The Champion told everyone, aside from the two manipulated Shields, to leave the Containment Unit.
Then, the Champion excused himself.
After that, the Champion went to his office and looked at the database.
Their database had been damaged many times by the Trickster, and almost all of the old data was gone.
But that wasn't so bad. Their new database was far better and had far more information.
The Champion typed something into the search console and got thousands of hits.
Then, he started to read every single page of every result.
The amount of useless knowledge he accumulated by doing that was astounding.
'None of this fits,' he thought.
'I'm grasping at straws here, but I have to try everything.'
Next, the Champion walked to an isolated room that barely anyone used.
Inside the room, he saw a huge device.
This was their old database.
The first one.
The one that had been encrypted.
The Champion took a deep breath and started to type away.
Centuries had passed since that database had been encrypted, and humanity had made a lot of progress during these centuries.
Over the next months, the Champion built several machines.
His technological experience had long since outclassed the dead Tinkerer and Technician.
Additionally, they had access to a bit of Pure Energy.
Could there be a way for Pure Energy to decrypt the old database?
For several years, the Champion worked on the database.
Nothing of note happened in the outside world during that time.
The Trickster wouldn't strike again.
It would be stupid to strike again since that would be an unnecessary risk.
And regarding Nurse Alice, the Champion had to wait for several Shields to advance anyway.
After ten full years, the Champion looked at the old database.
He had done it.
He had decrypted the old database!
Everyone else would consider this to be a wasted effort.
After all, their new database had hundreds of times more knowledge than the old one, and all the technological achievements of the old database had long since been replicated and enhanced.
As the Champion typed in the word again, he got far fewer hits this time.
Nevertheless, the Champion read through all of the entries.
What was the word the Champion typed in?
As the Champion read through the entries, he remembered something.
The old Left Arm.
Shortly before she died, she had transmitted something to the Technician.
"Take care of Nick."
The Champion had been busy fighting Death during that time, and he hadn't paid the phrase any mind.
The reason why he was thinking about it now was the Left Arm's connection with the Technician.
Had the Left Arm also been controlled by the Trickster?
The chances were incredibly low.
Even more, she had given her life for Aegis.
There was no doubt that she was loyal.
Yet, the Champion also remembered that time the Left Arm had been nervous when the Champion had been talking to Julian Winter.
Back then, in his naivety, he had thought that there might be a romantic relationship between the two.
But would the Left Arm truly be interested in a random Demon romantically?
The chances of Julian Winter being able to manipulate the Left Arm were extremely slim.
The Left Arm had been terrifyingly intelligent and shrewd.
That could only mean one thing.
She had been his ally willingly.
"Could a Demon control the mind of a Shield?" the Champion remembered the question.
The answer was clear.
No.
But then, what about the Technician?
Did he also follow Julian Winter willingly?
But why?
The phrase the Champion had typed into the database was just one word.
Nick.
There were many Nicks all over the world.
As the Champion looked through the old database entries, he came across a peculiar entry.
Liaison Program.
'I do not remember such a program,' the Champion thought as he read through it.
That was when he saw why the entry had been highlighted.
The first and only candidate for the Liaison program was Nick Dusk.
The Champion immediately became suspicious.
Why?
Because there was no specific entry for anyone named Nick Dusk.
One would think that the only Liaison in existence would have an entry dedicated to them.
But no.
There was no entry.
This was the only mention of Nick Dusk in the entire database.
The Champion accessed the new database and typed in Nick Dusk.
No result.
The Liaison Program also wasn't mentioned anywhere.
'Dusk, the old concept of the Sun vanishing from the sky,' the Champion thought.
'Why did the old Champion say the Sun was the enemy?'
As the Champion thought about these questions, he read up on Crimson City.
After all, that was where the Liaison Program was held.
'Ghosty…' the Champion thought as he saw a familiar name. 'I remember him. He was one of the researchers that got killed by a Specter.'
Then, the Champion read up on all the cases of vanished researchers.
There were not many.
There were a couple of individuals that vanished, but mostly, they vanished in groups.
Even more, all of them specialized in the same things.
Then, the Champion remembered all the Elixirs the Technician used to research the new formula for the Elixir.
'Did he truly need that many?'
'Materials also vanished, but it has been expertly hidden.'
'Ghosty worked closely with the Technician.'
'What if he didn't die?'
Next, the Champion read about what the Liaison did in Crimson City.
'One of his first orders was to confiscate the Fiend of Darkness.'
'Then, the Fiend of Darkness was sold to a city.'
'People, researchers, Elixirs, materials.'
'It's almost like he is trying to build a military base.'
'Or a city.'
'Why does he need so many researchers, and why is he doing it in secret?'
'Even more, why were the Technician and the Left Arm helping him?'
'Both of them valued humanity above their lives. Yet, the Technician sacrificed his life for the Trickster.'
'Julian Winter was also their project.'
'Nick Dusk… Liaison… Julian Winter…'
'Why would the Left Arm even take the risk of creating something like the Liaison? If it succeeded, the Champion's power would weaken.'
'She would never do that.'
'Unless the Champion ordered her to.'
The Champion narrowed his eyes.
'Did Julian Winter know the old Champion?'
'Is Nick Dusk Julian Winter?'
'But Nick Dusk was a human, and Julian Winter is a Specter.'
A crazy idea formed in the Champion's mind.
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