Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 246 The Bloody Revenge of the Kunmo Clan (5.2K, requesting monthly votes at the beginning of the month)

"Crimson Star?"

Lin Yi looked at Buck, the leader of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, who had a solemn expression in front of him, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

A sense of surprise rose in his heart.

In his mind, Crimson Star, which had received a large number of reinforcements and supplies, and had even begun to lay out the second deep space energy condenser, should have a solid front and was even in the stage of counter-offensive expansion. How could something "go wrong"?
"Commander Buck, Crimson Star has received strong support from the Legion. Even if the situation isn't entirely favorable, holding the base shouldn't be a problem at all. What happened?" Lin Yi asked in a deep voice.

Buck gave a wry smile. "Commander Lin Yi, I just received news that yesterday, the command post of the Star Boundary Army's forward base on Crimson Blood Star, the 'Helios' base that you were defending before, was raided by a Kunmo Clan expert."

A Kunmo tribe expert? A surprise attack?

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat.

Buck sighed and continued, "The command center was wiped out. All the senior officers who were in the command center at the time, including the base commander, were killed. The surrounding guards also perished; their deaths were reportedly extremely gruesome."

Lin Yi's expression immediately turned cold.

The image of Tavic's resolute yet forthright face immediately came to mind.

The man who handed him his treasured hometown wine at the last moment, the commander who smiled and said he would come to join him after his discharge from the army.
"When I finally retire from the Starbound Army, if I have nowhere to go, I might have to come and seek refuge with Commander Lin Yi."

Tavic's laughing voice still seemed to echo in my ears.

Unexpectedly, just over a month later, their last parting became their final farewell.

Even Lin Yi, who had struggled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, felt his heart clench violently at this moment, a sense of oppression and anger intertwined, blocking his chest.

But Lin Yi's face still showed little emotion; only the darkness in his eyes deepened.

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.

The silent atmosphere and oppressive atmosphere made Buck feel uneasy.

A few seconds later, he heard Lin Yi ask, "What happened to the Crimson Star base after the command post was destroyed? Is the defense line still secure?"

When Lin Yi asked this question, he was thinking that if Tavic knew what was going on in the afterlife, what he would care about most would be the base and defense line that he had given his life to protect, as well as the soldiers he regarded as brothers.

Upon hearing Lin Yi's question, Buck felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly replied, "Fortunately, our human race's command system is different from those insects'; it doesn't rely on a single node."

"I heard that a temporary command structure was activated at the time, with the deputy commander and officers at all levels taking over. Although there was some chaos at first, they eventually stabilized the situation and, relying on the condenser and the newly added defensive forces, managed to block a large-scale attack launched by the Kunmo tribe. The base and the defense line were saved."

Lin Yi nodded slightly, his heart finally at ease.

The base is still standing, the defenses are intact, and the sacrifices of Tavik and those officers have not been in vain.

This is perhaps the best way to comfort them.

But this comfort could not alleviate the heaviness in Lin Yi's heart in the slightest.

Then, Lin Yi heard Buck change the subject and whisper, "However, Commander Lin Yi, I heard that the Legion Command, based on the surveillance records remaining in the base, has preliminarily determined that the Kunmo Clan expert who launched the surprise attack seems to be targeting a certain 'human prodigy' who appeared on the Crimson Blood Star battlefield earlier."

As he spoke, Buck looked at Lin Yi with a burning gaze, "I was thinking, didn't your Dongfeng just return from the Crimson Blood Star battlefield a few days ago? In addition, in this K-77 star field, who can be called a 'human race prodigy' recently, and who has such a record that the Kunmo Clan would send so many experts to find him? I really can't think of anyone else but you, Commander Lin Yi. So I guessed that this matter is probably related to you, and that you are not here with good intentions."

Are they here for Tianjiao?

Lin Yi frowned, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

He immediately thought of the Kunmo tribe commander he had beheaded, and its dying roar filled with resentment and curses, "You will come to join me!"

"At the time, I thought it was just impotent rage, but now it seems that it's because I appeared on Crimson Blood Star and killed the Kunmo Clan commander that the Kunmo Clan sent stronger people from the rear specifically to target me?"

The thought flashed through Lin Yi's mind in an instant.

The enemy's decision to raid the command post was likely due to their inability to find him there, and thus a form of revenge and retaliation.

Tavic and his group likely took the blame for him.

"Commander Buck, do you have any more details about that surveillance footage? There are some things I'd like to confirm," Lin Yi pressed.

Buck shook his head, looking somewhat helpless: "Commander Lin Yi, I only have some old connections within the legion and have heard some rumors. The specific surveillance content is a military secret; how could I possibly see it?"

“However,” he paused, hesitated for a moment, and then suggested, “I suspect that if the Legion also believes this matter is related to you, they will likely contact you after completing the internal reporting process and obtaining approval. At that time, you can directly request to see it. After all, you are also one of the parties involved.”

Lin Yi nodded; Buck's news was already extremely important.

"Thank you very much, Commander Buck, for coming to inform me. I will remember this favor."

He knew what Buck wanted to hear, and said solemnly.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Buck didn't linger. He got up to take his leave, saying before he left, "Commander Lin Yi, you're too kind. We're all just hustling around on this border, risking our lives. It's only right that we look out for each other. Please be careful. I'll take my leave now."

After seeing Buck off, Lin Yi sat alone in the conference room, silence enveloping him as if it were an tangible presence.

He closed his eyes, took out a metal wine jug from his storage space, rubbed it for a moment, and then put it away.

Then, Lin Yi opened his eyes, all the turmoil in them now gone.

"Xuanji, help me contact General Luger and request a visit in my name."
-
General's Reception Room, Fortress of the 93778th Legion of the Astral Army.

It was still that simple, small reception room with a cool, metallic feel.

General Ruger sat in the main seat with a solemn expression, and a serious-looking adjutant stood beside him.

As soon as Lin Yi walked in, General Luger said directly, "Commander Lin Yi, you've arrived. I suppose you've already received some information."

He paused, then added, "Even if you don't come to see me, we'll still visit you later."

"Indeed, General."

Lin Yi sat down in the chair opposite General Luger and readily admitted it.

"The purpose of my visit is to understand the specific circumstances of the attack on the Crimson Star 'Helios' base. In addition, I would like to know if the monitoring facilities in the command center were intact at the time? If possible, I would like to be able to view the records from that time."

Lin Yi got straight to the point, without any beating around the bush.

General Ruger gave Lin Yi a deep look, then slowly said, "The surveillance footage has not been destroyed."

As he spoke, he gestured to the adjutant beside him, who immediately stepped forward and quickly pressed a few buttons on the control panel in the center of the conference table.

Then, a miniature holographic image rose up on the table, showing the scene inside the "Helios" base command center.

In the footage, Tavik and several senior officers appear to be discussing something in front of a sand table. Everything looks normal and busy. Tavik can even be seen pointing to a spot on the sand table, seemingly deploying the next step of the cleanup operation.

Sudden.

Without any warning, everyone in the video, whether standing Vic, the staff officer, or the operator sitting at the control panel, suddenly jolted as if struck by an invisible hammer.

The stronger members of the group, including Vic, coughed up a mouthful of blood, their faces turning deathly pale. They swayed but barely managed to stay upright, but the energy fluctuations around them instantly dissipated, clearly indicating that their source sea had suffered a devastating blow.

Meanwhile, the adjutants, guards, and civilian staff around them turned to ashes in that instant, like sand sculptures weathered by wind, without even being able to utter a scream.

At the very moment this tragedy occurred, General Ruger added in a low voice, "At the same instant, within a 50-kilometer radius of the command post, all soldiers died instantly."

Lin Yi's fist clenched silently under the table. The fifty-kilometer area was cleared in an instant—this was the power of a domain!

The scene on the table continues.

Lin Yi noticed that inside the command center, a ferocious figure slowly solidified like a ghost.

It was a Kunmo tribe member whose form was similar to the Kunmo tribe members they had encountered before, but more slender and perfect, full of killing aesthetics.

It stands nearly four meters tall and is covered in a dark gold chitinous carapace that seems to flow with an eerie light like liquid metal, with extremely smooth lines.

The edges of its sickle-shaped forelimbs were slightly distorted, and even through the holographic image, one could feel its chilling sharpness. What impressed Lin Yi most were its compound eyes, which were no longer the murky, ghostly light of ordinary Kunmo tribesmen, but rather like two cold flames burning in the abyss, filled with cruelty towards life and an indifference that looked down upon all living beings.

Clearly, this was a powerful figure sent by the Kunmo tribe.

Its gaze swept over the scene of devastation, leaving only the command room of a few seriously injured officers. A hint of impatience flashed in its burning compound eyes.

Then, with a flash, it casually jabbed the nearest seriously wounded officer with its gleaming, serrated forelimbs, lifting him up as if examining an insignificant insect.

A universal language voice, like the scraping of metal, rang out in the deathly silent command room.

"Decapitation strikes are not something only humans know."

Its voice was devoid of any emotion, as if stating a cold, hard fact: "Tell me, where has your prodigy gone? Why hasn't he shown up all these days?"

Its tone carried a hint of questioning, as if Lin Yi's absence was an offense to it.

However, the officer, whose chest had been pierced and who was being held in mid-air, was still grinning, revealing a blood-stained smile full of mockery and contempt.

"You bugs...aren't you going to run? The Astronaut Army is different from you bugs. Even if we die, we'll still keep running for a while."

"Our brothers on the perimeter have noticed something's wrong. They'll be here soon. How much energy do you have left? Hurry up and get out of here!"

His voice was broken and intermittent, yet it carried a utter contempt for a powerful enemy.

"That's right, you worthless worm, I'm not telling you, haha, look how anxious it is."

"You want to find our human prodigies? You're not worthy!"

"If you don't get out of here, you'll be blasted to smithereens by our artillery fire!"

The other officers lying on the ground, including Tavik, who was staring intently at the suddenly appearing Kunmo tribesman with his eyes almost spitting fire, also used their last strength to let out hoarse laughter and curses.

Knowing they were doomed, not one of them showed any fear, nor did any of them try to beg for mercy or reveal any information about Lin Yi.

In the final moments of their lives, they upheld the honor of soldiers and severely humiliated this arrogant foreign tyrant.

In the image, the Kunmo tribesman's burning compound eyes clearly darkened, and Lin Yi could even sense through the image the shame, anger, and murderous intent that surged within him after being mocked by these ants in his eyes.

As a high and mighty celestial being, it could not tolerate such contempt from "ants".

"court death!"

It stopped talking and the forelimb that was embedded in the officer's chest jerked violently.

The body of the Star Realm officer, whom Lin Yi remembered only meeting a few times, instantly turned into a cloud of blood mist, leaving not even a single intact bone behind.

Immediately afterwards, the figure of the Kunmo clan flashed through the command room like a ghost, moving so fast that it left afterimages.

"Swoosh!" "Swoosh!" "Swoosh!"
Commander Tavic, along with several other seriously wounded officers, were instantly sliced ​​or blown apart by the terrifying forelimbs before they could even utter a complete last word, turning into a shower of blood that stained the entire command room crimson.

Having done all this, the burning compound eye of the Kunmo tribe once again coldly swept across the command room, which was like a purgatory. Its figure, just as it had appeared, slowly faded and disappeared, as if it had never existed.

The holographic imagery abruptly ended there.

The reception room fell into a deathly silence.

General Luger's hands, resting on his knees, were clenched into fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, but he forcibly controlled his emotions.

Lin Yi sat there quietly, expressionless, as if what he had just seen was just a video that had nothing to do with him.

General Luger looked at Lin Yi, who remained silent as an iceberg, and slowly spoke, breaking the suffocating silence.

"Based on our comprehensive assessment combined with other information, we concluded that this Kunmo tribe was targeting you. After lurking near the base and searching for you without success, they launched a retaliatory attack on the command center. Tavik and his men are true soldiers; they kept the secret and upheld their dignity."

He paused, looking at Lin Yi with a complicated expression. "Commander Lin Yi, I know how you feel right now. But that's precisely why you need to stay calm."

Lin Yi slowly exhaled and looked at General Luger, "What is the strength of that Kunmo clan? Is it still on Crimson Blood Star?"

"Feel sorry."

General Luger shook his head.

He frankly stated, "Due to the limitations of the equipment and detection capabilities of the Crimson Blood Star base, we are currently unable to accurately determine its specific strength level, nor can we determine whether it is still on Crimson Blood Star, or whether it has lurked in other places in the K-77 star system, or even closer to it."

However, General Ruger then added, "We have submitted the imagery and energy signatures of the Kunmo race to the Legion's intelligence department for in-depth analysis. However, given the current battlefield priorities in the K-77 star system, obtaining detailed feedback from headquarters' intelligence department may take some time."

His tone carried a hint of helplessness, which was the norm for the border legions; resources were always tilted toward the more central battlefields.

General Ruger then stated, "The only thing we can be certain of at present is that it at least also controls the territory."

"Commander Lin Yi," Luger's tone turned serious, "I hope you will remain in the fortress for the time being, and avoid approaching the Level 2 battlefield, and especially do not return to Crimson Blood Star easily. We will make a judgment after the intelligence department has ascertained the details of the Kunmo tribe and we have a response plan."

"You are a rare prodigy of our human race, a pillar of the future. Do not take risks lightly when you are not sure of the outcome. This is an order, and also my request as a veteran."

Although the sacrifice of Tavic and others pained Ruger, he was even more unwilling to see the future of Lin Yi needlessly ruined by a moment of impulsiveness.

Lin Yi nodded to indicate that he understood. He neither refuted nor made any promises.

"Thank you for informing me of the details, General, and for your concern. I will take my leave now."

Lin Yi stood up, said nothing more, nodded slightly to General Luger, and then took his leave.

Back at the East Peak Mercenary Group's base, the heavy alloy door slid shut silently behind them, completely isolating them from the outside world.

Lin Yi stood in front of the huge porthole, looking at the brightly lit port and the bustling scene of ships coming and going outside. His eyes were unfocused, as if they could penetrate the metal barrier and see the red land, the command room that had become ruins, and Tavik's last unwilling look.

The images of Tavik and the officers' gruesome deaths replayed repeatedly in his mind, as did the cold and arrogant gaze of the Kunmo tribe and its indifferent attitude towards life and its wanton slaughter.

"They're after me."

"Ambush. Revenge"

"Kunmo tribe"

The Legion's intelligence system may take time, but it has more direct and efficient channels.

"Xuanji," Lin Yi's voice rang out, "Help me contact my Ninth Senior Brother Cangming. I hope to meet him in the virtual network. Now."

The Border Legion may not be able to obtain this crucial information immediately due to limitations in permissions, equipment, and battlefield priorities, but that doesn't mean Lin Yi has no way of knowing it.

He also has a senior brother who is the supervisor of this tiered battlefield and has a strength of the Transcendent Realm level!

However, generally speaking, according to the rules of the battlefield, the supervisor is only responsible for supervising the implementation of the rules and preventing the intervention of forces beyond their level, and has no obligation to provide intelligence support to the participating parties.

Otherwise, wouldn't a being of the dignified realm of evolution, having to oversee so many tiered battlefields and also help with intelligence gathering, become a laborer?
But rules are rigid, people are flexible.

As Cangming's junior brother, his private consultation with Cangming in a personal capacity was entirely different.

This bond between master and disciple is now his fastest way to obtain information.

This time, he had to find out the details of the Kunmo tribe.

Its strength level, its capabilities, and its possible moves.

Some blood debts must be repaid with blood.

But only by knowing oneself and one's enemy can one formulate a plan for revenge. After all, he still carries the hopes of the entire Silver Blue Civilization and the hopes of the Xina Clan. He cannot act rashly and do something foolish.

Therefore, before that, Lin Yi needed to know what kind of opponent he was going to face.

　I'd like to recommend a super-satisfying, million-word masterpiece that's already a must-read. There's a link below: "The Necromancer, Summoning a 055? What the Hell?" As a necromancer, while others summon zombies, Chen Mo's skeleton automatic rifle delivers physical salvation. While others summon dark warriors, his skeleton heavy sniper rifle kills instantly. While others summon flesh giants, his skeletons ride five pairs of wheels, creating explosive art. When the sky-covering bone dragon army roars in, he simply unleashes his 055!
　　

(End of this chapter)