Perhaps it was just a careless guard tripping the alarm; the system had only been installed recently, so a few glitches were to be expected. Thinking this, he nonetheless commanded, “Search thoroughly. Mobilize every guard. Do not miss a single corner of Sector Four. And go to the monitoring station; pull up the footage from just now and see if anything suspicious turns up.”

“Yes, sir.” The man acknowledged and left to make the arrangements. Watching the guards spring into action, the squad leader nodded slightly to himself. Since the base’s establishment, nothing untoward had ever happened, making it easy for the guards to grow complacent. Though the base’s alarm systems were extremely rigorous, one could never be too careful. This base was essentially the lifeblood of the Ketong family; not a single error could be tolerated, no matter what.

Therefore, even though he suspected the alarm was a false positive, he still took the trouble to have the guards conduct a full sweep. This was not only to cultivate an atmosphere of tension but also to maintain the guards’ vigilance. If someone had actually infiltrated the base, that intruder was now less than twenty meters away, right under his nose. After triggering the alarm, Zhong Yun quickly retreated to the side, happening to witness the squad leader issuing orders. Once finished, the leader departed.

A thought sparked in Zhong Yun’s mind, and he followed. Shaken by the recent scare, he became exceedingly cautious, his nerves taut, ready to react instantly should any contingency arise. He paced back and forth on patrol, traversing nearly the entirety of Sector Four. Just as Zhong Yun was about to lose patience and halt his pursuit, the squad leader finally entered a room.

Zhong Yun followed without a second thought.

“Seventh Brother, is everything alright?” Inside the room, a man whose hair was already half-white sat in the central chair, gazing up at the panoramic screen displaying the situation in Sector One.

The squad leader, having just entered, responded to the inquiry. “I’ve looked around; found nothing unusual. It must be a false alarm from the newly installed system.”

The elder glanced at him upon hearing this. “The system Old Fourth developed rarely malfunctions. Have him instruct the guards to search even more meticulously.”

“Yes, Big Brother.” The squad leader turned and went out again.

The room settled back into silence.

Beside the Big Brother sat six other individuals, all equally focused on the fierce battle raging in Sector One.

After a considerable pause, as the main gate leading into Sector Two was on the verge of falling, one of them could not help but speak up. “Big Brother, shouldn’t we let them deploy now?”

The Big Brother slowly shook his head. “Not yet. Wait a little longer.”

This Big Brother clearly commanded deep authority; when he spoke, the man dared not say another word, merely watching quietly.

Zhong Yun stood by the doorway, observing the scene with a distinct sense of fascination. From their conversation, it was clear the Ketong family still held reserves, and he was curious to see what latent power the clan was concealing.

Next, a somewhat stout middle-aged man sitting beside the “Big Brother” suddenly spoke up with indignation. “Second Brother has truly gone too far. To collude with outsiders just to seize the most vital base of our Ketong family.”

A flicker of displeasure crossed the “Big Brother’s” face before it returned to normal. He turned to the person seated to his right. “Old Fourth, have you determined the mastermind behind this rebellion?”

The person addressed was a middle-aged man around forty. He rose to reply, “Based on my investigation, all evidence points to this rebellion being instigated by the forces of Shanweiguo that have infiltrated Ketong Star. Their objective is to plunge Ketong Star into chaos, thereby bogging down the entire development of the Mins Kingdom.”

Shanweiguo was a Tier Four civilization situated nearly eight hundred light-years from the Mins Kingdom. Their relationship resembled that between the Dawa and the Hongxian Federation; due to their proximity and similar levels of civilization, once their national strength reached a certain threshold, they became natural adversaries.

However, due to the disparity in their civilizational maturity, they could not settle their differences through outright war, yet the covert struggle between them had never ceased.

To launch this riot and destabilize the social order of the Mins Kingdom—no one would believe Shanweiguo was uninvolved.

It was just that nobody expected Shanweiguo to wield such substantial power on Ketong Star, causing such severe devastation. Even if this riot could be suppressed, recovering the previous prosperity would take decades of respite and recuperation. While basic infrastructure could be restored within a decade, replenishing the lost population would require at least one or two generations. Ten years prior, the Mins Kingdom had only just discovered a new natural star and relocated a large portion of its populace. What the Mins Kingdom lacked most now was population.

“Second Brother has gone mad!” someone exclaimed, his face etched with shock. “He actually colluded with foreign powers?”

The “Big Brother’s” gaze was sharp as lightning as he swept across that person, saying coldly, “Is this the first day you’ve known him? He has always been someone who stops at nothing to achieve his goals. Otherwise, how would this family have ended up in my hands?”

The subordinates instantly fell silent, chilled to the bone. They were all acutely aware of the old feud between the Second Brother and the Big Brother, a conflict revolving around the supreme authority of a family that influenced an entire planet. It was no wonder their rivalry had escalated to a point of mutual destruction.

Yet, the ruthlessness of the Second Brother surpassed their imagination; to exact revenge upon them, he was willing to drag the entirety of Ketong Star down with him. Recalling the Second Brother’s methods from the past, a chill crept through all of them.

“It seems Second Brother has indeed mastered the creation of the puppet drug. Those rioting thugs are clearly devoid of consciousness; it must be the Second Brother’s doing,” the Big Brother’s voice softened slightly.

“He was hailed as a genius back then. Forty years have passed, and he is still ahead of us,” he sighed softly, a hint of regret in his tone.

“But he could never have imagined the priceless treasure held within the Matrix. Even with his exceptional talent, he cannot compare.” The Big Brother smiled faintly.

On the main screen, the rioters had completely seized Sector One of the base. A towering figure appeared on the screen, his once handsome face twisted into a menacing grin as he looked into the camera. “Big Brother, my dear Big Brother. You never expected this, did you? I am back. And my brothers. What you gave me back then, I will return to you, every bit of it.”

“Hahahaha…” Amidst the wild laughter, the large screen abruptly went dead.

The seven people present fell silent.

“It really was him,” one murmured.

“It’s useless,” the Big Brother closed his eyes, sighing inwardly. “Old Second Brother, your talent surpasses mine in every aspect, overshadowing me constantly. But you have never managed to defeat me. Do you know why?”

Zhong Yun watched from the side, thoroughly engrossed. This was clearly the drama of a powerful family’s internal strife. It also resolved several lingering questions in his mind. What he hadn't anticipated was that, in the end, the turmoil on Ketong Star was orchestrated by the Ketong family itself.

Knowing that the Ketong family still held trump cards, he felt less rushed. As long as the war continued, he would have his opportunities. What he needed to wait for was the perfect moment. If those rioters could manage to breach Sector Four, that would be even better; he could use the ensuing chaos to force his way onto the starship. Once inside the vessel and having secured its clearance codes, he would have nothing left to fear.

“How are Wenzhu and Suqi?” The Ketong family’s Big Brother abruptly shifted the topic.

“They have both been rescued. Wenzhu is unharmed, and Suqi sustained minor injuries, nothing serious. As you commanded, they will be transported to Base Two, where they will have stringent protection,” the person seated at the far end stood up to report.

“Good.” The Big Brother nodded. “They are the future hope of the Ketong family. They must be protected well.”

“Yes,” the man affirmed.

They then discussed other internal family matters.

Zhong Yun listened from the doorway, taking the opportunity to learn a great deal about the inner workings of the Ketong family.

About an hour later, Zhong Yun finally received a signal from his decoder: the decoding of the control system for Sector Four was complete.

He was overjoyed. Opening the control system, however, caused him to frown immediately. The system for the massive gate at the far end of the base was entirely independent, outside the control of the Sector Four system.

This meant he would still need to crack that system before he could pass through the gate.

“How is the cracking progress on the Matrix?” The Ketong family Big Brother’s voice made Zhong Yun’s ears perk up. Zhong Yun had suspected the term “Matrix” referred to the starship when it was first mentioned, so he naturally paid close attention.

“It is still stuck at the second phase,” the man seated in the second row from the end on his left stood up and replied.

“We need to accelerate the process,” the Big Brother mused, stroking his chin.

“But we have expended immense manpower and resources over these two thousand years just to reach the second phase. Even with greater effort, accelerating the progress will likely be difficult,” the man said with visible concern.

“I know,” the Big Brother made no move to relent. “But the Ketong family is currently in an extremely critical period. It can be foreseen that the coming time will be the most perilous environment in the Ketong family’s history. To overcome this predicament, we must rely on the technology within the Matrix.” The Big Brother explained.

“I will do my best.” The man gritted his teeth and finally agreed.

“Immediately take all the engineers in the base with you. Old Fifth, you will go assist. You two will form two shifts and work alternately. Whoever cracks it first, I will grant a major merit,” the Big Brother’s eyes flashed with brilliance as he looked intently at them.

“Yes.” Another person stood up and responded alongside the previous one.

Zhong Yun was ecstatic upon hearing this; he had certainly waited for this opportunity. Watching the two men leave the room, he quickly followed.

The Big Brother suddenly looked toward the doorway with a puzzled expression. He sensed an extra presence there, yet the area appeared empty. A sweep of his perception confirmed it: nothing.

Could it be that he was simply too tired lately?

Suddenly, he recalled the alarm sound from the Matrix entrance just moments ago. A shock jolted through him, and he instantly shot to his feet.

Everyone present felt an overwhelming aura wash over them, pressing down so hard they could barely breathe. They were inwardly horrified. What had happened to Big Brother?

“There is a spy.”

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