Chapter 239

So… you’re not here to pick a fight? You’re actually here to thank me? Then what I just said earlier…

Looking at Leon who was vigorously shaking her hand, the female journalist remembered her own sarcastic provocation from before and her ears suddenly turned red as she felt an intense sense of shame.

And the person who successfully grabbed her hand wasn’t doing much better. After reading the intel given by [Materialist], Leon’s pupils couldn’t help but instantly shrink!

…

[Name: Incontact Hand (Flesh, Energy, Soul)]

[Appearance: Pale and delicate female hand that emits a faint white glow at night. No matter if it’s hacked by knives, chopped by axes, frozen, burned, cursed by witchcraft, or impacted by spiritual will, it cannot be harmed in the slightest.]

[Ability: Flesh Non-contact, Energy Non-contact, Soul Non-contact]

[Cost: Permanent loss of original hands]

[File: The hands of a nun who served the Secretive God all her life. From birth, she was chosen as one of the ninety-nine “Secret Keepers,” with her five senses completely sealed and destroyed.

Though she lived in this world, throughout her long lifespan of 150 years, she never interacted with it except through touch. She was truly a “non-existent secret keeper.”

As the nun neared the end of her life, her hands were taken by believers of the Secretive Church to be offered to the Secretive God. However, the Gemini Division of the Cleaning Bureau arrived just in time, killing all the believers inside the church’s base and disrupting the sacrifice.

After completing the cleaning task, the then Director of the Gemini Division found the nameless nun among a pile of corpses behind the altar and gave her an “Anomalous Seed.” In exchange for her hands losing the ability to touch anything, she gained her five senses for a day and a night as her life drew to a close.

After the nun passed away, the [Incontact Hand] born from her resolve was stored in the Gemini Division’s warehouse. Decades later, Nicole Koloman, a Level 1 Cleaner of the Gemini Division, lost her original hands during a mission and became the new user of the [Incontact Hand], continuing until now.]

[Assessment: An abnormal item with both upper and lower limits frighteningly low. Although it can resist any contact below True God level, it must be activated manually and used to block, so only those with incredible physical strength and reaction speed can unleash its full power.]

[Taint Value: 28.1]

Twenty-eight taint value! A Level 1 Cleaner of the Gemini Division!

Upon seeing the prefix before “Miss Nicole” in the [Incontact Hand]’s file, Leon’s mind buzzed. Many things he couldn’t figure out before immediately connected, and the doubts clouding his mind dissipated.

That’s right. With Aquarius Director’s habit of keeping backup plans, how could she possibly let the rebels go unchecked under the nose of the Red-haired Director? She would surely have a contingency plan in case they got caught by the Virgo Subdivision.

And the person she sent as a contingency plan is probably the Miss Nicole standing in front of him. This female journalist isn’t a rebel member, nor is she the daughter of the old Owens. Instead, she’s a Level 1 Cleaner of the Gemini Division, likely using some kind of anomalous item to infiltrate the rebels like himself! Moreover, during the rebel meeting, she was probably off eliminating Emma Senior’s enemy so Emma could be taken away by the General Bureau. And the person who broke into the Cleaning Bureau yesterday and took the fake photos must definitely be her!

As for evidence…

Glancing at the fine sweat on the journalist’s forehead and her obviously over-thick clothing despite the high indoor temperature, Leon reaffirmed his judgment.

If Miss Nicole were to take off her clothes now, there would surely be bandages all over her body. The reason she insists on wrapping herself tightly with a shawl is to cover the wounds caused by the Director’s hair!

Also, despite her obvious embarrassment and red ears, her face color hasn’t changed much. She’s probably wearing makeup or using an anomalous item to hide her pale complexion due to blood loss, which fits the thief’s condition.

Finally, Black Goat once said that its tail represents laziness and secrecy, so its ability might be to erase the scent after leaving the body, which matches the thief from yesterday perfectly. So…

“Sorry, I really didn’t know how to explain it properly just now, maybe I made you misunderstand.”

After calming down his agitated heart slightly, Leon released the delicate hand with a taint value of twenty-eight points, quickly switching on [Elite Performer]. He smiled warmly and explained:

“In fact, back then, I didn’t even know my connection to the Lane family. Even though I’ve been forced to inherit the title of Duke, I don’t intend to be a proper noble. Marrying into the royal family was just an excuse to get rid of the Duke identity.”

“I see…”

Seeing that Leon wasn’t dwelling on her previous “insulting words,” the embarrassed female journalist felt slightly relieved. She nodded awkwardly:

“So… you are quite special, Mr. Leon… hahaha.”

“No, although I’m special, you are even more special!”

Seizing the female journalist’s hands again and shaking them, Leon secretly unfastened the button on her wrist while saying with three parts sincerity and seven parts insincerity: “Miss Nicole, do you know how many newspapers and journalists I had to approach to expose this matter?”

Before the female journalist could answer, Leon, catching a glimpse of the bandage corner in her sleeve, exclaimed with a “moved” expression: “Nine! Within a day, I arranged meetings with nine newspapers, almost visiting every big and small newspaper in the capital that claims to speak frankly. But not a single person was willing to publish the story. Some even tried to grab me and directly seize the evidence!”

This is simply… too dark! That damn Lane family! I still get angry thinking about it now!”

No mistake in the content. Read it on 69 Book Bar!

“…”

Watching the newly appointed Lionheart Duke cursing the Lane family, the female journalist involuntarily opened her mouth slightly, seemingly wanting to say something but not knowing how to start. She closed her mouth obediently and mumbled a vague “uh-huh.”

“Miss Nicole, I knew you also disapproved of such matters, which is why you helped expose this incident! Sigh! If I had found your Sun Newspaper earlier, I wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble!”

Hearing the journalist’s “agreement,” Leon immediately seized the opportunity, praising her lavishly, calling her the savior of the kingdom’s media industry and the last conscience of the capital’s news sector.

With three parts sincerity and the strong boost from Elite Performer, Leon’s praise seemed particularly genuine, almost bordering on becoming a crazed fan. Finally, he praised the female journalist to the point where she couldn’t bear it anymore and waved her hands in refusal:

“No no no, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I’m really not as good as you say. My reports… uh… have a lot of shortcomings.”

“Haha, you’re being modest. But indeed, there are slight shortcomings.”

Leon seemed to recall something upon hearing this, nodded, and smiled: “For example, the few articles about me, Miss Nicole, you only heard others talk and didn’t get first-hand information, so there are indeed some minor inaccuracies in the reporting… How about this, Miss Nicole, are you interested in interviewing me exclusively?”

“Exclusive interview?”

“Yes! Exclusive interview!”

Leon smiled: “Although I’ve inherited the position of Duke, I still have a very special job in a small department under the Public Security Bureau. When you have time in a few days, would you like to come and interview me there?”

(End of Chapter)