Chapter 154: Chapter 74: Planting Flags Poses Endless Dangers

The crucial testimony of the Evil Spirit Elder exonerated the shadow beings from suspicion.

If one had to say, it seemed that those interns who nestled in the deepest parts of the sewers, living at peace with the world, fit the shadow beings’ profile even more closely, and just a few days ago, a group of uninvited guests came here, inviting them to conspire in a grand scheme.

They had a plan to overthrow the Imperial Court.

If the Elder could lend them a helping hand, once their plan succeeded, the Evil Spirits would no longer have to live like rats in the sewers but could walk the streets openly without being hunted.

For the Evil Spirits who had lived here for years, it was indeed a tempting plan, yet the great orc philosopher, Mr. Grom, once questioned such temptations.

— But, what’s the price?

The young Evil Spirits were naive, but as an Elder, he wasn’t new to this world, and he was quite certain that this was a trick, designed to lure them out to die for others.

In every endeavor, there must be sacrifices, but the question was who would be the sacrificial pawn.

The Elder felt that this group didn’t seem like they were here to sacrifice themselves, but rather to find partners to be sacrificed.

Yet with his wealth of experience, he knew better than to reject them outright, as doing so could well lead to his murder, so he feigned great interest initially, then cited the excuse of a "glitch that prevents leaving the sewers" to express his helplessness.

My spirit is with you.

Such is the wisdom of the great druid.

"They mentioned something while speaking with me, they said that among the Extraterrestrials attending the exhibition, there are envoys from Red Star, who are natural plague bombs, just waiting to be kidnapped and used as secret weapons," he said.

Basing his analysis on the information provided by Jiuyue, the Elder said calmly, "Do you think it’s possible that a minister stumbled upon their kidnapping of the Red Star Chamber of Commerce envoy and was silenced because of it?"

"It’s possible."

Jiuyue suddenly understood; her view was consistent with the Elder’s.

No wonder the emerald wanted to control public opinion from the outset, branding the minister’s death as a suicide.

Otherwise, if someone investigated the cause of the minister’s death, it would lead to the discovery of the missing Red Star envoys as well.

And then the news that a few anthropomorphic walking plague bombs had been taken hostage by terrorists would spread throughout the Imperial Court, not only causing widespread panic but also branding the Third Prince as an eternal sinner.

It had been during the emerald’s disappearance, and considering it from a conspiratorial angle, one could not discount the possibility that the Third Prince had already colluded with the terrorists; otherwise, it would be hard to explain how the terrorists knew the precise movements and scheduled itineraries of the Red Star envoys.

Kidnapping important envoys from other planets in the most heavily guarded place on this planet was not something that just any small fry could accomplish on the street corner.

Before dawn broke, espionage agent Jiuyue honorably returned with this extremely important message.

"I knew it!"

Duan Mingyuan sighed deeply upon waking to such dire news.

When the silver-haired girl had detailed "The Self-Destruction Guide for Red Star People" at the auction, Duan Mingyuan had a premonition that this day would come.

To have depicted the Red Death in such detail, likening the Red Star people to moving plague bombs, it would be a sheer waste if they weren’t kidnapped by terrorists to be used as hostages, negating the heartfelt explanation by the silver-haired girl.

The girl solemnly swore she was an expert, would protect everyone, yet in less than half a day, the Red Star people were abducted.

This matter is closely related to every single person in the Imperial Court.

It’s like in a movie where terrorists somehow capture nuclear weapons and target the city you’re in; they couldn’t care less about who’s guilty and who’s innocent—indiscriminate attacks are what they employ.

"Mr. Mingyuan, don’t panic. According to movie plots, the terrorists’ plans always end in failure," someone comforted.

"Movies are movies, reality is reality."

In the world of movies, the villain’s defeat is inevitable.

Because those victorious villains never pass the censors, naturally, they can’t cross into their view, but reality is different. The censors can only flex their muscles on law-abiding citizens. When faced with real terrorists, they tremble just like everyone else.

And poor Minister Steve.

He neither chose the path of the dark Minotaur nor sought to defend the glory of pure love warriors. He simply didn’t check his almanac before he left the house, happened upon the abduction of the envoys by terrorists, then was silenced like a bystander.

"I think the Third Prince might also be problematic," Jiuyue said.

At the very least, he should be held accountable for the Minister’s death.

Emerald Grandmother is a gathering place for the elite. To ensure safety, everyone must go through rigorous body searches before entering. But judging from the manner of the Minister’s death, the abductor not only passed the security check but was also exceptionally familiar with the interior layout of the theater.

Duan Mingyuan didn’t refute it; according to his observations, the Third Prince was an opponent of the company.

It’s just that he knew how to disguise his motives, portraying the appearance of a neutral businessman. He, on the contrary, hoped that the twisty journey of the Red Star envoy would ultimately lead to the hands of the Third Prince.

At least the Third Prince was emotionally stable and wouldn’t wake up one day, feeling out of sorts and detonate himself with a red crystal.

"Shall we look for the envoy’s whereabouts? The Evil Spirit Elder never leaves his house, so he probably can’t provide any more valuable information," someone suggested.

Even Jiuyue, the information fox, felt the situation was tricky.

However, she was an optimist; when faced with an unsolvable problem, she’d optimistically choose to sleep on it, believing there’s always a way out. With insufficient information, fretting in the room was useless. She proposed, "We should continue our previous travel plans. Didn’t you say you wanted to experience the Yu Quan baths introduced by the Third Prince?"

Soaking in the Yu Quan baths is said to relieve fatigue and beautify the skin. These fish imported from other star systems not only eat away dead skin but also absorb negative energy.

"Criminal psychology says you need to get inside the mind of terrorists, right? Think about it, they just pulled off a big heist, abducted the Red Star Chamber of Commerce’s envoy in plain sight, and silenced the Minister of the Imperial Court. Emerald Grandmother could only swallow the bitter loss, claiming the Minister killed himself," explained Jiuyue, reasoning logically.

If she were the terrorist, she would be feeling on top of the world now.

Having worked hard on a ground-shaking deed, they would certainly want to treat themselves well, "The Yu Quan baths also offer first-class dining. If I were a terrorist, I would definitely go on vacation. So, if we’re lucky enough, we may even bump into the terrorists while taking a bath."

If anyone else had said this, Duan Mingyuan would have thought it foolish, but coming from Jiuyue’s mouth, it carried a different significance.

If luck was on their side.

So, as a Ruihu, was Jiuyue’s luck any good?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read