abnormal mutation

Chapter 109 Action
Just as Roland was pondering what to do, a cold voice suddenly rang out.

"Is there something you need, Advisor Otto?"

Roland turned around, and at the end of the corridor stood a middle-aged man with a cold and aloof demeanor. He was burly, and his short, gray hair stood up like steel needles.

“This is Committee Member Katu,” the female assistant explained.

Katu? Roland's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't that Julia's family?

“Mr. Bag?” he asked tentatively. Julia had mentioned this uncle to him before.

The middle-aged man nodded slightly: "Come to my room and let's talk."

"it is good."

Turn left at the end of the corridor and you'll find Bag's room. The room is bare, with only a few pieces of furniture. The coffee table is empty; there's no hot water, and of course, no black tea.

"Sit down." Bagg said calmly, not seeing any problem at all.

"Commissioner Katu, where has Uncle Suleiman gone?" Roland glanced at the sun outside and had no time for pleasantries.

“You can call me Uncle like Julia does.” Despite his words being meant to build rapport, Bag’s expression remained unchanged. “He went to Seina Inner Harbor and should stay for a few days. You can tell me anything you need.”

Roland remained silent for a moment, but decided to believe him.

Yulia lost both her parents and was raised by the Suleiman family from a young age. However, this does not mean that her uncle is cold-blooded. It's just that Bag can't even take care of himself and is still unmarried. Even if he wanted to take care of Yulia, Suleiman would not agree.

“Wald Gas Company seems to be plotting something, and it will be launched tonight…” He told Bagg everything he had seen and judged, but concealed the details related to the gold medium.

Bagg frowned deeply, got up, walked to the wall, and pressed a switch.

The crystal chandelier on the roof lit up instantly, its light shimmering and transitioning rapidly from blue to white, quickly becoming dazzling and exuding luxury.

After staring at the chandelier for a moment, he shook his head slightly: "This should be normal. The southern district has more ordinary people, so there is more negative emotion associated with gas. It will dissipate soon."

“First, less gas is used during the day, so there should be less emotional distress. Second, the way it's being maintained is wrong; it's too deeply entangled with the gas. The emotions won't dissipate until the gas is exhausted,” Roland said with great certainty.

"How do you know so much?" Bag looked at Roland suspiciously.

Emotions lack a spiritual vessel; even he can only barely perceive them. Not to mention their form, even their total quantity is very vague.

“Of course I saw it.” Roland’s eyes were filled with golden magic patterns, cold and majestic, like the gaze of a god.

Bag didn't understand, but he was deeply shocked. He took a few deep breaths and said in a deep voice, "I believe you."

"Wald is backed by the Thistle Merchant Guild. If they can cause a major safety incident, the city hall could indeed use that as an excuse to revoke our gas supply license."

“But we don’t know what they’re planning, whether there’s really ammonia in the gas, whether there’s a problem with the stabilizer, which area they’re transferring it to, how much in total, and what the consequences will be…” Roland sighed helplessly.

Bag seemed to have thought of something and pondered, "Replacing gas pipelines is not that simple. It requires the cooperation of pressure regulating stations. There are a total of six in the entire Sogatok area, with two sides sharing the same pipeline, so it is not difficult to control."

But last night our gas plant experienced a serious gas leak, which killed two workers and caused insufficient pipeline pressure.

After the law enforcement officer ruled out homicide, the city hall ordered us to suspend gas supply. Now, except for Central Avenue, all other residential areas have switched to Wald gas, and will switch back this evening.

"Evening?" Roland pondered. "Is it possible that the ignition of the hazardous substances was very rapid, and they planned to add fuel through the pressure regulating station when switching gas lines, thus escaping responsibility?"

"Regardless of whether it is or not, the voltage regulating station is indeed the key. Let's take control of it quietly for now."

As he spoke, Bag took out a pair of metal arm guards. The arm guards had square iron boxes that were two fingers thick, with two loudspeakers on them. They were clearly mechanical products, yet they emitted a faint spiritual fluctuation.

"This is a walkie-talkie, a product of the mechanics, activated with spiritual energy, allowing free communication within a hundred Delhi. You will be in charge of one of the pressure regulating stations, and I will give you two combat squads. I need your eyes to keep an eye on any gas anomalies for me at all times."

“Okay.” Roland took the arm guard and put it on his left hand.

He understood Bagg's implication: he believed things weren't so simple. If digging a hole could drive the Northern Merchant Guild out of the game, the Northern Merchant Guild couldn't have stood for thousands of years.

Instead of mobilizing any headquarters personnel, including the guards, Bagg used the pretext of a special mission to draw twelve combat teams, each with 10 members, from the security consulting firm.

This nearly emptied the security consulting firm's operational forces in Sogattak. These men were divided into six groups, each led by a trusted senior deacon, and assembled secretly in plainclothes.

Roland's partner, the senior deacon, was named Opa, a low-sequence Beyonder with the Prophet pathway. The captains of both combat squads were also Beyonders. The group dispersed and headed to the pressure regulating station in the southeastern workshop district, surrounding it discreetly.

When Roland arrived on foot with Mandy and Drake, carrying the "Big Mouth" wrapped in black cloth, Oppa and the combat team arrived almost simultaneously, demonstrating their formidable execution.

The pressure regulating station is jointly managed by two gas companies, with this particular one being led by the Northern Union Chamber of Commerce, which also includes a small number of Wald staff responsible for pipeline maintenance and oversight.

The pressure regulating station occupies a moderate size, with no buildings within a 50-meter radius, and is densely covered with pipelines and numerous large gas storage tanks.

Oupa temporarily rented a three-story building in the name of the Chamber of Commerce. The landlord took the five yuan and went back to his room to sleep happily.

With a click, Roland turned on the wall lamp, and the white-yellow light came on. There was no explosion, no irritating gas, and the trace of emotion was negligible. It was indeed the inferior gas from Wald Gas Company.

Opa was dressed in an old fur coat, and his face, which was in his thirties, was weathered and worn. At first glance, he looked like an ordinary northern native.

He was able to become a senior deacon not because of his status as an extraordinary being, but because of his professional management skills and business acumen. He was not opposed to Roland joining the company, but he was a little worried that the young man was reckless and impulsive, and relied too much on his extraordinary abilities.

He discreetly observed Roland, and seeing his solemn expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Did you find anything?"

Roland shook his head slightly and took out a dozen or so brass nuts: "Most of the people at the pressure regulating station are our own people. Is there anyone you trust who can help me distribute these nuts to key locations, especially in the plant area where stabilizers are added?"

The brass nut was just a disguise; he had infused the inside with divine metal.

“No problem.” Oppa’s eyes lit up. Roland’s method of monitoring with his extraordinary abilities was much better than forcibly taking over the voltage regulating station.

He hurriedly left with the nuts and bolts.

A few minutes later, Roland sensed that the "medium" had entered the pressure regulating station and dispersed into various areas within the station.

He sat by the window on the third floor, his eyes slightly closed, the scene of the voltage regulating station projected into his mind.

It's clear that the work at the pressure regulating station is relatively easy, and everyone is quite relaxed. Apart from occasional inspections, checks, and record-keeping, they mostly drink tea and chat.

Roland didn't understand how the pressure regulating station worked, but he quickly located the workshop where gas stabilizers were added.

A huge metal can sits upside down on the main gas pipeline, forming an inverted T shape, with a valve connecting it in the middle. The word "stabilizer" is written on the metal can, making it hard to mistake.

Once the valve is opened, the high-pressure stabilizer will flow from the tank into the gas pipeline, and the remaining amount of stabilizer can be determined by observing the pressure gauge at the tank opening.

"The stabilizer valve is still closed, but it's hard to say whether there's stabilizer in the tank. It's worth noting that the pressure gauge is full." Roland activated the walkie-talkie and gave Bagg a general report of the situation.

"Understood." Bag's voice came through the walkie-talkie, sounding somewhat distorted.

Oppa happened to be going upstairs when he heard their conversation and a smile immediately appeared on his face. His new partner was very efficient, which made him feel a little relieved.

"The person who released the stabilizer was from our chamber of commerce. Is there anything wrong with him?" he asked softly.

“Nothing seems amiss.” Roland’s gaze was vacant as he silently observed the interior layout, pondering how to slip in unnoticed.

The perception capabilities and scope of media are very limited, far less reliable than observing directly with the Golden Eye.

Opa took out his pocket watch and checked the time: "According to feedback from the gas company's senior management, the gas switch will take place before seven o'clock. There are less than two hours left. We must control the pressure regulating station within an hour to prevent them from starting it ahead of time and catching us off guard."

“Controlling the voltage regulating station is simple, but it’s easily detected. If we can’t catch them in the act, we could get into endless wrangling.” Roland turned to look at Oppa. “I need to go in and take a look. Is there any way?”

"That's easy. Change into work clothes, and I'll have one of our people take you in as a new employee." To prevent information leaks, the people at the pressure regulating station are unaware of the situation, but the station manager is absolutely trustworthy.

"ASAP."

The stationmaster was of Solonian descent, tall, with a square face and a full beard, and named Jones, a very common name. If Roland wasn't mistaken, his father's name should be John.

But he wasn't a reckless fool. The moment he saw Roland standing at the entrance, he realized that the excuse of "new employee onboarding" was absurd.

Despite being dressed in work clothes, Roland's outstanding temperament and appearance clearly indicated that he did not come from a humble background.

(End of this chapter)