Very, Very Fragmented / You Can Trust Me

But she later learned that the other party possessed an extremely special Originium Arts... meaning that Originium could be transformed into an explosive in his hands.

In Terra today, most of the creations have Originium added to them to some extent.

If it were him... it's not impossible that he secretly orchestrated all of this.

"Alex... you know him?"

Hoshiguma was taken aback when Maria mentioned the other person's name.

They haven't even obtained this information yet!

"... I only heard him mention it himself."

Maria immediately realized that Misha probably hadn't revealed her brother's information yet... Although Maria didn't understand this, she still respected Misha's choice.

"Yeah..."

Hoshiguma didn't doubt Maria's words; she simply lowered her head and continued to ponder.

"We initially thought that after the last incident, all of Reunion Movement's high-ranking leaders had been transferred out of Lungmen, but given the current situation, it's entirely possible that they orchestrated this in secret."

"But we still don't know whether they knew you were coming here to seek revenge, or whether this area was simply part of their plan all along."

Hoshiguma frowned, tilted her head back, and looked around.

This place... isn't far from Lungmen Commercial Street...

Chapter 133 Very Fragmented

Even though they were enemies, Hoshiguma had to admit that the other side's arrangement was ingenious.

Although Lungmen is a single entity, its internal structure cannot be described as monolithic.

At least in Hoshiguma's memory, during the time she spent in the slums, the Lungmen Guard Department was a very minor entity.

The Lungmen Guard Department can only manage the vast majority of Lungmen.

There are still many areas that they are unable to handle.

Although Lungmen Commercial Street falls under the jurisdiction of the Lungmen Guard Department, this area is not entirely within the scope of the commercial street. In fact, this store is more like a buffer zone between the slums and the commercial area.

Because of its unique location, the Lungmen Guard Department has not conducted much investigation in this area.

This gave members of the Reunion Movement an opportunity to prepare.

"If I'm not mistaken, then this explosion is what they're preparing for... Once the Reunion Movement crashes in from the north, the Lungmen Guard Department will inevitably concentrate most of its forces in the north, and this area in the south will probably fall very quickly..."

Hoshiguma murmured, feeling a cold sweat all over her body.

If things really go according to her plan, even a powerful force like Lungmen will inevitably suffer a severe blow.

The only thing worth praising is that nothing has happened yet, and we still have a chance to salvage the situation.

Maria looked at Hoshiguma's solemn expression and simply closed her eyes silently.

"Leave this matter to us, Maria."

After hesitating for a long time, Hoshiguma finally raised her head and looked at Maria in front of her.

If their conjecture is correct, it means that there are more Reunion Movement members lurking within Lungmen than they realize, and their involvement is far broader. This is clearly not something an individual can handle.

It must be handled by these professionals!

"... I see."

Maria turned her head and looked at Hoshiguma.

After a brief silence, she nodded silently.

Hoshiguma must have her own reasons for doing this... Maria also wants to continue investigating, but she doesn't have a reason to do so at the moment.

So after thinking about it for a while, I agreed.

At the same time, she also reached out and took out a piece of reddish-black crystal.

"This is?!"

Upon seeing the appearance of this crystal, Hoshiguma's expression instantly turned serious.

Those around Maria's expression changed upon seeing her retrieve the crystal with her bare hands.

"It's best not to touch this kind of thing with your bare hands."

Hoshiguma noticed the expressions on the other people's faces, but she calmly took the bag from Maria's hand and immediately put it in a clear plastic bag.

Without a doubt, such a concentration of Originium Crystal could never be used to produce industrial products... This must be one of the bombs planted by the Reunion Movement.

With this evidence, she could formally apply for an investigation and thoroughly search the area.

"Thank you for your help... Now, please get some rest and be careful."

After giving Maria another warning, Hoshiguma turned around and began to talk to Chen, who was standing to the side.

Meanwhile, Penguin Logistics, which had been given some free time, also finished its communication.

Exusiai and the others have left, leaving only Texas and Sora behind.

"Is it all done?"

"It's all right now, Ms. Maria..."

Texas spoke, but her expression showed some self-reproach.

She didn't know exactly what had happened, but based on what she knew so far, she could only conclude that she hadn't properly scouted the location, resulting in Ms. Maria eating in this dilapidated place and having to trouble her to rescue her...

This made Texas feel extremely guilty.

But Maria didn't feel much; she just stared at the empty space beside her.

"Miss Flight Attendant..."

"Alas!"

When Maria called out to her, Sora visibly trembled, and instinctively shrank back, hiding behind Texas.

But this action displeased Maria somewhat.

However, she still expressed her understanding.

"There were indeed many external factors that affected this battle, which prevented you from giving your all. I'm sorry."

"Next time I'll choose a suitable venue so you can give it your all."

"I don't understand your declaration of war, but I still respect your choice and your resolve."

Maria's face showed no sign of joking; she genuinely intended to find an opportunity to fight Kong again!

"I hope you can give it your all next time."

Maria spoke softly, her words steady and clear. From her calm demeanor, Kong could tell that Maria... was serious!

She really wanted to fight herself!

Oyster...

Oysters! Oysters!

I really can't do it!

Kong stared wide-eyed in terror.

She was just about to explain, "Ms. Maria, you must have misunderstood. What I said wasn't what I meant literally at all."

What we're fighting for isn't their lives, but the heart of our Texas predecessor!

Texas was standing nearby, stared wide-eyed in astonishment upon hearing Maria's words.

She looked at Kong in disbelief, a silent admiration welling up in her eyes.

She didn't understand either, but... Sora is really amazing.

If you think of something, just do it... Even I wouldn't dare fight Lady Maria, would I?

As for the purpose... it should be to strengthen oneself, right?

After all, Sora's ambition and Maria's abilities are a perfect match, and fighting a few times will definitely improve Sora's combat skills.

Is this why Sora declared war on Lady Maria?

"... null."

After a long silence, Texas decisively raised her head and seriously grasped Sora's shoulder.

Under Sora's stunned gaze, Texas remained silent for a long time before nodding quietly.

"We will win!"

Even though she didn't believe that Sora had any fighting ability to defeat Ms. Maria, since Sora had made this choice, she was willing to believe that Sora had his own plans.

Even if we fail, there's nothing to be afraid of.

After all, although Lady Maria often kills, she is not bloodthirsty, and she can distinguish between friendly sparring and life-or-death combat.

In her estimation, the worst outcome for Kong would be to be beaten up by Ms. Maria.

But none of that matters, right?

After all, Sora had once asked her for advice on swordsmanship... Although she lacked talent, she practiced very diligently.

Based solely on this, she was willing to believe in Kong.

Even if you don't win, you can still improve a lot.

Faced with such trust from Texas, even Sora couldn't hold back anymore.

No... Texas senior?!

So... you used to hate me?

Otherwise, why would you ask me to do something like this?

Are you going to fight Lady Maria?

That woman just punched right through a wall, you know?

If that punch lands on myself, then the idol Sora-chan, beloved by Lungmen, will truly become Sora-chan!

And it's very, very finely ground air sauce!

Just as Kong was questioning his existence, Maria, who was standing next to him, slightly lowered the brim of her hat in a gesture of acknowledgment before turning and leaving.

Texas gave Sora an encouraging look, then silently walked away.

All that's left is a bewildered and helpless emptiness, standing there, utterly lost in the wind...

Chapter 134 You Can Trust Me

The explosion at the dessert shop seemed to have given the Lungmen Guard Department a clue. After obtaining the crystal, Maria's acquaintances Chen and Hoshiguma launched their operation without even saying goodbye.

From this, Maria could indeed sense how much importance these people placed on this matter.

Things were probably much more complicated than she had imagined.

However, she couldn't get involved in this matter for the time being; she could only watch as people busied themselves before choosing to leave.

After all, she had promised Texas that she would go to Rhodes Island for a medical check-up today... and it's a bit troublesome to enjoy Rhodes Island's professional internal medical check-up outside.

It seems that it took Texas some effort to get this application approved.

Although Maria found it strange that this place, which called itself a pharmaceutical company, had trained a large number of combat specialists, she had to admit that Rhodes Island's research on Oripathy was indeed at the top level on Terra... This might be related to their goals.

After all, their goal is to completely eradicate Oripathy.

If even the research on Originium cannot reach the top level, then this goal seems ridiculous.

But even on the way to Rhodes Island, Texas still seemed quite dejected.

This made Maria hesitate.

However, she didn't ask anything in particular; she simply turned her head and asked a question.

Where is that white-haired girl from just now?

"The white-haired girl..."