Chapter 129: The Thief

  What is actually inside the 51st District, this is a very good question. Although Mo Yan named it the 51st District out of playfulness, it's impossible for there to really be aliens or UFOs and that sort of thing inside. However, some things that Mo Yan and the dwarves invented together can also be considered black technology in this world, so calling it the 51st District is quite fitting.

  Now, this place with so many black technologies has been infiltrated by a group of uninvited guests. Although the important drawings and documents are locked in the exquisite cabinets specially designed by the gray dwarves, there are locks in the world, and there are also people who specialize in studying locks. No matter how ingenious the design is, it will eventually be deciphered by others.

  At this time, in the fifty-first district, a group of shadows skilled in unlocking were trying every means to open the door lock and take out the drawings stored inside. Meanwhile, some other shadows went to other areas, accurately finding the storage locations of some small specimens, carefully putting them into the backpacks they carried.

  The first time they came to Area 51, they were able to find what they wanted so skillfully that it could only be explained by the fact that there was a traitor among the workers or those in charge who had provided them with part of the map of Area 51. Even magical contracts are not foolproof, and on the continent of Hill, methods to eliminate the influence of contracts were not uncommon, but they were expensive in terms of materials, and the techniques used to eliminate them were generally prohibited by various countries.

  However, the so-called ban only applies to ordinary people. As a dark force of the Maro Empire, Shadow is not within the scope of restriction. For them, most laws only serve as a reference, and whether or not to comply depends on actual needs.

  He is fully focused on unlocking, using special tools to observe the keyhole, listening to the subtle sounds coming from inside the lock hole. From time to time, he takes out what he thinks is the right tool from the toolbox spread out on the ground and inserts it into the lock hole. If it doesn't fit, he has to switch to another one. Sweat beads have already appeared on the locksmith's forehead, and he knows that time is pressing and the task is difficult.

  Before they entered Area 51, they discovered the tail following them, and after entering the factory, they heard the sounds emitted by many people. However, they did not choose to give up their mission because being discovered was also part of the plan. They only needed to focus on completing their task, and someone would create an opportunity for them to escape later.

  In the darkness not far away, sparks from clashing swords and crisp collision sounds had already lit up. The dark shadows guarding the lock nearby had already engaged in battle with a squad of SS troops who came to protect the data. As SS troops born from the shadows, they understood that most shadows liked to stay there, and what kind of defensive formation they were using.

  But even shadows are graded, and these invading shadows were not comparable to those who were sent to capture the Carthaginian princess. Even after Mo Yan's retraining, the subject was only slightly stronger than these people, and the battle situation was temporarily stabilized by the shadows.

  The locksmith is deaf to the sounds of battle, and in his world there is only the existence of locks. All he needs to do is unlock them, and he doesn't need to care about anything else. This is a testament to his trust in protecting his shadows, as well as his extreme seriousness towards his work.

  The battle continued for another two minutes, with corpses constantly falling amidst the clashing of swords and knives. Although most of them were Shadow Guards, the Thunderhorn Party's losses were not light either. More importantly, the Shadow's Lockpicker had already entered the final stage of unlocking.

  "It seems that after going back and forth, I still need to strengthen my training." Matthew, who had rushed from afar, dodged a dark figure's long sword and inserted the short knife in his hand into the figure's neck, using a habitual amount of force to prevent him from making a sound. Looking at the many injured SS soldiers, he said: "Even if these guys' skills are not bad, they shouldn't have dragged on for so long, right? I've already cleaned up the northern area."

  "I'm very sorry, Lord Matthew." A party guard with a lightly injured arm came to Matthew's side and apologized. He was the commander who led the squad to protect the data, and since the attack had been hindered in this way, he had an inescapable responsibility. Now that he heard Matthew's complaint, he could only stand up and accept punishment.

  As for how to punish the incompetent commander of this squad, that's something to be discussed later. What's urgent now is that the safecracker has opened the lock on the file cabinet and started putting some documents into his backpack. If we don't stop them now and let them escape into the darkness, it won't be easy to find them again.

  Direct confrontation isn't Matthew's strong suit, he excels at covert assassinations, excellent stealth skills and varied assassination techniques, making him almost undefeated from training to now, the only blemish of failure being that one time with his former squad leader.

  However, assassination is apparently not applicable now, it's a technique used by the attacking side, and now the SS is protecting the data from being robbed, without time for them to hide and patiently carry out the assassination. Fortunately, Matthew led others to arrive, making the number of SS have an absolute advantage, as long as nothing unexpected happens, these dark shadows will still have to hand over what they got, along with their lives.

  At this time, in the largest northeastern factory building, Riegel's team also found the Shadow Team that was stealing data here. However, the leader of the Shadow Team was not what Riegel had expected - it was the man who had left many scars and pain on his body, now standing in the data room of the factory.

  "Regel, I never thought we'd meet again under these circumstances." A middle-aged man with a not-so-long silver-white beard looked at Regel and the ten-man SS squad that had arrived at the door with his slightly sunken but spirited eyes, letting his nearly finished searching subordinates stop what they were doing and gather around.

  "I didn't expect you to come here either, I thought you were still in Malo City training new Shadows. How did you suddenly end up in Eran?" Regal said, looking at the middle-aged man who was the only one not wearing a mask: "And yet you're still treating the Shadow's rules as if they're air, you're the one who told us to wear masks during missions, and I hate your double standards the most."

  "Rules are meant to be bent, and I don't need any so-called masks." The middle-aged man turned around and looked out the window at the most striking device in the factory, a gigantic machine that had been built outside of its original framework. "Raiden's Peak is indeed a very mysterious place, with many unbelievable things. Just from my few days here, I've come to realize the extraordinary nature of Raiden's Peak. No wonder Caesar wants to know what's inside - are these incredible things all conceived by your demon lord?"

  A huge, unidentified device is a long, elliptical sphere made of a completely metallic frame, some milky white, abnormally thick membranes that have already attached to the metal grid. Underneath the massive sphere is a semi-metallic cabin that appears to be used for loading something.

  "A thief is a thief, no matter how you dress it up in language. It can't change its nature." Regulus made a downward motion with his hand to his subordinates, signaling them to slowly disperse and prepare for the attack, saying: "Caesar may be an ambitious man, but he's also too eager for quick success. He hasn't even fully conquered Carthage yet, and he's already greedily looking towards Elam. Doesn't he know that this is where all the Maro emperors have met their defeat?"

  "So, if it weren't for your low loyalty test scores, with your talent, you wouldn't have been sent to the front lines." The middle-aged man turned around and looked at Regal, saying: "And sure enough, once you left the main army, you immediately betrayed the Emperor. You know, this time we didn't just come for what the Emperor is interested in, but also to eliminate traitors like you who are hiding in the shadows."

  Raguel and the middle-aged man both knew they had to kill each other, as it was their mission and duty. However, neither of them made a move, as both were trying to delay the inevitable. The middle-aged man was waiting for his pre-arranged plan to unfold, while Raguel was waiting for reinforcements to arrive, as he always preferred caution over taking risks.

  The party guard arrived with only a small team of ten people, while the opposing shadow had twelve people, plus the instructor who trained him as a shadow. A strong attack would not have a good result. However, it was clear that both sides had nothing to say, and for a moment, the scene fell into an eerie silence, with everyone on the scene standing still like a statue.

  Time ticked by, Regal and the middle-aged man stared at each other without blinking, both waiting for an opportunity to make a move. Regal's luck was much better than his instructor's, Matthew, who had some bloodstains on him, appeared at the door of the data room with a group of SS soldiers.

  "Huh? Isn't that Instructor?" Matthew saw the middle-aged man waving his hand in greeting and said, "How do you have time to come here and watch us? I was just thinking when I would return to Malo City and visit you. But speaking of which... the two of you are staring at each other so straight, don't you feel sick?"

  Reggie heard Matthew's words and suddenly felt that doing so was indeed disgusting, and hurriedly shifted his gaze to the middle-aged man's mustache. The faces of all the people present also turned strange, and it had to be said that Matthew indeed had a talent for destroying the atmosphere, and the originally extremely tense scene instantly collapsed.