Chapter 241: Arcadia and Strange Deaths

Blond hair, parted, handsome, the surname Kennedy.

All these features point to this male passenger eating a hamburger, hailed by Umbrella agents as a legendary existence——

Leon.

This "legendary" figure had just woken up, seeming a bit hungry, so he didn't chew much and swallowed the hamburger in a few bites.

After finishing, he picked up the napkin on the table, wiped his hands, rolled it into a ball, and tossed it toward the nearby trash can.

"~"

The paper ball fell perfectly in a parabola into the bin.

Leon's manner of eating and his post-meal actions were no different from an ordinary person's, lacking the deep significance that new staff imagined in every move.

After tossing the paper ball, he turned his head to look out the scenic porthole.

The "sparkling" blue faint light streamed through the porthole into the cabin, also illuminating the steak whose heat had long dissipated.

Outside the window, space resembled a glowing "tunnel" with ripples like water droplets falling on a calm lake surface.

The civilian cruise ship Leon was aboard, just as discussed with the flight attendant and purser, was undergoing a jump voyage.

This "tunnel" with walls like water ripples bypasses the limits of the real universe, allowing humanity to cross star systems via Rift Space.

"Rookie." At this moment, the door to the master bedroom opened, and Miss Wang approached the dining table, speaking in a teasing tone:

"You actually ate without waiting for me; knowing we are deeply in love, it's time to confiscate your salary card to teach you a lesson."

"That's just a false identity used for cover……" hearing her words, Leon's brows furrowed instantly.

He withdrew his gaze from observing Rift Space, turned his head to look at Miss Wang with shoulder-length black hair, wearing red pajamas, and said wearily:

"I've worked for the company for over forty years; I'm certainly no rookie by any measure."

Fond of wearing red clothing, addressed by Leon as Miss Wang, indicating she is also one of Umbrella's top intelligence agents—Ada Wang.

However, among Umbrella's intelligence staff, Ada lacks the fame Leon enjoys, after all she mostly handles espionage missions, and most files are inaccessible even to A‑level employees.

"."

Ada sat opposite Leon, cut the steak into small pieces, and sent them into her mouth, chewing softly and swallowing.

"." Leon had nothing to say.

He had wanted to retort "you old woman nearly seventy," but after considering the consequences, he swallowed those words back.

Moreover, having cooperated many times, their rapport far exceeds that of other colleagues, so Leon knows the woman before him merely enjoys teasing him verbally.

As for age…

Leon, born in 1977, is now sixty‑five years old in 2042.

Thanks to life‑extending drugs and the company's most advanced nanomedicine, he appears to the flight attendant and purser as a young, handsome husband.

However, Leon and Ada are using false identities, and thus a false marital relationship.

Added to knowing that behind the peace lies threats from other dimensions and alien species, even though his body remains young, Leon simply can't be bothered to consider starting a family and devotes himself entirely to work.

And Ada sitting before him…

Leon slightly shook his head and shrugged, indicating that after nearly seventy years of life, he still can't fathom women's thoughts.

"Please pay attention, passengers." As Ada was about to finish her steak, they both heard the broadcast installed in the aisle, emitting the captain's voice:

"I am Kurt Ramzes, captain of the Poseidon, representing the entire crew and service staff in greeting you; this flight is scheduled to arrive at the destination Arcadia in forty minutes.

The surface temperature of Metropolitan District 07 where the starport is located is 32°C, the time is 1:10 p. m. on June 13, six hours behind Atlantic Time on Earth, making it perfect weather for beach cooling, hehe.

I also suggest to all passengers that after packing up, you hurry to the nearest observation deck so you can directly watch the ship depart Rift Space and enter Arcadia's gravitational range to enjoy the view.

Finally, please check your personal belongings, don't leave any personal items behind, and prepare for disembarkation. Thank you."

"Over a hundred light‑years covered in less than twenty‑four hours; the Poseidon truly lives up to its reputation as the third‑fastest civilian cruise liner." Ada picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth and said.

"There are still forty minutes." Leon took out the thin phone from the side pocket of his pajamas and asked: "Have you finished packing your luggage?"

"Of course." Ada folded the oil‑stained napkin, tossed it into the trash bin behind her, her expression losing its earlier frivolity and becoming slightly stern: "Leon, what do you think of the anomalies in the Arcadia colony?"

Leon, how do you view the peculiarities of the Arcadia colony?

Leon placed his unlocked phone flat on the dining table, then called up a small 3‑D star map, shook his head slightly and said:

"Everything requires on‑site investigation to determine whether Arcadia is a routine case or an unknown anomaly we are unaware of."

While Leon spoke, the 3‑D star map displayed for the two of them the full view of the Milky Way.

He continued adjusting, zooming in on the Orion Arm where the Solar System resides, then presenting the complete picture of the Arcadia colony star system together with brief textual data.

Through the star map and data, the two can more intuitively understand information about Arcadia.

If we treat the star map as a plane, then the star system where Arcadia lies is on the "left side" of the Solar System, about 160 light‑years away, belonging to the farthest edge of human territory—a distant colony.

The star's mass is 1.4 times that of the Sun, so Arcadia, located in the fourth orbit, lies within this star system's habitable zone, also facilitating human terraforming.

The first batch of colony fleets arrived in 2024; in just seven years, Arcadia's environment completed Earth‑like transformation.

Because its surface gravity is 1.03 times Earth's, it also saved colonists the cost of building artificial gravity facilities.

Upon learning of Arcadia's pleasant environment, even as the outermost colony, it still attracted large numbers of colonists to reclaim land, reside, and live.

After roughly twenty years of development, Arcadia's population is about 270 million, accounting for one percent of humanity's total.

Today, Arcadia has become a planet abundant in grain and a tourist hotspot, with its GDP consistently ranking among the top twenty of colonial planets.

However, recently the metropolitan area of Arcadia seems somewhat unsettled.

The metropolis with 130 million residents has seen some abnormality in its death and disappearance rates.

Actually, such fluctuations are normal for a metropolis of this scale, but the local public security bureau has no leads on most cases, which has drawn a bit of attention from Umbrella.

Although, like the main planet of every colonial star system, Arcadia possesses a large relay station built for communication via Rift Space, guarded by Kreig, the link between Arcadia and Earth still suffers latency.

Moreover, Umbrella's investment in Arcadia is relatively small; Kreig, who excels at combat, is also strained when it comes to investigating anomalies.

Therefore, to confirm whether the deaths and disappearances remain normal cases and to avoid alerting the enemy, the company dispatched the experienced Leon and Ada.

So, to confirm whether the deaths and disappearances still belonged to normal cases, and to avoid alerting the suspects, the company dispatched the two experienced individuals, Leon and Ada.

At this moment, Leon spread his hands outward, expanding the star map until it locked onto the northern hemisphere of Arcadia, showing Ada a vast, orderly, four‑sided metropolitan area, then pointing to the northernmost side.

He said, "This is the garrison of Krig 087 Unit; the Red Queen has already covertly informed them to assist our investigation and, if necessary, provide fire support."

He then pointed west and said, "This is the garrison of the UNSC 203rd Infantry Division; they are responsible for the entire metropolitan area's defense."

"Considering confidentiality, the 203rd Infantry Division does not know of our visit, but if the situation exceeds expectations, they can also provide ample assistance."

"Hmm," Ada nodded and replied lightly, "Then what is your plan?"

He heard the words.

Leon did not rush to answer; instead, with a slight motion of his right hand, he switched the star map to the file of a deceased man in his early thirties.

He said, "The corpse of this fellow was discovered three days ago by workers cleaning the underground sewage system of Zone 04, in an artificial river of the drainage canal; this is how he looks now."

As Leon finished speaking, the automatically playing file displayed to Ada a photo taken by a forensic doctor of the corpse being moved to the police department's morgue.

The once fairly handsome deceased now had a face swollen as if soaked, all hair fallen out, and skin covered with green‑yellow pustules.

Ada had already reviewed this corpse's file before boarding the Sea God; even though she had just finished a meal, she did not find it particularly disgusting and even examined the body's details up close.

Leon explained to her, "The forensic doctor says there are no obvious external injuries and speculates the death was sudden.

However, the report notes that the deceased had undergone a physical exam while alive; aside from slightly elevated blood sugar, all indicators were within healthy ranges, leaving no reason to suspect sudden death."

Moreover, recent victims of mysterious deaths are left unrecognizable after death, their bodies rotting.

"I understand," Ada said, sitting up straight and picking up the thread, "When the police department mobilizes personnel for a large‑scale sweep, such cases vanish instantly, but once they lower their guard, more people die under mysterious circumstances."

"Therefore we must investigate as civilians to let the real culprits relax, and as for my plan…"

Leon closed the file screen, picked up his phone, left his seat, turned toward his bedroom, and, shaking his left hand that held the phone, said:

"It's improvisation; after all, no matter how much intel the company provides, nothing beats going to the city yourself for investigation. Alright, change clothes and get ready to disembark."

"Alright."

Ada agreed with Leon's words and immediately returned to her bedroom to change clothes.

———————

…

Soon after.

The first‑class cabin area of the Sea God, like a massive panoramic hall resembling an aerial garden, gathered over two hundred travelers of various identities and ages.

A few younger children chased each other, while some teenagers were engrossed in handheld games.

Yet most passengers were looking out through the curved port windows in the ceiling, admiring the beautiful scenery of the Rift Space, as if soaring outside the ship.

Among them, the "young couple" consisted of Leon, dressed in casual jeans and a white shirt, and Ada, wearing a form‑fitting red cheongsam, her hands clasping Leon's left arm, smiling happily.

Leon also wore a faint, genuine smile, blending perfectly among the vacationing travelers.

After all, acting is a basic skill for an intelligence officer.

!

Suddenly, a dazzling white flash streaked by.

"Look!"

"So beautiful…"

It was followed by the crowd's exclamations, and the view outside the cabin shifted from Rift Space to a star‑filled universe.

What entranced everyone was the planet whose atmosphere reflected a pale blue arc, like Arcadia, the second Earth.

The Sea God, exiting the Rift Space, began conventional propulsion, gradually approaching Arcadia's sun‑lit side.

"Attention, first‑class passengers," the intercom announced from the chief steward, "The Sea God is expected to arrive at the starport in six minutes; the shuttlecraft prepared for you are ready."

After the reminder.

The three gates at the far end of the panoramic hall opened, and the elevators behind them lit up with soft lights in succession.

"Everyone, please follow us."

"This way, this way, no pushing."

The flight attendants, also in the panoramic hall, split into three groups to guide all the tourists.

"Let's go, my dear husband," Ada said, shouldering her handbag and stepping ahead.

"Ah, women…"

Leon shook his head with a smile, pulling both of their suitcases, and followed Ada and the crowd into the central elevator.

The elevator then carried everyone to the Sea God's hull‑side hangar, where a gangway directly connected the elevator's entrance to the shuttlecraft, allowing Leon, Ada and others to board directly.

Outside the ship.

The Sea God, fifteen hundred meters long and painted a pale white, had entered Arcadia's atmosphere.

Descending altitude.

Passing through the clouds.

Then it flew low over the sea, whose reflected waves glimmered turquoise, and the metropolitan area at the ship's bow came into view from the bridge.

The Sea God skimmed a crowded beach, then passed towering megastructures, with countless flying craft weaving between districts.

At this point the Sea God slowed, reaching Sector 07, a bustling district, and finally hovered above the central airfield of Sector 07 alongside other cruise and cargo ships.

Once the Sea God steadied, dozens of shuttlecraft left the hangar, carrying passengers and luggage, and landed on the airfield's tarmac.

…

More than twenty minutes passed.

On the plaza at the north gate of the airfield.

Leon, under the blazing sun, pushed a cart loaded with luggage, and Ada, fiddling with her phone, walked together toward the fenced end of the plaza.

A stray glance caught the "Rent" label and thumbnail icons of various vehicles and civilian airships on Ada's phone screen, prompting Leon to immediately extend his left hand and give Ada's right arm a gentle tug.

"What's wrong?" Ada stopped in her tracks.

At first she was a bit confused, but when she saw Leon's faint, speechless smile, Ada instantly understood what this "legendary" intelligence officer was thinking.

"No way..." She, who had just locked her phone, actually showed an exasperated expression and said: "Do I still have to take a taxi?"

(End of chapter)