Chapter 240.Calculated Collateral

Western Continent.

Iron Empire.

Waldhar State.

York City.

Around 4pm.

A chopper moved with speed in the skies.

Several beginner Rank 3 warriors were seated in the chopper.

"I see," Aiden said.

He had just been briefed on the current situation at the ruined city.

"Interesting. This is very good," Aiden thought.

"More chaotic beasts means more blood essence to absorb," Aiden thought.

"But what’s the strongest Rank 3 chaotic beast recorded there according to surveillance?" Aiden asked.

"According to surveillance, the chaotic beasts there are all beginner Rank 3 chaotic beasts. This is why only beginner Rank 3 warriors were assigned to the mission," a petite lady said.

A glint flashed through Aiden’s eyes.

"I see," Aiden said.

After that, he went silent. Occasionally, some of the team members would give sidelong looks of admiration and fear.

Even some of the ladies were sizing him up.

As for Aiden, he leaned against the wall of the chopper, in thought.

"Something is off. Have these guys been fed wrong information by someone to get them killed? Is there some sort of issue between York City University and the Warriors Association branch of the city? Earlier, they mentioned that the Warriors Association branch in the city didn’t want to send their personnel there because they didn’t want to risk getting their men killed. But I think that’s only surface-level information," Aiden thought.

"I doubt that a ruined city that has existed for a long time, crawling with Rank 3 chaotic beasts which are reaching an overflow point, will only have beginner Rank 3 chaotic beasts. The reason why the Warriors Association branch in the city most likely didn’t send their personnel there is because they have this information.

"But they deliberately hid this information from the York City University team to get them killed. It’s either someone on the team has offended someone from the Warriors Association branch in the city, or York City University and the Warriors Association branch in York City are not on good terms and they are trying to use this mission to get the said person killed. Or, there could be a third reason for this I don’t know..I need to investigate and personally find out what is going on so that I don’t walk into anything I’m not prepared to handle."

Aiden’s eyes turned crimson.

With his eyes closed, his enhanced vision, hearing, and smell were activated.

His senses spread throughout York City. Through alleys, homes, skyscrapers, hotels, corporations.

There was nowhere he could not see.

He listened to conversations to the minutest details.

Even the mundane talks about kids doing their homework, parents getting a divorce, or a girl complaining about a toxic and cheating boyfriend.

Eventually, he narrowed his senses down to a villa in one of the residential areas of the city.

It was the Mayor’s villa.

Three people were seated in a room, having a conversation.

"How is the plan going?" The mayor said, resting her hand on the armchair.

"Everything is fine, ma’am. They don’t suspect a thing. As the Warriors Association head in the city, getting this done is not a problem. My subordinate here and I have worked really hard," a man with a crooked demeanor said as he looked at a chestnut-haired man seated across from him.

"Yes, ma’am. They will thin down the number of chaotic beasts there and get themselves killed. So that, when we send our team there, the risk of losing our men will decrease. Then, we will claim the energy core vein for ourselves," the chestnut-haired man said.

"Good," the mayor said. "I will pull some strings I have in the State headquarters of the Warriors Association branch and get you both promoted."

"Thank you, ma’am."

"Thank you, ma’am."

The two men replied with excited expressions on their faces.

"However, if this discussion leaves this room, you are both dead." A glint of calm coldness flashed through the mayor’s eyes.

Fear flashed through the eyes of the two men.

They knew how powerful the mayor was. They were not stupid.

There was no way they’d mess up the plan.

If they managed to secure the energy core vein, they could use the energy cores for a lot of industrial purposes.

Energy cores could be used to make weapons, battlesuits, and invisibility bracelets, among others. Some alchemists even used them in boosting the purity level of some alchemical products.

"Absolutely, ma’am."

"We are not stupid."

"Good," she said. "We just need to dig out the energy cores in the energy core veins quickly before we rebuild the city. No one will find out about it as long as you both keep your mouths shut."

"Yes, ma’am."

"Absolutely."

She looked at the fellow with chestnut hair.

"I heard your nephew got himself expelled for offending the disciple of Excellency Armstrong Lee?"

"Yes... the boy has ruined his future and there’s nothing even I can do about it. But, revenge is necessary." The man with chestnut hair replied.

He added with coldness, "Fortunately, the Crimson Reaper is part of the team headed to the place. He will naturally die because of the intermediate, advanced, expert, and legendary Rank 3 chaotic beasts there."

"Not even Armstrong Lee will be able to know how he died. Naturally, it will be blamed on chaotic beasts." The mayor of York City said. This was a very intelligent plan.

"Indeed. This subordinate of mine is very shrewd," the head of the Warriors Association branch in York City said.

"Hehheh... you flatter me."

"Cheers to working together."

"For now, let’s just wait for results."

Aiden calmly listened to their conversation from the chopper.

It all made sense to him now.

"So this is what is actually going on huh," Aiden mused inwardly. "So the mayor and the Warriors Association head in the city are working together. That chestnut-haired guy is the uncle of the simp from the university campus earlier.

"These guys have discovered an energy core vein. But instead of taking the risk to send their men there, hunt chaotic beasts, clear the place, and harvest the energy cores, they used wanting to rebuild the city and a possible chaotic beast tide invasion as an excuse to push clearing the ruined city on these York City University professors. This way, they will reduce the number of chaotic beasts there before their men are sent there. It will also limit the deaths of their men when they send them in to secure the energy cores.

"The place contains intermediate, advanced, expert, and legendary Rank 3 chaotic beasts. This is a suicide mission. But I can turn it into my advantage. If I leak the information about the energy cores, it will cause an uproar in the city and multiple organizations in the city will send their powerhouses there. This will lead to serious conflict and lots of deaths. That way, I will have lots of blood essence to absorb," Aiden thought.