The device had issued three alerts for an abnormal heart rate, followed by a final alarm indicating that vital signs had ceased.
But at the time, Marty had silenced his Jade Abacus out of courtesy.
His eyes went blank as he stared dumbly at the notifications on the screen.
The device must have malfunctioned, right? Or...
A sudden suspicion sprang into Marty's mind.
He quickly dismissed it.
No. Impossible.
He arrived at an answer in an instant.
Someone had slipped into the Marshal's room and taken the Neutron Gun.
Marty forced himself to ignore every detail that made no sense and settled firmly on that conclusion.
But... was that really what happened?
Even a child of a few years would find his excuse flimsy and laughable, wouldn't they?
Marty drew a deep breath and headed for the emergency stairwell.
To ensure the Annual Meeting went smoothly, every floor and every room had been thoroughly inspected. Even the emergency stairwells had been locked to prevent anyone else from sneaking in.
Fortunately, he had sufficient clearance.
He raised his Jade Abacus, placed it against the sensor, and opened the door.
Marty entered the stairwell, sat down on a step, and began to think.
The emotional side of him fought desperately to stop him from thinking any further, but his mind had already raced ahead and found the holes in his logic.
He and the Zhuming Artisanship Commission had each upgraded the Astral Express in turn.
It was the Cloud-Roaming Aeon's train, so everything they had done was merely icing on the cake.
After those two upgrades, they had no need to worry about the train's security.
But... what sort of being could overcome all those obstacles and enter the Marshal's room just to take that one Neutron Gun?
*Could it... have been