The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1048

When Ves rigged the energy cells he pried off the paralyzed exoskeleton armors to explode, he underestimated their explosive yield.

How could he know that the elite guards of the Honored Ones made use of high-capacity infantry-grade energy cells? Although not as exaggeratingly stuffed with energy as ultracompact batteries, these high-capacity energy cells stored at least fifty percent more energy in the same volume compared to a regular one?

Of course, their price was a lot more expensive as well. Normally, an infantry troop would ordinarily carry spares or resupply themselves when they ran out rather than use these high-capacity energy cells.

The enormous blast that broke the gates into the formal conference chamber did more than breach an opening. It also cracked the floor, flung debris everywhere, heated the surroundings to a dangerous degree and unleashed a concussive blast that would have walloped anyone standing in the reception hall or the conference chamber!

The lingering heat and toxins from the site of the blast made it rather dangerous to cross through the smoke obscuring the conference chamber. Ves needed to at least wait for some time before the safer parts of the ground looked cool enough to walk over. Just to be safe, Ves momentarily diverted to place a low bench over the affected ground to walk over.

"Do you hear that? What is that sound?" Venerable Foster puzzlingly asked. The weakness in her body still didn’t allow her to walk by herself, forcing her to either sit on the ground or lean against Ves. She did not enjoy her moment of weakness. "If only the poison hasn’t affected me so much!"

"You should be lucky you can stay awake and talk." Ves retorted as he peered his ears into the other side.

The obscuring toxic smoke blocked most of his vision and dampened most of the sounds from the conference chamber.

Ves didn’t know whether he should wait outside for the smoke to fade or storm in and confront whatever went on inside.

"We should go in." Venerable Foster whispered as he leaned her against his body again. "If there are only friendlies inside, we should see if your improvised explosive injured them. If there are hostiles inside, this might be the time to take them out quickly."

"We don’t have any weapons."

"The detonation was your weapon. Are you so weak that you can’t finish off a human with your hands?"

Ves shrugged. Secretly, he held out his free hand behind his back and discreetly summoned the Amastendira. Whatever stuff was going on inside, he wouldn’t go inside unarmed.

With his decision made, they climbed up the low bench and walked over it, sparing their expensive shoes and their feet from getting scorched from the cracked and irregular surface of heated stone and glowing gunk.

As they entered the massive vault-like chamber, the huge window from above illuminated the massive ring-shaped table in the center.

Right now, most of the delegates sitting at two distinct sides of the table were unconscious. Just like the people outside the chamber, they too had been affected by the poison slipped into their bodies.

Yet different from everywhere else, two people managed to retain their consciousness. Not only that, they spent their time awake fruitfully.

"Major Deborah Sanawn!" Ves uttered in shock.

"Lord Brennan of House Novien!" Foster exclaimed as well.

Major Deborah Sanawn served alongside Lieutenant Colonel Xelven as his second-in-command during this assignment. While Ves hadn’t interacted with her much, he knew that Xelven considered her to be his protege within the Bureau of Sector Affairs.

As for Lord Brennan of House Novien, he was a cousin of Count Reginald of the same house. Count Reginald also served in the Mech Legion and acted as Colonel Xelven’s counterpart during the negotiations. The count held Prince Colchester’s direct trust, so in turn Lord Brennan should have been loyal to the prince in turn.

Yet what Ves and Venerable Foster encountered put the loyalties of the other pair into question. That was because they were sprawled close to the bodies of Colonel Xelven and Count Reginald!

Headless bodies!

"What have you done!?" Ves asked with horror.

The huge blast took Major Sanawn and Lord Brennan by surprise. Whatever they had been up to, they’d been rudely interrupted by the concussive wave that swept over their bodies and flung them a distance away from the two headless corpses.

"Look over there!" Foster weakly pointed with her chin. "They cut off the heads of our lead negotiators to smuggle them away!" _{freeweɓnovel.cøm}

Flung into a different direction, a pair of transparent cages held two macabre heads locked in artificial sleep.

They were the heads of Colonel Xelven and Count Reginald!

The only reason why they looked asleep and not dead was the machinery hooked up in the neck portion. As long as oxygen and blood circulated through their heads, their brains and the valuable information contained within would still be retrievable!

The plot immediately became apparent to Ves. The true threat did not solely come from the outside. Regardless of how much Senator Tovar and Prince Colchester vetted the members of their delegation, they completely missed the treachery brewing within their third-in-commands!

"Don’t move, Ves!" Major Sanawn yelled as she popped off the hand from her wrist to reveal an organic ballistic gun barrel within the exposed flesh! "I’ve read the reports! I know you are always armed! If you move that arm from your back, I’ll shoot!"

Ves inwardly cursed to himself. He finally paid the price of showing off the Amastendira. How many people had access to those reports?!

The concussive blast that bowled over the traitors affected their coordination. The organic weapon implanted within Sanawn’s forearm wavered in its aim, though not to the extent of missing the mark.

Lord Brennan apparently stood closer to the site of the blast because it took more time for him to regain his wits. Even so, soon he would be drawing out his own holdout weapon, doubling the danger Ves needed to face!

One way or another, he needed to resolve this matter quickly!