enjoyebooks Chapter 154 Probing for Intelligence
Chapter 154 Probing for Intelligence
Chapter 154 Probing for Intelligence
In an ordinary restaurant in Yuehua City, Yuheng and Shuili sat facing each other.
They have met more than ten times during this period, mostly during lunch or dinner.
Yuheng scooped up a spoonful of rice with toppings, put it in his mouth, and then looked up at the girl in front of him.
She's too normal.
Yuheng had such a deep-seated stereotype about the previous future messenger, the magical girl Qinglan, that she always thought that the guys in the future might all be crazy like her.
However, Shui Li—whether in her speech and behavior or her ability to adapt to this era, she behaved like an ordinary girl, without any sense of superiority from that "future world".
Each of their meetings consisted of nothing more than sharing a meal, with each paying their own bill. Their conversations at the table revolved around very mundane matters.
Of course, Yuheng knew very well that all of this was just an illusion.
Her agreement to maintain this distant yet intimate relationship with Shui Li was not out of any goodwill.
What we need to do is, at the very last moment, while keeping the pursuit of the empty box uncertain, instantly transform the future of the empty box's defeat from a probabilistic event into an absolute certainty!
Noah's words still echoed in her mind.
To create that "absolute inevitability" through "chance," one must introduce a major "variable" capable of overturning the status quo.
Without a doubt, these assassins from the future are the variable.
Yuheng needs their intelligence, preferably information about their next move. Only then can she guide this special power towards the empty box.
But—can I ask him/her on my own initiative?
Yuheng continued eating his rice bowl with a blank expression, pondering its feasibility.
As a member of the "Seven-Person Council," my every word and action represents the will of the Civil Defense Bureau. If I were to proactively inquire about their operational plans from Mizuki, wouldn't that be considered a violation of the neutrality treaty?
I don't think so.
The treaty explicitly prohibits providing "aid" to either side. I was merely "gathering intelligence" and did not offer any substantial assistance.
As long as he doesn't relay this information to Noah, it doesn't constitute "assistance" to Noah. Similarly, he's merely "listening" and hasn't provided any "assistance" to the future assassins.
Logically, this makes perfect sense.
But why should they tell them about their actions?
Moreover—what if the other party realizes my intentions and uses this to set a trap for me?
This Shui Li—although she seems harmless, she can't be an ordinary person, given the important task entrusted to her by "Yi Luo Xin." I must be careful.
Just as Yuheng was pondering, Shui Li, who had been quietly eating noodles across from him, suddenly raised her head.
"Lord Yuheng—you seem to have something on your mind?"
"----No."
Yuheng replied instinctively.
"Oh—you don't seem to want to chat today—you must be thinking about official business, right?"
"—I guess you could say that, but it's barely acceptable."
Yuheng picked up the spoon in his hand and stirred the food on the plate.
Let me ask a few questions first—not exactly intelligence-related, I suppose.
Perhaps we can find out something.
"How's the battle between you people from the future and Noah going?"
'
In fact, this is something Yuheng is quite concerned about. The commotion more than half a month ago was too big, and the Civil Defense Bureau is well aware that it was the reason why the future assassin and Noah fought each other.
However, the Civil Defense Bureau only knows that the assassins' side lost. As for the details of the battle, due to a lack of witnesses, the Civil Defense Bureau is currently completely in the dark.
Originally, Yuheng had arranged for a magical girl to accompany Shen Zixin, but the magical girl ran away in fright after seeing that the time assassins were the Fallen Celestials Quan, Shu, and Ji.
Although Yuheng was shocked that even members of the "Council of Seven" had fallen into corruption in the future world, she still didn't forget to give the magical girl who had escaped back a good scolding—
"I know it's hard to get you involved, but can't you even observe from a distance? At least tell me about the battle scene!"
What does it mean to just run away?
"Waaaaah—I saw that Shen Zixin—was surrounded by three 'Eternal Shao' level magical girls—I thought he was doomed—" The magical girl felt very aggrieved.
Therefore, Yuheng was eager to know the details of their battle.
Upon hearing Yuheng's question, Shui Li put down her chopsticks and revealed a gentle smile.
"If you want to know, I can tell you."
Yuheng frowned. She had only said it casually; did the other party really intend to tell her directly?
"This should be fine, since it's already happened anyway." Shui Li seemed to see through Yu Heng's doubts. "Even if we tell you, it won't affect our future actions, right?"
"Our encounter with Noah was more than half a month ago. It makes no difference whether you ask Noah or us about these things."
"Besides, you only listened to our battle report; you neither participated nor influenced the outcome. So how can that be considered a violation of the principle of 'neutrality'?"
These words completely aligned with Yuheng's thoughts.
I don't need to do anything; I'm just gathering information about the battle situation on both sides. This hardly qualifies as "aid" to either side, does it?
Besides, the battleground for these two sides is in my own world. As one of the representatives of this world, it's only reasonable for me to find out what's going on.
"—Speak."
Yuheng spoke slowly.
She had considered that Shui Li had agreed too easily; it might be a trap. If so, she would have to find a way to contact Noah afterwards and cross-verify the information with her.
After obtaining Yuheng's consent, Shui Li nodded and began to recount the events of the previous battle—
"Our first wave of executors actually acted earlier; they were the magical girl Qinglan and the magical girl Meteorite. Qinglan was responsible for negotiating with you, while Meteorite was responsible for assassinating Noah."
"However, both of them have now lost contact, it seems they both died at Noah's hands."
"The second battle that followed was the one that caused quite a stir more than half a month ago."
Indeed—although no one was injured that time, their fight, even without the appearance of the calamity beasts, still destroyed many streets and buildings in Guangyang City and Yuehua City.
Furthermore, some ordinary citizens witnessed scenes of "magical girls fighting," which, without any official announcement, fueled numerous rumors. The Civil Defense Bureau later expended considerable effort to suppress the public opinion.
"I was initially in charge of planning and designing this second battle, but that day—something unexpected happened. My superior took command from me—you're quite familiar with this person, it's the future Yao Guang from my world." Oh.
Thus, Shui Li recounted the devastating defeat from the perspective of the "Time Assassin."
However, the details were still rough. She only mentioned the deaths of Tianquan, Tianji, and Tianshu, as well as the failures of other assassins. But when asked how Noah's side managed to turn the tide under such overwhelming odds, Shui Li simply smiled and said, "I don't know."