Xu Nian spread his hands and shook his head! "It's just a pity that Lianyü isn't qualified to be promoted to an elite mercenary group. It was the super mercenary groups that created the Alliance; the Alliance didn't create the super mercenary groups. Since the Alliance has to dance to the tune of the super mercenary groups, how could it possibly qualify any one of them for promotion?"

The short man nodded in agreement. "Exactly. It's possible the Te'lan Mercenary Group already has the strength of a super mercenary group, they just haven't shown it in public."

The burly man had already broken out in a cold sweat from the conversation. He nervously glanced left and right, and only relaxed when he saw no one was paying attention. "Are you saying the Te'lan Mercenary Group has the substance of a super mercenary group but lacks the title?"

"Are you stupid?" The short man jabbed him in the solar plexus with his elbow, causing the burly man to double over in pain. "What do you mean, 'has the substance but lacks the title'? Having the strength is what truly matters; what good is a title?"

The fat man stated with absolute certainty, "Exactly."

The burly man repeatedly clasped his hands in apology. "The gatekeeper must have lost his mind to say something so thoughtless. I ask for your generous understanding, sirs."

The fat man and the short man spoke in unison: "No problem. No problem. We're only doing this to prevent you from doing anything that might harm the collective."

"Harm the collective? How do you figure that?" the burly man asked, perplexed.

The fat man cursed, "Idiot! Can't you see? They wiped out all five major powers, leaving none behind. It's clear they favor cutting the weeds and digging up the roots. What if you offend them alone, and they decide to wipe us all out too? Wouldn't that be a terrible injustice?"

As the three men spoke, they failed to notice that several people near them flashed expressions of contempt before quickly masking them.

The white-haired old man leading the procession stepped off the gangway and saw more than a hundred people arranged in two rows ahead. The people in the first row wore white military uniforms, stood at ease with their hands behind their backs, their expressions solemn and their gaze fixed forward. The second row wore red power armor, holding Gauss rifles with the muzzles pointed upward. The two ranks subtly exuded a faint killing intent!

Standing before the warriors was a man of perfect proportions, also clad in a white military uniform.

"A superb opening gesture." The white-haired old man's heart constricted when he saw the leader. He recognized this man as Robin, the true authority controlling Gray Port.

Robin took a step forward, bowed slightly, and addressed the assembled group: "I am Robin, representing the Te'lan Mercenary Group. I welcome you all and hope your inspection process proceeds smoothly and orderly."

The white-haired old man shook Robin's hand and replied, "Hello, Mr. Robin. I am Harry, a senior executive of the Mercenary Alliance, dispatched to audit the Te'lan Mercenary Group's qualifications for promotion. I trust we will receive your full cooperation."

"Of course, of course."

After exchanging pleasantries with the white-haired old man, Robin said, "Mr. Harry, we have arranged accommodation for you. Please, follow me." Robin stepped aside and gestured forward.

"After you," the white-haired old man said, also gesturing forward.

Robin led them away from the docks and onto a mag-lev bus, heading toward the pre-booked five-star hotel.

Along the way, the white-haired old man asked Robin several questions about the Te'lan Mercenary Group.

The old man clearly knew that a significant portion of the Te'lan Mercenary Group's operations were classified from the Mercenary Alliance, so his questions remained superficial, to which Robin gave a ready answer for each.

Upon reaching the hotel and seeing the investigation team settled into their rooms, Robin summoned a Ghost Operative. "Did you see everything clearly?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel," the Ghost Operative replied. "While you were speaking with Harry, eight individuals displayed unusual behavior. Although they maintained an air of complete indifference, their focus was acutely directed toward your conversation with Harry. They were keenly interested in every word you spoke. Furthermore, they noticed the minor displays we orchestrated during the bus ride. Their eyes betrayed an interest in these displays that far exceeded mere curiosity."

The so-called minor displays involved items placed within the investigators' line of sight—seemingly advanced machinery. For instance, a case with a control panel attached to a passing machine gunner on the street, a tank being towed by a truck, or strange antennas sprouting from rooftops. Not all these items might have been functional; some were mere shells, devoid of internal mechanisms. However, they all shared one trait: their exterior appearance was something that certainly wouldn't be seen outside of Gray Port. Therefore, the investigation team would naturally assume these were proprietary technological products unique to the mysterious Te'lan Corporation.

These 'minor displays' were utilized by the Ghost Operatives to gauge the reaction of the investigation team and record their responses. The Ghost Operatives were masters of reading micro-expressions; any one of them could be deemed an expert in human behavior. Even if the investigators tried to hide their reactions, some of their movements would inevitably differ from their norm, allowing the operatives to deduce where their focus lay and the intensity of that focus. This skill was akin to mind-reading, albeit one built upon a foundation of psychological profiling.

"Put those suspicious individuals under strict, twenty-four-hour surveillance. Do not relax vigilance on the others either. If—"

"—then raise their alert levels," Robin commanded.

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!" the Ghost Operative responded.

Robin returned to his former Gray Port office, which now served as the headquarters for the Te'lan Mercenary Group in the area. Due to the presence of this headquarters, the bar street had become the liveliest avenue in Gray Port, attracting streams of people daily, leading to booming business for all the bars, large and small. Mercenaries from smaller groups who used to frequent the area had now fallen under the patronage of the Te'lan Mercenary Group's Gray Port contingent, becoming their peripheral organizations. Riding the wave of Te'lan's meteoric rise, these peripheral groups also saw an upswing in activity—they received more missions and commanded higher rewards. In turn, their increased spending led the bars on the street to introduce finer and more expensive liquors, resulting in massive profits and a significant hike in rental prices along the street. If anyone dared to speak ill of the Te'lan Mercenary Group here after dark, they would likely be swarmed and crushed by the ensuing crowd.

Upon his return, Robin immediately contacted Kalia via communicator.

"The Mercenary Alliance people are here," Robin reported.

Kalia nodded. "Very good. How many suspects do we have?"

"Currently eight," Robin replied. "They showed unusual interest in several minor aspects of the Te'lan Mercenary Group."

A smile touched Kalia’s lips. "As expected, there are still several factions within the Mercenary Alliance who want to dig into our origins. Infiltrating this investigation team is probably their most direct and final tactic at this stage."

"I have already dispatched teams to watch them twenty-four hours a day. If they are spies sent by large mercenary groups, they will be easy enough to handle. However, spies sent by the three major super mercenary groups will be considerably trickier."

Kalia’s tone grew serious. "I understand. The Nine Dragons Mercenary Group is the least concern; they rely mostly on superior numbers, and their quality is only marginally better than the larger groups. The Caesar Mercenary Group is a bit more troublesome; their high-tech gear surpasses even military standards, but they still pose little threat to us. The 'Word' military faction is the most problematic. If they manage to embed a Knight within this investigation team, they will be very difficult to deal with."

"Most of the mid-to-high-ranking Knights of the Holy Light Order have already shown their faces and have high public exposure. Many people in the Mercenary Alliance recognize them, so infiltration would be impossible. If they send anyone, it would likely have to be a Novice Knight or a Knight Apprentice," Kalia stated.

"That's still troublesome," Robin mused inwardly, considering how to handle a confrontation with a Novice Knight or an Apprentice.

Seeing his thought process, Kalia chuckled. "The Commander anticipated this possibility. Two Dark Templars are already en route to Gray Port. Prepare to meet them; they will assist you in identifying any Novice Knights or Apprentices among the investigators."

"That's excellent news," Robin grinned. "With the Dark Templars' cloaking abilities, unless it’s a Paladin, they cannot be detected from a distance—only up close can they be sensed. That way, even a High Knight wouldn't notice them."

"Leave the matter of handling the investigation team to you," Kalia said.

"Understood," Robin nodded. Just as Kalia was about to close the communication link, Robin suddenly called out, "Wait!"

"What is it?" Kalia paused, her hand on the controls.

"Is it true what they say about the Commander and Katerina?" Robin lowered his voice as he asked.

"You are forbidden from gossiping about the Commander!" Kalia replied righteously.

"Seems it's true, otherwise you would have immediately denied it," Robin teased.

At this, Kalia dropped her righteous facade. "It's only been a few days, and I can't believe this news has already spread from the base to your ears. It seems our base's security measures need improvement. How did you find out?"

"Can't you guess that?" Robin countered with a sly look.

"Stop wasting time and tell me," Kalia snapped, having no interest in speculating herself.

Robin shook his head. "You should know that women's gossip is one of the oldest and fastest channels for intelligence transmission in the world."

"The medical staff in Gray Port?" Kalia immediately identified Robin's source.

"Correct," Robin confirmed with a nod, then added, "How far have things progressed between them?"

Kalia shook her head. "If you want to know, investigate yourself. It's impossible to pry details about the Commander's private life out of me. Also, relay this message to the medical corps there: do not gossip about the Commander." With that, she severed the connection.

"The Commander and Katerina have finally reached this stage. We should have a celebration tonight," Robin paced back and forth in his office, talking to himself. "But I can't announce it openly. What pretext should I use?"

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