Inspection

Realizing who the spy was, Li Qi felt somewhat nervous as well.

After all, the spy was right beside him. What if he pushed her too far and she suddenly lashed out and hurt someone? Should Li Qi resist or not?

Gripping the folding fan in both hands, Li Qi felt for the first time how troublesome his current disguise was.

If Li Qi were still a Warrant Officer, he would not need to consider so much. He could simply act and apprehend the spy.

But now he was Miss Angela.

Toying with the fan's lace trim, Li Qi casually glanced at Amy, only to meet her eyes.

When he noticed a certain look in Amy's eyes, Li Qi's heart sank.

This woman... seems to have already made up her mind, and it looks like she's targeting me?

A trace of resolve showed in Amy's eyes.

Under Li Qi's gaze, she leaned forward ever so slightly, seemingly without making a fuss, drawing a little closer to him.

Watching her movements, Li Qi had reason to suspect that the way she planned to escape was probably by taking him hostage.

It was not difficult to guess.

Li Qi's current identity was that of a noble, and nobles held a lofty status in the Duchy of Uno.

Even the child of a noble baron—an ordinary person with no official position or Military Rank—would be treated with utmost respect.

Needless to say, that applied even more if a noble's child were taken hostage.

If Amy chose to take a noble hostage when driven into a corner, the Guard Department might truly hesitate out of fear of making things worse, and would not dare do anything to Amy.

The noble closest to Amy right now was Li Qi.

Wait, could she have been planning this from the very beginning?

Li Qi's gaze turned rather unfriendly, but this was not the time to think about it.

Seeing that the female guard responsible for the search was about to come over, Li Qi quickly came up with a plan.

Without making a fuss, he took the handbag in his hand and placed it on his lap.

When the female guard came over, he handed the handbag to her for inspection.

Everything inside was the sort of thing a noble girl around fourteen or fifteen would carry.

Things like a sachet, cosmetics, small accessories, and a wallet.

Aside from the little booklet recording the Combat Technique, there was nothing suspicious inside.

As for that little booklet, Li Qi had destroyed it without leaving a trace once he had mastered the Combat Technique recorded in it.

Thus, there was nothing suspicious on Li Qi now, and he could calmly let the guard inspect him.

"Miss, please stand up."

After inspecting his personal belongings, the female guard spoke respectfully to Li Qi.

Li Qi did as instructed, standing up with both hands held out to the sides.

The female guard's hands touched Li Qi's chest, waist, and the area around his thighs. Only after confirming that he had nothing suspicious did she apologize.

"My apologies, Miss. You may sit down now."

"Mm."

Li Qi nodded with a slightly aloof air, but just as he was about to sit down, his heel "accidentally" stepped on his skirt. He then lost his balance and fell backward.

"Careful!"

Amy and the female guard both reached out at the same time, but Amy was a little faster.

Already standing very close to Li Qi, she quickly caught him and held him in her arms.

Li Qi, who had seemed about to fall, was thus "saved" by Amy.

He raised his head and drew on the acting skills he had developed back when he was a star, giving Amy a grateful look. Then he quickly stood up and straightened his dress.

"Sorry... for making a spectacle of myself in front of you both."

"Are you all right?"

The female guard's heart raced as she asked worriedly.

When Li Qi had fallen backward just now, it had felt as if her heart were about to leap out of her chest.

Unlike the Guard Captain, who had powerful backing, she was just an ordinary guard.

If the noble were injured during her inspection, she would not only lose her job as a guard but might even face imprisonment!

That was why the female guard was extremely worried now. If Li Qi said, "I'm hurt," it would truly be over for her.

Most nobles were petty people who looked down on so-called commoners like them, so the female guard's concern was not unfounded.

Fortunately, the "noble lady" before her had no intention of making things difficult for a commoner like her.

The noble lady merely said:

"I'm fine. I just accidentally stepped on my skirt. Guard, please continue with your work."

"Y-yes."

Seeing that Li Qi was truly fine and had no intention of using the incident to cause trouble, the guard breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Amy.

Among the female nobles in the train who had yet to be inspected, only Amy remained.

The girl's fragrance still seemed to linger at the tip of Amy's nose, leaving her somewhat intoxicated.

The target she had chosen this time really was Peak Grade. Not only was her voice pleasant, even her scent was so distinctive.

Amy only wondered what she looked like.

Her eyes were beautiful, though, so her appearance should not be bad.

Amy was still savoring the feeling of the girl in her arms just now.

It was only when the female guard came over and began inspecting her belongings that Amy came to her senses. This was apparently no time to be lost in beauty.

She watched the guard with slight tension, her gaze occasionally drifting toward the girl beside her, who seemed not to have noticed what was happening.

If the female guard discovered the blueprints hidden on her, Amy would immediately lash out, shove the guard aside, and take the girl hostage.

Amy had stayed in Uno for some time, so she understood the status nobles held in this country.

With a hostage in hand, they would not dare do anything.

Moreover, the train was currently traveling through the wilderness. All Amy needed to do was wait for it to stop somewhere along the way, then take the noble girl into the forest. It would likely take them quite some time to find her.

The problem of surviving in the forest would need some consideration...

Amy calculated her next move while subconsciously reaching toward the blueprints in the inner pocket of her trench coat.

But when her hand touched the inside of her coat, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she clenched the pocket tightly.

They were gone!

The blueprints that should have been there were gone!!

When?! How had she lost them?!

In that instant, Amy's heart rate shot to its limit, and cold sweat even seeped from her forehead.

More terrifying than being discovered with the blueprints she had stolen was the fact that they had vanished from her person without her realizing it!

But how was that possible?

She had clearly checked before boarding. The blueprints had definitely been in her pocket!

"Miss, please raise your hands."

Amy's heart pounded incessantly, but the guard had already finished inspecting her belongings and begun checking the pockets on her person.

After her gaze paused on the guard for a moment, Amy released her grip on the pocket and spoke with her usual smile.

"Of course. Like this?"

Amy held both hands slightly out to the sides, and the guard nodded.

"Yes. Thank you for your cooperation."

As she spoke, she searched Amy's body with both hands.

During this time, Amy thought of something and looked toward the girl sitting beside her, who appeared completely unconcerned with what was happening.

Less than half an hour had passed since boarding.

The only person Amy had come into contact with was the girl beside her, the one named Angela.

And they had even shared intimate physical contact!

If anyone could have taken the blueprints from her, it was probably this noble girl, Angela!

But was that possible?

A girl who looked underage had not only guessed that Amy was a spy, but had also stolen the carefully hidden blueprints from her without making a sound.

Amy was unwilling to believe that she had misjudged her.

But now, this seemed to be the only possibility.

"Miss, that will be all. Thank you again for your cooperation."

Naturally, the guard had found nothing on Amy. She spoke respectfully, then turned and walked toward the Guard Captain.

After confirming that the item was not in the noble carriage either, the Guard Captain's expression looked grim.

But they could not really inspect these nobles from head to toe, inside and out, the way they would commoners.

In the end, the Guard Captain could only give the nobles in the carriage a deep look, apologize to them, and turn to leave.

Only after all the guards had departed did Amy let out a sigh of relief.

She looked at Angela again and sat down across from the mysterious noble girl.

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