NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

This is why Phoenix insisted on having Cansey work for Viper in the outer fringe.

"The alarm system on this limiter is encrypted much better than I expected."

The man, accepting reality, shook his head calmly, then withdrew his right hand, letting Sen stare straight at him.

"Wait a few more days, I have a way to solve this problem."

However, the young woman was naturally not satisfied with Phoenix's unrealistic explanation.

"Why should I believe you?" she said.

"Lieutenant, have you forgotten your situation? Your presence here is tantamount to [illegible], and if you don't reveal your plans to me, why should I confess your crimes?"

The words sounded like a question, but Sen's tone was actually quite charming and soft. Like a viper, except when she was yelled into the loser group by the jackal, she was always so keen on putting on airs.

Of course, this affected behavior is not entirely without merit; deliberately dragging out the speech can effectively help the girl think about subsequent negotiation strategies.

She wanted to regain control of the narrative and start from the disadvantaged position...

"I plan to tie up Shuen."

Mori: "???"

Kancy: "???"

The lieutenant, who never liked riddles, was a straightforward man. Since the girl had asked him, there was no reason for him to hesitate and refuse to answer.

"Although there are other ways to remove your limiter, I think it would be more convenient to bring CEO Missilis back."

"..."

Sen didn't understand, not only where the man got his confidence, but also the other man's bizarre thought process.

In order to remove her limiter and thus control the entire rehabilitation center, they spared no expense in kidnapping the CEO of Missilis...

This behavior is like making a plate of dumplings specifically for a dish of vinegar.

Why bother?

Surely... could it be... that he did this specifically to have a crazy time with her?

Her soul trembled for a moment. The girl stared at the man in disbelief, and only after confirming that there was no teasing in his emerald eyes did she murmur:

"Do you know what you're saying?"

……

……

"ha--???"

"Don't you know what you're talking about?"

Inside the conference room of the Missilis headquarters building, Shuen's repulsive face was now plastered with her signature look of disgust and contempt. The object of this treatment was a middle-aged man standing six or seven meters in front of her.

—Sander Bernard, one of the major shareholders of the Missilis board of directors and the de facto head of the Bernard family.

“Miss Shuen, I know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Mr. Bernard, impeccably dressed, maintained his elegant expression, showing no annoyance at Shuen's attitude, and said:

"Although you developed the technology to control Lecher on your own, as the CEO of Missilis, shouldn't you prioritize the interests of Missilis?"

As a director, I believe it is necessary for you to disclose the current technological progress to the internal staff of Missilis so that the company can work together to improve it. This would not only greatly improve the efficiency of research and development, but also allow the Missilis consortium to obtain a large amount of market value in a short period of time to make up for the losses.

You should be well aware of how important this technology is to the future development of Missilis.

Miss Shuen, you wouldn't want your parents' hard work to fall apart due to mismanagement in recent years, would you?

Send Bernard's words were hardly appropriate, and coupled with the contempt hidden in his voice and the seemingly persuasive but actually threatening tone, it made Shuen's face grow increasingly gloomy and vicious.

But she was still herself, the arrogant CEO of Missillis, the once-in-a-century genius scientist. Without a second thought, she sarcastically remarked:

"Get out! Instead of wasting your time talking nonsense with me, you should go and continue to preside over your niece's funeral."

"A mere Bernard dares to threaten me? Sende, you should take a good look at yourself. You're just a piece of trash who sells illegal drugs on the side, yet you dare to spout nonsense in front of me. Are you tired of living?"

Chapter 292 Meeting Shuen for the Third Time (Part 1)

Expensive paintings, weathered by time, hang quietly on the wall like ordinary decorations, covering three-quarters of the entire wall.

The first thing that catches the eye in the painting is a golden-bronze full moon, hiding behind gray-blue night clouds. Its remaining glow dyes the approaching mist into a romantic golden-red, and from a distance it looks like an old oil lamp, emitting a faint and warm light in the haze.

Under the moonlight, the waves surged, the deep blue-black sea shimmering with a few streaks of dark gold, while in the center of the scene, there was a continuous expanse of gray-white, snow-like waves.

Before this wave, a lone figure stood amidst it.

—That was a man.

A man with his back to the world, seemingly gazing up at the full moon.

His silhouette was nothing more than a dark green mass, with only two lines of moonlight illuminating his shoulders. Ahead, the oncoming gray-white waves accentuated his solitary and lonely demeanor.

The image freezes on this moment.

No one knew what kind of accident might happen to the man facing those almost shoulder-high, surging waves in the next second.

Just like the title of this painting – "Waiting".

The former CEO of Missillis's most cherished painting, which is one of the many legacies left by Shum's father.

In fact, Schoon himself was particularly fond of this work.

From a very young age, she would sit in her father's lap, silently gazing at this masterpiece with him. No matter what her mood was at the time, whether happy or sad, it would be slowly dispelled by the lonely atmosphere depicted in the painting.

Only by calming down and stopping can one forget the passage of time.

Now that her parents have been missing for many years, whenever she feels wronged and has no one to rely on, the girl will sit obediently and dignifiedly opposite the book "Waiting," just like her father, letting time erase the troubled thoughts in her heart.

Send Bernard—that was the first damn name that Shun wrote down when he made the deal with that penniless, uncultured bastard Phoenix.

Sending his own brother to prison, having an inappropriate relationship with his niece, abusing drugs, selling illegal drugs, and molesting children...

Most importantly, whenever her prestige and power are threatened, this old beast will always step forward and spare no effort to take the lead.

For example, this time, after she deliberately revealed the news about "a major breakthrough in controlling Lecher technology", the board of directors, which had been holding back for more than three months, finally couldn't resist the temptation of profit and sent the Bernard family, whose strength and status were among the lowest in the team, to test the waters.

"a bunch of idiots."

On the elegant antique wooden chair, Shuen first snorted disdainfully, but then, probably recalling Sende's old face, he became angrier and angrier. Even with the calming buff, he couldn't suppress his strong impulse and cursed in a low voice.

"Tch! If that guy weren't constantly being sent to the ground by the incompetent command staff, you old geezers wouldn't have the chance to bark at me like dogs."

Unexpectedly, no sooner had the kid finished speaking than his phone in his pocket suddenly beeped with a long-awaited message notification.

bulibuli! m-boer~

A notification ringtone?

Shuen, who rarely used this communication software, suddenly brightened up. She raised her small hand and made a gesture in the air, and a virtual projection appeared in front of her from nowhere.

[Phoenix: Let's meet at a secluded location. You choose the place, and the time should be quick. Meet alone, and make sure no one is following you.]

"!"

[Shuen: You're back on the Ark?]

[Shuen: Why haven't I received any messages?]

[Shuen: Wait, did you sneak back to the Ark?!]

[Shuen: When did you get back?]

[Shuen: ...]

Upon seeing the barrage of messages on his phone screen, Phoenix, who had already left the rehabilitation center alone, seriously doubted whether that brat Shuen hadn't talked to anyone in a long time. Why did his words exude an intense longing for communication?

Phoenix: Time, place, hurry!

[Shuen: Missilis Headquarters Building, Underground Parking Level 1, Area A, Purple Desarama L7.]

[Shuen: Can you make it? If you can, I'll be waiting for you in the car in three hours.]

Phoenix: Okay.

……

……

After three hours,

"Hey, what are you trying to do, hiding in the Ark like a thief?"

The underground parking garage, specifically Zone A, reserved for the CEO. Inside a sports car with a dark purple laser-painted finish, Shu En watched Phoenix open the door, get into the passenger seat, and even fasten his seatbelt. He couldn't help but roll his eyes in exasperation and asked:

"Tell me what you want from me."

Hearing Shuen's question and seeing the kid acting as if he were his superior, Phoenix unceremoniously took a bottle of expensively packaged juice from the car's mini-fridge, took a big gulp, and then answered:

"Didn't I promise to kill people for you? How's your plan going? Or should I just kill them one by one for you?"

Tighten the cap on the juice bottle, and the lieutenant glanced sideways at the CEO of Missilis, his eyes full of sincerity.

Phoenix understood this very well.

Regardless of the outcome, he would help Shuen kill the board members on the list, then leak the assassination plan to escalate the conflict between Shuen and the Missilis board of directors, and finally kidnap this annoying brat, creating the illusion for the entire Ark that the Missilis board of directors was behind it all.