Chapter 217: Returning Star's Intelligence Basin

Except for Li Yu, whose Sand Worm skin disguise had merged completely with his own skin, the Optical Mimicry skin of everyone else had long since been removed by the Black Knight soldiers.

By comparing their physical characteristics, the group's background information was no longer a secret.

A screen projection appeared in front of Horus. Some of the profiles looked quite ordinary and mundane, such as those of Sinai and her son, Li Ping, Tu Ying, and most of the members of the Esper Group.

Most of them came from the Star Glory Empire, which did not quite get along with the Returning Star Civilization.

However, given the sheer scale of the Returning Star Civilization, they undoubtedly had hidden agents within the Star Glory Empire, and vice versa.

Digging up the files of these ordinary people did not take much time at all.

Their profiles were not worth much attention. For instance, the record for Sinai and her son read: "...disappeared from a travel ship in Enfield, rumored to have been persecuted by Marauders, left with a mysterious person..."

Another example was Li Ping: "...a salesman for the Kamon Aerospace Corporation, disappeared during a spaceship delivery mission..."

And Tu Ying: "...a Troll young child, whose father Tu Rui was once the manager of the Tyron Chamber of Commerce Heavenly Desolation Star Branch..."

It was not that they could not dig up these deeper layers of information; it simply required more time. After all, the Star Glory Empire was not their territory.

What surprised Horus was Hunter's profile—formerly of Augu, Captain of the Blue Moon. His resume was quite long, and Horus did not read it word for word.

As Augu was once a Radiant Star-grade Fleet of the Star Glory Empire, their files were already sitting on the desks of the high echelons across all major civilizations.

Hunter's background did not require any specialized investigation; the general information had long been compiled.

"Captain of the Blue Moon, Zest Longbottom?" Horus looked at Hunter, his tone carrying a profound undertone.

"That is me." Hunter nodded. Hearing this name, a look of nostalgia flashed through his eyes. It had been a long time since the name 'Blue Moon' had graced his ears.

"I never expected to meet you under such circumstances, Black Knight Horus." His attitude was quite respectful as he offered a slight bow.

Black Knight was not only the name of this warship but also Horus's moniker. Just like Augustus, both had once been commanders of top-tier fleets.

And Augu and the Black Knight had once engaged in a brief clash on a certain battlefield.

"Teacher Horus, do you know each other?" Klein asked curiously, poking her small head out from behind Horus.

"To be precise, we have crossed paths in battle before," Horus explained.

Hunter shook his head. "You fought against Augu, not me. General Augustus spoke of you often. The Black Knight Fleet is truly admirable."

Hunter held a heartfelt respect for Augustus, and naturally extended the same reverence to Horus, who stood at the same level.

"Augustus... a memorable opponent," Horus sighed in reflection.

'Why are they suddenly praising each other?' Li Yu stared at the two, feeling somewhat speechless.

Acknowledging an enemy was, to some extent, acknowledging oneself, but there had to be a right time and place. Could they not see Huo Jina still barking madly over there?

"According to the files, you seem to be with Li Yu..." Horus flipped through the data for a moment, looking somewhat puzzled. "Who is this... Li Yu?"

Li Yu: "..."

Horus was a high-ranking figure in the Returning Star Civilization. Under normal circumstances, he would pay no attention to a wanted fugitive from the Star Glory Empire.

There was a quick link on Hunter's profile. After tapping Li Yu's name, a massive amount of information surfaced.

"...Kidnapped the Empire's noble, Xia En..."

"...Leaked the Stargate project, causing the Star Glory Empire to sink into the quagmire of No Man's Land..."

"..."

Horus's expression gradually shifted. His gaze intensified, and his brows furrowed tightly. 'This guy... sure knows how to stir up trouble.'

The file on Li Yu was quite detailed, as the Returning Star Civilization had also been monitoring the recent situation in No Man's Land.

By meticulously unpeeling the cocoon of details, Li Yu's name had been discovered and put on record; they were merely pulling up his file now.

"Why is there no prior information?" Horus flipped to the last page, only to find that the trace origin abruptly stopped at the Heavenly Desolation Star. After that, no further traces could be found.

On the final line, there was a note: "All information channels have been severed. A thorough investigation is recommended."

"This Li Yu... must be among you." Horus scanned the group, his gaze pausing briefly on Peyton and Li Yu.

"That would be me." Li Yu stepped forward. The skin on his face shifted and rippled, gradually returning to his original handsome appearance.

Given the current situation, it was practically impossible to remain hidden. It was better to admit it openly.

Not far away, Huo Jina was slightly taken aback. Li Yu... that name sounded so familiar. 'Damn it, isn't he the guy Bauhaus mentioned, the one who dragged all the Marauders of No Man's Land down into the mud?'

Their current miserable state was entirely his doing! Old grudges and new hatreds surged up simultaneously. Unable to hold back, Huo Jina shouted again, "Once the Amethyst Civilization obtains the Amethyst Core, they will definitely undergo a massive period of development! The Barot Civilization absolutely won't be their match!"

Horus shot a glare in his direction, instantly making Huo Jina feel as if he had fallen into a frozen abyss. He could not help but shudder, subconsciously lowering his voice.

"Take him down and lock him up... Do not hand him over to Barot just yet."

Huo Jina was escorted away, and the area instantly fell silent. Horus turned his attention back to Li Yu, slightly narrowing his ice-cold eyes.

"Are you a wanted fugitive of the Star Glory Empire?" Klein asked, looking at Li Yu with intense curiosity.

Li Yu nodded, and immediately heard Klein excitedly declare, "Teacher Horus told me that the enemy of an enemy is a friend. Since you are wanted by the Star Glory Empire, that makes you our friend!"

Li Yu was slightly surprised. He discreetly glanced at Horus's dark, gloomy face and instantly grasped the situation. Smiling, he replied:

"It is not wrong for you to understand it that way. I have admired the Returning Star Civilization for a long time."

"Really? Then..." Klein practically hopped with joy, but before she could finish, Horus cut in with a stern expression:

"What is the situation with this A-Tier Lifeform?"

"Him..." Li Yu hesitated slightly. "He is an elder of a friend of mine. There is something wrong with his mind, so I was asked to look after him temporarily."

"The Blazing Eye Race?" Horus looked at Pucha's dim, fiery red eyes, naturally recognizing his origins.

These high-tier civilizations constantly monitored the events unfolding within rival factions. The destruction of the Blazing Eye Star involved the Morgan Family, so the Returning Star Civilization naturally possessed some files on it.

"That is correct." Li Yu nodded. Horus reluctantly accepted this explanation, mainly because Pucha genuinely showed no reaction to the outside world.

Even with a gun pointed at his head, he simply kept his brows furrowed, as if trapped in some inscrutable puzzle.

Pucha's surrender to the Morgan Family was highly classified. Very few people within the Star Glory Empire knew about it, let alone those in the Returning Star Civilization.

"And who is he?" Horus stayed silent for a moment before shifting his gaze to Peyton.

Every single other person had a traceable background, except for this guy. They could not dig up a single piece of information on him; it was as if he were a complete blank slate.

Li Yu already had a draft prepared in his mind. "I picked him up on the road. I don't know which backwater planet he just crawled out of, but he hasn't made contact with interstellar society yet."

There were only two possibilities for someone having zero background information: either their status was incredibly high, or they had genuinely never interacted with the interstellar community.

Unless the man had a shockingly massive background, the only logical conclusion was the latter.

Although the first possibility was highly unlikely, Horus, cautious as ever, ordered:

"Draw his blood and perform a genetic trace origin scan."

Li Yu's heart skipped a beat. Peyton was a descendant of Mozambique, after all. If they found any clues, it would mean massive trouble.

The Returning Star Civilization would certainly not let such a high-status noble slip by, inevitably using him as a bargaining chip for their own benefit.

"Teacher!" Klein could not help but intervene. "You are acting so unscrupulously! What if that A-Tier Lifeform recovers his senses and is unhappy with this?"

Horus felt somewhat speechless and explained, "This is not unscrupulousness; it is merely a basic precaution."

However, Klein's words did serve as a reminder. An A-grade Mental Power Cultivator held immense value. If they could pull him into the Returning Star Civilization's faction, it would be a colossal harvest.

As for Pucha's so-called mental condition, Horus firmly believed that the Returning Star Civilization could easily find a solution.

It was simply not worth adding unnecessary uncertainty over such a trivial matter. Horus hesitated for a moment before waving off the soldier preparing to draw blood.

Li Yu let out a quiet sigh of relief and could not help but glance at Grandpa Pucha. 'Thank god you were here.'

"For now, the lot of you will remain on the Black Knight Warship. There are still a few things that need to be verified," Horus said in an unquestionable tone. It was obvious that he had set his sights on Grandpa Pucha.

An A-grade Mental Power Cultivator was a highly sought-after hot commodity anywhere in the galaxy, let alone one who held a grudge against the Star Glory Empire.

He was practically tailor-made for the Returning Star Civilization. As for the rest of the group, they were merely extra baggage. Horus paid them no real mind.

"No problem." Li Yu's eyes flickered. Horus hadn't given him any room to refuse, so he could only agree.

However, Returning Star was not the Star Glory Empire. There were no pursuers clinging to him like an Obsessive Stalker's Tail. Heading to the Returning Star Civilization actually seemed like a pretty good choice.

But why was Horus completely turning a blind eye to the news of the Amethyst Core, not even showing a shred of reaction?

Horus ordered his subordinates to take the group to the Lower Hold to rest, then left with Klein in tow. Klein clearly wanted to stay and chat a bit more, but Horus forcefully dragged her away.

Grandpa Pucha was assigned a dedicated resting quarter in the upper cabins, which perfectly illustrated the level of importance Horus placed on him.

"Interesting," Li Yu muttered. With the network blackout lifted, Claptrap had completed a portion of its information gathering.

Contrasting with the title the Barot Civilization had given Klein—The Pearl of Returning Star...

The Black Hole Network was far more brazen—Returning Star's Intelligence Basin.

And that was putting it mildly. Princess Klein had an overwhelming obsession with interstellar heroism, traveling around and making friends as if she were some galactic vigilante.

She also maintained a nominally friendly relationship with several high-level Mercenary Corps.

In reality, many of her so-called 'friends' were basically freeloaders, and those top-tier Mercenary Corps only humored her because of her powerful background and identity.

Many mercenary groups affectionately referred to her internally as a "Fat Sheep," and she even had a track record of being swindled by mercenaries several times.

These were things you could never find in public records. As Li Yu pondered this, a bizarre expression crept onto his face. No wonder Klein ran around suppressing Marauders everywhere, seemingly enjoying it endlessly.

......

On the way back, Klein asked in confusion, "Teacher Horus, why didn't you ask about that Amethyst Core? It seems like it would have a massive impact on the Barot Civilization."

"There is no need," Horus explained with a shake of his head. "Haven't you noticed? Because they have gained the upper hand in their war against the Amethyst Civilization, the Barot Civilization's attitude toward Returning Star has grown somewhat neglectful."

"If the Amethyst Civilization were to grow stronger, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for us."

"Eh? Really?" Klein's large eyes were filled with confusion and ignorance, completely failing to grasp the convoluted politics involved.

The relationships between civilizations were never straightforward; they were incredibly complex and constantly shifting.

Even though the Amethyst Civilization was widely known as an ironclad faction of the Empire, they naturally still harbored their own underlying ambitions.

Not to mention that Barot's relationship with Returning Star could not even compare to Amethyst's relationship with the Empire.

Never expecting Klein to understand these twisted schemes, Horus rubbed his aching head and asked, "Your Highness, can we finally return this time? And those people you took in—is it truly necessary to bring them back?"

"We will go back, we will go back..." Klein pouted and grumbled. "Why are you allowed to keep that group from earlier, but I am not allowed to keep anyone else?"

"That group from earlier has value. Just the A-grade Mental Power Cultivator alone makes them worth keeping. The ones you kept..." Horus left the sentence unfinished and shook his head helplessly.

"The people I took in have value too! They can also help our Returning Star," Klein argued.

Horus shook his head and did not press the issue further. He knew Klein's personality intimately well; it was not something that could be changed overnight.

The interior space of the Black Knight Warship was astronomically massive. It wasn't until the group's living quarters were arranged that Li Yu realized the ship didn't just house soldiers—there were also quite a few "refugees" who had been rescued by Klein.

They came from various alien races. Here, they never had to worry about food or clothing. In fact, their living conditions were far better than before they had fallen into misfortune.

They gathered in small groups to chat, and their conversations were overflowing with reverence and adoration for Klein. However, just how much of it was genuine remained entirely unknown.

"Are you planning to go to the Returning Star Civilization?" Hunter asked about Li Yu's intentions.

Li Yu did not deny it. "The thought has crossed my mind. Returning Star and the Star Glory Empire are enemies, so there shouldn't be much danger."

"Hard to say. If there are enough benefits on the table, they wouldn't mind handing you over," Hunter offered a differing opinion.

Li Yu was not worried. "The Star Glory Empire has no idea I am with Returning Star. Besides, would the Empire really be willing to pay a price high enough to tempt Returning Star, all just for me?"

Hearing this, Hunter did not elaborate any further. He did not really care where they went. He didn't have any specific goals anyway; as long as he could keep living, that was enough.

It was just that there was still one hidden danger lurking on this warship. Li Yu pulled Peyton aside and questioned him thoroughly, only breathing a complete sigh of relief when he was finished.

Peyton could alter his own genes to conceal his identity and mask his noble traits. The last time Mangu had tested him, he had been harboring a suicidal intent, so he hadn't bothered to hide it.

This time, he had been fully prepared well in advance, ensuring his secret would not be discovered.

This set Li Yu's mind at ease. If Peyton's true identity were ever exposed, it would trigger unimaginable consequences.