Chapter One Hundred and Thirty.

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty.

The investigator concluded his report.

Looking at the two architectural designs with slight discrepancies, he took a deep breath and turned to his subordinate, "Contact the race course's architects and the engineering department immediately."

"Yes," the subordinate responded.

They had already organized the relevant intelligence during their previous investigation, so the contact details of these individuals were readily available.

"Wait," the investigation officer hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a serious expression, "Invite them over, I want to question them face-to-face."

If their enemy was the "Silver Core," conventional communication methods might have already lost their credibility. Some questions are best asked in person.

A few hours later, four architects responsible for the arena's design, along with their assistants and engineering staff, were all present.

The investigation officer sent them the original design plans.

"Take a look, is there anything wrong with this design plan?"

The architects and engineers, having already been through an initial round of inquiry, guessed there must be an issue to be summoned again, so they cautiously opened the design plan and scrutinized it thoroughly.

"This design plan... there's no problem with it." One of the architects, with a nitpicking spirit, inspected every single line of the design plan, but couldn't find any discrepancies.

Investigation Officer: "When constructing the arena, were these the design plans you used?"

"Wait—something's not right." An inspector from the engineering department showed a surprised expression, "Although I can't pinpoint exactly what, the design plans our department received are not this one... some details don't match up."

Investigation Officer: "Do you still have the system records?"

"I have some downloaded files left in my light computer," said the inspector, "For cooperation with the Federation, we used specially programmed networks and communication software. Now that we're back in the Empire, that temporary work software is no longer usable."

The Empire and the Federation have some differences in their star web communication technologies. To facilitate smooth interaction between personnel from both sides, they established a temporary signal network using local signal towers, allowing light computers from both the Federation and the Empire to connect freely. After the competition ended, the network was permanently closed.

But the inspector maintained good work habits and had saved some work records.

He pulled up the "inspection diagram" sent to him by the system and compared it with the "design plan" shown by the investigation officer: "See, I told you some parts don't match."

The architect was taken aback: "But the plans I sent you weren't this—"

Before he could finish, both men seemed to realize something, exchanging knowing looks.

"It seems the blueprints were switched midway," nodded the investigation officer, "Good, at least now we have a new lead."

What about the workers, then? Which design plans did they follow for construction?

After a moment's thought, the investigation officer instructed those around him: "It's impossible to gather all the workers from the construction team in one night, so arrange for someone to visit their homes for inquiries. Find out which design plan they were actually working from."

The investigation officer soon received a response.

All the construction personnel used the same blueprint, the original design plan issued directly by the architect, which differed from the one seen by the inspector.

"Did the Federation secretly alter the design plan?" The architect who previously confronted the inspector was furious, slamming his fist on the table, "The modified areas were all under the responsibility of their construction teams!"

"It's an error on our department's part," said the inspector, his expression grave. "I didn't expect that the inspection plan was a fake."

"The changes on the blueprint were minimal. Rather, the person who made the alterations was clever. He exploited the building's structure and visual blind spots, making the final construction look identical to the original design plan from the outside," the architect said after a few seconds of deliberation, his gaze wary. "This is 'covert alteration'. The one who did it is a professional."

The investigation officer muttered under his breath: Perhaps the one who acted wasn't even human...

"Alright, thank you all for cooperating. Now, I need you to try your best to recall—the Federation construction team responsible for these covert changes, do you remember their names? If you can't remember names, then descriptions of their appearances and personalities will do," the investigation officer displayed the two design plans on the light screen, taking a deep breath. "Recall as many as you can."

An architect opened his light computer: "I have saved a list of the construction personnel assignments here."

"Excellent," the investigation officer nodded slightly in appreciation. "Thank you for your assistance."

The next step, having obtained the list, was to go to the Federation and confront these "key individuals."

However, the investigation officer felt that showing up unannounced might not yield the best results.

That day, there were so many Federation spectators at the arena, along with numerous Federation engineers and guards present at the event site. If it weren't for Bai Sha using her "resonance" to kill the starworms, those people would have also been in danger.

From the investigation officer's personal perspective, the Federation's construction team might have been infiltrated by supporters of the Silver Core... and the people of the Federation were none the wiser.

Investigating the individuals on the list through the Federation's military department was nearly impossible.

The only problem was finding a trustworthy person to hand over the list and continue the investigation.

The investigation officer compiled all the intelligence and reported it to the Emperor, also conveying his concerns.

"...We need to find the right person for this job," Wei Li, removing his monocle, advised the Emperor solemnly, "We have a usable lead, and even if we're uncertain of the outcome, we cannot just watch it slip through our fingers."

"Who should be entrusted with the list? Has the Intelligence Department identified suitable candidates?" Cecil Ronin asked.

"There are factions in the Federation Parliament that are friendly to the Empire. The list can be handed over to them. But giving our vetted list to pro-Empire factions... this might lead to a crisis of trust in the investigation process," Wei Li stated evenly.

Although the Federation and the Empire were cooperating, there was still a lack of trust between them. For those in the Federation who didn't trust or even harbored hostility towards the Empire, a list provided by the Empire was unreliable—they might even think the Empire was trying to shift blame and guilt onto the Federation... They could suspect the Empire of framing or seizing the opportunity to eliminate opponents... In short, when both parties involved in the investigation fall into a trust crisis, the situation becomes more chaotic, and the real suspect becomes harder to pin down.

"This is indeed troublesome," Bai Sha mused, glancing at her light computer, and suddenly suggested, "What if we give the list to a few of my friends in the Federation?"

Wei Li shook his head, speaking diplomatically, "Your friends in the Federation are trustworthy, but being students, they lack significant influence, and their backgrounds are not reliable enough to push the investigation forward."

Among Bai Sha's friends in the Federation, the most influential were the Zhou brothers. But the Zhou family's stance was ambiguous, and their uncle, Ning Hongxue, even less so—as a leader in the military, Ning Hongxue was listed by the Empire's intelligence as an 'untrustworthy figure.' His danger level even ranked higher than the Zhou family.

"I'm not suggesting they conduct the investigation," Bai Sha raised an eyebrow slightly, "But they can be very good messengers. One thing I haven't mentioned is that the original architectural scan was passed to me by them."

Meaning, Zhou Ying still had the original document.

The fact that the design plans were covertly altered could be portrayed as discovered by the Empire, or as “discovered by Zhou Ying and his group.” As long as Zhou Ying directly reports this finding to someone reliable, it could temporarily remove the Empire from this issue, allowing the Federation to carry forward the investigation on their own.

Wei Li immediately understood Bai Sha's suggestion, chuckled, and said, "That's a solution of last resort. Your Majesty, what do you think?"

Cecil Ronin nodded, indicating his agreement.

Bai Sha immediately discussed the matter with Zhou Ying. She asked him to consider if there was anyone reliable among his contacts who could be entrusted with this task.

"This is indeed tricky. To keep it from my uncle, we can't involve the Zhou family's influence..." Zhou Ying pondered for a moment, then let out a low chuckle, "However, I do have someone in mind."

Bai Sha: "Who?"

"Gong Zhi Li, the former chief commander of the Federation's military," Zhou Ying looked at Bai Sha, "Not sure if you remember him."

Of course, she remembered.

Gong Zhi Li, the iron-blooded faction leader in the Federation military, had been adamant about interrogating Bai Sha.

"He's retired from the military now, right?" Bai Sha asked.

"He might have retired, but a centipede dies but never falls down. His influence remains. Plus, the military is a place that values experience. Even though he was forced out, he still commands respect," Zhou Ying explained, "That old warhorse still has influence, continuously causing trouble for my uncle, making him a half-opponent politically. And if he leads the investigation, nobody will suspect the Empire's involvement."

Everyone knew of General Gong Zhi Li's longstanding grudges with the Empire's Crown Prince.

"So it seems, that old man is indeed a suitable candidate," Bai Sha snickered, "Are you confident you can 'appropriately' relay the message to him?"

"I still have a few people I can rely on," Zhou Ying replied, "Moreover, the Silver Core is a common enemy to humanity—I'm not doing this for anyone in particular, just to eliminate a threat. It's a perfectly reasonable motive."

……

Meanwhile.

In the private office of the Chief Commander of the Federation's military.

Ning Hongxue sat behind his desk, elbows resting on the surface, fingers of his black leather-gloved hands interlaced, with the stars on his shoulders shimmering in the darkness. His expression was usual, but his eyes were stormy.

A crackle.

A razor-thin, brightly lit screen appeared in front of him.

A figure slowly materialized on the screen: a man wearing a deep purple robe and a half-mask of silver. His hair was meticulously combed, and the fabric of his attire appeared quite luxurious.

"Good evening, Commander Ning, my friend..."

"You have the nerve to contact me," Ning Hongxue's face broke into a scornful smile. "You said even the imperial family of the Empire couldn't escape the starworms... What happened?"

"If there's anyone to blame, it's those Imperial bastards for keeping the news too well-hidden," the masked man's half-face showed an expression partway between laughing and crying. "A direct descendant of the royal family and an obscure noble are entirely different concepts."

"In any case, this plan was almost a complete waste of effort," Ning Hongxue spoke deliberately, his tone unfriendly. "It took me a lot of effort to clean up afterwards."

"Commander Ning, you are cautious and thorough by nature, which is why we, the 'Undying Cicadas', chose to collaborate with you," the masked man said. "A person like you should be more patient."

"I would have patience if our dealings were smooth," Ning Hongxue looked up, his gaze cold, "But what have you done? Whether it's the technology you provided or the plans you executed, all are riddled with flaws. I can't imagine that if the 'Undying Cicadas Council' is really guided by the Silver Core as you claim, it's laughably incompetent."

What is the Silver Core?

It's a deeply feared, ineradicable nightmare.

Ning Hongxue's tone was almost nakedly mocking.

"The splendor of the Silver Miracle is undeniable," the masked man's eyes turned dangerous at the mention of the Silver Core, but that dangerous glint seemed to vanish in an instant. The next second, he resumed a jesting demeanor, his voice as gentle as water—

"After all, if you could topple the Empire on your own, you wouldn't need to collaborate with us, the Undying Cicadas... would you?"