Sheltondine.
If Giotto were to hear Luna's words, he would probably cry foul.
It wasn't that he hadn't made these arrangements; it was that the information processing speed was too rapid.
Giotto only received the intelligence two or three days after Luna had already acted.
The speed was inconsistent—sometimes slow, sometimes immediate.
Once he received the data, he would immediately seek to convene experts for a meeting to negotiate the optimal strategy.
All of this consumed precious time.
After he had finalized his preparations and disseminated the information, the response he received was invariably: "The CEO has already arranged everything!"
Consequently, his carefully crafted plan would be dismissed.
Giotto had initially anticipated being completely overwhelmed with operational tasks due to the ongoing war.
However, when the reality hit, he realized that the very things he rushed to accomplish had become utterly meaningless.
At this juncture.
A figure entered from the exterior.
It was the royal palace's Grand Steward.
This position was functionally equivalent to an ancient Grand Eunuch, but possessed even greater administrative authority—akin to the power wielded by rebellious eunuchs in history.
"Steward, has all the necessary information been transmitted?"
The Grand Steward approached Giotto, speaking somewhat awkwardly.
"Your Majesty, I had just left the palace when I ran into the head of the Information Security Department. He was there to audit the budget, stating that the CEO instructed them to hire Jimin Corporation to eradicate the viruses."
"Jimin Corporation drove an extremely hard bargain, demanding 15 trillion Energy Credits, and refused to negotiate the price whatsoever."
"Your Majesty, do you wish to approve this expenditure?"
Giotto was currently managing internal affairs within Sheltondine.
While Sheltondine was not the largest Star City, it held the status of a capital, and the Star City's largest data center was located here.
If Flaorse intended to bring about the collapse of the entire Rusty Star Nation, it would certainly extend its reach to this hub.
This could manifest either through virus infiltration or a direct physical assault.
At the data center, a self-detonation incident had already occurred. Fortunately, robust security measures were in place, preventing catastrophic damage to the facility.
The explosive yield caused the entire Sheltondine to shake, reaching an equivalent power of over a trillion tons of TNT.
At this moment, Giotto was not only bolstering security forces but also working to neutralize the intense dark energy radiation caused by the explosion. It was a dark energy fission explosion. Although the resulting dark energy radiation had minimal impact on living organisms, it severely damaged numerous dark energy devices within Sheltondine.
If this dark energy radiation was not thoroughly cleared, it would continue to destabilize Sheltondine itself.
For a colossal entity like Sheltondine, traversing the cosmos, what sustained its immense energy reserves?
It was dark energy.
Already, Sheltondine was exhibiting signs of systemic distress.
Giotto heard the Grand Steward's report, and the cursor he controlled mentally on the virtual screen flickered.
"Steward, do you ever think Luna gets tired?"
Giotto had long suspected Luna might suffer from some psychological affliction, perhaps a severe case of workaholism.
In truth, she could perfectly well delegate these tasks to him.
The Grand Steward hesitated before speaking.
He reflected that if His Majesty wasn't so sluggish in making decisions, how could the CEO possibly be in this constant state of exertion?
But such thoughts were definitely not to be voiced aloud.
That is, until Giotto uttered an "Huh!?"
This sharp vocalization served as an undeniable reminder that he absolutely had to answer the question posed.
The Grand Steward then responded: "Your Majesty, I feel that you sometimes display too little self-confidence. You should be more decisive in determining solutions."
Giotto often convened meetings, which could drag on for days. Every outcome required meticulous review, which wasted an enormous amount of time.
"Inaccurate information dissemination means the final outcome could very likely contain serious oversights. Wouldn't that be even worse?"
"My method of handling things isn't inherently flawed. I simply haven't managed to streamline the process to the efficiency level I see now."
"If I possessed a superior grasp of all the incoming data, then the speed of my own judgments would naturally accelerate."
Giotto attributed these deficiencies entirely to himself.
The Grand Steward's assessment was, one might say, spot on.
Giotto, in reality, had always struggled with a lack of conviction.
In fact, things were significantly better when he first founded Supernova Technology Corporation.
But then, Luna arrived.
Toma K made Giotto acutely aware of the disparity, and Giotto's self-confidence subsequently plummeted.
He realized he was merely an ordinary individual.
Even with all that knowledge lodged in his head, he was still ordinary.
The exact same task, handled by him versus handled by Luna, yielded completely different results and at entirely different speeds.
What required a thousand years of effort from him, Luna might accomplish in just 10 years. The difference was that drastic.
Thus, there was another reason Giotto avoided staying at headquarters.
He feared becoming increasingly psychologically broken by comparison.
"Your Majesty, to my knowledge, the CEO possesses no relevant expertise in virology."
"In fact, I met the CEO once before and spoke with her for several hours. During that conversation, the CEO voiced several complaints to me."
The Grand Steward's position was effectively that of the chief administrator for the entire Star Nation.
He managed not only the royal palace but the entire Star Nation structure.
The King merely set the policies, while the Grand Steward was the one tasked with their implementation.
Therefore, when Luna interacted with him, she perceived the Grand Steward as a similar type of overworked administrator to herself—both incredibly busy.
At that time, Luna's complaint to the Grand Steward was: Giotto and Toma K are both inadequate. How much smoother things would run if it were you handling this.
The Grand Steward only grasped one layer of meaning at the moment.
That was the suggestion that he should step up to a director role.
In truth, the Grand Steward was unaware that Luna's comment carried a second, deeper meaning: it would be better if the Grand Steward possessed the knowledge base of the alien Civilization.
The Grand Steward, naturally, could not articulate such a dangerous sentiment to Giotto.
He relayed instead: "The CEO told me that, honestly, she herself lacks knowledge in many complex areas. If she is ignorant of a subject, the correct procedure is to delegate the matter to the relevant professionals."
"She maintains a comprehensive roster of all talented personnel within the company. When an issue arises in a specific domain, she directly delegates the task to the corresponding expert, and the issue proceeds smoothly and efficiently."
This was Luna's refined management philosophy.
At that time, the Grand Steward had consulted Luna precisely on management methodology.
The Star Nation, compared to Supernova Technology Corporation, was a significantly more massive and sprawling structure. Many foundational problems shared essential similarities. As the Rusty Star Nation expanded, the Grand Steward felt his own administrative capacity was insufficient. He specifically leveraged his connections to consult Luna at that time.
What greatly impressed the Grand Steward was Luna's willingness to share her hard-won experience generously, which greatly benefited his operations.
At this critical moment, the Grand Steward recounted these experiences to Giotto, hoping to prompt some shift in his approach.
Of course,
this counsel was not motivated by any personal expectation for Giotto's success, nor did he genuinely hope for Giotto's immediate improvement.
His true concern lay entirely with the Star Nation.
If Giotto's capabilities remained bottlenecked during this time of war, then the Star Nation's odds of victory would diminish directly due to his caution.
The Grand Steward looked at Giotto before him, and in that gaze, he also deeply perceived the helplessness embedded within Luna's earlier complaints.
"If I don't fully comprehend the situation, how can I possibly know which steps involve cutting corners?"
Giotto ceased his movements and looked at the Grand Steward.
He instinctively felt the Grand Steward was only revealing a fraction of the full truth.
The grand steward was all too familiar with such suspicion. He had seen it often in people who were overly concerned with minor gains and severely lacked a sense of personal security.
However, most of these individuals were typically ordinary citizens, those newly rich, or second-generation inheritors.
At this moment, the grand steward even somewhat doubted how Giotto managed to establish the Supernova Technology Corporation in the first place.
"Trust is the fundamental pillar, Your Majesty."
"If you cannot trust the personnel you appoint, and feel the compulsive need to micromanage every single detail, the Star Nation is not a mere small collective, nor is Supernova Technology Company."
"The Star Nation processes over 273.1 billion annual events, with more than 100 million of them being deemed critically important. I assure you, Supernova Technology Company operates under the same volume."
"With this many moving parts, how can you possibly handle everything yourself?"
"In reality, all the matters you are currently managing represent merely the visible tip of the Star Nation's iceberg. In realms you cannot perceive, far more operations are being handled by others."
"You are fully capable of managing every task for your own benefit, and others operate under the same principle."
"The CEO conveyed the most impactful sentence to me: if you find your subordinates lack diligence, that is not their fault—it is your failure. It's not that they failed to meet your expectations; it's that you failed to meet theirs."
"Your Majesty, as long as you provide the absolute highest level of compensation and treatment to the people you delegate tasks to, absolutely no one will betray you, and no one will exhibit laziness."
"The vibrant activity you see below is fueled entirely by self-interest. The perceived chaos is driven solely by the pursuit of advantage. Understanding and leveraging others' appeals for benefit—that is the manager's sharpest instrument."
Upon hearing this, Giotto did not immediately grasp the concept. Instead, he stared blankly at the grand steward.
"Did Luna say those things?"
The grand steward nodded stiffly.
"Undoubtedly."
Giotto looked genuinely confused.
In his perception, Luna was not the type of individual who would utter such pragmatic, detached philosophy.
And in the grand steward's eyes, Giotto's question made him want to resign immediately.
How many millennia have you and the CEO lived side-by-side?
It must span over ten thousand years.
And yet, you never once consulted the CEO regarding these critical governance issues?
Indeed, your inherent inadequacy becomes understandable.
"Your Majesty, I recognize your sincere desire to govern the entire Star Nation effectively, but… wishing to do something and possessing the capability to achieve it are entirely different propositions."
"If you persist in your current management methodology, I predict the Star Nation will only deteriorate further."
The grand steward couldn't help but state this outright.
He had genuinely been trying to preserve Giotto's dignity thus far.
But this fellow consistently seemed to miss the crucial point.
"What do you mean, 'worse'?"
As anticipated, the grand steward's assessment of Giotto's character proved entirely accurate.
Giotto once again missed the core issue.
"Your Majesty, under King Rusty's administration, the Star Nation showed annual progress across economics, crime reduction, and scientific research benchmarks."
"But since you assumed the throne, the Star Nation has remained completely stagnant for over a millennium."
"Every single advancement has been spearheaded by Supernova Technology Company; it has absolutely nothing to do with your personal governance."
The grand steward finally let go of all restraint, speaking with complete frankness.
Truthfully, he had held back for far too long.
Hearing this harsh evaluation, Giotto felt utterly deflated.
Was this not essentially stating he was inferior even to King Rusty?
In his personal hierarchy, he could tolerate being told he was less capable than Luna, but being deemed inferior to King Rusty—that was an insult of the highest order.
However, he could not unleash his anger, because the statement was objectively true. It was derived from statistical data.
Giotto instantly became highly emotional.
Fortunately, he was accustomed to experiencing strong emotions in Luna's presence; at the very least, he wouldn't completely collapse under this pressure.
"What precise course of action should I take?"
Giotto finally asked the steward.
He was vaguely aware of his own weaknesses, yet knowing flaws and possessing the discipline to change them were vastly different matters.
This mirrors how many people possess incredibly clear self-awareness, fantasizing about countless methods for self-improvement, but most ultimately remain stagnant due to various persistent obstacles.
Giotto admitted internally that he was not the self-disciplined type.
After leaving headquarters, although he participated in some operational work in Sheltondine, he never dedicated himself deeply to it.
Following the King Rusty incident, Giotto recognized that the disaster stemmed from his own prior inaction, which motivated him to take on the mantle of the new King Rusty as compensation.
During that period, he certainly increased his efforts.
He genuinely believed that was sufficient.
But only now did he clearly comprehend that all his exertion was misdirected; he had applied his energy incorrectly.
"First, you must begin by letting go, Your Majesty."
In the time that followed, the grand steward began diligently instructing Giotto in core management principles.
Giotto showed dramatic improvement, undeniably.
His actual workload nearly tripled compared to his previous responsibilities.
He also learned how to suppress all manner of problems.
Most importantly, a standardized system of rewards and punishments was implemented. With these mechanisms in place, the cost of making errors increased, while the incentives for correct actions were enhanced, significantly decreasing the probability of issues arising.
Of course, if a problem stemmed not from human error but from the inherent nature of the situation itself, then these systems could not alter that reality.
After a short span of 100 years,
Giotto had matured into a qualified sovereign.
He began to pay close attention to the virus incident.
He also kept tabs on Luna's arrangements for Jimin Corporation to manage the virus situation.
Jimin Corporation certainly lived up to its reputation as a premier security firm.
Following a comprehensive sweep of Sheltondine, they uncovered a total of 287 professional-grade viruses, lurking in every critical sector.
Once these professional viruses were allowed to fully erupt, they would paralyze the entirety of Sheltondine.
Even when some viruses were located, neutralizing them proved exceptionally difficult.
Jimin Corporation's personnel could not guarantee the complete eradication of all contaminants.
The only recourse Giotto had was to manually shut down the infected devices, a measure that resulted in more than half of Sheltondine being rendered inert.
This action wasn't isolated; other sectors of the Star Nation adopted the same drastic methodology.
Although this approach meant an immediate inability to detect or effectively resist emergent threats, operating the infected hardware yielded the same dangerous result, thus imposing no moral burden on their decision-makers.
…
On the other side of the developing crisis.
Luna was approaching Bmen.
During these years, she had managed to remain relatively unbothered by most trivial concerns.
The intelligence reported progress coming from Giotto's faction.
Initially, Luna felt a degree of skepticism, and only after continuous confirmation did she truly believe that Giotto was genuinely applying himself to the task.
It wasn't easy for him!
The feeling was akin to witnessing one's own child finally settling down and establishing a family unit.
Luna also received a formal notification from Giotto regarding the mandated shutdown of all infected communication devices.
She casually inquired: "Are the communication apparatuses powered down?"
She sincerely hoped Giotto had not ordered the complete cessation of all devices.
Even if some hardware was compromised by viruses, keeping it operational was preferable to total confinement.
"All shut down. His Majesty Giotto issued the decree that all infected devices must undergo a full reset before being brought back online."
Hearing her secretary's words, Luna's expression instantly shifted.
"Who proposed that measure?"
"The intelligence report does not specify."
The secretary was perplexed by Luna's sudden, intense reaction.
"The situation might not be catastrophic, or conversely, it could be extremely dire."
"Bmen is compromised. We are diverting directly to Cearn Route."
Shutting down communication devices—this constituted the ultimate taboo.
Someone close to Giotto must have accounted for the communication vulnerability; this was the most critical vulnerability in the cosmic era.
Without communication channels, Giotto would be blinded, and she too would be rendered sightless.
The entire Star Nation would plunge into a "blackout state."
"Blackout state" was specialized terminology, its very existence an implicit warning: "Don't even attempt countermeasures."
Giotto surely did not grasp this implication.
While this was generally understood in certain circles,
Luna understood Giotto; he lacked the necessary context. He had never encountered or deconstructed such technical constraints; this was beyond standard common sense.
It was analogous to how an ordinary person understands life's common sense but cannot grasp the specialized common sense of various professions, such as electrical engineering protocols or military tactical procedures. Someone who only watches basketball will never intuitively understand the concept of "offside" in football.
Precisely because of this gap in understanding,
Giotto was easily misled, believing that such a drastic action was either harmless or, perhaps, beneficial.
Who exactly was misleading Giotto?
That was the most vital piece of information.
The Jimin personnel surely understood this consequence.
If their goal was truly to cleanse the viruses, maintaining contact with other Star Cities was absolutely essential.
Even the grand steward attending Giotto should know this fact; that steward possessed no lack of sensitivity when it came to strategic information.
Luna attempted to dispatch a coded message to Sheltondine.
After waiting for over half a month, she received no acknowledgement. This wasn't even a message directed at an individual, but rather the main central server. The main server, upon receiving the directive, should have replied instantly, because Luna's transmission contained the explicit command: "Reply upon receipt."
Luna confirmed: communication was indeed severed.
"Someone acting this way alone isn't the ultimate terror; someone else will inevitably react soon enough."
"The most terrifying scenario is that an entire cohort of people is enacting this isolation simultaneously."
Luna recalled her investigation into the grand steward following King Rusty's demise.
The investigation results indicated that the grand steward exhibited no personal grief concerning King Rusty's death; he viewed his role strictly as that of an administrator, nothing more.
It was precisely because of this emotionally sterile profile that Luna had permitted the grand steward to remain within the palace.
And now, this unprecedented event had transpired.
It was highly probable that both the grand steward and the Jimin branch were compromised or acting under duress.
Logically, Flaorse and Jimin were not allied, but as long as sufficient profit was involved, these corporate entities might not necessarily wish to engage in mutually assured destruction.
The secretary at this moment also understood what Luna meant.
"Are you suggesting that Jimin Company was bought off prematurely?"
The only security company with a branch in the Rusty Star Nation was Jimin Company.
Flaorse Corporation couldn't possibly not know that fact.
If Flaorse Corporation used some form of compensation to secure Jimin Company's cooperation, it was certainly not impossible.
In that case, all of Luna's previous preparations would need radical revision. The adversary she faced had shifted from one entity to two, and numerous additional complications remained unresolved.
"An unforeseen complication, indeed."
"From the very beginning, I assumed the enemy was straightforward."
Luna had actually overlooked a critical variable.
Flaorse, in Luna's assessment, was quite weak.
Merely a minor corporation operating within a subordinate minor Star Nation—that was all.
Supernova Technology Corporation was certainly capable of handling Flaorse.
Therefore, Luna had not committed her full resources.
But Flaorse, in its desire to counter Supernova Technology Corporation, absolutely had to exert maximum effort.
So, Flaorse would utilize every asset at its disposal to execute its strategy.
"What is occurring? The beacon signal has vanished."
At this moment, the personnel responsible for modifying the navigation within the fleet also registered something amiss.
Void-class warships and ships required manual operation, necessitating navigation personnel to adjust their courses manually.
And how the course was determined wasn't by visual sighting, but by beacons.
Beacons, also known as cosmic beacons, existed within every star system. They were positioned at the periphery of the star system, constantly transmitting signals to surrounding areas.
A ship or warship could then follow the precise direction transmitted by this signal.
Why not guide vessels purely through visual means?
Because star systems drift.
The stars themselves are in motion.
And some move rapidly, others slowly.
Some star systems migrate at speeds of 200-300 kilometers per second.
This equates to moving 17.28-25.92 million kilometers daily, a maximum displacement of 9.4 billion kilometers annually, or 1 light-year every 1000 years.
A Star Nation's history often spans tens of thousands of years.
The total displacement distance for some star systems could exceed 10 light-years. This was still within the average range of velocities; some star systems could move faster than 300 kilometers per second.
Such a displacement range of over a dozen light-years could potentially shift a star system originally under Star Nation A to Star Nation B.
Even a close approach could generate significant tension between the two Star Nations.
To resolve this issue,
Star Nations exerted influence over star system movements.
Therefore, star system movement was not fixed; if one navigated solely based on the internal judgment of the ship or warship, significant course deviations could occur.
Some interstellar voyages spanned hundreds of years, meaning the target star system could have moved several light-years away.
Under normal operational circumstances, ships and warships could typically initiate instant communication adjustments.
However, one had to account for the fact that many star system defense mechanisms employed optical deception. Theoretically, what ships and warships observed might not be the true reality.
Therefore, the function of a cosmic beacon was to inform ships and warships about the star system's next projected movements and trajectory, providing exact guidance. Ships and warships would then adjust their courses accordingly.
Now, with the cosmic beacon disabled, it meant the entire fleet's future navigation paths could become disastrously skewed.
However, Luna's fleet was not overly concerned about the course adjustment immediately; they were actually only two or three light-years from Bmen.
The critical issue was that the beacon's communication system itself was no longer transmitting any signal.
"Proceed directly to the designated area; course adjustment is unnecessary."
"All Archon Commanders, synchronize. You will ride fighters toward Bmen. Your mission is to restore Bmen's signal, rally the modified ships, and then, adhering to the original plan, intercept Flaorse." Luna made her decisive judgment and issued the command.
The main fleet would not proceed directly to Bmen.
Bmen's specific situation was unknown, and the main fleet risked heavy losses if it entered blindly.
Luna dispatched these tactical Archon Commanders not only to execute the initial objective and repair communications but also to scout Bmen for any unforeseen variables.
According to Luna's estimation, if Jimin Corporation had become involved in this conflict, it was possible that Jimin Corporation's warships would also arrive, which would cause Flaorse's attack rhythm to change dramatically.
Luna's only remaining trump card at this moment was the void-class ship.
"Yes, Madam!"
These tactical Archon Commanders, though vaguely sensing potential trouble, could not override Luna's orders.
Regardless of how much they might have disdained Luna's prior judgments, a superior remained a superior. Luna was still an extremely influential figure within the Rusty Star Nation.
The tactical Archon Commanders boarded their fighters and rapidly flew towards Bmen.
Luna also began formulating a series of tactical maneuvers.
Blackout state.
No intelligence whatsoever had been obtained.
Luna could only base her decisions on pre-existing intelligence.
"Even with Jimin Corporation joining, Flaorse is still critically short on personnel."
"Therefore, after neutralizing the M36 cluster, Flaorse will still dispatch 90% of its warships and ships to continue their advance."
"We can execute a detour, a wide circuitous route."
Luna initiated a virtual conference, explaining the upcoming plan to all ship captains.
The star chart flickered, and Luna drew a path with her finger.
The path started from their current position. This path resembled a question mark "?". The dot of the question mark represented the fleet, and the curve above depicted the intended route.
"Since we lack intelligence on Bmen's current situation, there is no need for us to engage in a risky gamble."
"My proposal is to abandon the planned ambush and execute a direct flanking maneuver instead."
The captains, upon observing Luna's trajectory, were somewhat astonished by the depth and meticulous nature of her planning.
It wasn't solely about the plan itself.
It was also about the tactical analysis experts Luna had deployed earlier.
Those tactical analysis experts were clearly integrated into this strategy. They would lead separate vessels to intercept Flaorse, thereby buying sufficient time for the main fleet to catch up.
Therefore, this was not a spontaneously conceived plan.
It might even be a contingency strategy Luna had already formulated for unforeseen circumstances.
The captains genuinely raised no objections to Luna's proposed route.
Their only task was execution.
The fleet began to execute the wide circle.
The necessity for such a broad arc, rather than a direct infiltration of the battlefield from the flank, was that Luna also needed confirmation: would the enemy truly commit ninety percent or more of its fleet, as she had hypothesized?
If the commitment was only fifty percent, or if they advanced in staggered waves, Luna could very easily be trapped in a pincer movement.
…
The fleet advanced.
The fighters dispatched towards Bmen quickly entered the Bmen star system.
This system also housed a super-large super-antimatter displacement device.
Bmen served as a primary outbound gateway for the Supernova Technology Corporation.
All previously constructed White Dragon-class vessels were dispatched directly from Bmen toward their targeted star nations.
Otherwise, moving that many ships via conventional flight would be impractical; transporting them conventionally would render the vessels obsolete before arrival.
Bmen was not merely an exit point; it also frequently received vital imports. It functioned as the Rusty Star Nation's largest logistical hub, boasting a population and scale several times that of Sheltondine.
Dozens of fighters streaked across the cosmos.
They successfully passed identity verification through the defensive network and headed directly into the system's interior.
Approaching the spaceport, these fighters finally decelerated their approach, then slowly docked within the facility.
The tactical analysis experts disembarked, immediately utilizing their established authority to access the local network and notify the star system's highest manager of their arrival.
Subsequently, both parties initiated a virtual conference.
Standing within the simulated cosmic meeting room of the virtual conference, the tactical analysis expert addressed the manager: "We are here under CEO Luna's direct orders. This is our authorization."
They first revealed their credentials to preempt any potential conflicts later on.
"The CEO requires Bmen to immediately activate its communication equipment and cosmic beacon."
"All other operational matters must be temporarily set aside. Implement this directive instantly."
Although the tactical analysis experts might be considered subpar in pure tactical analysis, their execution capability was considerable.
The star system's highest manager, hearing their urgency, stated gravely: "The shutdown was carried out per His Majesty Giotto's orders. Moreover, we detected viruses within the communication equipment. Opening it might allow those viruses to transmit false data."
This was the primary reason the communication equipment remained deactivated.
"You need not overthink the protocol. Whose command supersedes the other, Director Giotto's or CEO Luna's?"
That required no articulation.
Of course, Luna's command held greater weight.
"I understand. I will proceed to open it immediately."
"Please wait one moment."
After speaking, the star system's highest manager excused himself.
During this interval, within the void meeting room, a Gargleblast tactical analysis expert commented: "Does this Bmen manager feel somewhat familiar to any of you?"
The others shook their heads.
"All you Gargleblasts look very familiar to me—it's the same thing!"
"Could this be an old acquaintance of yours? Then you should extend greetings; it might smooth our subsequent tasks."
Facing the teasing remark, the Gargleblast tactical analysis expert did not refute it but began to deliberate carefully.
Gargleblasts possessed no eyes. Even if they utilized mecha cameras linked to neural networks for visual input, for them, there was no inherent concept of 'looking familiar.'
Eyes were not their innate sensory organs. Unless specialized genes were implanted into their physiology, recalling visual data proved extremely difficult.
Their memories were intrinsically structured around sound.
Therefore, the correct term should be "sound-familiarity."
The Gargleblast tactical analysis expert had existed for a very long time, making the search for matching acoustic signatures in its memory truly inconvenient. Even utilizing an auxiliary brain for matching consumed precious moments.
Finally, it reached confirmation.
"That manager originally belonged to the Star Nation's royal lineage."
"I recall he was King Rusty's 279th descendant. I cannot recall the name, but I can confirm his identity."
"Royal family members are barred from holding any Star Nation official positions, aren't they? How could this be…"
"No, we must withdraw from this virtual conference immediately."
Everyone logged off instantly.
They disconnected from the virtual conference session.
Returning to objective reality, they found that military personnel had already mobilized and were rushing toward them, clearly preparing to apprehend them.
The hearts of all the tactical analysis experts instantly plummeted.
King Rusty, millennia ago, had conspired with Flaorse to seize control of the Supernova Technology Corporation. And now, the presence of a genuine royal family member here made the gravity of the situation glaringly obvious.
"Run!"
The tactical analysis experts immediately scattered, each fleeing in a different direction to maximize their chances of escape.
They had to transmit this intelligence back, otherwise…
Before they could even fully process the implications, every single one of them was apprehended.
"Attempting to flee? Are you drastically overestimating yourselves? This is a Star City. I command everything here, including every molecule within this space."
At this moment, the royal family member's true form manifested before the captured tactical analysis experts.
"When did you assume the role of manager here? No one even detected your presence!" the Gargleblast tactical analysis expert challenged.
The royal family member emitted a buzzing, cold laugh.
"Naturally, through the virus."
"Not many individuals have laid eyes on my true form, so I only needed to compromise this location's identity system with a virus, falsify my credentials slightly, and I could reside here—even run for Star City mayor, or system manager."
"Very well, I have answered your queries. Now, I trust you will answer mine as perfectly as I have done."
The royal family member marched everyone to the prison sector.
He didn't even intend to conduct an interrogation.
Instead, he planned to directly extract their memories.
He needed to know Luna's movements. Once Luna was neutralized, the Supernova Technology Corporation would collapse internally, and the Rusty Star Nation would finally revert to the rightful control of the royal family!