Ian said goodbye to Ron and Alyssa and headed to the Enlightenment Alliance, considering Ron and Alyssa's injuries, Ian decided to act alone, before parting ways, Ron handed Ian his proof of identity and a letter of recommendation, which should be able to make the Enlightenment Alliance believe in Ian.
.....
The Enlightenment Alliance headquarters was located in the central area of the city, where a tall fortification surrounded the entire headquarters area, heavily guarded from afar. The walls of the city were densely covered with soldiers wearing dark blue uniforms, and the look on everyone's face was unusually alert, with a calm and powerful aura.
Ian slowly approached the main gate of the Enlightenment Alliance, and two soldiers immediately blocked his way, their eyes full of caution, "This is a restricted area, no one is allowed to enter without permission."
Ian calmly replied, "I'm from a team searching for supplies outside the city, my name is Ian, Ron from your alliance and I are good friends, he is now seriously injured and unable to come, this is the letter of recommendation he gave me, I have important information that must be reported to the top of the alliance immediately."
The soldier looked Ian up and down with a serious face, "The headquarters is now on full alert, no one is allowed to enter without a direct order from the top brass of the headquarters."
"Can't even have a letter of recommendation from an insider?" Ian continued to pursue the question, and the guard impatiently said, "No way! Not even if he comes in person, if you don't leave, we will have to use force!"
Ian frowned tightly, in his heart, he understood that forcing his way in at this time would only cause more trouble, moreover, the powerful aura emitted by the guards made him realize that none of the guards here were below the spark level, and that it was extremely risky to force his way in.
He took a deep breath, suppressed his inner dissatisfaction, and politely inquired, "In that case, is there any way for me to contact the person in charge inside?"
The soldier shook his head without hesitation, "It's impossible to contact the higher-ups right now, this is an extraordinary period, all communication channels have been shut down to prevent them from being utilized by foreign enemies."
Ian was silent for a moment, and could only helplessly step back to show his understanding, "Alright, I understand. I'll think of other ways."
After turning around and leaving the Enlightenment Alliance's headquarters area, Ian quickly calculated countermeasures in his mind. Obviously, the Enlightenment Alliance was currently in a highly tense state of defense, and normal channels simply wouldn't work. He had to come up with a more ingenious method.
He recalled some of the hidden sources of information within the city, and suddenly remembered a secret bar near the gathering place, where some intelligence peddlers and members of underground organizations were usually gathered. He decided to head there and try his luck.
The bar was hidden in a dark corner of the City of Ashes, with a low and hidden entrance that could only allow one person to pass through. Upon entering the bar, dim lighting, the pungent odor of tobacco and whispers filled the narrow space.
Ian slowly walked up to the bar and whispered to the bartender, "I'd like to buy some information."
The bartender surveyed him with a sharp gaze, then lowered his voice and said, "What kind of intelligence?"
"The recent situation within the Enlightenment Alliance, especially what the higher-ups are busy with lately, I need detailed information." Ian whispered.
The bartender pondered for a moment, then raised his head, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes, "You know, the cost of this information is not cheap."
Ian quickly took out two source crystals and placed them on the bar, his eyes looking straight at the bartender, "Is this enough?"
The bartender accepted the source crystals with satisfaction, then approached him and whispered in his ear, "The Enlightenment Alliance has suffered a very serious attack this time, and the top management of the alliance is holding an emergency meeting to discuss whether or not to unite with the Brotherhood of Steel to fight the enemy together. However, there is a serious split in internal opinions, so it is currently at a stalemate."
Ian's eyes brightened slightly, "Is there any way for me to reach the top brass?"
The bartender shook his head, "Unless you can find someone trusted by the top of the alliance or introduced through a member of the alliance, it is simply impossible to meet them."
Ian had an idea in his mind, "Do you know of anyone who is closer to the top of the alliance and who I can find?"
The bartender smiled slightly and lowered his voice, "There is someone you might be able to try. His name is Adrian, and he used to be a very important member within the alliance, but then had a serious conflict with the alliance's top brass and is now in a state of retirement. It's not unlikely that he has a way to contact the Alliance's top brass, and he currently lives in the western slums of the City of Ashes, rarely showing his face in normal times."
Ian quickly memorized the name, nodded his head in thanks, and left the bar.
Back on the street, Ian pondered in his mind how to convince this person named Adrian, after all, the other party had past conflicts with the Alliance's top brass. But he had no choice, this was his only viable chance at the moment.
The western slums of the City of Ashes were chaotic and dirty, the houses were low and dilapidated, and the streets were filled with garbage and sewage. Ian carefully navigated his way through the area and finally found a humble hut at the end of the street.
He knocked on the door of the hut, and when it opened, a middle-aged man with a slim build and stubble looked at him warily, "Who are you? What can I do for you?"
Ian said respectfully, "Mr. Adrian, my name is Ian, and I need your help with something important, about the future of the Enlightenment Alliance."
After hearing this, Adrian said indifferently, "Then go find the Enlightenment Alliance, what are you looking for me for, I have nothing to do with them anymore. "Smoothly, he was about to close the door of the room, Ian reacted quickly, pulled the door first, and continued to speak, "Listen to me, I know you have a way to contact the top of the alliance, I just want you to help me contact them, I'll talk about the follow-up, if the three major forces can't be united, sooner or later, the City of Ashes is going to be extinguished, and by that time, everyone will be die! "
Adrian mocked: "Are you dreaming, how can they unite, this kind of boring thing, don't bother me! " Flare level energy erupted from his body and shook Ian back, slowly closing the door to the room.
Ian sat down on the floor and sighed slowly, "Could it be that no one really cares about the lives of ordinary people? "
It seems that this path won't work either, so let's think of another way.