Li Ang quickly said, "Ti is pressing, it’s almost morning. You all know that we’re here to carry out a covert operation, right?"
"Isn’t the Guild here to rescue people?" Bostein was stunned.
Li Ang only let Andasu convey their goodwill, while he was responsible for explaining the details.
"Yes, but the plan is not to break in directly. We need to first find where the trapped individuals are located."
Although the Shadow Shipyard is an ally, given their delicate relationship with the twelve shipyards, Li Ang avoided ntioning them to prevent any strange thoughts from the people at the Star Shipyard, and only let the Guild, especially the Order Flower Sword Corps, act as the frontrunner, explaining part of the plan.
"...Once we figure out a way to rescue everyone together, we’ll deploy our combat power to the frontlines, and crush the Empire’s and those five shipyards’ conspiracy in one fell swoop. We still need ti until then."
"We understand, completely understand."
Originally worried about their families’ wellbeing, the leaders now naturally acquiesced.
"So, I need you all to continue living like prisoners for now. Don’t worry, I defeated those three individuals, and I’ll have soone disguised as them to guard you. You’ll be safe from now on."
The group led by Bostein nodded repeatedly. Li Ang added, "But there’s one thing you need to cooperate on."
"What is it? Please tell us."
"When we arrived, we heard those three asking you about so things."
As soon as Li Ang finished speaking, Bostein’s smile froze.
Though it didn’t feel like there was any hostility, it did indicate that it was a very important matter.
The leaders exchanged glances, and in the end, Bostein said directly, "We’re at this point today, and the safety of our families, our factories, and workers no longer matters. Why cling to a secret?"
The others sighed, and soone said, "The mastermind behind this is the Sky Fla, and they value it the most. They’ve betrayed us, so why keep the secret?"
Another added, "I say it because they saved my only daughter. I only have her left."
Beside the middle-aged man speaking was a still-frightened beautiful teenage girl, tightly holding his hand. At this mont, half her face hidden behind the man, she was secretly observing Li Ang and the other two.
The leaders had heard from their relatives about Li Ang’s battle with the three villains, and were now very trusting of him, with no suspicion of it being a ruse.
One of them was already near death from torture, barely able to stand with the support of family.
"It’s not about having to spill secrets, just say so half-truths. They were here to interrogate, so if we pretend to be them, we need sothing to report."
In fact, there was no one pretending. The Soul Apex trio was exactly themselves, but they needed to perform tasks publicly to cope with the Eye of God’s mission.
Bostein sighed, "Actually, it’s not very secretive, or perhaps, over the years, I’ve gradually doubted its value."
As the director and high-tier engineer of the Star Shipyard, he concisely recounted a certain past of the City of the Ship’s Rudder.
Built upon the ruins of an ancient civilization, the City of the Ship’s Rudder naturally has remnants of the forr civilization. It’s no secret that the people here benefited from it, and the twelve shipyards benefited the most.
Aside from accumulating their own shipbuilding technology, much of the technology ca from twelve buried tunnels beneath the city, with each tunnel containing different things, leading to differences in knowledge acquired by the shipyards, but with a common origin, they could naturally complent each other.
In the early days, the twelve shipyards cooperated, bringing a rapid technological and economic boom. Back then, they weren’t the twelve shipyards but rather precursors like repair shops and processing plants, eventually becoming comprehensive large shipyards.
However, personal greed later erged.
The reason was that one shipyard discovered one more tunnel, and found treasures beyond the current level inside.
That shipyard was the Sky Fla.
The people of the Sky Fla beca nearly obsessed with learning the knowledge held by the other shipyards, going as far as using relatively extre thods, even provoking dissatisfaction from the Guild that managed the thirteenth passage, cutting off cooperation with them.
This matter ended with an internal split within the Sky Fla.
"This was during the ti of my predecessor’s predecessor as director. It’s only recorded in our shipyard that within the split factions of the Sky Fla, one side held the object itself, while the other held the ’key.’ And to activate the key required knowledge, which is why they were so eager at that ti.
"The part of the Sky Fla that left naturally opposed plundering knowledge from us by any ans. They held possibly imnse power and disappeared, and we all suspect they are now the ’Shadow Shipyard.’ Have you heard of this urban legend?"
As Bostein spoke, he was also observing Li Ang’s expression.
Li Ang was already accustod to such matters and showed no cracks: "Soone ntioned it. I won’t want any of those secrets. Just tell how much the Empire side knows, so I can handle things."
Bostein shook his head, "They basically don’t know, but whether they’ve learned from other shipyards, I don’t know. We do have so hidden places for specific shipbuilding knowledge, which I can inform you of."
Bostein was willing to divulge secrets, indeed showing he was also weary of passing down so rules due to such history. The knowledge obtainable from the tunnels is certainly limited, and the shipyards likely have thoroughly digested it. On the contrary, it has brought today’s calamity, which is truly not worthwhile.
Even if Li Ang obtained this knowledge, it wouldn’t be enough to build ships surpassing the current twelve shipyards, so it was naturally sothing he could afford to let go, as a gesture to a savior as a powerful ally.
The real hidden treasure is behind the door at the end of the tunnels, but it’s not sothing that anyone can just open.
And Li Ang, he truly wasn’t interested in that knowledge. He had entered the chanical Creation Furnace and obtained the lting and Gathering Law, which surely contained the shipyard’s knowledge.
However, he was indeed sowhat surprised; he did not expect the past of the City of the Ship’s Rudder to be like this.
With this in mind, isn’t the group that split from Sky Fla led by Loken? Although today’s Shadow Shipyard is composed not only of dissenters from Sky Fla but also others dissatisfied with other shipyards.
As for the "powerful thing" they possess without the key, Li Ang believed it was likely the giant ancient ship.
Loken knew about the 14th passage where the ancient ship was located. The Sky Fla might be holding its activator, but activating it required the chanical Creation Furnace’s knowledge to start—Li Ang analyzed like this.
After taking care of the people at the Star Shipyard, Li Ang, along with Andasu and luna, returned.
Before the break of dawn, they barely made it back to the Rowing Team Dormitory, where a worried Reed finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew, I almost thought I’d have to exhaust my brain to co up with a plan, I even thought of several pre-planned statents."
"You worked hard."
"Did you gain anything this ti?"
"The gain is substantial."
Li Ang smiled at Reid, "But moving forward, digesting it will be needed."
Back in the room, Li Ang imdiately took out paper and pen to summarize the information.
What Bostein revealed indicated that each shipyard should be similar to the Star. Hostages are likely held in the Machine Core Tunnel; otherwise, they couldn’t figure out how such a large space could silently harbor so many people.
The purpose of Li Ang and the other two coming in this ti was to scout the hostages’ location. Now that they know the location, the missing part is how to contact them, especially while synchronizing all their actions and transporting them all away.
There is also a problem with communicating with the outside world.
The communication device cannot be used now, as the Empire detected the device fluctuations after taking over the shipyard easily. Even if this suddenly rising force doesn’t understand the common but high-end tactical nuances of Nebis, the Soul Apex people would supplent them.
At the mont, using a communication device within the shipyard would be detected.
The communication device itself is also extrely expensive. The sound-transmitting Mother and Child Stone and Magic Equipnt are hard to produce, and the Shadow Shipyard only has one set. A child terminal was given to the warriors hidden in the shipyard, but everyone shares this one.
This one should be in the hands of the leader of the hidden warriors, but it’s not usable in this situation.
After pondering, Li Ang still decided to find a ti to return back once.
As for rescuing the hostages, them being held in the Machine Core Tunnel actually gave him an idea, but to implent it would require the cooperation of many high-end battle strengths.
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