Chapter 359 - 348: Under the Guise of Protection, Taking It All
Chapter 359: Chapter 348: Under the Guise of Protection, Taking It All
The air seemed to freeze solid.
The captain’s mouth hung open. The torrent of gratitude, admiration, and questions he had prepared was stuck in his throat, turning into a series of meaningless syllables.
’An investigative analysis?’
’At a time like this, having just escaped the abyss of death, the first thing this man did was ask for documents?’
’Simply ruthless.’
Allen’s expression didn’t flicker in the slightest, and he paid their loss of composure no mind.
Behind him, the Eight-winged Angel, Gabriel, floated silently. Its pure-white mechanical body was unstained by a single speck of dust, yet its presence was more chilling than the biting winds of the Wailing Icefield.
"Your Recording Crystals. Or your mission logs."
Allen added, "I want all observational data on these autonomous Mechanical Bodies. That includes their behavioral patterns, energy signatures, reconfiguration patterns, and any weaknesses you identified while fighting them."
His voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried an unyielding force that permitted no refusal.
The six survivors, who had just narrowly escaped death, looked at one another.
The heavy panting of the Bloodline Wizard seemed especially loud in the silence. Meanwhile, the Female Wizard from the Mind School subconsciously took half a step back; it seemed Allen’s unyielding will exerted more pressure on her than the artillery fire had.
The captain finally snapped out of it.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his roiling emotions, and said stiffly, "O-of course, Sir. Thank you for your help. We..."
"The report."
Allen cut him off, repeating the words as his calm gaze swept over the six of them.
The captain’s heart sank.
He finally understood. This powerhouse couldn’t care less about social niceties, let alone whether they lived or died.
All the man saw was data.
The captain hesitated no longer. He immediately retrieved a Memory Crystal Stone from a storage pocket inside his Wizard Robe and offered it with both hands.
"Sir, these are all our records," the captain said. "But...thirteen days ago, after the city ’awakened,’ a powerful interference field blanketed the entire ruins. All of our recording equipment was suppressed. As a result, this only contains survey data from the first five days."
Allen took the Crystal Stone. A faint blue halo bloomed across its surface as countless data streams flashed past at light speed.
[Read complete. Data packet integrity: 47.3%. Core combat data largely missing. Key information: Preliminary topographical survey map, elemental composition analysis of peripheral metal samples, initial hypotheses on the unknown civilization’s architectural style...]
’Nothing of value found.’
"Our subsequent exploration of the core area, our analysis of the civilization’s origins, and our systematic combat logs against these metallic life-forms—it was all cut off."
The captain’s tone was laced with frustration; they had risked their lives for that intelligence, but they hadn’t been able to leave a single written record of it.
Allen remained expressionless, seemingly unfazed by this news.
The captain looked at him, then at the menacing Steel Legion surrounding them, and finally at the metal monsters stirring restlessly in the distance. Gritting his teeth, he seemed to make a momentous decision.
"Investigator," he said, taking a step forward with a solemn tone, "our mission objective is not yet complete. According to Association protocol, when a field investigation team encounters a force majeure but is still able to continue its mission, it has the right to request an extended deployment from the responding support unit in order to complete its survey and rating."
He paused, adding with emphasis, "We have reason to believe that once this metallic ruin and the unknown civilization it represents are fully surveyed and reported, it will almost certainly be classified as an A-rank discovery! This would be of monumental importance to the Association!"
An A-rank discovery.
Those three words rekindled a spark in the eyes of the other five survivors. It was a monumental achievement, one that could secure their futures in a single stroke.
They watched Allen nervously, awaiting his verdict.
In their eyes, this powerful investigator’s time was far too valuable. He could easily refuse and have them forcibly evacuated.
A sharp glint flashed in the depths of Allen’s eyes.
’They want to stay and continue the investigation? This couldn’t be more perfect. It’s exactly what I wanted.’
He had already planned on staying for a few days to analyze the secrets behind the fusion of these metallic life-forms, but he worried the Association would start asking questions if he lingered too long.
This team’s request provided the perfect cover, and it came with six free guides who knew the terrain.
As for the credit for an A-rank discovery? He couldn’t care less.
Knowledge itself was the ultimate reward.
He looked at the captain’s tense, hopeful face and calmly uttered two words.
"Permission granted."
There were no conditions, no further explanation.
The captain clearly hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly, and the entire speech he’d prepared died in his throat. After all, they wouldn’t have dared continue the mission without this powerhouse’s protection.
Allen ignored them, turning his head to look at a relatively flat patch of permafrost on the outskirts of the ruins.
"Jarvis, deploy Cybertron. Preset Plan Five."
[Command confirmed. Half-plane Workshop is calibrating coordinates...]
Under the six survivors’ astonished gazes, a massive complex of buildings materialized out of thin air on the empty patch of ground Allen had indicated, rapidly taking solid form on the icefield.
It was the workshop’s residential block and its research and development wing.
The interior was brightly lit, with immaculate corridors and servant Golems bustling back and forth, a dazzling sight to behold.
HISS— The main door slid open.
A wave of warm air washed over them, instantly dispelling the deathly stillness of the icefield.
"There are some general-purpose potions and nutritional supplements inside. Go and get some rest," Allen said without turning around.
The six survivors stared dumbfounded at the miraculous structure before them, then looked down at their own tattered, filthy Wizard Robes reeking of blood. For a moment, they found themselves unable to move.
’What kind of life had they been living for the past dozen days? They’d had to sleep with one eye open!’
’And now, a safe, warm, fully-stocked safe house had just been dropped right in their laps?’
’So this was the legendary power of an Alchemy Wizard? The power of being filthy rich?’
’It’s so extravagant! I’m so jealous!’
The captain opened his mouth, but the thousand words he wanted to say dissolved into a single sigh.
Guided by the workshop’s servants, the six survivors walked into this "home" in a daze.
Allen, meanwhile, stood his ground, watching them disappear behind the door.
The next moment, a Space Gate opened behind him.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
The heavy sound of metal footsteps made the ground tremble.
Twenty four-meter-tall, jet-black "Peacekeeper" Golems marched out in perfect formation.
"From now on, they will be responsible for your safety."
Allen’s voice came through the workshop’s communication system, reaching the ears of the six survivors who were curiously looking around. "No matter where you go to conduct your survey, they will follow you."
The captain, who had just sat down, froze.
He looked through a viewport at the twenty black Golems exuding a cold, menacing aura and instantly understood Allen’s unspoken message.
This was protection. It was also surveillance.
From this moment on, they—along with this A-rank ruin—had been completely taken over by this impossibly young investigator.