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Chapter 154: Rebels in Session
“Leon Lion…”
While Leon was poring over his sister’s family portrait, pondering ways to dig into the secrets of Director Aquarius to expedite the investigation against him, a group of people were gathered elsewhere, poring over his file and scheming how to remove this obstacle from their path.
“Do we really have to handle this ourselves? Can’t we just use conventional methods?”
After quickly flipping through the documents in his hands, the short man seated at the far end of the long table spoke up first.
“His routine is fairly predictable. Every day, he travels from Shipbridge Street to the municipal district where the Police Department is located. If we position our forces strategically, a few well-placed bombs might do the trick.”
“Won’t work.”
The young man sitting across from him shook his head, his voice laced with frustration.
“He’s from the Cleansing Bureau. He’s got more than one anomaly protecting him. Ordinary alchemical explosives probably won’t kill him.”
“Then bomb his house.”
The short man suggested again.
“Even if he has anomalies guarding him, they can’t protect him 24/7. We could sneak in at night and blow up the entire apartment on Shipbridge Street.”
“No chance of sneaking in.”
A young woman wearing a hat shook her head, speaking rapidly.
“That building has an excellent vantage point. The northwest tower overlooks the entire street. When I was planning to assassinate the princess, I considered using it as my primary sniper perch.”
“But as soon as I climbed over the fence, I spotted an old man—built like a tank—staring at me with a pair of oversized pruning shears. I shot him, but it didn’t even faze him. He swung those shears at me and nearly took my head off.”
“Later, I brought twenty men with me. In the blink of an eye, they were all tied up by a white-haired old woman and dumped into the corner garbage station.”
“That old man didn’t kill me, but he held those massive shears—over a meter long—against my head for half an hour. He shaved off every hair on my body, including my eyebrows and nose hairs. They haven’t grown back yet.”
She tilted her head slightly, giving everyone a clear view of her bare nostrils, then sighed.
“Later, I found out that the apartment itself is an anomaly. That old man and the white-haired woman have been dead for over ninety years. With those two ghosts guarding the place, sneaking in to plant bombs would require sending in a heavily armed unit.”
“Oh, by the way, have you seen heavy weapons lately? Last month, I snuck into Lion Arms Company and saw that the military’s orders were only half completed, but the paperwork claimed they were done. Aside from a few key units, many divisions aren’t fully equipped. We could exploit that…”
“Enough, Charlotte. Your intel is valuable, but it’s irrelevant to this meeting. We’re here to discuss how to deal with Leon Lion.”
Interrupting the young woman, the middle-aged man at the head of the table spoke up.
“Everyone, according to Barton’s last report, this employee of the Cleansing Bureau isn’t weak. For someone with anomalies, the odds of taking him down with conventional means are slim. We’ll need your unique abilities to handle this.”
“Our involvement isn’t the issue,” grumbled a scruffy old man, sucking on his gums thoughtfully. “But what happens afterward? He’s from the Cleansing Bureau. Remember what the person who gave us our powers said—that red-haired chief of the Virgo Bureau is terrifyingly strong. Even if all of us went after her, it’d be suicide.”
“If Barton were still around, we could’ve killed Leon inside Barton’s replicated space. But now that Barton’s gone, killing Leon might provoke that woman to come after us personally…”
“It won’t come to that,” the middle-aged man interjected calmly. “The Virgo Bureau chief has her duties. She rarely acts directly. Besides, we don’t necessarily need to kill him. Erasing his abilities and memories will suffice.”
He turned to the drowsy child seated to his right and tapped the table lightly.
“Phoebe, you’ll join this mission. Your task is to make him forget everything about us and the ability to peer into others’ souls. Think you can handle it?”
“Huh?”
Startled awake by the question, the sleepy girl blinked in confusion.
“What mission?”
“…”
“Ambushing Leon Lion.”
The girl sniffled, still looking bewildered.
“Who’s Leon Lion?”
“An employee of the Cleansing Bureau. He exposed Barton’s identity and stripped Samantha of her powers.”
“Who’s Barton? And who’s Samantha?”
Without a trace of impatience, the middle-aged man explained patiently.
“They were our comrades. Barton was a spy embedded in the Secret Investigation Bureau—a burly man with a scar on his face. Samantha was the woman with bandaged hands who could heal wounds—or rot flesh. Do you remember now?”
“Oh…”
The girl nodded vaguely, rubbing her eyes before asking another question.
“And who are you?”
“I… never mind.”
Massaging his temples with a sigh, the middle-aged man gestured toward the seat beside the girl.
“Lucy, your sister’s amnesia has flared up again. She’s in no condition to strategize. Just implant the necessary information directly into Phoebe’s mind.”
“Understood.”
A raspy, aged voice responded. An elderly woman with deeply wrinkled skin straightened in her seat and extended a trembling hand to touch the girl’s forehead.
Watching the peculiar “sisters” prepare, the middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction, then addressed the old woman.
“Lucy, this target has the ability to peer into others’ soul states. After we finalize the ambush plan and select the operatives, I’ll need you to step in again.”
“To prevent the operatives from harboring hostility toward the target prematurely, which could alert him unnecessarily, please implant false memories to temporarily mask their true recollections. Any issues?”
“No problems.”
“Thank you.”
After nodding his gratitude to the old woman, the middle-aged man leaned forward, placing both hands on the table.
“Now, let’s determine the ambush location. Any suggestions?”
“We should strike while he’s at work.”
A man covered in burn scars raised his hand, his cold gaze unwavering.
“We storm the Cleansing Bureau together. Kill the red-haired woman first, then burn everyone else alive. Then…”
“Enough, enough. Be quiet.”
Exasperated by the man’s reckless suggestion—which bordered on suicidal—the middle-aged man waved a hand dismissively.
With a strange popping sound, the burned man vanished, leaving behind only a dusty, empty chair.
After somehow ejecting the man, the middle-aged man sighed.
“There’s no need for such nonsense. Does anyone have a slightly more feasible suggestion?”
“Yes.”
The scruffy old man raised his hand, his expression earnest.
“How about ambushing him during the Duke of Lionheart’s investiture ceremony? What do you think?”
“The Duke of Lionheart’s investiture ceremony?”
The room fell silent as the rebels absorbed the suggestion. One by one, they began nodding in agreement.
“Not bad.”
“Very suitable.”
“I agree.”
The middle-aged man at the head of the table pondered for a moment before nodding with a satisfied smile.
“It’s an excellent choice. The Duke of Lionheart’s investiture will draw many dignitaries, possibly even royal representatives.”
“If we’re lucky, not only can we deal with Leon Lion, but we might also eliminate a large number of nobles and officials in one go. Let’s set the ambush for tomorrow’s ceremony.”
“As for the specific operatives, does anyone want to volunteer?”
“I do! I do!”
Excitedly raising her hand, the chatty young woman who had been shorn bald chimed in.
“I can attack from five kilometers away…”
“You’re out.” Interrupting her once more, the middle-aged man shook his head.
“Your ability is stealthy and works from a distance, making you excellent for assassinations. But your destructive power is too weak to break through the anomalies likely protecting him.”
“Besides, we don’t need to kill him this time. We just need to subdue him and let Phoebe erase part of his memory and abilities. You’re unsuitable for this mission.”
“Then count me in.” Before the talkative bald woman could protest further, a thin young man stood up, his voice trembling with emotion.
“When Barton stayed behind to cover our escape, Samantha and I managed to flee. This time, I…”
“Sorry, you’re not suitable either.”
The middle-aged man shook his head.
“It’s not yet time to provoke the red-haired woman of the Cleansing Bureau. You were close to Barton, and I fear you’ll seek revenge by killing the target outright, which would complicate matters. Stay behind.”
“…”
As the young man sat back down, visibly disappointed, the middle-aged man stopped asking for volunteers and instead named his choices directly.
“In addition to Phoebe and Lucy, David and Luke—you two will join the mission. Your abilities are best suited for this task.”
“No problem.” The man who had initially suggested planting bombs responded promptly.
“Agreed.” The scruffy old man nodded.
“Then it’s settled.”
After finalizing the team, the middle-aged man watched as the selected members approached Lucy to receive their false memories. Satisfied, he waved his hand, and another strange popping sound filled the room. Everyone disappeared, leaving behind rows of dusty chairs.
The middle-aged man himself seemed to age decades in an instant. His once-black temples were now streaked with gray.
---
Still no one survives to see the future?
Surveying the now-empty conference room and the dust-covered chairs, the visibly aged man sighed deeply. He rose with effort, controlling his aging body as he shuffled toward the door.
The last time he made changes, it hadn’t been enough to prevent the kingdom’s collapse. The pro-war faction led by the princess had been utterly defeated, plunging the nation into eleven years of brutal civil war. The once-thriving capital had been reduced to rubble by relentless bombardments, displacing countless people and driving them to despair.
In the futures where he successfully assassinated the princess, the royal family and nobles surrendered immediately, ceding territory and resources. Ports, mines, and even the national currency were abandoned, leaving the once-prosperous nation drained dry. Yet the populace managed to scrape by.
As for him and the “rebels” he had gathered—none of them existed in any future. Only he endured, bearing the pain of a shattered homeland, surviving solely to relay messages back to the past, trying desperately to save a country on the brink of ruin.
Reaching the door, the now-frail man took a deep breath and gripped the rusted handle with his knobby fingers.
“With the House Lion wiped out entirely and a new Duke of Lionheart rising in their place, let’s see what the future will look like.”
Creak.
The old hinges groaned as he pushed the door open, as if parting the veil between two worlds. Blinding sunlight poured in, accompanied by the lively hum of voices.
“This… what is this?”
Staring at the immaculate buildings, bustling streets, enormous airships trailing ribbons across the sky, and the crowds gathered around strange screens in animated discussion, the middle-aged man froze in place.
It worked. Finally, it worked. The kingdom is saved!
Overwhelmed by an uncontrollable surge of joy, tears streaming down his face, the man collapsed to his knees, letting out a hoarse, ecstatic roar.
“Goodness, you startled me!”
“What’s wrong with him? Why’s he shouting like that?”
“Prince Leon just got caught cheating. Is that why he’s so happy?”
“Guards! Guards! There’s a madman here!”
“…”
Surrounded by curious onlookers whispering and pointing, the middle-aged man—who had finally glimpsed a brighter future—raised his arms and shouted jubilantly to the heavens.
“Long live the kingdom! Long live the kingdom!”
Startled, the crowd collectively took several steps back, murmuring among themselves.
“Is this guy insane?”
“What’s wrong with him? Why’s he suddenly shouting about the kingdom?”
“Yeah, the kingdom doesn’t even exist anymore.”
What? The kingdom doesn’t exist anymore?
Hearing the conversation between two women carrying shopping baskets, the middle-aged man leapt to his feet and pounced on one of them, pinning her to the ground in a frenzy.
“How can the kingdom be gone? Who did it? Who did it?”
“It, it wasn’t me! It wasn’t me!”
Terrified that the “madman” might bite her, the woman trembled and hastily pointed toward the strange screen at the street corner.
“Prince Leon did it! Go find him—it’s got nothing to do with me!”
Lord… Leon?
Following the woman’s gesture, the man turned his gaze to the screen, where a handsome figure repeatedly waved his hands, denying allegations of infidelity and insisting he hadn’t done anything that night.
Leon… Lion?
Kill him. I’ll go back and kill him right now.
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