What had made Naminko so certain?
Hua'a didn't know.
But he understood that further struggle was pointless; Naminko was convinced of his betrayal.
He looked toward several people in the room, signaling them with his eyes to help him. These were the ones he had secretly funded from the beginning, lifting them from low positions to high; one could say he had single-handedly built their careers.
But now, none of them moved to cooperate.
Hua'a saw them sitting stiffly, eyes fixed forward.
He observed them closely and realized their bodies were rigid; they had long since been neutralized.
"Hua'a, don't you realize your pathetic attempts at communication are nauseating?"
"See? Those who benefited from your grace won't help you."
"Truly pitiful!"
Naminko was not a good man; he enjoyed this cat-and-mouse game.
But not just anyone was worthy of being toyed with by him. Only those who truly angered him would receive the "grand gift of despair."
"You know my methods for dealing with traitors."
"Those on the fringes have suffered far too many raids by the Xcaglan pirates."
"Hua'a, you should pay the price for those lost souls. I see not a single hint of remorse in your eyes; you are more cold-blooded than any criminal I have ever met."
"Letting you die would be a mercy. I will keep you alive. Conveniently, four thousand years ago, I spent a fortune on consciousness-extraction equipment from the Federation. I believe you will be happy to endure a few 'games,' since you're an expert in that field."
As Naminko spoke, people stepped up behind Hua'a.
They reached out, releasing an electromagnetic lock; Hua'a felt his thoughts instantly grind to a halt.
Modern intellect relies heavily on the augmentation of an auxiliary brain, and an auxiliary brain is an electronic device.
Without the auxiliary brain, Hua'a was just a clever man with an IQ of around 200, perhaps capable of efficient work, even holding a position as a top university professor in the Earth era.
But in this age, that wasn't enough.
The loss of his auxiliary brain and his power made Hua'a look years older.
Hua'a knew Naminko's methods; the man never fought a battle he wasn't prepared for. Just as those officials who had once been in contact with him were now imprisoned, Naminko had surely taken every precaution before moving against him.
Hua'a was clever.
But was Naminko, as the Chairman of an upper-tier Star Nation's council, someone to be trifled with?
Hua'a carefully considered his remaining chances. What was the probability of a successful escape? What was the probability of death?
The calculations weren't favorable.
His power base couldn't break free from Naminko; Naminko could seize his resources, using threats and inducements. His only remaining leverage was the Xcaglan pirates, a realization he had only just come to.
The influence he had previously thought he possessed was, in fact, incredibly fragile.
It had all been built on financial relationships.
Fortunately, he had embedded many Xcaglan members within the Star Nation; he might find an opportunity to escape during his transport.
With this thought, his anxiety lessened.
However, Naminko, sitting in the distance, seemed capable of mind-reading.
He said to Hua'a: "Don't think you can escape mid-transport. Your companion who left earlier has already been taken away. Your transport will be secret. I'm currently investigating your subordinates and have already identified many; they're currently too busy saving their own skins to worry about you."
Naminko was mocking Hua'a's overestimation of his own strength.
In truth, it was also a warning to others.
Everyone present was a high-ranking official of the Star Nation; while they might not have any subversive thoughts now, no one could say for sure what the future held.
He was actually grateful that Hua'a had been exposed now; otherwise, if a larger group of officials had been involved later, the threat would have been far greater.
"Take him away."
Having toyed with Hua'a, Naminko didn't want to waste any more time on him.
The primary focus remained the war itself.
With Hua'a captured, the threat from the Xcaglan pirates would be significantly diminished, which should benefit the war effort.
"Regarding the Golden Fleet, for this session, everyone..."
As Naminko continued his address, a sudden BANG echoed through the council chamber.
It sounded like an explosion.
But there was no blast force.
Instead, a thick layer of white smoke billowed out, completely blinding everyone.
The smoke was incredibly persistent and couldn't be dispersed.
In that moment, Hua'a heard several groans around him. He was then seized and swept out of the chamber, moved through the corridors as if his captor were invisible.
He looked closely at his rescuer, but the person's body was covered by a shimmering layer of distorted data, making them look like a living mosaic.
Outside, someone was waiting to receive him. The mosaic-clad figure prepared to return inside.
Hua'a asked, "Why help me?"
He was certain the person was not his own.
The person did not look back but answered him.
"Because someone doesn't want you dead."
This sentence made Hua'a feel incredibly uneasy.
The only person who could pull this off, the only one who could have been prepared at this exact moment, if it wasn't Naminko, then there was only one other person.
It was that human bastard who had trapped him in this current situation.
She didn't want him to die; she wanted him to draw away a portion of Glolo's attention.
She was essentially using him as a tool.
But he had no choice but to accept it!
If he had known from the beginning that she was such a difficult person, then at the start...
No, from the start, she knew about his relationship with Xcaglan, so by using this layer of identity, her plan would not be affected at all.
Hua'a was brought onto a starship.
The starship accelerated away at extreme speed.
...
Meanwhile, in the council.
It took a long time for the layer of white smoke to dissipate.
Everyone sitting there was left looking disheveled and covered in dust.
Naminko looked at the several people who had been taken out, his expression terrifyingly dark.
"A fine move, Hua'a, I didn't think there would be a backup; who on earth was it?"
To avoid exposure, that backup would surely have returned to the scene immediately after the perfect rescue.
Naminko ordered a surveillance investigation.
The surveillance within the council was very thorough and would not fail to work just because of the smoke obstruction.
However, what the surveillance brought to Naminko was a blank disk.
That section had been erased, permanently deleted, and the person who did it was already dead.
No leads.
Naminko flew into a massive rage.
"No matter who you are, you can hide for a moment, but you cannot hide for a lifetime. I will find you and let you and that Hua'a try together what eternal pain feels like."
"Now, immediately, right now, announce the communication ban on Fenton Games for me, shut down all game channels, and issue a bounty on Hua'a across the entire Star Nation, the bounty amount is 100 billion Energy Credits!"
The one who had been toying with others was now the one being toyed with; the fury was doubled.
The people present immediately took action; for a time, no one even discussed the situation in the Feuae star system.
...
Hua'a had been on the run for several years.
It could be said he was fleeing from pillar to post.
Like the Rusty fleet, which was unable to evade, the Godard Stellar Council, while not within the Aurora Great Stellar Ring, was in the central part of the entire Glolo Star Nation.
The population density here was beyond imagination.
The entire Glolo population was enormous, over several tens of sextillions.
And more than a third of them lived in or near the Aurora Great Stellar Ring.
Hua'a had come close to being caught several times.
He changed his appearance and hid in all directions.
How long had it been?
This mouse-like life!
He could no longer remember how long it had been since he'd encountered such hardship.
"Luna, I will make you pay the price."
Hua'a waited in a small compartment, crammed in with cargo. This ship belonged to the Xcaglan; his identity now wasn't Hua'a, but merely a minor Xcaglan pirate within Glolo.
Now the Xcaglan were fully withdrawing from the Glolo Star Nation; Naminko had not only issued a nationwide warrant for Hua'a but had also ordered a sweep of Xcaglan pirates within the Star Nation.
This further withered Hua'a's power.
If he had a few trustworthy subordinates, like Haoifa, his current situation would likely be much better.
But he hadn't even met many of the pirates within the Glolo Star Nation; he couldn't guarantee who was loyal and who would betray him. So he could only maintain this disguise until he returned to Xcaglan to make further decisions.
While Hua'a was resenting Luna.
The ship he was on suddenly stopped.
Many people entered the compartment from outside, one person smiling apologetically said: "Officer, this is all cargo, there's no way anyone could be hidden here."
A squad of security soldiers scanned the cargo hold with their instruments.
Hua'a's heart leaped into his throat.
He hadn't felt such fear in a long time.
Fortunately, the security team didn't seem to detect him, and they quickly departed.
The cargo hold was locked again.
Hua'a breathed a sigh of relief!
But a slight doubt arose in his mind.
"These guards use biological sensors, so why didn't they detect me?"
"Is there something here blocking biological sensors?"
Blocking biological sensors wasn't actually hard to do.
But blocking them was merely like putting a patch in front of him; it wouldn't blend in with the surroundings. This kind of shielding was only effective under concealed conditions.
But he wasn't in a concealed compartment.
So this biological sensor shielding must be very high-end.
"Do my people have the ability to arrange such things?"
Hua'a's doubt was justified; normally, only the military possessed such advanced stealth shielding. It was rare in the civilian market and required a high price to obtain.
Most importantly, his current identity was merely an ordinary Xcaglan pirate, why would someone use such valuable equipment on him?
Hua'a became suspicious.
He emerged from the cargo.
Then he slowly crept toward the cabin.
While walking down a corridor, a group of people approached coldly. They made no sound, their faces serious; they didn't look like typical guests or merchants, but rather like soldiers.
The feeling of unease grew stronger.
He crept into a room, hiding inside a small cabinet.
Without prior genetic surgery, his massive frame would never have squeezed into such a locker.
Inside the cabinet, Hua'a waited in silence.
Finally, someone entered the room. He listened intently, but to his surprise, no sound reached him, not even the intruder's breathing.
The silence in the room was terrifying.
It felt like Hua'a's heart was falling into an abyss. His curiosity was piqued, a desire to investigate clawed at him, but he dared not make a sound.
An hour passed this way.
Suddenly, the cabinet door was flung open, and a terrifying face met his eyes.
"Ah!"
Hua'a let out a sharp cry and simply fainted away.
The person who opened the door chuckled, it was a woman's voice. She pulled off her mask, revealing a delicate face.
"He used to seem so imposing and shrewd, yet here he is, fainting from a scare."
Another woman's voice came from behind her.
"He's been wandering like a fugitive for years, constantly on edge."
"The higher you stand, the harder you fall. It's a sort of balance; an ordinary person wouldn't be this terrified."
Looking around, the room was actually full of people, not just two women.
After only a dozen seconds, Hua'a's internal mecha cells stabilized him, and he slowly regained consciousness.
When he saw the person standing before the cabinet, his eyes sharpened.
"It's you!"
He recognized this woman. She had been with Luna during the visit to Fenton Games.
Clearly, this ship didn't belong to the Xcaglan; it was Rusty's.
But how was it possible?
He had operated in Glolo for tens of thousands of years, yet he was outmatched by a Star Nation that had barely risen for two thousand, which had embedded such deep-cover spies within Glolo.
Recalling the person who rescued him from the Godard Council, it was obvious Rusty was better prepared than anyone had imagined.
Realizing they were Luna's people, Hua'a calmed down.
"Why did you bring me on board?"
Hua'a's sudden composure took Stauds by surprise.
"As expected of a former big shot, no, you still are one. You accept reality so quickly."
"Mr. Hua'a, why don't you guess why?"
It wasn't actually hard to guess.
But Hua'a hoped for a more precise answer. After all, his own guesses were merely speculation.
He remained silent.
This made Stauds feel like he wasn't much fun.
"It's simple, Mr. Hua'a: you cannot leave Glolo!"
Everything had long been planned. Stauds was a link in that plan; the avatar Luna had paved the way for this external offensive for Rusty.
Hua'a was an excellent chess piece.
If he left Glolo, it would be equivalent to jumping off the board; he could then choose whether to continue participating in the war or simply leave.
Such uncertainty was something Luna didn't want to see. So, by keeping him in Glolo, and keeping him alive, the Xcaglan would continue to commit forces to the nation.
As long as Hua'a remained within the Glolo Star Nation, the Xcaglan would be led by someone he trusted; therefore, controlling Hua'a meant controlling the Xcaglan.
"I thought as much."
"But I didn't expect your reach to have extended into the Xcaglan as well."
Hua'a had boarded this ship through Xcaglan communication channels, yet the ship belonged to Rusty. This proved Rusty had not only infiltrated Glolo but the Xcaglan as well.
"Good that you know."
"Mr. Hua'a, for now, you just need to stay on this ship and do nothing."
"Once the war is over, the CEO will give you what you want."
Stauds immediately lowered her posture.
She said to Hua'a: "However, Mr. Hua'a, perhaps it's time to leave this little cabinet. Maybe we can go to a larger space to talk!"
Hua'a sighed.
Truly, a fallen tiger is mocked by dogs.
He expected he would simply be Rusty's prisoner from now on.
However, his mindset recovered quickly.
After stepping out of the cabinet, he asked Stauds: "What do you plan to do next?"
"The plan?"
Stauds sat on the sofa; alongside her were the maid sisters who had been with her previously.
Luna had brought them along, naturally intending to put them to good use.
As artificial beings, these maids possessed a certain ruthlessness, or perhaps, because of their status, they had gradually accumulated a touch of darkness in their lives.
In matters like espionage, it's often the "wicked" who perform best.
The honest and clever types might sound like they would do well, but they don't know how to deceive or socialize. While they might hide in a corner effectively, they are destined to never gather much intelligence, and the risk of exposure after being discovered is higher.
"Actually, Miss CEO doesn't have any particular plan. It's just a coincidence that we ran into you here."
Stauds' beautiful face broke into a smile.
Such a blatant lie could never deceive Hua'a; she simply didn't want to talk.
Hua'a knew this and realized he would have to offer some compensation to get her to open her mouth.
"In reality, I've already become a grasshopper on the same string as Rusty. Even if I deny it, Glolo will brand me with your mark."
"After this, I can help you mobilize the Xcaglan."
"I think you would prefer a compliant Xcaglan over a chaotic one."
"The Xcaglan pirate group has been stirring up trouble on the Glolo borders for years. Perhaps you don't know just how many ships and warships the Xcaglan have. It's definitely enough to form a military force that can stand against Glolo."
After hearing this, a look of consideration appeared on Stauds' face.
She was uncertain whether these things were useful to Luna.
However, Luna was not by her side.
She looked toward another woman nearby.
In truth, that was the real "big sister" of this group.
Following her gaze, Hua'a also saw the woman wearing fiery red mecha, she was stunningly radiant.
Tracy's gaze met Hua'a's.
She crossed her smooth, pale legs and shook her head slightly. She said nothing, but Stauds already knew what to do.
"My apologies, I don't think that's of any use to us."
"Mr. Hua'a, it's boring just sitting here. Why don't we play some table games?"
They were detaining Hua'a according to orders, but that was indeed their only task.
Right now, they couldn't even manage to contact Rusty. So, even if they obtained something, they had no way to get it to Rusty.
Stauds was aware of this.
But she still hoped to be of assistance to Luna.
Tracy's head-shake was essentially telling her to stick to her role and avoid anything unrealistic. They only needed to complete their mission. That person, Luna, calculated everything; in the face of such critical matters, if she hadn't given instructions, they shouldn't try to be clever.
Hua'a had no interest in games.
He said with great regret:
"What a shame. I truly wanted to help Luna; after all, their situation isn't optimistic. The Golden Fleet has already engaged them. Without external pressure, they will surely suffer a crushing defeat."
He wanted to continue gathering intelligence from these women. After all, they were currently his only source of information.
Hua'a was a very intelligent man, so he wouldn't sit idly by.
Tracy, who had been sitting to the side, spoke up after Hua'a's comment.
"Rest assured, the situation on the front lines is very optimistic."
In truth, none of them knew for sure.
Tracy's response was meant to shut Hua'a up; she didn't want to hear it. The more that's said, the more mistakes are made; she was well aware of that. In fact, Hua'a's current status wasn't entirely clear, no one knew if he had already teamed up with Naminko to counter Luna's ambush, and if this entire situation was just an act.
Tracy had to consider things from Luna's perspective. She didn't necessarily revere Luna, but she hoped to perform well and precisely enough during this operation that she could use it to rise and shed her status as a mere maid.
While they were testing each other.
The ship's speakers suddenly emitted a sound.
[ Receiving broadcast from the Glolo Interstellar Broadcasting Bureau ]
[ Nationwide announcement: The Rusty fleet and the Xcaglan pirate group are attacking all star systems. Star systems are advised to prepare defenses. Citizens in interstellar space are requested to report any enemy intel immediately. Reporting hotline: XXXX. Reports will result in an immediate minimum reward of 10,000 Energy Credits. ]
[ Nationwide announcement... ]
"It's a sector-wide broadcast!"
"It's aimed at the entire Star Nation."
"It seems the Glolo Star Nation is in chaos; the Xcaglan have launched an attack."
The women on the ship were all overjoyed.
Only Hua'a looked worried.
Under his constant support, the Xcaglan had become quite strong. 140,000 ships and 39 warships, this was equivalent to the combat power of a mid-tier Star Nation. Compared to the current Rusty Star Nation, their paper strength was already one-third of hers.
Of course, most of these ships and warships were scrap and couldn't compare to Rusty's brand-new vessels, but they were still very, very powerful. The Xcaglan had the power to clash with Glolo.
But if the Xcaglan invaded the interior of the Glolo Star Nation to rescue him, they would suffer heavy losses. This meant his tens of thousands of years of planning might ultimately vanish because of this war.
Initially, he could have sat on the sidelines and watched the tigers fight. Now, he had been forcibly dragged into the fray.
"Insane. Does she really think she can sweep through the Glolo Star Nation with 200,000 ships?"
Hua'a hadn't thought highly of Rusty from the start, and he felt even more so now. Even with the Xcaglan joining in, there was no chance of victory. At the very least, he had no idea how anyone could possibly destroy Glolo's Golden Fleet.
"That remains to be seen."
On the other side, Tracy responded to Hua'a's murmur.
Seeing her unwavering confidence, Hua'a sneered: "What do you know? Have you ever participated in a war?"
He could tell at a glance that Tracy, Stauds, and the other women had never received professional military training. Theoretically, they were just ordinary people. The military attitudes of such people were simply laughable.
How can someone who has never been in a war understand its terror? How can they predict its course?
"Fleeing is the only correct decision."
"I don't want to hang on the same tree as you."
He voiced his true thoughts.
Any previous talk of cooperation was just a facade, a ploy to gather more intelligence.
There was no point in hiding it anymore; it was too late.
Even if he returned, the Xcaglan were already caught in the vortex of war, and they couldn't just walk away.
Hua'a asked where the ship was heading.
Tracy told him it would only circle in the void until the war ended.
Now Hua'a understood.
"So you are just an isolated island."
"Truly pitiful. Your final hope will likely be met by an enemy laser!"
Hua'a was already contemplating how he might secure his own life if he fell into Naminko's hands.