NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

"But according to Ark law, the military cannot have command of Nikki. Why are you so certain that the military traded Nikki to Lecher, defendant Phoenix?" The Supreme Court asked a perfunctory question, as if to indicate to the assembled dignitaries that he had followed the established procedures.

Phoenix's response was entirely reasonable.

He said, “Your Honor, everything must be done in accordance with the laws of the Ark. The military should not have any reformers, and the Pure Land of Bliss should not secretly help the military research reformers.”

Perhaps realizing that she was also involved, Ingrid, the CEO of Gokuraku Jodo, finally remembered that it was time for her to make a public statement after the initial shock.

So, she quickly replied with a dark expression:

"Regarding the situation where some personnel within our company have knowingly violated the law, as the CEO of Pure Land of Bliss, on behalf of all employees of the company, I agree to cooperate with the central government and openly accept the central government's investigation."

"Agree with..."

Before the other representatives of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss could object, Burningm of the command immediately cast his vote in favor.

In the deputy commander's view, whether Ingrid wanted to consolidate her position internally or eliminate dissidents, as long as Elysium was willing to accept the central investigation, it was tantamount to admitting that the central government's position was superior to that of the three major corporations.

This is far more beneficial than harmful to the traditionally weak central government.

"agree."

"agree."

The vice commanders, including Anderson, shared the same idea and followed Burningham in expressing their views.

"agree!"

After the command unanimously agreed to Ingrid's approach, the military representative reluctantly cast his vote in favor.

Disagreeing is not an option. If they dare to shake their heads at this critical juncture, then these clumps of yellow mud on their bodies will truly become excrement.

"Dissent!"

However, after several "yes" votes were cast in succession, a dramatic exclamation erupted from the jury. Turning around, one could see Mastin, also from one of the three major companies, twirling a strand of his hair with his finger before casting the first "no" vote.

"The company's questions should be mediated by the company itself. This is a regulation established when the central government was founded."

With the Tetra boss leading the opposition, representatives from the Ark Merchant Alliance, the Industry and Commerce Department (which always stood with the three major companies), the State Administration of Taxation, and other organizations also cast their votes against it.

However, things have progressed to this point, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, something unexpected is bound to happen.

"I agree!"

Her shrill voice tormented everyone's ears. Representing the Missilis Consortium, Shuen betrayed her own class without hesitation, speaking in her ever-present, infuriating tone:

“The company’s problems should be resolved internally, but since the company is involved with the military and Lecher, it’s no longer just a problem for the company. I agree to the central government’s decision to conduct a public investigation into the Pure Land Institute.”

Mastin: "..."

Ingrid: "..."

If the boss of Tetra could guess what the CEO of Gokuraku Jodo was thinking, and therefore did not want to see Gokuraku Jodo change from a complex conglomerate into Ingrid's private property, then that's why he spoke out and cast his dissenting vote.

So the reason why the idiotic leader of Missilis voted in favor was probably simply because he arrogantly wanted to disgust Elysium.

There was nothing I could do; this was the first time in my life that I had ever witnessed the unprecedented spectacle of Gokuraku Jodo's stock hitting its daily limit down, and then falling for a whole week.

Seeing that there was still a chance to make the other party's stock price continue to fall, how could Shuen, who had not made Missillis' stock price rise since taking office, resist such temptation?

Drop! Drop!

If I'm not having a good time, you won't have one either!

Thus, with Shuen's unexpected meddling and no one able to see through his actions, the atmosphere in the courtroom took an uncontrollable and bizarre turn.

chaos.

Chaos stemming from a lack of distinction between friend and foe; chaos stemming from a lack of understanding of objectives; chaos stemming from a lack of understanding of factions.

At this moment, the political situation on the Ark was as chaotic as the surging Yellow River; if you scooped up a ladle of yellow water, half of it would be full of mud and sand.

The lieutenant's initial hearing was once again forgotten, and everyone turned their anger towards their own political enemies. From the initial arguments to pointing fingers and cursing, and finally, one hot-tempered person almost got into a fight in court.

Boom boom boom!

"Silence, silence!"

The old man, despite his advanced age, pounded the gavel with all his might, but his aging vocal cords were no match for the middle-aged men.

Seeing that he couldn't stop the jury from fighting, the judge had no choice but to take a megaphone from his drawer, clear his throat, and shout in a booming voice:

"quiet--!!!"

Buzz—~~~

The piercing screech echoed through the courtroom's ceiling, finally calming the group of representatives down.

"Given the new developments in the case, further evidence collection is required..."

The judge, who had never presided over a case like this before, wearily put down the loudspeaker, struck the gavel again, and said:

Court adjourned.

Just as the old man uttered the word "adjournment," inside the protective pod, Farin suddenly reported an even more horrifying piece of news to Phoenix.

"Lieutenant, the sisters at the Pure Land of Bliss headquarters just sent a message."

The board of directors of the Pure Land of Bliss, acting on orders from the military, is preparing to assassinate Ms. Ingrid.

The time is now.

Chapter 167 Getting on the Bus

Since the judge has adjourned the court, there is no point in continuing the argument.

Or perhaps the argument itself is meaningless, and the representatives present are merely using this opportunity to vent their dissatisfaction with their political opponents.

After the emotional outburst subsided, everyone went home and went about their business, completely ignoring their performance record of not having accomplished anything all day.

Then, as the jury members left one by one, Phoenix, sitting in the protective cabin, began to worry.

He suddenly realized a very serious problem.

Ingrid was also a member of the jury, and the jury's exit passage was separated from his, the defendant's, exit passage by one courtroom.

Trouble...

Using his consciousness to observe the situation around the CEO, he saw Polly and two security personnel protecting their boss in the center of the formation, but the lieutenant's tension was not relieved.

Although Polly's presence minimizes the possibility of close-range assassination, the assassin can still choose to operate at medium to long range, or simply throw explosives...

"Lieutenant, please leave."

The door to the protective cabin was opened again. Outside, the bailiff nodded to someone with his usual polite and friendly expression, then shrugged, indicating that the person could leave and return to the underground parking garage.

"okay."

Phoenix, who was in a hurry to leave, didn't linger. Led by the bailiffs, he got up and quickly walked towards his exit, where he successfully met with Lapi, who had been waiting backstage for a long time.

"Go find Ingrid now."

Without much preamble, the lieutenant who came backstage didn't even want to explain, because he knew Lapi's character well; he wouldn't refuse the commander's orders on serious matters.

“Someone might be planning to harm her on the way. You go and protect her. I have Yursha’s Triangle Force protecting her, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

"Yes, Commander!"

Upon hearing that Ingrid was in danger, Lapi's already serious expression became even more solemn and dignified. However, she still insisted on escorting the commander to the underground garage first, and then going to find her boss alone.

Phoenix didn't waste time trying to stop or refuse; instead, he nodded in agreement and, ignoring the opinions of the other security guards present, jogged towards the underground parking garage under Lapi's protection...

……

From Ingrid's exit to Phoenix's return to the underground parking garage, the entire process took only two minutes.

But precisely in those two minutes, the impatient assassins received the order to act...

The efficiency with which the other party issued the assassination order was completely different from their inaction during the courtroom argument; they seemed to belong to a completely different world.

"That's too late……"

As soon as he stepped into the garage, the silent image of Polly lunging at and pinning Ingrid flashed through his mind. The lieutenant first glanced at Lapi beside him, then turned to look at Yulsha and Privati ​​not far away...

Under the girls' gazes—some admonishing, some wary, and some "wise"—Lieutenant Phoenix remained silent.

then,

Suddenly, the man sprinted toward the ACPU police motorcycle at the garage exit. Amidst Yursha and Labi's symbolic pursuit and Privati's bewildered exclamations, the lieutenant grabbed the ACPU policeman, whose brain was still short-circuiting, and lifted him off the seat with his bare hands.

Immediately afterward, as he flipped himself into the car, he twisted his right hand sharply, instantly starting the engine and speeding towards the garage exit.

Clang——!

The motorcycle easily broke through the barrier, which was more than ten meters long, from its farthest end. The engine roared excitedly, proclaiming to the world that its true capabilities were no less than those of a luxury sports car.

In the game world, Anik, who has downloaded the official Ark map, begins to provide Phoenix with the most intelligent navigation.

[Two consecutive left turns; I'll mark the assassin who's already jumped out with X-ray vision.]

With a wave of its hand, the artificial intelligence immediately calculated the location in the consciousness map and then converted it according to the map scale, finally presenting the blue floating dot perspective portraits to the lieutenant's visual screen.

……

boom--!

Outside the courthouse, Ms. Ingrid, who had been tackled to the ground by Polly, felt a dull pain in her sternum.