Along with Ai Qing, three others walked in besides Tony.
One was a teenager dressed in a loose T-shirt and jeans, with various chains and tal trinkets hanging all over him. One hand carried a toolbox, faintly emitting the scent of machine oil, while the other held a cellphone, focused intently on whatever he was doing. It was hard to tell if he was a rebellious youth or a skilled and competent Maintenance Engineer.
Another was a mature woman in a black suit and pencil skirt, with fiery red hair and sharp eyes, who smiled quite friendly at Huai Shi.
The last one was a middle-aged black man in baggy sportswear, wearing white sneakers that suggested he had just returned from a morning run. His hair roots were faintly turning white, making his age indiscernible, but his pitch-black beard was long enough to drape over his chest, ticulously braided with copper rings and bone beads.
Upon seeing Huai Shi, the man instinctively looked at Huai Shi's hands, and when he noticed Huai Shi's long fingers, devoid of any calluses or scars, he paused.
It was then that Huai Shi finally propped himself up to greet his arriving teammates.
The first to be introduced was the teenager.
"This is Mr. Fan from the Jinling Branch, a Fourth Stage Sublimator of the Dongxia Genealogy—could you give us a detailed introduction?" The latter part was Ai Qing seeking the youth's permission.
"It's fine, it's nothing rare." The youth, who had been engrossed in his phone, finally looked up. Even more surprising than his aged voice was the tallic gleam in his eyes. It was like looking through a layer of clear glass; one could faintly glimpse countless gears spinning behind his eyes. When he spoke, one could hear what sounded like hundreds of tiny tal reeds vibrating in his throat.
What's more, the Hand of Confinent could feel the tal content in his body completely surpassing that of ordinary people. Abundant Source Substance flowed within, guiding countless pieces of steel to constantly change their states and properties, causing Huai Shi to feel dizzy. In the reflection of the Mirror of Nothingness, his skin seed to peel away, revealing myriad intricate chips and circuits inside his shell, making him look almost like a robot.
"Oh? You noticed?" Mr. Fan, whose age was difficult to determine, showed a pleased expression. "Worthy of an S-level. The younger generation is truly formidable." Right before Huai Shi's eyes, he lifted his hand, and his skin and joints disassembled on the spot, rapidly transforming into various tools.
"Yan Shi," Huai Shi suddenly realized.
It was the Fourth Stage Stigma of the Dongxia Genealogy, combining the miracles of Alchemy with the human body, seeking eternal existence after discarding a fragile mortal shell. He himself was a combination of dozens of Border Relics, essentially a mobile Alchemy workshop.
"Half of my main body is at sea, and the other half is dispersed throughout this ship," Mr. Fan said, openly sharing his secrets with his junior. He raised his hand to pat Huai Shi's shoulder. "What you're seeing now is the mobile chanism responsible for support and maintenance—Shen Ji Gong Shu. I've heard about you from Old Wu. You've done well."
"Old Wu?"
"The nickna 'Fox' might be more familiar to you," Mr. Fan looked at him approvingly. "To have given that old bastard such a hard ti, you did quite well, young man."
Huai Shi's eyes twitched. Unbelievable. Why do so many people enjoy seeing Fox suffer...
After the introductions were complete, and before Ai Qing could say more, the mature, red-haired woman stepped forward and shook Huai Shi's hand. "Andrea, Third Stage Salamander and a part-ti thermodynamics scholar."
Ai Qing added, "Lady Andrea is a physics professor from the Ivory Tower, here specifically to offer assistance this ti."
Huai Shi's attention sharpened at the ntion of the Ivory Tower. It was, after all, a na quite famous both within the Astronomical Society and worldwide. As a leading global educational institution, it possessed nurous unique Alchemy techniques and scientific technologies, a veritable monopoly giant in the academic realm. Not only did it wield trendous influence in the scholarly community, but it also collaborated closely with the Astronomical Society's archaeological teams. Even their military strength was not to be underestimated—it was said they secretly maintained an army of their own, composed of more than a dozen Abyss Hordes.
However, what concerned Huai Shi wasn't these aspects, but the fact that the Ivory Tower might be one of the few subordinate institutions of Utopia still in existence today. In the bygone days before Utopia's division, the Ivory Tower had served as a training and logistical agency. With the fall of Utopia, the Ivory Tower broke away from the Astronomical Society to beco an independent institution, yet it still maintained countless ties to the Astronomical Society of today.
Sensing Huai Shi's attention, Andrea gave him a discreet, friendly wink.
To be fair, the Astronomical Society's choice of personnel was spot on. A Yan Shi, an expert in both chanical engineering and Alchemy, would be in his elent aboard the Group Star. The combination of thermodynamics and her Salamander Stigma could cause terrifying destruction, yet it allowed for precise control, preventing the Group Star from being sunk during the operation.
And the last one was this operation's backup and insurance.
"Yama Ding·Edward, Arican Genealogy, Third Stage Stigma—Blackbeard."
The bearded middle-aged man stepped forward and shook hands with Huai Shi. "I'm not so good at fighting, so this ti my main duty is as the driver."
Of course, Huai Shi wouldn't take his modesty at face value. If the Group Star really did blow up, the one living the most comfortable life would undoubtedly be this man before him. As a wielder of a Third Stage Stigma and possessing the authority of a legendary pirate captain, navigating the Endless Sea would be like a stroll in his own backyard for him. Besides... what pirate ship doesn't have cannons?
"Without the commander's orders, I might only be on standby," he smiled warmly, "but rest assured, if the Group Star were to blow up, I'll lead everyone in making our escape."
During the handshake, Huai Shi felt the calluses on the man's hand, ford from years of holding weapons, as well as the scent of gunpowder on his cuffs. Under Luo Lao's training, Huai Shi had developed an instinct to observe muscles and bones; a re glance was enough to tell that the man's body hid an entire volcano within. The way he walked and stood, as well as the distribution of his muscle groups, indicated that he was proficient in at least three weapons—possibly even masterful in Source Substance martial arts...
After his analysis, Huai Shi realized he had sohow slipped into "Second fifth" mode again, habitually preparing to backstab his teammates. He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Huai Shi, how could you be like this? So underhanded!
After introducing the other mbers, it was Huai Shi's turn. However, when it ca to him, Ai Qing was concise, casually saying, "As for this mber also participating in the operation: Second Stage Sublimator Huai Shi, Stigmata Mountain Ghost, an Inspector of the Astronomical Society, plus a host of other miscellaneous side gigs..." As if to emphasize Huai Shi's importance, she added pointedly, "He was also the Inspector who first discovered the anomaly aboard the Group Star and submitted the report—four hours before the Lighthouse's comprehensive border surveillance detected it."
His teammates naturally wouldn't take him lightly. Most of them might not have seen Huai Shi's livestreams or known about the frighteningly long list of titles he held, thus not knowing much about him. But as mbers of the Astronomical Society, they would at least use their internal privileges to check a teammate's resu, right? Then they were taken aback by the S-level evaluation practically thrown in their faces.
The key point was that he was only seventeen. So young, yet boasting such a brilliant and intimidating resu—it was either a sign of a powerful background or of terrifying resilience, possibly both. But regardless of which it was, there was surely one prerequisite: he had to be tough. Solid work ethic, upstanding character, decisive in action, and a Green Day Nesis to boot! He's practically the predestined Two Flowers and Red Sticks of the Asia region, isn't he? As for the rumored chaotic romantic entanglents, haha, a minor issue; a flaw doesn't mar the jade's beauty... Besides, with the caliber of everyone present, even if they encountered soone who ca just to freeload and claim credit, they would just subtly sideline them, as long as they didn't get in the way.
After the brief introductions, everyone had formally t. Regrettably, however, it wasn't ti for a leisurely afternoon tea; it was ti to discuss serious matters.
Once everyone took their seats, Ai Qing promptly began the mission briefing in the lounge, handing out the docunts she held. For the primary operatives, the Jurisdiction Bureau hadn't been so heartless as to impose intelligence restrictions, bluntly informing them that their main mission target was the Ruler of the Abyss—the Rotten Dream Queen. But in reality, this had little to do with the people here. The Decision Room wasn't so understaffed that they would send these few to serve as re fodder.
Their mission was simple: control the Utopia mbers aboard the Group Star and ensure the ship's safety. To put it precisely, in Ai Qing's view, what needed to be secured was the safety of the 120,000 passengers. Whether the Group Star exploded or not was of no concern to them.
"You few will handle the Utopia mbers; leave the rest to ," Ai Qing stated calmly. "I've already requested Legion support. Besides a team from the Casting Iron Army on standby at the Rainbow Bridge, over two hundred Shadows from the Original Dark Legion will assist in taking control of the Group Star. Thanks to a certain captain's belated attempt to nd the situation, our upcoming actions will be much easier."
Just half an hour before arriving, she had already obtained control of the Group Star from Rudolf, completely seizing the initiative. Tony had actually been right earlier; she had deliberately maneuvered Rudolf into a trap, even refraining from presenting official docunts from the Jurisdiction Bureau. But Tony had been a pawn for too long; he guessed her motive but failed to understand her true purpose. Her aim wasn't simply for Rudolf to take the bla, but to uncompromisingly secure dominant control over the Group Star—most importantly, to clear out the troubleso managent well before the operation began.
Going to their door, cap in hand, to negotiate cooperation? How could that compare to the satisfaction of them repenting and handing over control on a silver platter? Otherwise, I'd first have to endure drawn-out negotiations, possibly deal with them dragging their feet or even sabotaging things during the operation, waste who knows how much effort preserving the Group Star, and then still have to share the credit... Why should all the good things go their way? It's better to toss such hindrances into the Endless Sea beforehand.
If it were just about finding a scapegoat, she definitely would not have visited so early. Instead, she would have tid it precisely, just before the operation began. She wouldn't have given Rudolf—no, the Fred Family behind him—so much ti to react. At that point, no matter how clever Fred was, it would be utterly useless once the bla was pinned on them.
It must be said, my subsequent conversation with the eldest daughter of Great Duke Howler was quite pleasant. Talking with intelligent people is so much simpler. The only downside is that intelligent people are often too clever, so you can't take too much advantage of them.
Thanks to Rudolf's reckless act, Ai Qing not only gained control over the Group Star but also made the Great Duke's eldest daughter owe her a favor, neither too big nor too small. As for how to leverage this favor for maximum benefit, that would require careful long-term planning... The imdiate priority is dealing with Utopia. This is my first ti taking full charge of an operation like this. No one better even *think* about ssing with my plans. Absolutely no one!
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