Olivia wondered just when Luis shared the mission details with this Lily girl. Because even she didn't notice him contacting anyone.
'Although he shouldn't have shared the information with outsiders without my permission. Given the ti constraint, I guess I can't bla them and it's only reasonable that they seek outside help. I asked them to solve the case without my help. It doesn't an they can't take the help of others.'
While she was still in her thoughts, all those button-like things that Alicia referred to as drones started floating in the air.
Then, without making a sound, all the button drones swiftly maneuvered out of the café and disappeared into the sky.
"Lily, start the projections!"
{As you wish, Master?}
The next mont, both Luis' and Alicia's hologram functions were on. Their multiple screens were projecting the pictures sent by all the drones.
"Wow, this is amazing!" Diana widened her eyes in amazent. Then she thought of sothing and asked in a voice she deed secretive. "Alicia, why is your sister calling Luis, her master?"
Luis rolled his eyes. 'Is this what you should be concerned about?'
Alicia t Diana's curious eyes and said, "She works under him." After that, she didn't explain further.
"I see," Diana nodded in understanding. While Mira and Olivia didn't think about this conversation as their attention was on the forest scenes displayed on the hologram screen.
Luis observed the screen as the drones flew quickly, searching through the forest. Fortunately, after their last visit to the South Island, he had made so minor improvents to the button drones. That can now co in handy.
The improvents were nothing much, only that the range increased from 40 km to 100 km and the speed increased from 200 miles per hour to 400 miles per hour.
***
Minutes passed by.
The four of them, with the help of Lily, searched through both the south and west forests to look for any clues.
'Have the kidnappers already left the forest?' This is what Luis was most worried about. Because if it's so, then they will have to increase the range of their search and they don't have enough ti to do that.
'Did I misunderstand her?' Before he was confident that they could find so clues regarding the kidnappers in the forest because of Olivia's challenge.
She asked them to complete this mission without prior information and within 3 hours. That ans the kidnappers should be in their 3-hour range of activity. In simple words, sowhere they could reach within that ti.
He didn't fear the kidnappers utilizing transport circles, since each town only had one and if they still planned to use them, then they would be easily caught.
In his opinion, people who planned such an elaborate kidnapping wouldn't be that stupid.
As for the kidnappers having so weird abilities. He had already put that thought out of his mind. Because if that were the case, Olivia wouldn't have asked so newbies to solve this mission in the first place.
So, after thinking all this through. All the points connect to the fact that clues regarding the kidnappers should be there in the forest. Also, there should be so hint in this town that could lead them to those clues, but since Luis had button drones with him. There was no need to go through Olivia's planned route.
'*Sigh*, In the ga, I never found out that Professor Olivia was such a shrewd woman. As expected, I can't judge the real person based on my knowledge of the ga. Especially for characters other than the main cast. Since I have limited information about them.'
Just then, Luis' eyes squinted, and with his perception, he noticed sothing. His eyes widened. "Lily! Stop number 33!"
Luis' voice attracted everyone's attention as they also focused on his screen, wondering if he had found sothing.
{Yes, Master!} Lily stopped drone number 33 and asked for further instructions. {Now what Master?}
After a mont of pause, Luis said. "… Show the 360° view of that area."
{On it, Master!}
Luis took out a hologram projection device from his mana bracelet storage and placed it on the table, turning it on. He did it so he and the others could get a better view.
A mont later, the hologram lit up and presented a landscape of a forest in front of them.
Everyone watched the projection with serious expressions, but a few seconds later. Having found nothing out of the ordinary, Diana raised her doubt. "Um, Luis, did you make a mistake? There's nothing there. Just normal trees, grass, and rocks."
Mira's hopeful expression also turned to one of disappointnt. She also thought the sa as Diana.
Only Alicia and Olivia thought otherwise.
"Is there soone using stealth, Luis?" Alicia asked after observing the hologram. Though she couldn't see anything wrong with that area. She knew Luis had a powerful perception skill. So, she believed in his assessnt and made a simple assumption based on it.
Luis nodded and said, "Can be possible. For instance, I noticed a blurry figure near that tree. Though it was only for a mont."
His words made Diana and Mira look at the hologram even more closely. Olivia, on the other hand, observed the hologram for a second, then raised her eyes to look at Luis with interest.
Alicia knit her brows and mumbled her concern, "Then what to do? Should we go check there? If we get it wrong, then we will have wasted a lot of ti by then."
"Oh, don't worry about it." Luis assured Alicia with a wave of his hand, then asked, "Lily, are you ready?"
{Yes, Master. Number 50 is in place.}
"Okay, good! Now scan the area!"
{The scan is starting master…} After Lily said that. A mont later, the forest's landscape experienced so visibly obvious changes and what appeared in front of everyone's sight was a small hidden shed in the middle of those thick trees.
"A stealth artifact! Huh!" Alicia raised her brows, looking at the inconspicuous shed.
"It seems to be." Luis nodded with a serious expression. Fortunately, in so of his drones, he added the functions to scan the surroundings to see through low-level stealth and low to mid-grade stealth artifacts.
However, they still aren't capable of scanning through the illusions, as Luis is still working on that.
Luis observed the tree where he previously noticed that blurry figure and after the scan, he found out that there was a man who just finished peeing in that place.
When everyone observed that man carefully, they all had strange expressions on their faces.
"Isn't that a human? What's a human doing there?" Mira's surprised voice sounded.
A serious expression appeared on both Luis and Alicia's faces, as they understood the gravity of this matter. If it is what they think it is and if humans are related to this mass kidnapping. Then this may arise a national issue between the races.
In the worst case, potentially starts conflicts between the Temar Kingdom and the Aiverson Empire.
'Hmm, let's think about the national issue later. Our priority should be to solve this case.' Thinking so in his mind. Luis ordered.
"Lily, turn on the stealth mode of the drones, and let us see what's inside that shed."
{Yes, master!}
Lily did as she was told and maneuvered the drones sneakily behind that man who was about to enter the shed.
She controlled it and made it stick to a button on his shirt, making it look like a normal button.
When that man entered the shed. What was presented in everyone's sight were four more humans seemingly resting inside the shed, with a dozen drums on the side.
"… Lily, scan those drums!" Luis ordered.
{They can't be scanned master. These drums are made up of so anti-scanning material.}
When Luis heard this, a frown appeared on his face. Dissatisfied by her response. The others beside him also showed disappointed expressions.
"Lily, why is there no sound? I want to hear their conversation."
{Master, they have been no conversation going on between them. They are all silent.}
"I see, Lily, check their information. I want to know how and when they entered the Temar Kingdom?"
{Just a second…} Lily said, then a few seconds later she answered. {Master, they have no entry records in the Temar Kingdom.}
"Illegal entry then," Luis said with a neutral expression.
{Yes, and there is also no identity matching them in the records of the Aiverson Empire. It is a 65% probability that soone has tampered with it.}
"Illegal entry to a foreign country and no identity records." Alicia mumbled, then said, "Guess we found them."
"Yeah," Luis nodded while inwardly he was wondering what kind of organization these kidnappers were associated with that could tamper with the identity records of the Aiverson Empire. 'I know a few organizations from the ga who can do this. Is this case related to any of them?'
He stood up and said with a serious expression. "It is also possible that they are from so other country. But let's leave that issue for later, as we can find our answers after we catch them."
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