Chapter 87 Sky Fortress

The Barrier, the headquarters of the Alliance, is home to the most outstanding elites from another world, who engage in various secret activities.

This is a veritable sky fortress, capable of withstanding the low temperatures of the air during the day, but turning into a frozen hell at night.

Especially after passing the Great Snow Mountain, thousands of ice crystals will appear in the night sky and fall down at a fast speed.

Every night, I experience six hours of absolute darkness, with no stars in sight and no light source whatsoever, as if I've stumbled into a demonic realm.

Sometimes, the permafrost ice layer several kilometers away will suddenly crack, and a new ice layer will appear the next day.

Even Irenshere, who was used to living in the walls, did not want to waste his body heat on the coldest night.

He quickly climbed the smooth ice steps and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Someone was following him, but he thought the other person hadn't noticed.

As they passed through the second corridor, the pursuers realized they had lost their target and were about to turn back when a chill ran down their spine.

"Stand still."

A 5.45mm micro pistol was pointed at the guy.

“Irencel, look closely, it’s me.”

"White? Why are you following me?"

“If I’m not following you, someone else will.”

"What's the meaning?"

"What, you don't know yet? There's a mole within the stronghold, and you're being watched."

White was an agent who joined the Alliance at the same time as Ehrenshere. His cover code name was Owl. He carried out five S-class missions in nine years, one more than Ehrenshere, but his success rate was not very impressive.

At the same time, White was one of the few people Irenshere could speak to with confidence at the wall.

"Although there's no one here, whispering might attract attention. Let's find a more lively place."

White knew Erenshere's character and knew that as long as he followed him, they would surely find a relatively safe place.

However, to everyone's surprise, Irenshere actually led White to the only tavern in the fortress.

The tavern was packed with people, and there was a thin mist and lingering heat from the evaporation everywhere.

In the middle is a corridor about twenty meters wide, with two rows of low and wide ice shelves on both sides. Ice mist and haze swirl around the ice shelves, while fragrant hot air rises from them.

Above hung grilled meat, sausages, and roasted legs, all glistening with oil and steaming hot.

Two rows of tall cabinets stood against the wall. Looking inside from the doorway, the cabinets looked like bookshelves, but instead of books, they were filled with barrels of wine.

The largest source of fire comes from a giant brazier suspended from the ceiling, which weighs a thousand tons and is firmly fixed to the top.

A gust of wind blew in from outside, carrying the aromas of wine and meat.

There were about a hundred people gathered in the tavern, some with bright eyes staring intently at the corridor.

In the corridor, two agents are putting on a show of sparring.

One person holds another person's chin with their hand, while the other person uses their leg to lock the other person's throat; this posture has been maintained for a long time.

Some booers poured wine into the brazier, and the exploding sparks landed on the two people's bodies. The person who was pinned down seemed to be encouraged and suddenly lifted the other person over his head.

This is the agents' evening entertainment: honing their combat skills through sparring.

As soon as White reached the door, he saw Irenshere talking to a fat, big-eared female orc.

The female orc was broad-shouldered and burly, standing taller than Erenshel, and her entire body looked as if she had been fighting wild beasts for years.

"White, what would you like?"

"It seems there's nothing I like to drink. What about you, Irencel?"

"White beer, or card beer."

Erenshere and White found two empty seats and had just sat down when someone pulled out a gun and shot the empty bottle above the tavern owner's head. A small circular hole was burned in the center of the bottle, but the rest of it was intact.

Everyone applauded and cheered for the agent's superb marksmanship.

Not long after, another guy arrived, wearing a windproof scarf, professional leather gloves, a single-breasted black coat, and with his lips tightly pursed.

He unbuttoned the top two buttons, revealing the butt of a gun hidden inside his clothes, and fired another shot at the empty bottle that had just been shot, this time slicing off the bottle neck.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the tavern reached its climax, and all the agents rushed over, eager to show off their marksmanship.

There were almost no people in the row where Ehrenshere and White sat.

White then understood why Irenshere had brought him to the tavern.

The noisier the place, the less likely it is that discussions about certain things will be heard.

Irenshere opened the bottle for White, poured him a full glass, and pushed it towards him.

"You mean the high-ranking officials suspect I'm a mole? What's their reasoning?"

"They suspect you switched the recovered documents."

"Oh, if I said I hadn't seen that document, the high-ranking official certainly wouldn't believe me. White, let me ask you, have you ever heard of Leviathan?"

"A legendary sea monster that lives in the Leviathan Ocean."

How much do you know about that sea monster?

"Calling the wind and rain, no? Summoning storms, no? Irenshere, then how much do you really know?"

"The massive tsunami and undersea earthquake a month ago were both caused by Leviathan. The Alliance concealed the truth, and the interim government claimed that a series of volcanic reactions were caused by geological disasters. What are your thoughts on this?"

White's chest heaved rapidly, as if he had drunk a lot of alcohol, and there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"I have no opinion, but I do have quite a few questions about you."

"Oh? Tell me about it."

Where did you go last month?

Irenscher picked up his glass, drank it all in one gulp, and ate the meat clean.

“I went on vacation to the beach and rented a boat. Later, the boat was capsized by the waves and I was washed ashore on a small island. I lived on that island for a month. Fortunately, the search and rescue boat found me, otherwise I would definitely have died on the island.”

White sensed a certain quality in Erenshere: he was easy to talk to and reasonable. Judging from Erenshere's behavior just now, he could indeed associate him with police officers or detectives, or perhaps someone who did petty theft.

To test the waters, White cut to the chase: "Stop pretending, Ellen Sher. The Alliance suspects you leaked information about Leviathan. How can I help you if you don't tell the truth?"

Irenshere pretended to be drunk, as if a brick had hit his face from the sky, making him dizzy and weak in the legs.

"Oh, oh, Mr. Richie, have a couple more drinks with me."

"I am White."

"White? Oh, you and Richie look so alike, almost like twins."

"You and him could be twin brothers, because no one has ever seen Agent Richie from the intelligence group. Irenshere, you know him well, don't you?"

"who?"

"Who else? Richie, the one you just mentioned."

"Oh, oh, I just thought you looked a lot like him. Could I have been mistaken?"

White was increasingly unable to determine whether the Thousand-Faced Agent was truly drunk, so he tapped his fingertips on the table, making a clattering sound that would make a drunk person feel uneasy.

“I really can’t help you anymore, Irenshere. You won’t tell me anything, even though I was going to tell you about the vacant high-ranking positions.”

Irenshere's face grew paler and paler, and he let out a loud burp.

"Now that you mention it, I'm curious again. Which two unlucky guys were chosen for the high seats?"

You would never guess.

"Rich?"

"no."

"Hey! Beast Beauty, Gauss, give me a little bit too."

“That’s an empty bottle, Irenshere.”

"Why are you putting empty bottles on the counter, huh?"

"You've had too much to drink, Irenshere. Look at me, what are you holding between two fingers?"

After finishing his eighth glass, Irencel threw the empty glass on the ground, and it shattered.

"Two guns, two knives, two trump cards, who will win?"

“Irenshere, you’ve seen Leviathan, haven’t you?”

"What do you want? Another bottle, please!"

"You've heard of the Fifth Pillar, haven't you?"

"Survival of the fittest, elimination of the unfit. Ugh, I'm feeling a bit unwell. Come quick, while I'm still conscious."

"I'm leaving."

"Ugh, don't go. Maybe you're a coward."

White chuckled, concluding that the multifaceted agent was genuinely drunk.

Irenshere slept on the table for a while until he saw White leave the tavern.

He slowly spat out all the filth and wiped his mouth dry.

The burly beastwoman crept closer and asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Her face was flushed, she opened her collar, took out a weapon, and fired at me."

Upon hearing the code, the beastwoman immediately changed her expression and continued, "Red cheeks, round face, full mouth, and a firm chest."

Do you sell body doubles here?