Chapter 1212

"......"

In this Atifi-00's calculation, Prince Andre's chance of winning can still be seventy percent?

After glancing at Atifi-00, who was speaking through the cleaner's head, and finding it hard to judge whether it was the truth or just bluffing, Li Ang pondered slightly, then squinted his eyes and said:

"I'll assume you're telling the truth for now. Since you and Prince Andre are not of one mind, and you don't want him to win, how do you plan to help us? After I charge into the No. 1 Research Zone, will you turn against him immediately?"

"That won't work~"

The head of the sixth cleaner shook its head and said:

"When the soul-coding experiment was first conducted, in order to gain Fei En's support, I had to add a highest-priority command to the base layer of all 'Atifi' soul codes, requiring all recipients of soul codes to never disobey the orders of the holder of the 'Time-Division Scepter'."

"Time-Division Scepter?"

"The Time-Division Scepter is a pair of anomalous objects passed down through our Kroke Kingdom, possessing the peculiar ability to confuse the concept of time."

Atifi-00 explained:

"The person chosen by the Hour Scepter will find their hour as brief as a minute, while the person chosen by the Minute Scepter will find their minute as long as an hour."

"Time-type anomalous objects?!"

"That's not what I mean. Taking the Hour Scepter held by each generation of kings as an example, it only makes an hour 'seem' like a minute, rather than truly 'turning' an hour into a minute.

Simply put, the Time-Division Scepter works by confusing the concept of time to increase one's own reaction speed by sixty times, and then, by relying on that sixty-fold reaction speed to lock onto the opponent, it makes the opponent's reaction speed become one-sixtieth of the original. It cannot truly manipulate time."

Even if it's not a time-type anomalous object, that is still damn impressive, isn't it?

Imagining the consequence of his own reaction speed slowing down sixty times while the opponent's reaction speed increased sixty times, not only were the three Level 2 cleaners shocked, but even Li Ang couldn't help but gasp.

Sixty times sixty is a full three-thousand-six-hundred-fold difference in reaction speed. And if speed could keep up with reaction, that would be enough for an ordinary ant to catch up to a high-speed train.

No wonder Atifi-00 said Andre still had a seventy percent chance of winning. With such a monstrous anomalous object in hand, their own thirty percent win rate was already a generous estimate.

"Don't worry, the Time-Division Scepter isn't that powerful."

Seeing Li Ang silent and seemingly worried that he had lost the confidence to confront Andre, the head of the seventh cleaner hurriedly comforted him:

"These two scepters can only be used by members of the Kroke royal family, and the consumption is also very high. It takes about 1 point of Leon Value to correspond to 1 minute of effect.

If used by someone with 1 point of Leon Value, it can only make someone else's 1 minute become 59 seconds; the amplification effect is only one-sixtieth. Even if used by someone with 10 points of Leon Value, it can only increase reaction speed by ten percent."

After hearing Atifi-00's words, Li Ang pondered slightly, then couldn't help but squint his eyes.

The words were correct, but if this thing fell into the hands of someone with 30 points of Infection Value, it could pull the gap between enemy and self reaction speeds to four times. And if a cleaner who had crossed the boundary between human and god, possessing 60 points of Infection Value, used it, they could still create a three-thousand-six-hundred-fold difference in reaction speed.

So no matter how you look at it, this is an incredibly terrifying "late-game artifact"!

After noting down the intelligence regarding the 【Time-Division Scepter】, Li Ang frowned and said:

"Why would you tell us such important intelligence? Aren't you afraid of being shut down for betraying Andre?"

"It's fine, this intelligence isn't important~"

Atifi-00 said with a smile:

"Andre is not a cleaner; he doesn't have the Leon Value unique to you cleaners. The Time-Division Scepter has no effect in his hands; it's just two tokens used to control me.

And because these two scepters have the highest authority over all 'Atifi', it's impossible for him to give the scepters to anyone else. Furthermore, this thing can only be used by recognized members of the royal family, and the royal family has long since been wiped out by him. He couldn't give it away even if he wanted to."

So that's how it is.

After nodding slightly, Li Ang continued to ask:

"So, back to the previous question: how exactly do you plan to help us deal with Andre?"

"I already said this before: I will not help you deal with Andre."

Atifi-00 blinked and said:

"His win rate is still higher right now, so I'm just hedging my bets, doing you a favor just in case~"

You are certainly straightforward about being a fence-sitter...

Shaking his head speechlessly, Li Ang asked: "So? What favor are you prepared to do for me?"

"The whereabouts of your captured companion—is that enough?"

The head of the eighth cleaner raised its head and said with a smile:

"That former Gemini Branch cleaner named Nicole didn't die in the previous ambush; she was locked up by Andre, right in the underground of the No. 3 Military Industrial Zone."

"Oh."

Li Ang nodded upon hearing this.

"I see. Anything else?"

"Is this not enough?"

Atifi was slightly stunned upon hearing this and asked with some confusion:

"Aren't you and she companions? Aren't you planning to go save her immediately?"

"Why would I go save her?"

Li Ang, whose alcohol was already wearing off, shook his head and asked in return:

"Will you kill her?"

"Uh... no..."

"So are you torturing her? Putting her through punishment?"

"This... also no..."

"Then what am I rushing for? Let her stay there with you!"

After glancing at Atifi-00, Li Ang said calmly:

"And since you can't betray Andre, not only can you not help us, but you can't even tell us what other trump cards Andre has. Naturally, you couldn't possibly come to help us increase our combat power at a time like this.

So if I'm not mistaken, Nicole should be controlled right now, or the anomalous objects on her have been sealed. Even if we rescued her, she wouldn't be able to do anything, right?"

"......"

"Looks like I'm right."

Amidst Atifi-00's silence, Li Ang concluded:

"If I don't go save Nicole, not only will we not be in danger, but you'll have to feed and house her well and assign people to watch her. Aside from having no freedom and the food being too terrible, she won't suffer much;

But if I go to save her, firstly, we will be in danger, and secondly, not only will she be unable to help, but with her anomalous objects sealed, she'll have to struggle along with us, potentially dragging us down and delaying our operations. It would be better to just let her stay locked up by you."

"......"

It seems... that is indeed the case...

"So if you want to cooperate with us and avoid us settling scores with you after we defeat Andre, you'll have to come up with something more practical."

Li Ang pulled on the fishing line, bundling the shredded cleaners together, and said with a calm expression:

"Since you can communicate with me through them, I won't knock these people out for now. And if you want to get something from us, you'd better think about what you can bring us... I'm leaving now. I'll wait for your good news."

"......"

In Atifi-00's wordless silence, Li Ang turned and entered the Kroke Wang Gong, where the door had been blown open, and then said with a grim face:

"Three seniors, I'm afraid we need to prepare ourselves to face Director Edward."

(End of chapter)