The Most Powerful Brain in the Interstellar Space

Chapter 310 Request
At the other end of the table, which was the side facing away from the door, there were also quite a few people standing. Besides the person in the main seat, there were at least four or five others standing next to him, all of whom were lieutenant-level or higher. In fact, two of them were field-grade officers.

The young man seated at the head of the table had cold, pale skin, sharp features, and a handsome, well-defined face. He exuded an aura of battle-hardened experience, yet a mole beneath his eye softened his appearance somewhat. He wore a crisp, dark green active-duty military uniform, adorned with few medals, but the insignia on his collar indicating his rank as a lieutenant colonel clearly identified him.

The other person was the only one among the visitors to be seated at the head of the table, while the rest of the group, regardless of their military rank, could only stand respectfully to the side, which speaks volumes about their status.

"Lieutenant Colonel Zong." Zhou Yuanjing nodded slightly to the visitor. "Welcome."

As one of the seven marshals of the empire and now its honorary commander-in-chief for life, his status is unparalleled, both in the past and present. To have him seated here to greet me is already a very high level of protocol. This Lieutenant Colonel Zong is clearly no ordinary man; he is not simply a lieutenant colonel.

Even though they nodded, everyone present knew that this was not something they could bear.

Countless of them grew up listening to his stories, and many of them, too, aspired to follow in his footsteps into the military. The peace that has prevailed over this land for the past century has been maintained thanks to the immense blood and sweat he shed. Such a figure… even though he is no longer Marshal Zhou, he remains a hero in their hearts, and none of them dare or wish to accept such a salute.

The group of visitors, including the Lieutenant Colonel Zong who was seated at the head of the table, all stood up and half-removed their hats as a sign of respect.

Zhou Yuanjing remained calm, watching the group of young soldiers sit down to show their respect in their own unique way, before continuing, "I have read your reports and contacted the central star system to inquire. There are no problems; you can proceed on your own."

This could be considered as permission being granted. The people accompanying him, whether relieved or for some other reason, couldn't quite feel their joy before they heard the important figure's tone shift again, saying, "But—"

But what?
“I already know your execution plan, and this is indeed the best time to make the arrest. But you must understand that Angel is an Awakened with a final rating of S+. He has countless battle achievements during his service, although most of them were not front-line battle achievements. However, a careful observation of his trajectory reveals that he is a person who is good at hiding and protecting himself, and he is ruthless and has a very sharp style of doing things.”

"If he is forced into a panic and acts recklessly, he could very well harm the spectators present. While you may all be protected by the mechs' weapons, there are many unarmed civilians present. If this leads to chaos, there could be heavy casualties. Therefore, unless you are absolutely certain, please be extra careful during your actions and try your best to evacuate and protect innocent civilians."

Zhou Yuanjing had made his point very clear, his tone stern, indicating that he took this issue very seriously. His words carried a warning rather than a hint, and seemed more like a strong demand.

Despite this, the group of young soldiers opposite showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever, and the Lieutenant Colonel Zong, who was seated at the head of the table, nodded very seriously to indicate that he understood.

“And second…” Zhou Yuanjin paused, seemingly hesitant about what he was about to say, before quickly recovering: “Although I still maintain contact with the Central Star System Military Intelligence Bureau and am still responsible for some related work, I am no longer serving as Marshal, and I shouldn’t be interfering in your various missions. However, this matter is of great importance, the target is extremely dangerous, and it even endangers the security of the Empire, so I have to say a few more words about it. Please forgive me for meddling.”

"..." The officer addressed as Lieutenant Colonel Zong remained silent, only bowing slightly to indicate that he was listening attentively. Zhou Yuanjing paid no attention to the young men's responses, continuing on his own, "Although I haven't had much contact with Angel in the past, I have met him a few times. From various sources, I know that he is meticulous, acts with near-perfect precision, and is extremely adept at leaving himself a way out. However, at the same time, he is also an extremely arrogant and adventurous person..."

This is true.

The young officers opposite them nodded inwardly. Thinking about it carefully, that guy was really strange. Logically, someone like him, carrying secrets, having spent his entire life as a spy, and then committing such a major act at the end, should have kept a low profile after retirement. Ideally, he would have orchestrated a deadly escape, leaving no evidence and thus escaping the Empire's pursuit unnoticed.

But he didn't. After he was done, he didn't try to hide it and kept wandering around the area.

Although he himself did not reveal his identity, the informant who was in contact with him did, which led to a thorough search and tracking by the military.

To ensure the operation remained top secret, the military abandoned conventional methods, instead deploying one of the Third Army's most trusted and elite special operations teams. This team maintained complete secrecy, communicating directly with high-ranking military leaders. Their sole aim was to capture the last culprit in the theft of classified information.

While the military was confirming that they hadn't leaked their location, Angel, for some inexplicable reason, organized a public mech competition for himself. If this wasn't a trap within a trap, it was practically setting up his own coordinates for the military to capture him.

Yet this seemingly incredibly stupid guy, along with his only two undercover accomplices, stole the Empire's encrypted data, leaving the military at a loss for what to do.

Moreover, because this information even involves a core secret of the military's operations, the imperial military and political leadership would never sit still.

So they began tracking these rebels, catching them all the way from the central star system to Star 732. They killed two of the main participants, leaving only one—Angel in disguise.

Although the manhunt was nearing its end, the military felt far from at ease; on the contrary, they were increasingly alarmed. Their pursuit of the three rebels involved in the theft had uncovered an entire network of rebel influence within the empire. The sheer scale of this network, the breadth of its connections across various industries, and the overt and covert identities of those involved were truly shocking to the military.

They had no idea how many rebels still existed in the empire, or how many secret agents and forces were lurking in the shadows. They only knew that these were just a small part of the whole.

Right now, they can only take this opportunity to try and find out as much information as possible.

(End of this chapter)