Sitting back in her well-sized leather work chair, Marcy held her breath, her elbows resting on the table, her fingers tapping lightly on the table. She looked a little irritated, a little wary, and looked up cautiously around her. However, her worries were unnecessary, and there were indeed one or two pairs of eyes that stayed on her for a little while when waves of people walked around, but they were all normal. They didn't look at Marcy, but Marcy's table, the eye-catching table that wasn't too big or small. A three-dimensional and constantly flowing holographic data image, two flat projection screens, and a mountain of physical paper documents protected her like an airtight black fortress from anyone who was not polite to peep.

Marcy licked her lips, following Eddard's example, and lowered her head again.

"Ghost of you, Ed." She lowered her voice and said in a very stern tone, "How did you mention that damn name?" ”

"Got it from Albert. He wouldn't tell me the story behind the three letters over a drink over the view, but he told me I could ask you about it, and that you might know something. ”

Ed's voice was a little wheezing, but it was not the kind of gasping that was tired or dying, but a slight breath disorder that naturally occurred during the exercise, not violent, indicating that he was not running, but walking. Marcy had already made up the scene where he was talking to her on the phone as he walked.

"So," Ed continued, before he finished speaking, "do you really know something about this A.R.X?" ”

"Of course. I was given a special warning. ”

"Warning."

"Yes, warning." Marcy's eyes were serious and a little gloomy, "Not long after the last Nisa One incident ended, someone from the Organized Crime Bureau specifically approached me. They talked to me for a long time and gave me several 'lists'...... You know what I mean, right? ”

"I think I understand."

"A.R.X's name is on one of the lists. Albert was among them. There are a few other 'other names' that tell you you don't know ...... There are twelve of them in total. ”

"Let me guess - the Imperial Council of the Dark World?"

"Something like that." Marcy seemed to have a very bad impression of what she was saying, and her tone sounded as heavy as the darkness before the storm, "They have a common name, it's called 'The Empty Court.'" I heard that it was originally the name of a dancers' club, and it seems that the club is still in operation. The Grand Leaders of Albert and A.R.X. are members of the Empty Court, and together they are the most critical and gigantic cogs that keep the Underground Kingdom running. ”

"Don't you know the name of the head of the A.R.X?"

"In fact, many members of the Empty Court are still a mystery, and it is impossible to find out who they are, and the leader behind the A.R.X. I think maybe no one knows his true identity except for the rest of the Empty Court, including many of the high-ranking members of their own organization. ”

"How much do you know about this organization?"

"Not much, but enough for you to understand why they're so hard for us. Unlike all other gangsters or crime syndicates in the underworld, most of the known core members of A.R.X are corrupt officials who can have a huge impact on politics, whether it's the police, city halls, alien totalitarian organizations, or even secret government intelligence services—they have tentacles everywhere, and no matter how much they move, they can't escape their eyes. ”

“……”

"They are a royal force in the true sense of the word in the dark world. But fortunately, they are not the only kings, for a long time, Albert and the other beings of the Empty Court have been secretly balancing the power of A.R.X, maintaining the balance of the underground kingdom. But according to my friends, this delicate balance is difficult to say, easy to say, and I don't know how long it will last. ”

"If it is broken......"

"If it is broken, it will definitely be a violent storm. At that time, it will definitely not only be the underground world, but the whole of Stuttgar will be involved in a feast of blood and bullets. That's one of the reasons why we haven't been able to take these guys lightly. Marcy rubbed her forehead and sighed, it seemed that she couldn't pull out her gun and face the unscrupulous she hated, and then she suddenly reacted, "By the way, you haven't told me why you asked me A.R.X?" ”

"What do you think it's for?" Ed's voice was calm, cold, hard, and Eddard-esque, as always, "You're right, it's dangerous to meet Albert. But there is always a reward for taking risks. ”

"You're saying A.R.X has something to do with the on East 16.16 Street in Bakitar?" Marcy's eyes widened, her brows furrowed, her face surprised and incredulous, and there was a hint of incomprehensible wondering, and her fingers scratched her scalp, "The hidden force behind those who fought with you is A.R.X?" ”

"Is it impossible?"

"Of course, it's not impossible...... After all, no matter how large and efficient the organization is, there are also low-level little guys in it. It's just that...... I don't understand why they got involved. Marcy calmed down a little, lowered her head and took a deep breath, "If they want to do something, there are very few problems, no matter how big or small the business is, there is a strict and steady set of procedures to operate. If it is said that Bakitardon XVI. If the things on the street have anything to do with their business, then the nature of the problem is completely different. What exactly do they mean by 'that thing'? How did they get into the hands of the dead pair of poisonous mandarin ducks? What's going on behind the scenes? ”

"Marcy." Eddard suddenly interrupted Marcy's thoughts that he had just started and was about to stop.

"Huh?" Marcy came back to her senses, "What's wrong?" ”

"How much does the city bureau have about A.R.X. members?"

"There are a lot of miscellaneous fish, middle managers are in the double digits, and there are only a few high-level cadres who can be identified, and there is no evidence that can be used against them. In fact, even if there is an order from above, it will be impossible to give an order, which will startle the snake. ”

"Is there one named Garrison?"

"Garrison?" Marcy thought for a moment, "It seems like not." ”

“…… So congratulations, you can now add another name to your list. ”

On the corner of a street in the city near a park, Ed stood under a street sign with a red twenty-four number written on it at the crossing, looking at the other side of the street from a distance, and took a breath with his eyes half-open.

"Let's talk about it." He said. Then, without waiting for Marcy to respond, he unilaterally hung up the phone and put it away.

It's the entrance to a gloomy alley. The city is full of dark corners sandwiched between two towering giants that do not see the sun all year round, and often such places become garbage dumps, dens for stray cats, or resting places for homeless people to hide from the wind and rain. In short, there will only be filth in it that ordinary people will not even look at.

But the alley in front of Ed was a little different. The entrance to this alley was sealed by a simple but sturdy iron gate made of iron sheets and barbed wire, and the people who spent the time, energy, and money doing it were obviously not just playing, but really trying to use some harder means than a tortoise shell to mercilessly block out those who didn't know how to enter the door.

And now the door has been ripped open. Ed looked at the twisted and broken deadbolt and made an easy judgment. The door had been violently broken with sheer force, like a tiger tooth being plucked with a vice.

The corners of his mouth moved, Ed didn't know what was going on in his heart at this moment, his eyelids drooped slightly, and his already vague gaze became a little darker. Then he pulled open the broken iron door and walked into the alley inside.

In the dark and deep alleys, there is a small lamp that does not light up the dim space every few steps, so that people with normal eyes can see the road under their feet clearly, and will not trip over some randomly piled up boxes and all kinds of sundries.

Ed made his way to another iron door. This iron door is completely different from the iron door at the entrance of the alley, this is an iron door to enter a certain room, an iron door to enter a room that is obviously inside a building, the kind of iron door that has a small peep window at the height of a normal person's eye that can be opened to look out. It's hard to imagine such a door, or what kind of corners of the huge buildings exist in the space you enter through here.

But in fact, such iron gates abound in the city, and such similar corners are everywhere. And the operators behind them are all the same as themselves, they are not visible on the open side of the city at all, but they do exist there, receiving and greeting all kinds of customers who know about their existence for various reasons, providing all kinds of services that are not visible at all on the bright side of the city, and doing all kinds of business that are not allowed at all on the bright side of the city.

And now the iron door has been torn open, and it has also been torn open with absolute violence. Only this time the steel of the bolt part was twisted more exaggerated and terrifying.

Ed glanced at the door, pushed it open with no difficulty, and stepped inside.

It looks a bit like a bar, but it's actually a bar. Bars, stools, booths, lights, dance floors, music stands, entertainment equipment, and mountains of drinks are all a sign of what this place is for.

It's just that this place seems to have just experienced a shipwreck, a tornado, and Ed's footsteps stopped as soon as he stepped in.

It may be that a big bear riding the clouds in the storm stumbled over here, fell, lay down and rolled, and made this place such a mess. As far as the eye could see, almost all the wine bottles had been turned into pieces, and only half of them had not been shattered, either on the ground or in the cabinet, and the cabinet itself was staggered to and from side to side on the bar, and half of it was broken and fell to the ground with a group of tables and chairs that people were turning over, and the almost flowing river of wine gathered together to moisten every piece of land, and the smell of wine almost lifted Ed's head.

It's definitely a big bear.

Of course, maybe it's not a bear, maybe it's a rabid dog.