Chapter 905: 503 Delivered to the Door

A night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, as the warm yellow winter sun crossed the horizon of gears and copper pipes and spilled onto the streets, Li Ang and the female reporter left the residence arranged by the Kingdom of Kroke and boarded a strange-looking tram.

Due to the complex planning of the various districts and their frequent shifting, the Kingdom of Kroke had banned almost all private transportation nearly a hundred years ago, replacing them with a sprawling network of trams.

Coupled with the city's dual-level structure—and aside from a few special roads like those leading to the airport—small air-cushion vehicles were also completely banned. Thus, even visiting foreign envoys could not enjoy the special treatment of a "private car" and had to rely on public transportation.

However, compared to ordinary citizens, Li Ang, in his capacity as a visiting Prince, did receive a slight privilege—he was allowed to eat breakfast on the tram.

"Wait... is this what you eat every day while in the Kingdom of Kroke?"

Li Ang stirred the pinkish-purple meat paste in his bowl with a fork, then pressed his spoon into the yellow-green vegetable mash on his plate, squeezing out a puddle of glowing green juice. Having lost all appetite, he set down his cutlery, turned to the female reporter beside him, and asked with a look of utter disbelief:

"Setting aside whether or not this tastes terrible, I just want to know one thing: what part of this pile of cold mush requires the use of a fork?"

"This... the presentation might be a bit lacking, but it's very good for your health."

Hearing Li Ang's speechless complaint, the female reporter, a former native of the Kingdom of Kroke, felt a flush of embarrassment and replied helplessly:

"I don't know the specifics, but many, many years ago, the Kingdom of Kroke's Ministry of Science used the computing power of Atifi-01 to determine the food ratio that best ensures human health."

"And after completely banning the original food and enforcing this for ten years, the Kingdom's annual medical expenditure was reduced to 15% of what it used to be. It's even said that the average life expectancy can be extended by six to ten years."

But if the price of living longer is eating cold mush for sixty years, then I'd rather live a little less...

Reluctantly digging out a spoonful of the spice-free vegetable mash, Li Ang stiffly stuffed it into his mouth. Feeling the bizarre texture, which was like grass cud snatched halfway out of a goat's mouth, his facial features twisted involuntarily.

Honestly, he had never understood Director Aquarius so well. Anyone who ate this semi-fermented wet garbage for over a hundred years would inevitably start to become psychologically twisted!

Sigh! Whatever, it's only for a few days anyway.

Enduring the nausea, Li Ang swallowed the life-sign-maintaining meal. While digging listlessly through the various mashes, he pressed his finger against the Black Goat's horn and asked via soul communication:

'Forget about the food... Nicole, are you ready for the operation?'

'Ready.'

Hearing Li Ang's inquiry, the female reporter glanced at the reception staff accompanying them and nodded slightly:

'I'm familiar with the cleaners from the Gemini Branch. If anyone is protecting Prince Andre, I'm confident I can subdue them immediately, no matter who it is.'

'As long as you're confident.'

Li Ang nodded, reached into his pocket, and tapped the small flower inside with his fingertip.

'How about the two seniors? Are you ready?'

'No problem.'

'We're ready too.'

Receiving Li Ang's soul fluctuations, the two Level 2 cleaners hiding in the flower buds gave affirmative answers.

'Very well. Before we start, let's go over our respective tasks one last time.'

Getting the confirmation, Li Ang blinked and said seriously:

'According to the plan I discussed with Director Edward, once we meet Prince Andre, I will ask him to take me on a tour of the Kingdom of Kroke's festival. I'll use the crowds to try and separate him from his guards, creating an opportunity to strike.'

'After that, Nicole is responsible for dealing with any cleaners who might be by his side, while I take the opportunity to knock Prince Andre unconscious and hand him over to Senior Ruben. Finally, we'll rely on Senior Ruben's 【Flower Fairy】 to hide him in a flower bud and take him away.'

'Additionally, Director Edward and the other seniors are providing cover in the 05 Residential District, three blocks away. If things go wrong, Senior Frankie will fish us out and send us directly to Director Edward so he can help us evacuate... Any issues with this?'

'No issues!'

The female reporter swallowed her vegetable mash and nodded slightly.

'I'm ready.'

Inside the small flower in Li Ang's pocket, Ruben, dressed in a leaf-suit, patted his chest.

'Don't worry, everything will go smoothly!'

Also hiding in the small flower, Frankie, carrying a miniature fishing rod on his back, gave a thumbs-up, confidently guaranteeing:

'As long as Prince Andre appears, we guarantee we can catch him!'

"My deepest apologies."

An elderly waiter in formal attire bowed to Li Ang and the female reporter, his expression filled with apology.

"Prince Andre caught a sudden chill last night and is currently running a high fever. I'm afraid he won't be able to accompany you on the festival tour."

"..."

My damn luck...

Looking at the sincere-looking old waiter, Li Ang's mouth twitched violently, his face turning as green as the vegetable mash churning in his stomach.

For today's operation, he had finally convinced Director Edward and spent half the night preparing meticulously. He had not only memorized the map of the festival districts but had even thought through how to escape if they were ambushed.

Yet, at this critical moment when the bullets were chambered and the traps were set, the prey hadn't even left its hole and had stayed home to nap!

"Are you sure he caught a cold?"

Having set the stage and drawn the bow, only to find the target missing, Li Ang looked at the elderly attendant—whose soul was flickering with clear signs of lying—and said with a dark face:

"Why do I get the feeling that Prince Andre is just too lazy to come out?"

"This... you're joking..."

Hearing Li Ang's questioning, the old attendant's eyelids twitched slightly. He forced a laugh and said somewhat insincerely:

"His Highness Andre is usually... quite diligent. It's just that he's been in poor health since childhood, so catching a cold occasionally is unavoidable. I hope you understand."

"Heh, how do you expect me to understand?"

Since Prince Andre, the target, hadn't shown up, Li Ang naturally had no interest in touring the festival. He simply "flew into a rage" and declared:

"How many times has this happened now? Even if our national strength can't compare to yours, I'm still a Prince! You can't even provide a single member of the royal family to accompany me! You are simply..."

"Your Highness Li Ang~"

And just as the prince was preparing to borrow the topic to play, and directly flicked his sleeves and left, a crisp greeting suddenly came from afar.

"Sorry, I'm late."

After nodding and apologizing to Li Ang, who was a bit surprised, the girl who arrived late surrounded by a team of guards picked up the corner of her skirt and performed a standard lady's salute, then smiled like a flower:

"I am the Sixth Princess Felia. Andre brother is not feeling well, but in order to show respect for Your Highness the Prince, he specially sent someone to find me and let me accompany you to visit the celebration... Are you satisfied with this arrangement?"