Of course, Envy knew where Greed had gotten this name. She had purchased it from the Syndicate Union. That's why Envy hadn't thought much of it, the Syndicate Union would never typically allow such troublesome goods to enter their market.
But somehow, this name had slipped through, either due to some higher-up in the Syndicate Union playing tricks or because the power of the relic Albert mentioned was truly powerful to that extent.
Usually, legitimate names or surnames available for purchase in the Syndicate Union come from two main sources: names acquired through bribed government officials or the names of fallen noble houses sold for the prestige they carry.
Knowing Greed, Envy was certain she had obtained the Emberweave name from the latter source, wanting Daniel to stand out.
More importantly, while the Syndicate Union is an intricate network of underworld gangs, such as the mafia, triads, yakuza, and even terrorists, mostly composed of ordinary people. It doesn't mean they lack powerful mages to deter those from the Hightower.
[Shouldn't those mages have known how troublesome the name Emberweave is?] With this thought in mind, Envy decided to have a talk with Greed to get a clearer picture before proceeding with her business in South America.
— France —
In one of the high-rise buildings in Paris, marked by the prominent red 'Journal 24' sign on its rooftop, lies the headquarters of France's largest news channel, Journal 24.
This news channel is renowned for sensationalizing news, regardless of its accuracy. For them, the truth is secondary to viewership. This approach is why Journal 24 is the biggest, hottest, and most importantly, the most profitable news channel in France.
At the reception area of the headquarters, a package was delivered to the Chief Editor of Journal 24, Philippe Delacroix. The package was small, and after passing through a security scan, it appeared to contain only a USB drive.
"Is this for me?" asked a man in his early 50s as he checked the package. He wore a plain white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a loosely knotted blue tie around his neck. This man was Philippe Delacroix, the Chief Editor of Journal 24.
"Yes, Mr. Delacroix. The sender seems to be from the Qing Empire, but we couldn't find out much else about them," said the receptionist.
Delacroix unpacked the package and found a USB drive along with a note. The note referenced a Swiss bank account under the name 'Mr. Z.' It simply read, "This is just a sample. If you want more of this, transfer 1 million US Dollars to this account." No further instructions were provided.
Philippe Delacroix excused himself and proceeded to his office to check the contents of the USB drive.
In his office, Delacroix inserted the USB drive into his computer. There was only one file on it, and it was a video.
On the screen, a scene from the battle at the border of New Atlantis played out—footage captured from the helmet camera of a Seraphine soldier. The content was brief but contained sensational information, as it showed the final moments of a soldier who fell victim to a swarm of blade drones.
The Colonel adjusting his tie seemed to be a little bit uncomfortable as he heard the question before he let out a sigh.
"Honestly... I think it's terrifying. The missile technology is something we can replicate, but the heat generated by those missiles, capable of melting modern tank armor like that? That's beyond our current capabilities. And the automated anti-air turrets, along with those swarming drones with blades... they're outright terrifying," said the Colonel.
"How so?" asked the host.
"First, the anti-air capabilities." The Colonel began as the screen replayed the footage of the aircraft squadron being shot down.
"As you can see, the weapon emplacement deployed by Astral Corp is incredibly precise. It only took one round to bring down a heavy bomber from a high altitude, where conventional anti-air guns would be ineffective due to lack of velocity.
Then, there's the homing missile from Astral Corp's SAM systems. The missile didn't even deviate from the target, even when faced with decoys. It went straight to the aircraft, no matter what evasive maneuvers the pilot tried. It always hits the target." The Colonel paused before continuing.
The screen shifted to show the swarm of blade drones slaughtering Seraphine Isles infantry.
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"As for these... they could render modern urban warfare tactics completely obsolete. I don't know what these things are, but let's call them 'buzzing drones' based on their sound.
These buzzing drones behave like a swarm of locusts. It's nearly impossible to imagine such small drones in such massive quantities executing this swarm tactic. Judging by the footage, their numbers must be in the billions, maybe even trillions, to effectively flush out infantry hiding within a city.
Their movements are incredibly precise and coordinated to a terrifying degree, as if a super AI is orchestrating the entire assault.
I can tell you, this is not something we'll be able to replicate anytime soon. From what we've seen, it's like Astral Corp's technology is at least 50 years ahead of the rest of the world," the Colonel explained.
The host fell silent, clearly wanting to ask something, but sensing the Colonel had more to say, he remained quiet and allowed him to continue.
"And, from history, we all know what happens when a more technologically advanced civilization meets a less advanced one. That's when the stronger side doesn't have to worry about consequences because they can deal with them easily." The Colonel paused. "I'm genuinely concerned for the world. Let's just hope that Astral Corp is as peaceful as they claim to be."
"And what if they don't?" the host asked.
The Colonel gave a wry smile. He knew this channel loved sensationalism, but this... this was playing with fire. Still, it wasn't his place to correct them, so he answered the question.
"Pray to God, and hope that our brightest minds can catch up soon, because the lack of a counterbalance could lead to the tip of the scales," said the Colonel.