Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

From this perspective, State Representative Chianti is indeed capable of carrying out the aforementioned series of operations.

Saria first ruled out Rhine Lab in her mind; her company had no reason to eliminate her without cause. The remaining two, however, both had motives.

As the leader of Loken Tanks, Loken Williams' company was supposed to be the organizer of this year's Technology Expo. However, due to the federal government's strong support for Rhine Labs for checks and balances, he not only failed to secure the honor he deserved but also faced a stock market turmoil and a talent drain crisis. Whether it's to cause trouble for Rhine Labs by targeting him or to obtain some confidential information from Rhine Labs through him, he has every reason to arrest him. He is the most likely candidate.

Compared to Loken Williams, Senator Chianti is less likely, considering he's never even met him. He'd only caught a fleeting glimpse of him. He shouldn't have incurred such hatred.

Saria took a slight step back, assuming a fighting stance.

Loken's tank is the most likely candidate, so she doesn't need to hold back. If her competitor is unethical and tries to use underhanded tactics outside the game, then she should fight them to the death.

She took a sudden step forward and delivered a powerful punch to the chest of the tall man in front of her. His solid chest was almost instantly shattered, and before he could react, he was sent flying backward, spitting blood.

However, Saria did not stop there. While everyone was still surprised that Saria dared to make a surprise attack despite being surrounded, she aimed at the crossbowman standing in the distance, holding a crossbow in her hand. With lightning speed, she rushed forward, slapped his wrist with her left hand, caught the falling crossbow with her right hand, and kicked the crossbowman in the waist and abdomen, knocking him to the ground, unable to move, just as he was about to draw his sword.

Without turning around, she crouched slightly, spun around, pulled the crossbow bolt from the back of the wailing crossbowman, mounted the heavy crossbow on his body, put her eyes on the scope, and aimed at several crossbowmen in front of her who had just reacted and were preparing to fire.

The crossbow bolts pierced the air with pinpoint accuracy, striking the wrists, shoulders, and thighs of several men. Although the heavy crossbows, equipped with casting units, were not ideal for use, they could still activate Originium Arts. The bolts, enhanced by the Originium Arts "Calcification," easily tore through the tendons at the joints, completely crippling the enemy crossbowmen's mobility.

In just one minute, before the enemy could mount an effective counterattack, Saria had easily eliminated all ranged attacks.

She lowered the heavy crossbow, stomped her boot on the head of the groaning crossbowman at her feet, took a deep breath, and once again assumed a fighting stance with her bandaged hands.

This time, even though there were still more than ten enemies, they almost instinctively took a half step back in fear.

*Colombian profanity*, what's wrong with this woman? How is she so good at fighting? Didn't the boss say she was a researcher?

A bead of sweat trickled down the face of the leading Rupert man as he cursed inwardly.

Fortunately, no matter how good she is at fighting, she still has more than a dozen brothers here! Only those who have never seen the glory of the Syracuse family would naively believe that they can take on the entire wolf pack by themselves!

"Brothers, let's go!"

He roared, but no one responded.

He turned around in bewilderment and saw that the group of more than ten people was now three people short. Not far away, the three figures had already blended into the morning light.

"*Colombian swear words*, you cowardly Colombians!"

He cursed angrily, turned to look at Saria, only to find she had vanished from his sight. The next second, his companion's scream rang in his ears. Another colleague screamed as Saria, who had somehow rushed into the crowd, threw him in front of him.

Three more have been lost!

At this point, the Rupert man was certain that Seria could not possibly be a researcher. If she were a researcher, then all the gangsters in Colombia would be out of a job because of their poor skills!

Saria pinched her nose coolly and looked at the last remaining enemy leader.

She deliberately kept him around to find out who was planning to harm her.

But to her surprise, even after witnessing everything before him and seeing Saria's power, the Luper man showed no emotion other than anger. He was not afraid, nor did he frantically beg for mercy or flee; he simply stood there, staring at her with angry eyes.

Interesting. He actually thinks he has the victory in his grasp? What other trump card does he have up his sleeve?

Saria gave up on her plan to find out more details and decided to deal with him first, leave this troublesome place, and then report the matter to the company for investigation.

But just as she was about to step forward and deliver the final blow to the stubborn Rupert man, the roar of a car engine came from behind her once again.

Saria realized something and turned her head away with a cold expression.

Behind her, a large group of armed men in black swarmed out of several vans. Ignoring the Luper man and his groaning companion lying on the ground, they raised their crossbows and longswords and aimed at Saria.

One group was dealt with, and another group followed. There was no need to even make a phone call; truckloads of people arrived immediately.

It's impossible to finish.

It's like a giant dragon entangled by a pack of wolves.

"This is troublesome."

Chapter Nine: I'll take care of you all.

"Hu-hu-"

Taking advantage of a lull in the enemy's attack, Saria rubbed her slightly sore wrists. While adjusting her breathing, she subtly glanced at the person lying on the ground.

I didn't count them precisely, but judging from the dense crowd, there must be at least a hundred people.

Saria remained restrained throughout, though somewhat frustrated, she couldn't afford to harm the attackers. The forces behind the enemy, whether it was Loken Williams or Senator Chianti, wielded immense power. But no matter how ruthless they were, at least for now, they only dared to launch covert attacks, sending these low-level thugs and gangsters to besiege her.

But if she really went all out, the problem would become much more complicated. If she gave them an excuse to use overt means, Celia couldn't very well take action against those incompetent police officers in Colombia.

But if we keep going like this, being subjected to a relentless barrage of attacks, we're essentially just waiting to be defeated. What should we do?

Saria estimated her stamina; she could handle at most twenty more waves of enemies like these. But she couldn't be sure how many more enemies were left, or if an elite monster or a final boss would suddenly appear among them, like in a game.

We can't delay any longer! We must try to break through immediately.

Saria assumed a fighting stance and began searching for a weak point in the enemy's encirclement. But as if they had anticipated Saria's thoughts, the enemy immediately tightened the encirclement, surrounding Saria in layers upon layers.

They ceased their attack. The Lupo, wielding long swords and iron clubs, held their blades in front of them, adopting a defensive stance. Behind them, the Caprini, in coordination with the Felin, used crossbow bolts and magic to slowly wear down Saria's stamina.

The enemy has a seasoned commander.

Saria quickly made a judgment: once the encirclement was completed, it would be difficult for her to break through the encirclement of more than a hundred people with her attack alone.

Will they stay and then get arrested, or will things get serious?

Saria made her final decision in an instant—it was time to reveal her trump card.

Taking advantage of her last chance, she took a deep breath and took off the suit she had worn to receive Wayne. Beneath the suit were two enormous "X"-shaped Rhine Life Energy Suit Casting Units.

Originium Arts, activated.

Calcification begins!

.............

Shall we take action?

The petite-looking Vaiva girl quietly hid behind the ruins that had been reduced to rubble by magic and crossbow bolts, watching the fierce battle unfolding in the distance.

Judging from the outcome, the situation can be described as a one-sided crushing defeat. That tall lady of her own race, her martial prowess was truly astonishing. Even without using Originium Arts, she could easily turn wave after wave of ferocious wolves into howling puppies lying on the ground.

But the number of enemies did not decrease at all; on the contrary, it continued to increase.

From the initial Rupo people, to the later Felin, Pero, Kuranta, and even the Caprini people, who are rare in Colombia, Fiona had witnessed three waves of enemies besieging Saria since she left home and before she passed through this area. At this point, both Fiona and Saria understood the enemy's objective: they were using a strategy of attrition, intending to overwhelm them with sheer numbers!

Fiona also tried calling the police, but like with Seria, she only received an empty promise, and the police had no intention of coming.

Not long ago, the towering Lady Vaivan and the enemy finally began their final battle. On the land, stained pale yellow by unknown Originium Arts, the enemy's movements were as sluggish as a movie played in ten times slow motion. The X-shaped mark on Saria's body shimmered, and she moved with lightning speed, piercing through the Caprini caster and the Flounder Shield Guard who were charging up from the flank, breaking through the encirclement.

It wasn't a knockdown like before, but a true piercing. The hard construct attached to Saria's arm pierced through the shield in the hands of the Plumphoof almost instantly, and then, with no decrease in force, pierced through Plumphoof's chest, skewering him and the Caprini behind him, who was controlled by calcification and had no time to make any moves.

This was the first time in this battle that there were actual casualties!

However, the one-sided massacre that Fiona had anticipated did not occur. To her surprise, after taking down two people, Saria swiftly executed an over-the-shoulder throw, slamming the last crossbowman blocking her path behind her. She then used his body to knock down a large number of enemies who tried to stop her before leaving triumphantly.

Is she planning to run away?

"Oh, right, brother, this is a breakout."

Fiona frowned, then relaxed as if she had heard something. Breaking through was a good thing; her kin, possessing such formidable strength, must be of extraordinary origin. After escaping these pursuers, they might regain their safety.

"Yes, that's right, brother, we don't need to do it anymore, probably."

Dispersing the blue light from her hand and easing her tension, Fiona said with relief. But strangely, there was no one around her who could be called her brother, so her words seemed to be a monologue.

"You don't think they might be from the lab? Hmm, I think so too. It's so different from how the lab operates. But it's always better to be cautious. We can't cause Ms. Himer any more trouble."

Fiona watched Saria's figure gradually disappear, then turned around and prepared to leave.

She was here because Ms. Hamer had asked her to prepare some fruit beforehand. She was going to meet a guest that afternoon, and if all went well, the guest would come to her house later. Hamer's residence was on the edge of the undeveloped area, not far from here; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to find herself that night.

The girl turned to leave, but clearly some people weren't going to let her go. The moment Fiona turned around, a crossbow bolt shot straight behind her. Without warning, the girl's body jerked almost mechanically, causing the bolt, which had been aimed at her vest, to merely graze her arm before embedding itself in the ground some distance away.

"Have you been looking at it for a long time?"

The voice of the Rupert man came from behind her. Fiona turned around and looked at the gang leader who was limping toward her, clutching his arm, and walking toward her in a comical manner.

"I noticed you a while ago. You want to help that [prey]?"

"I was just passing by," Fiona said timidly, but the next moment, she seemed to transform completely, spitting disgustedly to the side and cursing.

"Sis, there's no point in saying that. These people are obviously just looking for trouble after failing their mission. They're a bunch of ill-mannered thugs. I've seen real Syracuse gangsters, and they're much more polite than this kind of trash. There's no use saying more. Just watch your brother beat them up."

Upon hearing this, Rupert's face showed a look of astonishment and confusion—how did this girl suddenly become so... tomboyish?

However, the next second, with a seemingly effortless gesture from Fiona, countless pieces of steel that had been turned into unrecyclable waste in the aftershocks of the spell floated up from the ruins.

She clenched her right hand tightly, and the steel bars transformed into sharp blades, piercing through the Luper man's body from all sides.

With a casual "cutting" of one person, "Fiona" looked at the remaining hundred people present, tilted her head, and revealed a sunny smile like a summer daisy, as if she were a lively and cheerful child.

However, the cheerful child's words seemed to have taken a turn for the worse.

"To avoid trouble, I'll just take care of you all."

Chapter Ten: Mystery

Columbia, Silicon Valley, Rhine Life East Building Administration Building Main Entrance, 8:00 am

Not only was Seria being pursued by unknown individuals, but Rhine Labs was also in trouble. For some reason, Colombian Federal Congressman Chianti arrived at Rhine Labs at seven in the morning, before most employees had even arrived for work, and occupied the room of Executive Director Henry, earnestly inquiring about the "Technology Expo."

On the surface, that's how it seems, but the lady in charge always felt that Councilor Chianti was asking about a "Victorian shareholder" of Rhine Life, both openly and secretly.

Does Rhine Life have shareholders in Victoria?

Of course, isn't that obvious? As a cutting-edge biotechnology company, Rhine Life naturally listed on the Londinium Central City, which is known as the "Terra World Financial Center." You could say that all the Victorians in the Londinium Central City who bought their stock are shareholders of Rhine Life. Wouldn't you agree?

Leaving aside the retail investors, there are quite a few Victorians among the major shareholders. After all, the wealthiest people on this land are probably the Victorians. The wealth accumulated by the British Empire is no joke. In this respect, although Colombia has been trying to catch up, it can only look up to it from afar.

She could hear the underlying meaning in Senator Chianti's words, and Henry, as the executive director, had no reason not to. After several attempts at evasion and prevarication failed, Henry simply abandoned his plan to continue with the riddle-teller Chianti and asked directly:

"I wonder what problem Congressman Chianti is referring to with Victoria's shareholders?"

Chianti pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and then answered:

"No, it's not that there's a problem, I'm just a little curious..."

"The personal information of Rhine Life's shareholders is considered a company secret. Rhine Life has the right and obligation to protect the privacy of all shareholders from any official, organizational, or individual infringement. If this is merely out of curiosity, please stop here. Otherwise..."

Mr. Henry maintained his smile and warned in a threatening tone:

"You are permitted to report your actions of spying on the company's private information to the Federal Parliament and the Federation of Enterprises."