This deep blue powder came from Siracusa. It was clear that even if it wasn't manufactured in Siracusa, there must have been some trade involved.
However, it was unfortunately very mediocre in strength, not even as good as the T-virus from Resident Evil.
In short... it was totally lame.
"Officer Ch'en, where did this powder come from?"
Lucas Reeve knew they came from Siracusa, but he didn't know which family they belonged to.
Officer Ch'en didn't hide anything. Although her expression was still incredibly stern, she had already been thoroughly impressed by Lucas Reeve and the others. As expected of experts in a specialized field, the person personally assigned by the current Grand Tutor of Yan was truly formidable.
"A ruling family in Siracusa, Famiglia Venezia."
"Oh~"
Lucas Reeve nodded, not at all surprised.
Ever since the last Penguin Logistics commission involving Famiglia Venezia, Lucas Reeve knew this family was likely courting death, especially since Siracusa's current situation was really not great. After Sicily obtained weapons support from Raythean Industries, coupled with annexing 40% of Siracusa's territory, they had money, people, and weapons.
They had an overwhelming advantage; how could they possibly lose this wave?
And as a ruling family that used to be evenly matched with Sicily, how could they not be anxious? Furthermore, Famiglia Venezia had experienced an internal conflict a year ago, followed by the flight of Lisa's mother, Vulpisfoglia, who later, after being missing for a long time, actually joined their mortal enemy, Sicily.
The Famiglia Venezia of today was really in a precarious situation.
If things continued to develop normally, it was inevitable that it would follow in the footsteps of Wolf Fang. And if Famiglia Venezia followed Wolf Fang's path, the remaining two families definitely wouldn't be able to beat Sicily. Siracusa's situation was basically set. If no external forces intervened, Sicily's unification was inevitable.
Moreover.
Even if external forces wanted to intervene, it wouldn't be that simple. It wasn't something that could be solved just by providing equipment and weapons; the power gap between the two sides was too large.
"Let's go. Time to find that host body."
Lucas Reeve was in his Rhodes Island uniform coat, hands in his pockets, looking handsome and confident.
Officer Ch'en and Swire, these two Senior Superintendents, now seemed like little sisters in terms of presence, obediently following behind. Lin Qingyan and the other two were the same; they could say nothing but words of admiration. Even the eldest, Taihe, now had the attitude of a student.
He knew that Nian was a Divine Fragment, and this man in the center must also be a deity. A deity's lifespan was far beyond a mere hundred or thousand years. Compared to that long life, he himself was like an infant. Much knowledge couldn't be learned from books and schools; it could only be perfected through long years of practice in the outside world.
Causality Vision, activated.
He isolated the most special causal thread from the rest.
Lucas Reeve led the way in front, and the group followed behind, heading toward the host body.
"By the way, I have a question."
As they walked out of the detention center, Magallan actually raised her hand.
"Please speak, Miss MacArthur."
Lucas Reeve said casually.
"???"
"My name is Magallan!!"
The cute little penguin raised her hand in protest. It was understandable if others got it wrong, after all... they genuinely misremembered. But when Lucas Reeve said it wrong, it was definitely on purpose!
"Anyway," Magallan said, "I was thinking, if this powder comes from Siracusa... then why would it appear in Lungmen?"
"Siracusa isn't that far from Lungmen, but it's definitely not close."
"And, according to what Officer Ch'en just said, those Siracusan Mafia members are extremely desperate to find this thing. If it's so important, why did they have to have an ordinary person transport it to Lungmen? And how was it stolen so easily? Theoretically, shouldn't such an important item be transported under the protection of experts?"
The question Magallan raised was, in fact, something Officer Ch'en had also found puzzling at the time.
After the interrogation.
These dozen or so Siracusan Mafia members only knew that their superiors wanted them to find this powder. They only knew it was very important, and that if they couldn't find it, the few of them would die. As for its purpose, they didn't know either.
Unfortunately.
Causality Vision can only be used on living things.
The group was walking, about to cross from the Civilian District to the slums.
Suddenly, Lin Qingyan spoke up coldly.
"By the way, is it possible we've all thought about this the wrong way? What if this powder didn't come from Siracusa, but from Lungmen? They completed a transaction in Lungmen and were preparing to return to Siracusa when they discovered it was stolen, which is why they sent people here to find it?"
"Lungmen?!"
Lin Qingyan's words exploded in Officer Ch'en's and Swire's minds like a great bell.
Ah!!
Thinking about it carefully, that was indeed a possibility.
They had all been biased toward it coming from the outside and had never considered the possibility that someone inside Lungmen was producing it?!!
If someone inside Lungmen really is producing it, then... the consequences would be unimaginable. As long as that person wanted to, they could cause huge, huge trouble for Lungmen.
However, the Upper District, the Civilian District, and even the slums already have eyes, so there's only one place where surveillance is slightly weaker.... The Wastes!!
Seeing Officer Ch'en seem to realize something, Lucas Reeve also smiled faintly.
"You seem to have thought of something, Officer Ch'en. Don't say anything yet. Let's compare notes. I'll say where the host body is, and you say where you think this stuff is most likely being produced."
"The Wastes~!"
The two said in unison. Clearly, the clue this time pointed directly to The Wastes.
"*Lungmen Profanity*, it's The Wastes again. That place should have been cleaned up long ago. I've said it before, letting that place fester for so long will inevitably turn it into a time bomb. Who knows when it'll suddenly go 'boom' and hit Lungmen with something big. After this incident is over, I absolutely must clean up The Wastes. Even if Director Wei tries to stop me, I must clean it up!"
Officer Ch'en wasn't old, after all, and especially being in a high position, she couldn't tolerate a single speck of evil in her sight. This personality was almost a perfect match for Lin Qingyan's.
"Hmph, I feel the same way."
Lin Qingyan snorted. She had originally thought this young Lungmen Senior Superintendent was indecisive and wouldn't amount to much, but she hadn't expected her personality to be so in line with her own.
"Calm down, Rice Noodle Dragon."
But Swire, beside her, was much calmer. Compared to Officer Ch'en's uncompromising integrity, Swire had completely inherited the smoothness of a wealthy family. She certainly knew that a place like The Wastes couldn't be cleaned up just because one wanted to. If it were really that simple, Director Wei would have already cleaned it up long ago and wouldn't have left it until now.
The group passed through the slums together and arrived at the most remote and desolate part of Lungmen, The Wastes. The Wastes was like the end of a river channel, already clogged full of accumulated garbage from over the years. Only sin existed here, and the L.G.D. wouldn't proactively manage this place at all. This was the true breeding ground for evil. Even L.G.D. officers didn't dare to go there alone or in pairs; they needed a squad of at least four to dare enter.
There was no wire mesh fence between the slums and the Civilian District. Normally, people from the slums could indeed sneak into the Civilian District. As long as they didn't cause trouble, no one really cared. But The Wastes was different. People from The Wastes were not allowed to leave. No matter who it was, once they went in, they would not be allowed to come out.
Between The Wastes and the slums, the L.G.D. had set up a very high wire mesh fence, with heavily armed officers standing guard at intervals, strictly forbidding anyone from The Wastes from coming out.
In fact, when heading to The Wastes, Officer Ch'en was conflicted. Theoretically, places including the slums weren't supposed to be seen by the Yan Emissary, let alone The Wastes. But she had no choice.
Seeing Officer Ch'en hesitate.
Lin Qingyan said calmly, "Don't hesitate. I've known about this place for a long time. I've gone in to investigate before. I know exactly what it looks like inside."
Yan was Yan, after all.
They even knew about things Wei Yenwu had deliberately hidden so tightly, let alone a place as large as The Wastes.
"Understood."
Seeing their superior officer arrive, the officers on duty immediately stood at attention, saluted, and opened the wire gate leading to The Wastes.
And just at that moment.
Lucas Reeve turned his head, his dark and profound gaze looking toward an extremely hidden direction in the rear. His gaze met that of a Blackcloak who was secretly observing from within a remote small building. Just a simple clash of eyes made the Blackcloak in the building tremble.
As expected.
How could Wei Yenwu only have the L.G.D.?
How could he not have his own private troops?
Wei Yenwu had probably already investigated something, but given his current status, it was rather inconvenient to act.
After all, the higher the position.
Although the power was greater, every action taken involved more complications. Therefore, when you reach Wei Yenwu's position, some things that are extremely simple for ordinary people require him to think for a long, long time, because any single point not thought through could lead to disaster.
Lucas Reeve ignored this secret observer. After retracting his gaze, he walked towards The Wastes on his own.
"Is a little one peeking at us from behind?"
If Lucas Reeve could feel it, Nian naturally could too.
"Of course. If Lungmen could be infiltrated so easily and silently, I don't think Wei Yenwu would be called one of the world's best politicians."
In the distance.
The Blackcloak hidden in a small attic only retracted his gaze after everyone had walked far away. If there was a mirror, he would discover that his face, hidden under the cloak, looked somewhat pale right now. It was clearly just a single glance, but it felt as if his back was soaked in sweat.
Such a powerful person....
Although the few who came from Yan were also powerful, they couldn't move him. Even if he had to face a thousand troops alone on the battlefield, he would only charge coldly to his death. However, that simple exchange of glances just now had made his steadfast heart waver for an instant. This feeling wasn't one of being crushed by strength, but... a top-down view from a higher level of life. A primal fear originating from the depths of his soul.
——————
Lungmen, The Wastes.
Inside a remote and dilapidated Victorian-style building.
A man whose entire body had transformed into a monster was tied to a bed. Many 'white coats' were continuously drawing this man's blood for experiments.
On the second floor of the villa, a noble man in extravagant clothes was elegantly swirling the red wine glass in his hand. He took a small, shallow sip, leaning on the railing to 'enjoy' the 'human experiment' on the operating table below.
Beside him, another extravagantly dressed noble man thought for a moment and said.
"Marquis, this thing you mentioned... can it really compare to an Emperor's Blade?"
"Of course it can."
The marquis smiled faintly. "Once the experiment is complete, it will not only compare to an Emperor's Blade, it will surpass it. At that time, once the little emperor loses the Emperor's Blades, his greatest trump card, what does he have to compare with us."
"I had originally planned to use Siracusa as my testing ground. I didn't expect... this bunch of trash from Famiglia Venezia couldn't even guard against a common thief. Heh... Luckily, the L.G.D. people aren't up to much. Even if they obtained the finished product, they'd hardly be able to research anything from it. They even cluelessly created a host body."
"But..."
The person beside him was a little worried. "This is Lungmen, after all... what if Wei Yenwu..."
The marquis burst into wild laughter. "Haha, you think Wei Yenwu doesn't know? But does he dare? His Grace the Duke is eyeing Lungmen covetously right now. If he dares to act, he'll just be giving us an excuse."
"But... Lungmen has Yan behind it... Marquis, what if Yan..."
"Heh, Yan? Impossible! If Yan gets involved, I'll chew up this wine glass and eat it on the spot!"
Suddenly.
With a loud *BOOM*.
The villa's main door was violently kicked open.
Immediately after, a stern female voice rang out.
"I am from the Dali Temple of Yan! Everyone inside! Hands on your head, get against the wall and squat!!!"