Just as Ushio shouted out in a frenzy and the entire intelligence department was ready to rush out.
"Everyone, no need to panic."
A voice echoed above the room.
It was a calm voice, but when it reached everyone's ears, it seemed to have some extraordinary magic that calmed the flustered minds.
Looking up, they saw the image of Commander Rex Godwin projected in mid-air, with a calm expression.
"It's just a prank."
Yugen said through the projection to the crowd.
"Don't let it bother you."
Ushio was stunned and hesitated, "But... Commander, there was indeed an explosion just now..."
"They only had that one bomb, placed on the periphery where it was unimportant, causing no substantial damage."
Yugen said calmly.
"They just set that one bomb, bluffing. I already have specialists handling it, no need to worry."
After saying this, the communication was cut off, and the image terminated.
Ushio and the others in the intelligence department looked at each other.
Moments later, they had no choice but to spread their hands, "Alright, if the commander says so... everyone, please return to your stations."
...
...
Shirley Lubron was now very frustrated.
This was completely different from the plan.
Originally, Goukou was supposed to infiltrate and implant a trojan program, then use a bomb to threaten and force the people inside to come out, so she could seize the opportunity to sneak in and "borrow" the supercomputer in the Public Security Maintenance Bureau.
However, Goukou hadn't returned after slipping around back, and there hadn't been any word from him, forcing her to assume the worst, that Goukou was already gone, probably arrested by the Public Security Maintenance Bureau.
So she changed the plan, directly activated the bomb, and infiltrated herself, hoping to also rescue Goukou if there was a chance.
But even after the bomb threat, there was no reaction from the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, making Shirley increasingly irritated.
What, aren't you all afraid?
Bombs! I said there's a bomb right next to you, why are you so calm?
A man's slightly magnetic voice sounded behind her at this moment: "Found, you."
Shirley: "!"
The blonde woman turned around cautiously, suddenly realizing that several people had silently approached behind her without her noticing at all.
The leader of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, Rex Godwin, a beautiful girl with rose-colored hair, and...
...Goukou?
Shirley was shocked.
Goukou, how did you end up at the same table as the enemy?
Yugen glanced sideways at Goukou: "There was only that one bomb, just a bluff, right?"
Goukou struggled with his expression but still said, "Yes, we only prepared that one bomb, we didn't mean to hurt anyone. Our only goal was to use the supercomputer of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, so we wanted to trick the personnel out of this building..."
"Goukou!"
Shirley was horrified.
"Have you betrayed too!?"
This old man who risked his life to rescue her from the enemy's gunfire back then, this person who raised her, almost like a father to her, could even he betray?
Shirley's heart felt icy.
If so, what else in this world is worth trusting?
Tears streamed down Goukou's old face: "I'm sorry, Miss, but I really didn't want to..."
"Alright, don't blame him." Yugen chuckled, "The power of the Dark Game is not something the Mortal's Will can resist. It's not his fault."
"What are you talking about?"
Shirley gritted her teeth, clenching her fists.
"If that's the case, even by force I will definitely go in..."
Yugen shook his head, "Violence is not good, we are civilized people, such primitive ways have long been obsolete. How about this..."
Yugen activated the Duel Disc.
Qiu glanced at him in surprise.
Is there going to be a duel now?
Is it an addiction to cards?
Shirley frowned, "You want to duel me?"
"You consider yourself a duelist, don't you? And incidentally, so do I." Yugen smiled, "Conflicts between duelists must be resolved through dueling; this is a basic principle, right?"
Shirley: "What if I win?"
"Of course, I will do my best to meet your needs." Yugen said straightforwardly, "It's just borrowing the main control computer, nothing major. I can take responsibility for this small matter."
Shirley knew that the person before her was the head of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau. If this person also had the dignity of a duelist, obtaining permission from him would mean avoiding the huge risk of breaking in.
So Shirley nodded, "Alright!"
To say the least, she was absolutely confident in cards. She always felt her card skills were top-tier in the current era; even competing for the world championship wouldn't be out of reach. But her ambition lay in revenge rather than fame, which was why she wasn't interested.
Of course, from the original series, Yugen knew she indeed had such proud strength. Her dueling level was about on par with early-stage Yusei.
But that's all.
After all, Shirley didn't have a Back Spirit, a Red Dragon Card Printer, or any hacks. Yusei's growth was evident from early to late stages, and Shirley at most only matched early-stage Yusei without hacks.
"Duel!" x2
[Yugen, LP4000]
[Shirley, LP4000]
Goukou worried: "Miss, be careful. This person fights with weirdness..."
"Are you worried I'll lose, Goukou?"
Shirley was extremely confident.
"Have you ever seen me lose?"
Goukou: "..."
Indeed, since Shirley honed her skills, Goukou had never seen the Miss lose a single match.
But after fighting a match with this commander, Goukou had an ominous feeling. There's always a first time for everything, and he's afraid today is the Miss's first.
"I draw!"
Shirley's first move.
"I summon 'Apprentice Knight' in defense position!"
A young knight appeared, clad in armor a bit too heavy for their tender appearance, wielding a knight's sword and shield. The small face under the helmet was full of heroic spirit, yet showed a bit of elegance unfit for a knight.
[Apprentice Knight, Defense Power 1000]
The background for the Apprentice Knight is a girl replacing her sick father to join the war, hiding her real gender, with everyone in the army assuming she was a man.
Although this card hasn't been made into a physical card, it plays a significant role in the knight series' backstory of Shirley's card deck.
The girl initially went to war in place of her father, disguising herself as a male, becoming a young apprentice knight. But with experience and the tempering of war, she gradually earned her own knighthood, becoming the renowned "Flower Knight."
The knight continued to achieve great feats, and after further promotions, she became the iconic Ten-Star Synchro monster "Baroness of Flowers" familiar to modern Yu-Gi-Oh! players...
Yes, the once-dominant Synchro monster "Baroness of Flowers" is Shirley's ace, but it didn't appear in the animation. It should be her ace Flower Knight further upgraded and evolved.
This is also why Yugen is currently very interested in Shirley.
If he can find the opportunity to draw her in early and print a Baroness of Flowers card...
Shirley had already inserted another card into her Duel Disc.
"I'll set one card in the backfield and end my turn!"