XIII

*** ***

The winter sun is warm and sleepy, and it's a quiet afternoon for the ever-lazy and inefficient Lennie Police Organisation.

There are nearly 3,000 policemen in 80 police stations and eight military police stations in the city, of which 2,500 are probably dozing off, while the rest are lazily handling some "cases" such as eating overlord meals, fighting, and petty theft. Murders do happen from time to time, but "the police always come slowly after everything has been settled" and "the real killer is never found".

As for the "Lenny Military Police", which was famous in later generations and referred to as the military police force, in fact, it was only slightly better equipped and trained than the police, and there was no big difference in nature. In this day and age, the very fact of having a police officer is remarkable: the Lenny Police Department was the first police organization in history. In the imperial era, justice or security was sought through the judges and guards of His Majesty the Emperor, and it was only after the loss of the Emperor's prestige that the Provincial Council established this organization maintained by the police and sheriffs to protect the safety of the citizens.

It was past four o'clock, and the police officers were getting ready to go home and rest. In this era, the police do not go to work at night, so if there is a case, please report it early tomorrow.

One, two, three red fireworks salutes suddenly burst into the air, and the hidden magic effect was activated, and the fireworks turned into a cross shape in the air.

The officers on duty at the eight military and police substations all widened their eyes at the same time. Red, orange, yellow, blue, green...... It turned out to be the highest level of alarm!

"Open the arsenal, all the staff return to their posts, and receive weapons and guns!"

The arsenal was opened, and the military policemen who had been in high spirits rushed in one after another, took out all kinds of weapons that had been covered with dust for a long time, and armed themselves.

"Alert level red! All neighborhoods are on alert and locked, and people are evacuated!"

The sound of horses' hooves broke through the silence before dusk, and the warnings of the police echoed through the streets of Lenny. Hearing this announcement, the merchants hurriedly put on the door panels, and the citizens who were out of town or working rushed to their homes, while the homeless people who had no fixed place to live hid in the corners of the streets. In accordance with the emergency response plan, the military and police units blocked all the main traffic arteries throughout the city.

"Sir, what the hell is going on?" asked the new team member who had just joined the team, curiously.

"I don't know. Maybe it's a riot, maybe it's a war, maybe it's a mutiny, maybe it's an invasion of Warcraft...... Anything. "The middle-aged police officer is not very sure about the details of the incident. The heralds of the military police were frantically running between the headquarters and the sub-stations to determine the details of the order.

"Red alert, I haven't seen it in years. The last time it was when the Empire was besieging Lennie...... "The old policeman, who is about to retire, is reminiscing about the glory days of the past.

The military police members who guessed the truth of the alarm faithfully ensured order in the city.

Of course, they are not the only ones who can see this alarm.

*** ***

"What's that?" said Anne Seffir, pausing in front of the mansion and looking at the southern sky illuminated by the red cross. "Magic?"

"That's probably a magic flare cannon, firing from cannons, and creating images with magic. ”

"Where did it come from? Didn't you say there were four hours left?"

"If it's due south, it's not the ring fort, it's not the parliament building, I don't know. Bonnie muttered, "However, it is only slightly inconsistent with the record, so it should still be tolerated......"

The two walked into the courtyard talking in a low voice. Leonard Kekawi was still asleep on a recliner by the fountain, and there was not a single goldfish in the bucket beside him.

Seeing his lazy appearance, the blonde girl couldn't help but pout: "But is this also within the tolerable range?"

"Seafarers are like this on shore, right? My sister's tone didn't sound very confident. She stood on the platform of the fountain and directed a large procession of carriages into the courtyard. Coachmen and important employees of the "Pure Gold" branches also poured in, and the usually quiet courtyard suddenly became bustling.

"Did you know in advance that there would be this superlative emergency alert?" saw this, Kezmi Stichus, who was the captain of the guard, walked up to her and pointed to the convoy and asked.

"Superlative? Do they use this kind of alert at sea?"

"Yes. The warships of the United Provinces are equipped with such signal cannons. However, this is the first time I've seen red, and the navy is usually orange or yellow. Based on his own experience, the former pirate captain said with certainty, "If it were red, the whole city would have been locked down and put under martial law." ”

“...... The whole city is locked down and martial law?" seems a bit strange to this information...... My sister thought.

"Yes, the locals in the guard just told me that the military police will cordon off every neighborhood as soon as the highest alarm goes out. The 'City That Never Falls' Lenny is indeed worthy of its name...... Wait a minute. ”

Halfway through the explanation, the pirate suddenly stopped and put his hand to his ear.

"There were gunshots. The low sound of gunfire came from the south, and the source of the sound was not too far away. ”

"Are you sure?" asked Bonnie, frowning, "The building close to the south is the Ring Fort of the Military Headquarters." ”

"I've been rolling at sea for so many years, and the discernment of my ears is still not a problem. It must have been gunshots. Kezmi smiled—with a hint of anticipation in his smile?" ”

"Is there really no problem? Could it be that the coup d'état was launched earlier?" asked Anne in a whisper after he had left, leaning into her sister's ear.

"If the gunfire really comes from the ring fort, we're in big trouble. Bonnie Seiffel bit her lower lip hard and shook her head. "I'm still underestimating Clad, after all......"

"What do you mean?" Hearing these two words, my sister didn't quite understand.

"It was not the coup army that was dispatched in advance, but Cladé López arranged the precautions. History has a little ...... No, there are some changes. ”

"That is?" the only audience still didn't quite understand.

"That is, if everything had gone according to Klad's plan, the coup would not have happened at all. Although it is a bit cruel for the victims of the coup, for us, as long as the coup does not happen, the history that follows is completely uncontrollable. Namen Hugh Coman will probably disappear into history...... The probability is about 50%. ”

"So, what are we going to do?" Anne immediately panicked when she heard the final conclusion. Every time she heard that name, she lost her proper judgment.

It may be futile to try to block the changes of history with manpower...... Such negative thoughts flashed through my sister's mind.

Bonnie took a deep breath and dispelled the futile association: "Now, everything you do can be a big mistake." But there are things we can do to make history change as little as possible. ”

*** ***

"Red Emergency Alert?!" the soldier on duty to guard the ring of the fort raised his head to look at the southern sky. The huge red cross, which appeared in the sky several times, proved that it was not fired by mistake.

"What's going on?" "How can there be the highest level of alarm?" "Are we going to go on alert too?"

Listening to the soldiers' discussions, the captain of the guard colonel, who knew the inside story of the coup, frowned, and his heart was full of worries.

"What's going on? Could it be that Major General Lemda failed to suppress the police headquarters and actually let them put the alarm out? Maybe the crackdown on the classified buildings was not too smooth?"

Thinking of this, the colonel decided to put the reserves on guard as well, and strictly ordered that no one should enter or leave the ring fort.

"Immediately give the order!" he ordered to the lieutenant, "put the two divisions on guard as well......

Halfway through the order, sporadic gunfire suddenly came from the direction of the main entrance of the ring fort.

The captain of the guard's face changed and hurriedly rushed out the door. At the gate of the ring fortress, he saw an unbelievable sight: the garrison at the main gate had all dropped their weapons.

"What are you doing! Defend, defend!" the colonel commanded in a hoarse voice, "the soldiers must obey the order, and the order you get should be to defend the ring fort!"

"You're part of the conspiracy, Colonel. A majestic voice sounded coldly, "As long as you surrender now, you can still get leniency." ”

The Colonel looked over - he saw two dazzling gold stars, and a striking silver cross.

"You shouldn't be here, you should be at the garrison now......" He drew his pistol from his waist and aimed it at the lieutenant general.

"Don't get obsessed. Clad López's lips trembled slightly, and with a slight wave of his arm, an unknown wave of magic flew out and flew straight to the colonel's head.

The Colonel felt nothing but a chill above his head - an icicle nailed his military cap to the wall behind him. He felt a chill in his heart, and the trigger in his hand couldn't be pulled at all.

"Assaulting a prefect is a third-degree felony. Treason by coup d'état is a felony of the first degree. As long as you pull the trigger, you won't be able to escape the charge. Your men were wise and didn't fire on their commanders...... You can do it. ”

Clad's analysis was calm and rational, and the Colonel could not find a flaw in him. His hands went limp, and the gun fell to the ground.

"Tell me, where is the mastermind Radetz Govar?" Crader took advantage of the victory to chase after - to get the most information, you have to take advantage of the opponent's psychological vulnerability.

"Still ...... In the chairman's office. The Colonel muttered.

Clad ignored him, and immediately took his own guards and rushed straight inside, leaving the place to be dealt with by the military and police who had come with him. He was at the front of the pack all the way, and the moment the guards were stunned at the sight of his epaulettes, he used his magic to disarm their weapons.

The chairman's office is located in the center of the topmost floor of the ring fort. The piano was playing, and Clad could tell it was the Pathétique Sonata.

"Senior Govar still likes to play the piano so much......" When he first relieved the siege of Lenny, it seemed to be December 7th - the memory of the deceased last year flashed in the hearts of middle-aged people.

Clad pushed the door and found it locked, so he used a spell to blow up the lock.

"Govar!"

He rushed in—it was empty, except for the piano repeating itself, playing the song "Pathétique." The windows were wide open, the curtains fluttered in the wind, and it was cold inside. The desk calendar on the table is flipped open and fixed on "December 7, the year of the sad wind", and in the footnote column, it reads "Good luck".

"Bastard, it's still a step too late. Clad López's hand slammed down on the calendar. In order to capture Govar, he even deliberately postponed the raising of the alarm.

Several more explosions were heard outside, and response signal cannons were fired from the various military and police teams. He walked to the window and counted the number of fireworks: there were eight military and police stations, but only five flares crossed the air.

*** ***

Half an hour later, the parliament building.

Brain-filled parliamentarians slapped their desks, rioting and disrupting all the agendas.

"What the hell are you trying to say! We ask you to explain this superlative alert!"

"Why is there a sudden increase in vigilance? We have to question the actions of the police headquarters today!"

Looking at the agitated lawmakers, Jemmet Rudell gave a high-five; Somewhat reluctantly, he walked to the podium in the center of the council hall.

"Everyone, please be silent. About an hour ago, we had lost all contact with the 10th Division of the Free Army, the Lenny garrison, and their commanders. According to intelligence, these troops were part of the squad of the upcoming coup d'état by Marshal Radetz Govar. Half an hour ago, we issued an emergency alert, and now the police headquarters have lost contact with about a third of the areas, which are believed to be controlled by the garrison. This parliament building is certainly one of the important targets of the other side, so I suggest that you dismiss early today and be escorted to a safe place by the uniformed team. ”

The stone was thrown into the pond, and the ripple immediately spread through the council.

"Radets Govar?!Why did he do this? Is there a reason?" said one of the lawmakers, standing up and questioning loudly, "Didn't he save our country several times?"

"Of course, I believe that Marshal Govar is a patriot, and I also believe that he will not be emperor in this free country. But you should know that thirteen years ago, the Interre Parliament was forcibly dissolved by force and the emergency cabinet was re-established, right? I don't know why, but some of you must know. Director Rudell replied.

"What's going on? Are we safe here?"

Rudel hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth: "The East and West Sides have been locked in fierce battles, and we have lost contact with quite a few of them. The southern sector is still in our hands, and we are attacking the enemy camps in the southern sector. Although it cannot be said that it is precarious here, if it is attacked by the main force of the enemy, our 300 people will not be able to resist it......"

As if to testify to his words, the sound of gunfire and explosions rang sporadically in the distance and grew denser. Hearing the gunshot, the leaders of several major parties looked a little bad, they looked at each other and talked in low voices.

"Please get out of here! Don't give the coup army a chance to take control of the country, even for a minute!" Rudel appealed.

"Then, delegates of our Party, please answer the call of His Excellency the Superintendent and leave the venue. The leader of the third largest party, the Federalists, stood up and exclaimed, "Our glorious party cannot succumb to the threat of the coup army." ”

"Gentlemen of the Equality Party, please leave the meeting as well!" the chairman of the Equality Party also stood up in support, "Your Excellency the Speaker of the House of Representatives may declare the meeting adjourned!"

After listening to the gunshots outside and looking around for a week, the speaker of the parliament and the chairman of the Liberal Party finally stood up: "Then, I declare that today's agenda ends early and the meeting is adjourned. You are free to leave the venue, but please do not use the armed forces of the state as personal protection. That should be used where it matters most. ”

He stood up and walked out the door with the other members of the parliament. A few councillors wanted to say something, but they held back and walked out of the parliament building in the same single person.

"No! We will not leave!" A voice full of arrogance suddenly sounded, "The United Council of the Free Provinces is the highest authority of the country, how can it be coerced by a group of coup soldiers! The National Justice Party will hold out here until the last moment and live up to the people's expectations of us! Even when we were besieged by the northerners, the parliament never adjourned, how can we give up now!"

"But the coup army will be here soon!" Rudel reminded, "and they're so close that we might have to evacuate." ”

"Then let them come!" said the leader of the National Justice Party, slapping the table, standing up and exclaiming, "We will not admit to death that Parliament and the Government will be dissolved by force!

This sentence made the whole venue quiet for a moment. Then, with the sound of a slap on the table, more people stood up.

"I, the Equality Party's Reakon MP, voluntarily remain here. ”

"The Liberal Congressman Gamosen, a Fathes, vows to live and die with Parliament. ”

...... Looking at the young Zhuang legislators who stood up one by one, Rudell was also a little moved. Gunshots outside, getting closer, closer and closer.

The Inspector of Police stepped down from the podium: "Then, I will stop the enemy for you." The gods bless freedom. ”

"Gods bless freedom!" the councillors responded with the same blessing.

*** ***

The gunfire of the ring fort was silenced and replaced by the rumbling of cannons coming from the direction of the northern city walls. Even Resa Helmont, who is obsessed with mystical research, opens the window and looks out to know what is really going on. Leonard, the half-elf, also woke up from his sleep, rubbing his eyes and looking around.

The conversation between the Seffir sisters continued in the mansion.

“...... Isn't this plan a little too risky? Moreover, how do you know that the mastermind behind it is really capable of interfering with Clad's plan? Clad López's strength, we have all seen it with our own eyes. After listening to Bonnie's suggestion, Anne asked questions.

"Yes, there is a good chance that this suggestion will make Naimon disappear, but it will keep the history of this place in line with the history we know. As for the last point...... The man behind it can mobilize a lich to work for him. "It's just a suggestion, and it's up to you to decide whether or not to implement it." ”

Suggestion...... Anne Seiffel hesitated.

"By exposing who is behind the scenes, justice can be done. And, you can be assured of an edge in your knowledge. Your loved ones may also appear in this world. As for those who died in the coup d'état...... They were supposed to die. In your world, they're all dead long ago. A voice whispered in her ear.

"But then, aren't you the one who fanned the flames in the coup? The one who carried out the coup d'état is a sin, but the one who promoted the coup is not a sin? To Rose Quilahia they are ancients, but to Anne Sephier, they are all contemporaries!" another voice whispered in her ear.

Two thoughts, struggling in her mind.

"The best interests ...... When you grasp the timing, you have everything in your hands...... It is also for the sake of justice and conformity with history. ”

The first sound grew louder and louder, louder and louder, gradually overpowering the second.

She finally made up her mind and held her head high: "Let everyone show the cards in their hands on the table." ”

"Got it, wait a minute. With that, Bonnie walked into the bathroom, and a moment later, Balus, a half-vampire, stepped out of it.

"What are you ......" Anne asked tentatively, raising her eyebrows in surprise, "Bonnie?"

"A disguised identity you haven't seen yet. For trainee pastor Bonnie Sefir, there are some things that can't be done. The glamorous woman with the fuchsia hair characteristic of magical blood said, "This way, I can reasonably mobilize some people." Shall we split up?"

"Okay...... But who's that?"

Bonnie put her index finger in front of her purple lips and whispered, "Kazmi Stihaus always thought that Operation Captain Balus was sent by Lesa to spy on him, you, and myself. ”

Anne couldn't help but cover her mouth and laughed, "Seriously, you're too cunning, Bonnie...... No, Miss Yui?"

"Prizes. Balus's face sank, "The Captain of Operations and Surveillance Officer is leaving, you should be scared, Miss Sephier." ”

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