Crimson Embers Chapter 12: Mason stabs the enemy in the heart, and Harley prepares the nails for the coffin
The next morning, the envoy's residence area became lively.
The envoys and representatives from various garden worlds wore their most distinctive clothes and boarded the official vehicles bound for the Council headquarters, surrounded by their guards.
I don't know if it's out of a sense of ritual or some other consideration, but in this era when starships are used to fight wars and destroy worlds in outer space, in Hope City, quite classic black four-wheelers are still used to transport important people.
Driven by the council staff, it takes more than ten minutes to reach the council headquarters office area from here.
This was a very mature rule and system over the past decade, so Mason had no intention of breaking it. Escorted by several mansion guards, Mason, dressed in a black tuxedo, very elegantly held the hand of Harley, who was wearing a bright red dress. Behind them was Quinn, who was holding a child.
The effect of the compound potion was still significant. After the transformation, even Skynet's Terminator guards could not determine the true identity of the envoy in front of them.
Only when he got into the luxurious car and heard the vibration of the wheels slowly starting up did Mason stop observing the other envoys and let the car drive into the uniform black traffic ahead, becoming an inconspicuous part of this long team.
Mason was driven by a lady wearing the uniform of the Council's Defense Force. She had the rank of second lieutenant and maintained her personal demeanor very well.
"I heard an explosion last night."
Special Envoy Marlene Frost, sitting in the back seat, was surrounded by her two wives. She stretched out her hand to tickle the nose of the child in her arms, and asked the second lieutenant driving in front:
"Did something happen? On the way here, I heard that the security in Hope City has deteriorated recently. It is said that it is because of the rebels. This was not a reason that people could tolerate in the past."
"It was an underground landslide, Your Excellency the Special Envoy."
The female driver maintained a constant speed and answered in a very official tone:
"There are no legendary rebels or other dangerous things. As you can see, the order of the city has been restored and all staff are on duty as usual. They will not interfere with your work in the regular meeting.
In addition, your private plane will be waiting at the airport, and I will still send you off after the regular meeting."
"Um?"
Mason pretended to be surprised and said:
"So soon? Isn't there a one-day activity after the regular meeting in the past? This is also arranged in my schedule. I haven't received any order from my governor to return early."
"The order will be transmitted to your private terminal in twenty minutes. This is not directed at you, please do not make any unwarranted associations. It's just that all garden worlds have entered a state of war readiness."
The female lieutenant answered in a serious tone, as if reciting a script :
"According to the monitoring of our scientific and technical personnel, the fifth impact may come earlier than expected, so the time left for you and the governors to prepare is compressed.
In addition, due to special circumstances caused by certain reasons, today's World Conference will be the last meeting held in the near future. The time for the resumption of the conference is still uncertain, but we will inform you when the time is right. "
"Something happened, didn't it?"
Mason narrowed his eyes and asked:
"I can probably understand why the top leaders of the Council made such a decision. Those rebels... I mean, those people from New Utopia..."
"Your Excellency! This is a topic that cannot be brought up here."
When the female lieutenant heard the words "New Utopia", she immediately stopped him sternly:
"For your own safety, please do not continue discussing such matters."
“But I’m not the only one saying this!”
Mason snorted, leaned back in his chair, and sneered at the lieutenant who was driving:
"Believe it or not, everyone in every vehicle on this road right now is thinking the same thing. Your response was decisive but also very stupid.
The more you forbid discussion, the more you will confirm those rumors that are gaining momentum! The more you suppress these rumors, the more you will show your weakness and confusion.
Even though I am a person who does not care about these things, I can know that the number of world envoys who came to attend the regular meeting this time barely reached two-thirds of the previous number.
This means that at least one-third of the garden world has turned away from you and is ready to jump on the other side's ship at any time.
The system the Council has built is collapsing, Lieutenant, and you don't seem to be jumping ship."
He glanced at the female lieutenant who was holding the steering wheel tightly and seemed very angry. He noticed the ring on the lieutenant's finger and said:
"Everyone is thinking about their way out. In this panicked moment, not only did no directors come forward to stabilize the situation, but even those guys who used to be so close have disappeared.
I don't want to say it so bluntly, but the fact is that this city and even the world have been abandoned. You! You have also been abandoned, Lieutenant.
So if I were you, what I would do now is not to scold the envoys to remain loyal, but to seize the last bit of time to find a useful way for myself, my family and my loved ones to get through the upcoming chaos.
I believe you know better than me whether the explosion last night was an accidental landslide or not, ma'am, you can continue to put your head down and pretend nothing happened, or you can make preparations for both scenarios.
Mason snorted, closed his eyes and said:
"Watch the road when driving! You're about to hit the front!"
"Shua"
The brakes were stepped on immediately , and the sudden stop forced the car behind to slow down. When the female lieutenant raised her head, she didn't see the obstacle in front of her at all. This was clearly a bad joke by the special envoy behind her.
But just as her face flushed and she was about to scold, she heard Mason say faintly amid the laughter of the two little cuties:
"Look, you don't have absolute confidence in everything about the Council, and you can't hide it from yourself... I can understand that even the best people will be at a loss when faced with changes, especially after living a stable life for more than ten years, they don't want any unexpected events to affect their already established lives.
When you get used to a certain kind of life, you will think that change is a dangerous thing and it is far away from you. However, change will not happen according to your personal will. You have to be prepared and take action for it.
Let me give you a piece of advice."
Mason whispered:
"Shoot the bullets in your pistol at the right place, and remember to bring your boss with you when you surrender, so that you can get better treatment in the next era.
You can certainly continue to be faithful, but listen to my advice, girl, think about your husband and children. "
This is already a blatant attempt to persuade them to surrender.
According to the Council's regulations for the Hope City garrison, the lieutenant should have drawn his pistol to stop Mason's crazy talk and report to his superiors immediately.
However, until the car stopped in the square of the council headquarters and Mason and the two ladies swaggered into the crowd on their way to the regular meeting, the female lieutenant who was driving did not make any move.
She sat in the driver's seat in a daze, watching Mason's figure disappear through the car window. After hesitating for several minutes, she gritted her teeth and dialed the number marked "Lazy Guy" in her phone.
"Put down your work and go home immediately! Don't alarm others."
She lowered her voice and said:
"Protect the children at home. No matter what happens today, don't come out! Don't ask too much... I don't know either! But... but I guess things are going to change."
After making the call, the female soldier returned to the base, touched the gun at her waist and glanced at her superior's office. She wondered if she had been bewitched by the devil.
But I have to say that the farewell words of the special envoy do sound reasonable in the current situation.
"The local garrison of the Sixth Order of Conquerors has sent an urgent message!"
Just as the lieutenant was hesitating, the operator's voice suddenly came from the garrison office area where she was. She tilted her ear slightly and heard the content of the communication on the other end.
"The resistance forces in Hope City are planning a dangerous situation. It is said that their target is the ongoing World Conference! They want to hold the envoys hostage. The superiors have issued an order, and everyone is ready to go!"
The lieutenant narrowed his eyes at this news.
She immediately realized that the Sixth Sequence had issued the warning with no good intentions and that it might be part of a certain plan, so now an important question was before her.
Is it a report?
still……
Ten seconds later, she took a deep breath while holding the loaded pistol and knocked on the door of the officer's office. A voice in her heart urged her that it was time to take action!
…
"This little golden apple is still as useful as ever, especially when dealing with humanoid creatures with weak wills."
Mason played with the glowing golden apple and walked into the huge circular conference hall. As he walked to his seat, he said to Harley beside him:
“But this also proves that the Council seems to have really given up on maintaining the ruling system. They are really willing and decisive. After realizing the danger, they immediately gave up those things that would only hinder their escape.
I feel like things are going to go pretty smoothly today.”
"But that lovely iceberg lieutenant may be beaten to a pulp for participating in the rebellion just because of your casual action, sweetheart. She won't even be able to witness the moment when the system she is in collapses."
Harry snorted and whispered:
"You are such a bad guy!"
"I just helped her make up her mind."
Mason shook his head and said:
"If she didn't have that kind of worry about the future in her heart, she wouldn't be so easily invaded by the golden apple. It's not me who planted the seeds of resistance in her. She is in this system and naturally understands better than the negotiator that its collapse is only a matter of time.
She will be able to be part of this change today, and I am sure she will thank me for it.”
"Bang"
The sound of a gavel knocking was heard in front, indicating that the meeting had entered the preparation stage. The envoys and representatives who were still whispering to each other suddenly quieted down.
They sat upright, each with a serious expression, and it was impossible to tell what these guys were thinking from their appearance.
Some guys have already taken out the magazines or novels they carried with them and immersed themselves in relaxing reading. Some even took out gaming devices similar to mobile phones.
Each of them shows the style of a veteran.
Obviously, they also know that nothing can be accomplished here except wasting time, which is a very productive task.
Mason leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes as if he was resting from exhaustion, holding the faintly glowing golden apple in his hand, keeping its energy level to a minimum so as not to alert the security robots around the venue and some spellcasters responsible for protection and monitoring on the periphery.
Even with his lowest level of telepathy combined with the enhancement of Isu's senses, he could sense the mental and emotional activities of the people around him. Although he could not perceive what they were thinking, those emotional fluctuations were not as calm as they appeared on the outside. It was like a whirlpool was brewing beneath a calm pool of deep water.
The large conference hall, which can accommodate nearly a thousand world envoys, is still solemn and luxurious. The working adults have kept it very tidy, revealing a grand and majestic atmosphere.
When the power system symbolized here was stable, it was certainly a display of authority. However, now that it is in turmoil, there are sufficient reasons for this place to become another eye of the storm.
"Sweetheart, look! Tony!"
Harley looked around and suddenly found a figure that surprised her, so she quickly poked Mason's arm to wake the captain up from the perception of the golden apple.
Then, following the little cutie's finger's pointing, he looked over and saw Tony Stark walking into the huge conference hall from the other side, escorted by a team of elite mechanical guards.
Although his face is not much different from the members of Stark's Corps, his haggard and weak posture, as well as the sense of desolation and old age that never appear on other Tonys, all indicate that this is a new Tony Stark.
Mason stared at him and watched him walk up to the podium in the conference hall, and the captain immediately understood this guy's identity.
This must be the legendary "Tony Zero"!
Tony No. 7 once told the story of this guy. It was said that there was something in his brain that gave him the top wisdom in the world's starry sky.
"I never thought that doing something interesting would bring me unexpected gains."
Mason's face, disguised as someone else, showed a hint of surprise and satisfaction. He said to Quinn, who was holding the also disguised little Brainiac:
"This guy is a member of Old A's small group. He usually stays at home and rarely goes out. We will definitely be able to find some great information from him.
You and Harley must control the situation and give me some time to have a good chat with this Tony Zero.
His health looks very bad and he may need a good doctor to diagnose him."
As soon as Mason finished speaking, Tony Zero, who was sitting on the podium with several other directors who were forced to work and looked helpless, coughed a few times, activated the loudspeaker and said to all the world envoys:
"I am hosting this regular meeting today. Before we discuss important topics, I want to tell you some bad news. The impact process has accelerated again. According to my observations, the fifth impact will come in four days.
This conclusion is not entirely accurate.
The impact event has entered its final stage, which makes the occurrence of this cosmic phenomenon also accompanied by strong uncertainty. Therefore, in some special circumstances, the time of the impact will be further shortened.
Therefore, after today's regular meeting, you will need to immediately return to your respective garden worlds and work with the management agencies to respond."
The information that Mason had obtained from the female lieutenant using the golden apple was now announced, like a bomb dropped into the meeting hall, causing those idle people who were slacking off to stare with wide eyes in shock.
This is not right!
Didn't they say there was still half a month left? How could it be shortened to this extent?
Although the Garden World has a complete impact defense system and the assistance of the Tenth Fleet means they don't have to worry about sudden accelerated impact events, this sudden situation did disrupt the thoughts of many people.
For example, those who have already made up their minds to jump ship...
The manufacture of the Isu signal tower and the world magnetic field generator of the New Utopia Project also takes time! This sudden situation forced them to be unable to complete their secret preparations during this impact.
As a result, the entire conference hall suddenly became chaotic, and some envoys even stood up and prepared to leave. Time was so precious that they could not waste it here.
But there is one person who is faster than them all.
Mason raised his hand, then stood up and shouted:
"I'm very curious about the Council's response to this emergency, as well as a question that many people are concerned about but cannot be discussed here. How are you going to deal with the increasingly active New Utopia rebels?
Is the integration plan they promote throughout the starry sea feasible?
If that is true, will the Council allow Garden World to freely choose its own destiny? You promised us that when we joined the Council system!
The original and sole purpose of this organization was to preserve the flame in the disaster of impact and fight against doomsday. Now hope has emerged, although unfortunately it was not born in your hands.
But I want to ask, will you prevent us from contacting them and accepting their help? "
The venue fell silent in an instant.
All eyes turned to Mason.
Who is this guy?
You boldly pointed out the crux of the matter. Although what you said is indeed what everyone is concerned about, being so direct...
Hey, the guy who came to the conference with his two wives and children!
You are very brave.
