Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sudden, violent explosions interrupted Daniel's thoughts. He quickly noticed that the large screens lining the streets, which had been broadcasting the Extreme Ironman Competition, now displayed an unexpected figure—Pancho Salas.
To ensure that the entire city could watch the competition, Candela had installed numerous temporary screens throughout Dosores.
"Fellow citizens of Bolívar, I am Pancho Salas."
On the screen, Pancho Salas stood with a Bolívar flag tightly gripped in his right hand, delivering a thunderous speech.
"He chose a good moment, but the wrong place. Even going to the headquarters of the Bolívar Resistance would have been better than this city of indulgence."
Dosores was a city of indulgence and excess. Trying to talk about Bolívar's future and freedom here was a joke.
"Old Pancho, well done. This is a special segment of the Extreme Ironman Competition. Everyone can participate now, and those who perform well will receive special rewards."
Before Pancho could finish his speech, Candela appeared on the screen, sharing the space with him as if they were collaborating on some joint program.
With a single sentence, Candela completely dismantled the atmosphere Pancho had worked so hard to create, turning his grand gesture into a farce. Compared to Pancho, Candela knew how to stir the emotions of the city's people far better.
"Candela, you will regret this."
Seeing his carefully planned action reduced to a joke by Candela's words, Pancho's eyes burned with anger and a trace of hidden sorrow. He quickly went offline. The situation had reached this point, and now it was a matter of strength.
"A special program? Should we go to the beach? Maybe we can win some rewards."
Some people on the streets, tempted by Candela's promise of rewards, began to take action. Candela was known for her generosity when it came to rewards, and her word was highly trusted in Dosores.
"Isn't it dangerous? There were explosions earlier."
While some were eager to act, others hesitated, worried about the danger.
"Candela has said it's safe. Don't you trust her?"
With that, the hesitant ones quickly set aside their concerns. When it came to choosing between Candela and Pancho, there was no question who was more trustworthy.
"What's wrong with her?" Daniel returned to a café by the artificial lake's beach and noticed Hoshiguma looking dazed. He couldn't help but ask.
This café had become their base for watching the Extreme Ironman Competition live. Despite the chaos outside caused by Pancho's actions, the café remained unaffected.
Although, strictly speaking, Candela's location was the best spot for viewing, it was too formal, and none of their group wanted to be there.
"She's worried about her money," Swire said with a laugh.
"Ah."
Daniel didn't know how to respond. For Hoshiguma, this was supposed to be her chance to make a fortune. After all, with Ch'en and Lin Yühsia teaming up, it was like a dragon riding a tiger—how could they lose?
The salary of the Lungmen Guard Bureau was quite decent, and as the leader of the Special Inspection Team, Hoshiguma's pay was even higher. However, Hoshiguma had her own little hobbies. Drinking wasn't a problem since she wasn't picky, but riding motorcycles was another story.
So far, Hoshiguma's biggest expense was on motorcycles. Every time a new model came out, she would buy it and then modify it. This time, she had her eye on a new model from Raythean Industries and wanted to seize the opportunity to buy it.
In terms of electric cars and motorcycles, Hoshiguma owned more than twenty, stored in a small warehouse she rented.
This was a personal hobby. Although Ch'en had criticized Hoshiguma for it, after hearing Hoshiguma's rebuttal, Ch'en never brought it up again.
Ch'en also loved shopping. Despite her serious demeanor at the Lungmen Guard Bureau, she was still a woman who enjoyed fashion, clothing, jewelry, and makeup.
Ch'en loved buying clothes. Her wardrobe was filled with the latest outfits and accessories. Even if she could only wear them at home, she still bought them. During this trip to Dosores, she had bought quite a few items, including some for Talulah.
It had to be said that being a fashion designer in this land was a challenging job, given the diversity of races and their unique characteristics.
"Doctor, if you were in Pancho's position, what would you do?" Watching the chaos on the beach, where Candela's forces clashed with Pancho's men, Daniel suddenly asked the Doctor a question.
"This hypothesis is meaningless," the Doctor replied, pointing outside. "I just saw someone heading toward Candela's location. She doesn't have many guards with her."
"Stop worrying. We have work to do. We can't let them harm Candela."
Swire stood up and called Hoshiguma over. Although Swire didn't particularly like Dosores or Candela, as a Lungmen Guard Bureau inspector, she naturally sided with Candela in this situation.
"Right."
Hoshiguma stood up and, before leaving, grabbed a surfboard leaning against the door. Hoshiguma might seem rough and carefree, but she was actually quite thoughtful and had her own opinions on many matters. She was a well-rounded individual who quietly supported Ch'en and Swire.
The phrase "dragon and tiger, with the Oni mediating" aptly described Hoshiguma's role in smoothing the relationship between Ch'en and Swire.
"Swire's not bad. Let's see who dares call her a mascot."
Swire wielded a surfboard as her weapon, swinging it with such force that it didn't take long for the thirty or so people planning to attack Candela to be knocked out on the beach.
"No one's hiding nearby. Is this confidence in her own strength or her bodyguards'?" Throughout the entire ordeal, Candela's expression remained unchanged, always smiling as if it didn't matter whether Hoshiguma and Swire intervened.
"Pancho didn't even manage to force Candela to reveal her true strength. It's over already."
Shortly after Hoshiguma and Swire finished their fight, the coup led by Pancho came to an end. The riots throughout the city were suppressed, ironically, mostly by people seeking rewards rather than Candela's forces.
Only the situation on the cruise ship in the center of the artificial lake remained unresolved.
"Stop! Let them go, or we'll all die together."
On the cruise ship, Pancho held up a remote control, threatening Ch'en and Lin Yühsia as they stood over his fallen children and subordinates.
According to Pancho's original plan, the coup was supposed to take place during the final moments of the Extreme Ironman Competition, when Candela would also be on the cruise ship. As a former colonel, he had some military acumen.
However, the appearance of Daniel and his group had drastically changed the situation. Ch'en and Lin Yühsia's investigation made Pancho think his plan had been exposed, forcing him to act before Candela boarded the ship.
In the original Dosores incident, Ch'en and Lin Yühsia alone had given Enciodas a headache. Their constant bickering and independent actions made it difficult for him to monitor them effectively. Now, with Talulah, Swire, and the others added to the mix, his surveillance task became even more challenging. Even though Talulah, Daniel, and the others had no intention of getting involved, Pancho didn't believe it.
"Your son and daughter are here too. Are you willing to let them die with you?" Lin Yühsia pointed at the unconscious Enciodas and La Pluma at her feet.
"Having you big shots as my companions in death is enough," Pancho said after a moment of hesitation, his expression hardening.
"Alright, stop playing. We've already disarmed the bombs. You have no chance of winning now," Ch'en interrupted Lin Yühsia before she could say more.
"Impossible! You're lying!" Pancho refused to believe Ch'en.
"Don't kill him."
Ch'en's gaze shifted to behind Pancho. Before Pancho could react, he felt a sharp pain in his head and lost consciousness.
"I know. The Doctor already told me."
Red released Pancho's head and stepped back. She had been the one to knock him out from behind and disarm the bombs. Otherwise, Ch'en and Lin Yühsia would have escaped on a lifeboat long ago instead of confronting Pancho directly.
"I'll leave the rest to you," Red said, glancing toward a hidden corner before disappearing from Ch'en and Lin Yühsia's sight.
"Please thank Lady Wen Yue for me."
"You're too kind, Miss. I should take my leave now."
As Ch'en spoke, a figure emerged from the hidden corner Red had glanced at—Shirayuki. It had to be said that Pancho and his group had been incredibly unlucky.
"The champions of this year's Extreme Ironman Competition are these two heroines."
For Candela, Pancho's coup was nothing more than a minor disturbance. After receiving the report that the situation on the cruise ship had been resolved and that the nobles and wealthy passengers were unharmed, her first action was to wrap up the competition.
Ch'en and Lin Yühsia didn't care about winning the championship, but Hoshiguma was thrilled. With the prize money, she could buy several more motorcycles and electric cars.
"So that's how it is. If Pancho had just told Candela he needed funds to build an army, she would have agreed."
After the event, the Doctor conducted a review of the situation. Hearing the Doctor's analysis, Daniel couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.
Pancho's goal in taking over Dosores was primarily for money, which was why he had contacted people dissatisfied with Candela to stage a coup.
Because he needed to take over Dosores, Pancho's actions hadn't caused many casualties. After all, he still needed the city to generate revenue. In other words, the entire coup had resulted in very few deaths.
However, he had completely missed the point. Candela also wanted to change Bolívar's situation, as evidenced by Dosores' existence. While she wouldn't actively interfere in the three-way power struggle in Bolívar—since Dosores relied on the balance between the three factions—that didn't mean she wouldn't secretly support certain individuals.
"To change Bolívar, a real war is needed."
This was the Doctor's final conclusion. At the time, Daniel didn't fully understand what the Doctor meant by the future "Great March of Bolívar."
"If you're feeling lost, why not go to Rhodes Island? There, you might find your purpose."
When Enciodas approached him, Daniel suggested this. Although he had considered bringing Enciodas to Chernobog, given the city's situation and his own goals, Rhodes Island was a better fit. There, Enciodas might learn something from SilverAsh that Chernobog couldn't offer.
"As the leader of a failed coup, Candela not holding him accountable is quite impressive."
As the leader of the failed coup, Pancho could have been executed, but instead, he was imprisoned, while the others were either exiled from Dosores or left unpunished.
"Lady Wen Yue wants to visit Chernobog? Of course, she's welcome."
After the Extreme Ironman Competition, the group prepared to return home. However, Lady Wen Yue wanted to spend more time with Talulah and suggested visiting Chernobog, leaving the pilot to fly back to Lungmen alone.
"What's that? Can I try it?"
In Chernobog, as soon as Hoshiguma stepped off the Quinjet, she noticed the Snow Squad's rides—a sleek, stylish motorcycle—and immediately walked over to one of them. This wasn't because of alcohol but because of her love for motorcycles.
"It seems Nian has made some progress."
Seeing the Snow Squad's rides, Daniel realized that Nian had achieved something. Nian hadn't joined them in Siesta, staying in Chernobog to work on her own projects. Daniel had asked her for a favor.
"Hey, isn't it about time we finished up here? When are you going to help me find my sisters, Xi and Ling? I can't wait to see their expressions."
As soon as Daniel returned to his residence in Chernobog, Nian showed up, eager to find her sisters. However, the gleeful smile on her face suggested she wasn't just missing them.
"I'm almost done. Once I finish, we'll go find them. Yan is across the border, and I need to prepare before heading there. I don't want to cause any trouble with them—it would be a hassle."
Daniel hadn't gone to find Xi and Ling yet because, aside from Chernobog's affairs, he was still working on his spatial communication device. He planned to complete it before heading to Yan.
When it came to spatial teleportation, Nian, as a deity, also possessed such abilities. Previously, she had given Kroos a token to locate her sister Xi, allowing her to teleport directly. However, this had left Kroos and the others to make the long journey from Rhodes Island to Yan on foot.
"True, that old man from the Heavenly Master's Office nearly drove me crazy back then. By the way, I've improved the items you wanted. They can now be powered by energy."
As they spoke, the two arrived at the laboratory. On the experimental table lay various artifacts—space rings, the Nine Dragon Sons, and more.
Nian's abilities had made her the perfect candidate for this task, and Daniel had entrusted it to her.
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