Volume 2: Empire Chapter 137: Rescue
The battle between the Ice Cave of Art County Union and the Secret Affairs Bureau of the Golden Shield Empire was extremely fierce, and the fight was back and forth. However, the status of the Ice Cave in Art County Union was very different from that of the Secret Affairs Bureau in the Golden Shield Empire.
The Imperial Secret Service was originally established to fight against the Brotherhood of the Blades. It is directly under the royal family and is known as the three major guards of the imperial emperor along with the Royal Knights and the Palace Guards. Therefore, the functions of the Imperial Secret Service are not limited to intelligence, but also have the power to supervise the court and the people, and have independent powers of investigation, law enforcement, and execution.
Imperial spies can really do whatever they want within the empire.
However, the Ice Cave agents, who are opponents of the Empire's spies , do not receive such high treatment in the At County Federation. Even an ordinary magic professor in the Winter City Magic Steam Academy dares not to take the Ice Cave Chief seriously.
The reason is that when the Ice Cave was first established, the founders of the Art County Federation were afraid to give too much power to this organization walking in the dark, in case one day they temporarily lost power and it was used by political opponents to backfire on them.
This understanding was recognized by all the original founders of the At County Alliance. After all, no one can guarantee that he and his family will prosper forever, and some unsavory means must be restricted.
Therefore, the Ice Cave has been surrounded by various rules and regulations since its establishment.
Social status… Anyone with some status looks down on them.
Luke is now a man of status. In winter, he is a fourth-level member of the Steam Engineers Association, with Molsong and Steam Weekly as his backers.
If Bingku provoked him for no reason, wouldn't it be a provocation to the powerful Steam Engineers Association?
The invitation was coldly rejected, but Chief Helkkin did not dare to express any dissatisfaction. As a reader of Steam Weekly and the leader of Ice Cave, he knew very well that Luke could jump from a first-level member to a fourth-level member, which must be because some of his technology was recognized by Editor-in-Chief Morsong.
If I heard this technique, Luke could get me locked up with just a few words.
Helkkin laughed and said, “Since it’s confidential, I dare not listen to it. I’d better read the new issue of Steam Weekly.
Mr. Luke came to the Ice Cave today, is there anything going on?"
Darikova brought the iced coffee over and answered the chief's question, "The main gangsters of the underground resistance army are from Harut Heavy Industry. When Harut Heavy Industry sent out the security team to arrest them, some security personnel tipped them off, so we arrested a group of suspicious Harut Heavy Industry security guards.
After interrogation, most of the people were released, and the rest were suspected of various reasons.
Mr. Luke wants to take away a security guard named Rebecca this time. She is a member of Mr. Luke’s security team, but… the other three members of the team all evaded military service and disappeared…”
While Darikova was telling Helkkin the story, Luke slowly drank his iced coffee, which had a unique flavor.
This is certainly not the iced coffee that the Ice Cave agents mentioned. That is a very cruel torture. Darikova dare not add anything to Luke's coffee.
After listening to this, Helkkin said to Luke, " Mr. Luke, three people from a security team evaded military service and disappeared. Don't you think it's suspicious?"
Luke replied: "What's suspicious about this! Rebecca didn't receive the call-up notice, otherwise all four of them might have run away, and it wouldn't be your turn to catch her."
"You misunderstood me, Mr. Luke." Helkkin said kindly, "The activities of the Golden Shield Empire's Secret Service in Winter City are very rampant. The three people who evaded military service may be related to the Secret Service, and the newly emerged resistance army is also related to the Secret Service.
Rebecca is part of the same team as the three missing people. She is a suspect, so we have an obligation to investigate her."
"Should we release the person or not?"
"Release him, of course!" Helkkin said with a smile, "With Madam Yolanda's letter and Mr. Luke coming in person, we will definitely release him.
But Mr. Luke needs you to write a guarantee to guarantee that Rebecca has no connection with the Secret Service."
"Are you kidding me?" Luke said unhappily, "Whether Rebecca has any connection with the Secret Service is your business. Why should I guarantee it?
If you have evidence of Rebecca's treason, bring it out and I will leave immediately.
If not, let him go!
I haven't seen you arrest many spies from the Secret Service. It turns out you were wasting your time and manpower on such useless things.
My own new steam engine laboratory is being prepared, so there is no time to waste here!"
Helkkin didn't expect Luke to be so difficult and not to fall into his trap at all.
Without knowing the other party's support and background, Helkkin decided to be patient for now: "Okay, no need to write a guarantee letter, just sign it. Every person who comes in and goes out must be recorded."
"Signing is fine!"
Helkkin asked Darikova to get the release sheet and Luke wrote his name on it.
Rebecca quickly came out with the help of two Ice Cave agents.
When she was captured, Rebecca was not wearing warm clothes, and her exposed skin was already frozen and bleeding and scabbing. There were many whip marks on her body, and her wrists and ankles were full of bruises from the binding.
"Mr. Luke!" Rebecca's lifeless eyes immediately brightened up when she saw Luke: "I thought I would never see you again."
Luke threw away the coffee in his hand and immediately stepped forward to support Rebecca. He first cast fire magic to drive away the cold for her, and then used healing magic to relieve her injuries.
"It's okay, I'll take you home."
Rebecca, who had regained some energy, forced a smile and said, "Thank you, Mr. Luke."
Luke supported Rebecca and left without even looking at Hulkkin.
After the two left, Helkkin's eyes moved to the broken cup on the ground, and the spilled coffee had frozen into ice.
"Did anything come out of Rebecca's trial?"
Darikova said, "We didn't get anything out of them... We didn't expect to get anything out of them when we arrested the Harut Heavy Industries security agents."
"Why did you mess with him?"
Darikova replied: "Enoch was attacked after he left his residence, and what they talked about is a mystery. I want to ask him some questions to see if I can find some clues, but he is a very difficult guy.
Chief... is he really a fourth-level member of the Institution of Steam Engineers now?"
"Are you questioning me? Or the Society of Steam Engineers?"
"I dare not!"
"Enoch looked for him but didn't catch him. There must be a reason why he didn't catch him. I have already sent people to monitor him. You went to him like this and disrupted my deployment."
Darikova immediately apologized: "I'm sorry, General, I didn't know you had sent someone to monitor him. I just heard that he came to pick up someone, so I thought about investigating the case of the attack on Enoch."
"Don't get involved in cases that are not yours!"
"Yes, Sir General, I won't dare to do it again. But my intuition tells me that Luke is definitely a man with a story, and it is necessary to investigate."
Helkkin showed an admiring look: "Since you are so interested in him, I will hand him over to you and find out his origins."
"As you command, Lord General."
"Be careful with your methods. He is no ordinary person now. Editor-in-Chief Morsong is not someone we can afford to offend. If he is really responsible for the development of a new type of steam engine, he is even more not someone we can afford to offend."
"I see!"
…
Luke took Rebecca back to his apartment, cooked some food for her, and found some clothes that he didn't wear for her to take a shower.
During this period, Luke went out to buy some medicines and came back to prepare medicines for injuries and frostbite.
Rebecca washed up and walked out of the bathroom wearing clothes that were a little too big for her. The injuries on her body made her steps a little unsteady.
Luke asked her to sit on the soft sofa and handed her the ointment for application.
"The green one is for frostbite, and the red one is for bruises. Now that you have just finished a shower and the blood is flowing quickly, apply it to all the injured areas. I will prepare a healing potion in a moment. Once you feel better, I will take you home.
Your family must be very worried about you after being held captive in the ice cave for two days."
Thinking about her experiences over the past two days, the strong Rebecca couldn't help but have tears in her eyes.
"I thought I was really going to die in there. But I really didn't say anything, please believe me, Mr. Luke."
"I know you didn't tell me, otherwise I wouldn't have had a chance to save you. Apply the ointment to the wound and rub it. Don't be afraid of the pain, rub it hard, so that the medicine will work better."
Luke instructed Rebecca to apply medicine to the wound.
"Sir, will rescuing me cause you any trouble? They are Ice Cave agents, they can do anything."
"Don't worry... I'm a person who will be followed by trouble wherever I go, so you're no problem. Go back and take good care of your injuries. I'll help you apply for leave from the company's security department. When you're well, come back to protect me...
Apply more on your wrists and ankles to avoid any aftereffects. ”
"Yes, sir... sir, I can't wipe my back... can you, can you help me?"
Rebecca's voice was low and her cheeks were flushed.
Luke replied, "Okay, turn around."
Rebecca turned around as she was told and slowly took off her shirt to reveal her back.
Behind Rebecca, a metal body similar to a beetle shell covered her spine from the neck to the waist. Metal sheets extended to both sides of the metal shell and inserted into the skin, connecting with the ribs.
There were also several whip marks where the skin was torn and the flesh was exposed.
Luke used healing magic to heal the wound on Rebecca's back, then applied the ointment on the whip marks and rubbed them vigorously. Rebecca's muscles tensed in pain and she couldn't help but moan in her throat.
In order to divert Rebecca's attention, Luke casually chatted: "Snamin silk spinal cord worms are parasitic extraordinary creatures that live in polar ice fields. They usually parasitize on the backs of ice bears. The ice bears provide them with nutrients for survival, and they provide the ice bears with stronger strength.
The Extraordinary Biological Research Institute of Art County Union has improved and cultivated the Snammin spinal cord worm so that it can parasitize on the back of a person...
It must have been very painful during the parasitic surgery."
"It hurts a lot!" Rebecca replied, "But as a girl, I want to make more money to support my family, so I have no choice but to accept the extraordinary transformation.
Actually, when I was in school, my goal was to get into the Winter Capital Magic Steam Academy. If I became a magician or a steam engineer, I could get rid of my previous life, but reality completely shattered my dream. "
"Do you want to have the spinal cord worm removed?"
Luke's words almost made Rebecca turn around, but she stopped in time and asked, "Of course I want to remove it, but once the Snamin spinal cord worm has completed its parasitism, can't it be removed?"
"Of course you can take it off. It's just an operation."
Rebecca's spirits lifted but she soon fell back down. "If I take it off, how will I make a living? I haven't paid off the debt I owed from the extraordinary transformation, and I can't afford another operation.
Thank you, Mr. Luke. At least you let me know that it can be removed."
"Rebecca, once you come out of the ice cave today, your life will never go back to the way it was before."
Rebecca asked curiously, "Why? Mr. Luke."
"I can't tell you yet, please believe me. Take good care of your injuries during this period , and obey me when you go back to work. Only then can you and your family be saved."
Although Rebecca didn't know why Luke said that, out of trust in him, she replied, "Yes, Mr. Luke, I will listen to you in everything."
While Luke was applying medicine to Rebecca and chatting with her, there was a knock on the apartment door.
Rebecca put on her clothes in a panic, looked at her messy clothes and wet hair, and said worriedly: "Mr. Luke, will my presence here cause misunderstanding and damage your reputation?"
"I don't have a reputation to ruin. Don't move. I'll go see who it is. It could be the couple who own the house."
Luke asked Rebecca to sit back on the sofa and went to open the door.
The person outside the door was the Ice Cave ace .
She took off her Ice Cave Agent uniform and put on a fashionable lady's outfit, lace gloves and a net fisherman's hat. Her big blue eyes were full of spirit, and her temperament was like that of a lady from a big family. It was hard to tell that she was an Ice Cave Agent who had countless lives on her hands.
Darikova had a gift box on her wrist. When she saw Luke opening the door, her face immediately lit up with a smile.
"Hello, Mr. Luke! I apologize for visiting you without an appointment.
After you and Miss Rebecca left, the general manager reprimanded me severely, and I deeply understood my mistake.
This visit is to express my most sincere gratitude to you. This is the gift I prepared for you, the chocolate strawberry cake freshly baked by Fanny Cake House, please have a taste.
It turns out Miss Rebecca is here too..."
Darikova looked up and saw Rebecca sitting on the sofa in the living room. She also saw her wrongly buttoned shirt, flushed cheeks, and messy hair...
Luke took the cake box from Darikova: "I accept the gift, bye!"
Luke wanted to close the door, but Darikova came in and said, "Mr. Luke, I'm just an ordinary clerk in the Ice Cave. You don't need to be so wary of me.
Miss Rebecca, I deeply sympathize with your situation. Look at what those bastards have done to you. Seeing you like this has made me more determined to leave the ice cave!"
