Chapter 361 Fortunately, I am not a good person
"This is the office building..." Costat said, standing in a huge crater. "The damage here is the highest, indicating that the enemy has already lurked in the core area before taking action."
"Who did Nicholas meet that day?" he asked.
The officer hurriedly said, "The Bloodthirsty Grand Duke didn't meet anyone that day, but he received something that hadn't been registered in advance."
"What?" Prince Costa frowned.
"This is it..." The officer pulled up a picture of a rectangular object. "Based on the inspection, it appears to be a mechanical folding motorcycle."
"It was delivered by a soldier named Luo Er. Because it was not registered, it was intercepted. But not long after, the Security Department received an order from the Bloodthirsty Grand Duke to deliver the item."
"It was the secretary of the Bloodthirsty Grand Duke who personally went to retrieve it. We've already interrogated Luo Er, and he said it was the Bloodthirsty Grand Duke's personal order to go to a designated location and get it."
"That thing has been tested at least twenty times, and no abnormalities were found. The material is just an ordinary alloy."
"But since the attack occurred after the secretary obtained the item and delivered it to the Bloodthirsty Archduke's office, we still believe that there may be a connection between the item and the attack."
"Currently, preparations are underway for a memory review of Roll."
Two days later, all the necessary review and investigation procedures had been completed.
"Do we still need to check these things? No need to think, it must be Qinglong." Diaz interrupted:
"He used those coordinates to lure Nicholas into taking the bait, and Nicholas told us the coordinates. We foolishly went there, and then the base was raided."
After saying that, Diaz frowned again, "But if it really is Qinglong, how can he be sure that Nicola will definitely stay?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt Prince Costat's intense gaze: "Are you doubting me?"
Diaz remained silent. He did not doubt that Prince Costat was colluding with Qinglong.
He thought that Prince Costa might have noticed something was wrong but pretended not to know and allowed Nicholas to be attacked.
Moreover, Prince Costat's attitude was also ambiguous, and his anger over the attack on the base was not even as strong as Nicholas's private use of the Stone of Terrax.
"Diaz, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say anything you want." Jiaint stared at him coldly. "Are you accusing a prince?"
"I wouldn't dare." Diaz shook his head and whispered, "For something like this, you don't need much evidence. I suggest reporting it directly to the Royal Council and issuing a wanted notice for Qinglong."
"We haven't confirmed it's him yet." Costat's expression was indifferent. "His only motive is to kill Nicholas. It's too pure. What benefit does he get from making a big enemy for a small grudge?"
Diaz frowned, "Maybe it's the opposite."
Costat shook his head. "There's no rush to announce it. At least we haven't found Qinglong yet. If we can't catch him, we'll be the ones to be embarrassed."
"What's more, the matter of the Hammersmith has reached a critical juncture, and this matter is even more important."
Gain nodded, leaning towards this decision.
"But this matter still needs to be investigated. We need to first determine whether Nicolael is dead or not, and the whereabouts of Qinglong. Diaz, you are responsible for this matter." Costat gave the order.
Diaz opened his mouth, but he had no choice but to do so.
………
Two and a half days after the attack, the entire central world was under martial law. All entry and exit were subject to strict inspection, and there were more soldiers patrolling public areas.
Buzz--
The smart terminal vibrated and a message popped up on the screen: it was Blackbeard's communication request.
Li Ming suddenly opened his eyes. Since he came back, he had always kept the Black Hole Network open, and finally waited for Blackbeard's contact.
He didn't answer the call and let it ring. After it ended, he waited for another two or three hours before he slowly called back.
Almost instantly, Blackbeard answered the call, and a low roar of suppressed anger came from the screen: "Qinglong, what... are you doing!?"
"What do you mean?" Li Ming pretended to be confused.
"Didn't you attack the Imperial base?" Although Blackbeard was questioning, there was certainty in his words.
"You can't just talk about this kind of thing." Li Ming continued to deny, "How could I be so bold?"
Blackbeard gasped, angry and helpless, "That's not how it works. Although Nicholas is targeting you, the threat is limited."
"Your attack is completely unwarranted, and even if you kill him, what good will it do?"
"This will only provoke the anger of the Xingyuan Empire and make them gather their scattered forces. We have always tried to avoid external conflicts that would bring them together."
Blackbeard said in a deep voice that their lifespan is long and each plan is calculated in years, increasing the pressure little by little and blowing up the Xingyuan Empire little by little.
Even the crucial turning point of allowing the Mechanic Council to isolate the Xingyuan Empire was carefully chosen.
The Machinists' Association is a non-governmental organization that has penetrated into every civilization. It has always presented a very gentle and loose image to the outside world.
In the name of killing the Hammer Forger, they are trying to annoy the Xingyuan Empire and make them unable to vent their anger. It is impossible for them to regard the Mechanics Association as an enemy, as that will only lead to greater backlash.
But once a victim has a strong enough enemy, it will inevitably force the scattered forces within the empire to unite as one.
Of course, Qinglong does not have such a scale, but Qinglong's impulsive behavior has caused dissatisfaction among the pioneers.
Li Ming thought about the two gene sources he had extracted, the dark matter cracking hammer he controlled, and the two Terrax stones, and said with deep conviction:
"You're right. There's no benefit. So it wasn't me."
Blackbeard's tone paused, and he said in a deep voice: "This is not a joke. The Empire has begun to take action against you."
Li Ming feigned silence, then suddenly said, "Tell me, is there a possibility that this was staged by the Xingyuan Empire themselves, just to provide a pretext for an external investigation?"
"Did they discover the Forerunners?"
"You..." Blackbeard was suddenly shocked and confused. As he thought about it, he felt an inexplicable chill. This possibility was not impossible.
But then he suppressed his thoughts and said in a deep voice: "No matter what the truth is, they have already started preparing to arrest you."
"Uh, weren't they planning to arrest me before?" Li Ming asked abruptly.
Blackbeard paused again, and couldn't help but curse his cunningness. He explained, "Before, we were only interested in you because of Li Ming's matter, but now we are really planning to capture you."
Li Ming pondered: "You mean, if I had fallen into their hands before, my fate would have been better than after the attack on the Imperial Base?"
Blackbeard fell silent again. He knew that Qinglong was teasing him. No matter what the situation was, Qinglong's condition could not be good.
Before the base attack, the Empire would not kill Qinglong if it captured him.
After the base was attacked, the Empire would not kill Qinglong even if they caught him.
After all, he is a Casting Star mechanic, and his value is not low. Wouldn't it be nice to capture him and make him do hard labor?
"In essence, the Empire still doesn't take me seriously." Li Ming said leisurely, "Because of Li Ming's matter, and Nicolael's instigation, they just came up with the idea of capturing me."
Blackbeard was silent, but then he remembered that he was not here to comfort Qinglong, so his tone became more serious.
"This is unwise. We are already preparing to attack Nicholas. This way, Nicholas will be awarded the title of martyr."
"Are you sure Nicolael is dead?" Li Ming was surprised, and then thought, "The enemy Grand Duke died on Prince Costa's territory, and he happened to be away at the time of his death. This makes this matter more feasible."
Blackbeard clenched his fists silently. Qinglong is so difficult to deal with.
But he's right, some are urgently working on plans.
"No matter what, you have been regarded as their first target." Blackbeard emphasized again.
"That's really troubling." Li Ming changed the subject: "I don't know what the pioneers can do for me."
Why don’t you think about what you can do for the pioneers? Blackbeard almost cursed and gritted his teeth.
However, just as he was about to speak, his heart suddenly moved, and an incredible guess arose -
If he doesn't know how to do it, just wait for me, right?
This speculation made him fall into a long silence, his face changing from gloomy to bright.
Yes, the pioneers did not intend to give up Qinglong because of Li Ming's existence.
Only Li Ming could make their "isolation" plan successful, even if it was just a possibility.
Likewise, wipe out Azure Dragon from this attack, although it will cost a price.
But because of some subsequent plans, the price they paid, after calculation, was actually not that much, and it could even be said that they had the benefit of killing two birds with one stone.
"You contacted me specifically just to scold me?" Li Ming frowned and muttered to himself, wondering if he had miscalculated.
Blackbeard sneered inexplicably, feeling more and more that he was being schemed by Qinglong, and said in a deep voice:
"We can help you resolve this trouble and save everyone's face. At least the Empire won't openly deal with you again."
"There is actually such a method." Li Ming said in surprise.
"Same here," Blackbeard said indifferently. "You need to agree to our terms, allow Li Ming to participate in the review, and do your best to gain the recognition of the Holy Elephant of Domination. As the successor, you must explain that the death of the Hammersmith is inextricably linked to the Empire."
"You are taking advantage of the situation." Li Ming said in shock and anger.
Blackbeard was furious. Who was robbing whom?
"What a disaster! It clearly has nothing to do with me." Li Ming gritted his teeth, but then changed his tone: "Forget it, disaster is inevitable, but your plan is too dangerous. You still have to send me ten standard-weight "Ether Crystals"."
The pioneer always wanted him to take risks, but Li Ming had no psychological burden when it came to tricking the other party.
"Impossible!" Blackbeard's eyelids twitched suddenly, and he said angrily, "Don't go too far!"
Ether crystals are extremely precious special materials that can only be synthesized by imperial-level civilizations. They are not available for sale on the black hole network. Occasionally, there are one or two pieces, and the price basically starts at tens of billions of star coins.
It basically serves as an energy core, carrying high loads and providing energy for S-class weapons or mechanical creations.
"Five dollars." Li Ming took a step back.
"Two pieces!" Blackbeard said coldly.
"Three pieces, otherwise I will take Li Ming and hide him, and no one else can play." Li Ming stated his bottom line.
After a long time, Blackbeard's voice, suppressed with anger, came from the screen: "Okay!"
In order to avoid cursing out loud, Blackbeard quickly moved on to the next topic, "Half a month later, that's the time they've set for the review."
"Li Ming's development potential is slightly lower, but since he's under your tutelage, his mechanics skills should be quite high. I'll also pass you a document on the life of the Master Hammersmith. A more detailed biography will allow Li Ming to become closer to the Master Hammersmith..."
Li Ming's eyes flickered slightly: "Well, I need to remind you that this is not 100% successful. What if it fails?"
Blackbeard said in a cold voice, "We have already paid you in advance. If you fail to complete this task, there will definitely be another one. With your ability, you can't fail to complete everything."
The pioneers weren't so easy to fool, so Li Ming cooperated. "You're right. If we don't succeed this time, there's always next time."
He reminded me again: "By the way, the things I want must be delivered within half a month."
"Where to send it?" asked Blackbeard.
"The central world, I will take Li Ming there as soon as possible." Li Ming was ambiguous.
And you still say it’s not you!?
“…Got it!” Blackbeard said the last sentence and ended the communication. He stroked his beard and cursed inwardly.
He was almost certain that Qinglong attacked the Imperial base just because he relied on Li Ming's presence and believed that the Pioneers would help him.
"Tsk tsk..." Li Ming was quite surprised after ending the call, "It was so easy for them to agree to help me eliminate some of the troubles, and they can also get a few pieces of ether crystals."
"When a great duke disappears, there must be an explanation. Even if someone is found to take the blame, it must at least be an S-class life form to satisfy all parties."
"They're not easy to deal with..." Li Ming sighed, "Fortunately, I'm not a good person either."
It would be a lie to say that he wasn't tempted by the legacy of the Hammersmith. He also wanted to participate with the help of the pioneers.
But cooperating with the pioneers to complete their plan is also risky. Li Ming has no intention of being slaughtered. If they want to use him, let him use him first.
Nicholas's ghost is still around, and the pioneers are hiding in the dark, so they naturally say high-sounding things like there's no rush, take your time, etc.
Kill Nicholas, let the pioneers clean up the mess, and then use their power to allow himself to participate in the review and get a few pieces of ether crystals, killing two birds with one stone.
As for risks...there is no such thing as all benefits without risks.
Stretching his body, Li Ming closed his eyes, feeling the extremely active cells in his body, which almost made him moan.
He has already consumed the S gene essence extracted from Nicolael and Albert.
The evolution system has added two more S-level evolution sources, which has increased the development potential by 64 times, and the overall support has reached 352 times.
During his time in the central world, he was not idle. The development progress has reached 25%, and after this surge, the development speed will be even faster.
The Pioneers were extremely efficient. Four days after the attack, a piece of news quickly spread across the interstellar network.
The Holy Revolutionary Army claims responsibility for the attack on the Imperial Base in the Central World, stating that this was revenge for the Boskanya Massacre.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
