In the principal's office, Angers sank into his high-backed chair. His fingers relaxed lightly, and the teacup tapped against its bone china saucer with a crisp chime. An inscrutable gleam flickered in his eyes.
"Going to Saint Petersburg for the Far North?" he murmured, as though savoring the meaning behind the name.
"Regarding the 1943 genetic leak incident, its source remains a mystery to this day—the people of the Far North firmly believe that a Gate of the Kingdom of God is hidden at the world's pole. Perhaps it is more than a legend. Perhaps all the answers truly lie at the end of that frozen land."
"But our commissioner is rather restless, isn't he? Norton alone has already given us enough headaches. I do not wish to discover another big problem at a time like this."
"Principal," NOMA's voice sounded steadily, without a trace of emotion, "I must remind you that Commissioner He Xiaomeng's actions contain many suspicious points. Whether it was his unusual indifference toward the intruders in the secure passageway, his swift departure from the college the day after the Dragon King awakened, or even his deliberate attempts to evade my monitoring—I recommend temporarily freezing his access privileges."
"Perhaps he is guarding against you simply because he fears we might go back on our word, revoke his vacation, and force him into the Bronze Project." Angers chuckled. "Do not forget, Finn conveniently 'failed' his diving training just to avoid this mission."
Because Bronze City was underwater, everyone selected for the mission had performed exceptionally in diving training.
NOMA fell silent. Angers knew about what had happened between her and Finn, so she was not in a good position to say anything on that matter.
Angers continued, "He Xiaomeng at least went through the proper leave procedure, and