"I don't believe every word in this sentence, including the punctuation mark."

In the Hunter's office, Mason retrieved his phone and said to Ciri, who had a serious face:

"I suspect now that it's a decoy, or a trap, and I think Old A is ready to do something to me, which is also very much in line with his character.

I've been waiting for him to contact me after the fusion, but I've been waiting until now, and it's self-evident what he's been doing all this time.

What do you think? ”

"What else can I think?"

Ciri moved his finger and said:

"The situation is what the situation is, it is impossible to expect that bastard to honestly surrender and admit defeat, he also knows this, and he also knows very well that you will not be deceived by this little trick, so he doesn't even bother to pretend.

My advice is to delete this newsletter immediately and pretend you don't see anything.

We went about what we did, preparing for the next onslaught of the larger world convergence and mobilizing our forces for the final assault on Mephisto.

As long as the old devil is taken, all problems are no longer a problem.

Unless Old A is desperate to mobilize all the forces of the Council to fight us to the death, with each passing day, their unity will be weakened by a point, and we will be strengthened by a point.

Time!

Time is on our side, Mason. ”

"That's what I said, but I thought about it on the way here, and the situation in front of me is still a little wrong."

The captain sat down in his chair, and Hallie obediently thumped his back behind him, pricking up her ears to listen to Mason and Ciri's conversation, though she wasn't interested in it.

Hey, if that dead ghost old A dares to come, he'll kill him! The Emperor of the Universe has been beaten away by us, what kind of demon do you hope the Council can make?

Mason wasn't as optimistic as Hallie.

He rubbed his forehead and said:

"It stands to reason that after the news of the plane fusion is complete, there should be a lot of onlookers who will come into contact with us, either explicitly or implicitly, and no matter what our reply is, they will always show eagerness and anticipation.

It's a matter of attitude.

But it's been three days since the impact ended, and has there been a force or representative?

That in itself says a lot.

Either they think that our victory is not worth mentioning and that it cannot shake the huge advantage of the Council, which of course is basically impossible, and anyone with eyes knows what it means to succeed in integration.

So there is only the second possibility.

They know that certain actions that are important to us and to them are moving forward, and they are not going to switch sides until this operation is over.

I guess the 'Endstar has already been cast', maybe not perfect, maybe there are some signs of rush, but it must have appeared.

The Council also came up with its own plan for the change of the era, which made those forces that should have made a choice return to a wait-and-see state, after all, they have invested a lot, and it is normal for them to hesitate in the face of such a submersible cost. ”

"There is no one right answer to the end of the world."

Stroking her silver hair, Ciri said:

"Maybe they're looking for the two to work together to increase their chances of getting through the moment of change?"

"Perhaps, but that planet shouldn't exist!"

Mason narrowed his eyes and said:

"It is a Death Star made from the essence of the corpses of countless planets, and its very existence is a desecration of the deceased.

If I could, I'd really like to smash that with my own hands.

But Old A's actions may also be part of the council's plan, just as I hate theirs, and they are resisting ours.

They are unwilling to relinquish power and expect their stability to continue until the beginning of the next era, giving them the basis for a more glorious reign.

Old A has already made a war letter, and their internal integration has been completed, at least preliminarily.

All sorts of people who have good reason to be hostile to us, who are unwilling to accept the consequences of defeat, and who are unwilling to give up their power, have united.

They want to see a defeat befall us, and Old A is their chosen standard-bearer. ”

The captain played with the mobile phone in his hand, and under the gaze of Harley and Ciri, he thought for a moment and sent a reply to Old A:

"I was busy just now, I didn't see it. Do you want to talk? Okay, when and where? ”

"Mason!"

Ciri rushed over and grabbed the captain by the wrist and said:

"Don't play with fire, you still jump into it when you know it's a trap?"

"It's a trap for me, and if I don't respond, it's going to become someone else's."

Mason patted Ciri's hand and replied:

"With the character of old A, he will not give up until he achieves his goal.

If I wasn't fooled, he would have started with the people next to me. My two cuties, my family, my friends and teammates, the mutants who have just reformed the Fragile Alliance.

Even you.

Our team is getting bigger and bigger, there are more and more members, and there are more and more levers that can be grabbed by Lao A, who has the resources of the entire Council of Arbitration Tribunal, and we can't compare with him in this regard.

And only a thousand days to be a thief, how can there be a reason to prevent thieves for a thousand days? ”

"Sweetheart is right."

Harley, who was lying on Mason's shoulder and surrounding him, squeezed her eyes and said to Ciri:

"That's what the baddies think!

The last time Mr. J did bad things, it was this way of thinking, it is impossible for a person to be without weaknesses, but once the weaknesses are caught by them, you can only let them play with them.

The only way to break the game is to seize the initiative!

Hey, it's like batboy vs. Mr. J, every tough win he has comes from a change of initiative, and you can't expect to beat him in what the baddies are good at.

You can only pull them into your rhythm and let his mind follow your rules, otherwise you won't be able to turn the tables. ”

"I know this, I just think you're taking too much risk."

Ciri gritted her teeth and said:

"Don't you know where you're now?

You don't want to be that savior, but the fact is that you are, even if the integration plan can go smoothly without your participation, but who can rest assured without you in charge of the overall situation?

You are not allowed to go!

Did you hear me! ”

"Me"

Seeing Ciri's strong statement, Mason was about to explain, but the mobile phone in his hand vibrated again, and Lao A's reply appeared on the screen:

"What time and place do you need to chat? Don't be so formal. I'm going to inspect an important facility in an A-class world under the Council tomorrow night, and I'll be able to get rid of those pesky stares.

I'll send you the coordinates.

Of course, you're also a big guy now, and you can't act so casually, so if you don't feel safe, why don't I go where you are?

Just like last time?

In addition, the first sequence of things has helped you suppress it, and if you do this kind of thing in the future, say it in advance so that I can be prepared, and you scared them.

Well done, old K. (laughs)"

"Look at him, he's still in the mood to post a love bag!"

Hallie screamed:

"But this kind of emoji that has been outdated for 800 years will not be used by my grandfather lying in the grave, hey! What kind of crazy primitive man is this old A? ”

Uh, the little cutie's focus is always so strange, it seems that the corny smiley emoji that Lao A added at the end of this message triggered her irrepressible desire to complain.

But Mason and Healy focus on the content of the message itself.

"Let him come to us!"

Ciri said in a deep voice:

"Find all the awesome guys you can find, and pinch Old A to death the moment he appears!"

"If only it were that simple."

Mason shook his head and said:

"Even if he did come, he would probably be a clone or simply send a projection generator, he knew that, so he gave me a specific time and place.

The implication is already obvious.

If you want to see him in person, you have to come on his terms. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, a phase coordinate for plane travel was sent to Mason's phone, and Ciri wrote down the coordinates and immediately returned to his desk to find a gadget connected with the large armillary sphere of the Stellar Society and began to locate it.

After a few seconds, Ciri looked up and said:

"It's not a location recorded by the Stellar Society, it's some secret Earth under the command of the Council, but the plane's location next to the center of the parallel world system proves that its existence is quite ancient.

Perhaps the Council discovered it before the Stars explored it on a large scale.

That's not some fringe world, Mason, that's the core of the Council, you can't go, it's a sheep's mouth, Harley! Don't stay here to spy on me, now go spy on your little sweetheart!

Don't let him out of your field of vision, don't let him try to go to the meeting or anything, it's a game of death. ”

"Roger! Yes, Lord Hunter! ”

Harley straightened her back, gave a heel salute, and then pulled out her playful handcuffs, snapping herself and Mason's wrists together.

Clearly, she was very happy with the order.

I wish I could put Mason in bed right now and keep an eye on him 24 hours a day.

"You don't have to be so nervous, I don't plan to go."

Mason couldn't laugh or cry.

He waved his hand and explained:

"Old A can use a stand-in to solve problems, and so can I, and I have so many water bodies who have just married brothers with the same surname, I think they will be more than willing to run for me.

I just wanted to see what kind of medicine was sold in Old A's gourd, and I didn't plan to step into an ambush like a hero who couldn't win. ”

"That's good."

Ciri finally relaxed, she thought for a moment, and said to Mason:

"Why don't I go with your water body? I'm also a member of the Quint Society, and I."

"Are you kidding?"

Mason snorted and said in a cold voice:

"Do you think that the old A, who is now at the end of his life, will still care about this? You are not allowed to go, just stay here honestly and wait for our war against the old devil to begin.

Quinn! ”

The captain called out, and a moment later a rift opened with divine speed.

Quinn, who was holding a docile golden retriever, walked out of it chewing a rainbow lollipop, glanced at Hallie, who was sitting in Mason's arms and demonstrated to her, raised an eyebrow in disdain, and then looked at Mason.

The little sweetheart said to her:

"You and Harley change shifts, and you'll be with the Hunter to make sure she doesn't do anything dangerous. Well? Texting again? ”

Mason looked down and saw another text message on his phone.

But this time the sender was magically "unnamed", a number that theoretically impossible to send a text message sent a very brief message, with only two words and a symbol:

"Don't come!"

This information speaks volumes about the fact that the fewer words, the bigger the matter.

"It seems that Old A's heart is not aligned."

Mason waved his phone at Ciri and said:

"I can probably guess who sent this message, but are you really sure that Steve Rogers has something to do with your parents' deaths? He doesn't feel like a vicious person to me now.

To be honest, I used to think he was a spicy Hydra captain, but now it seems that this is really the image of the good old captain I remember. ”

"I didn't say he wasn't a good guy."

Ciri said with a straight face:

"I just hate him, it's my private behavior, don't let me influence it, in fact, most of the time he's credible, he's a guy with his own ideas.

As he told you the last time we met, he had a good personal relationship with Old A, but he wasn't a helper. ”

"Okay, I'll take care of that."

Mason stood up, shook the clattering handcuffs on his wrists and said goodbye to Ciri, and then turned away with Harley, who had helped him in the arm.

Quinn stood aside expressionlessly, holding the dog chain and looking at Ciri, she was different from Hallie, she had to fulfill the task given to her by her little sweetheart perfectly.

"I'm not going to run away with my legs all of a sudden."

Lord Hunter complained and said to Quinn:

"I'm going to take a shower, will you come along?"

"Huh?!"

This invitation made Quinn's eyes widen, and she chewed the rainbow lollipop in her mouth with a click, and she asked in amazement:

"What have you and Harley been doing these days? Have you been led crooked by her to this extent? Did she lie to you that kissing girls or something is just a manifestation of friendship?

Feed!

Don't believe it!

Hallie has done a psychoanalysis for herself, and she has some latent latent tendencies! ”

"Do you think I didn't find out?"

Ciri rolled her eyes and said:

"I don't have a long memory of having to keep her from sneaking into my bed every night and kicking her down three or four times, but Harley's high-pitched voice was a real headache.

When her demands are not met, she is like a grumpy little devil, and there are too many ways to torture people.

Asking her to take a bath with her will be effective in reassuring her.

Of course, I have two bathtubs here, so don't think about it, do you want to come along? You and Hallie are one, and if Hallie has that problem, it means you have it too. ”

"I didn't!"

Quinn clenched his fists and replied:

"I've wiped out that bad part of my personality with my love for Mr. K! Hurry up and take a shower, I'll yo the dog at the door.

This John Wick dog is clingy, and I'll have to take good care of it. ”

"Go ahead."

Ciri snorted, got up, quickly prepared herself with comfortable hot water, sprinkled flower petals, and lay down in it, a way she used to think.

The soothing touch of the water always soothed her uneasy mood a lot.

In fact, she didn't tell Mason, and the uneasiness in her heart had been accumulating since she learned that Lao A had sent an invitation text message to Mason.

Although there is no definite evidence, Ciri can sense that he may become a breakthrough that Old A uses against Mason.

This feeling of being someone else's weakness is really terrible.

"Drop"

Just as Ciri closed her eyes, the communication tone suddenly sounded, causing Ciri to wake up suddenly, and she glanced at the source of the audio communication and frowned.

Old A!

This is really what I am afraid of.

"Hello?"

The Hunter took a deep breath, connected the communication, and said:

"Why are you looking for me if you have nothing to do? I'm busy. ”

"I know you're busy, our Q has always been a busy man, and you haven't been involved in the internal affairs of the Quint Society since you recruited Old K as your subordinate.

It's really enviable to have a capable subordinate. ”

Old A complained as if he had to say a lot, and then in Ciri's impatient expression, he finally got to the point, he said:

"I'm going to meet with Mason tomorrow night, I think the two of us are in an awkward situation right now, and it would make the atmosphere a lot better if you could show up, so why don't you come over and get ready?"

"I'm not going, I'm not interested in getting involved in two boring men."

Ciri decisively refused, and said:

"And I don't think Mason will go, die."

"No, no, no, Mason will definitely come."

Old A said with a smile:

"Do you know why?"

"Huh?"

Ciri made a nasal voice, she was still pretending to be a ghost at this time, she was dizzy before, how could she obey such a leader?

"Because you will definitely come, it is impossible for Lao K to leave you alone, this is the magic of love."

Fury's voice came from the communication, and he said confidently:

"Don't be too busy vetoing just yet, I know you're going to say you're not that stupid, I know you're going to think I'm using you as bait to lure Mason into the bait, which is.

But I'm not going to use coercion, that's too low-level.

Healy.

I'm going to give you a gift."

"I don't need to! Save it, I've got it all. ”

The Hunter-sama interrupted the pointless conversation, and just as she placed her finger on the end of communication button, a weak cry of pain rang out from the other side, like a bolt of lightning striking Ciri.

"The souls of Lady Yennefer and Mr. Geralt have just returned from hell and are now quite weak"

Old A said faintly:

"Are you sure you're not going to come and pick up your poor parents home?"

"You bastard!"

Ciri's anger completely exploded at this moment, and the bathtub filled with water cracked as a result, and this anger seemed to be felt by the old A who was far away from the plane.

He paused for a few seconds and said:

"Remember to come early, it's important, so, dress up, OK?"

Ciri's fist was about to shatter, but she gritted her teeth in response, and then put on her bathrobe and disappeared into the office, certainly not by throwing herself into the net.

She had to tell Mason about it, instead of running over and making a mess of it herself.

Look, this is the classic application scenario and correct use of the external brain.

(End of chapter)