"What do you know?"

"Princess Aier, please summon King Cain and Prince Kester. Also, have them bring the three nuclear bombs from storage. Ruoyun, go and call Dragon Captain, General Jin, and the others."

"Alright!" Yu Ruoyun said firmly, turning to leave.

"A meeting in the palace?"

"That works."

Wang Lan and the other two left the research institute to carry out their separate tasks. An hour later, high-level officials from the Kingdom of Ice and Snow and the head of the support team gathered in the palace conference room.

Once everyone had arrived, Wang Lan stood up and approached the three nuclear bombs guarded by Ice Snow warriors. As Wang Lan got close, the three warriors immediately became alert.

"After the Different Dimensional Space is destroyed, the nuclear bombs will be taken to Jade Country for destruction. So, even now, we should have the authority to deal with them, right?" Wang Lan said. In a flash, he transformed into the Nether Butterfly. When he reappeared, the three nuclear bomb detonation devices were already in his hand.

Seeing this, Prince Kester stood up abruptly. "Wang Lan, what are you doing? The Different Dimensional Space still exists, and the nuclear bombs haven't been handed over yet."

"I just want to explain why the two nuclear bombs snatched by Paradise Bird exploded, and also to explain what kind of calculation the mastermind behind the scenes is making."

Wang Lan placed the three detonation devices on the table in front of him.

"What I'm trying to say is that Paradise Bird thought they had snatched the nuclear bombs Bear Country brought for trade. But in fact, the two nuclear bombs they obtained had been swapped out. The two nuclear bombs brought by Bear Country were actually two of these three."

As soon as these words came out, the people present showed puzzled looks. They found Wang Lan's statement a bit convoluted and took a moment to process it.

"Since the nuclear bombs suddenly exploded last time, I've been wondering whether the explosion was accidental or a carefully arranged trap. That's why these past few days I've been asking Princess Aier to secretly investigate.

Tonight, Princess Aier came to me with some clues. Initially, in the ruins of the Ger Hotel, two destroyed objects were found. General Stephen from the former National Security Agency had ordered an official to destroy them.

But the official found it suspicious and secretly kept the two pieces of evidence. After scientific research, it was discovered that these two objects were highly encrypted signaling devices, speculated to be nuclear bomb detonators.

The investigation following the explosion at the Ger Hotel also confirmed that the final explosion was not from a Star Martial Skill collision but a Star Martial Warrior's self-destruction. Since the two nuclear bombs had already been stolen by the other party, why would the Star Martial Warrior from Bear Country self-destruct?

Now I know. They did it to destroy the nuclear bomb detonators. A nuclear bomb only has one detonator, and it cannot be duplicated. If the detonator is destroyed, the nuclear bomb itself can only be decommissioned. So... the two nuclear bombs taken by Paradise Bird could not possibly have been detonated."

"But... their nuclear bombs still exploded," King Cain asked, his face full of confusion. However, aside from him, everyone else seemed to have grasped the key point.

"That's because the two nuclear bombs snatched by Paradise Bird weren't the ones brought by Bear Country at all. They had been swapped—swapped with two of the three nuclear bombs from the already completed transaction.

So, the nuclear bomb detonators were never in the hands of Paradise Bird but have always been with the mastermind who swapped the bombs. This explains why, at the moment the nuclear bombs exploded, the Paradise Bird members had that look of utter disbelief on their faces.

Because they knew the two bombs with destroyed detonators were duds. Truly a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind! The question now is, who has the authority to take nuclear bombs out of the royal armory? Who is the mastermind behind swapping the two nuclear bombs?"

As the conversation reached this point, even King Cain, however reluctant he was to believe, had to face the facts. His face pale, he turned to look at Prince Kester, whose expression was as dark as still water.

"Kester, only the two of us have the authority to use the nuclear bombs... Who else did you tell?"

"Brother, would you tell anyone else?" Prince Kester asked with a faint smile in return.

"Of course not."

"Neither would I!" Prince Kester said with a cold smile. "Paradise Bird has too much evidence of our cooperation with them, like a noose tightening around our throats.

Three years ago, our collaboration with Paradise Bird began; it was like quenching thirst with poison. Did we think that after the five Different Dimensional Spaces were destroyed, the Kingdom of Ice and Snow would be reborn? Too naive. From that point three years ago, the Kingdom of Ice and Snow had already severed its own lifeline.

Paradise Bird will not let the Kingdom of Ice and Snow go. If we show the slightest sign of non-cooperation, the evidence of our collaboration will be laid before the international tribunal.

More than ten days ago, Paradise Bird approached me. The item they had been searching for for three years had been taken by someone from Jade Country, and they wanted my help to retrieve it. If even they couldn't get it back, how could I?

So I made a plan with Paradise Bird, just as the trading deadline for Bear Country's last two nuclear bombs approached. It was I who swapped the bombs during the inspection. This was all my plan."

"Did you do this to kill the people from Paradise Bird?" King Cain asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"There were plenty of opportunities to blow up Paradise Bird," Wang Lan interjected. "But you chose to detonate the bomb precisely when we were making the exchange. You wanted to kill more than just Paradise Bird; you also wanted to kill Princess Aier, didn't you?

When we first arrived, we encountered a missile attack. That was you too, wasn't it? You told Paradise Bird the exact flight path and timing. Your aim was to lure Princess Aier into going deep alone. Paradise Bird wanted to disrupt this aid mission, so your goals aligned perfectly.

The bald man Princess Aier encountered that day was actually dispatched by Paradise Bird at your instruction. You've been planning to kill Princess Aier from the very beginning. Am I right?" Wang Lan's words made everyone tense up.

"Kester, is what Wang Lan is saying true?" King Cain stood up abruptly, like an enraged lion, and demanded.

"Heh heh heh... All this talk of brotherly love and affection... but when it comes to Aier, look at you now, not even recognizing your own kin... It truly disgusts me."

"So it's true... Kester, she is your niece!" King Cain's words seemed to drain all his strength. In an instant, he looked utterly defeated.

"Uncle Kester, can you tell me why?" Princess Aier asked calmly. In her memory, Uncle Kester had always cherished her, always protected her from her father's scoldings. Why... why had he suddenly become so unfamiliar?

"Why? Because for the past five years, your father has been paving the way for you. He pretended I was the first in line for succession, but all the while, he was clearing the path for you to become Queen. He wanted to change the tradition of monarchical succession in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow.

The Kingdom of Ice and Snow has existed for three hundred years, and there has never been a queen. If past ancestors had no sons to inherit, a brother or a nephew was always chosen from among the closest blood relatives to take the throne. Yet now, he actually wants to pass the crown to you.

And you... now you're exchanging flirtatious glances with this Wang Lan. Aier, I cannot stand the thought of a yellow-skinned man becoming the King of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. Not only do I disapprove, but the entire nation will never consent."

"You!" Princess Aier stood up, a mixture of shame and anger in her eyes; the last traces of affection she held for him were thoroughly extinguished.

"Alright," Wang Lan said, "we're not interested in watching a family drama. Do you want to sort it out yourselves, or shall we do it for you?"

"No need to trouble yourselves!" With that, Kester suddenly pulled out a gun and pressed it against his own head. "Cain, think about it. If Aier becomes Queen, she will throw herself into Wang Lan's arms without a second thought. What color will her children be? How will the people of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow view our royal family? Think about it!"

BANG!

The gunshot rang out. As King Cain cried out in shock, Kester fell to the ground.

Wang Lan felt emotionally detached from the scene. He found Kester's final reasons particularly laughable. Ultimately, it was all a power struggle. Such things were classic scenarios in every dynasty of ancient China from his previous life; he was all too familiar with these tired old tropes. Kester sounded so noble and upright, but in the end, it was nothing more than 'the victor is crowned king, the defeated is branded a bandit.' Knowing his plot was exposed, he had simply chosen death.

"Congratulations, Host, for exposing the mastermind. Reward: 50,000 experience points and 1,000 skill points." The system prompt sounded at just that moment.

The show was over, and Wang Lan and his company left. Before departing, Jin Wenbing took the three nuclear warheads. Although two of them were duds, it was still dangerous to leave them in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow.

King Cain, perhaps too preoccupied to care or perhaps with no desire to stop them, allowed Jin Wenbing to leave with the three suitcases containing the nuclear warheads.

After three days of rest and a simple funeral for Kester, the army of four thousand marched out once again. This time, the people of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow lined the roads to welcome them. They cheered fervently, tears streaming down faces lit with hopeful smiles.

Only one Different Dimensional Space remained. With its closure, the suffering of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow would finally become a thing of the past. Time and again, hope had been followed by despair. The people of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow had grown numb, no longer daring to believe.

It was precisely for this reason that their previous expeditions had been met with somber expressions. It wasn't that they didn't trust; they simply dared not harbor hope. The cost of further despair was too great; they couldn't bear the consequences.

Now, only the last one remained. The dawn of victory was not just a fleeting glimpse but was already shining like the sun upon the land.

Perhaps it was the emotions, suppressed for so many years in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow, that had finally erupted. The four thousand warriors advanced like an unstoppable force, each seemingly transformed by the light of hope into a dazzling figure.

The warriors were all fired up, and the Exotic Beasts within the Different Dimensional Space were in for a terrible time.

On the first day, they advanced fifty kilometers. The squads fanned out, and within two days, they had almost secured control of the entire Different Dimensional Space. On the fifth day, they successfully located the spatial node.

Under a flurry of consecutive strikes from Princess Aier, the spatial node shattered and collapsed.

The fourth Different Dimensional Space was far more powerful than the third, yet to everyone, it felt easier to handle. If not for the grim, undeniable casualty figures, this perception might have even seemed like reality.

「Ice City Airport, colorful banners fluttering.」

Unlike the desolation that had greeted their arrival, the airport was now decked out in vibrant colors. Besides the solemn ceremonial guard and nobles from all across the Kingdom of Ice and Snow, thousands upon thousands of citizens surged into the airport to bid farewell to their heroes.

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