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Chapter 278 Prove It to Me
Honglian was greatly shocked.

Because what the other person said actually matched her experiences over the past month!
When they first entered the corrupted world, they found it technologically advanced, making exploration difficult. They could only disguise themselves as homeless beggars or thugs to gather intelligence bit by bit. It took the task force about a month to gradually establish itself as a "street gang."

But not long after she returned to Jiangcheng, she heard from the intelligence team that the agency's relationship with the local political and business circles had made significant progress, and the chief commander had become a guest of honor. Afterwards, the agency used the eroded space to transport a large amount of supplies and received some feedback in return.

As for what exactly she received, she inquired around, but unfortunately, neither the intelligence team nor the logistics team knew much about the inside story of the transaction. The only thing she was clear about was that all the rewards were transferred to headquarters and were not left in Jiangcheng at all.

At the time, everyone was privately discussing how the chief commander was indeed very capable and a talented socialite.

Honglian's opinion of Xiao Kanong also changed somewhat.

However, it now seems that Captain Xiao's achievements at that time were obtained by betraying Elori to the devil.
Even the powerful figures in the government who were trying to forge a further cooperative relationship were all wicked devils with ulterior motives, who feared nothing more than a peaceful world?

The sheer volume of information made Honglian feel breathless.

"No...this is impossible..." she murmured subconsciously.

This does not mean that Shawcanon could not have been so wicked.

What she didn't believe was that this partnership would be approved by the higher-ups in the organization.

Could it be that the chief commander withheld crucial information from the headquarters?
But this possibility is not high...

Headquarters would only allow Xiaokanon to transfer supplies to another world if they knew the situation thoroughly. Obviously, after reviewing the report, the higher-ups also believed that the cooperative relationship between the two parties could continue to develop.

Even if one member of the opposing group had just committed a bloody crime at the Wuhuan Machinery Factory that killed hundreds of people.

Sitting next to her, Lin Qing was carefully watching the future leader's every move.

"No wonder you looked so familiar when I first saw you... I must have confused you with her." Chen Xuan's chatter came through the earpiece. "So, when I went to rescue Joan of Arc, the Mad Judy who appeared in the palace dungeon was also played by this guy. It's just that she was wearing a hood and the dungeon was dimly lit, so I didn't immediately think of that."

As the mastermind behind the dream, Chen Xuan naturally couldn't be absent. To ensure that Elori and Liuli could perform the role well, he stayed in his upstairs room, observing the situation inside using miniature cameras he had set up beforehand.

"So, are you related to her by blood? Could it be that the future leader of the resistance against Japan was your ancestor?"

“How would I know? I’m just as clueless as you are.” Lin Qing could talk to him without even opening her mouth. “But one thing I’m sure of is that I have no family. I’ve been in the rebel camp since I was born.”

"How about... you find a chance to collect some of her hair?"

"Let's focus on the important matters first and avoid doing anything suspicious."

"I think this might be a good opportunity for you two to get closer," Chen Xuan said, offering a different perspective. "Don't be fooled by her calm demeanor; she's probably just as confused as you are. Even if you told her she was your long-lost sister, she might not dare to deny it immediately."

"Is this also your intuition?"

"More or less, I can sense that she's wavering." Lin Qing had to admit that the shop manager's intuition was indeed quite accurate. If she had tried to win over Honglian directly as she had initially planned, the negotiations might have already broken down.

Chen Xuan, through casual conversation with Jiang Siqi, gained a general understanding of the members of the execution team and thus determined the strategy of using Wang Baihu to influence Honglian. So far, the results have been more effective. Honglian has transformed from someone who was simply informed into an active seeker, and her suspicion and resistance have diminished considerably. Furthermore, Elori's plight naturally evokes the team leader's sympathy and anger, which will further motivate her to intervene in the investigation.

Even so, Honglian did not side with them.

At least at this point in time, she still had full confidence in the Vigilantes organization, and even subconsciously tried to protect it. Even though she felt a little shaken after hearing Elori's story, it was just a slight wavering.

The pillar that supported her faith in the organization did not collapse.

“You think it’s impossible… because you don’t know enough about them.” Lin Qing thought for a moment and said, “The Limitation Agency does indeed maintain world stability and limit the spread of abilities, just like its name suggests, but the process in between is by no means just or fair. They imprison and kill Wanderers, extract their abilities as weapons, cooperate with large corporations to obtain excessive profits, and finally transform into a huge profit-making entity.”

"You can imagine how terrifying an organization that monopolizes advanced technology and powerful capabilities can be. No one can restrain them. With just a flick of their fingers, they can easily take the lives of thousands of people, and these orders are all under the guise of maintaining order."

In fact, Lin Qing could accept even this point. If sacrificing a small number of people could ensure the survival of the vast majority, then such a price was not incomprehensible.

But the problem with the Weixian government was that after committing such heinous acts, they ultimately failed to protect the world.

"I've been wanting to ask you this for a while, who exactly are you?" Honglian looked at Lin Qing with some suspicion. "You're so familiar with mechanisms, could you be a defector with special abilities?"

In a sense, that's true.

However, Lin Qing absolutely couldn't say that. At least in this century, government agencies weren't so fragmented, and the three previous betrayals had all been reported in detail. If she admitted to it according to the other party's version of events, it would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

"Are you testing me? There have only been three betrayals in the Dimensional Agency, and all those involved have been captured. None of them match me, right?" Lin Qing answered with a question. "The Agency is indeed very mysterious, but for beings of higher dimensions, obtaining this kind of information is not difficult."

Honglian was surprised once again.

Such inside information is absolutely only accessible to members of the organization, and requires certain permissions; for example, Wang Baihu and Xiaojiu had no access to it.

"You mean... the World Centre for Competence?"

“That’s right. Shixin observes the entire world through its abilities, and the Dimensional Organization, which gathers many ability users, is naturally a key target of its observation,” Lin Qing nodded.

This was Chen Xuan's approach: not to approach Honglian as an ally, but to guide her from a superior, outsider's perspective. This would save them the trouble of building trust and allow him to directly break down her defenses with power beyond comprehension and irrefutable facts.

Honglian had already heard from Wang Baihu that this being, who called itself "Worldly Heart," seemed capable of arbitrarily stripping away and granting abilities, but there was clearly a big problem with this. Wang Baihu might not realize it, but she wouldn't be fooled: assuming this consciousness was truly that powerful, it could achieve any goal at will without needing the help of agency personnel. For example, if it wanted to deal with Xiao Kanong, wouldn't it simply steal his abilities? Or, when Elori was attacked, wouldn't granting her immunity to gunfire help her escape danger?
“It sounds like it’s omniscient and omnipotent…” Honglian pondered for a moment, “What you’ve said… I can’t be sure for now, but I’m very interested in the idea that it’s a collective entity with abilities and consciousness. Miss Lin Qing… I wonder if I could verify it myself?”

"What do you mean?" Lin Qing frowned slightly.

"It's very simple. Let me experience the same process of having my abilities stripped and given back, just like my colleagues. If this is true, then I'm willing to believe everything you say," Honglian said, enunciating each word clearly.

(End of this chapter)