Ziye sat motionless, stunned into silence for a long moment. The path to growth was always bloody, and she believed implicitly in everyone in Silver Sigil. The sudden loss of that trust left her utterly adrift, unsure of what to do next.

She didn't know how to face it.

Hong Fa pressed, "What about the others? You said he betrayed us; on what grounds?"

Ziye faltered, "He's been confined by the Integration Department."

Hong Fa paused for thought. "Take me there. The Integration Department is holding a Legion Assembly right now; they won't have time to bother with us."

Ziye asked, "What about the Sovereignty matter?"

Hong Fa placed a hand on her shoulder, offering a rare explanation. "The Sovereignty issue is undoubtedly important, but internal stability and harmony are just as crucial. Besides, we’ve reached this point; the final step relies only on Brother Gou. Let him finish it. Worrying won't help. We should do something genuinely useful."

Ziye looked up at Hong Fa, who pinched her cheek firmly. "Stop wasting time, let's go."

A warmth spread through Ziye’s heart; with Hong Fa taking charge, she felt she finally had an anchor. They piloted the airship toward Outpost No. 1.

She knew the way, but without Tang Wen, things became complicated. After several rounds of notifications, a soldier led them in, granting them only thirty minutes.

Hong Fa showed no surprise or distress upon seeing Xiao Xiao. She calmly stated, "Little Stinker, dig up Xiao Xiao’s history before he arrived at Silver Sigil."

Ziye smacked her forehead. "How did I not think of that?"

Hong Fa shot her a sidelong glance, opened her own optical computer, and began her work, pulling up Xiao Xiao's file from the Silver Sigil shared database. Suddenly, she spun around. "Do you remember why Xiao Xiao was dumped on Silver Sigil?"

Ziye pondered briefly. "Wasn't it something about an explosion? What did he blow up?"

Hong Fa lifted her head from the screen, her piercing gaze fixed on the person sitting behind the wall, a slight curve to her lips. "An ozone explosion."

Ziye’s breath hitched. Had Xiao Xiao been deceiving them from the very start?

Ozone was one of the fuels used for cargo ships, inexpensive, much like the fuel needed for vehicles on land. However, ozone was significantly more volatile than petroleum products, releasing vast amounts of heat upon decomposition, and excessive concentrations easily led to explosions.

In the void of space, news of ozone explosions was not uncommon.

Under normal circumstances, whether accidental negligence or deliberate action, an ozone explosion typically resulted only in standard criminal liability—it rarely warranted banishment to Silver Sigil.

One had to remember that Silver Sigil was a haven for S-Class prisoners.

S-Class prisoners were defined as extremely heinous criminals who engaged in premeditated and orchestrated acts resulting in the death of over five hundred people!

Ziye suddenly became completely calm.

Regardless of who Xiao Xiao truly was, she needed to find the truth now!

If Xiao Xiao had been framed, she owed him justice. If Xiao Xiao was indeed a spy, then she would have no choice but to eliminate him before he could harm more Wolf Den people.

Hong Fa glanced over, saw the newfound resolve in Ziye’s eyes, shrugged, and returned to her work.

Before speaking to Xiao Xiao, they absolutely had to thoroughly investigate his background.

With the help of Little Sprout, Ziye processed information with astonishing speed. Although there were many records of ozone explosions, matching them one by one against Xiao Xiao’s age, gender, and known proficiency with drones quickly unearthed the true identity of the man before them.

Little Sprout needed no explicit command; it instantly hacked into the Interstellar Federation system and extracted the data.

Xiao Xiao, real name Puer Xiao Aydan, joined the Interstellar Federation Secret Intelligence Bureau ten years ago, becoming a staff member of Group MN. Initially, his role involved stealing data on internal Federation personnel, including the names of several high-ranking officials who later fell from grace. Later, he transferred to the External Military Corps Department, tasked with stealing secrets from hostile corps, including high-level data, strategic weaponry, and vital vulnerabilities.

Little Sprout was merely an optical brain; all of Xiao Xiao’s data was just numbers to it. But to Ziye, this profile described a terrifying individual.

—The gentle, mischievous Xiao Xiao, who always sang melancholic love songs, had committed so many heinous acts. He was even over forty years old!

Ziye finished reading, and her entire world felt skewed.

Just then, Hong Fa pinched her cheek with two fingers.

She lacked Tang Wen’s gentleness; her fingers were trained, squeezing with the hardness of steel rebar until it hurt Ziye.

"Snap out of it. Let me see."

Hong Fa pulled the screen toward herself, swiftly scanning the information, extracting the core points, and then, hardening her expression, activated the voice system.

Hong Fa was many times calmer and more rational than Ziye. She began immediately, "Puer Xiao Aydan, I have already destroyed the clone of you in Kolay. If you don't wish to become space debris, I suggest you cooperate."

Ziye sat beside her, witnessing it clearly. In that instant, a flicker of sheer terror crossed Xiao Xiao’s eyes.

Ziye quietly turned her back.

Some things, she no longer wished to see...

During the period Xiao Xiao was missing, one person was frantic beyond measure.

It was Intelligence Officer M55, responsible for liaising with Xiao Xiao.

The recent Legion Assembly convened by the Integration Department brought down directives that were anything but simple.

Compounding the stress, he couldn't reach Xiao Xiao. Agitated, he reported to his superior, "My partner, N55, responsible for A999, has been unreachable for three consecutive days. I suspect a complication and urgently request a thorough investigation."

A999 was the designation the Secret Intelligence Bureau used for the Integration Department.

The head of Group MN narrowed his eyes upon hearing the report.

N55 had originally been tasked with deep-cover work within the emerging Wolf Den Legion, designated C332, and there was nothing urgent on that front. But he struck gold, assigned to the A999 sector, acquiring substantial internal data from the Integration Department. This catapulted Group MN, which previously lacked notable achievements, straight into the top three.

The MN leader was elated, believing the dawn of success had finally broken for Group MN. However, the good times were short-lived—N55 had vanished!

Three days of no contact meant either he was on an operation where communication was impossible, or something had gone terribly wrong.

In the Integration Department, no one was indisposed for a full three days; therefore, the only possibility was: disaster!

The Integration Department was so secure not even a fly could get in. To have one operative established there, only to have him compromised—Group MN’s achievements were now in jeopardy. If the entire group was implicated, losing his office would be the least of his worries; at worst, the entire team could be purged.

He had not forgotten the fate of Reynal. Once usefulness evaporated, his end would be either dispersal as space debris or consignment to Silver Sigil, never to return.

Crucially, the Secret Intelligence Bureau was effectively controlled by Bai Lanxue. His life was in immediate peril.

With the Interstellar Federation President currently at the Integration Department for the Legion Assembly, Bai Lanxue held absolute sway. To save his own skin, he had to act. The MN leader instructed, "You go to A999 first and gather intelligence on what happened. Group CD also has operatives stationed in A999; I will request their assistance. Furthermore, this matter may need to be escalated above us; be prepared."

—Operating within the Secret Intelligence Bureau meant constant potential for danger. Thus, one core principle existed: if trouble arose, one must not try to shoulder it alone. If it became unmanageable, responsibility must be shared.

If external groups could be brought in to resolve the issue, the resulting disciplinary action would at least be lighter.

Reporting incidents promptly was always less punitive than bearing the full weight of responsibility alone.

Therefore, despite knowing it would negatively impact his performance metrics, the MN leader gritted his teeth and reported the situation.

Five minutes after the report, the Secret Intelligence Bureau dispatched three shuttle craft, each disguised as belonging to a different Legion, utilizing the throng of the Legion Assembly to infiltrate the Integration Department simultaneously.

To maintain order, the Integration Department mixed soldiers from various Legions, stationing them together to prevent favoritism toward their home units.

To avoid detection, the Secret Intelligence Bureau personnel disguised themselves as minor Legion leaders, quietly accessing the Galen Space Station, installing small surveillance devices within the hotel facilities, and beginning to cast a wide net.

The Federation had many intelligence operatives embedded within the Integration Department. Besides Groups CD and MN, fifty out of the three thousand soldiers permanently stationed there were intelligence personnel.

The moment the net was cast, an immediate response was received: N55 had been officially detained by the Integration Department!

The MN leader instantly broke into a cold sweat. Without waiting for further authorization, he urgently contacted the Director of the Intelligence Bureau.

The Director pondered for a long moment. "N55 is compromised. A999 operates more ruthlessly, more darkly, and more directly than us. We must eliminate N55 and activate the clone before they extract anything useful from him."

A search operation immediately transformed into a manhunt.

This created an immediate hurdle: they had to find the target before they could hunt him.

The electromagnetic net had been deployed, but the Integration Department was blocking it; they couldn't detect N55’s current location, and even the Integration Department soldiers didn't seem to know his precise whereabouts.

The Secret Intelligence Bureau operatives had no choice but to take direct action.

Highly trained, they immediately gathered their gear and dispersed throughout all space stations under the jurisdiction of the Integration Department, tracking him down.

There is a saying: the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. This saying held true.

Not long after the Secret Intelligence Bureau agents entered the Galen Space Station, they themselves were targeted.

The one tracking them was Corinne, the younger sister of Deputy Commander Colin.

Her current assignment was ensuring security for the Legion Assembly and purging any latent elements stirring in the shadows.

Her deputy was a sharp, dark-skinned beauty who detected anomalous electromagnetic waves emanating from the hotel. She immediately hacked the hotel network and began monitoring them.

"Should we move in?" The dark-skinned beauty worked the optical screen with lightning speed, her eyes alight with excitement.

Corinne considered it briefly. "No rush. Let's see exactly what they are trying to do. We need evidence and witnesses when we capture them—ideally, we can follow the thread back to several deep-cover agents and claim the credit with Stace."

The dark-skinned beauty laughed heartily. "Understood!"

However, the two soon realized they had underestimated the situation.

In the surveillance feed, the targets were moving like scattered insects.

The dark-skinned beauty knitted her brows. "Daring to be so brazen in our territory..." She made a throat-slitting gesture.

Corinne was less straightforward. She mused, "Could they be...?"

The dark-skinned beauty raised an eyebrow, but Corinne didn't finish her sentence. Just as she was about to speak, Corinne stood up. "We’ll call in reinforcements, keep all of them pinned down. These flies have been buzzing around in our space long enough; it’s time they retired!"

-RS