"The savior he had been hoping for actually regarded him as a mere liar—a sophisticated one, perhaps, but a liar nonetheless!"

However, a surge of immense hope suddenly ignited within his icy heart. Mungo, still pinned to the ground, roared wildly, "Sir, listen! This base's overload state is being terminated rapidly; in at most one minute, it will shut down completely! I don't have time to explain anything to you now. You only need to understand one thing: once the overload state is cleared, re-entry will be impossible. You will never get anything you want—never, ever! Tell that old maid to pull the key out! Immediately!! I am already in this terrible situation; I have absolutely no reason to deceive you!"

The Scruffy Man paused, and Fei Ji along with the two Lieutenant Generals also stiffened. They all turned to look at the Scruffy Man, who, after a brief moment of thought, stated, "Mr. Mungo has convinced me. So, Lieutenant Generals, proceed immediately as he instructs and retrieve the highest authorization key for me."

The old maid immediately hissed, her voice sharp and scornful, "Who do you think you are? You filthy, disgusting fool, speaking to me like that? Shut your repulsive mouth."

Mungo’s heart trembled, and he couldn't help shouting again, "There are only thirty seconds left, Sir!"

The Scruffy Man's expression shifted, but then he suddenly smiled, "Hmm. I believe I still have ten contribution points remaining this month..."

As he spoke, a terrifying event abruptly occurred. The Kestrel Base, which had been under the complete control of Fei Ji and her group, suddenly spiraled into total chaos!

The next second, six metal jet launchers suddenly sprang out from the ceiling of Mungo's office. Three of them simultaneously narrowed their sights, locked on, and then unleashed a storm of scorching metal!

This weapon was designed for close-range suppressive fire during starship boarding actions. Like a shotgun, it possessed astonishing lethal power against any living thing but was calibrated not to inflict major structural damage to the hull. When this weapon struck a person, one could imagine it as a high-speed, massive grinding wheel pressed directly against the body!

Bloody, suffocating, generating an extreme sense of dread!

In an instant, the old maid and the two Military Police officers restraining Mungo couldn't even manage a sound before their upper halves were utterly obliterated, leaving only a few bewildered legs still standing where they had been. Their torsos had been shredded by the metal storm. All bone, flesh, brain matter, ligaments, and uniform were torn into uniform droplets of blood, spraying across more than ten square meters of the floor behind them!

Only then did the Scruffy Man continue smiling slowly, "Ten contribution points are more than enough to cover the penalty for killing a Lieutenant General... Oh, and what are you waiting for? If I truly don't obtain any of the data, then, Major General Mungo, I wouldn't mind paying a few extra contribution points as an additional fine for killing a Major General."

Mungo shrieked and scrambled toward his desk, rolling and crawling. The others remained rigidly in place, showing no inclination to intervene. This wasn't due to the mortal threat posed by the metal jet launchers, but because an unbelievable thought had surfaced in every mind...

The envoy from the Imperial Inspectorate—the department capable of suppressing and inspecting all Imperial forces—one of the senior elders of the Fei Ji family, Lieutenant General Josephine Benny, who possessed noble bloodlines tracing back to an Imperial branch lineage, was dead? Just like that???

At that moment, Lieutenant General Josephine Benny's legs, clad in calfskin boots, finally lost balance and collapsed onto the floor with a thud, the viscous blood flowing across the gleaming waxed tiles!

Mungo bypassed the suspense of the final seconds often seen in crime thrillers. He yanked out his highest authorization key twelve seconds before the absolute shutdown, aimed it at the intercom, and roared, "Previous commands are rescinded! The Kestrel's reactor is to continue operating at full overload capacity!"

"Repeat: Previous commands are rescinded! The Kestrel's reactor is to continue operating at full overload capacity!"

"Any personnel who dares disobey this order will be executed immediately, without trial!"

At this moment, the enraged Commander Rusk couldn't help but step forward, leveling his voice at the Scruffy Man, "By what right do you execute an Imperial Lieutenant General?!"

The Scruffy Man's 3D illusion looked at him, contemptuously exhaling a puff of smoke, as if observing an ant. He then flicked the cigarette butt away. The 3D illusion instrument vividly replicated the scene; the phantom butt pierced through Rusk, then seemed to strike the real wall nearby, bounced a few times, and landed before the crowd. All that was visible was the brand printed on the butt: a clear black cross!

This trademark, coupled with the Scruffy Man's ability to instantly gain the highest authority within the Kestrel Base upon arrival, made his identity obvious to anyone with even rudimentary knowledge!

Only members of the Imperial Family could possess exclusive luxury items bearing the black cross!

Mungo, meanwhile, was numb. He suddenly realized: an Imperial Family member who also held the esteemed title of Big Ben Researcher, such lavish accoutrements!! Oh, no—such a magnificent, powerful patron! To fail to cling to this robust support immediately would truly invite divine retribution!

By now, the Scruffy Man was growing impatient. "Mungo, the reactor's overload state has been halted. Where are the items I requested? Afternoon tea starts in five minutes."

Mungo immediately pressed several buttons on his desk and projected the information transmitted from the eyes of Android Unit One onto the wall opposite, forming a high-definition projection: "Your Excellency... My intelligence source was copied from here. Everything you asked for is right here."

"Hmm. It seems you bastard hired a master director to fabricate this. You even went to other planets for location shooting. The clarity and background staging are top-tier. Interesting."

Mungo, having seized the opening, quickly cross-referenced keywords: Imperial Family member, Big Ben Researcher, disregard for formalities, smoker, ruthless. These terms pointed simultaneously to a certain Lord Pambalou.

Statistics showed his probability of inheriting the throne was 17.44%. While this seemed low, considering the current Emperor had a staggering one hundred and eighty-four children, it was quite considerable.

Meanwhile, on the distant planet of Eplos, Fang Senyan stood on the open ground. About ten meters before him stood the mysterious man capable of single-handedly battling three of the Great Toad Slat people!

This individual now wore a chilling white animal skull helmet, lending him an air of primal, savage majesty. His physique was exceptionally tall and broad, his muscles bulging conspicuously. Standing before Fang Senyan, he unexpectedly gave Fang Senyan the sensation of needing to look up to him.

Next, the man cracked his knuckles, the sharp pipa-pala sounds clearly audible. Fang Senyan, taking no chances, preemptively unleashed his Viral Halo, but he sensed that the man’s viral resistance seemed formidable; it would require time for Virus A to penetrate his immune system and take effect.

"Come on," Fang Senyan stated calmly, locking onto his opponent. The next second, an aura resembling a primeval beast clamped down on his throat! The helmeted enemy roared and lunged forward, raising both hands high for a crushing downward hammer blow.

Fang Senyan met the attack without hesitation, raising both hands to directly parry!

With a deafening BOOM, the very ground seemed to tremble slightly. The earth beneath Fang Senyan's stance shattered and fragments scattered everywhere. The two men clashed head-on like two powerful bulls maddened by a red cloth!

Both were flung backward by the massive recoil, stumbling several steps. The air surrounding them swirled into violent vortices, and both immediately charged again in the first available instant!

Upon this second impact, even the surrounding wind howled mournfully like a winter gale. Both Fang Senyan’s upper garment and the animal hide wrapped around the skull-man’s body simultaneously shredded under the furious, overflowing force!

In that split second, Fang Senyan noticed one thing clearly.

In the center of the skull-man's chest, there was a pronounced bulge the size of a plate. This protrusion rose nearly two to three centimeters above the skin surface and was covered in purplish-black veins and red sinews. Four thick, curved vessels extended most noticeably from this spot, plunging deeply into the body.

The color of the skin over this bulge was distinctly different from the surrounding tissue; it could plausibly be mistaken for a tumor.

While Fang Senyan was momentarily distracted, he was violently kicked squarely in the chest. However, as he absorbed the blow, he simultaneously landed a punch on the opponent's face. He noted that while the enemy's mouth bled slightly from the impact, the surface of the "tumor" on his chest acquired a faint sheen, and its throbbing frequency increased slightly.

"Is this thing growing on his exterior the source of his power?" The thought flashed through Fang Senyan's mind, and he immediately surged forward, unleashing both fists in heavy strikes toward the distorted organ on the skull-man's chest.

Unexpectedly, the skull-man abruptly raised both hands, allowing Fang Senyan’s full-force punches to land squarely on his chest! Fang Senyan had delivered the blows with all his might, but upon impact, the targeted area felt like the toughest muscle, vibrating intensely as if trying to dissipate all the incoming force sideways.