Chapter : 722

Ken paused mid-crunch. He popped the crisp into his mouth. He chewed it slowly. He slumped his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He let out a loud, dramatic groan.

"Well," Ken announced casually from his chair. His lazy voice echoed across the ruined laboratory. "That sounds bad."

Naomi turned around. She looked at him. She smiled a small, brave smile. "It is very bad, Ken. But we figured it out. We found the truth."

Princess Iris nodded proudly. She looked at her intelligent Vice-Captain. She looked at her unified team. They had walked into a deadly, toxic wasteland. They defeated a legendary puzzle monster. And now, they solved the greatest mystery in the empire.

"We have the proof," Princess Iris declared smoothly. She raised her silver rapier. The holy white light shined brilliantly. "We have the digital files. We can expose the conspiracy. The Emperor's secondary objective is finished. Sayma, secure that data. We are leaving this room."

Sayma pulled her digital tool from the main terminal. The tool beeped happily. The encrypted files were safely copied. The proof was secured in her pocket.

Ken smiled a goofy, relaxed smile. He slipped his hands deep into his pockets. The investigation was successful. The team had the evidence. The lazy slacker was ready to leave the dusty, broken laboratory and finally go find a comfortable place to take a long nap.

---

Sayma pulled her small digital tool away from the massive computer terminal. The thick black wire retracted into her device. She held the tool very carefully in her hands. The tiny screen glowed with bright green text.

The intelligent Vice-Captain pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She looked at the rest of the 13th Unit.

"The files are secured," Sayma reported politely. "I successfully copied the data from the local server. The 4th Prince did not destroy these specific records."

Princess Iris lowered her silver rapier. The holy white light from her purification shard shined brightly in the dim room. Her violet eyes looked very hopeful.

"Excellent work, Sayma," Princess Iris praised smoothly. "Can you read the documents right now? We need to know what this illegal laboratory was building."

Sayma frowned a very small, precise frown. She tapped a button on her digital tool. The green text on her screen turned red. A loud error noise beeped from the tiny speaker. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"I cannot read them yet, Princess," Sayma explained softly. She opened her neat notebook. She clicked her silver pen. "The files possess a secondary layer of security. The root data is hidden behind a dynamic encryption block. It is a highly advanced defense mechanism."

This copy was taken from the author's official posting without approval, but the published version supports the person who wrote it.

Laxmi crossed her arms over her bright orange clothes. The fire user pouted. "Does that mean we cannot see the secret plans?"

"We can see them," Sayma assured her quickly. "I just need a few minutes to run a decryption sequence. I need to break the digital lock. I need silence to concentrate."

Sayma walked over to a clean metal desk. She placed her digital tool on the flat surface. She sat down on a small stool. She began to type rapidly on the tiny glowing keypad. Her fingers moved with blistering speed. She focused on the complex mathematical puzzle.

Ken Eliot walked around the ruined server room. He wore his baggy navy blue sweatpants. His white dress shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He dragged his cheap shoes on the white floor tiles. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff.

He looked for a comfortable place to sit. He spotted a black rolling office chair. The chair sat near the corner of the room. It had all four wheels attached. It looked perfectly intact.

Ken smiled a goofy, lazy smile. He walked straight toward the chair. He spun the chair around. He sat down heavily onto the soft cushion. He drooped his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He leaned his head back.

He reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small plastic bag. The bag contained bright green gummy worms. He pulled one out. He tossed it into his mouth. He chewed it slowly.

"This is like a loading screen," Ken mumbled lazily to himself. He slid his free hand deep into his pocket. "The game forces you to wait. You cannot skip a loading screen. You just have to sit there and wait for the progress bar to fill up. It is a massive waste of gaming time."

Naomi heard his lazy mumbling. She walked over to the corner. The fierce vanguard leader wore her dark combat pants and a sleek green shirt. She did not scowl at his outfit. She smiled a very warm, bright smile. Her green eyes sparkled with genuine amusement.

Naomi leaned against the clean metal desk next to his chair. She looked down at him.

"Do you ever stop eating candy?" Naomi asked softly. Her voice was gentle. She playfully bumped his shoulder with her arm.

Ken offered her the open plastic bag. He gave her a big, goofy grin.

"Sugar helps my brain process the boring dialogue," Ken answered casually. "Loading screens are very tedious. You need snacks to maintain your morale. Do you want a green gummy worm? They taste like sour apples. They are top-tier travel food."

Naomi chuckled a soft, musical chuckle. She reached into the bag. She took a single green gummy worm. She popped it into her mouth.

"Thank you, Ken," Naomi said. She chewed the candy. "You always find a way to stay relaxed. Even in a creepy underground laboratory."

"I am a professional slacker," Ken boasted lazily. "Relaxing is my primary skill set. It requires zero cardio."

The rest of the 13th Unit waited patiently in the room.

Zinia stood near the doorway. The strong earth mage kept her fists raised. She watched the dark hallway. She guarded the room against any stray security guards. Laxmi paced back and forth across the white floor tiles. She tossed a tiny orange spark of fire between her fingers. She hated waiting.

Luna found a clean spot on the floor. The gray-haired girl rolled up her jacket. She used the jacket as a pillow. She lay flat on her back. She closed her eyes. She let out a loud, dramatic yawn. She fell asleep instantly.

Risa stood very close to Naomi. The sweet pink-haired healer hugged her brown teddy bear. She squeezed her glowing white purification shard. She felt much safer now. The scary sludge monster was gone.

Sayma continued to type on her digital tool. A loading bar appeared on her tiny screen. The bar slowly filled with a bright blue color.

"The decryption sequence is at twenty percent," Sayma announced politely. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. "The code is written in a very old dialect. They combined ancient magical symbols with modern computer algorithms. It is a very strange mixture."

Ken swallowed his gummy worm. He let out a loud yawn.