Chapter 543: Sealed Zone (5)

At Keegan’s words, the other attendants shot to their feet.

“Administrator!”

“Direct communication with the Triad on this matter could be exceedingly dangerous…!”

“None of you seem to grasp the gravity of the situation. Do you truly believe we’re in a position to be picky?”

Keegan’s chilling gaze swept across the staff in the conference room.

“Who stands to suffer the most if this fails?”

Silence fell.

“If we let this situation drag on without a solution, every single one of us here will be exposed to the mana particle contamination.”

“…”

“Forget about the dynamics between the overt and covert worlds, or overstepping bounds. Are you really willing to forfeit your lives just because you fear disciplinary action from above?”

Only then did the expressions of the attendants, realizing what Keegan Grimes was truly saying, shift dramatically.

This, in fact, was the Central Council’s last effort to resolve the crisis.

They understood that if the team, comprised of Ascendant superhumans including Purity, failed to find a solution, the higher-ups had no intention of intervening further.

No matter what, they had to contain the contamination phenomenon here and now, and resolve the Sealed Zone’s problem.

The old relics of the Central Council would rather bury the Sealed Zone’s problem along with the citizens’ lives than expose it.

Keegan had already fully grasped this fact even before the operation began.

Only then did the attendants start offering their opinions, one by one.

“I know the contact information for a Cartel liaison.”

“Field agents made acquaintances to facilitate cleanup operations in the District 30s.”

“It seems to have been implicitly handled at a level beyond the reach of the law.”

Amidst the rapid exchange of ideas among the attendants, Keegan tapped the table.

“The problem is how to directly contact the Board of Directors.”

“Simple contact won’t be enough. We need to reach at least the secretarial office to extract any information.”

“They won’t be easy to meet. The moment they realize it’s a call from an Administrator, they’ll likely be wary of political maneuvering.”

“If we don’t reveal what’s happening inside the Sealed Zone, it will be difficult. But I’d prefer to minimize sharing classified information…”

The best solution would be to inform the Chairman of the Cartel directly and seek his advice.

However, it’s been several years since Olivera Ron Maize ceased official activities and entered seclusion.

There were only widespread rumors that he had been active behind the scenes at the time of former Chief Justice Madrich Onnion’s death.

Drawing out the reclusive Chairman with just an Administrator’s call was next to impossible.

Keegan, deep in thought, raised a hand.

“Connect me to the liaison. I’ll speak directly.”

“Understood.”

Trrrr-

The moment he realized the call had connected, Keegan immediately spoke.

“Unofficial line. I need to discuss something about the Cartel’s external advisor.”

“…”

“It concerns Adamant Thunder’s safety. This is an urgent matter, so could you please summon the secretarial office immediately?”

No answer for a long time.

But the line didn’t disconnect; the silence persisted, quietly.

Finally, the sound of someone picking up the line echoed.

In the fleeting moment Keegan quietly drew a breath, a chilling voice resonated from beyond the line.

“-I’d like you to understand that this kind of contact does nothing to help the relationship between the City Government and our head office, First-Class Administrator Grimes.”

“…”

Keegan’s face hardened as he felt a chill run down his spine.

He hadn’t even introduced himself, yet the other party already knew who he was.

“-Our head office strictly deals with those who impersonate our external advisor. We’re letting this pass as a warning out of respect for the Administrator’s efforts in managing that absurdly large dam.”

“Thank you for your consideration, President Virgil O’Reiden.”

Keegan replied in a low, somber voice.

“However, I hope you understand there was not a single falsehood in what I said. The current situation is simply that urgent.”

Ultimately, the Administrator’s gamble to directly summon the Cartel’s Board of Directors had succeeded.

Among the four directors, he was undeniably the Chairman’s right-hand man, the foremost.

The CEO overseeing the Cartel’s countless ventures, an entrepreneur responsible for all its achievements and controlling its covert capital.

As a result of shamelessly invoking Lennok’s name to emphasize the urgency, none other than Executive Virgil O’Reiden himself had answered their call.

“-What do you mean you want to discuss the external advisor’s safety?”

The vampire’s cold voice resonated faintly through the line.

“-As you may know, there are unpleasant rumors circulating about the external advisor’s health. Are you aware that the issue you’ve brought up is equally sensitive to our head office?”

“Of course.”

Keegan swallowed hard and replied.

He had been fearless even against 8-level monsters and 7-level Completers, but facing the Cartel was entirely different.

All four team members Keegan was with were individuals whose dispositions were relatively neutral.

But the Cartel, though it takes the form of a company, is a genuine threat that wouldn’t hesitate to act if things go awry.

If Keegan couldn’t justify why he invoked Lennok’s name here, he would undoubtedly pay a price.

“I won’t elaborate. I’ll send you a video Lennok himself filmed in District 25 through the line.”

“-…District 25?”

Virgil, sensing something, repeated the question, then after verifying the video transmitted through the line, the call immediately disconnected.

Beep, beep…

At the same time, this time a secure line from the Cartel rang in reverse.

As Keegan began to answer the call, Virgil’s face immediately appeared on the conference room screen.

Sitting in the middle of a vast office, an unmistakable smile played on Virgil’s face.

“-I see. I wondered what you wanted to talk about, but it’s such a familiar face…”

“…”

Virgil, looking at Keegan with his distinct crimson vampire eyes, spoke leisurely.

“-You made a wise decision, Administrator Grimes. Did you attempt to contact us for more information immediately after checking the video? You’re quite different from the City Government Administrators I know.”

Virgil’s voice seemed to thin for a moment.

“-As if your life depends on this matter.”

‘Gasp!’

A few of the attendants couldn’t help but gasp.

But Keegan didn’t bother to deny it.

This was a man who had survived on the front lines of the underworld for decades to reach his current position.

It would be stranger if his intuition wasn’t preternaturally sharp.

It wasn’t surprising that he could piece together the sequence of events just from Keegan’s call and the unfolding situation.

“I’d like to receive testimonies from those present at the scene as quickly as possible. Can you summon any Cartel executives who were deployed to District 25?”

“-The price?”

“After the operation inside the Sealed Zone concludes successfully, I will hand over the progress and relevant information.”

“-You’re speaking dangerously. Do you realize how reckless it is to confirm that in the Administrator’s name?”

At Keegan’s lack of response, Virgil’s laughter grew louder.

“-No, I misspoke. If the operation isn’t successful, then you won’t be in a position to keep your promise, will you?”

“…”

“-Alright. But there’s no need to go far. After all, not many of our forces participated in that operation.”

Virgil, with a thoughtful expression, tapped his desk as he searched his memories.

“-It was before the long civil war was resolved. They said there was something urgent that needed to be handled near the power plant before a conclusion was reached.”

“Do you know what kind of operation was being conducted in the Sealed Zone at that time?”

“-I don’t know the specifics. I only remember it was large enough to evacuate all civilians residing nearby.”

Virgil replied.

“-They were probably moving to keep secret a study that needed to be conducted inside the power plant…”

“…”

The moment he heard that, Keegan bit his lip.

It was as if he had directly confirmed through Virgil that the superhumans from the past, detached from their timeline decades ago, were by no means their allies.

Virgil chuckled, watching Keegan.

“-I can roughly guess what you’re thinking. It’s a much more intriguing secret than I imagined. So, the contamination phenomenon that occasionally seeped out from beyond District 25 was ultimately…”

Even if information inside the Sealed Zone was hidden, those with keen insight would naturally uncover fragments of the truth with even the slightest clues and traces.

Watching Virgil piece together District 25’s hidden secrets backward from the results, Keegan asked again.

“Can you speak directly to the Chairman about this matter?”

“…”

“Pardon my presumption, but the Chairman himself might be directly involved. If you happen to reach him, there must be crucial information he remembers…!”

“-Ah, it just arrived.”

“Pardon?”

“-He’s not one to usually check messengers, but an issue of this magnitude would be hard for him to ignore.”

Saying that, Virgil waved the phone he was holding.

“-I sent a message as soon as I saw the video. He replied.”

Turning on the messenger to check Olivera’s reply, Virgil’s face instantly took on a strange expression.

“-…Hm?”

“W-what…?”

Virgil’s reaction was so bizarre that even the attendants watching him couldn’t breathe, tensing up.

“-No, the Chairman… hmm.”

Stroking his chin with a troubled expression, Virgil blurted out.

“-He said he’s going straight to Kurbas Dam right now.”

“…”

Only a cold silence quietly permeated the conference room.

Virgil stood up with a wry smile.

“-We’ll prepare the escort on our end. We’ll need your cooperation.”

“They’re isolating the power plant vicinity and patrolling all sides?”

“That’s right.”

McQueen replied nonchalantly.

“Kaiser himself deemed it necessary, so they’re simply reallocating surplus forces to this area.”

“…”

“They’ll finish the work and return within three days. The war keeps them too busy to invest a long time here.”

McQueen’s words indicated that they were isolating the particle power plant and completely blocking external access.

To enter the power plant by conventional means, he would have no choice but to fight directly against the superhumans of the past.

Parden McQueen from decades ago, Olivera, Kaiser, and other superhumans from the past who had arrived as reinforcements.

He hadn’t yet confirmed all their other forces, but if these three were this formidable, what about the others?

‘So much I want to confirm… but so little time.’

Was the McQueen standing before him the real McQueen from the past, or merely an illusion remaining in this zone?

In truth, Lennok had already concluded that the former possibility was low.

If he had truly traveled back in time, it would mean he was subjected to forced time reversal, against his will.

Considering Lennok’s targeted resistance ability, this was virtually impossible.

It was inconceivable unless it was a miracle on the level of an Ascendant or an Outer God; if such a miracle lurked within the zone, Lennok would surely have noticed.

But it was also difficult to simply consider it an illusion.

This McQueen was conversing and thinking normally with Lennok, and making autonomous decisions to perform actions that wouldn’t have existed in the past.

Furthermore, the main force flowing from his body was very similar to what Lennok remembered.

It wasn’t merely a distortion that detached the timeline far away.

A miracle that couldn’t be explained without a specific point in time being ‘fixed’ and entirely embedded into the world’s timeline.

If this was a byproduct of the Black Consumer Project that Kaiser had tampered with, Lennok needed to confirm it here.

“We’re here. The particle power plant is that way.”

Unlike the Sealed Zone’s outskirts, which were nearly ruins, this was a magnificent, modern structure, not a speck of dust visible.

Beyond the colossal walls, seemingly cast entirely from concrete, thick chimneys and ventilation shafts of immense diameter were visible.

The particle power plant ceaselessly belched smoke, superimposing faint mana ripples.

Though he could only glimpse its form beyond the thick walls, Lennok could sense an incredibly powerful energy source emanating from within.

And that all the phenomena occurring in this Sealed Zone were related to that power plant.

McQueen, standing before the power plant, spun to face Lennok, then pointed back at him towards the bridge leading to the power plant.

“Lead the way.”

“…Are you starting to doubt me now?”

“I must be cautious before meeting the Chairman.”

McQueen said, his guard visibly unwavering.

“Though I’ve guided you because you possess a signed calling card, I don’t trust you.”

“…”

“Overly dangerous mana… the mark of someone who’s killed countless people. I doubt a wizard like you could truly trust or follow anyone, given your nature.”

“Trust and follow, huh…”

Could there be anything more ironic than hearing that from McQueen himself, who ended his life betraying Olivera?

“What are you scoffing at?”

McQueen’s reaction, openly displaying his discomfort without bothering to hide it.

His attitude was slightly different from the McQueen Lennok remembered, who had seemed somewhat detached from everything except his obsession with his own time during his life.

Over the decades, this apostate monk must have had several experiences that shifted his values.

“If you think that, then you could just kill me anytime with your Liberation Protocol, couldn’t you?”

“…”

“I know you utilized the Domain Boundary Pattern to pioneer your mind’s landscape. If it’s a high mountain vista imbued with your will, eliminating me would be trivial—”

“Enough.”

At this point in time, Parden McQueen was denying his own inner landscape and disliked the fact that his Domain’s scenery reflected the high mountains from his monk days.

He could show displeasure at Lennok mentioning his Domain, but it wouldn’t be easy to further suspect and press Lennok, who knew such information.

Lennok precisely aimed for that gap of psychological discomfort and hesitation, and it worked splendidly on McQueen himself.

Unable to tolerate it, McQueen slammed the staff he held firmly at Lennok’s feet.

“Let’s go in. As you said, guiding you through the facility and reorganizing the command structure will be handled after I meet the Chairman.”

“…”

“It’s incredibly inconvenient not having communication near the Ramahal District. I wonder if things will improve once Kaiser’s research is complete, huff…”

There was still an opportunity to kill McQueen and enter alone.

But Lennok docilely calmed his mana, leaned on his staff, and followed McQueen’s words, crossing the bridge leading into the power plant.

The colossal power plant was utterly empty, filled only with vacant open fields and facilities, not a single person in sight.

Had all the civilians residing near the district, as well as the power plant’s managing staff and personnel, been evacuated?

What research was Kaiser conducting here that required keeping people so far away, leaving only Ascendant-level superhumans and above to guard it?

By today’s standards, they were essentially employing powerhouses, each capable of shaking the underworld’s power structure, as mere guards.

Just as Lennok, once again realizing the time disparity, was about to move towards the main gate leading into the power plant.

“[Parden McQueen.]”

A voice called McQueen from high above, impossibly distant.

“[Outside access should be restricted. Did you not hear Kaiser’s orders?]”

A flat, monotonous voice, devoid of intonation.

But McQueen shook his head the moment he heard that voice.

“He’s connected to the head office. He’s been ordered to join this operation, and I’m merely confirming the authenticity of his claim.”

“[Then it would be best to handle it outside the power plant.]”

The voice replied.

The voice, quietly blending in like a whisper on the wind, felt spectral.

“[Didn’t Kaiser himself request strict prohibition of entry? Do you intend to disobey orders?]”

“I merely need to inquire directly with the Chairman. At the very least, he seems to have directly hinted at this.”

McQueen retorted with an expressionless face.

“Or will you go inside the power plant facility yourself and convey this information? If so, I’ll wait here.”

“…”

There was no reply.

Instead, the sensation of being watched from far up in the sky vanished.

Lennok immediately turned his gaze to McQueen and asked.

“Who was that?”

“One of Kaiser’s confidants.”

McQueen replied, frowning.

“He’s well-known for always having his confidants as a personal guard. Every single one of them has annoying and difficult abilities.”

“…”

“I hate to admit it, but their achievements in the civil war were so immense that they even earned a special name. I believe that name was…”

McQueen, deep in thought, spoke as if he just remembered.

“Deadrise, wasn’t it?”

“…What?”

The moment Lennok, who hadn’t expected to hear that name here, turned his head.

Whoosh!!

A flash of gray light cleaved through the air at supersonic speed and plunged towards the ground.

In the blink of an eye, something plummeted vertically from the sky, spread its massive frame wide, and stopped before the two men.

Shhhhk!!

Steel-plated wings unfolded on both sides.

Countless firearms mounted on the inner side of the magnificent, multi-meter-long wings registered perfectly in Lennok’s eyes.

The figure of a man, with two wings boasting overwhelming artificial beauty strapped to his back, rapidly decelerated and landed on the ground.

Dull, sunken gray eyes stared chillingly at Lennok.

“…”

The Triad of the Cartel.

The private military company Kaiser’s confidants supposedly betrayed him to establish.

Could that name originally have referred to Kaiser’s personal guard?

Lennok, ironically, found himself facing the very individual, one of Kaiser’s confidants, right here.

One of the perpetrators who might, in the future, betray Kaiser and abandon him.