Chapter 50

Shelley's profanity caused some trouble for the UN's retreat—the trouble mainly stemmed from the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" spiel that started flying around on Louis.

At this moment, Louis was seriously instructing Shelley not to swear, using the example of someone who himself rarely swore.

Cervantes, who was idly listening in, wanted to point out that Louis's statement could have been made more persuasive by removing the word "often." However, considering Louis's mental state, he ultimately remained silent.

Shelley seemed to have taken it to heart.

Ahead of them, Romain Rolland and Barry were trying to clear the corridor of toxic gas that Louis had sprayed, while Vladimir and Exupéry were each keeping watch behind them...

After all, among the people present, only Romain Rolland and Barry had the ability to clear the gas; the others could only watch and make things worse...

After all, Exupé is good for nothing but invincibility, while Vladimir is helpless when it comes to technical fields that can't be achieved through pay-to-win.

It's clear they still think it's better to look at things from a different perspective.

While this group of people were causing a ruckus and wreaking havoc inside the substation, Verne and Defoe, who were on the Nautilus providing support, were sweating profusely as they listened to the commotion coming through the communicator.

Especially Defoe, who was practically drenched in cold sweat at this moment: "I don't have much experience in positive activities... Have they always been like this?"

Verne's sleeve, which he had been using to wipe his sweat, was already soaked. Upon hearing Defoe's question, another bead of cold sweat broke out: "In most cases, that's true..."

Defoe listened to the voice coming from the communicator again, then turned to look at Verne and Christie, who was sitting a little further back, with admiration: "You two are truly great."

It's incredible that they've managed to keep such a huge mess going until today...

This noisy, chaotic, and utterly undisciplined organization has managed to survive until today without turning into a gang entirely thanks to the leadership of Jules Verne, Roland, and Christie…

Verne: ...Although I was praised, I certainly wasn't happy about it.

Further away, Christie, to prevent the passive skill "No one survived" from accidentally harming Defoe and Verne, was currently looking at a report (written by Romain Rolland in his busy schedule).

"This time it's really gotten out of hand."

Verne wholeheartedly agreed with this conclusion: "Given this 'grand spectacle,' coupled with the criminal records our crew accumulated in the ASA, and the trouble we caused in China, the UN will likely soon become a globally wanted organization."

Compared to their previous insignificant antics in Europe, this time it felt like a true "declaration of arrival."

—Of course, this specifically refers to the "appearance" of criminal organizations.

"Anyway, UN will definitely be in the public eye after this, but it doesn't seem to be anything special - it's just a bunch of photos of wanted criminals put together."

Defoe had been sweating profusely since earlier: "I'm clearly not a wanted criminal! According to you, this is the first time I've been on the wanted list, and the pressure is immense coming so quickly..."

Christie's gaze remained fixed on the documents, but she naturally continued after Defoe finished speaking: "Defoe, you haven't shown yourself on the Nautilus from beginning to end, and no one has witnessed you—so there won't be a picture of you in this wanted notice."

Defoe paused, then his expression shifted, a mixture of disappointment and relief: "There's a subtle sense of relief mixed with unease..."

Verne squinting: You think being wanted is a good thing or what?

Ignoring the guy who was pacing back and forth in this strange place, Verne picked up his report and habitually started typing on the computer.

"In terms of the outcome, we lost out this time."

They couldn't find a trace of the "book," and while they lost a huge amount of resources, their identities were almost completely exposed. One member even died. Even from the perspective of gaining fame, it was a huge loss...

Verne threw the documents onto the table in front of him: "I should never have tried it in the first place."

Christie’s voice rang out just as Verne finished speaking: “It was quite successful in calming the members down at the time.”

Indeed, this time, those troublemakers at the UN have visibly quieted down considerably...

But this is such a waste, Jules Verne thought expressionlessly, referring to the logistics manager.

If he had to do this every time to calm them down, he'd rather blow up the ship now.

"Anyway, let's retreat after they board the ship. Staying here any longer might lead to our encirclement and annihilation."

Christie suddenly looked up at the two people in front of her.

"On this matter, I happen to have something I'd like to ask of everyone."

Caught off guard by Christie's sudden remark, Verne and Defoe exchanged bewildered glances.

Defoe clicked his tongue: "Christie, you're even using the word 'request'... Just tell me what's wrong, and I'll do my best to help."

Verne seemed much calmer than Defoe, and after a moment of shock, he quickly regained his composure: "I think I can guess what you're up to, Christie—stay here for now, don't leave, right?"

Christie nodded.

Defoe, who had just been clicking his tongue, suddenly had a tongue cramp. It took him a long time to recover before he managed to utter a sentence: "Wouldn't staying here mean we'd be surrounded and killed?"

Christie nodded: "In some ways, being besieged is precisely why I want to stay."

Defoe's tongue completely twitched.

Verne, however, remained unusually calm, arms crossed, and looked at Christie: "The reason?"

"The reason is..."

Christie's expression seemed to contain a hint of nostalgia, but she couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"It's just that I've wanted to play a game of chess for a long time."

Meanwhile, at Yokohama Airport.

In the empty airport, an airplane painted with the ASA logo stands out.

Several people were disembarking from the plane when the man leading them turned around to look behind him.

The only one among them not wearing a uniform, but a formal suit, was taking out his hat and smiling at the person in front of him.

The person in uniform spoke first: "Are you sure they're going to stay here instead of just running away?"

“I’m absolutely certain of that.” The man in the suit pulled up his hat, his smile revealing the excitement of anticipation for the game to begin. “She won’t miss this game at all.”

"This doesn't even require reasoning, my friend."