CHAPTER 399: CHAPTER 397: VOID RECONNAISSANCE_1

This term struck precisely at Morimoto Chiyoda’s most sensitive issue.

Yet, her face showed no sign of anger, nor did her eyes change. She simply responded with a mature smile that a girl her age shouldn’t have been able to muster.

Phoenix Academy Maggie deeply disliked the expression on her face. She continued to walk forward until the wall hid her body. Only then were her delicate cheeks cloaked in shadow, her heart filled with irritation.

Damn it! That Granny, living with Aozawa and caring nothing for their age difference, doing this and that with him!

Thinking of the shameless days the two of them spent at home, anger surged within Phoenix Academy Maggie, and she clenched her teeth tightly.

How dare she provoke me! Does she think I can be so easily defeated?

She can forget about it! Phoenix Academy Maggie clenched her fists. I will never lose to that Granny!

"That girl..." Morimoto Chiyoda’s tone also held a hint of irritation. Age was the last thing she wanted mentioned, yet here it was, being danced upon in her minefield.

But her provocation did indeed have its effect.

That girl is definitely angry enough to want to explode on the spot.

This fact pleased Morimoto Chiyoda.

"Morimoto, who are you talking to?"

"Chief Jack, you might as well let me transfer to the CIA and become a department head. Doesn’t the CIA have anyone to do analysis for you?"

"I don’t trust those double-dealing bastards."

Morimoto Chiyoda didn’t continue her sarcastic remarks. "So, where were we?" she asked.

"Regarding the examination of the smoke at the scene, the conclusion is that it was gunpowder smoke; no unidentified substances were present. The destruction of the buildings at the scene was analyzed and recreated by computer, and the conclusion is that it was bombed by a missile—specifically one with a ninety-kilogram warhead."

Jack’s tone was full of doubt. "What do you think this means? A coincidence?"

Morimoto Chiyoda’s brow furrowed slightly. Missile? Gunpowder smoke?

Before she could answer, Jack’s imagination was already running wild. "Do you suppose this has to do with a fight between two Angel Envoys? The new Angel Envoy hasn’t shown up, and then Dio made his move early, taking out Mitsui or someone else. The Different World is so vast, it can’t possibly be all peaceful; there must be battles between different powers. Dio considers this region his own territory, so he doesn’t allow others to intrude?"

"I’m not sure. But what we can try to clarify right now is to call the U.S. Army Base in Japan and check if any missiles are missing." Morimoto Chiyoda believed in first investigating nearby possibilities and doing what she could. "If there are any," she continued, "ask for the specific time. Maybe we can find a clue from that."

"Alright. I’ll let you know if there’s any news."

Jack hung up the satellite phone, then dialed a contact at the 7th Fleet Command. "Hey, Randy, it’s Jack. Any accidents with your ammunition?"

"How did you know one of our Harpoon missiles exploded?" Randy sounded surprised. He explained, "The Harpoon missiles are too old. They exploded in the ammunition depot; we lost quite a bit of ammunition."

"Stop with the official speak. Tell me the truth. I promise not to tell the President. This is related to a case I’m investigating."

Jack knew Randy well and laid out his condition directly. In the United States, there’s an unwritten rule among different departments: if one wants to know the truth, they must ensure it’s not reported up the chain.

After some thought, Randy responded, "Alright. Actually, a Harpoon missile just exploded out of nowhere. The command used the explosion to balance the books, claiming it was due to the old model malfunctioning. You better not tell anyone higher up."

"When did the Harpoon missile explode?"

"At twelve sixteen in the afternoon."

"Really?" Jack pondered.

Mitsui Arashi was killed at twelve eighteen in the afternoon. Two minutes apart—gunpowder smoke, computer reconstruction results, and the sudden explosion of a Harpoon missile in an ammunition depot.

Is there a connection?

Jack thought for a moment and then decided to activate his external brain.

"What case is this?"

"It’s best you don’t know. I have to go."

Jack hung up the phone and called Morimoto Chiyoda again, wanting her help to analyze the situation.

「...」

The guards in the hallway stood erect; Morimoto Chiyoda found no fault with them. A BEEP sounded from her earpiece.

She pressed a button and answered the call. "Chief Jack, any news?"

"A Harpoon missile exploded at the U.S. Army Base in Japan. The timing is very close to Mitsui’s death—just two minutes apart," Jack said, relaying the information he had obtained. "What do you make of it?" he asked.

Morimoto Chiyoda didn’t stop walking as her mind swiftly turned. "The perpetrator’s Ability might involve detonating things within a certain range, then transferring the explosion here," she answered.

"The two minutes could have been the time spent talking, or the time needed for them to transfer the explosion.

"I lean towards the former; our ’friend’ was probably not satisfied with the person Mitsui handed over.

"It also indirectly confirms that the perpetrator has eyes here, and that Mitsui wasn’t the first to make contact with them."

"What about the possibility that Dio committed the crime?" Jack kept pressing.

Morimoto Chiyoda thought for a moment and shrugged. "It’s possible. The disappearances of Doumoto Kaito, Higashiyama Jiro, and Amat are likely related to Dio. Your earlier speculation about a territorial struggle also makes sense."

"Eh, why don’t they leave a unique signature when they commit crimes?" Jack grumbled, unsure how to write the report. "Morimoto."

"Don’t even think about it!"

"I haven’t said anything yet."

"Oh, my esteemed Chief Jack, use that water-logged brain of yours for a change! What do you think your adopted daughter secretary is for?"

"Yuzuki. I’m worried she might leak information."

"She’s a smart woman. She knows who can keep her safe right now."

"That’s true." Jack pondered, deciding to take Yuzuki Suzuko under his wing as a confidante. "Then I’ll hang up."

"Alright." Morimoto Chiyoda nodded and continued to inspect the internal defenses.

「...」

「Meanwhile.」

「Inside the Prime Minister’s residence’s Japanese-style tea room.」

Phoenix Academy Maggie followed Kochou into the room. Her gaze swept across, and she noticed the man kneeling in the tea room was the Prime Minister. He looked greasier than on TV, his portly belly straining his suit. His face, however, carried a certain gravitas.

She averted her gaze, focusing on the floor. Clearly, the internal meeting taking place in this small tea room was the reason the six major financial groups and the Phoenix Academy family were present.

Kochou sat down and said softly, "Maggie, pour tea for the elders."

"Yes." Phoenix Academy Maggie nodded, stepped forward, grabbed the teapot, and began pouring tea for everyone present.

Iwasaki Yizo said with a broad smile, "It’s been a while, Miss Maggie. You look even more beautiful. The Earth’s Strongest Martial Arts Tournament was very well organized. One wouldn’t think it was your first time handling such a large project."

Phoenix Academy Maggie did not speak.

Kochou chuckled lightly. "You flatter her. She’s still young; there is much for her to learn from all of you."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Kochou, seeing that everyone had a cup of tea, steered the conversation to the main topic. "Is Mr. Mitsui’s death related to that person?"

"It’s unclear at the moment." Whenever Kumazo Yasuda mentioned this incident, he grew angry. "Bruno’s right. The special task force has completely become a lapdog for the CIA. They haven’t reported any news to me! That woman is a real turncoat, forgetting who promoted her to Police Director!"

Iwasaki Yizo didn’t take his complaint seriously. "We’ll get an answer about Mitsui sooner or later," he said gravely. "The key issue now is that I’ve heard the United States has initiated a plan concerning the Different World."

"Exactly." Kumazo Yasuda took out the Noah’s Ark project plan from his briefcase. He handed one copy to each person.

Just by holding hers, Kochou could feel the plan’s significance. She flipped through the table of contents, skimming sections on biological experiments, technology, Half-Flesh Robots that were a hybrid of human bodies and modern technology, and the most alluring project of all: constructing a large spaceship, Noah’s Ark.

According to the United States’ vision, Noah’s Ark was to be five times larger than an aircraft carrier—a mobile fortress and command stronghold capable of soaring through the skies. It could house the leaders of the seven nations, constantly on the move, greatly reducing the risk of portals from the Different World appearing. Satellite networks would ensure the ark remained in constant communication, allowing world leaders to handle official business remotely.

Noah’s Ark would contain a system to convert wastewater into clean drinking water and would store various biological specimens and cells. Essentially, the creation of Noah’s Ark signified the United States’ view that Earth’s surface was no longer fit for rulers.

The interior of Noah’s Ark would be highly automated, requiring only a few rulers and elites; the rest would be service and combat robots. This would allow them, in critical moments, to abandon ordinary people, who would merely consume excess resources.

Kochou was very intrigued. She put down the plan and said, "Investing simultaneously in the Takamagahara Project and Noah’s Ark—can Japan’s finances handle it?"

"We’ll have to slash related budgets," Kumazo Yasuda proposed. "Keeping the Self-Defense Forces is pointless. Welfare and other such expenses should be cut wherever possible, and government employees will have to take collective pay cuts."

In his view, Noah’s Ark was an excellent concept. Aside from a few details needing discussion with the United States, various countries had, in principle, agreed on the execution phase and wanted to fully support it.

Kochou said, somewhat surprised, "Prime Minister, you seem very eager to leave the surface."

Kumazo Yasuda then took a photo from his briefcase. "Look. This is a Monster from the Different World, photographed in Wales, UK."

Phoenix Academy Maggie couldn’t help but be curious; she sneaked a glance at the photo Kochou was holding. She gasped. What is that?! The creature in the photo defied her understanding of reality; it was grotesque and massive.

"Is this a Monster?!" Kochou suddenly understood why England was so insistent on this meeting, and why Yasuda was so eager to leave the ground.

Such a gigantic Monster, appearing in any city, could cause massive casualties simply by standing there, doing nothing else. This world is truly too dangerous.

She decided then and there to abandon her investments in France and pour her money into this project, determined to secure a place for herself and her daughter aboard the ark.