The officer seemed somewhat put out after hearing Yang Ying’s words, pausing in thought. “Agree to his terms,” said Christina, deactivating her voice modulator.

“Miss?” the officer exclaimed, his mouth agape in surprise, clearly familiar with her voice. “It’s me.

I planned to return tomorrow, but since I ran into you all face-to-face, it would be rude not to say hello.” Christina had initially feared that revealing herself would expose the energy ingots, forcing the Kussen Corps to dispatch heavy manpower to guard them, thereby straining their already stretched defenses. This was why she hadn't revealed her identity even after returning to Kussen.

Very few people knew about her secret mission, and at such a critical juncture, caution was paramount. Some people seemed trustworthy, but if anything went wrong, regret would come too late.

Of course, if Yang Ying had accepted her offer of alliance earlier and taken the energy ingots, she could have returned sooner. But Yang Ying had refused, leaving her stuck guarding the cargo ship.

The current situation, however, was different. A dozen ape-men invading Kussen had been killed, especially the high-level ones.

Their deaths would significantly reduce the defensive pressure on the Kussen Corps. After all, the Triceratops-class ships weren't that crucial; each carried at most one or two high-level ape-men.

With one dead now, the Kussen Corps could free up substantial personnel. The lethality of ordinary ape-men compared to the high-level ones was like the difference between a lamb and a wolf.

If the remaining enemies in the city were only regular ape-men, the Kussen Corps could easily eliminate them. Christina exchanged a few words with the officer, who immediately approved Yang Ying’s request with the green light.

Yang Ying sent a Ghost operative to supervise the destruction of the surveillance footage, then summoned several medics from the Valkyrie escort ships, ostensibly to provide emergency medical aid to the survivors, inviting them aboard the escort vessel. Yang Ying used this as an excuse to follow them.

Inside the escort ship, Yang Ying summoned several Dark Archons and instructed them to alter the memories of these survivors. Yang Ying specifically warned them not to erase the survivors' memories of the incident, nor to alter them too drastically, lest outside inquiries reveal anomalies.

They should only make minor changes to certain details, ensuring the survivors would overlook the fact that Yang Ying was an Awakened. The hassle was necessary because influencing the thoughts of others using psychic power was a grave offense in the world of the Awakened.

According to the regulations of the Psionic Temple, affecting human thought was permitted only to the extent of enchantment; brainwashing and memory modification were strictly forbidden. Even enchantment had stringent usage conditions, restricted to specific occasions and individuals.

These survivors were innocent, ordinary citizens, naturally falling outside the scope allowed for enchantment, let alone memory modification, a practice forbidden even for research. Yet, on the other hand, in the solar system, countless people violated this prohibition.

Not to mention that followers of the Ape Cult were mostly recruited through brainwashing methods; once brainwashed, they would use mind control to harm others. Over the decades, this prohibition had been breached countless times.

Unfortunately, their organization was tight and deeply hidden, making it impossible for even the Psionic Temple to eradicate them. Yang Ying was confident that the Dark Archons’ abilities would leave no trace.

Furthermore, the asteroid belt was a lawless place, lacking any enforcement agency with real authority. Mercenary groups served as both police and military here; as long as they confirmed the job was done, there shouldn't be any major issues.

The previous statement about providing emergency medical aid to the survivors was not just empty talk. For medics, treating external injuries was their specialty.

Although they couldn't use healing elixirs on outsiders due to security requirements, bandaging and standard medical procedures were entirely permissible. Afterward, Yang Ying returned the survivors to the port, handing them over to the Kussen medical personnel who had arrived.

These survivors would be sent to nearby medical facilities for limb reattachment surgery. Medical science in the 26th century was far more advanced than in the 21st; the limbs severed by the water blades were intact, making reattachment highly probable.

A while later, after the Ghost operative returned to report the complete destruction of the surveillance footage, Yang Ying and Christina exchanged contact information, and he embarked on the journey back. Thanks to Christina’s guarantee, the departure procedures only took about ten minutes, a stark contrast to the arrival.

She held immense status within the Kussen Corps; the port command staff knew her and certainly would not make things difficult for Yang Ying and his crew. Early the next morning, while the fleet was en route to the base, Katerina, Lilia, and Yang Ying were eating breakfast in the ship's mess hall.

Katerina addressed Yang Ying, “Sir, you went to such great lengths to ensure secrecy at the port, but the effect probably won’t be significant. I suspect there will always be a few spies within the Kussen Corps who will leak the secret that you are an Awakened.” Upon hearing this, Yang Ying displayed an indescribable, cryptic smile.

“My goal is precisely to have that secret leak!” “How so?” Lilia became curious and asked as well. “First, you both need to understand that everyone must have secrets, and your enemies will exhaust every effort to discover them,” Yang Ying said, smiling and spreading his hands.

“I am an Awakened. As long as someone knows my name is Yang Ying, they can eventually find out.

After all, I was a public figure for a time, and journalists uncovered a lot about me.” Katerina and Lilia nodded. “But my real secret is you two,” Yang Ying gestured toward them.

“Pocket Starfleet is the secret that cannot be displayed publicly. Everything else can serve as camouflage, including the fact that I am an Awakened.

When our enemies see me going to great lengths to conceal that I am an Awakened, they will assume that is my secret, thus lowering their guard and dampening their desire for deeper investigation.” “It’s impossible that everyone will think that way. Some cunning individuals won't relax their vigilance so easily,” Lilia asked with a frown.

“I know, but it’s enough if the majority believes it. I never aspire to achieve perfection.

If I flaunt my status as an Awakened ostentatiously, then the truly cunning will suspect I have an even greater secret.” Yang Ying chuckled, “Kalia once told me that in intelligence work, both the quantity and quality of intelligence officers matter. Quality allows for deeper probing, while quantity allows for broader reach.

I want as few people as possible paying attention to me, and I want those who do pay attention to stay far away from my deepest secrets. If I can satisfy their appetite with something already exposed, why not indulge them?” (Please cast your recommendation votes toward me!)

For more novels, visit storyread.net.