Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 668: Flower of Blood and Bone: Finale IV (Want to Play Black Myth)

Terra calendar 1591.01.26.
10: 40: 56 PM
Edici Federation, Gulf State.

Night fell over the Gulf State of the Eddiesi Federation, and the air was filled with a damp and cold atmosphere.

This state is famous for its lush forests and ancient institutions. At this moment, under the silent night, Dome Academy, one of the Federation's eight most famous Evergreen Colleges, is shrouded in a sudden emergency.

Beep~beep~beep~
In the night sky, a few faint starlight shone through the gaps in the dark clouds onto the ground, reflecting the flashing red and blue lights of the federal police car.

Police cars were parked in a row around a building of the college, forming a blockade, isolating the entire area.

Yellow tape was erected around the building, warning anyone without permission not to come near.

Outside the isolation zone, armed state police officers and members of the anti-terrorism force in charge of the Investigation Bureau stood on high alert. Their eyes were alert and sharp, and everyone's movements were full of tension, with their fingers tightly gripping their weapons, ready to respond to any possible emergencies at any time.

High in the sky, several helicopters were hovering low, and the roar of their propellers echoed in the night sky like thunder.

The helicopter was equipped with a [Reality Anchor] for thaumaturges. This advanced device emitted a faint blue light, suppressing any unstable energy field.

These devices are a deadly nemesis to those thaumaturges who manipulate reality and space, ensuring that the situation does not get out of control due to thaumatic interference.

The atmosphere outside the building was heavy and murderous. The cold wind blew, causing the corners of the police and special forces uniforms to sway gently. The metal equipment made slight clashes, adding a bit of chill to this tense environment.

On the ground, six board members of the First Federal Savings Bank and financial beast holders from various financial institutions were mixed in the team. Each of them had a serious expression on their face, with frowns and heavy eyes staring at the interior of the building.

The financial beast holders are followed by their own financial beasts. These creatures of different shapes carry some kind of mysterious power and appear particularly strange and majestic in the night.

Among these people, one person stood out the most.

He was the president of the First Federal Savings Bank, Ralph C. Alfred.

The agent of [the first financial behemoth Jupiter (Iūppiter)].

He looked to be in his early fifties, tall and straight, with a strong face. His hair was slightly gray, but was carefully combed back into a neat bun.

His facial lines were clear, his angular chin and slightly sunken cheeks gave him a somewhat cold temperament; his eyes were deep, his pupils were an icy blue, and his gaze was as sharp as an eagle; he was meticulously dressed, wearing a well-cut dark blue three-piece suit, a white shirt with a straight collar without a single wrinkle, and a dark blue tie with the knot tied just right. In the left pocket of his suit was a silk handkerchief, the color of which complemented the tie.

Ralph had one hand in his suit pocket, and the other hand tightly grasped an exquisite silver cane. The top of the cane was inlaid with a smooth obsidian, emitting a faint cold light.

"President, the men in black have gone too far this time. They killed President Dudley! He was one of Jupiter's fittest men, how could they..." A board member angrily accused Heaven's crimes to Ralph.

"That's Sophia Wright." Ralph interrupted the board member with melancholy, "The former chairperson of the Ethics Committee of Heaven, and the current member of the Resolution Meeting - 0-02."

"I know, but even so, he couldn't kill Dudley," the board member gritted his teeth and said, "He is one of the three vice presidents of the First Reserve District and the most capable person in the entire federation who is most likely to completely replace Jupiter. He was killed by that woman right under our noses. How can we remain indifferent?"

The board members looked at Ralph with murderous intent in their eyes. "If you want, nine of our board members will vote in favor of financial liberation and apply to the Federal Reserve for the Drum of Liberation. Then, even if a miracle happens, we will not be able to get out of the Federation intact."

In the Addis Ababa Federal Reserve System, each regional Federal Reserve Bank (such as the First Federal Reserve Bank) has a president and a board of directors, who play different roles in the bank's management structure and are interdependent and supervise each other.

Each Federal Reserve Bank has a nine-member board of directors who oversee the bank's operations and, to some extent, supervise the president.

The board of directors has the power to appoint and fire the president, but the appointment of the president must be approved by the Federal Reserve Board.

They represent regional interests: The board's membership is usually made up of representatives from local banks, businesses and the public sector, ensuring that the bank's policies and activities are in line with the needs and interests of the regional economy.

The President is accountable to the Board and implements the Board's strategic and policy direction.

However, the governor has broad operational autonomy, particularly over monetary policy and bank operations; he or she is typically elected by the board of directors and approved by the Federal Reserve Board.

Federally, the president is required to work closely with the board to ensure that the bank's operations meet its supervisory and regulatory standards.

In the extraordinary realm, in the relationship between the president and the board of directors, the former is yang and the latter is yin.

When the two sides come together, and with the approval of the highest official of the Federal Reserve System, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, the drum of divine liberation of the twelve financial behemoths on [Financial Street] will be struck - a miracle representing the national will will be born.

"The chairman of the committee will not agree to go to war." Ralph shook his head. "Every drumbeat consumes war preparation resources, which is paid for with the future of the entire federation. The sacrifice of an individual is not enough for the committee to mobilize all future resources."

"Are we just going to let it go like this?" said a board member unwillingly.

"It won't just end like this." Ralph's hawk-like blue eyes flashed a cold light, "Compromise is a political art - when we compromise with the Kingdom of Heaven, they have to compromise with us."

After Ralph finished speaking, he gave an order to the people around him:
"All of you stay where you are and don't move. No one can take action without my order."

After giving the order, Ralph walked alone to the entrance of the building.

His steps were steady and quiet. The building was silent, the administrative corridor was empty, and the soft but cold light sprinkled on the floor, lengthening his figure.

The air in the corridor seemed to freeze, leaving only the slight echoing sound of his leather shoes touching the ground.

Soon, he walked through the long corridor, and a huge room door in front of him opened automatically and silently.

Ralph walked in without hesitation and expressionless.

This room is obviously a core area in the building. The space is spacious and luxurious, with exquisite oil paintings hanging on the walls, and furniture and decorations arranged in an orderly manner, showing the order and tranquility that once existed here.

However, among this intact building and furnishings, there is an abrupt existence - a male corpse lying quietly in the middle of the room.

Ralph's eyes swept across every corner of the room and finally stopped on the body.

He quickly recognized the body; it was his subordinate, Dudley.

Dudley's death was not as horrible as the outside world imagined, his body was intact.

The corpse lay flat on the ground, with its hands clasped together on its abdomen, its eyes closed, and its expression peaceful, looking as if it had fallen into eternal sleep.

Ralph's eyes lingered on Dudley's body for a moment, then he turned to another corner of the room, where stood a disturbing presence.

She was a woman who looked to be in her twenties, with an ordinary appearance and rough, dark skin, which seemed out of place in this luxurious environment.

She was wearing a large shawl of dark color, which matched her overall temperament; on her head she wore a simple hat with the brim pulled down low, covering part of her face, but the eyes that were revealed looked unusually sharp and calm.

The most eye-catching thing is her hands, which are tightly wrapped in a pair of black gloves.

The gloves do not look like ordinary leather products, but are made of some special material. The surface has a faint metallic luster and seems to have unknown functions.

The design of the gloves was complex and sophisticated, with fine seams extending from the fingers, as if each finger could operate some precision instrument independently; there were delicate rune carvings on the edges of the gloves, and those runes flickered faintly as her fingers moved slightly, containing some ancient and mysterious power.

Ralph C. Alfred stood in the center of the room, his eyes fixed on the woman standing in the corner.

His expression gradually changed from stern to respectful. Then, he bowed slightly and saluted, his tone full of respect and caution:
"Long time no see, Ms. Sophia."

0-02 slowly raised his head, his rather ordinary face cast deep shadows in the dim light.

Her eyes were slightly narrowed under the shadow of the brim of her hat, and her gaze was as sharp as ice.

She looked Ralph up and down, as if she was recalling something, and then a hoarse voice flowed from her tightly pursed lips, with a hint of subtle mockery:

"Little brat from the Alfred family, it's been a while since I last saw you. The last time I saw you, you couldn't even hold a sword steadily."

When Ralph heard this, his expression remained unchanged. He just nodded slightly, his eyes still calm and self-controlled.

He stood up, his tone mixed with memories and reality:
"The last time I saw you, you were with Mr. Aaron... We all know, everyone knows, that you have always been acting with Mr. Aaron."

His words carried a tone of tentativeness and confirmation, as if he was stating a well-known fact and reminding the other party of some implicit truth.

The air in the room became even more tense at this moment, as if even the light was frozen in the confrontation between the two. Ralph paused slightly, as if waiting for Sophia's reaction, and then he continued, his voice low but clear:

"Everyone on Terra knows that 0-02 never appears separately from 0-01, and even if they do, this body of yours is not the real one."

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the room became even colder.

0-02 Looking at the little kid in the past, he has grown from an outspoken teenager to the current first president of the federation, shouldering the family's glory and heavy responsibilities.

"You want to kill me."

Her words were calm and direct, without the slightest fluctuation, as if she was stating a fact.

Ralph's eyes did not dodge; they were firm and persistent, as if he was staring at a prey targeted by a hunter.

He looked straight at 0-02. His original modesty and respect had disappeared. His blue eyes were burning with hatred and anger that could not be concealed:
"Yes, I think so. I am going crazy thinking about it."

There was no noticeable change in 0-02's expression, only a slight pause.

Her voice remained cold, as if the other party's anger was nothing more than a trivial whisper to her:
"That was an accident."

"No surprises," Ralph shook his head, the anger in his eyes growing hotter, his tone full of sarcasm and cold determination, "Your blood has always been cold."

"Ever since you and Lord Aaron used that sword to kill His Majesty Anton, I have always wanted to kill you."

0-02 stood there quietly, with a deep gaze, as if listening, but there was no sign of any response.

Ralph's anger was like a flood and he could not suppress it. He almost gritted his teeth and said:

"Aaron Siegel!!!"

As soon as the name came out, the sense of oppression in the air instantly rose, and the whole room became heavier because of this name.

Ralph's voice echoed in the empty room, full of undisguised hatred and contempt:
"That smooth-talking bastard, after putting an end to the demon kings, established a new council of goblins and demons to serve him, only for him to sit on his evil throne atop the rotting wound of the Resolution Assembly, licking its oozing, festering cavity like a dog!"

0-02 still stood there, silent.

Her hands were crossed in front of her chest, and the runes on her black gloves flickered faintly, as if responding to the tense atmosphere around them.

"You have become better than before. If it were before, you wouldn't say so much - politicians' excessive emotional outbursts only add weight to the bargaining chips for the next deal."

"You really want to kill me, and you expressed it sincerely, but this is just an idea. Actions and thoughts are two different things. Your refusal to release the Drum of Sealing just now means that you want to gain more political bargaining chips from me and the Kingdom of Heaven."

0-02 tilted his head and thought, "The current chairman of the Federal Reserve Board is Ben Greenspan, right?"

“……” Ralph C. Alfred said nothing more.

0-02 did not continue to speak, silence represents tacit understanding.

"Now, I should be able to go." 0-02 broke the silence first.

"Explain." The first bank president just uttered one sentence.

"That's the explanation." 0-02 took out a piece of paper and flicked it.

The paper floated automatically in front of Ralph without any wind, and he reached out and took the paper.

A letter to heaven,

I’m Vincent Anderson, CEO of ■■■ Robotics.

Hopefully you have received our package since you are reading this letter now.

You have approximately 8 days, 4 hours, 31 minutes, and 34 seconds to react before the protective device is destroyed by this "thing". Countdown begins at [DATA EXPUNGED].

This "thing" is an energy core that provides unlimited energy.

While our company is known for all things "cutting-edge" technology, as you can see, we lost control of this core and its self-destruct sequence was accidentally activated during an interdimensional experiment.

It caused a huge explosion that destroyed one of our small plane laboratories. Yes, an entire small plane!
The loss to our financial and human resources is enormous.

Therefore, my friend and I took this accident very seriously and thought about it carefully.

We concluded after many meetings and discussions that this “stuff” was not something we could handle.

Considering the friendly relationship between us, our board of directors has decided to send this package to you, the Heaven, rather than to other gods in the Ivy Realms.

I believe our friends in heaven can handle this problem without any problems and successfully “contain” it.

You see, this core is uncontrollable and indestructible.

and so……

I wish all of you the best of luck to your entire staff.

——From ■■■ Robot Company】

"This is the explanation. Your people are suspected of crimes against humanity." 0-02 looked at the bodies at his feet. "I spent a lot of time to settle accounts with all the relevant personnel."

Then she took out a metal sphere, about 8 centimeters in diameter.

The surface of the sphere had a deep metallic texture and emitted a faint glow, making it look like some kind of highly sophisticated alchemical artifact.

There are almost unrecognizable patterns engraved on the sphere, which seem to be images of broken scales and dragons. These patterns are full of ancient and mysterious atmosphere, carrying some kind of profound knowledge and power.

The sphere is not stationary, but rotates slightly, constantly adjusting its relationship with the surrounding space.

As it rotated, the surrounding space seemed to fluctuate slightly, with a sense of unstable distortion.

This sense of distortion makes people feel that its existence itself is constantly tearing and reorganizing reality.

Ralph could sense that the sphere was continuously emitting high-intensity alpha rays. Although he couldn't see it, there was a vague sense of foreboding in the air.

People who get close to it can feel an invisible pressure, as if space itself is collapsing with it as the center.

This phenomenon makes people feel extremely uneasy, as if they may be sucked into another dimension at any time.

"The [Electronic Channel] of the God of All Machines..." Ralph said in a deep voice.

“The principle is similar.”

0-02 held the sphere and said, "Its energy source is stolen from other dimensions. Almost no energy is lost, and the utilization rate reaches an astonishing 99.9765%. The energy generated per second is about 5.25×10 kilojoules, which is equivalent to the energy output of a small nuclear reactor. The cost is that it causes extreme disorder in the surrounding space, and may also bring matter or creatures from other dimensions into our universe."

0-02 took the metal sphere and began to walk out, "I have already given the explanations that should be given, and I will give you the chips that should be paid later."

"Oh, right."

Suddenly, 0-02 seemed to have thought of something, stopped and said to Ralph, who had no expression on his face:

"Get ready to connect the curtain. There is another accident in the starry sky. The fourth sword bearer of the Kingdom of Heaven seems to be just like us old immortals. He is always prone to bad things. However, this young man's reaction is expected to be more dramatic. You need to pay attention."

At this moment, 9 hours, 2 minutes and 51 seconds have passed since the fourth sword-bearer in Heaven was sealed.

Time left for night cruise: 1 hour, 10 minutes and 4 seconds.