Chapter 71 071 Perfect

Christie's operational plan this time was basically centered around "speed" and "efficiency".

First, Percy, transformed from Stevenson and Romain Rolland, launched a surprise attack using their supernatural abilities. The combination of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and "Song of the West Wind" almost instantly took down most of the defenses on the west side of the building, effectively sealing off that side.

In this way, UN can focus on the east building where the clerks are relatively concentrated, saving some trouble caused by having multiple emergency exits.

While there was a drawback of alerting Balzac and Holmes prematurely, considering the UN's manpower shortage, the overall loss was acceptable.

Next, in order to further compress possible evacuation routes, two additional groups launched an attack on the east side:

One group consisted of Vladimir, who was on the ground responsible for bombing and driving them away, and Mary Shelley, who was arranged to prevent them from being killed in a counterattack;

One group rampaged through the building, incidentally delaying Barry and Exupé, the ability users on the east side of the building.

The most important part of this attack was the fifth floor where the clerks were located. The person in charge was Cervantes (Don Quixote), who had an agility advantage, and Pu Songling, who had always been Cervantes' partner and had supernatural abilities to handle all kinds of situations.

If all goes well, theoretically Pu Songling and Cervantes wouldn't even need to stay for long; they could simply advance, capture people, and then retreat directly.

Unfortunately, this theoretically includes the armed detective agency members who would definitely be sent to run errands. But it doesn't include Xu Zhimo, who might suddenly kick down a wall and burst in.

Holmes and Christie knew each other well, or rather, their long-standing interactions allowed them to predict each other's next move without much thought, as if it were their own idea.

Therefore, Holmes could easily guess Christie's method, and then give her a heads-up and distribute gas masks in advance. He would also use the excuse of "getting rid of her" to call the Armed Detective Agency, which was not conspicuous on this chessboard, to the office area to guard her. Christie could also naturally guess Holmes's actions. Did Holmes know that Christie could guess? Of course.

This line of reasoning can be repeated indefinitely, and excessive understanding at this moment... becomes an obstacle to this "game".

The two were so familiar with each other that they could foresee the outcome of the game without even making a move.

All the "endings" were already known, and it was impossible to create any more "surprises." The "fun" had been completely lost. The two of them were just casually fiddling with this giant tree of possibilities during their boring moments, trying out one known ending after another.

Although they were reluctant to admit it, Holmes and Christie were at their wits' end.

I know it all too well, so well that I've crushed all possibilities. I know I can see through every single one of my opponent's choices, I know that both sides... have already laid out the most perfect game.

However, it is so perfect that changing any piece or step would be a fatal mistake.

Therefore, this time it was just a "game" out of boredom.

That's how it should be.

In the red-mist-filled building, a floor that should have been deathly silent, a huge sphere crashed through the wall, tumbled and slammed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"[Yesterday's home, now only a dream]"

Like a bubble poked by a mischievous child, this huge and solid sphere vanished with a "pop," like a bizarre dream coming to an end.

Zhou Shuren stood in the original center of the sphere, his lazy expression showing no sharpness, and uttered the last two words in a slow and unhurried tone.

"【home】"

Beside Zhou Shuren, Xu Zhimo and others lay sprawled on the ground, their expressions unfocused.

They had just woken up when suddenly a huge aerial spiral occurred. The fact that none of them threw up yet is a testament to their regular training...

The first to stand up was Xu Zhimo, who was used to this kind of dizziness. He held his knees and spoke with a terrible expression.

"Brother Zhou, your [Hometown] skill is pretty useful, but doesn't it make you feel a little dizzy...?"

Wan Xiaoshi, who was lying on the ground and unable to get up, raised his hand and gave a thumbs up.

"Compared to inhaling polluted air, I think it's better for your health to come out and breathe some fresh air."

Zhou Shuren, who was running along the "Hometown" route and thus didn't get dizzy, remained unmoved. He looked around and pointed to the rooftop opposite.

"Naramori, go help over there."

"Huh?" Xu Zhimo, starting to recover, straightened up and looked in the direction Zhou Shuren was pointing. "There's absolutely no sound over there!"

"You steal things in a very conspicuous way?"

"Fine, trying to cover it up, huh?" Xu Zhimo kicked his leg habitually and pouted. "You said you were going to slack off, but you still charged up here."

Having said that, without giving Zhou Shuren a chance to refute, Xu Zhimo pushed off the ground with one foot and rushed out like a blur.

Looking in the direction Xu Zhimo was heading, Zhou Shuren sighed helplessly.

"In this situation, we simply cannot stand idly by."

It's unclear whether they're referring to the current location of the attack or the chessboard already in dire straits.

At that very moment, someone overturned Holmes and Christie's perfect chess game, presenting them with a chaotic and utterly worthless game.

"Do your best," someone seemed to say.

Whether it was frustration or joy, a smile uncontrollably spread across his face, and boundless happiness welled up from his heart.

Holmes and Christie looked ahead involuntarily, their joy urging them on, and a single phrase simultaneously surfaced in their minds.