Chapter 626: The End of Water Bottle

"Is there a problem?"

Seeing that someone had noticed the thin copper plate at the back of his skull, Director Water Bottle was suddenly startled, then turned to glance at Li Ang with a blank expression:

"You bring this up now—are you trying to force a pretext to blame me for the Yimeng Stove's malfunction?"

"It's not exactly forcing—it's just being cautious."

Seeing that Director Water Bottle refused to answer directly, giving off a clear air of trying to evade the issue, Li Ang immediately understood.

That metal plate must be extremely important to Director Water Bottle; even if it wasn't the reason he could bypass memory reading, it was surely obtained illegally.

As for whether this suddenly exposed metal plate was a deliberate flaw planted by Director Water Bottle… the likelihood was low.

Never mind anything else—after being thoroughly licked twice by the Brain-Eating Demon, his brain nearly boiling—he still had the mental capacity to set a trap? Then I'd gladly walk right into it!

Having made up his mind, Li Ang immediately pressed harder, raising his voice to demand:

"Director Water Bottle, you haven't answered my question—what exactly is this metal plate? Why is it embedded in your skull?"

"I do know something about this."

Before Director Water Bottle could respond, the Director of the Gemini Branch stood up and answered in a flat tone:

"It's a data plate from the Kingdom of Korok, engraved with basic identity information—equivalent to an ID card in other kingdoms. You need the corresponding level of data plate to access facilities at that level… I have one too."

Slightly lifting the hair at the back of his skull to show the copper plate beneath, the Director of the Gemini Branch continued:

"The Kingdom of Korok has too few people; many facilities and devices can't be assigned dedicated attendants, so they once considered eliminating human oversight entirely, using data plates to directly identify and grant access permissions. If Director Water Bottle truly was the former Director of the Gemini Branch, he would indeed have this."

"Moreover, although data plates were developed long ago, some citizens of Korok feared they were a means of control by the kingdom and resisted having copper plates implanted, so they never achieved widespread adoption."

"This device has been preliminarily phased out for decades. Young people in Korok don't even know about it, and those who've never been to Korok have no way of knowing—so questioning it is completely normal, not a targeted attack on Director Water Bottle."

"…"

Damn… no wonder they're called a kingdom a hundred years ahead in tech—they actually have something this sci-fi?

Discovering that the one who stepped forward to explain was the Director of the Gemini Branch—and that this "ally" also had a copper plate on his head—Li Ang, who had thought he'd found a blind spot, was instantly crestfallen.

If someone else had spoken up, fine—but now the Director of Gemini, who provided the most evidence, had confirmed the plate was harmless, so it was likely normal. Maybe he'd just imagined things.

Meanwhile, the Director of the Cleanup Bureau, after hearing the Gemini Branch Director's explanation, gave Li Ang a disappointed glance, then turned and urged:

"Continue. Don't waste any more time."

"The one wasting time isn't me."

After replying coldly, Director Water Bottle fixed Li Ang with a deep gaze, then stepped back in front of the Divine-Level Brain-Eating Demon…

"Wait!"

This time, the one who stepped forward was the Red-Haired Director.

After squinting at the Director of the Gemini Branch with fox-like eyes, the Red-Haired Director rose under everyone's gaze and requested:

"Director Water Bottle, if this is truly a defunct data plate with no function, could you please repeat your earlier motion—press it a few more times?" "Olivia!"

Hearing the Red-Haired Director's words, Director Water Bottle finally seemed to have "reached his limit." Under the unbearable pain in his brain, he glared furiously:

"You're going too far!"

Fake! His anger is fake! That so-called data plate is definitely problematic!

Li Ang, whose right hand was bound by a strand of crimson hair and forcibly pressed against the ram's horn, watched Director Water Bottle's soul tremble—not with anger, but with clear anxiety—and his heart surged with triumph!

I almost got fooled! No wonder he's the director who never drinks—he's damn reliable!

"Director Water Bottle, exactly where is my request excessive?"

After exchanging a glance with Li Ang and receiving a "confirmed" signal, the Red-Haired Director's lips curled again, smiling as he pressed:

"Before I asked, you already pressed it several times yourself—so it must be harmless to you. If that's true, what's the harm in pressing it a few more times?"

Of course not!

Each press doubles the current—if I press it a few more times, my brain will be damaged before the memory reading even begins…

There was an answer—but how could he possibly say it aloud?

Seeing the Cleanup Bureau Director's eyes slowly narrow, Director Water Bottle, knowing all was lost, gave a long, weary sigh.

Denial was useless now. Since it had been noticed, whether he pressed the plate or not, it would be inspected inside and out, turned upside down.

Even if Cleanup Bureau personnel didn't understand Korok's technology, they'd see the metal wires embedded in his skull the moment they lifted the plate—and they'd know something was wrong. Because of this one-day delay, he was finished.

If the Director hadn't returned, if the inquiry hadn't started a day early, his new brain would have fully synced with his body, slipping past the Divine-Level Brain-Eating Demon's reading without needing electric stimulation—and the copper plate issue would never have been noticed…

One day! Damn it! Just one day!

…

"It seems you're no longer going to explain."

After waiting a moment and hearing no defense from Director Water Bottle, the Cleanup Bureau Director silently raised his hand:

"I now propose, in my capacity as Director of the Cleanup Bureau, to remove Director Water Bottle from his position and temporarily seal the Water Bottle Palace… Vote."

As the Cleanup Bureau Director spoke, the once-bright hall plunged into darkness. The kilometer-thick rock walls became transparent, instantly transforming into an endless, starless night sky.

Then, eighty-seven patterns composed of countless tiny stars lit up around the hall's center, slowly rotating in a precise rhythm. The only area without star patterns slowly revealed a massive, terrifying gash, splitting open like an eye to reveal the true stars beyond.

The sun, moments ago millions of miles away, was violently pulled closer by some unknown force, becoming a blazing golden iris within the "eye," while four of the twelve seats reserved exclusively for directors were sequentially illuminated around this solar eye.

"Four votes in favor."

After announcing the vote result, the Cleanup Bureau Director raised his hand and swept it toward the former seat of Director Water Bottle, dispersing the Water Bottle Palace composed of ninety star points, severing all possibility of escape from headquarters, then declared coldly:

"Illegally manufacturing anomalies, causing massive harm to innocents, attempting to infiltrate the Watch Palace… multiple crimes combined!"

"In my capacity as Director of the Cleanup Bureau, I sentence former Director Water Bottle… to death!"

(End of Chapter)