Three days later.

Daphne is walking restlessly with Payneth, George, and other personnel of Enigma on the sidewalk of the busy street at Elite, towards the secret site of Chrono.

Yesterday Payneth explained it in detail to Daphne. And she no longer gave the explanation in her house, but instead in Enigma's office. Lawrence was also there, and even, together with the personnel of the Central Enigma who directly came from Neptune.

"We get the new evidence; it is indeed very shocking evidence. Stairmount Rivers is evidently the creator of the Sierra-NX635 Pathogen. The pathogen, as we have studied thoroughly, possesses a destructive power several times more terrifying than other biological weapons. The human beings infected with this pathogen will die in 5 days at the slowest, and the fastest is in a day, much faster than the death caused by Fuxa Pathogen. This pathogen attacks the brain, and destroys all blood vessels. As long as you can get the right blood samples for this pathogen to identify its prey, this pathogen can immediately kill without passing through transmission as normal pathogens do. The conventional method to prevent its spreadings like social distancing or quarantine will result in no effect." A member of the Central Enigma who works in the medical field, Natalie, explained.

"At this moment, Rivers is in Saturn. He and his team are in charge of examining the health condition of Saturn people. We suspect that it's just a pretext. What they actually are doing is taking the blood samples of Saturn people, which aims to pair them with Sierra Pathogen. This time they have arrived at Quartz, the farthest part of Saturn - which may be nearing the final stage, and it will soon be used by Jupiter to obliterate Saturn which has been their scourge all this time," Oliver, the delegation team leader sent by Central Enigma in Neptune, added.

Lawrence gazed at Daphne, very sharply. "We have learnt everything, Daphne," He said. "And we hope that you can cooperate with us."

After that, Lawrence put a black rubber watch on her left arm. As it was attached to her arm, Daphne felt her arm sting, as if it just got burnt.

She still didn't figure out, actually what was going on here. How did Payneth find out about Sierra Pathogen? That it is Stairmount who has created it? And that Stairmount will spread it in Saturn? She was one hundred percent sure that she had never spoken it out to Payneth, or George, or any of Enigma members. And when she surveyed the Chrono data that Payneth has hacked, it didn't mention Sierra Pathogen, either.

Therefore, how do they know? It has even turned into an uproar, to the point that the Central Enigma members have to make a direct intervention.

Besides, why did they treat her as a captive? They even put a strange watch on her arm. Actually, what was going on here?

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"What did Mr. Lawrence actually mean by; We have figured it out?" Could no longer stand for it, Daphne soon asked Payneth.

Payneth bit her lip. "They all have figured out, that you are Rivers' lover."

"What?!..."

"Well, you know. In an investigation, if they are about to arrest someone, they will arrest the people closest to them; parents, lovers, or children. So, well..."

"I become the hostage to capture Stairmount?!?" Daphne shouted angrily.

Payneth curved a wry smile. "They can't capture Rivers, that's the same with inciting the war between Neptune and Jupiter. Moreover Rivers is famous for becoming "The Young Hero of The Century" right now, if he is murdered, then not only Jupiter and its cronies, even the entire Planet will accuse Neptune as The Killer Nation, and thus will bring this case to international court without hesitation. All they can do is this - you become a deterrent to Rivers from carrying out that awful mission."

"I tell you, it is precisely because he is unwilling to do that, then I ask for your help!"

"Well, I know Daphne, I know," Payneth mumbled, she apparently more or less felt guilty. "I've also told them. That after all, you - who are Rivers' lover - are ethnic Neptunian, you are of the same blood with us, so you must be standing on our side, and not Jupiter. And Rivers himself, though has Jupiter citizenship, but actually he is an ethnic Saturnian, his ancestors came from Saturn - and it is enough to stop him from spreading Sierra Pathogen in Saturn. Well, anyway, it softens their hearts, that's why you're only wearing this rubber watch, which is only to mark your location, and you are not detained or followed by bodyguards after all... But well... you know, that procedure." Payneth sighed. "Politics is complicated, really. Whatever kind of dirty things can occur here. We hope you understand that."

Responding to Payneth's crinkle explanation, Daphne only replied with an irritated sigh.

"But you can rest assured, Daphne. The main reason I ask for direct help from Central Enigma, is none other than to free Rivers' parents. So, rest assured. Actually, we are going to help your lover escape from his cursed duty, as well as bring this Planet back to a normal peaceful life."

And, that is how everything is going on. Remaining silent, Daphne follows the Enigma personnel to the location where they have ever headed before.

It turns out that Stage Three - which is also the last stage of The Struggle To Free Stairmount's parents - is to approach a person who becomes the caretaker of the data repository. Payneth has managed to find the person. His name is Matthew Scotts, an elderly man of nearly eighty years.

"He is too old to keep living in this world, so he is chosen by Chrono to become the caretaker," Payneth explains.

"Why is it necessary to use an elderly as the caretaker?" Daphne asks.

"Because Chrono stores the data in one of his organs. To be precise, they do implantation."

"What?!?" Daphne shrieks in horror.

"That's why the chosen victim must be ready to die." Payneth nods slightly. "All we have to do is kill that person and destroy the data stored inside his body. After that, we can safely evacuate Rivers' parents to Neptune, or Saturn, or wherever kind of place, and thus Rivers has been free from that cursed duty."

Copyright © by boundless_universe