The optical computer's highest-level alarm pierced the silence of the command room. Red lights flashed, stinging the eyes.
Gary lifted his head, his hair a mess. Bold warning words jumped across the screen: Series of explosions at K9 Mining Planet Supply Station, main communication line severed.
It was a trap.
These words clearly surfaced in his mind. Gary irritably ran a hand through his hair and scrolled down the optical computer's data. If it were a normal equipment failure, it wouldn't require him, the adjutant, to step in personally.
But the K9 Mining Planet was the main base's energy artery. If something happened to it, not only would the visual deception barrier above the base disappear, but all energy to the entire base would be cut off!
When that happened, let alone the Commander-in-Chief, all hundred thousand people here would be doomed. He had to lead a team to investigate and arrange an immediate evacuation if things went wrong.
Even knowing it was a trap, he had to bite the bullet and jump right in.
Zone C Commander-in-Chief's Lounge.
Jiang Lijin was sitting cross-legged on the bed, browsing the Star Network forum while eating the tasty portable food Tinia had prepared for her.
The news of Felwin's arrest was trending high, and the comment section was full of curses. Just as she scrolled to a poll asking "How many years should Felwin get," there was a knock on the door.
Outside stood a fully armed Gary. He no longer had his usual playful look. As soon as he entered, he locked the door behind him.
"I need to leave the base for a bit," Gary got straight to the point, speaking rapidly. "Something happened at the K9 Mining Planet."
"Kieran's doing?" Jiang Lijin put down her food wrapper, turning a bit more serious.
"More than likely." Gary let out a cold laugh. "Besides him, no one else would cause such a huge mess at a time like this."
Jiang Lijin leaned against the edge of the desk, her mind racing. Xiao Yi was frantically talking in her head: [Host, Kieran is about to make his move! Once Gary leaves, Baal will be left unguarded! If he takes this opportunity to attack Baal—]
[Based on the current situation, Kieran's most likely window of action will be within two to six hours after Gary leaves.] Xiao Yi added, [Host, do you want to remind Gary to leave more people behind?]
Jiang Lijin didn't respond to it. Instead, she looked at Gary and analyzed, "If he wants the Commander-in-Chief's position, he wouldn't lure the Zerg to the main base at this critical moment. If he destroys this place, what will he use as a stepping stone?"
"That's true," Gary sighed, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "But I can't gamble the safety of the entire base on a what if. What if he loses control? What if the Zerg really sneak over in the chaos? I have to go to the scene to confirm. If it's the worst-case scenario, I must organize an evacuation immediately."
He unbuckled the miniature particle gun from his tactical belt and handed it to Jiang Lijin.
"Take this for self-defense," Gary instructed. "Stay in your room today and don't go anywhere. I've completely locked down the permissions for the Commander's room. No one can open it except with my or the Commander's own biometric data. There are heavy guards outside. As long as you don't come out, Kieran can't do anything to you."
At this point, he paused and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately just sighed and swallowed his words.
Jiang Lijin watched his expression and narrowed her eyes. "Say whatever you want to say."
"...Take care of yourself." Gary lowered his eyes, his voice a bit muffled. "And as for the Commander, I haven't gone over to see him today, so I don't know how he is doing. Don't run over there by yourself."
Jiang Lijin looked down at the particle gun in her hand, weighed it, and put it in her pocket.
"Take more people with you, just in case there's an ambush."
Gary nodded, turned around, and strode away. His footsteps faded down the corridor, taking with him nearly half of the base's elite mobile forces. He left behind the squad named Aegis, which had initially escorted Jiang Lijin, to guard her vicinity.
After the door closed, the room fell silent. Jiang Lijin sat where she was, unmoving.
She was thinking: Kieran's target was Baal. Gary had locked Baal's isolation room up tight like an iron barrel; theoretically, it was foolproof.
But Kieran was not easy to deal with. Since he chose to strike today, he must have prepared the keys to open every lock.
[Host?] Xiao Yi called out tentatively, [What are you thinking about?]
Jiang Lijin didn't answer.
...
Half an hour later, Kieran appeared at the end of the corridor in Core Area A1.
The guards on both sides of the corridor raised their guns in unison, blocking his path.
"Major General, the area ahead is restricted." The guard on the left lowered his muzzle, his attitude firm.
Kieran stopped and pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose. His tone was gentle but carried an air of oppression. "Adjutant Gary left in a hurry and specifically instructed me to come and confirm the Commander-in-Chief's safety. As you all know, the Commander's current condition is very unstable."
The two guards exchanged a glance but didn't move.
Kieran wasn't annoyed. He brought up his optical computer panel. A temporary access code stamped with the military's special approval seal popped up; it was something he had forged using a loophole in the permission system.
"What, do you want me to call Adjutant Gary to confirm?"
The guards hesitated. Everyone in the base knew about Baal's current condition; he was like a nuclear bomb that could detonate at any moment.
At a time like this, who would be bored enough to go in and ask for trouble? Even if they let him in, there was still an encrypted, highest-clearance door inside. Without the key, he still wouldn't be able to enter the core isolation room. It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Please go in, sir." The guard lowered his gun and let him pass.
Kieran gave a slight nod and strode down the corridor.
Passing through the first blast door, the lights in the corridor dimmed.
Kieran stopped in front of the heavy titanium alloy clearance door. This was the last line of defense that Gary had specifically locked down before leaving.
A black decoding patch slid into his palm. This thing was exorbitantly expensive, worth a medium-sized starship on the black market, and was specifically designed to target the military intranet's firewall. Before Baal's accident, he had already calibrated this device, just waiting to put it to use.
He pressed the patch precisely against the password lock's recognition panel. A faint blue light lit up, and the patch emitted a subtle crackle of electricity.
In less than ten seconds, the heavy titanium door made a soft click and slowly slid open to both sides.
Kieran slipped inside.
The cold air inside the room rushed at his face. He didn't rush further in, carefully avoiding the cameras' capture range. Walking over to the control cabinet in the corner, he pulled out his combat knife, pried open the panel, and cleanly severed the wires.
The surveillance system was paralyzed.
After doing all this, he straightened up, adjusted his cuffs, and strode toward the blast-proof glass wall in the center.
Cold white light shone down on the medical bed.
Baal lay flat there, and the large black python was coiled by the bed, motionless. Everything was exactly as he had seen on the monitors.
Kieran approached, staring at his prey through the glass.
Something was wrong. It was too quiet!
Kieran took a half-step back, pulled a small high-intensity flashlight from his pocket, aimed it directly inside the glass, and clicked it on.
The intense light pierced through the glass barrier and hit the Baal on the bed. The beam of light passed right through the body, casting a spot of light on the wall behind it.
A holographic projection!
There was no one on the bed at all. He had been played!
His mind buzzed, but he quickly forced himself to calm down.
A terrifyingly powerful oppressive force permeated the air. It was the mental coercion unique to a high-tier male. Even though it was already very weak, it still made an S-class like Kieran feel his scalp tingle and his breathing hitch.
The coercion was real. Gary had already led his team away, and in the entire base, there was no one else who could emit this level of coercion other than Baal.
Baal had not left; he was somewhere nearby.
Moreover, Baal's current condition was definitely not good. Otherwise, he would not have needed a holographic projection as a smokescreen; he would have come out and crushed his bones long ago.
Kieran opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping rapidly across the empty isolation room. Since the man had not left, he must be hiding in some concealed corner.
He walked around the glass wall to the back.
Sure enough, in the blind spot where two walls met, there was an inconspicuous passage. Kieran walked in. After advancing a dozen paces, he was faced with a solid metal wall.
It looked like a dead end, but Kieran did not turn back. He reached out, running his palm flat against the wall until he felt an extremely well-hidden seam. He pressed down hard, and the wall panel silently caved inward, revealing a narrow, hidden elevator door.
Found it.
Kieran breathed a sigh of relief. But the elevator's control panel that appeared next had no buttons; there was only a scanner emitting a faint blue glow.
Please proceed with biometric verification. A cold, mechanical voice sounded.
Kieran's hand froze in mid-air. He stared fixedly at the scanner, a layer of cold sweat seeping from his back.
Biometric verification.
This meant that apart from Baal and Gary, whose data had been recorded, no one could go down. His proud decoder was nothing but a piece of scrap metal in the face of biometric verification.
Where was he supposed to get biometric data? Drag Gary back here and chop off his hand?
Standing at the elevator door and looking at the glowing blue light, Kieran experienced what true helplessness meant for the first time. He had calculated every step, lured away the adjutant, fooled the guards, and hacked the access controls, only to be deadlocked at this final step.
The prey was right below. He absolutely could not give up!
