In the morning, he was occupied setting up the venue and coordinating staff; when the incident occurred, being held hostage was the only moment of respite he had during a terrifying half-hour; afterward, he was split between contacting the media, seeking out crisis management firms to deal with the negative press—at least erasing anything related to the Wolf Den—and then personally rushing back to headquarters to root out the mole.
Who the mole was, was glaringly obvious.
Though Blackbeard was running ragged, he hadn't lost his composure.
He even considered checking the surveillance system first before hunting the person down.
However, the moment he stepped through the villa’s main door, he saw the individual sitting in the center of the main hall, waiting for his return.
Blackbeard’s eyes flared crimson, and he lunged forward, slamming a fist into the person’s face: “A-Piao, why would you do this?”
During this whole period, aside from the Madman who had taken up permanent residence and refused to leave, the others were either busy with their own affairs or out running errands. Only A-Piao had been consistently inside the villa, and it was he who had found the data on the Queen-type from the shared files and prepared the video for the press conference.
When the reporters entered the Wolf Den’s main base for interviews, it was A-Piao who opened the gate and received them.
Every time Blackbeard recalled how A-Piao had casually spilled the Wolf Den’s secrets about the Mengya Group during the interview, the hatred consumed him.
A-Piao smoothly sidestepped, his movements surprisingly agile.
Blackbeard paused, momentarily stunned. A-Piao, the type of shut-in who would lie down if he could sit, and sit if he could stand, how could he possess such skill? His mind raced; he instantly drew his gun, pointing it directly at the imposter's forehead: “You’re not A-Piao. Who are you?!”
The man wearing A-Piao’s face let out a cold chuckle. “Oh? Not entirely blind, I see. You recognized something.”
Blackbeard’s heart skipped a beat. After leaving Silver Talisman, A-Piao had kept his promise and cut his hair.
When he returned, everyone had laughed, noting that after the haircut, he looked like a different person—especially brisk and full of spirit. Could the switch have happened then?
In the cloning era, human modification technology was incredibly advanced; creating someone with A-Piao’s build wouldn't be that difficult.
Both shocked and enraged, Blackbeard aimed squarely at the head and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
A-Piao moved with incredible speed, ducking his head while swiftly striking Blackbeard’s gun hand. Blackbeard, having neglected training due to his work overload, almost lost his grip, the weapon nearly flying out of his grasp.
His reactions weren't as quick or agile as A-Piao’s. Within three moves, Blackbeard was slammed onto the floor.
A-Piao stepped onto his chest, snatched the gun, and aimed it back, demanding coldly, “What exactly are you people?”
He had previously wondered: since A-Piao betrayed them by leaking both the true and false information about the Mengya Group and the Wolf Den, why didn't he just expose their prisoner status on Silver Talisman Star too?
Now, he finally understood: the fake A-Piao didn't know their true background.
This realization sparked a flicker of hope in Blackbeard, who shot back, “That’s what I should be asking you—who are you?!”
A-Piao pressed down with his foot. With a sickening crack, two ribs snapped. Blackbeard cried out in agony.
“Even if you kill me, I won't tell you!” Blackbeard sweated profusely, eyes clenched shut, trying to maintain a façade of bravado: “Even if you kill me, my clone at Microstar Medical University will revive instantly. Then, you’ll be the one dead!”
A-Piao hesitated for a fraction of a second.
Blackbeard seized the opportunity, drawing the dagger he always carried and slashing out with a swish towards A-Piao’s calf!
A-Piao hadn’t anticipated that the man in a suit would carry a blade. He couldn't dodge in time and was struck; flesh tore open and bone cracked. The searing pain forced him down onto one knee.
Blackbeard, still in his crisp suit, clutched the bloodied dagger, his eyes burning red—he was fighting for his life now.
Which person from Silver Talisman Star hadn't been a desperate fugitive once? Fighting against people and nature in extremely harsh environments, just for a sliver more chance to survive.
Even in space where firearms reigned supreme, they never forgot to carry a useful close-combat weapon!
The fake A-Piao had never experienced that brutal reality; he could never overcome someone like Blackbeard.
Blackbeard swung the dagger again, aiming for A-Piao’s abdomen. A-Piao quickly rolled to the side, narrowly evading the strike, and lunged toward the metal rod resting nearby, used purely for decoration.
Just then, a figure stepped up behind him. He whipped his head around, only to see a metal rod expanding rapidly right before his eyes...
Blackbeard struggled to his feet, panting like a dog. The broken ribs constantly shot pain through his nerves, causing cold sweat to pour down. He ignored the agony, slapping the robot’s shoulder: “Brother, thank you. Truly.”
The robot offered a programmed, standard smile.
Blackbeard took a deep breath, then immediately doubled over again in pain.
But he was ecstatic.
The feeling of surviving disaster was incredibly real!
He commanded the robot, “Drag that corpse to Madman’s Studio 414.” Clutching his chest, he followed behind the robot, not forgetting to kick A-Piao’s Silver Signal out of the Silver Signal Group chat and broadcasting a mass message: “Who has time to buy a battleship and an industrial vessel? Red Hair, gather a bunch of underlings and get over here!”
The Mengya Group had suffered a devastating blow, and the Wolf Den Legion was shrouded in shadow.
He was certain that by now, people from various legions and factions had gathered around the villa, eyeing the Wolf Den like hungry wolves, ready to devour them at any moment.
Now, the only way forward was to equip themselves as quickly as possible!
The Wolf Den never wanted to rise this way, but with disaster looming, they had no choice.
The only person who could remain completely detached right now was likely the Madman.
Inside Studio 414, the Madman was excitedly dissecting a mutated beast he’d somehow acquired. Blood flowed down the operating table, stirring him into a frenzy.
To be so complacent at a time like this?
Blackbeard seriously wanted to deliver a resounding slap!
He caught his breath, tapped a control panel, shutting down the active medical equipment, and snapped, “Deal with this corpse.”
The Madman waved him away like a bothersome fly. “Go, go, I’ll deal with it tonight. I’m busy now.”
Blackbeard roared, “Look at the time! Dispose of the body immediately, and check his DNA and corneas. Confirm which faction he belongs to.”
The Madman looked down and was shocked. “How did you manage to kill A-Piao?”
Blackbeard retorted sourly, “He’s not A-Piao. Check if A-Piao’s clone is still around! Extract a portion of his consciousness, implant it into A-Piao’s clone, activate it, and have A-Piao infiltrate the enemy camp. Damn it, daring to attack us—I’ll destroy him!”
The Madman chuckled. “Piece of cake. Is this corpse being given to me?”
Blackbeard shuddered with distaste. “Take it and scram!” Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered his broken ribs and quickly added, “Don't bother with the corpse yet. Fix my ribs first.”
The Madman took his scalpel and headed towards 424. “It’s this way.”
Blackbeard cursed loudly, “You madman, why did you set up the studios so far apart? Are you trying to kill me on purpose?”
The Madman raised his scalpel and said coldly, “Who are you insulting?”
Blackbeard shot him a look and obediently shut his mouth.
In this world, the doctor was supreme.
Dare to defy a doctor? That was flirting with death!
Entering 424, the Madman opened the medical repair pod. “Hurry up and strip down and lie in here.”
Blackbeard had just finished undressing and lying down when a thought struck him urgently. “Wait! Quickly activate the villa’s Level Five defense system. During this time, don’t let a single fly get in.”
The Madman nodded. “Got it. If you have any more nonsense, spit it out now, so you don’t contaminate my instruments.”
Blackbeard thought for a moment, then jumped up again. “Also, hurry and find the fake A-Piao’s physical data. Have the real A-Piao help you track down and destroy his clone! Otherwise, our A-Piao is in danger!”
The Madman initiated the medical shield, impatient. “Lie still and stop fussing. Your ass is already cold!”
Once Blackbeard was settled, the Madman teleported the medical repair pod into the repair bay. He then returned to 414, sent the corpse into the electroencephalography processing room, cloned a portion of the consciousness, stored it in the optical computer, and extracted the useful parts.
Then, he performed a shocking action: he swiftly dismembered the fake A-Piao. Parts that weren't needed were tossed into the waste disposal inlet, while the necessary pieces were sealed in transparent medical bags, labeled with descriptions, categorized, and placed in the deep freeze.
After finishing everything, he stripped off his protective gear, discarded the mask and gloves, entered the decontamination chamber, and once sanitized, took the elevator down with his tools.
At the lowest level of Ziye’s Seedling Villa was her exclusive workshop, where all mecha and robot development took place.
In the Madman’s Rose Garden, the lowest level was his secret base.
There, resting in the medical pods, were the clones of every member of the Wolf Den!
The Madman put on a new set of protective gear and glided past the clone medical pods on his magnetic levitation chair, moving from 01 to 24. A-Piao’s designation was 025.
Connecting to the pod’s interface, the Madman skillfully transferred the cloned consciousness into A-Piao’s clone, waiting for the integration to complete before pressing the activation sequence.
The clone A-Piao sat bolt upright in the medical pod and opened his eyes...
Ziye stared blankly at the news about the Mengya Group playing on the screen, deaf to the alerts from the Ultra-Signal or the Silver-Signal devices. After watching it all, she felt utterly cold, and only one thought remained in her mind: Fists are the ultimate truth. If one wishes to live life as desired, they must stand at the very top of the food chain!
She clenched her fists tightly.
One minute later, she shut off the Ultra-Signal, picked up the Silver-Signal, and dialed a familiar number: “Commander An Junlie, this is Ziye.”
An Junlie had been trying to reach her since the incident, but she hadn't answered his calls. Now that she was finally calling back proactively, he felt a huge wave of relief. He barely noticed the slightly different form of address she used, only caring to ask with concern, “Are you alright?”
Ziye replied, “I am fine.”
Before An Junlie could ask anything else, Ziye spoke first, “Commander An, I need you to lease some land for me.”
An Junlie was momentarily taken aback, but seeing no tears on her face and only resolve in her eyes, he immediately understood: “The Angel Legion has three star systems available for lease. Which one do you want?”
Ziye opened the star map, circled a location, and said, “The Tianyun Star System, including six asteroid belts and two desolate planets. Please assign a representative to negotiate with me.”