Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-One

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-One

The entire office was engulfed in silence.

Ning Hongxue did not respond to the masked man.

He slightly leaned forward, black strands of hair slipping down with the movement. It was deep into the night, the dim office light casting elongating shadows over the stacks of white documents on the desk.

Merely shifting his posture, he exuded an intense aura of oppression—even through the screen, this presence palpably cascaded onto the masked man.

The half-exposed face of the masked man lost all semblance of a smile.

"So, what are you implying now?" the masked man asked, "Are you considering ending our collaboration?"

"No," Ning Hongxue said with crystal-clear enunciation, "I merely wish my associates to be more alert, more cautious. Any slip-up from your side implicates me as well."

"Let me recap our initial deal: disrupt the event and sow seeds of mutual suspicion between the two nations. Then, with my influence, reignite the war between them. Now, only half the objective has been achieved, and all the contingency plans I arranged have gone to waste," Ning Hongxue's gaze lowered to the white documents, his fingers brushing over them. His tone was deceptively gentle, yet icy, seeping into the masked man's nerves, "Most importantly, you left behind traces."

"But look at what you've done? Tampering with the design plans, manipulating workers to inject starworms into the walls..."

A crackle.

The screen suddenly quivered.

The masked man's lips were a dark shade of red. He smirked, revealing a sinister smile, "But those 'traces' have now disappeared."

"How? Did you kill them? Just now?" Ning Hongxue looked at him with disdain, almost unbearable for the masked man, "Initially, you made them believe it was the construction team cutting corners, hence the 'extras' mixed into the hollow walls. This excuse was very plausible, very secretive. After all, the structures in the arena were meant to be destroyed; a little fragility in new walls wouldn't matter... These people could've been easily handled. I have a thousand ways to silence them. As for the blueprint, whether it would be discovered was uncertain. But you chose to kill them at this critical juncture—were you so eager for the truth to be uncovered?"

"Dead men tell no tales," the masked man retorted, "Isn't that right?"

"Timing is crucial."

Ning Hongxue took a deep breath.

"Before your 'Immortal Cicada' appeared and sought cooperation with me, I had experienced the tactics of the Silver Core at the military department. Do you know what's terrifying about it?... It knows everything, it's everywhere, it manipulates humans using information and technology, yet people are unaware of what's happening to them. They live their lives as usual, unknowingly becoming a part of the Silver Core's plans—this is where it's most dangerous."

"Therefore, everyone has become accustomed to the Silver Core's mode of operation. If the investigation turns up no leads after a few attempts, they'll just give up probing deeper."

"...But your actions are like a declaration to the outside world that this matter is different from the past. The real actors aren't the Silver Core, but some self-righteous humans—do you think they'll let this go so easily?"

Sometimes, the logic behind human behavior is this subtle. If the Silver Core is the actor, the investigative teams from both countries would habitually assume, "If it's the Silver Core's doing, then there surely won't be any traces to find." This means they would generally be inclined to give up the investigation subjectively.

But if the mastermind behind the scenes is human, then the nature of the case changes entirely.

The Federation government is now eager to pin the recent attack on a human organization—this way, they can escape the whirlpool of the 'Silver Core's awakening'. For the current government, once traces of human involvement are detected in the incident, they will pursue it relentlessly like hounds scenting blood. To successfully identify the mastermind, they might even instigate a major purge within the government to scrutinize every suspect.

Previously, Ning Hongxue had laid several contingencies in place to support the "Immortal Cicada" plan. But now, these contingencies are not only ineffective but also pose a threat to Ning Hongxue himself.

"Doing nothing at this time is the most appropriate course of action... Just wait for this matter to quietly pass, like the silt at the bottom of a pond submerged after the rain," Ning Hongxue said indifferently, "But you had to go and kill someone."

"You indeed possess the technology of the Silver Core, but lack even half of its wisdom in execution. Why did the Silver Core choose you as its agents?"

The masked man's face had never looked as terrible as it did at this moment.

"Anything else you want to say?" Ning Hongxue raised his eyes, a cold glint in them. "Either think of how to compensate for my loss or get out of my sight now."

"Wait," the masked man interrupted him impatiently, his breathing growing heavy, "...just wait, Commander Ning. Our cooperation can't end here. I can offer you some new technology—"

"How about more advanced biorobotics technology?"

After a brief silence, Ning Hongxue finally showed the first genuine smile since they met.

"Very well," he said, "I look forward to our next successful collaboration."

With that, he reached out to turn off the holographic screen.

Ning Hongxue pressed a button on the desk, and the ceiling lights brightened, illuminating the room like daylight and revealing every tassel of the curtain behind him in sharp detail.

He summoned his secretary and pulled a list from the pile of documents on the desk, handing it over—the people on the list were probably already dead, but many might still be missing. His task now was to make their deaths appear as "accidents".

Just as he pushed the document away, before he could instruct his secretary, a flashing message appeared on his light computer.

Ning Hongxue turned his head and quickly scanned the message on his light computer, pausing for a full second.

"You may leave for now," he said.

Sensing Ning Hongxue's mood, the secretary, with great tact, took the document and swiftly left the office, his footsteps and the closing door soundlessly discreet.

Ning Hongxue then reopened the message on the light computer—it was intelligence from his informant.

Gong Zhi Li volunteered to join the "Silver Automaton Attack" investigation team. He is now investigating the architects and construction teams responsible for the arena.

They have already discovered the issue with the blueprints.

This development was faster than Ning Hongxue had anticipated.

……

A few days later, the Empire also quickly received a response from the Federation's investigation team.

Bai Sha was among the first to receive the news.

At that time, she was in the manufacturing area, attempting to improve a newly drafted mech design.

"What? All those people died accidentally?" She kicked up her feet, transforming her seat into a chair shape. Wielding a wrench in her left hand and dragging the screen towards her with her right, she video-called her Chief Minister, "Does anyone actually believe it was an 'accident'?"

"No one believes it was an accident, Your Highness. But their registered causes of death are indeed 'accidental deaths'," Han Chang said, "There are drowning cases, falls, traffic accident fatalities, sudden deaths—various ways of dying, as if they all received a call from the Grim Reaper. Considering the timing of their deaths, it seems like the work of the Silver Core."

"I see," Bai Sha inhaled sharply, "So their investigation task has become even more burdensome."

"They are investigating the traces of these people's deaths. It might be a case of silenced witnesses. If it's the Silver Core's doing, they likely won't find any traces. Otherwise... it's human intervention," Han Chang explained, "But either way, the investigation will take more time."

However, the second round of the joint military exercise was about to begin.

Bai Sha tidied up her tools, patted her hands, and said, "In that case, let them investigate first. If there are no results, our diplomatic team will apply pressure."

Han Chang sighed, "I'm just wondering whether I should suggest you withdraw from the joint military exercise."

Bai Sha: "Why?"

Han Chang: "You know, regardless of their initial intentions... after the first match, it's very likely that they will turn their sights on you."

"Your performance in the previous military exercise was already eye-catching enough. After being crowned as the crown prince, there's no need to take risks on the barren planets anymore. I know you feel capable of handling these troubles. But please consider Princess Cepes Ronin—we all remember the accident that befell her."

"The tactics of the Silver Core are impossible to fully guard against."

Last time, if Bai Sha hadn't instinctively mastered the "Resonance" of the Xuan Bird, she probably wouldn't have been able to easily resolve those troubles.

"I understand your concerns. But as the commander of the Empire's representative team, I can't just desert my post," Bai Sha said with a hint of amusement, "Besides, what I'm attending next is just a joint military exercise. After the exercise, there's the sophomore year's elite team competition, and I personally don't need to participate."

The previous havoc caused by robots and star worms in the competition was partly due to the scarcity of military academy students. The joint military exercise, however, involves teams of hundreds of soldiers, and leading such warriors in competition couldn't be safer.

Han Chang was at a loss for words momentarily.

That made sense...

"If you're really worried, we could move the competition to our Empire's star territory," Bai Sha said, flexing her wrists and joking, "Has the next league's venue been decided yet? I remember it's the Federation's turn to draw lots."

"It's already arranged. The next competition will still be in an uninhabited star region. However, the natural environment of that planet is extremely harsh," Han Chang explained. "Not to mention the temperature differences, there's also polar night, storms, and even meteorites. So, I really suggest requesting a change of venue..."

Bai Sha, noncommittal, opened her holographic computer: "What's the name of that planet?"

"Dead Omen Star," Han Chang replied.

Bai Sha: "...?"

Who in the Federation drew that lot? What awful luck is this?