She is a natural disaster.

Chapter 69 Hidden Crisis

The atmosphere in the manor became tense once again, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Mr. Stone glanced at Bill Montague beside him, then at Anastasia. What on earth were these two up to?

From the beginning until now, Bill Montague has maintained a polite demeanor, and he has agreed to all of the Bureau of Paranormal Investigations' unreasonable demands for security reasons. He seems to take tonight's negotiations very seriously.

Anastasia, on the other hand, is almost the opposite of Bill. First, she injured an investigator from the Bureau of Abnormal Investigations, then she had a verbal altercation with Dulles, and now she is demanding a physical search of Lonkinswait. Is Anastasia trying to stop tonight's negotiations?

Mr. Stone was somewhat confused, so he gestured to the investigators with his eyes, telling everyone to be careful.

Just as the team from the Bureau of Anomalies was on tenterhooks, Mr. Lonkinswit pushed aside Dulles, who was blocking his way.

"I've come with good intentions," Lonkinswit said. "Since Montagu Estate has already been inspected, I should also be inspected by the Bureau of Investigation."

As he spoke, Mr. Lonkinswit looked at Stone, waiting for Stone, representing the Bureau of Investigation, to give the order.

"In that case, I apologize for the inconvenience," Mr. Stone said.

Lonkinswait said nothing more; he opened his arms, ready to be examined.

"Excuse me, Mr. Lonkinswait." Iris Warren stepped forward; as the captain, it was more appropriate for her to conduct the examination.

The physical examination of Lonkinswit was quick and perfunctory; Warren soon moved on to Dulles.

Dulles also opened his arms to receive Iris Warren's examination.

“No problem,” Warren said. “Neither Mr. Lonkinswit nor Mr. Dulles were carrying weapons.”

The transitions are just that—transitions. The Beyonders themselves are weapons. Dulles doesn't need to carry or use any weapons to easily kill ordinary people, or even some Beyonders.

"Very good, I think we can now begin our formal discussion tonight," Mr. Stone said. "The Bureau of Investigation hopes that the two of you can shake hands and make peace, and I personally hope that you can resolve your dispute."

The Bureau of Anomalies and Mr. Stone didn't really care about the outcome of the negotiations; it would be best if they reached an agreement, but it didn't matter if they didn't.

They just hoped that Montague and Lonkinswit would restrain themselves and stop making a big fuss, as the stability and prosperity of the Upper Town couldn't withstand their antics.

"Mr. Lonkinswait," Bill glanced at Lonkinswait, "and Mr. Stone," he then looked at Stone, "this way please."

With that, Bill Montagu led the two into the reception room.

The spacious and bright reception room was simply furnished, with only an elegantly decorated long table and a few high-backed armchairs; there was no other furniture.

Bill Montague, as the owner of the estate, walked to one end of the long table and naturally sat in the head seat, while Lonkinswit sat at the other end of the table, with an entire table separating them.

Mr. Stone, the middleman, was indeed a middleman. He sat in the middle of the long table, impartial and seemingly unbiased.

The elderly butler, with his white hair, served tea, then turned and walked out of the reception room, closing the heavy wooden door behind him.

Only three people participated in the negotiation: Iris Warren, Dulles, and Anastasia all stayed outside the drawing room.

However, the three Transcendent beings who remained outside the reception room had completely different mindsets.

Anastasia sat casually on the windowsill, looking out at the courtyard through the diamond-shaped window.

Dulles asked the old butler for an armchair, dragged it to a shady spot, and sat down leisurely, looking quite relaxed.

Only Iris Warren looked tense. She stood at the entrance of the reception room as if facing a formidable enemy, her eyes constantly shifting between Anastasia and Dulles, closely observing their movements.

At this moment, Iris Warren put aside her previous ulterior motives and no longer hoped that Anastasia and Dulles would fight. She only hoped that the two could get along peacefully. As long as the two did not fight during the negotiations, Warren's mission would be considered to be initially completed.

The task seemed simple—just mediating—but Iris Warren couldn't help but curse inwardly. She was just a small combat squad leader; if these two really started fighting, how could she possibly mediate?

That's why Iris Warren looked so nervous; she was cursing under her breath while figuring out how to deal with the potential crisis.

Fortunately, Anastasia and Dulles were very accommodating, each sitting on one side and ignoring the other.

Dulles ignored Anastasia because he knew he was no match for her and dared not continue to provoke her or stir up her emotions.

Anastasia ignored Dulles because she didn't care about him at all; she cared about someone else entirely.

Tonight, Dulles was the only one by Lonkinswit's side, which was tantamount to going to a meeting alone—no, it should be said that he was empty-handed.

So the question is, where did Lonkinswain get the courage to come to the meeting empty-handed?

Both sides knew very well that tonight's negotiations were just a conspiracy, a conspiracy that would determine who lived and who died. So what was Lonkinswait relying on?

Even if the Lonkinswit family is known for its gamblers, and even if Mr. Lonkinswit himself is a compulsive gambler, he should at least have some decent cards to play. He couldn't possibly go all in with just Dulles as his hand.

As darkness fell, the streetlights in the manor began to illuminate the scene.

From time to time, a few words could be heard from the closed reception room. Both sides seemed to be restrained, with no extreme words or actions.

In the brightly lit entrance to the reception room, Iris Warren raised her hand and gently rubbed her temples. She felt extremely tired, and the constant monitoring of Anastasia and Dulles's movements had left her mentally and physically exhausted.

Dulles, with his long hair flowing down his shoulders, moved his armchair to a different position. He seemed to dislike brightly lit places, frowning from time to time and occasionally taking out his pocket watch to check the time.

Anastasia remained seated at an angle on the windowsill, looking like a sculpture placed there, completely still.

Just then, the door to the reception room opened, and Mr. Stone came out.

"Mr. Stone, how is it?" Iris Warren asked hurriedly, desperately hoping the negotiations could end there.

As Mr. Stone closed the door, he shook his head and said, "Mr. Montague and Mr. Lonkinswitter want to speak alone, so I'll come out now."

The conflict between Montague and Lonkinswit was triggered by a catalyst, and the two could not possibly discuss such matters in front of the Bureau of Abnormal Investigations. As long as Mr. Stone was present, their negotiations would not make any progress.

The Bureau of Anomalies and Mr. Stone were well aware of this, so after confirming that both of them could remain restrained, Mr. Stone found an excuse to withdraw from the negotiations, allowing Montagu and Lonkinswit to speak freely and move forward with the negotiation process.

Regardless of the final outcome of the negotiations, the Bureau of Anomalies has already completed most of its mission. Once the negotiations conclude safely, their mission will be completely accomplished.

Whether the two sides continue fighting to the death tomorrow or truly shake hands and make peace is beyond the control of the Investigation Bureau.

However, Mr. Stone subtly reminded Lonkinswait not to go too far and not to make things difficult for the Bureau of Abnormal Investigations.

"Mr. Stone, how long do you think their negotiations can last?" Iris Warren asked.

"Uncertain," Mr. Stone shook his head again. "Maybe soon, maybe slowly."

As he spoke, Mr. Stone looked out the window.

Mr. Stone was startled. He quickly went to the window and looked carefully at the courtyard shrouded in night.

"Miss Angel, do the workers at the manor always finish work at this time?" Mr. Stone asked curiously.

The courtyard was deserted at this moment, devoid of any human presence. The sculptures by renowned masters looked even more eerie and unsettling.

"I think so," Anastasia said. "Mr. Montague is a conscientious capitalist; I've never seen him exploit the workers on the plantation."

Mr. Stone thought about it carefully and then realized that he had only seen the old butler in the house, and had not seen any of the other servants.

At that moment, Iris Warren leaned over and whispered to Mr. Stone, "There seem to be too few workers at Montagu Manor; it's simply not enough to keep the manor running properly."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Stone looked at Anastasia again and asked, "Miss Angel, has Mr. Iniz Blatt really left Gloria?"

Dulles, sitting in the shadows, suddenly looked up. He could ignore the number of workers in the manor, but he couldn't ignore the whereabouts of Iniz Blatt. A man-made disaster-level transcendent was already a top-tier combatant.

"Mr. Stone, please forgive me for not being able to answer your question."

Anastasia looked at Stone apologetically and then said, "This is the employer's family matter, I don't know much about it."

Mr. Stone's breathing became heavy. He pressed on, "Mike is your target, you should know where he is. Did he really go to church?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, Mike should still be at the church," Anastasia said. "You know, Father Lawrence has always admired promising young people, and he and Mike should get along well."

At this point, Mr. Stone had fully realized that the so-called negotiations were nothing but a conspiracy.

The manor had a small number of workers to facilitate evacuation, and Mike went to the church to seek Father Lawrence's protection.

This means that Montague Estate is prepared for disaster, and Bill Montague believes that Lonkinswit will make his move against him tonight!

Mr. Stone looked at Dulles, who was sitting in the shadows, and asked in a deep voice, "Mr. Dulles, do you have anything to say now?"

"No, Mr. Stone," Dulles said. "Nothing will happen until the negotiations are over."

Mr. Stone looked at Anastasia again and asked in a deep voice, "Miss Angel, do you have anything to say?"

Anastasia shook her head; she had nothing to say.

"Now, I must leave the manor. Please do not stop me," Mr. Stone said as he walked toward the foyer.

Mr. Stone realized that a very serious fight was likely to break out next. What he needed to do now was not to persuade Montague and Lonkinswait to stop, but to call for backup.

In order for tonight's negotiations to proceed smoothly, and in order not to embarrass the Bureau of Abnormal Investigations, Mr. Stone was also prepared.