Chapter 169

The Gray Hat leaned against the lander, took out his camera and snapped a few photos, capturing the all-black lander in front of him. He also bent down to take several photos of the slightly worn areas outside the doors.

License plates and appearance alone are far from sufficient to constitute detailed intelligence. Gray Hat, as an expert in this field, is certainly far more professional than the bunch of incompetent fools employed by the Victoria military. He meticulously recorded every detail, from the wear and tear on the vehicle's body to unique scratches, anything that could be used to identify the land vehicle's shape and characteristics...

Norman Smith, this man is far beyond what was originally defined in the files. He may be hiding... a very huge secret. Perhaps only the Iron Duke and his own superior... no, perhaps even his own superior, the Duke Kest, do not know about him. In his eyes, this may simply be a "favor" done to the Iron Duke.

At least for now, he cannot simply walk away from the situation.

After all, I'm practically a civil servant, and I can't just leave like this before I understand some of the basic facts...

With that thought in mind, he raised his hand and pulled out a thin wire from his fingertips. The Gray Hat used his other hand to stroke the keyhole of the car door, while his fingers holding the wire quickly bent it into a suitable shape. When he felt it was about right, he lifted his hand and inserted it into the keyhole. With his manipulation, opening a car door of this level was easier than drinking water.

He put away the wire, Gray Hat climbed into the driver's seat, beginning to observe the situation inside the car. He had been stared at by that man the whole way, and he hadn't dared to even breathe loudly, let alone observe his surroundings.

I took off my gloves, revealing my calloused fingers, and gently wiped them under the seat...

There is accumulated dust.

The original intelligence report described Norman Smith as someone who rarely showed interest in women, but had a particular fondness for high-speed driving of land vehicles... Perhaps it stemmed from a habit formed on the streets, but it's astonishing that such a guy would allow his driver's seat to be in such a mess...

Sigh, just thinking about how Victoria's military intelligence network is so riddled with loopholes, and even less competent than civil servants like the Gray Hat who directly serve the Grand Duke...

Etc.

In an instant, the man in the Gray Hat's brain seemed to be electrocuted.

Norman Smith? My beloved car?

He seemed to know where the problem lay.

The source of this awkward feeling

From beginning to end, the other party's demeanor was vastly different from what was presented in the documents. Initially, he might have been able to convince himself by arguing that the operational capabilities of public intelligence agencies were simply too poor, but...

Where is this land vehicle?

As a professional intelligence agent, Gray Hat's perception of the occupant's demeanor in this land vehicle was almost identical to what was written in the original intelligence. However... the Norman Smith he met seemed like a complete stranger who had no feelings for the land vehicle. In fact, when he carefully recalled the process of the other party driving the land vehicle, he could still vaguely recall a feeling of unfamiliarity with the driving.

Ghosts... No way!

A terrifying, eerie suspicion gradually surfaced in his mind, as if he had opened a door and was now gazing upon the being lurking in the shadows behind it...

However, the man in the Gray Hat, who always considered himself a professional intelligence agent, couldn't sense any trace of disguise on the other person, nor did he detect any fluctuations in Originium Arts that indicated a disguise.

Unless... unless...

A bead of cold sweat slowly seeped from his forehead, absorbed by the brim of his hat, making the fabric appear even darker.

Does such a capability really exist in the world?

Damn it, so that means!!!

Almost instantly, he realized the devastating impact this terrifying ability would have on Victoria's leadership. Although it was just a guess, the fact that the other party was directly confronting the Duke Wellington suggested that either the latter knew about it and was on the same side, or that he had already been "replaced" by the other party.

No, this must be done immediately...

The man in the Gray Hat suddenly looked up from the driver's seat, but just as he turned to leave the car, he was met with a familiar yet unfamiliar face!

"Norman Smith!!!"

In an instant, the man in the Gray Hat was so startled that he even called out the other person's name.

Good afternoon, Grey.

"Mr. Clothes, what are you doing sneaking around in someone's car?"

Zuo Jian squinted, a slight smile playing on his lips, as he looked at the Gray Hat inside the car.

The latter, on the other hand, looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Why?

The other party appeared right next to him without a sound! Just like the situation in that building before!

He had undergone incredibly rigorous training; he could sense any living person approaching! But why...? Was this guy not human?

"Um... this... what a coincidence... Mr. Smith... I'm so sorry... I'll be leaving now----"

Now that things have come to this, there's nothing the Gray Hat can do but feign embarrassment.

As he spoke, he reached out and twisted the car door handle, intending to get out of the car first and then explain to the other party. However, when he pulled the handle, he found that the entire car door was as if it had been welded shut and would not budge.

?

Cold sweat poured down the Gray Hat's forehead, and when he looked up, he saw exactly what he least wanted to see.

His Zuo Jian hand was placed on the outside of the car door, completely blocking any possibility of opening it.

"Um... Mr. Smith?"

The man in the Gray Hat tentatively asked, but the other person immediately interrupted him.

"Gray Hat, right? What do you think you've found out?"

"??!!"

"Don't be so nervous. I'm not that confident in my acting skills either. It's perfectly reasonable that a professional like you could spot it."

The Gray Hat remained silent, only looking at Zuo Jian with some disbelief before speaking.

"Who... are you?"

Does it matter?

"... So what do you consider important?"

"The Iron Duke is in good health; is that considered important intelligence?"

"!!"

"Also, please give my regards to the Duke Kest behind you. He should be able to spare some time to exchange pleasantries with the Iron Duke soon."

"Hey! Zuo Jian! Why are you running so fast!"

Not far away, Eblana's voice seemed to carry a hint of dissatisfaction.

The Gray Hat tilted his head slightly and soon saw Mr. Smith's two adopted daughters approaching them.

"Sorry, sorry, I just suddenly remembered that this gentleman in the gray shirt said he would personally drive us back, but I didn't expect him to arrive so much earlier than I predicted."

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Gray, for keeping you waiting here for so long."

Zuo Jian smiled and reached his hand through the car window, locking the door from the inside without the two girls noticing, right in front of the man in the Gray Hat.

"?"

"This guy?"

Eblana opened the back door with Loughshinny, looking at the Gray Hat in the driver's seat with a suspicious gaze.

"Yes, I had a few drinks while accompanying the Duke, so I couldn't drive. That's why our gentleman in the grey coat kindly offered to drive for me."

Zuo Jian smiled and got into the passenger seat, closed the door, and patted the man in the Gray Hat on the shoulder with a "thank you" look on his face.

"Yes... yes..."

"Let's go then."

Zuo Jian handed the key to the Gray Hat, and whispered something in his ear.

"Are you prepared to pledge allegiance to the Duke of Coston, or to all of Victoria?"

"?!"

The Gray Hat removed his hat, revealing a shocked look in his eyes as he stared at Zuo Jian beside him.

"You... this... I..."

He really wanted to know what the other person meant by those words.

What does it mean?

Loyalty to the Duke of Coston or to Victoria.

However, the situation before him told him that if he didn't follow the other party's instructions, he probably wouldn't have a good outcome.

Seeing this, he could only accept the key to the Zuo Jian with utmost respect, and then slowly bowed his head.

"... I have no right to make a choice; everything is up to you."

It's obvious.

Faced with the choice between loyalty to Victoria and the Duke of Coston, Gray Hat chose to prioritize his own life.

"Let's drive then, it's getting late."

Zuo Jian leaned back in his chair and squinted slightly.

"... yes."

However, the two people in the back row looked at the strange scene unfolding in front of them with some confusion.

"Sister, is this land vehicle very expensive?"

Loughshinny turned her head and asked with some curiosity.

Why are you asking this?

"Then why were his hands shaking when he took the key from the Zuo Jian?"

"... possible."

"Perhaps it's also just a bored sense of ritual among nobles."

After a moment's thought, Eblana decided to blame it on what she hated most: the tedious rituals of the nobility.

However, for Zuo Jian, there was actually another reason why he made the man in the Gray Hat his driver...

He really needs to close his eyes and sleep for a while.

Because... if nothing unexpected happens... he left an Orca at the golf course to practice shoveling dirt...

Laurentina is currently accompanying Xiu Tina, and it's clear she doesn't intend to...

Forget about this former comrade-in-arms.

... well.

Chapter Four, No Problem, Laurentina

"Phew, I'll leave the rest of the journey to you for now, Mr. Grey. The conversation with the Duke Wellington was a bit too exhausting; I need to take a short nap."

The passenger on the Zuo Jian patted the woman in the Gray Hat on the shoulder, but then spoke to the two sisters in the back seat.

"No, no problem, don't worry about it, leave it to me. I guarantee there won't be any bumps! You can rest assured!"

Along with the Gray Hat's affirmation, Zuo Jian also received a reassuring expression from Eblana behind him... or rather, an expression that seemed to be saying, "Huh? Who are you worried about? Me or this guy?"

Phew, speaking of which, why are almost all the kids I've brought back this type with such frighteningly high fighting ability or physical fitness?

Well, on the bright side, at least most of the time we don't have to worry about personal safety, right?

With this thought in mind, Zuo Jian raised his hand, gave the two sisters an "OK" sign, and then closed his eyes.

I should go check on Miss Orca, who's been left aside. Speaking of which, Laurentina's situation should be resolved by now, right? The body that's been with Xiu Tina doesn't seem to be moving freely anymore, and I haven't been able to control her body with Skadi since the beginning.

It seems they've resolved the issue with Xiu Tina and returned to where they were before.

This time, Laurentina has really been a problem for him. Thinking about it, her recent behavior has been so reassuring and reliable... he almost forgot that Laurentina is also a child at heart.

Whoosh!!!!

Zuo Jian slowly opened his single pupil, watching Skadi in his line of sight swing and hit the ball with a beautiful swing. The ball itself disappeared from his sight with a sharp flight path in the air.

"Zuo Jian, Zuo Jian, I did it! Did you see it?"

Seeing this, Skadi skipped over to him, as if expecting him to say something...

"Hmm, you've clearly improved a lot. No wonder you're Skadi!"

He patted the other person's head, and just as he was about to say something, he realized that a voice was already coming from inside.

...?