My Deck Is Made Up Of OP Anime Characters

As expected, when Azrael exited the secret realm, the base supervisor was waiting for him with his staff.

"Student Azrael, correct?" The supervisor looked him up and down with a practiced smile. "Did you happen to acquire any book-like items during your expedition?"

Azrael sighed internally. He had anticipated this moment and had prepared by backing up the book's contents beforehand.

Nodding, he withdrew what he suspected was a diary from his jacket and handed it over.

Seeing Azrael's cooperation, the supervisor remained cordial. He accepted the book with professional courtesy. "Don't worry, Student Azrael. These are standard association protocols."

"However, since we're confiscating your discovery, the Association won't leave you empty-handed. One million Empyrean dollars will be transferred to your account tonight."

Azrael blinked in surprise. He'd expected material compensation, not a direct cash payment. Still, he certainly wouldn't complain about the unexpected money.

"Thank you," Azrael replied, preparing to leave the Sword Lake base.

The supervisor raised a hand apologetically. "Sorry, Azrael, but we need to inspect your phone as well."

"Of course." Azrael calmly handed over his device, secretly grateful that he had used the Mark 3 to back up the diary instead of photographing it.

The staff connected his phone to an unfamiliar scanning device. A nearby screen began displaying his phone's contents in real time. As he watched, his thoughts drifted to Lian's earlier assignment involving the Crimson Oath Society. Thankfully, Lian had been cautious enough to use only paper communications; otherwise, this inspection would have exposed everything.

After a few minutes, the technician nodded to the supervisor, indicating that no problems had been found.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Azrael." The supervisor returned his phone. "We haven't formatted anything, so your data remains intact."

Azrael accepted the device with relief—at least he wouldn't need to reinstall applications. Curiosity got the better of him. "Once it's translated, will I be able to learn what the book contained?"

The supervisor paused, clearly understanding Azrael's curiosity about his discovery.

"I'm sorry, Azrael. Even I lack the clearance to access that information," he said with genuine regret.

Azrael understood the unspoken implications and didn't press further. After exchanging farewells, Azrael departed for home.

Back in his apartment, Azrael stared at his phone's notification in mild disbelief.

"Your account was credited with one million Empyrean dollars at 6:17 p.m. on December 4."

"That was remarkably fast."

After a moment's consideration, Azrael sent a message to his contact labeled "Lian": "Uncle Lian, I'm cooking dinner tonight. Care to join me?"

Azrael had decided to share the diary's information with the Crimson Oath Society. He couldn't be certain if the association was monitoring his activities or if high-level moles might access such classified information. Rather than taking unnecessary risks, he decided to proactively share the information with the organization, perhaps earning additional rewards in the process.

At that moment, Lian was keeping vigil at his wife's hospital bedside when Azrael's message arrived. His initial confusion quickly gave way to understanding—Azrael likely had sensitive information that couldn't be discussed over potentially monitored communications.

Putting away his phone, Lian gently squeezed his bedridden wife's hand. "I'm sorry, Ying'er. Work calls. I need to step out."

The pale woman managed a weak smile. "Go, Liang. Your work is important."

Liang hesitated, then kissed her forehead before reluctantly leaving. His wife watched his increasingly aged silhouette with growing concern etched across her features.

Knock, knock, knock.

At 6:40 p.m., someone knocked on Azrael's door.

He opened the door and stepped aside to let Lian in. "You made good time."

Lian headed for the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water, teasing Azrael as he went. "When our promising student, Azrael, extends a dinner invitation, I dare not keep him waiting."

"Just dinner?" Azrael rolled his eyes in exasperation. "There's only bread and a convenience store bento box. Take it or leave it."

Lian chuckled at Azrael's expression, but his tone grew serious. "You called me here for something important. What's the situation?"

"Follow me." Azrael's demeanor shifted to match Lian's gravity as he led him to the study and summoned Mark 3.

Under Lian's watchful gaze, Azrael methodically disconnected the internet, reformatted the computer system, and transferred JARVIS's stored data to the machine. He gestured toward the screen. "The intelligence is here. Take a look."

"Such elaborate precautions? This must be significant." Lian's curiosity was piqued by Azrael's security measures.

However, his attention was immediately drawn to Mark 3 itself. "Impressive prop card. Was this your disguise during the recent mission?"

Azrael nodded in confirmation.

"The design reminds me of American technology, but it's much more sophisticated than their versions," Lian observed admiringly. "No wonder Memphis and the others are so eager to recruit you."

The mention of Memphis brought momentary tension. Azrael remained silent before changing the subject. "You should examine the intelligence first."

Recognizing Azrael's reluctance to discuss Memphis, Lian redirected his attention to the computer screen. As he scrolled through the information, his expression grew increasingly grave.

After thoroughly reviewing the contents, Lian turned to Azrael with serious intensity. "You haven't shown this to anyone else, have you?"

He immediately reconsidered his own question. Given Azrael's meticulous security measures, sharing this intelligence seemed highly unlikely.

"No," Azrael confirmed. "I acquired it in the secret realm today, and the association confiscated the original immediately."

Lian visibly relaxed. "Good. That's very good."

"I'll relay this information to the organization immediately. You'll definitely receive appropriate compensation for this intelligence."