation had been extremely perilous. Shi Aimin must have fought desperately to drive his opponent away.
Shi Aimin continued, "Before you arrived, I couldn't confirm whether this place was secure, so I had the medical droids treat him here. That way, I could guard him. Now you've finally arrived."
Only then did he relax. The ring of light blades mounted around his shield retracted as well. He slung the weapon—called a shield, though it possessed tremendous destructive power—onto his back.
After working for the National Security Bureau for so many years, he had been far from the front lines, but intelligence warfare was