Chapter 958: Chapter 826: Man Proposes, God Disposes
Balrog learned about Chatelet’s disappearance and first hid to protect himself. Though he is arrogant, he is not unafraid of death.
However, this matter was destined not to end so simply, especially since the other party, after taking action, still nonchalantly stayed at the manor.
For him, this was a blatant provocation. Quite a few people knew about this, and he couldn’t afford to lose face.
Yet, he truly did not expect the other party to silently detect the minor moves at the Star Port.
The advance party arrived at the docking location of 8384 and discovered that the starship was indeed gone.
Then they accessed the internal surveillance of the Star Port and saw the starship’s movements as it left the port.
"This information definitely got out," one person said with a gloomy expression, "Otherwise, in the middle of the night, they were still so determined..."
It was clear they wanted to shift the blame to the Star Port, but the people at the Star Port looked indifferent — if you want to shift the blame, just do it.
The Star Port is so large, who can kill everyone? In the end, it’s because your family’s planning wasn’t good enough.
After Qu Jianlei and his team left Celestial Blade Star, they did not immediately head to the Asteroid Belt.
Qinghu had already said that the military was conducting strict checks there, along with personnel from the Anomalous Management Division.
And the Rhodiola rosea team first surfaced in the Asteroid Belt, which could not go unnoticed.
To avoid their whereabouts being detected, the three starships directly jumped to Celestial Blade Star.
When nearing Celestial Blade, everyone transferred to the 3344 ship, as there was no choice; the 8384 ship was too recognizable.
However, the 3344 ship also had issues; it looked too much like a warship, and as soon as it neared Celestial Blade, it was stopped by a military patrol ship.
Fortunately, Qu Jianlei, Paranoid, and Bentley had special military passes on them.
Upon checking the credentials, which were authorized by the military on Celestial Handle Star, they naturally accepted them.
Besides, they kindly suggested: when arriving at Celestial Blade Star, try to keep a low profile, as this place is also under strict inspection recently.
In fact, it was still the Anomalous Management Division causing trouble; they had already found Luo Hanshuang last time, and it seemed even Xingluo Academy couldn’t withstand the pressure.
Qu Jianlei was also a bit concerned about Little Sweet White, but there was nothing he could do; the Ran Bingluan identity was temporarily unusable.
Moreover, his arrangement with Little Luo was a standard employment agreement. He had overfulfilled the task, and the other party’s feedback exceeded expectations.
Both parties were very satisfied with the cooperation, so it didn’t matter who owed whom; thus, not inquiring for the time being was normal.
The 3344 ship landed at the Star Port, where the management was managed by the military reserves.
Apparently, they knew the identity of this starship, and surprisingly, no one came up to inspect.
Qu Jianlei and his team of ten rented two cars and noticed that once they drove out of the Star Port, the inspections were indeed quite strict.
Armed soldiers could be seen everywhere; in addition to the fixed checkpoints, those mobile sentries also occasionally stopped vehicles and pedestrians.
To avoid trouble, Qu Jianlei and Paranoid put their passes on the front windshield.
However, just this action again drew dissatisfaction.
A young officer, accompanied by two soldiers, stopped the two cars and rigorously checked the credentials.
After verifying them, he formally stated, "Officers, such credentials shouldn’t be casually displayed; put them away."
The Fourth Master couldn’t help but ask, "But our passes aren’t open; they’re closed."
After all, he was from a military background, exuding a military demeanor.
However, the young officer solemnly replied, "In extraordinary times, it’s better to be cautious."
"If someone counterfeits them, not only will our workload increase, but it will also provide opportunities for criminals."
The two cars resumed their journey, and the Fourth Master couldn’t help but sigh, "The military indeed still has earnest people."
"Xiao Moshan is such a person," Youyou casually responded, then sighed again, "I wonder how he is now."
The group then noticed that although the atmosphere here was quite tense, with the special military pass, they were almost unaffected.
"This is the benefit of being in the same camp," Flower Scorpion couldn’t help but lament, "It feels as relaxed as being on vacation."
Youyou replied to her, "It was always like this; soldiers are part of the same group."
Qu Jianlei glanced at her and then at the Fourth Master, eventually leaving the discouraging words unsaid.
Next, they surprisingly managed to rent a large courtyard on the surface with ease.
Due to the climate, Celestial Blade’s main urban areas are underground, and their size is continuously shrinking.
However, some people still live on the surface, and those well-off even build skyscrapers directly connected to the underground.
It’s just that such residences are becoming less popular, and the appeal continues to decline.
The courtyard Qu Jianlei and his group rented was just such a place, and after seeing their credentials, the agent rented it out without hesitation.
Because there was a record with the agency, no one came to check their identities for quite a long time afterward.
After noticing this sign, Qu Jianlei decisively set up an Array here and deployed a computing unit group.
Frankly, he didn’t expect that originally he had only planned to go through the motions at Celestial Blade, but ended up finding a place suitable for low-key cultivation.
From an outsider’s perspective, Celestial Blade’s management was much stricter than other habitable planets, yet there was such a big loophole to exploit.
Indeed, human plans can’t compare to the will of the heavens; wishful thinking from pure imagination doesn’t work.
On the Celestial Blade Star, there is the Celestial Hook Enigma Mansion, a place that greatly tempts Qu Jianlei, yet he forcefully resisted.
The opportunity for stealthy development is extremely rare; anyway, the mansion is so vast and has existed for so long, there’s no rush.
In the blink of an eye, three months passed. The yard’s surface was not high, often below zero, but the indoor temperature was not low.
Especially the buildings in the yard; they could directly reach the underground city, and when one is tired of cultivation, they can go shopping and strolling.
Nearly everyone felt a bit reluctant to leave, with no worries or pressure, and a very relaxed mindset and mood.
Apart from the slightly monotonous ingredients, there were almost no shortcomings—after all, agricultural and sideline products were rarely produced here.
One day, three months later, Qu Jianlei finally calculated the ordinary version of the Spirit Gathering Array—the 1.0 version.
Although refinement still required a process, the workload of the eight million unit calculation group was greatly reduced.
Since that’s the case, Qu Jianlei commanded Little Lake to start monitoring the entire Celestial Blade.
The scale of Celestial Blade was far smaller than Celestial Blade Star.
However, there was too little population here, hardly any large-scale computing systems—if there were, they belonged to the military, and it’s impossible to hijack other computational power.
Yet, the eight million calculation unit group was indeed fierce, completing perfect deployment within two days.
Afterward, Qu Jianlei grew restless and called Paranoid, Granny Jia, and Fourth Master to discuss.
Should we probe the Celestial Hook Enigma Mansion?
Fourth Master approached this cautiously, being from the military, "Can we grasp the situation of nearby Supreme?"
This was evidently impossible, no matter how hard Little Lake tried, Supreme’s information and whereabouts were naturally confidential.
Having received the answer, Fourth Master seriously suggested, "Then let’s focus on gathering information."
"With the nature of the Celestial Hook Enigma Mansion, once trouble arises, even the Divine Text Association couldn’t bear it."
"I’m not very familiar with the local military layout, but I can confirm there must be formidable defense mechanisms."
"Given the importance here, there are at least division-level warships ready at all times."
"Provoking such level warships, Supreme might have a chance to escape, but anyone below Supreme has no chance."
His words made the three Supremes silent.
Granny Jia and Paranoid were a bit indifferent towards the team’s feelings, especially the latter, but they were very aware of Panda’s attitude.
However, Qu Jianlei was also somewhat unwilling, contemplating and asking, "Is it so difficult to explore even a bit?"
"That, I might think of some way," Paranoid spoke up, using a somewhat uncertain tone.
"Back during my time at the Divine Text Association, there was a special pass indicator... just not sure if it’s still available."
Fourth Master had never figured out the true background of this big shot, and couldn’t help but speak upon hearing.
"Even the most special pass indicator only has a fifty-year validity within the military, with two basic conditions."
"Signed personally by the military’s Marshal, the holder must be Supreme... This kind of indicator I’ve only heard of, theoretically existing."
Paranoid’s mouth twitched slightly upon hearing, muttering softly, "Fifty years."
Granny Jia contemplated a bit and spoke, "Why don’t we take a look, mainly to observe, and not recklessly enter."
"I support," Qu Jianlei nodded, expressing without hesitation, "Just the three of us."
"I suggest bringing Bentley," surprisingly, Paranoid added another person, "He has good combat power and body technique."
Bentley’s strength surprisingly received his approval; in contrast, even Flower Scorpion, despite reaching A-level, was still lacking.
Ultimately, Wind Attributes are strong in gathering information and ambush, but her advantages in these aspects pale compared to the three Supremes present.
Originally, Qu Jianlei intended to leave Bentley to guard the home; three Supremes leaving together meant Bentley reassured them.
But he turned around and saw Fourth Master beside him—refusing Bentley to go would mean mistrust towards him?
If Bentley wasn’t around, only this man would be suitable to hold the fort.
Regardless of age, experience, or understanding of the Empire, others were somewhat lacking compared to him.
However, the only concern is that this person had joined the team for a short time, not easily trusted by others.
Even if he had a good relationship with Youyou, not to mention others, just Flower Scorpion had the ability to challenge his authority.
But, such implicit exclusion of the other party is not conducive to team solidarity.
After pondering for a while, Qu Jianlei finally nodded and then looked at Fourth Master, "Then when we leave, you’ll have to take on more responsibilities."
Fourth Master was noticeably stunned by the words before decisively nodding, "Don’t worry, if anything happens, I’ll discuss it with everyone."
After the agreement, Qu Jianlei briefed everyone and then rented a car in the underground city.
As the car was about to start, the door opened, and another person jumped in; it was Xiang Xue.
Qu Jianlei knew she had been following them and spoke upon seeing, "Don’t make trouble, we’re busy."
"I must join," Xiang Xue insisted with conviction, "I’ve been to the Celestial Hook Enigma Mansion!"
(Three updates on the first day of June, seeking guaranteed monthly ticket support.)
