Mecha Star Wars.

Chapter 1596 Standoff Before the Secret Passage
The group lingered outside for a long time, and by the time the black-clad crew rushed into the main building, the tracking talisman that had guided them had already disappeared.

Qi Mai remained completely calm and ordered the elimination of any potential hazards within the building to bring the entire mansion under control.

The Supreme Commander of the Sentinel General Headquarters was arrogant and certain that no one would trespass on his residence. Most of the staff in the mansion were ordinary personnel with no combat capabilities.

Those few with some fighting ability were no match for the well-trained Noah crew and were quickly subdued and taken into the crowd for guarding.

Although the tracking talisman had disappeared, the residual spiritual energy fluctuations along the way had not yet dissipated, and to Lin Fan, it was as clear as a real object.

The room was cramped, so the sentries had to suppress their focus and silently follow behind Lin Fan and Antonio, getting closer to them than the black-clad crew members scattered around.

Seeing that the Noah crew had not done anything rash and that the furnishings inside were not damaged in the slightest, the sentries secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Their job was to protect the personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but who would have thought that they would follow the Noah's crew across half of the main city and barge into the residence of the highest ruler?
They could handle ordinary small-scale conflicts. But the Noah, which was clearly an elite force, could only be withstood by the military's experienced warriors.

Their lives matter too; as long as they can live with their hands and feet intact, no one wants to be heroically hung on the wall.

Eli was secretly relieved, hoping the situation would end peacefully. But deep down he knew that was unlikely.

Lin Fan's purpose in coming here so clearly is either that this was her original target, or that, as they said, Jin Sichen is indeed hidden here.

Can……

Before he could sort out his thoughts, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the mansion.

Looking back, the sentries from the Sersorn military headquarters finally arrived late.

They gathered at the entrance, their faces looking extremely unpleasant under the flashing warning lights that restricted them from entering the mansion.

Ahead, Lin Fan continued to walk calmly deeper into the house.

Outside, the military personnel had already rushed in like swarms.

Eli saw the military leader's furious face and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly pulled Cen Fangyuan and ran towards Lin Fan.

"Lin Jian! Lin Jian! The military personnel have arrived!" he called out, actually trying to avoid a direct confrontation with the military.

Although Lin Fan is powerful and formidable, at least he acts with reason and is capable of communication. Those people in the military are unreasonable when they get carried away; he'd probably be beaten speechless before he could even finish explaining his reasons.

If both are equally harmful, choose the lesser.

Eli chose to rely on Lin Fan to avoid trouble. Besides, close supervision was his duty, wasn't it?

Upon discovering the presence of the Sersorn military personnel, Qi Mai immediately ordered his men to abandon their guard duties and regroup around Lin Fan to avoid any armed conflict.

Therefore, when the men from the Sersorn military rushed into the main building, all they could see were the manor staff who were trembling and a few sentries, disappearing around the corner of the corridor.

The leader's heart sank; that was...

A group of people rushed over and, sure enough, saw the figure descending ahead.

The governor's mansion has a secret underground space that very few people know about. Even he had only heard about it. How did these people know about it?
Could it be that softie Eli?
No! He's not in the military, he shouldn't know!

The cover of the downhill passage, which requires special permissions to open, has been slid open halfway, and the group in front has all entered the downhill ramp and is slowly descending.

Without thinking twice, he immediately shouted, "Stop! People in front!"

The foreign affairs sentries following behind stopped at the sound, turned around and saw that reinforcements had finally arrived, their hearts filled with mixed feelings.

The black-clad crew members in front ignored them; they followed Lin Fan's lead. With foreign affairs officers blocking their way, they didn't even need to expend much effort guarding their backs. The narrow, cramped ramp, with its relatively enclosed space formed by the ground and the side walls, was already completely filled by the group.

If the military wants to come in, the foreign affairs department personnel have to leave first, unless they step over their heads and rush in.

But by then, the black-clad group had already disappeared beneath the upper cover. The excellent opportunity for a surprise attack had been missed, and the leader, enraged, couldn't wait for the foreign affairs sentries to withdraw; he dragged them out one by one and threw them out.

As soon as they saw the black clothes, before the leader could even make a move, the people in front of them spontaneously parted to make way.

At the forefront, Lin Fan and his three companions stood before the heavy metal gate, turning around to look at each other.

Enraged, the leader reached out and attacked the nearest black-clad crew member.

"Stop!" Eli shouted and ran back, but he couldn't get the military personnel to move.

The next second, the sharp claw slid straight past the black-clad crew member, and a faint light membrane flashed by – it was the Noah's exclusive defensive array!

Eli's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, suddenly settled down. He felt a secret sense of satisfaction and slowed his pace. Looking at the leader's bewildered and furious expression, he felt a bit smug.

This military leader was one of the first to be equipped with weapons on the Noah, so he was well aware of the power of the defensive array and knew it would be difficult to deal with.

"To catch the thief, first catch the king!" He immediately changed his target and walked straight towards Lin Fan.

"Captain Lin, what do you mean by this?" The question echoed through the underground space even before he arrived. "Are you perhaps trying to trample on the precious friendship built between our two nations?"

Eli unconsciously shrank back, but Lin Fan and the other two remained completely unfazed.

Cen Fangyuan still wore that gentle smile; Antonio's eyes were full of interest, his hands protectively clenched, looking like he was eager to fight the newcomer.

Lin Fan remained calm, knocking on the heavy gate behind him without turning his head: "We're not the ones who trampled on friendship. The person inside is right there; you might as well call them out for a face-to-face confrontation."

"How dare you!" The leader's anger intensified, and he had already walked up to Lin Fan. "This is the private residence of the highest-ranking official of our Sentinel Headquarters. How can you act so recklessly..."

“Speak up, but don’t get so close!” Antonio gave him a light shove. “So what if I’m being unrestrained?! I haven’t even said you’ve been secretly detaining foreign guests, and now you’re turning the tables on me?! Open the door if you dare! Our people are inside.”

The leader took two steps back to regain his balance, his heart filled with shock. Suppressing his anger, he gritted his teeth and said, "We have been doing our best to assist in the search. How can we accept your baseless accusations? You say the person is inside, do you have any evidence? I would also say that you have trespassed into a military stronghold and attempted to steal our important secrets!"

"Who cares about your military secrets?" Antonio stepped forward with a look of disdain, arms crossed. "Besides, what secrets aren't kept in the office, but dug in your own backyard? You'd be looking for all sorts of dirty, shady dealings."

"You fart!"

"We'll find out once we go inside. Who would be so kind as to dig a secret room in their own backyard?" Antonio's mouth rarely loses its edge, except when facing Jin Sichen.

"How dare you act so recklessly in the residence of an important official..." The leader was almost spitting fire.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Lin Fan interrupted the argument. "Can you open this door or not?"

“He doesn’t have that authority!” Eli hurriedly stepped forward and said, “Lin Jian, these kinds of secluded places are usually only accessible to the owner. None of us have that authority. Perhaps I should immediately make urgent contact and wait for the Supreme Governor to return…”

He was filled with astonishment and doubt. He himself didn't even know such a place existed! How did Lin Fan find it so easily and accurately? And how did the hidden cover open automatically?
Could Jin Sichen really be hidden inside? Damn it!

Eli was filled with apprehension, sincerely hoping that the door was malfunctioning and stuck, unable to be opened.

But today was clearly not his lucky day. The thought had barely left his mind when he felt a slight tremor under his feet.

A narrow ray of light pierced the dark passage from beneath the door, and the heavy metal door slowly rose upwards.