Chapter 757: Resistance of thieves
[OP: ]
"No! No! NO!"
"This is absurd! How is this happening?!"
"Reboot everything! Shut down the system!"
"It's no use sir! The mainframe is not responding! There's external interference!"
"What the hell?! Send someone down there! Go check what is even happening!"
"This is bad… this is bad… everything is disintegrating… THIS IS BAD!"
"Someone calls Operator A!"
The First assistant unit, Operator B.
Every single one of the people in this division was currently panicking.
There was something strange going on before the screens presented before them and they had no idea how or why it all was happening.
They were confused and shocked, some of them even fainted with the shock caused by this incident… it was just too shocking.
The entire operating system they relied heavily on, the magic system that they used for almost everything, the automated system that controlled everything happening in Hiraani… their Kaloeidos was falling right before their eyes.
And whatever they did, nothing was working.
Everything was just crumbling down on its own. And they were helpless right now.
[ "Listen everyone." ]
They were not panicking because they knew how there were some dangerous thieves inside the castle house right now, but to see the death of the interactive intelligent interface that was like a friend to them with whom they had worked for years and years… they couldn't handle it.
They were helpless, and useless at the moment as well.
[ "Everyone?" ]
Their master, the owner of this establishment, the countess was calling them, however none of them could hear anything.
They were panicked, or focused on the screens, or… they were too busy thinking everything happening was because of them. Because they didn't do a good enough job.
They didn't respond to two of her calls.
[ "Operator B! Listen!" ]
She was thankfully outside of their room or else everyone including her Anna would have jumped up with surprise.
The way she shouted was so loud every single person present throughout the corridor had heard her voice. Including every single person that was meant to hear this voice.
"Operator B, listening!"
[ "Calm the hell down. All of you." ]
They could tell just from that voice alone just how angry she was right now. It was even easy to picture the kind of face she must be making at the moment,
And it was no good thing.
They all knew the anger of their master, the kind of anger someone that used to handle every single thing happening inside this auction house possessed.
She was dangerous when she was angry. They had seen what she was capable of, so they instinctively knew what to do when they heard her telling them to calm down.
"We are listening, master."
[ "Good." ]
Nolan leaned against the wall beside the door to her own room and carefully looked at the report from Eon present on the spare communication slate that they used to use a long time ago.
It wasn't connected with the system so it was still working well so, aside from these emergency radio communication devices that only a few of them in the Hiraani possessed, these slates were now the only way to communicate aside from Celes' connection that not everyone could have.
Eon had sent her a report on everything that was happening here just now, so she knew how the system she had looked after from the start to the moment her son made it into what it was right now, was no more.
It was gone, completely.
And the Hiranni was completely vulnerable at the moment.
[ "This moment is impotent everyone. This is not the time to wither or drawn in despair. We do not have time for that.
There is someone attacking us, and after being cornered, they are using serious tactics.
They aren't just some thieves anymore. They are terrorists that are after our house, people, and peace.
They are doing what they couldn't have done if their plans would have worked the way they wanted, but we defeated them in the first half.
Now, this is the second half of the battle. There is still time for us to stabilise, they have not attacked us from all sides yet. They don't have enough people to do that.
Just the security system had fallen, but Hiraani isn't a family that would all just because some foundational pillars were taken out.
The magic defence system was only one thing that we got not ago. We did not have anything like a defensive system that did the work of a dozen men all on its own. We used to have dozen men doing the task that the system currently did for us." ]
The enemy was playing dirty now.
They were being serious… it was not just about stealing some items that were difficult to steal anymore.
It was about much more than that.
[ "We don't have the defensive system anymore, but it's just a temporary problem. We have someone who recreated that entire system once and in a much better way than it used to be.
With some time, he can recreate it. We don't have to worry about that.
Instead, there is an enemy after something that belongs to us. After the stability of the Hiraani.
They have already tried setting the entire reception hall aflame, so it's obvious the lives of our people or the people present here matters little to them.
They are criminals… and we can't possibly let these criminals walk around in our house and do as they please, right?" ]
Operator B, some of the smartest minds of the world that developed and taught the magic defence system everything it was capable of.
They were the minds who made it into what it had been, people that used to do what that system did in the current time.
She had never kicked out any employees that have sincerely worked for her even after their retirement. They have always been a part of this auction house, even after things changed and evolved.
There were people working ere that had worked here when Hiraani was nothing more than a one story, three room place that only sold and bought things.
She started it as a shop, turning it into an auction, that evolved into a grand auction over a course of two decades.
Hiraani wasn't built in one day or a week, or month, or a year, or a decade.
It was her life's work. And she wasnt going to tolerate some basted thief causing commotion in her house.
[ "Operator B. Crack your knuckles and get to work. Show me the sprit we used to have during the Time of Great Depression." ]
"Yes master!"
"Yes!"
"Leave it all to us!"
She knew her people.
She knew even if they stumbled and fall unconscious, they would always get back up and do whatever it takes to save their asses or else their master would punish them like the old days.
It wasn't a pleasant memory to this day so, they did not want their grown children and grandchildren to see them in pain.
They were afraid, and fired up thanks to her as well. So, they got up and took their seats, some who were unconscious a moment ago were also washing up their faces and drinking water to clear their minds.
Hiraani was a castle too big to be handled by a single individual, but the original fifteen members of their division used to do it all on their own.
The twenty one of them right now could certainly handle that much-
"It was difficult to find this place. Good work to whoever designed the barriers."
Operation control room existed in a place few in the entire structure knew about. A secret place that had to be kept a secret for a smooth working purpose.
It wasn't a place anyone can just walk into.
"Hello there. Can you all please die for a while~?"
Then, who was this bastard?
"Alert the-…!"
-Swish!
-Dhum!
"I don't like leaving a mess behind me so, please just obediently die while I'm being nice!"
-Dhum! Dhum! Bam!
-Swish!
-Trrrrrrrrr!
"Aghhhh-hhhh-hhh!"
-Swish!
-Dhum!
"Phew."
They weren't strong combatants so it didn't take him long to deal with them.
They sure were some of the most intelligent people of this world but they weren't much of a threat to someone like him.
"Now then…"
There wasn't much to do for him in this control room so, he quickly destroyed all he had to destroy and went on his way…
His goal was still the same.
…
[ "Operator B, report." ]
Eon had received a communication request but no one had said anything by the time the connection was established.
They were silent all that time, so he thought they must be engaged with something else. It wasn't new for them to not say anything after a few minutes. They were too focused on important things in times like this.
Eon thought this time was the same as he took out his bow and set his quiver on his waist.
He was in the second underground passage that was currently completely dark.
Few lights were illuminating the passage, but since he was there, others with him did not have to worry about the lights or their visions.
He had special spells to see in the dark. They were going to be fine… so before entering the battle, he checked up on operator B, however, he did not get any response from them.
There was no response even after a few minutes, which worried him.
"Celes, check up on the control room, please."
[{ Yes master~. }]
Taking out an enchanted arrow and setting it on his bow, he looked up before him.
"Everyone, be careful. We are not going to fight humans in this darkness."
He could tell there were quite a few strong presences around him, a lot actually. There were more than a hundred presences all across the darkness before them, and from what he could see with his third eye, there were opponents so strong he had not faced anyone like them in his lifetime standing right beyond this darkness.
They were strong, very strong.
But they weren't anything like the demons he had defeated in the Principality. Or the Lich that had appeared in that city.
They were just some abnormal people that were very good at what they did. Pretty much the same as him.
"Don't panic, and just follow my voice."
He wasn't alone here, thankfully. His two presidents were here as well.
With their combined firepower, they could deal with the intruders here, and Miss Moon and the others will take care of the others in other places.
He wasn't concerned about that.
However…
[{ MASTER…! }]
Only a few of them knew what he would do to these thieves for doing something so utterly unacceptable to his people…