Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

"It seems we've been exposed."

Kronin immediately concluded that "Ceylon has discovered his intention to trigger a volcanic eruption and monopolize the Originium mine."

He didn't care how this young lady knew.

After all, she had been asking me for information about volcanoes from time to time for some time now, and had already noticed the tendency for them to erupt.

They were nowhere to be found all day yesterday; perhaps they discovered some crucial clue.

But now she says she wants to meet with me.

How naive!

Is he trying to convince himself to turn over a new leaf by using so-called friendship?

There's no turning back now!

Since this young lady is so naive, Kronin should definitely make good use of her.

Just like using that man before.

"But... can that man really be trusted?"

He persuaded Bardak to act as his bodyguard and ensure his personal safety, but rather than "accepting the commission," it was more like a convenient arrangement, thinking, "No one can disturb me here when I'm resting."

Although he was dissatisfied with the man's attitude, he believed the man's strength was enough to buy him some time so he could board the cruise ship bound for Colombia for refuge...

But before that, he had to meet that naive young lady.

As long as I tie her up, no one will dare to lay a hand on me before I leave Siesta!

[Main Text] Siesta's Hottest Holiday: Chapter Forty-Six - In Short, First Strike

Hei always felt that she understood Ceylon very well. Even though they were of similar age, she had always accompanied Ceylon with a more mature mindset, obeying Mayor Hermann's request.

Born into wealth, she received a full education and was well-mannered. However, it was unclear whether it was due to the open atmosphere of Siesta, but even as a young lady, she had a rather lively and optimistic personality—for example, she would actively make some capricious requests and then ask him to accompany her in her antics.

Perhaps Black always referred to herself as "a servant of the Dorkos family," but deep down she still regarded Ceylon as her younger sister, and Ceylon would call her "older sister" without any hesitation.

But some things are not as perfect as they seem on the surface.

Siesta has always been a place of undercurrents, with malicious acts against the mayor often stemming from envy of its development.

She couldn't let Ceylon suffer from this, so Black was supposed to protect her, and then, at Herman's behest, bury those shady things forever beneath the tides of Siesta.

However, things always happen unexpectedly, beyond what Black himself anticipated.

Having finally returned from studying abroad, Ceylon becomes obsessed with secretly investigating something.

Compared to the past, she is also more independent and autonomous—in other words, she will take more willful actions, ignore the mayor and the gang's protection, and act arbitrarily.

Not long ago, Kronen also told Black that Ceylon was investigating the "special methods" the mayor had used to protect Siesta's development and intended to use them as charges to force the mayor to step down and face trial.

Although the information came from Kronin, a suspected individual, Black also felt that it made some sense.

This is the revenge of a daughter who has been neglected by her father. Based on her understanding of Ceylon, it is indeed possible for her to do such a thing.

She was supposed to stop it, but Ceylon was kidnapped by unknown people before she could take action.

Meanwhile, Hei was acting with Lyudmila and the others.

The others traveling with him all had experience working in the gray market, such as Texas from Syracuse and Lapland, and were not surprised that the Black Organization provided information to facilitate their investigation.

In their view, it is normal for some people in positions of power to use special means to achieve certain goals, whether it is assassination or something else.

It wouldn't surprise anyone that former colleagues would exchange this information.

"Beep beep beep beep..."

Just as Hei was expressing concern about Ceylon's current situation due to the failure of their operation, her communicator rang.

The letter came from Tomat's side.

The last time they contacted me proactively was when they asked for a list of people.

She hoped that this time, the other party's contact would not indicate that the investigation had yielded no results, but rather that they could provide some truly important intelligence.

"Good news, the murderer has been basically confirmed to be your acting mayor, Cronin."

What Tomat said in a confident tone did not disappoint Black too much, but it was not too unexpected either.

Because Kronin had been suspected by the mayor earlier for other reasons.

The obsidian mines have been closed, yet large quantities of raw obsidian are still circulating in the market, and there are frequent sightings of mining teams near the closed mines.

A significant portion of the profits from the obsidian industry and tourism is used for welfare benefits for those infected, but there are frequent rumors that funding cannot be disbursed.

These events often occurred when the mayor was away on official business and temporarily delegated authority to Cronin.

—But he was always seen as someone who embezzled and sought money, not as the first choice to kidnap the young lady.

Moreover, if the young lady's investigation aims to overthrow the mayor, it would actually benefit Cronin, who is currently the acting mayor.

Furthermore, Kronin told Black to stop Ceylon...which contradicts the kidnapping of the young lady.

She has always been a loyal executor who follows orders and carries out tasks without thinking about the underlying logic.

But now, for the safety of Ceylon, her thoughts have never stopped.

A completely new idea popped into the assassin's mind:

That means Ceylon may have actually found some evidence, and the collaborator is Kronin!

This is why she was able to enter and exit the volcano and eventually disappear there—because Kronin allowed her to pass!

Although it is unknown what Ceylon found, it may be crucial evidence related to the mayor's crimes. However, Kronin later chose to double-cross him, directly taking the evidence and kidnapping the young lady!

The reason is simple: if it were Ceylon, she would have obtained the evidence and might have shown leniency out of consideration for the father-daughter relationship. In the end, Herman would still become mayor, while Kronen would be dismissed.

If Kronin comes in person, this money-grubbing messenger of natural disasters will not care about sentiments!

“Kronin... the information you gave me to clear your name has instead become evidence that exposes your wrongdoing.”

Kronin's words, though contradicting his actions, can be fully explained if interpreted as an attempt to "exonerate himself from suspicion."

"Naive fellow."

Hei gritted his teeth, but a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

There was both anger at being fooled and joy at a breakthrough in the investigation.

But the real joy should come after we've dealt with Cronin and rescued the young lady.

"It seems you've realized it too. The person most likely to be coerced in the kidnapping of Ceylon is the mayor. With the mayor stepping down, the biggest beneficiary is Cronin, who is secretly profiting. And with the mayor gone, Cronin is the one who has the ability to mobilize people and cover up the investigation. Even if he revealed Ceylon's purpose to you, he's still the one controlling Siesta. No matter how much you try to stop him, he can still assist Ceylon in continuing the investigation. This way, he can be a highly suspicious but unconvicted mastermind."

On the other end of the communication line, Thomas smoothly stated his deduction, which coincided with Black's, and then followed up with a flippant remark:

"Honestly, even I admire my own reasoning."

At this moment, everyone involved in the incident was ready to head towards the Siesta City Hall.

That's where the target, Kronin, is located.

However, different people have different purposes.

Some see him as "the key figure who saved Siesta from the volcanic eruption crisis," while others see him as "a despicable character who kidnapped the mayor's daughter and launched a coup."

—Even though he's neither of those people, who cares?

In short, let's capture Kronin first.

[Main Text] Siesta's Hottest Holiday: Chapter Forty-Seven Pompeii: Excuse Me

When some things accumulate to a certain point, they will cause a qualitative change. Although it may not be good, the difference before and after will generally be significant.

For example, the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Or perhaps it was what the messengers of natural disasters said at their meeting: "When it reaches a certain level, a volcanic eruption will occur."

Siesta is in a similar state now.

A group of Rhodes Island operators, two Saiyans, and three factions that are completely on different wavelengths but have a surprisingly consistent goal.

Several seemingly unrelated elements gradually come together, driven by a bizarre disappearance incident, and then produce a subtle chemical reaction.

It's similar to how Huang described his Originium Arts.

It's roughly like this...

An explosive development?

—Siesta. 12:00 AM, the day before Obsidian Festival—

The island began to shake.

The seawater churned unnaturally, creating huge waves.

Thick smoke rose into the sky from the peaks where no flames had ever been seen, accompanied by large amounts of scorching gas.

Scalding dust fell like raindrops, carried by the howling sea wind to every corner of Siesta.

The crowd screamed and scattered, and by the time they realized what was happening, it seemed too late. They rushed towards the docks, onto vehicles, or tried to run away from the terrifying volcano.

No one expected this; everything happened too suddenly.

This includes Kronen himself, the only person who might be held responsible for the volcanic eruption.

He himself doesn't understand why things have turned out this way.

In order not to give himself away, he dared not use explosives with too high a yield. Instead, he worked like a termite, cooperating with the hired sorcerers to slowly erode the foundation of the Siesta volcano.

All of this stemmed from a collision that was invisible to the naked eye.

It was Kronin who was sorting through his valuables and related documents when he heard the commotion outside his office.

Then came a tremor.

It was a violent shaking that made it seem as if the entire city hall was about to collapse.

He rushed out the door in a panic, only to find the area in front of him filled with unconscious men in black suits—some were stuck in the floor, others were stuck in the ceiling, as if they had been swept straight past by some unstoppable force.

At the end of the corridor, there was also a Kats woman and a red-eyed Agor.

"Someone has come knocking on our door."