Shelley led Lucas into the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Bureau in the Seawall District.

  On their way to meet the "new ior," Shelley briefly introduced Lucas to the yout of the building.

  The first floor of the Bureau was the office area fur Imperial agents.

  Below that was the training area, and further down was the dungeon.

  The sed floor housed the offices of clerical staff and ma.

  The third floor tained special fun departments like the fidential archives room and the tactical mission feren.

  Besides the headquarters building, there were many safe houses, interrogation rooms, a prisons scattered throughout the city.

  "Ior, there are 128 public Imperial agents w here, and 289 covert Imperial agents. Once you officially bee our ior, you access their files and formally carry out the duties assigo you by the Empire."

  Lucas walked alongside Shelley.

  If not for knowing this was the Secret Intelligence Bureau, it would have looked like a ercial pany.

  And a ercial pany with no business.

  Most of the agents here appeared to be idle—drinking tea, reading neers, and gathering to boast.

  Even seeing Shelley didn't ge their behavior, suggesting she usually did the same.

  The Seawall District was a fotten pce where the Empire's administrative abilities were at their lowest. It operated with its own unspoken system.

  Even a powerful department like the Secret Intelligence Bureau couldn't escape sinking into pcy here.

  Lucas said, "Let's verify my identity now ahe Seawall District Secret Intelligence Bureau running properly as soon as possible."

  "Yes, Ior."

  Shelley led Lucas to the sed floor.

  The sed floor was a rge open-pn office hall where all the clerical staff of the Bureau worked together, making it easy for the ior to issue tasks and request information.

  Ihe hall were several private offices, used by the ior and the Bureau's ma.

  As Lucas and Shelley ehe hall, they heard someone shouting from an office at the far end.

  "Is this your work attitude? Why hasn't Bck Mamba shown up yet? 't anyone verify my identity without her? Send someoo find her immediately! I o see her within half an hour!"

  Someone hurriedly exited the ior's office. It was Zane.

  He looked upset, clearly having been scolded by the "new ior" for a long time.

  Seeing Shelley, Zane finally breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Big sister, you finally arrived. And... sir..." Zane greeted Lucas, then whispered to Shelley, "The 'new ior' has been here since m, waiting all this time."

  "Well, I'm here now. Let's go help our 'new ior' plete his final task."

  At this moment, Shelley had no doubts about Lucas's identity.

  Throughout the journey, he had been seriously preparing for his new role; his fidence couldn't be faked.

  He even took on his first task as the new ior. Finding old dy Hilm's son, the hot dog vendor!

  Lucas followed Shelley and Zao the ior's office. A few people were standing inside.

  Behind the desk sat a smug middle-aged man. He was dressed in a suit simir in style to Lucas's, wearing a gentleman's hat of a simir type, with a pocket watch of the same color, holding a e, tapping it on the desk.

  Shelley couldn't help but g Lucas.

  She was certain Lucas had not met this "new ior" before today. Was this attire, or did he know the "new ior" would dress this way?

  ### Chapter 17: The True and False Ior

  The movements of this "new ior" have always been uhe trol of our "true ior."

  The new ior, seeing two new faces entering, asked irritably, "Who are you?"

  He had been waiting here all m, and his impression of the new work enviro was very, very bad.

  Shelley walked up to the desk, saluted the new ior, and said, "Hello, sir. I am Bck Mamba."

  "You are Bck Mamba?"

  The new ior, unfamiliar with the situation at the Seawall District Secret Intelligence Bureau, was surprised that the captain of the Seawall District's special operations team, code-named after a venomous surned out to be such a beautiful woman.

  The new ior's anger dissipated siderably, thinking that perhaps he could start a good life in the Seawall District.

  "I asked them to verify the secret code on my appoi letter, but they all said to wait for you. It seems your prestige and ability are highly reized by them. I believe we will have a very pleasant colboration.

  Here is my appoi letter."

  The new ior used the e in his hand to push a dot on the desk forward, his eyes brazenly appraising Shelley's seductive figure.

  "Yes, I will verify the appoi letter immediately and also look forward t with you."

  Shelley picked up the appoi letter from the desk.

  Serial number: OEOFT3694457, correct!

  New ior's code name: Meteor, correct!

  These were all the obvious details; the st step was to verify the secret code.

  In the upper right er of the appoi letter was a se of text covered by a special alchemical coating. Removing the coating would reveal a set of secret codes.

  Using the secret code information to decode the dot would firm its authenticity.

  Shelley carefully observed the alchemical coating; it hadn't been tampered with.

  , she used a spell to remove the alchemical coating.

  Sure enough...

  "fox, turtle, codfish, yellow fg, tinfoil, square table"

  All the secret codes were correct.

  These were personally written by Her Highness, the Grand Princess.

  If there was a sed person who khe secret code in adva must have been Her Highness who told them.

  Perhaps the Grand Princess had written this appoi letter while in his arms.

  Shelley mischievously thought, then followed the procedure to decode the appoi letter using the secret code.

  All the anti-terfeiting information was accurate.

  "Sir," Shelley respectfully pced the appoi letter ba the desk, "I have pleted the verification of the appoi letter. It is handwritten by Her Highness Princess Agatha, appointieor as the ior of the Seawall District Secret Intelligence Bureau, fully overseeing the secret intelligence work in the Seawall District."

  With the firmation, the new ior finally exhaled the breath he'd been holding.

  "Since my appoi has been verified, I am officially your ior from this moment.

  Now..."

  Bang!

  A gunsh out.

  The new ior's head had a hole in it, and he fell bato the office chair.

  His eyes were open, staring bnkly at the subordinates in the room.

  At this moment, everyone in the room was looking at Shelley, who was holding a gun steadily, aiming at the new ior's body.

  Smoke was still ing out of the gun barrel.

  Someone excimed, "Agent Bck Mamba, do you know what you are doing? Are y to rebel?"

  "Bck Mamba, this is the ior sent to us by Her Highhe Grand Princess!"

  Fag her terrified colleagues, Shelley spun the gun before holstering it.

  "There's o be nervous, everyone. I was just following Her Highness's order to dispose of a 'pceholder.' The true ior Meteor of the Seawall District Secret Intelligence Bureau... is right here beside me."

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