Xingtie: Can’t you just let me focus on completing the commissions?

"What's the meaning?!"

Hughes frowned deeply. He had heard of the Philosopher's Stone, a panacea revered by many alchemists. Why did this person seem to disdain it so much?

"Equivalent exchange, the philosophy followed by alchemists, this thing... is just a 'gold coin' that replaces all costs, but do you know what the raw materials for making this 'gold coin' are?"

"It's not a precious metal. Based on what you've said, I have a vague idea of ​​the category you're referring to."

"Blood and soul, in other words, this bastard's body is stuffed with the corpses and wronged souls of thousands of people."

Upon hearing this, the lieutenant colonel's expression immediately turned extremely ugly. He looked at the black-haired youth in disbelief, and seeing the youth baring his teeth at him in a ferocious manner, he even instinctively felt an urge to vomit.

The corpses and souls of tens of thousands of people?!

Why would such a monster appear near the Central Intelligence Agency?

He keenly sensed something... a lot of information began to connect rapidly, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

"The Ishvalan Civil War..."

"The Battle of Ghentem..."

"I've been thinking about why this country has been plagued by large-scale riots, civil unrest, and inexplicable cult rituals since its founding."

"Did the military's high command create these androids?"

The lieutenant colonel stared intently at Emiya, seeking an answer.

"Go find out for yourselves, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. You won't believe me unless you see these things with your own eyes. Once you fully trust my information, then contact me with that thing and formally entrust me to answer your questions... and I can also provide you with some small assistance."

"As for the cost, that incompetent colonel should understand."

After saying that, he opened the Aurora Curtain again, picked up Envy, and left this world. After Emiya and Envy disappeared from the office, Hughes's expression was very ugly.

This sudden turn of events threw his mind into utter chaos. It took him several tens of minutes to gradually calm down, and his expression became extremely grave.

"The disappearance of that android might cause some trouble, but if, as I expect, the android really is connected to the upper echelons of the military, then the intelligence department will definitely be investigated immediately."

"In the worst-case scenario, the military will imprison all of us and interrogate us about the whereabouts of the androids."

"...That person is forcing me to make a choice: cooperate with him, surrender, or completely defect to the military leadership."

This quick-witted lieutenant colonel analyzed various possibilities in a short period of time and began to rapidly consider the next solution in his mind.

Join the military high command and enjoy the so-called Philosopher's Stone like them.

He cannot accept 997.

Surrendering without resistance is out of the question.

So……

"They only gave me one way out."

"We must leave the center as soon as possible, and we must make a big fuss so that everyone realizes that I was the one who solved the problem of the androids hiding their tracks."

"By the way, I must leave some clues so that the military's higher-ups will realize that I know their secrets!"

A ruthless glint began to appear in the lieutenant colonel's eyes. He had a precious wife and daughter, so he absolutely could not...

"Oh, right, I almost forgot. If you feel that your wife and daughters are in danger, why not entrust them to me for now? After you leave, I will take care of your wife and daughters."

Suddenly, the voice that had just made him grit his teeth reappeared in the office. Hughes turned his head and saw Shirou Emiya standing there once again, a mocking smile on his lips.

"This is a token of my appreciation for our future ally, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes."

"Get lost! You really do have bad intentions towards my lovely Alicia!"

"Lieutenant Colonel, you wouldn't want to see your wife appear in the church, veiled in black, holding your daughter and weeping, would you?"

"...I'll cooperate with you, I'm willing to cooperate with you, so I beg you to tell me all the secrets of this country, to tell me how to protect my family and save my country!"

You have received a new commission!

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Chapter 098: Start Speedrun! Start Speedrun! (5/5)

"I was too lenient with the Elric brothers. Those two brats are going through a rebellious phase and won't listen to reason."

"Reliable adults are definitely easier to negotiate with."

Sitting in the lieutenant colonel's office, eating his snacks and drinking his afternoon tea, Mr. Emiya appeared quite relaxed.

"Artificial humans".

"The Little Man in the Bottle".

"Were the reasons for the founding of our nation really so ridiculous?"

The overall plot of Fullmetal Alchemist is actually quite simple and straightforward, much like the JoJo series. Although there are many twists and turns, the main storyline doesn't stray from its core. The overall direction of the story isn't decisively related to the Elric brothers; their identities are merely coincidental—they were chosen as sacrifices. The main focus of the story is actually the Men in the Bottle.

It remained hidden behind the scenes, creating this nation and producing seven homunculus humans to help it complete its "godhood" plan. The entire nation was the material it prepared to create the Philosopher's Stone. Its ultimate goal was to devour the "Gate of Truth" and become the "god" of this world. However, it lacked a forbidden individual who had come into contact with the "god," namely an "alchemist" who had paid the price for human transmutation and had not died.

The story's protagonists, the Elric brothers, and the lieutenant colonel's close friend, Mustang Roy, are all part of the sacrifice.

After he gave the lieutenant colonel a brief overview of the background of the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, the lieutenant colonel fell into an emo state. He never expected that the birth of this country was a huge trap, and that they were all regarded as materials for the Philosopher's Stone from the very beginning.

"Unforgivable."

A chilling light began to gleam in the middle-aged man's pupils.

"We were never born into this world to become food for those so-called people in bottles."

"Humans...life, what do these mad demons consider life to be?"

"Alchemy should never be such a twisted technology! It should not be something used to destroy and exploit humanity, or as a force for war!"

"Lord Emiya, after you've studied that homunculus, could you provide it to me as evidence?"

"Whom do you intend to gain their trust with this?"

“My dearest friends, Mustang Roy and Alex Louis Armstrong, and my former superior, Olivia Mira Armstrong.”

"Once we gain the trust of these two men, we will have the possibility of saving the country."

"Actually, there is an even faster solution."

"What plan?"

Emiya smiled, then pointed to a building directly south.

"It's very simple. I can just grab the little man in the bottle and solve the problem from the beginning. It's undoubtedly the simplest method."

"...Can you do it?!"

The lieutenant colonel stood up excitedly. He had originally thought that Emiya would only provide them with some intelligence assistance. They would still need to rely on their own strength to win over the officers in the military who still had a conscience, seize military power before the high command of the central military could react, and finally deal with these scum of the military and the little man in the bottle.

"Leave this afternoon tea for now, I'll be right back after I go."

Emiya has no interest in following the plot of the Fullmetal Alchemist world. Since he has the ability to defeat the final boss, there is no need to waste time on small details.

He is now equivalent to a speedrunner on his second playthrough, only caring about efficiency and effectiveness.

As for the plot?

Skip!

There were still many things to do on the Immortal Boat, so there was no need to waste too much time here. He stood up and summoned the Stand of Melancholy Blues, standing in the spot where Envy had been, and began to adjust the time backward.

The ability of Melancholy Blues can directly target an area or a person, capture actions taken in the past, and reinterpret them as actions taken towards that target.

Given enough time to rewind, pinpointing the location of the little man in the bottle is simply a matter of time.

Turning the melancholic blues into a flashback at a hundred times the speed, Emiya quickly followed his Stand to the various locations Envy had been in, eventually venturing deep underground...

"The efficiency is alright."

With a leap, he entered the underground tunnel. Under the cover of the Faceless King, Emiya silently infiltrated the underground facility. After passing through numerous obstacles, he arrived at a rather spacious secret room.

A middle-aged man with a full head of blond hair was lying on a chair, with many needles inserted into his limbs, constantly injecting something similar to blood into his body.

That is the Philosopher's Stone.

Emiya had no intention of wasting words with this pure villain, and directly chose to seal it completely with a restraint device. It instinctively began to struggle, subconsciously intending to use alchemy to resist.

but……

It doesn't mean much.

He copied this restraint device inside the Black Tower Space Station. It could even restrain the energy bursts of a star core, let alone this mere little man in a bottle.

"Who are you?!"

The restrained blond middle-aged man seemed to belatedly realize that he could not break free from the device's restrictions, and his expression immediately turned extremely ferocious.

"You actually put me in a place like this again?!"

[Mood value from Holmonks +99]

"This little thing has dropped quite a few gold coins. It claims to have split the seven deadly sins, but is its pride really that sensitive?"

Emiya's eyes lit up slightly; he now had a rather peculiar idea about this little thing.

When it was first created into this world, it was contained in a small container, and it was then that it began to hate the thing that bound it so tightly.

It desperately craved freedom, desperately wanted to be above everyone else, and to possess everything...

"Isn't it the very idea you endorse to inflict appropriate despair on the arrogant and ignorant, Holmes?"

"That is what is given to you lowly humans!"

"To me, you poor little thing seem far more lowly than a human being."

[Mood value from Holmonks +99]

OK!

Electronic pickled vegetables +1!

Holding the restraints, Emiya raised his hand and reopened the Aurora Veil, returning directly to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes's office.

The lieutenant colonel seemed to have just finished tidying up the tea set, and when he saw Emiya return once again, he unconsciously paused for a moment.

"...Did you forget something you wanted to tell me?"

"Thing is settled."

He threw the restraints (Nuonuo Zhao) he was carrying directly to the center of the office.

"This is the boss of those androids, who calls himself the father of those androids, the original android, Holmonx... If you think that title is too long, you can also call him the Great Ancestor Emperor or the Father of the Nation. In fact, he really is the founder and angel investor of this country."

"..."

The lieutenant colonel was speechless for a moment. How could he call this monster, who regarded them, the people, as the material for the Philosopher's Stone, the father of the nation?

"Please throw this far away. If you leave it in my office, I'll probably feel nauseous and won't be able to drink afternoon tea for months."

"I won't allow you to talk about my next pet like that!"

"You intend to raise it? With human flesh and soul?"

“Whose pet eats so well? Besides, it has been eating too much for the past few hundred years. It needs to go to the operating table to lose weight and have its liposuction done.”

"An operating table?!"

"Correct."

"That's definitely something you should do more of; your pet is indeed a bit too fat."

Chapter 099: You little brat, you've been hiding so many things?!

Three-hour intensive steelmaking

[Your mission "Saving the Nation, Part Three" has been completed (resolving the ultimate threat of androids to your nation)]

[You have earned 240 points + the Fullmetal Alchemist limited-time banner is now open].

[The Fullmetal Alchemist collaboration gacha pool is open for a limited time! The limited-time rewards for the SSR "Entry Ticket to the Gate of Truth (World Limited)", SR "Seven Deadly Sins (Hormonex)", SR "Mastery of the Array (Edward Elric)", and SR "Sloan's Notebook (Sloan)" will be directly obtained after 50, 100, and 300 gacha pulls.]

"Of the three missions, only the one involving androids is relatively easy to handle."