Munitions Empire

Chapter 2023 - 1885: An Accidental Gate

Beauty, extreme beauty, sometimes instead evokes timidity, even spawning a destructive desire to obliterate it. Like a delicate porcelain piece, its flawlessness breeds fear of contact, fear of shattering the serene harmony.

It’s like a beautiful girl, when her beauty reaches an unattainable level, it’s as if those sordid matters between men and women become mere desecration.

It’s like a stunning flower, when it blooms, many harbor an evil thought to pluck it, but you deeply agree with the ancient saying that it can only be admired from afar and not played with disrespectfully.

At this moment, Chang’an City is exactly like this, flourishing and prosperous, music and dance abound, crowds throng the streets, laughter and cheer resound endlessly, lanterns are decorated, flags flutter, a scene full of vitality.

The Empire’s Dragon Banner flutters in the wind, symbolizing the strength and glory of this nation, stirring pride in every Great Tang citizen’s heart.

Seeing the citizens gathered on Chang’an streets, looking at the streetlights and railings adorned with the Empire’s Dragon Banner, seeing the buildings covered by massive national flags, everyone would feel a surge of pride as Great Tang Empire citizens.

Yet, in Sofia’s eyes, all this seems like an elusive dream, illusory and ironic. Through the car window, she watches the bustling scene outside, but an indescribable bitterness rises in her heart. This era’s prosperity should have belonged to her, yet a thief stole everything that should have been hers! She feels detached, like an observer, coldly eyeing this grand celebration, heart full of absurdity and despair.

Her gaze is hollow and bewildered as she looks outside. In her view, the cheering crowds are merely a flock of sheep, blind to the impending disaster. She seems to see the crisis hidden beneath the flourishing era, sees the falseness and decay behind the prosperity. This feeling suffocates her, like falling into a bottomless abyss.

Her heart feels as if gripped by an invisible hand, unable to breathe. A feeling of unspeakable despair and pain spreads within her heart, corroding her soul like poison. She recalls the good old days, remembers those who once moved her heart, yet all has become ephemeral now.

She thought of him. A few hours later, he’d stand on a stage drawing everyone’s attention, receiving applause and blessings from the crowd. And she, if she didn’t do something today, could only hide in dark corners, silently watching it all, like a discarded toy.

This feeling was like watching one’s beloved toy, repeatedly played with in others’ hands; watching one’s beloved wear a gorgeous dress, stepping into another’s embrace... The heartbreak almost suffocates her. She tightly clutched the bomb remote control in her hand, her fingertips pale from exertion.

She truly couldn’t endure this emotion, unconsciously, her tightly-grasping hand started to unconsciously rub that modified bomb remote control, feeling the cold metallic texture, as if it was her only solace.

This made her more resolute in her decision, she wants to destroy it all, destroy this false prosperity, let this era become ephemeral, using it to mourn what she lost.

Destruction! Let it all be destroyed! If this era doesn’t belong to her, it might as well be completely destroyed! When everything returns to nothingness, her soul can at least find peace.

"Here we are, sir, ma’am." The driver, following the traffic, stopped at the checkpoint verifying identities and turned back to remind the two, each lost in thought. When the man returned to his senses, a reception staff had already pulled open the car door outside.

When Sofia emerged from the car, she amazed everyone around her. She was indeed beautiful enough that perhaps only someone like Ying Yue Iryn could compare to her.

Moreover, Sofia’s presence was entirely different from Tang Mo’s Imperial Concubines.

Alice and Yulin, long accustomed to high positions, naturally exude authority; Iryn and Ying Yue have cultivated a noble aura within the Great Tang Palace; Yue’er, more unorthodox, always possesses a naive and optimistic quality, like a girl next door.

Sofia indeed had a wild beauty; she always preferred women, or more precisely, never met a man she deemed worthy of her affection, so she was more like a fighter, like a beast, unyielding and sharp as a blade.

When she emerged from the car with her red hair, the eyes of several nobles around all gleamed. Although they accompanied female partners, upon comparison, it was evident their side fell short.

To ensure His Majesty The Emperor’s coronation ceremony’s security, strict checks began at least 1500 meters from the Observation Platform.

The scene’s order was well-maintained, VIPs with tickets queued, passing through two odd-looking door frames in pairs, then continued along the indicated passageway to their designated Observation Platforms. En route, there were reception guides, looking like the security assurance was very thorough.

Sofia walked toward the security check area with graceful steps, the crisp sound of her high heels striking the ground. She held her head high, attempting to appear nonchalant, yet the tension within made her palms sweat.

She was certain that today’s search wouldn’t involve a body check. After all, these are nobility, how could they casually let someone touch their wives? Especially since where she hid the weapon and the bomb detonator was very close to private parts; if those were to be checked, this celebration wouldn’t even take place!

But she still overlooked the technological progress of the Great Tang Empire; she truly hadn’t expected metal detectors to be applied in security checks. Those damned metal gates, with their unfamiliar technological advances, resolved many awkward security issues...

This is the first large-scale application of metal detection technology in security checks, previously used to some extent in demining, but the direction was entirely different. Although similar technology had been used in the Forbidden City for a long time, in reality, as a secret weapon, it had been installed inside the passage wall all along, and not many people knew about this device.

So, when Sofia passed through the metal detector gate, a sharp alarm suddenly sounded, breaking the previously peaceful atmosphere—and Sofia was startled as well. After all, hidden beneath her skirt was a petite handgun, along with the remote control she had nervously clutched all the way.

The sudden, piercing sound tightened her heart as if an invisible hand had gripped her throat. She had never seen such a new security device, and her original plan was completely shattered at this moment.

"Ma’am, are you carrying any prohibited items? If so, please hand them over immediately... to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings." The female security check officer standing in front of Sofia reminded her.

Sofia truly hadn’t anticipated this strange yet advanced security technology being used at His Majesty The Emperor’s coronation ceremony. She hadn’t even gotten close to the Observation Platform before being stopped by the outer checks.

At this distance, she wasn’t even sure if the detonator could successfully trigger the bomb that was supposed to be buried within Tang Mo’s coronation main platform. There was still more than 1500 meters separating them from the bomb.

But she had no choice left—whether she handed over the handgun now or not—she certainly wouldn’t have the qualification to proceed to the Observation Platform to continue attending Tang Mo’s coronation ceremony... She would immediately be treated as a suspicious person and detained, then repeatedly interrogated...

How could she withstand an investigation? Her identity is fake; her hands are stained with blood... If they isolated her fake husband for just 12 hours, once his addiction kicked in, he would confess everything!

"Make up an excuse! Quickly concoct an excuse!" This was the temporary solution Sofia thought of in her mind. Just say she stuffed something strange in private places... Just say her husband actually has some kind of fetish... Such secret indiscretions, surely these security personnel wouldn’t immediately make it difficult... Sofia’s mind was racing; the fact she had gotten this far showed she had some quick wit.

While she was constantly thinking, time was ticking away. Seeing her somewhat slow reaction, the female security officer blocking her path had her eyes grow sharper.

In the next moment, unable to withstand the pressure, Sofia’s fake husband finally broke down. He had been unwillingly held by Sofia, and given his body had already been hollowed out by Black Crow, he couldn’t withstand such immense mental stress. While Sofia was pondering her next step, he suddenly hugged his head and ran, crashing into the crowd behind him and shouting loudly, "It’s all her! She forced me! I’m innocent! I don’t want to die!"

Sofia inwardly cursed as terrible, still trying to think of countermeasures and negotiations, but that useless accomplice had already completely exposed them!

With the man’s meltdown, the surrounding guards also swiftly reacted, skillfully surrounding her, watching Sofia vigilantly, their batons emitting cold glints.

The encirclement grew tighter and the pressure increased. Sofia knew she had no way out. She took a deep breath, a resolute glint flashing in her eye. No longer pretending, she swiftly drew a handgun from beneath her skirt, the black barrel aimed directly at the nearest guard.

The startled guards also raised their weapons in the next second, the tension palpable.

At the moment when someone unlocked their gun, ready to give this audaciously beautiful woman a taste of Great Tang’s shock, Sofia raised the detonator high above her head. Her knuckles whitened from tension as she shouted with a trembling voice, "I have a bomb here! Don’t come any closer!"

Her words caused everyone’s actions to halt; the guards who were about to rush in stopped. It was easy to kill this lunatic, but if they couldn’t find the dangerous bomb she spoke of, there would be big problems.

"Calm down! Relax! This lady..." The female security officer near Sofia spoke to comfort her, "Don’t be rash! This is very dangerous!"

"I know!" Sofia adjusted the gun’s target towards the speaking female officer, "Shut up!"