Chapter 277: Despicable

In the hotel suite, the atmosphere between Chang Ye Yue and Black Tower shifted from an initial appraisal to an unspoken pragmatic consideration.

"So, have we reached a preliminary agreement?"

Chang Ye Yue lifted the slightly cool tea before her, took a gentle sip, her crimson eyes smiling, "On this... unpredictable stage, having an extra support is better than having an uncertain opponent."

Black Tower leaned against the sofa, her fingers unconsciously tapping her knee—a habit when she thinks.

"Share intelligence, and take coordinated action when clearing obstacles that clearly impede our goal."

She reiterated the loosely‑agreed alliance terms, her violet‑black eyes glancing at A Xing beside her, who was trying to drink every drop of the Bubble Noodles broth, "Although my interest in the so‑called Holy Grail is limited, that glittering thing and that hiding fox, relying solely on my side's this..."

She paused, seeming to search for the right word, "... a Master focused on waste, the efficiency might not be ideal."

A Xing, as if not hearing, deliberately lifted the paper cup and poured the last bit of broth into his mouth.

Chang Ye Yue smiled and nodded, about to say something, when Black Tower suddenly raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the ceiling adorned with delicate reliefs and the barely noticeable fine lines in the corner of the wall.

"Your defensive formation here,"

Black Tower's tone carried a hint of criticism, "The layout is indeed abundant, but unfortunately the structure is redundant, inefficient, with at least three obvious errors. The designer's aesthetics are decent, yet the fundamentals are shaky."

Following her gaze, Chang Ye Yue smiled and shook her head, "It's not my arrangement. In fact, directly above us is another Master—the Lancer's Master, Mr. Kenneth's Magic Workshop. We're merely staying on a regular guest‑room floor of this hotel."

"Oh?"

Black Tower crossed her arms, her eyebrows slightly raised, "Placing a workshop on a densely populated hotel high‑rise? The designer's thinking is certainly open. Aren't you worried about being attacked at midnight by a 'ceiling collapse'—a method with no technical merit?"

"Logically, there's no need to over‑worry."

Chang Ye Yue's tone was relaxed, as if discussing the weather, "Though the Holy Grail War operates in the shadows, 'non‑interference with the mundane' is a latent rule. Targeting an entire hotel building and endangering countless innocents—such madness..."

She shook her head, indicating the likelihood was extremely low, "Surely no one would truly abandon martial virtue and blow up a building just to achieve their goal, right?"

Her words fell—

Boom!!!!

A deep, massive explosion roared, not from the workshop above, but from the building's mid‑lower structure!

Immediately followed by a nauseating screech of twisted rebar and a thunderous crack of concrete shattering!

The entire building jolted violently, as if struck on its side by a giant hammer!

The chandelier inside the room swung wildly, cracks appeared in the walls, and the cups and plates on the table clattered to the floor and shattered!

Chang Ye Yue's composed smile froze for a tenth of a second.

Black Tower's mouth corner involuntarily curved upward in a clear arc.

She even calmly adjusted her sitting posture to avoid sliding off the sofa as the building tilted.

"It seems,"

Black Tower's voice carried unabashed sarcasm, "Your estimation of this world's martial virtue needs an urgent update, Miss Yi Zhe."

The building, amid a heart‑pounding creak, began to tilt slowly to one side.

Dust fluttered down from the ceiling cracks.

Chang Ye Yue let out a soft sigh, raised her hand to brush the faint dust from her shoulder, her expression returning to calm, though a faint wordlessness flickered deep within her crimson eyes.

"Indeed,"

She admitted plainly, "It was my misprediction. I underestimated the... directness of some participants' actions."

A Xing had already leapt agilely, snatching the baseball bat propped against the sofa and the still‑unthrown Bubble Noodles bucket, his golden eyes looking at Black Tower, asking silently.

Black Tower rose gracefully, smoothing her still‑neat house‑robe.

"Then, today's discussion ends here."

She said to Chang Ye Yue, her tone as relaxed as if concluding an afternoon tea, "When you next find a... friendly venue, we'll continue. Good luck, and don't get buried in the ruins."

After speaking, a faint Purple Aura shimmered around her, enveloping her and A Xing.

Before vanishing, A Xing quickly scanned the room, seemingly checking for any worthwhile "local specialty items" to take, and finally, under Black Tower's slightly urging gaze, the two disappeared into thin air together.

Chang Ye Yue watched the spot where they vanished, then glanced at the floor now noticeably tilting, and heard the uneasy tiny exclamation from Sakura Matou in the next room, shaking her head helplessly.

"Xiaosanyue, gather the children, we need to find a new home."

She instructed calmly, simultaneously opening the Black Umbrella she never let go of.

The canopy seemed to ripple with a water‑wave‑like glimmer, covering her, the swiftly‑cradled still‑sleeping Yuan Ban Lin, and San Yue Qi, who was holding Sakura Matou's small hand.

"Sister, where are we going?"

San Yue Qi carefully cradled Yuan Ban Lin while anxiously watching the floor tilt more and more.

"To find the gentleman who 'forced our relocation',"

Chang Ye Yue's voice remained gentle, but a cold glint flashed in her eyes, "to discuss the 'compensation' issue."

The light flashed, and the room was empty.

In the shadow of a building near the hotel, Weigong Qiesi set down his telescope and lit a cigarette.

He stared expressionlessly at the obviously tilted yet strangely unmoving hotel building, as if glued by an unseen force, his brows deeply furrowed.

(The explosive yield was sufficient, all critical structural points were hit... why didn't it collapse?)

(Magical interference? Or... a Servant internally propping it up?)

(Lancer's Master Kenneth, capable of this level?)

He was accustomed to calculating everything; the phenomenon deviating from his calculations instinctively unsettled him.

He needed to reassess.

Just as he focused, contemplating whether supplemental blasting was needed—

"Excellent directional blasting, sir. Precise calculation, cold efficiency, eliminating the target above while completely ignoring the hundreds of innocents possibly inside the building,"

A clear, pleasant female voice suddenly sounded very close behind him.

Weigong Qiesi's entire body tensed instantly!

Like a cheetah whose tail had been stepped on, he showed no hesitation or backward glance, his left hand lightning‑fast drew the handgun from his waist holster, his right hand grasped a ordinary revolver loaded with 'Origin Rounds' hidden in his coat, and his body prepared to execute a tactical forward‑side roll!

However, their action only got halfway, then completely froze.

A cold, hard object had already gently pressed against the vital spot behind their heart.

That sensation… was like the metal tip of a folded umbrella.

"I suggest you don't move, and don't try to use the Command Spell."

The woman's voice behind continued, its tone as calm as if discussing a dinner menu, yet the content made Qiesi feel as if falling into an icy abyss, "My umbrella tip is only two centimeters from your heart, and it also has a tiny Memory-reading function. For example, I have already 'seen'… a cold forest, a white castle, and a cute little girl with silver hair and red eyes named 'Ilya'."