Chapter 194: Must the Divine Die?

"Change uniforms? Hmph…" Shi Tiao let out a cold laugh. The Giant He Xing had occupied Nijō for twenty years; the institute had always localized their tech, but their gear remained the same outdated models from two decades ago—every inquiry met with the same reply: "This is sufficient; you couldn't use anything more advanced." Now, suddenly, the entire military was switching uniforms—any fool could see something was wrong.

"Yes, and they're limiting it to forty-eight hours? Seems like they're in a hurry?" The old man surnamed Fujiwara lifted his teacup but didn't drink, as if warming his hands, his gaze fixed on the reflection on the tea's surface, speaking in a low, haunting tone.

But none in the room were fools; as soon as he spoke, they all realized he must have some intelligence. Tokugawa offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes—though it merely looked stiff, Fujiwara felt a chill crawl up his spine and dared not prolong the suspense:

"Yesterday's incident—my older brother's name was on the victim list, but his collateral bodyguards survived. So I've learned a little. I can only say: the rumors are ninety percent true."

"The… cough, those youngsters actually found it?" Shi Tiao swallowed the name on his tongue, his face filled with shock.

Fujiwara gave no answer—but everyone already knew.

So…

"Are those alien bastards planning to make us cannon fodder?"

"It might not be that simple," said the old man of the Hōjō clan, his tone tinged with amusement. "Given the Giant He Xing's sensitivity to the Divine, why haven't they eliminated it outright? That's the real question. Does anyone still remember the 'little thief' who's still at large?"

"…"

The Giant He Xing's wanted notices were unknown to commoners, but these high-ranking officials knew full well: these periodic notices were nothing but pressure tactics—forcing Nijō's civilians to regularly hear "XX resistance leader executed," lowering resistance morale while inflicting psychological strain.

Thus, whenever a bounty was posted, execution news would soon follow—even if no execution occurred, they'd display a corpse to "show off."

But this time, nearly two weeks had passed without capture—and now, people couldn't help but suspect: "The wolf has truly come."

"You mean this whole thing is a Giant He Xing self-staged operation?" Shi Tiao pinched his brow, feeling the situation growing troublesome. Hōjō shook his head:

"Not necessarily intentional. Perhaps it was truly stolen. But regardless, the Giant He Xing are definitely allowing this Divine to remain free."

"…"

With those words, silence fell again—but each man's thoughts diverged.

Though they'd become traitors, their families had endured in this country where the weak overthrew the strong—so they understood investment well. Many of the resistance factions active in He Zujie received their funding.

Publicly, each was a traitorous merchant, a loyal collaborator—but the moment Giant He Xing's dominance crumbled, they'd instantly become noble benefactors who'd secretly supported the resistance, enduring humiliation for the cause.

Even more extreme: some had split off entire branches of their families, changed names, and founded resistance groups outright.

But all this remained unmentionable until the Giant He Xing fell.

Now, this incident clearly presented another chance to bet.

The Giant He Xing seem to have made progress in Divine research. So now—should they bet on the Giant He Xing fully deciphering the Divine and conquering Earth, or believe in humanity's potential and interfere in this matter?

Time ticked away second by second, yet everyone in the conference room sat rigidly upright.

No conversation. Only stares locked in silence. This state lasted ten full minutes—then Shi Tiao suddenly rose and said:

"I just remembered an urgent matter—I'll take my leave!"

As Shi Tiao spoke, the others rose too, each feigning sudden recollection of a forgotten stove left on at home.

Tokugawa clearly understood. He slowly sipped his tea, and only when Shi Tiao reached the door did he speak:

"I won't guess what you're all thinking. But consider this one point: the organization holding the Divine… is somewhat different."

He stopped there, lifted his teacup again, and made no further comment—but the faces of these old foxes all darkened with contemplation.

Different?

How?

Why?

Thoughts churned in every mind—whether planning to remain loyal to the Giant He Xing or to back the resistance, each pondered the same questions.

And these questions ultimately converged into one unified answer—

Eliminate the organization holding the Divine.

Yes. Whether the turncoats intended to remain traitors to the end, or the fence-sitters hoping to inconvenience the Giant He Xing—they all reached the same conclusion.

The reason was simple: this Divine was too weak for the Giant He Xing, but dangerously strong for humanity.

From the traitor's perspective: the Giant He Xing were clearly gathering data. Meanwhile, the anti-Giant He Xing front, which immediately formed assassination squads after gaining power, would surely target them next. Judging by the Incident at the Guixie Committee Building, they had no confidence in surviving such assassinations—so eliminating the anti-Giant He Xing front was the only way to ensure their safety as collaborators.

From the perspective of causing chaos: since the Giant He Xing chose to tolerate it, the Divine must not pose a real threat. Once the Giant He Xing fully understood its nature, the current cold war would shatter. When war erupted, they'd be cannon fodder—and once all Divines were defeated, they had no doubt the Giant He Xing would no longer need them. But openly causing chaos was too dangerous. So they could only destroy the sample, preserving the cold war status quo—so they could retain their current identities and positions.

So…

"The Divine must die!"

As the last man, heavy with worries, stepped out of the room, Tokugawa finally set down his teacup and rose slowly—but the lightness in his movements betrayed none of an old man nearing death.

"Phew… playing this old man is exhausting!" Lena muttered inwardly, yet didn't immediately dispel her transformation. She stretched slightly, then hunched again, pondering the intelligence she'd just received.

"Danger… is also opportunity!" Lena shuffled to the door like a true old man. As the door opened, the waiting bodyguard immediately said:

"Master, where to next?"

"Home, of course!"

(End of Chapter)