"Colonel Hamilton, Victoria's highest-ranking official stationed in Little Hill County. As expected, things are really troublesome."
At the local garrison camp in Little Hill County, Daniel Davis couldn't help but let out a light sigh as he listened to Colonel Hamilton's account. After the Doctor had asked him to locate the dirty bombs, he had come straight here and used Feather Dust to control Colonel Hamilton, learning not only the whereabouts of the Originium bombs but also gaining a clearer understanding of the current situation in Little Hill County.
He had only a general idea of the situation: the local garrison had clashed with Deep Pool, the garrison had used dirty bombs, and there were the cases of Bagpipe, Reed, and Outcast. Beyond that, he didn't know much.
But through Colonel Hamilton, he learned much more, and he began to understand the Colonel's actions. Starting six months ago, soldiers from the garrison were killed one after another. In the past month alone, local troops didn't even dare walk the streets of Little Hill County alone anymore—they would easily disappear without a trace.
Despite this, the killings continued. Patrolling soldiers were ambushed, those on duty were attacked, and even military outposts were assaulted.
Though the Colonel strengthened his investigations, nothing came of it. He began to suspect the local Tarans. In Little Hill County, the only way the Colonel could turn up nothing was if the locals were protecting the perpetrators.
This reminded Daniel of the Lungmen slum incident, where the locals had also shielded the Reunion Movement when they entered. But while Wei Yenwu had anticipated and understood it all, Colonel Hamilton lacked Wei's ability and thus uncovered nothing.
So, he decided to go all in—if he couldn't find the culprits, he would wipe out all the Tarans. At the time, he hadn't considered using Originium bombs. That idea came later, suggested by his adjutant and enabled by support from higher-ups.
Originium bombs were strictly controlled in this world. Hamilton's authority extended only to Little Hill County; without help from above, he couldn't possibly acquire so many.
There were people above him who wanted something to happen in Little Hill County—to use it as a trigger. As for the fate of the civilians and soldiers there, no one cared. Even if the entire county was destroyed, it wouldn't matter to them.
"The Storm Assault Team has arrived—Bagpipe and the others are here—but now isn't the time to meet them. Let's take care of the bombs first."
At a nondescript farm warehouse outside the city, Daniel arrived just in time to see Hamilton's adjutant, Hill, overseeing the inspection of the recently delivered Originium bombs, disguised as a shipment of potatoes.
Little Hill County's economy relied on agriculture and light industry, and numerous farms surrounded the city. It was perfectly normal for agricultural products to be transported in and out—no one would suspect a thing.
Even scouts like Horn and the others had failed to track the shipment because of this. In the original events, the breakthrough had only come thanks to Bagpipe's familiarity with agriculture, but by then it had been too late.
"Well, well... so they're all Deep Pool operatives. How interesting."
Daniel used the same method on Hill, controlling him with Feather Dust and discovering something quite amusing: the Originium bombs that Hamilton intended to use against Deep Pool and the Tarans had been delivered using Deep Pool's own smuggling routes.
Strictly speaking, the farms outside Little Hill County were almost entirely infiltrated by Deep Pool. Many of their operatives were hiding there, posing as farmers. Or, more accurately, they were local residents who would pick up weapons and become Deep Pool soldiers the moment war broke out.
"This guy must be pretty important—he knows so much. With so many people in Little Hill County siding with Deep Pool, no wonder the Colonel couldn't uncover anything."
Local government officials, barons, corporations, soldiers, civilians—people from all walks of life had ties to Deep Pool. From the very beginning, the Colonel had walked right into a trap.
"The Red Dragon of Victoria certainly has impressive sway. No wonder they're so wary of Talulah."
That so many—including a baron—would side with Deep Pool was not due to Deep Pool's strength, but because its leader was Drach.
In this kingless era of Victoria, Drach had a very real chance of ascending to the highest position. Should she succeed, all those who supported her would be handsomely rewarded.
"Duke Ironblood Wellington—truly a shrewd old fox." This Grand Duke supported Deep Pool and Reed's sister. Clearly, his motives weren't as selfless as Daniel's support for Talulah.
"A good amount, too. This stuff's worth quite a bit. No way Hamilton could afford it—well, it's mine now. Room."
Looking at the warehouse full of Originium bombs, Daniel raised his left hand and, using the power of the Ope Ope no Mi, dissected the bombs and extracted the Originium inside. As a power source, this much Originium could provide electricity for all of Che City for several months if processed there.
For anyone else, removing the Originium from these bombs would be difficult and dangerous. But with the power of the Ope Ope no Mi, Daniel had nothing to worry about.
"The weight will be off. Let's add something."
To avoid arousing suspicion from either the garrison or Deep Pool, Daniel replaced the extracted Originium and components with potatoes. Since the warehouse was meant for agricultural goods anyway, no one would find it strange. When they eventually tried to use the bombs, only to find them full of produce, it would be quite the scene.
"This is Miss Janvier."
When Daniel returned to the Rhodes Island office after dealing with the bombs, he was surprised to find a golden-haired young woman inside—none other than the future Rhodes Island operator, Kirara.
"Just call me Janie," Kirara said as she handed Daniel a cup of milk tea. As the niece of Oliver, the head of Rhodes Island's Little Hill County office, Kirara was a frequent visitor who always brought snacks and drinks—perks no other branch enjoyed.
As a Victoria ceremonial guard, her duties in Little Hill County were extremely light, so she often spent time at the office.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Janie."
After thanking her, Daniel couldn't help but recall some information about Kirara, particularly her famed "Kirara sense."
"Have you heard the cries of the children? Have you felt the city falling apart? Did you not notice the laughter of the conspirators in the shadows? Have you thought that friends are no longer friends, and home is no longer home?"
"Is it done?" the Doctor finally asked.
"Yeah, it's done. I even left a disguise in place. They shouldn't notice until they try to use them."
Due to fear of Oripathy, most people avoided touching Originium unless absolutely necessary—especially when it came to Originium bombs. Even Hill had kept his distance during the inspection, and his men only gave the bombs a cursory look.
"Any intel?" the Doctor asked again.
"Uncle Oliver, should I leave now?" Kirara quietly asked her uncle. Being familiar with Rhodes Island, she understood the Doctor's position. Clearly, something internal was about to be discussed, and she felt it inappropriate to stay.
"Doctor?" Oliver looked at her.
"Miss Janie should stay. This matter involves you as well," the Doctor nodded.
"Uncle, I know you mean well, but I really like my current job," Kirara said to her uncle, clearly misunderstanding the Doctor's words.
Oliver had, in fact, recommended her to Rhodes Island before. He knew how little she did with the garrison and figured Rhodes Island would be a better fit. Though Kirara had a favorable impression of Rhodes Island, she hadn't yet seriously considered joining.
"Miss Janie, you misunderstood. This isn't about recruiting you. It's that a war is about to start—right here in Little Hill County."
"A war? How?"
Kirara immediately forgot her earlier concern and anxiously asked.
"Oliver, how many companies stopped cooperating with Rhodes Island in the past six months?" The Doctor didn't answer her directly and instead questioned Oliver.
"Twelve," Oliver replied after a moment's thought.
"Looks like they've caught on. Based on the investigation Outcast and I did, it's clear—someone is deliberately trying to start a war in Little Hill County."
The Doctor then laid out all the intelligence she and Outcast had uncovered. Outcast, being a highly capable elite operator, had already picked up on subtle inconsistencies upon arriving—starting with the sudden end of partnerships with multiple companies.
The most suspicious clue was the series of local newspapers that, starting five years ago, began publishing content in the Taran language.
It might have seemed harmless at first glance. But closer inspection revealed that the escalating conflicts between the Tarans and Victorians began around that same time.
Language connects people more deeply than even blood. Blood thins over generations, but a common language endures.
It was the steady inclusion of Taran-language content that had gradually united the Tarans of Little Hill County, to the point where they no longer even wanted to use Victoria's official language.
For someone to have planned this five years ago—and for no one to have caught on, or for those who did to be silenced—the mastermind had to be extraordinary.
"Duke Wellington."
Daniel suddenly spoke the name, recalling his earlier investigations. Putting everything together, only one person fit.
"No way! Duke Wellington is a Taran himself. Why would he do that? He's always fought for Taran rights." The speaker was Wil, a Rhodes Island operator with one-quarter Taran blood.
"And under his efforts, the Tarans' situation has only gotten worse. I don't know all the details of Little Hill County, but I can say with certainty—the Tarans' situation has deteriorated in recent years."
Wil wanted to argue but fell silent. Having lived here as a Rhodes Island operator, he knew better than anyone what the Tarans were going through.
"It's too late for this now. What intel do you have?" the Doctor turned to Daniel again.
"I've dealt with the bombs, but I also found Deep Pool forces hiding in the farms outside town. No—more accurately, the locals in those farms are all Deep Pool operatives. They're preparing to attack in the coming days."
Daniel shared what he had discovered. Since the bombs had already been delivered, and both sides had prepared, it was clear that war was imminent.
"Oliver, initiate evacuation."
Boom.
Just as the Doctor was about to say something, a sudden explosion interrupted her. The group rushed to the window and saw flames and thick smoke rising about two blocks away in Tifa.
"No time to prepare. We leave Little Hill County now," the Doctor ordered decisively.
War between the garrison and Deep Pool was now unavoidable. For the safety of its operators, Rhodes Island had to withdraw. Though committed to saving lives, it would never do so at the expense of its people.
Even in the original timeline, Rhodes Island had only left behind medical supplies and personnel to aid some victims before evacuating.
"They attacked this quickly?"
The sudden explosion surprised Daniel. According to the intel he got from Hill, Deep Pool wasn't supposed to attack for a few more days—they were waiting for a major figure to arrive, possibly even Reed's sister.
What Daniel didn't know was that the early attack was indirectly his fault. His recent actions had made a certain Iron Duke uneasy. In that duke's eyes, Daniel was the same as him—someone aiming to use Red Dragon Drach to control Victoria.
On the surface, the Iron Duke appeared fair and impartial—even staying out of the murky politics of Londinium. Of the eight Grand Dukes heading to Londinium, he wasn't one of them. But in truth, he wanted to swoop in like a mantis stalking a cicada, waiting for the Sarkaz and the Grand Dukes to destroy each other.
Then, by pushing Drach forward, he could justifiably seize power in Victoria. The current position of Regent held by Theresis—that was what he truly coveted.
To that end, he had even collaborated with Theresis behind the scenes. The latter's swift consolidation of power in Londinium owed much to him.
"Cielsha..." Kirara muttered after a long silence, seemingly deep in thought, before suddenly bolting out the door.
"Janie!" Oliver immediately chased after her. She was his niece, and he couldn't risk anything happening to her—not if he wanted to face his brother.
"Get moving. If you have people to evacuate with you, bring them here now."
"Doctor, I'm a bit worried about Oliver. I'm heading out to check on them," Outcast said and left. She looked like she had something important to do.
"Be careful," the Doctor nodded.
"I'll check too. Someone will protect you here, so don't worry."
Daniel nodded to the Doctor and left the office as well, summoning a shadow clone to guard her.
He didn't know if the Babel specter had any power, but the Doctor was just an ordinary person now. She had trusted him enough to come alone—otherwise, she would've brought an elite operator for protection. So Daniel couldn't afford to let his guard down.
If something happened to the Doctor in Little Hill County, he wouldn't be able to explain himself to Amiya or Kelsey.
"Deep Pool... They're even worse than the Reunion Movement under Patriot."
Standing on the rooftop of a building, watching Deep Pool's actions below, Daniel couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
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