Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 697 Promise
The violent suppression ended unusually quickly, with the entire battlefield echoing with the sound of broken bones and the aftermath of explosions.

The spirit-suckers and their enslaved races, once a powerful resistance force, now have only one in ten left.

Those mind suckers and gray dwarf slaves who were lucky enough to survive were forcibly subdued by the agents of the Administration and put on specially made [Reality Anchor Shackles], which were specifically designed to hinder the mind suckers' mental spellcasting.

"stand up!"

A heavy-armored operator with horns knocked on his shield, signaling the mind sucker who had insulted the Administration at the beginning to stand up - this mind sucker was very lucky, because when the conflict broke out, a bolter directly blew his right arm apart, causing him to lose his combat effectiveness and fall from mid-air, wailing in pain. As a result, he avoided the most brutal part of the violent suppression.

At this moment, the prisoners were lifted up roughly, and they no longer had their original arrogance and pride, and each of them looked in a miserable state.

The tentacles of many mind suckers drooped, their eyes filled with fear and unwillingness, while the gray dwarves had despair on their faces, crawling at the feet of the operators.

Beep~beep~beep~
In the distance, several prison vans with the Administration logo drove onto the battlefield.

The vehicles are painted dark black with red Honkai Authority emblems printed on the sides, have monitors and protective railings installed on the roofs, and heavy doors at the rear with warning locks.

The prison van is designed to be extremely sturdy, and the seats inside are fixed with steel chains. Every prisoner will be locked in his seat and unable to use any means to escape.

The operators escorted the arrested persons into the vehicles one by one. The prisoners groaned in pain during the escort, but no one dared to resist - the bolt guns of the special operators were pointed at their heads, and they seemed unusually well-behaved in front of the operators holding the "truth".

The operators escorting the prisoners held [Psychic Blast Shields] and remained on high alert at all times, ready to respond to any potential counterattack at any time.

As the sound of the prison van closing echoed in the air, everything gradually returned to calm.

The mole standing in the command position calmly monitored the entire situation. His mechanical arm flashed with a cold luster, and the display screen continuously scrolled battlefield data and situation reports.

[The special operator has submitted the mission to the Administration!]
[Mission Name: Suppression of Illegal Protests by Soul Suckers in the Hell's Kitchen Area!]
[Task time: 10:20 AM - 12:00 PM]
[Mission __cpLocation: New York City Hell's Kitchen area]
[Action goal: Rapidly suppress the illegal violent protests of the Soul Suckers Federation, ensure public order and residents' safety, and prevent the racial ability runaway incidents from causing larger-scale social harm——]
[Toll killed: 59 soul suckers and 127 slaves were killed
Number of people captured: 20 mind suckers and duergar slaves captured

Equipment Seized: All weapons carried by the insurgents have been seized and transferred to the research department.]
[Operator Status:

Seriously injured operators: 5

Slightly injured operators: 15

Medical authorities have been contacted! ]
[Battlefield cleanup: in progress, all finishing work is expected to be completed within 6 hours. The repair of urban buildings and public facilities will be carried out in cooperation with the Speed ​​​​Construction Company.]
While reporting the situation to [Adam] and the Secretariat, the Mole scanned the battlefield with a vigilant look in his eyes. He did not relax because of the explanation of the suppression action.

Suddenly, his attention was attracted by a figure. Someone was walking towards him in the distance, and a seemingly dying figure was floating beside him.

The Mole looked closely and saw that the person who came was tall, with blond hair and golden eyes. He was wearing a decent black suit and a black top hat on his head. He held a silver cane in his right hand and casually played with a cube emitting bluish-purple light in his left hand - it was the [Thought-Extinction Cube].

The blue-purple light flickered slightly, as if declaring its terrifying power.

The limbs of the spirit sucker leader Azaz, who was floating behind him, had been completely broken and were hanging limply.

The tentacles that had once stood upright had now lost their luster, their eyes were dull and lifeless, and their entire body was still twitching slightly, clearly enduring great pain and despair.

His face was covered in blood and dust, his clothes were torn, and his limbs were twisted like a knot.

As Xia Xiu approached, the mole quickly stood at attention, his eyes full of respect, and bowed deeply, saying:
"Sir Abraham, the battle is over and all hostile elements have been suppressed. The next cleanup work is underway, please rest assured."

Xia Xiu looked at the situation in front of him and the orderly operators around him with satisfaction, and nodded with a smile, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes:
"Robert, you did a great job. Your operators also performed very well. They are well-trained and their firepower is accurate."

The Mole nodded slightly and replied seriously: "Thank you for your recognition, Mr. Director. This is what we should do."

Xia Xiu was playing with the cube. He held the cane in his right hand and swung it casually. The leader of the spirit suckers floating behind him was thrown to the ground like waste and hit hard in front of the mole.

With a slight sound, the previously invincible leader of the spirit suckers now had broken bones all over his body and curled up on the ground in pain. He couldn't even make a simple mental call now.

After the initial praise, the fourth sword-bearer of the Kingdom of Heaven suddenly changed his tone and pointed his finger directly at the mole:

“You did a good job, but you can do better.”

His golden eyes flickered slightly in the blue-purple light of the cube in his hand, as if reminding them of the huge crisis they had almost encountered just now.

"If this thing in my hand explodes, I'm afraid that dozens of operators will be added to the list of casualties today."

The mole's pupils shrank slightly as he stared at the cube in Xia Xiu's hand.

Although he didn't know what it was, the oppressive feeling of spiritual feedback made him break out in a cold sweat, and his intuition told him that this thing was very dangerous.

He immediately lowered his head and said in a heavy tone:
"Our intelligence gathering was not sufficient, and we did not obtain the opponent's potentially lethal large-scale strike weapons in advance."

Xia Xiu sighed, a trace of thought flashed across his eyes:

"You did try your best, but this incident exposed a bigger problem - the Administration's task force is understaffed. The Moon Watchers of the Bright Moon Rabbit, your Mole Science Society, the Assault Hands of the Blue Ox... Although these forces have their own strengths, their numbers are still too small. It is obviously not enough to cover the entire New World, the Future Junction, and all the hubs of Terra."

Xia Xiu paused, his eyes locked on the mole, and continued with a meaningful tone:
“The Kingdom of Heaven can provide you with firepower, etheric algorithms, and sufficient resource support, but manpower has always been a bottleneck.

It's fine for covering the New World around Hell's Kitchen, but as your mission expands into the borderlands and outlying areas, this becomes increasingly apparent."

He paused for a moment, tapped his cane, and said with a hint of suggestion:

"Besides, don't you think that you and the other three special operators have been stuck in the second stage of thaumaturgy for too long?"

After hearing Xia Xiu's words, the Mole's heart was suddenly shaken, as if some long-dormant ambition was quietly awakened.

His usually calm and restrained face could not hide his emotional fluctuations at this moment. His lips trembled slightly, and even his originally steady breathing became a little hasty at this moment. He looked at Xia Xiu, his eyes burning with excitement and desire, as if the long-awaited moment had finally arrived.

His mechanical hand clenched slightly, and the originally cold metal trembled slightly in the tense atmosphere. Behind this movement was the turbulent waves in his heart.

He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say, and his voice was filled with a hint of hesitation and shock:
"You mean... the Barbatos mentioned before..."

The mole's expression quickly changed from astonishment to excitement. He seemed to find it hard to believe what he heard. His eyes were fixed on Xia Xiu's golden eyes, as if he was trying to confirm whether all this was true.

That hint of nervousness and that hint of anticipation now intertwined into complex emotions on his face, making him look both excited and awed.

Xia Xiu smiled slightly and tapped the ground lightly with the silver cane in his hand, making a crisp sound. The sound echoed in the air, confirming the guess in the mole's heart.

This echo seemed to have opened up some kind of opportunity, and also made Xia Xiu recall the [Solomon's Key] he possessed, as well as the glorious years of the past - [Folfor] he obtained in the Great Mother Goddess incident, [Barbatos] obtained during his journey to the center of the earth, [Elig] and [Fokalos] obtained in the Iberian War, and [Stora] and [Bune] obtained in the recent Green Day incident.

Now that he has mastered six [Solomon's Keys], he couldn't help but sigh:
The holders of Solomon's avatar are indeed attracted to each other!
If this trend continues, perhaps he can really collect seventy-two [Keys of Solomon] for the Kingdom of Heaven and accomplish an unprecedented feat.

However, it would be a waste to hold these powerful keys without using them.

Now is the time to strengthen the Administration's hard power - this thought flashed through his mind.

He turned to look at the mole, with some memories, he was thinking about the name of the holder of [Barbatos] who was killed by him during the underground civilization war.

"Have you ever heard of this man named Joseph Brantley?"

The Mole straightened up instantly upon hearing this, and answered without hesitation:
"Of course I know. He is the Holy Builder of the Cogwheel Orthodox Church and one of the pioneers of the Daeva Empire's Industrial Cathedral! We all learned his hymns when we were young."

Here the Mole began to recite a hymn about Saint Joseph, with a tone of yearning and reminiscence:

"The great Joseph, the guardian of processes and assembly lines, guides the rotation of every precision gear.

In the endless iron and steel, the great design of the Industrial Cathedral was born. He built a bridge between machinery and the sacred and laid a solid foundation for the future.

Under the instruction of the Supreme Think Tank, Barbatos reappeared in the world, created and shaped by Saint Joseph, a new type of giant god. It is the embodiment of iron and electricity, and the continuation of the great master.

Praise be to the Holy Builder, Joseph, who has passed on the Way of Machinery and restored all things to glory in his hands. "

When the Mole finished reciting the poem, his whole body was solemn and dignified. Although he was a [Maxwellist] and felt disgusted and disgusted with the Orthodox Church's way of restricting the spread of knowledge, he was still full of reverie and... envy for the pioneers of the [Industrial Cathedral] who had not completely abandoned the ideal of "sanctification of industry".

Xia Xiu listened quietly, a strange look flashed across his eyes, and he secretly complained in his heart:
"The people of the Gear Orthodox Church are really smug. Why does this hymn sound so cocky? Aren't all the pioneers of the Industrial Cathedral so boastful?"

He did not speak his mind directly, but changed the subject, with a hint of regret in his tone:
"The poem is good, you recited it very well. But I have to tell you a very sad news - Joseph is dead, dead without leaving any trace."

"what?"

The Mole's face froze instantly.

The solemnity and dignity were replaced by endless confusion in an instant, as if what the director had just said was a huge joke that he found difficult to understand.

He stared at Xia Xiu blankly, his lips slightly opened, but no sound came out.

The only people who knew about the underground civilization were the Kingdom of Heaven, the professor team at the University of Michigan, and the Orthodox Church.

The Kingdom of Heaven and the University of Michigan obviously had no interest in spreading this matter widely.

As for the Orthodox Church, where a holy builder had died, they would certainly handle this matter in a secretive and revengeful manner.

So although "the great Joseph" was killed, he is still alive in the hearts of many believers and the outside world.

"Joseph Brantley is dead?" The Mole could not accept it at once.

How could the "holy builder" of the Cogwheel Orthodox Church, the "legend" of the cathedral, just... die like this?
A look of astonishment and bewilderment emerged on his face, and his mind seemed to be digesting this huge contrast. Even his thoughts stopped for a moment.

The sudden emptiness in his heart made him feel that all his admiration and praise had lost their footing in an instant.

He stood there in a daze with his mouth open. It seemed as if tens of millions of gears were creaking around in his mind, but not a single one of them could successfully engage and operate.

Countless poems and praises about Joseph flashed through his mind, those glorious deeds he had memorized in childhood, and once served as an ideal role model...

Snapped!
died?

Xia Xiu looked at the mole's silly expression and couldn't help wanting to laugh, but he managed to hold it back.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly:

"Well, the way he died... I guess telling you about it will only increase your disillusionment."

Xia Xiu continued:

“From your poetry, it’s clear you knew he was the designer of the Barbatos’ steel frame, but you didn’t know he was also the current pilot.

Well, maybe he wasn't the driver before and took over later. That's why you are surprised."

The mole still looked confused, as if he had not yet recovered from his dazed state.

Xia Xiu raised his eyebrows and smiled at the mole:

"I'm telling you this because I not only obtained the key to Barbatos in the Geocentric Civilization, but also found the lost mechanical city-state - the Amoni City-state." The Mole's pupils shrank slightly, and he finally reacted. Geocentric Civilization, the Amoni City-state...

These words seemed to evoke some mechanical mysticism memories deep in his heart.

Xia Xiu continued:
"At the same time, I also found a lost wise man of the city-state there—Mr. Brass."

“He possesses a lot of lost city-state knowledge and mechanical blueprints. For some reason, he has been staying in the Alchemy Engineering Department of the Kingdom of Heaven for some time.

A few days ago, I applied to transfer him to the Administration as a mechanical consultant. Moreover, I plan to transfer him to your Science Association."

The Mole's eyes finally refocused, and the shock in his heart seemed to be diluted a little by the new information.

He nodded, but the corners of his mouth twitched slightly and he still couldn't completely calm down.

Xia Xiu looked at the mole, smiled slightly, and continued:

"Your key slot is advancing faster than the Moon Rabbit and the Blue Ox. You should be just one step away from success. Mr. Brass can help you achieve a breakthrough. You can take this opportunity to redesign the steel skeleton of Barbatos."

A hint of excitement finally appeared on the Mole's face, and the confusion in his heart disappeared in an instant.

He looked at Xia Xiu with excitement and anticipation in his eyes:
"You mean... I can..."

"That's right," Xia Xiu nodded gently, "You can prepare to design your own mechanical Overlord avatar skeleton and be ready to join the ranks of Overlords."

The Mole's eyes were filled with excitement and shock, his heart was churning. He had lost his composure too many times today. Every piece of news from the director was like a thunderclap that impacted his three views.

Xia Xiu looked at the excited mole and smiled slightly.

Among the three special operators in the Administration, he admires Mole the most.

As the leader of the scientific society, the mole never let him down.

And the Mole's emotional fluctuations did not last too long. After a moment of silence, he quickly regained his composure and once again displayed the demeanor of a steady and calm special operator.

He looked at the director, without saying much, and suddenly bowed deeply to Xia Xiu.

Both of them understood the meaning of this bow tacitly.

The mole was expressing his gratitude and respect, and Xia Xiu did not stop him nor did he say anything unnecessary polite.

After the mole finished bowing, Xia Xiu casually threw the cube in his hand accurately at the mole.

A bluish-purple light drew an arc in the air, and the mole steadily caught this terrifying [Thought-Destroying Cube].

Then, Xia Xiu gently poked the spirit sucker leader, who was lying on the ground like a dead dog, with the silver cane in his hand.

This guy's limbs were completely twisted and deformed, and he collapsed to the ground, without any power to resist.

Xia Xiu glanced at the mole, his voice was slightly cold:
"Take this guy to the interrogation department. I want to get some useful information from his watery brain."

"The appearance of such a dangerous thing in the world is a complete violation of the treaty established between the Kingdom of Heaven and the New Alliance."

Xia Xiu paused for a moment as he spoke. A hint of disdain flashed across his golden eyes. It was obvious that he had known all about this matter.

"It is probably another New Alliance organization that is colluding with smuggling."

The Mole nodded slightly, his eyes flashed, and he understood what the director meant.

He was about to turn around and leave when Xia Xiu continued:

"You ask the Secretariat to send a diplomatic notice to the Ilyshid Kingdom and publish it in the name of the Kingdom of Heaven."

He slowly turned the silver cane in his hand and finally said:
"If they still want to make trouble, then it won't be the Administration and the New Alliance that will play with them."

The Mole bowed his head slightly and answered respectfully:
"Yes."

Then, he turned around, tightly grasped the [Thought Annihilation Cube] in his hand, and personally escorted the spirit sucker leader, whose body was covered with scars and whose face was filled with despair, to the prison van.

The limbs of the soul sucker leader had been ruthlessly broken, his face was full of pain and humiliation, and his eyes were filled with fear and despair.

He has been completely reduced to a prisoner and is about to face the next few stages of the "Great Memory Restoration Technique".

Just as Xia Xiu said, after he has experienced all of this, he may be left with an indelible impression of the land of Terra and the hospitality here - of course, the premise is that he can still walk out of the interrogation room alive.

*
*
Xia Xiu watched quietly as the Administration team escorted the prisoners away until they disappeared from sight.

He narrowed his golden eyes slightly, then raised his left hand and made a special gesture, with his index finger and thumb forming a pistol position, and gently aimed into the distance, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, and his fingers lightly clicked.

"boom--"

He made a firing motion quietly, which seemed extremely casual and cynical.

At the same time, in the distance, several penguins who had been crawling on the front line of the suppression in the flames of war suddenly screamed.

The cameras they used to record the scenes of suppression on the front lines were all kinds of strange. Some cameras looked like items from the magical world, decorated with delicate magic runes and strange handles; there were steampunk-style cameras with gears, copper tubes and springs all over the body; and some cameras looked more like strange objects that were synthesized into biological machines, and when the lens turned, they could make biological-like whispering sounds.

There's even a camera shaped like a vintage record player, with a camera lens shaped like a small record.

"Fuck!!!"

“I spent three months’ salary on this Porter camera!!!”

“Gah! My 2077 limited edition camera!?”

Just after Xia Xiu made that "bang" gesture, the cameras exploded one after another, lenses and bodies flew everywhere, making a harsh mechanical tearing sound.

The explosion frightened the penguins so much that they let out sharp "ga ga ga" sounds and retreated in panic, not daring to move.

The remains of the camera were lying on the ground, emitting black smoke and a burnt smell.

Those Penguin reporters who wanted to take pictures of the precious scenes could only smile awkwardly and stand there stupidly, not daring to make any moves.

Their eyes all looked forward at the same time.

At this moment, the blond young man retracted his gesture, gently took off the black top hat on his head, and nodded slightly at them. His movements were elegant, but there was an unfathomable meaning in his eyes.

The penguins watched from a distance as his lips moved slightly, as if to say...

"I've remembered your size. If you dare to spread rumors, I'll blow your heads off next time."

Obviously, Xia Xiu, the fourth sword-wielder in the Kingdom of Heaven, is very dissatisfied with the penguins of the Wand Man Newspaper who write "ambition reports" for him all day long.

At this moment, the penguins were very tactful and quickly raised their fat wings - yes, the penguins' short, wing-like hands, covered with thick feathers, making a funny surrender gesture.

Their little eyes were filled with fear, and their round bodies looked even more clumsy.

The scene suddenly became funny. The chubby postures of the penguins, with their wings raised in helpless surrender, instantly dissipated the tense atmosphere in the air.

Seeing this from a distance, Xia Xiu smiled calmly, slowly put his hat back on his head, and walked away.

As he raised his foot, a glowing [Mobius Strip] appeared under his feet.

Slight ripples appeared in the air, and then his figure gradually became blurred, as if he had merged into the air, and his entire body slowly disappeared in the ripples.

It was not until the figure of the fourth sword-bearer in heaven completely disappeared that the penguins lowered their wings in fear and looked at each other, and the tension gradually eased.

A taller penguin stood in the middle of the team. He had a sturdy build, and his black and white feathers made him look like he was wearing a tuxedo. He also wore a pair of steampunk-style goggles on his head.

“Huff, huff, huff~ Gah, I almost died in the line of duty.”

He sighed heavily, and the cold sweat on his wings seemed not to have completely disappeared.

At this moment, a slightly shorter penguin jumped out indignantly. His body was rounder than the other penguins, and he had a small red scarf with the logo of the Wandman Newspaper tied around his neck, which made him look very funny.

He said angrily: "Ha ha ha! How can he be so domineering! We are extraordinary reporters! We have the right to interview! Boss, should we go back and polish the article on the newspaper's headlines and give him a good beating!"

The voice just fell.

"Snapped--!"

The penguin called "Boss" slapped the other penguin's head hard, making a crisp sound.

The boss was tall, wearing an old-fashioned windbreaker, his wings fluttering slightly, and he had a serious look on his face.

He glared at his men and shouted mercilessly:

"Haha, shut up! I don't want to be a 'roasted penguin wing'! Do you want us to be served on the table?"

His eyes were full of majesty and a hint of anger, "That person's heart is smaller than a needle... ahem, I mean, that person has remembered us, and you still dare to write! The box is about to be opened by someone, and you are still so brave? Did you go crazy arguing with others on the mental retardation spectrum forum!"

The little penguin covered his head which was hurt by being hit, and an awkward smile appeared on his face. He immediately shrank his neck and dared not say anything more, his eyes full of regret and fear.

Several Penguin reporters looked at each other, and suddenly fell silent, all lowering their heads in agreement.

"What about these today..." The penguin wearing steampunk goggles looked at his camera with a distressed look on his face.

"Cough cough cough, put it on the newspaper's public account." The boss said with a cough.

"Who could have thought that we would be so unlucky today, encountering a mobile disaster... You all should write an internal article about the encounter with the sword-wielding man today and show it to the higher-ups. We almost died in the line of duty - the higher-ups must pay us three times our salary and provide us with new equipment."

"Also, we need to polish today's report before publishing it."

"What style?" asked the red scarf leader who had just suggested a heavy attack.

"What style do you need me to teach you!!!" the boss said angrily, "How dare you continue to criticize me!?"

"Oh oh oh, I get it... I will give all the praise materials I collected to that person and the management bureau." The red scarf replied with his head down with a sincere heart.

……

……