Book 6: Chapter 26: The Witnesses
“Black Rat, when I was dismantling the display screen, I found an unusual hole beneath the control stick of the mech…” Silver Sail, who had rested for a while, said with a furrowed brow. “I suspect that was the core of the Apostle Mech!”
“Yeah, I saw it too. It was probably taken out by someone!” Black Rat nodded grimly, then hesitated before asking, “Silver Sail, you’re the more cunning one. What do you think about the person who took it…?”
“It was another Apostle, without a doubt!” Silver Sail said darkly. “Look here, and that mech… Hah, this person is truly ruthless! If that little girl hadn’t hidden inside the mech, no one would have survived… Hey, where’s the little thing? How is she gone?”
A trace of doubt and surprise appeared on Silver Sail’s face. Black Rat flashed instantly to where Mina had been just moments before.
“No one around! She actually slipped away right under our noses!” Black Rat widened his eyes and shouted in disbelief. “That’s impossible!”
“This place feels deathly still and eerie. Black Rat, I don’t want to stay here any longer!” Silver Sail’s face turned pale with anxiety.
“Right, let’s check other areas. We might run into the Apostle who destroyed this place!” A vicious look crept onto Black Rat’s face. “Silver Sail, that person took only the mech core and killed all the Atlanteans here. Why do you think they did it?”
“Hmph, isn’t it obvious? To silence witnesses! The person could have dismantled more Dark Gold components, but only took the easily portable mech core and abandoned the entire mech here. They must have obtained something even more valuable!” A gleam of fervor flashed in Silver Sail’s eyes. “We must find them before daybreak!”
“The Dark Gold materials we’ve already dismantled are worth at least a hundred thousand Shattered Crystals. The entire mech’s value is probably no less than a million Shattered Crystals. What could be more precious than that?” Black Rat’s face showed greed. “Silver Sail, do you think they might have found the demiplane coordinates of the ‘Celestial Wheel’?”