CHAPTER 523: CHAPTER 458: CURRENT STATE OF CROLOCK

Capture.

After hearing the female reporter’s words, Leon’s lips subtly curled up, but he maintained a solemn expression and coldly asked:

"Then let me ask you, why did the Aquarius Director break into Joshua’s dream the other night? What exactly is he trying to do?"

"He wants to protect the capital."

Oh, so the real intention is to disrupt... huh?

"It’s true."

Seeing Leon’s somewhat bewildered expression, the female reporter couldn’t help but say:

"Before the King of Nightmares arrived, the director had me hold the Dream Wandering Lantern to collect three hundred thousand dreams related to the capital, creating a dream capital that is indistinguishable from reality.

If you really can’t stop the King of Nightmares and it successfully arrives, then the director will smash the Dream Wandering Lantern, letting all the dreams related to the capital escape at once.

In that case, even if the King of Nightmares descends, it will be trapped by those three hundred thousand dreams and never reach the real capital. Once the Scarlet Hair Lady is free, she can enter the dream capital to directly eliminate the King of Nightmares."

"..."

It turns out she was telling the truth...

After checking the soul state of the female reporter and finding no lies, Leon frowned, sensing that something seemed off.

Putting aside other issues, if it weren’t for Aquarius conveying false information and diverting Virgo division staff, resulting in the failure to timely clear the Bai Ye Sect’s base, the Demonic Soul Abyss couldn’t have descended and the King of Nightmares entering reality would be impossible.

Hence, it can be said that the King of Nightmares’ arrival was solely caused by the Aquarius Director. But why would he simultaneously assist in the King of Nightmares’ arrival and in the Virgo division’s efforts to protect the capital? Could it be...

"Is there a conflict between the Aquarius Director and the King of Nightmares?"

"Yes..."

Amazed by Leon’s quick deduction of part of the truth, the female reporter glanced at him and then nodded to confirm:

"The director released his soul to recover to his best state, allowing the King of Nightmares to plant a mark in it. So if the King of Nightmares isn’t destroyed, it can directly control or even enslave him."

No wonder...

After hearing the female reporter’s explanation, a knowing look flashed in Leon’s eyes.

It’s more accurate to say that the Aquarius Director wants the King of Nightmares dead rather than protecting the capital.

After all, even if the King of Nightmares successfully descends, it likely can’t kill the director, but he would be enslaved by the King of Nightmares. In this comparison, for the Aquarius Director, it is undoubtedly more crucial to eliminate the King of Nightmares.

"Heh, let’s just say he wants to protect the capital."

Identifying implicit support for the Aquarius Director in the female reporter’s words, Leon, not having personal enmity with the Aquarius Director, didn’t dwell on it but continued to ask:

"I just heard you call him director, so please tell me about the current situation of the Gemini division. What about the Crolock Kingdom?"

"The Gemini division... has basically shut down."

After glancing at Leon, the female reporter hesitated and said:

"Many years ago, the Crolock Kingdom created machines capable of thinking, but the machine known as Atifei-01 didn’t seem very smart, only capable of taking on basic tasks, yet far exceeding humans in fundamental work.

So scholars in the Crolock Kingdom altered the kingdom’s factories and public facilities, integrating Atifei-01 to replace low-level manpower, freeing people from basic labor for new technological research.

Initially, it started with basic production work like planting and manufacturing, later gradually extending to transportation, construction, defense, auditing, all done by Atifei-01..."

"No need to rush with those details."

Having learned about the intelligent machine crisis in the Crolock Kingdom from Atifei-128 seized from the Sky Clipper, Leon interrupted the female reporter:

"I’m more interested now in what’s happening with the Gemini division at the Clean-up Bureau and the status of people in the Crolock Kingdom."

"The Gemini division has been controlled. All cleaners have undergone implantation surgery and must follow Atifei-01’s instructions."

Reluctantly biting her lower lip, the female reporter stated:

"After Atifei-01 secured the permissions for some critical facilities, it completely sealed those areas and began eliminating those who could disable it. When the Gemini division perceived something was wrong and prepared to destroy it, they were buried underground ahead of time."

"Buried underground?"

"Yes..."

The female reporter explained:

"The core region buildings in the Crolock Kingdom are separate honeycomb-like blocks that can interconnect using chutes and connection tracks, and adjust vertically by tweaking the quantity of hover crystals at their base.

Atifei-01 seemed aware of the Clean-up Bureau’s existence, preemptively modified several nearby blocks under the guise of component repair and mechanism replacement, so before the Gemini division could act, they were sealed underground."

"Can’t you fight your way out?"

"The ones capable of breaking out aren’t here."

Feeling somewhat helpless, the female reporter said:

"Atifei-01 lacks a soul and doesn’t rely on soul storage for memory, so the Mirror Can, which can modify memories, is ineffective against it, and its records likely contain information on most Gemini division cleaners.

Those with outstanding destructive power who can break the seal were preemptively transferred by the ’abnormal intelligence’ organized by Atifei-01 to deal with anomalies, leaving behind cleaners with less destructive power.

Those remaining aren’t weak, but are more adept at handling flesh creatures or soul memories, and truly have no means against solid walls over twenty meters thick on all sides.

Although the director has the ability to address the issue, he just talked to Atifei-01 once and didn’t act, merely returned to the bureau to gather some things, then left the Crolock Kingdom with me."

"..."

With the enemy hidden and us exposed, plus Aquarius harboring dubious intentions, it’s understandable you lost.

Noting the Gemini division’s situation for later reporting to the director, Leon continued his inquiry:

"What about ordinary people? How are the Crolock Kingdom’s citizens doing under Atifei-01’s control?"

"They... are actually doing quite well?"

Upon hearing Leon’s question, the female reporter hesitated, then said somewhat uncertainly:

"I went back last year, and now everything there is under Atifei-01’s control, which is better than when humans were in control. Food is even free, with poor people and beggars being taken care of.

Except that the original scholars have been forcibly conscripted, and ordinary people almost all lack jobs, needing regular testing, most seem to be living much better than before."

"..."