novelhk Page 29
Page 29
"Why is it so cold..."
Lynch was completely focused. He first manipulated his spirit to create a force field that could block the propagation of his voice, and then began working on the scar on his left arm.
An invisible force, like threads, tightly bound Lin Qi's left arm, the intense feeling of restraint causing his face to turn pale.
But he did not hesitate. With his teeth moving up and down with a force that was almost like crushing something, the power transformed into a sharp blade, gently cutting along the scar and tearing it apart completely.
The blood continued to flow as usual, without a single drop leaking out, as if nothing had happened.
Beads of cold sweat appeared on Lin Qi's forehead. He took a deep breath, which relieved the pain somewhat.
Immediately afterwards, under the control of his psionic energy, a black earpiece the size of a fingernail emerged from the torn flesh and landed in his other hand.
Lin Qi exhaled, as if he were exhaling the breath he had just inhaled.
The psionic energy continued to operate, but this time its effect was completely opposite to what it had been before.
The torn flesh was pulled back together, and the cells regenerated rapidly—three minutes later, a somewhat new-looking scar appeared on the left arm, as if the scene of being torn apart had never happened.
Lin Qi shook his arm, feeling a mix of emotions.
Psychic energy, if it weren't for its severe side effects, which make each use suicidal for most psychics, would be an incredibly powerful and convenient force.
Forget about that, let's get down to business.
Lynch put on the headset and began rhythmically rubbing its surface with one finger.
The headset was activated, and a cacophony of electronic noise began to fill my ears.
Following Lappland's instructions, Lynch kept adjusting the headset's frequency. Three minutes later, accompanied by the sudden appearance and disappearance of a sharp, piercing sound, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had adjusted the frequency correctly.
"Password."
A familiar, cold female voice rang out, icy and as if its owner were a robot devoid of any emotion.
Lin Qi spoke, uttering the pre-arranged password.
"First, the Legion has no secrets."
"Secondly, long live the Empire."
The fact that the two sides' coded messages matched indicated that there were basically no unexpected situations.
Lappland spoke first, her usually cold voice now carrying a hint of worry.
"Lin Qi, what's the situation on your end? Did you complete the mission? Does this sudden contact mean you need backup?"
"No, the plan has changed, let me tell you."
Lynch quickly extracted some of the things that happened between him and Eric and told Lappland, while also instructing them not to rush into action after gaining the trust of the Weeping Ones, but to wait in orbit for the signal transmitted from the Star Claws.
Once a signal is received, we will immediately take action to seize control of the ships and weapons on the orbital platform.
"Wouldn't doing this be too risky for you?"
Lappland's voice came through, raising the same concern that Eric and Bell had expressed earlier.
“If the plan goes wrong, your safety will be hard to guarantee. We can escape into deep space, while you will be left on the surface facing Huron’s pursuit…”
"Don't worry, I have ways to save my life. Even if the plan fails, Huron can't kill me."
Lynch said this, and then silence fell on the other end of the headset.
After a long while, Lappland's voice rang out again.
“I understand, but we will also cause a riot in Hive City at the same time to help you attract Huron’s attention.”
"...Alright, be careful, may the God Emperor protect you."
May the God Emperor protect us.
Chapter 40 Saving Private Gawain (Part 1)
"Brother Lynch, why aren't you eating?"
"I'm full, do you want the rest?"
"Really?! That's fantastic!"
Kahn rubbed his hands excitedly and used his fork to transfer the remaining half of the synthetic flatbread from Lynch's bowl into his own.
Dipping it in an unknown brown sauce, Kahn stuffed half a pancake into his mouth at once, causing his cheeks to bulge out, making him look like a hamster as he chewed.
Lin Qi couldn't help but chuckle at his expression, but he managed to suppress his laughter, shook his head, and turned to look at the clock on the cafeteria wall, silently calculating the time.
It is now Badab time, 5:28 AM.
It will be 5:30 in two minutes, which is the time when most of the warband servants will leave the mess hall and go to their work posts.
This is information Lynch learned from Kahn, since he was "re-entering his identity information" when the specific work tasks and times were explained yesterday, and he wasn't present.
Kahn finished chewing, tilted his head back, and forcefully used the muscles in his mouth and throat to swallow the half-pancake.
"Hiccup~"
A satisfied burp rang out, along with the sharp, piercing ringing of the servo skull.
"Whoosh!"
Hundreds of warband servants in the canteen stopped what they were doing, then stood up, left their seats, and began looking for the person in charge of their work.
Lynch and Kahn were no exception. They quickly looked around and soon found their supervisor in the east corner of the cafeteria—an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a white robe.
The two of them blended into the crowd, which looked like a school of sardines in the ocean. The person in charge stood on a high platform, holding a piece of parchment in his hand. He coughed twice and then spoke calmly to the crowd.
"Now begin assigning tasks."
The old man spoke calmly, and as he spoke, a servo skull floating beside him automatically synchronized, amplifying his voice several times over with the amplifier below, so that even those at the edge of the crowd could clearly hear his instructions.
"From 102372 to 114514, you are responsible for clearing the Thorn Avenue and the Royal Court walls. For specific arrangements, please check the accompanying server skull."
"You are responsible for numbers 114515 to 114738..."
The old man carried out the arrangements methodically, and the crowd gradually dispersed under his guidance. Time passed by, and after about half an hour, the once dense crowd became sparse, with only a few hundred people remaining.
"From 114573 to 114612, you are responsible for the cleanup of Tongxintang. The specific arrangements are the same as above."
Kahn heard the old man's arrangement and sighed.
"Sigh, Brother Lynch, it seems we can't work together anymore."
He shook his head with some regret, then reached out and patted Lin Qi on the shoulder.
"I'll go first, see you during lunch break."
"Okay, see you during lunch break."
Lynch nodded, watching Kahn's figure disappear around a corner.
Did Eric conveniently separate him from Kahn? After all, as roommates, his actions were likely to attract the other's attention.
"From 114613 to 114623, you will be responsible for cleaning the Meditation Tower. The specific arrangements are the same as above."
Lin Qi took a deep breath, took a step forward, and followed the nine people who were with him to the servo skull responsible for him.
The team of only ten people stood out among the dozens or hundreds of other teams. Servo Skull led the team to collect the cleaning tools—a bucket and a mop—and after everyone confirmed that the bucket was full of water, he continued to lead the way to their work site.
Meditation Tower.
The moment Lin Qi saw the building, he knew why their team consisted of only ten people.
Rather than calling it a tower, the building in front of us is actually a three-story detached house, and each floor doesn't look very big.
Compared to the other tall and imposing buildings in the Thorn Court, the Meditation Tower in front of us looks like a dwarf, or rather, a hunchbacked dwarf.
"According to the serial number, the first four, the middle four, and the last two are responsible for the first, second, and third floors respectively."
The servo skull has been designed with a very simple and easy-to-understand layout, to the point that even an Oregon could comprehend it.
"Horus."
Lynch called out in his heart, and Horus appeared from behind him as always.
"trouble……"
“I understand. There is indeed a strong chaotic aura here. Eric was right. That guard is bound here.”
Before Lynch could finish speaking, Horus had already guessed what he was going to say.
"You just do the work and try to expand your activity area. I'll search this place carefully."
Lin Qi nodded, and then carried the bucket and mop to the third floor as instructed.
He briefly discussed the matter with his assigned partner, and then the two of them began cleaning their respective areas in the vicinity.
Horus continued to inspect the surrounding enclosed meditation rooms, since, according to Eric, the cell where Gawain was imprisoned was right next to the meditation room, meaning it was likely a room that was right next to it and disguised as a meditation room.
However, after searching around, Horus had almost run out of time to move around in the material universe, and the two of them had not found anything.
"what happened?"
Lynch frowned. He didn't think Eric had deceived them, but Horus's investigation showed that Gawain was indeed not there.
Although it was on the third floor, Horus could move within a thirteen-meter radius of him, and at that distance, he could also explore the first floor.
"No, Eric shouldn't be lying to us."
“I know that before Alzheimer’s, you were still quite good at judging people.”
Horus took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
This guy's mouth... sometimes it's really... and yesterday he even joked about the First Legion. I wonder how Leon will react when he sees him in the future.
Oh well, I guess I'll just have to be a little gossipy.
Horus shook his head and looked at Lynch.
There's another possibility regarding the location of that cell.
"Is there another possibility?"
Lin Qi narrowed his eyes slightly and immediately understood Horus's meaning.
"The basement?"
"Yes, the basement. Once we get to the first floor, try to wander around there. I'll investigate, and if it really is the basement, I'll help you find the entrance."