"Passengers, this train, which runs directly from the Northern Garrison to the Imperial Capital, has arrived at its final destination. Please check your seats and luggage to ensure you haven't left anything behind. Please remember your disembarkation time. Thank you."
Inside the empty B compartment, the train attendant's gentle voice echoed through the loudspeakers above the carriage.
Zhao Li, who was leaning against the window, gradually opened her eyes because of the sound. It was clear that she had fallen asleep while looking at the scenery outside the window during the not-so-long journey.
However, when she woke up, there was still a faint tear stain hanging below the corner of her eye, as if she had encountered something sad in her dream.
Zhao Li looked out the window at the station. Compared to the station in the Northern Camp, the station in the capital was packed with people.
Regardless of age, gender, height, or weight, everyone crowded together, either getting off or getting on the bus.
Gently wiping away the tears on her face, Zhao Li walked out of the carriage expressionlessly. At this moment, she had no other thoughts except to find the murderer who killed her son.
Walking with difficulty through the crowded streets, Zhao Li could easily find the passage leading out of the station without even looking at the station's signage. After all, she had been here several times before, and with her excellent memory, remembering these things wasn't too difficult.
Having finally emerged from the crowded station, Zhao Li breathed in the fresh air and hailed a taxi that was slowly driving by outside the station to pick up passengers.
"Go to the palace."
As soon as she sat in the back seat, Zhao Li told the driver in front her destination. Although as a princess she had her own private vehicle, she was in a hurry this time and did not want to delay, so she simply hailed a taxi.
The driver in front, seeing Zhao Li's beautiful face through the rearview mirror, swallowed hard and stammered as he replied:
"Okay...okay, the travel expenses are 100 Imperial Coins in total."
Zhao Li simply nodded slightly and did not continue speaking.
Upon seeing this, the driver, his heart racing, started the vehicle and drove towards the Imperial Palace.
He dared not have any improper thoughts, after all, this guest was not only more beautiful than the rich young ladies he had ever seen, but she was also going to the royal palace, so she must be the wife or daughter of some high-ranking official. Such a person was not someone he could have any ideas about.
Watching the buildings and vehicles constantly passing by outside the window, Zhao Li leaned against the window with a sense of helplessness. However, a long stretch of ruins outside the window caught her attention, and she also saw many Imperial patrols and workers maintaining order and repairing the ruins.
She was puzzled. Was there some new construction going on in the empire? Such a long area had been completely reduced to ruins. What were they planning to build?
With a sense of curiosity, Zhao Li asked the driver who was focused on driving:
When was this ruin built?
The driver was also captivated by the melodious voice. He didn't suspect anything, since the passenger boarded the bus outside the station, so perhaps the passenger hadn't been in the capital recently and didn't know.
Without much thought, the driver quickly answered Zhao Li's question:
"Oh, I heard that the researchers at the Imperial Research Institute caused some kind of accident a couple of days ago, which turned a whole long area into ruins, and many gentlemen died there."
Upon hearing the driver's reply, Zhao Li's doubts were immediately dispelled. After all, she knew quite a bit about the Imperial Institute of Strange Things; those lunatics often created some inexplicable things. This time, they must have made some significant breakthrough.
But what she didn't know was that the area that was crushed was not just what she saw, and it wasn't caused by the Imperial Institute of Strange Things, but by the murderer who killed her son.
If she knew all this, I wonder if she would still be as confident in seeking revenge as she is now, and what kind of expression would appear on her face.
After saying this, neither of the two people in the car spoke. One was afraid to speak and make himself uncomfortable, while the other did not want to say anything more because of the hatred in his heart.
Before long, the carriage arrived at the palace gates after a long, silent journey.
On either side of the open gate, squads of Imperial Guards, clad in heavy armor and armed with firearms, looked somewhat comical, but still very intimidating to ordinary people.
"Well, that's all I can do for you. I can't go inside the palace."
The driver spoke softly, as if afraid of upsetting the distinguished female passenger.
However, Zhao Li didn't care. She knew that the driver couldn't go inside, so she casually tossed the driver a banknote worth one hundred imperial coins, opened the car door, and walked towards the palace gate.
The driver was naturally relieved to see this, and hurriedly put the hundred Imperial coins that Zhao Li had thrown down into the car's storage box, then drove the taxi away from the area.
The imperial guards patrolling the gate saw Zhao Li walking towards them. Just as they were about to step forward to stop her, a captain stopped them and walked towards her alone.
"Your Highness, you're back."
The captain greeted Zhao Li with a fawning smile.
Seeing this, Zhao Li simply nodded slightly; she had no liking for these seasoned, cunning guards of the capital.
Seeing Zhao Li's reaction, the captain didn't bother with further flattery, but his smile remained unchanged as he smiled and said to Zhao Li:
"Your Highness, please show me your token. I am only doing this as a formality."
Upon hearing the captain's words, Zhao Li took out her identity token from her bosom and handed it to the captain, who was standing bowing and waiting in front of her.
After receiving the token, the captain pulled out a machine from behind his back that was slightly smaller than the one used by the guards in Zhibei, and inserted the token into the central slot.
A moment later, the machine began to make a child-like sound.
"Hehe, congratulations on your return to the palace, Your Highness."
These are sound effects unique to people of high status within the royal palace, and can be considered some of the perverse tastes of the people at the eerie research institute. However, no one cares, so they just let them be.
Upon hearing the machine's successful verification sound, the team leader took the token from the machine, handed it back to Zhao Li, and then stepped aside to make way, saying:
"Your Highness, please come in."
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