At this time, inside the conference room.
"I'm here." Pardofelis crossed her arms, looking at Li Yan curiously. "Tell me the plan, what are you going to do?"
Li Yan didn't answer directly, but pushed a thin card across the table.
"This is the ticket to enter the Third District of the Hive District." His tone was steady. "Apex Entertainment has a branch company there. The security level is relatively lax, but the capital flow... is quite considerable."
Then, he took out a microchip from the drawer and gently placed it next to the ticket.
"Inside this is the detailed information of that building: internal structure, security system layout, trap locations, patrol robot route models... all the information you need can be known through this chip."
"Eh? Is it that detailed?" Pardofelis picked up the chip with interest, then inserted it into her Terminal.
Immediately, a holographic 3D model of a building unfolded on the screen. Subsequently, after she pressed an option, the 3D-modeled walls began to turn transparent, revealing the internal pipes, wiring, and hidden laser grids; the preset patrol routes turned into glowing threads shuttling through the model, clearly displayed.
After browsing for a moment, Pardofelis nodded in satisfaction.
"Just as you said, this information is really comprehensive."
But then she changed the subject, looking at Li Yan with a scrutinizing gaze.
"However, having information this detailed is also a bit abnormal, isn't it? Aren't you a resistance organization that has been lurking in the Pit Bottom District for a long time?"
Facing the questioning, the gentle smile on Li Yan's face didn't change at all.
"To tell you the truth, the reason we could get such detailed intelligence is that the Countercurrent Alliance... is actually already an organization under the command of AMA."
"AMA?" Pardofelis raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly surprised, but then found it reasonable. "It's them again? But I remember you guys were almost dismantled by AMA eight years ago, right?"
"It was exactly that purge," a hint of complexity seeped into Li Yan's smile, "that caused the core figures of the old Countercurrent Alliance to be almost entirely wiped out. Afterwards... the upper echelons quickly completed a transition, basically all replaced by AMA's people. And we lay dormant for eight years just to accumulate strength, so that when AMA and the Four Major Corporations fall out, we can become a stumbling block for them."
"I see." Pardofelis understood clearly, her fingertips lightly tapping the table. "No wonder you were so generous before, giving thirty million Credits just like that. I was saying, just relying on that bit of profit from the Pit Bottom District, even if you squeezed it dry, it wouldn't be enough to support this kind of extravagance."
She had previously thought their funds came from exploiting the people of the Pit Bottom District, but it turned out to be an allocation from above.
"So," Li Yan leaned forward slightly, his gaze falling on Pardofelis, "the ticket is in your hand, and the intelligence has been delivered. After arriving in the Third District, we also have a safe house for your use. Is there anywhere else you need our assistance?"
Pardofelis pondered for a moment and shook her head.
"For now, this is enough. As for what happens next, just watch me perform."
After saying that, she put away the ticket and the Terminal, turning around to leave.
"Please wait a moment!"
Li Yan's voice rang out in time.
Pardofelis paused her steps, turning back to ask with slight doubt:
"Is there anything else?"
At this time, Li Yan revealed a very happy-looking smile on his face.
"Um... May I ask Lord Pardofelis, that unique coffee Miss Cipher shared before... do you happen to have any more of the same kind on you?"
Pardofelis: "?"
Walking on the way back, Pardofelis stared at the empty coffee cup in her hand, from which the coffee had already been poured out. The cat ears on her head twitched in some confusion.
Mainly, after she saw Li Yan pour the coffee into his own cup, he directly picked it up and took a sip, and a satisfied smile even appeared on his face...
Were this guy's taste buds broken?! That thing was so disgusting it could make one's soul leave the body, and he actually took the initiative to ask for a second cup?
She shook her head, trying to throw out this weird thought.
"Forget it, forget it. Maybe he really likes drinking this kind of coffee. After all, in the storyline, it's not like no one can drink this stuff..."
After changing back to Cipher's appearance, she tapped open her Terminal and brought up the branch company address Li Yan had given to check it carefully.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind:
"Wait... Cerydra, isn't she also in the Hive District? But which exact district is she in again?"
Thinking of this, Cipher's mind stirred slightly, and then she switched to Cerydra's perspective.
...
At this time, in the luxurious room, Cerydra, who was flipping through an e-book, paused her movements. Cipher's question simultaneously surfaced in her mind.
"Oh right, I don't even know which district of the Hive District I'm in..."
Thinking of this, she put down the Terminal, got up, walked to the door, and pulled it open.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw two cultists standing outside.
The moment the door opened, the two men fell to their knees on the ground like a conditioned reflex.
"Lord Imperator!"
The two shouted respectfully, their bodies also slightly bowed.
Seeing this scene, Cerydra frowned slightly.
"Stand up!"
Her voice carried obvious displeasure and disgust, followed closely by her icy blue eyes sweeping over them.
"I do not need this kind of meaningless kneeling etiquette."
The two stiffened and hurriedly stood up straight, standing reverently with bowed heads, not daring to breathe loudly.
"You previously said that the place we are in is the Hive District," Cerydra asked directly. "Then which exact district is it?"
"Reporting to Your Grace, it is the Third District!"
One of them immediately replied, not daring to hesitate in the slightest.
Lord Bishop had said before leaving that they must unconditionally cooperate with all of this Lord's instructions.
The Third District?
A trace of imperceptible surprise flashed in Cerydra's eyes.
Isn't this... a bit too coincidental?
But her face remained calm, and she just nodded coldly and said:
"Understood."
Immediately after, she turned back into the room without hesitation and closed the door.
Switching the perspective back, after finishing watching, the corners of Cipher's mouth twitched slightly.
"It's actually really the Third District... With this level of coincidence, it's hard not to suspect if this is the system's doing."
However, this thought only flashed by.
Very soon, she shrugged her shoulders, recovering her lazy and casual appearance.
"Forget it, who cares if it's arranged or not? The system has never screwed me over, and my current set of abilities were all given by it anyway. Waging a battle of wits with it? There's no need for that."
Having said that, she casually raised her hand, her fingertips tracing a smooth arc in the air.
A spatial portal shimmering with faint purple light silently unfolded before her.
And Cipher walked with brisk steps, stepping into the portal, her figure instantly disappearing from this place.
Author's Note:
Bartholos was still left in the Chaos Capital wandering around. Because Bartholos had secretly cast the portal ability so many times in front of everyone, they all believed that this was Cipher's own ability, so now there was no need for Bartholos to work hard opening it back and forth.