Chapter 863

"Hmm..."

Seemingly having sensed some sort of disturbance, the young man in water-blue robes at the edge of the table lowered his head and glanced at his left hand.

At the base of his left index finger, a gold-threaded ring embossed with a red tongue pattern was quietly blooming with dense cracks along the tip of the tongue, before snapping into two halves with a 'pop'.

Nicole...

Looking at the ring fragments that had fallen onto the table after splitting, the Aquarius Director couldn't help but fall silent. As he looked at the name engraved on the inside of the ring, a hint of nostalgia flashed through his eyes.

He remembered that when he discovered the unconscious Nicole on a privateer ship in the Saiao Kingdom, she was still just a little girl not even as tall as the gunwale. Because she looked somewhat like his own daughter when she was small, he had just brought her back to the Bureau on a whim; it had been nearly twenty years since then.

Hmm... although he had lived for over a hundred years, he had been sold to traffickers when he was very young. His other relatives were either not close to him or had died very early. If one really counted, the person who had been by his side the longest was actually Nicole, whom he had adopted on a whim; the bond was deeper than usual.

It was a pity that this rare fate was likely to come to an end today.

After sighing with deep emotion in his heart, the Aquarius Director put away the ring fragments on the table, then raised his head to look at the other phantom images beside the table, and said with a smile:

"Apologies, a small matter just came up... where were you all talking about?"

"We were still discussing the previous topic."

Opposite the long table, which was pieced together from the bones of some unknown creature and had a very 'evil villain' style, a woman wearing a black cat-face mask and a pointed hat on her head spoke up:

"It was you who said that the Blood-Haired Maiden would be heading to the Dream Realm in the next few days, and that the 'Executioner' and the 'Dice Emperor' were also being held up and wouldn't be able to return in the short term, leaving the Virgo Branch almost completely undefended, which is why we agreed to 'Number Three' acting ahead of schedule.

But you've seen the result; 'Number Three', into which we invested a massive amount of resources, didn't even last an hour before being handled by the people from the Virgo Branch... Do you have anything to say about this?"

"I have nothing to say."

After smiling at the woman across from him who spoke with deep meaning, the Aquarius Director, wearing a fox mask, looked around at his surroundings, and then reminded them with a kind expression:

"This operation failed, and I understand that everyone is disappointed, but please don't forget that my intelligence was completely correct; the elites of the entire Virgo Branch were indeed all lured away.

Although I created the opportunity for this operation and provided the intelligence that the Virgo Branch was empty, when someone suggested acting ahead of schedule and everyone voted on whether to activate Number Three, I was the first to vote against it."

"A single dissenting vote doesn't prove anything."

Just as the Aquarius Director finished speaking, another phantom image wearing a thrush mask, whose figure was somewhat flickering, spoke up:

"The intelligence you provided alone was enough for most of us to make the judgment that we could act; whether your vote was in favor or against, it couldn't influence the result of the vote."

"So... you all still suspect me?"

After glancing at the phantom image wearing the thrush mask, the Aquarius Director said with some helplessness:

"Although my goals are not exactly the same as yours, and I have no interest in slaughtering the thirteen royal families, ever since I joined our 'King-Slaughtering Society', I have always been working with all my heart and strength.

If you count the Keloque Kingdom, I have created four good opportunities over these years and helped you control two of the thirteen royal families, so if we are talking about 'performance', it seems I am number one?"

"You have indeed done quite a few things, we acknowledge that."

Upon hearing the Aquarius Director's words, the woman wearing the black cat mask spoke up:

"But in order to avoid alerting the Cleanup Bureau prematurely, we did not completely eliminate the corresponding royal families, leaving room for the Cleanup Bureau to maneuver. Plus, this operation failed in a way that really makes no sense, so you still exist as a potential traitor to us."

"Since you say so, then there is nothing I can do."

The Aquarius Director spread his hands upon hearing this, and said with some helplessness:

"The things you want to do are things that the vast majority of people in this world do not want to happen, so it is equivalent to opposing the World Will. And those who oppose the World Will will naturally be loathed by the World Will; having some bad luck for no reason is simply the most normal thing in the world.

If you ask me, the reason your operation failed this time is simply because your luck was too bad. If you can't even accept this kind of situation and must find a traitor from within, then just consider me that traitor!"

"It's not that we must find a traitor, but that this matter is indeed suspicious."

After the Aquarius Director finished speaking, the thrush-masked phantom image spoke again, its voice sounding somewhat unkind:

"You have to know, although 'Number Three' looks unremarkable, it was made after we hunted down a Demon God. I don't know how many people died to catch it, and the wounds on my body haven't healed yet.

According to the final status of 'Number Three', everyone below the God Rank, as long as their status was lower than it, could not disobey its orders. Yet, with the Virgo Branch empty, it was actually solved single-handedly by a mere Level 3 Cleanup Agent.

I ask you, if it were you, facing such an outrageous result, could you accept it?"

"Why couldn't I accept it?"

The Aquarius Director smiled upon hearing this, then reached out to point at himself, saying with a calm expression:

"The plan I prepared for nearly ninety years was also thwarted by that Level 3 Cleanup Agent you speak of? As for how many of you died... hehe, after being thwarted by him, I was targeted by the Cleanup Bureau, and more than half of my own people died!

If it weren't for the fact that I risked the danger of being permanently enslaved and opened my soul to the Nightmare King, the wounds on my soul would still not be healed. And all of this was bestowed by that 'mere' person you speak of, so I have already accepted results even more outrageous than this one more than once."

"..."

"You have to know, if you lose, you have to admit it!"

After emphasizing this by imitating the tone of the thrush mask, the Aquarius Director raised his eyebrows and tapped the table with his knuckles, saying:

"When I voted against it before, I already stated my reasons. Although the Virgo Branch was empty, that Level 3 Cleanup Agent was very strange. If he hadn't left the capital, your plans might not have succeeded. I suggested that you solve him first before taking action.

At the time, I was already trying my best to warn you, but what did you say? Hmm?"

When he reached this point, the Aquarius Director paused for a moment, then raised his voice and repeated in an exaggerated manner:

"He's just a mere Level 3 Cleanup Agent, don't worry about him!"

"Our resources are very precious, and we have no obligation to avenge this kind of boring personal vendetta for you."

"You are overly cautious. In front of the True God-level 'Number Three', what difference is there between a Level 3 Cleanup Agent and a bug?"

"..."

Looking at the masked phantom images around the long table who had fallen into silence, the Aquarius Director asked with a pleasant expression:

"How is it now? Hmm? Does anyone still think I am overly cautious?"