Chapter 683: Using Truth to Confuse Truth

"From the Police Force."

After setting down the thirty-kilogram water bottle filled with silver liquid, Leon took out his credentials, dressed in a new uniform, and handed them to the approaching guard.

As the tower guard, clad in a heavy tactical vest studded with gears and rivets and armed with a large-caliber nail gun, began carefully inspecting his credentials, Leon kept a stern, expressionless face and said:

"We just received a tip that recent internal divisions within the rebels have led their radical faction to consider desperate action—directly assaulting the boarding tower to provoke conflict between our kingdom and the Kingdom of Krok."

"Though there are currently no signs of trouble, it's likely rebels have already infiltrated. To prevent a diplomatic incident, we must ascend immediately and interrogate any suspicious individuals suspected of being radical rebels!"

Could rebels actually assault the boarding tower?!

Hearing Leon's words, the guard checking his credentials tensed involuntarily, his finger instinctively pressing the safety of the nail gun, while a faint hiss of steam rushed through the ventilation tube beside his helmet's breathing port, triggered by a manually opened valve.

"I haven't received any orders yet."

The guard, clearly alarmed, stepped back and called for the squad leader, who, after verifying the credentials in the same manner, responded through his helmet's breathing port in a muffled, gravelly voice:

"We report to the Military Department, not the Police Force. Unless we receive a joint assistance order from the Krok Kingdom ambassador and the Police Force…"

"Look at the credentials properly!"

Interrupting the squad leader, Leon snapped impatiently:

"Look at my surname. Only then decide whether to wait for the order!"

Surname?

The squad leader paused slightly, then followed Leon's instruction, flipping back to the first page of the credentials to examine the name beneath the anti-counterfeit seal.

Baggins Lane… Lane? Lionheart Lane?

Seeing the golden ends of Leon's hair peeking beneath his police cap, and the other "police" behind him who also had golden hair, the squad leader hesitated.

Though the Lionheart family had lost many key members after the Blood Night and no longer held their former power, as a noble house that had controlled the Military Department for over two centuries, the Lanes still wielded immense influence within it—at least more than any squad leader could afford to offend.

So… should he really let these Police Force men in without an official order?

"Have you decided yet?"

After waiting too long for a response, Leon—Baggins Lane, whose hair had been deliberately dyed yellow—glared impatiently:

"Emergencies don't allow for procedure. The order is already en route. You can let us in now, and if you still refuse, we'll hand over our weapons and enter empty-handed."

"But the Military Department said that after our transfer, we're to prioritize orders from Krok Kingdom…"

"Think clearly before you speak!"

Sounding slightly enraged, Leon's brow furrowed as he issued a threat:

"Don't think that because you're temporarily under Krok Kingdom's command, you're no longer a subject of our kingdom. I've already been patient enough to waste this much time—and even offered to surrender our weapons. Don't push your luck!"

"This… fine… but the water bottles you're carrying…"

"We need to take them up, but you can open and inspect them freely!"

"…"

Seeing the young man's background was too deep and his temper flaring, the squad leader, unwilling to provoke the Lane family, hesitated repeatedly—then finally chose to let them pass. But before allowing Leon's group through, he double-checked every credential, even opened each water bottle to verify they contained no liquid explosives, before reluctantly letting them in.

…

Holy hell, they actually got in?

After retrieving their returned credentials and surrendering the pistols they'd just been issued, the rebels followed "Little Baggins" into the boarding tower, feeling as if it were all a dream.

Compared to the old leader, who had planned elaborate diversions and forced assaults, the new leader, "Little Baggins," had somehow acquired a full set of authentic credentials and uniforms, leading them through without a single obstacle.

Aside from these guards temporarily transferred to Krok Kingdom's command, every single checkpoint along the way—seven or eight in total—let them pass with just a glance, even without requiring them to surrender their weapons. This… this was too smooth.

"L-Little… cough… Leader Baggins."

Unable to fathom how the new leader had pulled this off, the young man who had once used his spatial manipulation to trap Leon and the female officer in the Secret Investigation Bureau's dungeon edged closer to Leon, eyes full of curiosity:

"How did you get these fake credentials and uniforms? None of them noticed they were fake—how could they be this convincing?"

"…"

What if I told you that, apart from the issuance date, these credentials and uniforms are genuine? Even the pistol you just handed in has a registered serial number in the Police Force's system?

Had I not wanted to alert Krok Kingdom's people and trigger increased security, we could've even had a joint investigation order signed personally by the Krok ambassador.

"I got them from a friend in the Police Force. They happened to have surplus stock, so while the content is fake, the materials are nearly identical to the real ones."

After giving a half-truth reply, Leon—who directly leveraged the Clearance Bureau for "official business, personal matters"—quietly adjusted his badge, switching to the 【Rebel】 emblem, which greatly enhanced stealth and efficiency during illegal operations, then addressed everyone:

"Everyone, listen. Before we act, let's confirm the plan one final time."

"First, Luke, go to the restroom near the control room and prepare. Once the operator is knocked out by a slingshot, take control of his body and open the path to Migang for us."

"Then, everyone boards Migang, climbs aboard the private vessels used by the sniffers, and Paul uses his spatial ability to get everyone inside. After subduing the sniffers, Lucy and Phoebe will alter their memories… understood?"

"Understood!"

"No problem!"

"It won't go wrong!"

"Good."

Slapping the water bottle in his hand and receiving Pion's confirmation of "all clear," Leon—who had successfully infiltrated the boarding tower—led the rebels up the ladder bound by twenty steel cables, heading toward the control room located at the middle of the "7"-shaped boarding tower.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged man, his eyes heavy with fatigue from days of travel and freckles scattered across his cheeks, had just arrived beneath the boarding tower and presented his credentials to the squad leader.

"I'm a sniffer from the Kingdom of Krok."

Looking up at the airship moored at Migang, the man's bloodshot eyes flickered with a complex expression, then he ordered coldly:

"Send someone to take me to Migang. I need to board my private vessel back to the Kingdom of Krok."

(End of Chapter)