Chapter 83: Venue

After all, her parents possessed the only means currently available to the Human Federation to trace the ‘traces’ of the Apostles.

This alone was a sharp tool for investigating clues.

But her mother’s next words made her pay attention.

“Moreover, strictly speaking, the attack should have occurred two weeks ago. Someone had already set a ‘trap’ there back then! It was only ‘triggered’ a week ago!”

“Two weeks ago!?”

This was a far cry from the timeframe the organization had speculated.

Even Ephnel showed a hint of astonishment.

“Yes!”

Her mother’s answer was decisive.

“Mom, are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Yanase Kaoru gripped the edge of the briefcase tightly, her expression somewhat grim.

“Naoto, do you remember the analogy I gave you? Well then, what should a drop of ink look like as it spreads in water? If an external force stirs it, the ink will indeed spread faster, but at the same time, it will also break up its original shape, becoming a chaotic mess like a scrambled egg yolk. But your father and I found that the data we just collected clearly shows a very complete continuity. This means that the area was not strongly interfered with by other ‘magnetic fields’ at all!”

Yanase Kaoru analyzed quickly and continued: “This means that the dissipation of the ‘trace’ at this node, located on the east side of the headquarters, was entirely a result of natural formation. Therefore, we can use the coordinate axes of the surrounding areas as a reference and perform data deduction according to our research formula. The final conclusion reached through calculation is: the initial formation time of this ‘trace’ was actually fifteen days and eighteen hours ago! It wasn’t at the time of the Erosion disaster a week ago at all! The reason why the disaster of the Erosion attack on the headquarters occurred must be traced back to that time fifteen days ago. Someone set up some kind of ‘node’ there, which ultimately triggered the occurrence of the Erosion disaster!”

“‘Traces’ don’t lie, Naoto.”

Her father, Yanase Takuma’s, grave eyes were reflected under his glasses as he typed rapidly on the laptop.

“If I’m not mistaken, someone must have artificially disrupted the stability of the ‘Boundary Monument Network’ there fifteen days ago. The disaster that occurred a week ago was a completely planned attack.”

“Fifteen days ago…”

As Ephnel drove, she quickly searched her mind for what had happened fifteen days ago.

Eight days ago was when the Maesagawa area was attacked and destroyed.

Before that, she had to go back another seven days.

‘What was I doing back then?’

Her thoughts yielded no results.

To be precise, Ephnel couldn’t accurately recall what she did every single day, only vaguely remembering that she was quite busy during that period.

Asking Masaki Hinaki at a time like this might yield some useful conclusions, but Ephnel thought for a moment and didn’t take out her phone.

A single clue was not enough to make a final judgment.

What Ephnel needed was more and more sufficient information.

With her parents by her side now, this was an excellent opportunity.

If they could get any other information from the disaster three days ago, and combine it with the intelligence from the Special Disaster Division, it wouldn’t be too late to go to Masaki Hinaki then.

Sweeping away the unease in her heart, Ephnel stepped on the gas.

“Dad, Mom, let’s go check out the site from three days ago. I hope we can find something.”

“Then we’ll be counting on you…”

…

From a distance, parts of the sports stadium building had collapsed to varying degrees.

Some were the direct result of the disaster, while others were caused by the battle between the Apostle and Ephnel.

These buildings, damaged and collapsed in disaster attacks, would generally enter the reconstruction phase within a month.

This was the normal procedure, and it was also to facilitate subsequent investigations and rescues, or for value assessment and the issuance of financial subsidies.

Of course, the above process was not set in stone.

In this era, most industries and buildings were entirely the property of the city government, which, to some extent, was for the convenience of management.

The headquarters building, on the other hand, was an exception.

It entered the reconstruction phase soon after being destroyed.

Soon, Ephnel drove to the outside of the sports stadium.

The sports stadium was now cordoned off by long orange warning tape.

There were some special service personnel carrying out patrol or survey tasks in the vicinity.

Occasionally, passersby could be seen stopping to look up, and from time to time, some would take pictures before being advised to leave by the personnel on duty.

This was a corner of the city destroyed by an Erosion disaster, a scene Ephnel had seen countless times.

The blockade was not an obstacle for Ephnel.

She brought up her electronic correspondence and easily passed the verification.

“Miss Yanase, this is your temporary access permit.”

“What’s the situation inside now?”

Ephnel asked the officer who handed her the temporary permit.

“The preliminary survey is basically complete, and no abnormalities have been found. The rescue mission was declared over yesterday. This area is now under the jurisdiction of our Special Disaster Division, and we are handling the follow-up matters.”

The officer replied with an unchanged expression, neither humble nor arrogant.

The electronic correspondence Ephnel presented had a high security clearance level, and most of the information was inaccessible even to him.

He didn’t know who this “Miss Yanase” was, but the correspondence Ephnel showed was more than enough as proof of identity, thus granting her access to the site.

“I want to take a look inside. Are there any areas that require a second application to enter?”

“No, but you need to be mindful of your safety. Some parts of the buildings here have shown signs of fracture, and our survey personnel are worried that some areas may collapse,” the officer explained.

“If Miss Yanase insists on going in to check, please allow me to dispatch specialized personnel to accompany you. They will ensure your safety.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Ephnel smiled and shook her head gently, “Anyway, thank you for your kind offer. I will be careful on my own. You guys just do your jobs, don’t worry about me.”

The task her parents needed to carry out was the collection of the latest research data that had not yet been officially announced, and it was also a crucial part of achieving their goals.

Naturally, they couldn’t let others see it.

Besides, having Ephnel alone was already the safest protective measure.

After declining the officer’s kind offer, Ephnel drove the car into the restricted area and finally stopped in front of the east entrance of the stadium.

“Dad, can you detect any abnormalities here?”

“A little… but not clearly defined. Based on the data I obtained while you were talking to that person just now, I think we should go check out the eleven o’clock direction.”

“The eleven o’clock direction…”

Ephnel looked far into the distance through the car window.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, the eleven o’clock direction was exactly where her preparation room was located.

Ephnel frowned slightly.

“But before that, I want to take a look around here first.”

Yanase Takuma moved his gaze away from the computer screen, glanced at the half-collapsed stadium gate in front, and asked, “Naoto, can we go in here?”

“No problem,” Ephnel glanced around.

The sports stadium didn’t seem to have entered the reconstruction phase yet.

Occasionally, figures of people in charge of the investigation passed by, but other than that, there was no one else, and it was exceptionally quiet.

“But the car can’t go in. We’ll have to walk.”

“That’s fine. With you leading the way, let’s go in.”

…