Chapter 112: Internal Strife (Part I)

Chapter 112: Internal Strife (Part I)

In the circular conference room, the twelve screens surrounding the perimeter—each symbolizing a playing card—all illuminated.

Shi Gaofei sat in his wheelchair, subconsciously glancing at the committee members hidden behind those screens. A sense of absurdity, one he had never felt before, suddenly welled up within him.

Why… must they hide behind screens?

These committee members who occupied the high echelons of the Service—whether they were Ace, Queen, or King—these individuals possessed extraordinary abilities and wielded the highest power within the organization…

And, of course, that included himself.

Why couldn't they simply sit together like ordinary people around a table and speak plainly whenever they held a meeting? Why did every gathering have to be so mysterious, shrouded behind massive screens, with even their true voices distorted by electronic processing?

They… no, he corrected himself, we! What were they all hiding from?

Were they hiding from the fear within their own hearts?

Hmph, they spoke incessantly about how they were all human, that those with abilities were still people. Yet, in truth, perhaps it was their own hearts that refused to see themselves as human at all.

Lost in these thoughts, Shi Gaofei glanced at the person sitting beside him.

This man was not a "Playing Card." He wore the simple black uniform of the Service, though he lacked a detector. It was a strict order from headquarters: no one entering this room was allowed to carry any electronic devices.

Shi Gaofei had never met this man before, but he knew he had returned from the African branch. He was a survivor and an eyewitness to the attack that had decimated the branch.

As Shi Gaofei drifted off, a voice echoed through the loudspeakers:

"Let the meeting begin."

The lighting indicated that the voice belonged to the King of Spades.

"This is an emergency meeting, and fortunately, everyone is in attendance. The subject of today’s session is to discuss the despicable incident at the African branch, where an unknown party launched an attack resulting in six deaths and four injuries among Service members! Furthermore, among the six fallen, one was a field operative. You all know very well how grave the death of a field operative is to the Service!"

The King of Spades' voice was cold. Distorted by electronic processing, it lacked even a hint of human emotion—sharp and icy.

The King of Spades continued, "Because this is a special session, we have granted Mr. Shi Gaofei permission to attend and participate in the discussion. Additionally, we have Mr. Ruben, who was urgently recalled from the African branch. As he served as the liaison officer for the branch, he can provide us with a firsthand account of the events. If anyone has any objections, speak now."

After a few seconds of silence...

"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."

Once all committee members had confirmed, the King of Spades proceeded. "Then, we shall begin. First, let us play the video data sent back from the African branch. We will continue our discussion after everyone has viewed it."

Soon, a large, transparent screen descended slowly from the ceiling of the circular room. After a flash of light, images began to appear.

The man named Ruben, sitting next to Shi Gaofei, stood up immediately.

He was a man with a stern expression, not particularly old, but his skin was dark from years spent in Africa. He stood beneath the screen, first bowing respectfully toward each of the twelve screens. He held his back as straight as a spear, his demeanor solemn and grave.

As the footage began to play, Ruben started to recount the sequence of events.

"Three days ago, on Saturday evening, June 22nd, there were sixteen members at the branch. Four had been dispatched to handle a mission in Johannesburg, South Africa, leaving twelve behind. The list of those remaining is as follows: [Names omitted]..."

Ruben clearly rattled off a list of names. "This included Black Three from the field team; she was the only headquarters field operative remaining at the African branch at the time."

The screen displayed images of the African branch: at the foot of a hillside stood a building resembling a chapel, with a circular roof and Gothic-style architecture. The grey walls were stained with patches of bright red blood. In the footage, the building had been reduced to a ruin; over half of the main structure had collapsed, the jagged walls looking utterly desolate.

"That evening, two colleagues and I had driven away from the branch to a village about twenty-four kilometers away to purchase necessities and handle some routine liaison work. Our departure had been authorized by branch protocol," Ruben’s voice was meticulous and serious. "We left at exactly 6:00 PM, as that was the time we had agreed upon with our supplier in town. The attack occurred during this window."

"The sequence was as follows: about five minutes after we left, our detectors picked up an emergency distress signal from the African branch. We immediately abandoned our plans and turned the car around, attempting to race back. By the time we arrived, the battle was nearing its end."

Ruben was interrupted by a voice—the Queen of Hearts. "So, you are saying that you left at 6:00, and it took you at most ten minutes to return? Are you suggesting the battle lasted only ten minutes?"

Ruben thought carefully. "The reality was slightly longer. The terrain around headquarters makes travel difficult, so even by car, our speed was limited. From the moment we left until we returned, it took about twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes! From start to near-finish? You had twelve people stationed there, minus the three of you who left—that means there were nine people at the branch! Are you telling us that the enemy breached a facility guarded by nine super-powered individuals, equipped with automated defenses, in a mere twenty minutes? They broke our African fortress in twenty minutes?"

The Queen of Hearts' female voice finally betrayed a hint of dissatisfaction.

Ruben, under her questioning, paused for a moment before nodding. "Yes, that is correct."

The Queen of Hearts then turned to Shi Gaofei. "Mr. Shi Gaofei, you are the expert regarding the architectural systems and defensive installations of the African branch. Please explain this to everyone."

"Certainly," Shi Gaofei said, leaning back in his wheelchair. "The main structure of the African branch was completed six years ago, and the engineering was reviewed by the committee. I won't go into the budget here. Regarding defensive capabilities, the branch possessed a complete set of security measures, including a large-scale energy-detection radar that met all organizational standards."

"Externally, the branch was equipped with directional electronic scanning instruments with a range of two hundred meters. I must clarify that I personally developed this equipment, and our headquarters on Homeland Island currently uses this very same system—only an upgraded version."

"Furthermore, in terms of offensive capabilities, you can review the blueprints at any time. There were four electromagnetic cannons equipped on the exterior, and the two main entrances were protected by explosion-proof electromagnetic shields. These shields can deflect most energy-based attacks and are rated at Class A. The surrounding ground was embedded with special nano-materials and an electromagnetic grid, ensuring that even someone with teleportation abilities could not sneak in or approach without alerting us."

"I believe the committee is well aware of the power of the electromagnetic reaction grid I developed, so I will not belabor the point. Moreover, all these defenses could be controlled directly from the main control room. During my initial design, I ran a simulation test. According to my assessment, even if the operator in the control room were an ordinary person with no abilities, they could rely on the equipment to hold off a large-scale enemy assault for at least forty minutes. Every committee member has seen the results of that simulation."

Shi Gaofei finished his statement calmly and closed his mouth.

The Queen of Hearts seemed unsatisfied with his answer and pressed further. "Then, Mr. Shi Gaofei, from your professional perspective, is such an intrusion possible? Or are there suspicious circumstances, perhaps even human dereliction of duty..."

"My apologies," Shi Gaofei looked at the Queen of Hearts' screen, remaining neither servile nor overbearing. "Ms. Queen of Hearts, I am a scientist. I can only provide the data I possess. That is all. As for judging the specifics of the incident, that is outside my jurisdiction, and I will not make guesses or assumptions. Therefore, I cannot answer your question."

He paused, his voice turning cold. "As for your assumptions... I must say, such speculation is worthless. No equipment is perfect. Regardless of how powerful the machinery is, it requires humans to operate it. Flaws are inevitable. The word 'possibility' is inherently unpredictable! There are countless possibilities. Even if the operator in the main control room were careless and forgot to switch on the main power... it could lead to total failure. While that possibility is low, my point is: I provide the data, not the speculation."

He dared to confront the Queen of Hearts because of his unique and elevated status within the Service; he had that privilege, but others did not.

The Queen of Hearts was clearly displeased with his response and turned back to Ruben. "What about you, Mr. Ruben? As a member of the African branch, do you have any valuable suggestions regarding such an unusual event?"

Ruben’s serious face flushed red. He gritted his teeth, clearly unhappy, but suppressed his emotions. "The members of the African branch operate in strict accordance with the regulations, so I do not believe the fault lies with us! The possibility you suggest... I do not think it exists. I can personally guarantee that we did not neglect our duties!"

The Queen of Hearts was silent for a moment before saying, "Continue your report, Mr. Ruben."

Ruben’s composure had slipped. With a flushed face, he resumed the paused footage on the large screen and continued his account:

"When the three of us drove back to the branch, the main entrance had already been breached. The electromagnetic grid and shields were completely disabled, the cannons were destroyed, and the entrance was blown apart. The enemy was in a fierce firefight with our members. Based on the situation, I can confirm there were at least twenty intruders. At least that many."

"I was wearing a portable detector, but it could not confirm the identities of the intruders because they were clearly equipped with stealth devices. Even worse, our database failed to identify them. Almost every intruder—their appearance, physique, ability signatures, everything—was absent from our records. We were left without the aid of our database. It is fair to say that the intruders were, for the most part, a group of strangers—a group of meta-humans we had never known existed."