She paced the room once, then asked, "Dou Dou, do you think Xiao Xiao could be a spy?"

Little Sprout tilted its head and replied, "My intimacy level with him is zero, I can't calculate it."

Dou Zai looked up from behind it, "Jee—!"

Useless things, both of them!

Ziye sighed; she didn't even have anyone to consult with.

In her heart, she hoped Xiao Xiao wasn't a spy, at least not one working with outsiders against Wolf's Den.

Xiao Xiao wasn't assigned espionage work. It wasn't impossible for him to probe the Unified Command for the sake of Wolf's Den's development, but if that were the case, Stass would have simply detained him and notified her; there would have been no need to summon her from so far away.

A sliver of unease pricked her heart.

She feared Xiao Xiao was a spy collaborating with outsiders. He knew everything about Wolf's Den and the Sprout, and he had access to Silver Comms; it was too dangerous.

One crucial point was that Stass wouldn't have called her over without at least an eighty percent certainty!

Ziye recalled the two years after Xiao Xiao left space. He had produced several drafts initially and built a few Iron Cavalry drones, then moved to technical maintenance in the Unified Command. He achieved almost nothing significant, but he hadn't caused any losses either.

The previous false apparition incident had heavily struck the Sprout, and this time Ziye felt like a bird startled by a bowstring, terrified of any further complications at this critical juncture.

Perhaps she should check Xiao Xiao’s Silver Comms and Super Comms records?

Her mind made up, she opened the light screen, preparing to ask Little Sprout for assistance, but Little Sprout suddenly cried out, "Damn it, you dare stop this lord from entering? Watch me crush you!"

Ziye leaned closer and saw that Little Sprout was already hacking into the other party's system!

She couldn't help but feel sheepish; Little Sprout's thinking was far quicker than hers. To think she had been agonizing over it for so long.

Now she wasn't quite so tense. Since Little Sprout had taken action, whether Xiao Xiao was a spy or not would soon be clear. She picked up Dou Zai and settled him on her lap, waiting for Little Sprout's results.

Less than three minutes after engaging the firewall, Little Sprout secured administrative rights to the system and dove in to check Xiao Xiao’s Super Comms history.

It was incredibly fast, immediately clarifying everyone Xiao Xiao had communicated with—it was all "clean."

Ziye let out a relieved sigh, setting down the heavy stone in her heart. This was the best outcome.

However, just as she breathed out, Little Sprout added, "He definitely has other Super Comms."

Ziye reacted instantly. She communicated with so few people, yet she had a Super Comms line and a Silver Comms line; how much more so for Xiao Xiao? She asked, "How do we check?"

Little Sprout held up its sprout-like leaves, ready for serious work: "Watch me!"

This time, it directly invaded Xiao Xiao’s Silver Comms system, searching for any traces.

If Xiao Xiao were a spy, he would sometimes have to transmit data from Silver Comms, which would leave clues.

Upon entering, it appeared clean at first glance, but who was Little Sprout? Almost nothing on the network could escape its eyes. It managed to ferret out some "junk" from the seemingly pristine network. Following that thread, with a rush, everything that should have been revealed, and everything that shouldn't have, came to light.

Little Sprout clicked its tongue in awe. "Oh my, his circle of friends is really complex."

It used Ziye's social circle as a baseline: fifty percent more contacts meant complex, thirty percent less meant simple. Considering Ziye knew everyone from the high-ranking officers of the Unified Command and leaders of major factions, down to all sorts of bizarre prisoners, and students from various star sectors—in short, a complete mix of all walks of life.

To have a social circle fifty percent more complex than Ziye's was truly extraordinary.

Ziye leaned closer, but before she could get a good look, Little Sprout linked to her light brain. "See for yourself."

The light screen expanded, listing Xiao Xiao's recent communications.

The communication was simple: most of the General Corps data was sent to three fixed numbers.

Ziye’s heart skipped a beat, a sense of danger rising immediately.

Regardless of whether Xiao Xiao was a spy, sending Corps data outside was a major taboo.

Her fingertips trembled as she swiped across the light screen, and the data shimmered.

Suppressing her anxiety, she picked up Dou Zai and placed him on her lap, as if Dou Zai’s warm body contained boundless strength.

Ziye tapped the three fixed numbers, and a flood of communications appeared.

Most of the communication contacts looked outwardly legitimate, yet they were very complex: mechanics involved in mech maintenance, space station security, and even government agency personnel. She selected one and began manual tracking. Most of those numbers were extremely well-hidden, but she traced them layer by layer until she finally found the figures behind them. She disregarded the numbers and tracked the individuals separately, and then, Ziye felt completely undone.

Damn it, personnel from the Interstellar Federation Secret Intelligence Bureau!

Xiao Xiao was actually in contact with agents from the Interstellar Federation Secret Intelligence Bureau.

Ziye felt an icy chill spread through her heart, murmuring self-comfort: Perhaps he was doing this to infiltrate the Interstellar Federation, perhaps...

But no matter what, he absolutely could not leak the Corps' secrets!!

No one at Silver Sigil Star had ever mistreated him; they had even helped him during his most difficult times. How could he forget his roots the moment he emerged?

If he had difficulties, the Corps helped. If he needed funds, the Corps paid. Yet, he had bitten the hand that fed him, and with poison to boot!

The more Ziye thought about it, the angrier she became, wishing she could confront him immediately and demand an explanation.

The staff managing the Corps Assembly and the entourages of the various Corps leaders milled about outside, and occasional noises reached her, further irritating her.

She stood up and stomped the floor: "Dou Dou, should we just storm over there?"

Little Sprout was busy cleaning up residual traces, not looking up: "Alert the enemy?"

That single sentence pulled Ziye's derailed reason back. Her relationship with Xiao Xiao had been good; this betrayal left her not just cold and angry, but also profoundly confused.

Perhaps she should first try to understand the inside story?

Ziye covered her face, took a deep breath, and called Colin Gail’s Silver Comms. "Deputy Colin, may I ask, what is the reason you suspect Xiao Xiao is a spy?"

Colin Gail was busy. Hearing the question, he merely replied, "Someone will be at your office in five minutes."

Ziye knew he was busy helping manage the visitors from the various Corps, so she felt uncomfortable troubling him further and obediently waited.

Soldiers have a strong sense of time. The five minutes were barely up when the door chimed. Ziye turned her head and saw the person stepping inside—Tang Wen!!!

Teacher Tang Wen had quickly recovered his composure after the previous heavy blow. As he entered this time, there was not a trace of sadness or distress on his face; he looked completely unconcerned, as if nothing had happened.

His eyes were exceptionally beautiful, and he possessed an air of refinement. When he smiled, the female soldiers of the Unified Command were utterly captivated.

Among the military personnel of the Unified Command, he was truly a standout.

Ziye froze for a moment, then quickly regained her composure: "Teacher, you're here too?"

Tang Wen smiled slightly. "Yes, what a coincidence."

Little Sprout, listening nearby, felt its wires cross. Were these two truly teacher and student?

Ziye also felt a slight discomfort in her heart. Their relationship was far from so distant that they needed to exchange pleasantries to reclaim old familiarity. The more they spoke like this, the more distant they seemed.

352

Ziye steadied herself. "Teacher, how have you been?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it—asking that question was contradicting herself.

Tang Wen replied flatly, "I've been very well." Then he immediately switched the topic: "How is your investigation into Xiao Xiao's matter progressing?"

Ziye immediately snapped back into focus, her eyes pleading: "Is he... really a spy?"

Tang Wen walked up to her and suddenly reached out to pinch her cheek. She froze, then slapped his hand away. "You big scoundrel, Tang!"

Tang Wen chuckled, and the previous rift instantly vanished. He controlled his strength well; after pinching twice, he saw her puffing out her cheeks, shrugged, and withdrew his hand. "Come for a walk with me."

Ziye didn't refuse.

Because there was absolutely no need to.

Tang Wen—even if they had a minor disagreement, they were ultimately from the same lineage and were very good, compatible friends.

She picked up Dou Zai, lifted her chin, and smiled: "Let's go."

Little Sprout flapped its wings behind her, then landed with a soft thud on her head, blinking its eyes as it looked at Tang Wen, its voice dripping with mock sweetness: "Hi there, Big Scoundrel Tang~!"

Tang Wen fought back a smile. "My name is Tang Wen. I have no plans to change it for the moment."

Little Sprout crossed its legs: "I don't care!"

With Little Sprout's playful banter, the journey was very pleasant.

However, the current personnel mix on Galun Space Station was too varied, which Tang Wen disliked, so he took their walk directly to the Unified Command's military training planet.

It proved that scenery appreciation is greatly dependent on one's mood. When you're in a good mood, every place has scenery; when you're in a bad mood, even the most beautiful scenery is worthless.

Ziye now viewed the scenery as if chewing wax.

Along the way, Tang Wen talked about everything: stories from Tangshan, his students there, Stass’s foolish mistakes, and Bai Lanxue’s ruthlessness.

Normally, Ziye would have been very interested to listen, but today’s focus was Xiao Xiao. The less he spoke about it, the more anxious Ziye became.

Finally, she couldn't hold back and asked, "What exactly did Xiao Xiao do? Is it serious?"

Tang Wen didn't answer, instead asking a counter-question: "How does your Corps deal with spies?"

Ziye answered without hesitation: "Dismemberment, followed by using clones for counter-espionage operations!"

Tang Wen gave a thumbs-up: "Ruthless and decisive. Capable of great things."

Ziye shot him a sideways glance: "Focus on the main point."

Tang Wen nodded and stopped playing coy: "Stass told me that after Xiao Xiao joined the army, he discovered him probing and leaking internal military intelligence. At first, Stass thought he was a spy from Wolf's Den. Out of respect for you, he only fed him false information, and then consulted me."

Ziye recalled that Stass had once sent her a Super Comms message vaguely mentioning Xiao Xiao. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it, but hearing this now, cold sweat broke out on her back.

She had been too slow; she hadn't grasped Stass's intent at all!

Tang Wen continued leisurely: "I reasoned that you wouldn't willingly send a spy to the Unified Command, so I made a bet with him that Xiao Xiao wasn't one of yours."

Ziye’s heart instantly plummeted to the bottom: "Is it the Interstellar Federation?"

～RS