Chapter 141: Emergency plan

The video just started, and Minister Shi felt frustrated again.

"I'm in charge of the equipment department, not some magical toolkit from the future," he muttered. It didn't help that the equipment they were working on seemed outdated compared to what Batman used.

Despite their hard work, the equipment department was close to giving up. They had finally made some progress on the small gadgets Batman used when they were hit with another setback. The technology they were up against seemed impossible to match.

The equipment department had tried developing exoskeletons—both powered and unpowered. The unpowered ones were lightweight but offered minimal protection. The powered ones were heavy, expensive, and had short battery life, making them impractical.

Batman's gear, however, seemed to defy all expectations. Its lightweight and powerful design was mind-blowing and unlike anything they had ever seen. It didn't fit any known design principles or energy use.

The team had become somewhat used to being amazed by Batman's technology. However, they now had bigger problems.

The aircraft they were on was having constant issues, and even the team members who worked on it daily were starting to feel uneasy.

Minister of Operations Hercules confronted Luo Yajun, upset that Luo had chosen to work with unknown masked lunatics rather than relying on their own team. "Do you not trust your teammates or the organization?" Hercules demanded.

Luo Yajun was blunt, admitting that he felt his teammates might either be actors or not very useful. He said he'd rather wait for the reinforcements to arrive.

Hercules was furious, accusing Luo of having mental problems and saying he needed to be punished. Despite this, some people began to see Luo's point. 

Chen Meiyue, a member of their team, had been replaced by an imposter who had fooled everyone since joining. It was like discovering a top MI5 director was a foreign spy all along.

This imposter had the ability to mimic others perfectly, including their fingerprints and DNA, making it nearly impossible to detect them through standard methods. However, regular psychological evaluations should have revealed something, which made everyone uneasy.

"I don't think the dead are acting alone," Minister Hercules said. "They likely have sponsors and support. This issue won't be resolved easily."

"Maybe," replied the Minister of Finance, "but that doesn't change the fact that we have internal issues." More and more people were questioning the Nine Offices' ability to handle the situation, pointing out the problems with managing phantom affairs and internal chaos.

"We've struggled to handle the strange abilities of the Phantom, and we don't fully understand the abilities, identities, and backgrounds of Batman and those masked heroes. We even have to rely on them in some cases to prevent things from getting worse," the speaker said, looking somewhat helpless.

"Unfortunately, some of the criticisms are not entirely unreasonable."

Everyone was silent.

It was true; while Secret Service Nine managed to control the situation early on, their performance had faltered since encountering the Phantom.

"There's also the issue with Evidence A-086. It's still missing, and we don't know what it's for. The only clue we had is now lost." 

Old thief Miyazaki spoke up.

"There's been some progress. You might have heard that some sources of infection give off trace amounts of radiation. By tracking these radiation signals, we sometimes can locate the source of infection.

Evidence A-086 is such a source, and I've been trying to find it since it disappeared from the airship. The radiation has been weak, and our detectors haven't picked it up until recently."

Everyone's attention shifted.

"So, it's starting to show up again, right?"

"Yes," Miyazaki confirmed. "A few hours ago, the radiation suddenly increased, and Evidence A-086 became active. We've tracked it down and found its location."

The big screen switched to a map.

Someone recognized the location. 

"Here it is..." 

"That's where Agent Leng Ji led the team to explore an underground building," Miyazaki said.

Everyone remembered now. Leng Ji had turned against his team and killed them, and he hadn't been heard from since. The entrance had been destroyed, and the underground space had collapsed, making further exploration risky.

"You're saying they hid the evidence in those ruins?" asked the Operations Minister.

"They mentioned a 'key.' If there's a key, there should be a lock," Miyazaki said. "It's possible that the lock might already be open."

"Okay, then we need to get in there and check it out," Minister Hercules said. "We need to gather a team and regain control of the situation as soon as possible."

"If we can regain control," the Treasury Secretary added, "our current system isn't effective against the Phantom. Our agents may not be able to handle it."

"Alright, that's enough for now," Chairman Li Changcheng said. "The current approach isn't working against the Phantom. However, we've noticed this issue, and Professor Miyazaki has proposed an emergency plan."

He looked at Miyazaki, who was focused on the screen, seemingly detached from the discussion.

"The plan is still being finalized, but you'll be informed soon," Chairman Li said, turning to Minister Hercules. "Mobilize resources and take action by tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," Hercules responded.