Chapter 1257: Until We Give Him an Explanation

"Y-yes, sir. He seems to have... seems to have vanished into thin air."

Salmox took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

"What about Corax? Any reaction?"

The Adjutant's expression grew even uglier.

"They... they rejected the gift we sent. They didn't even let us in the door. Haliwusi came out and said one sentence: 'Come back to talk when you have found the culprit.' Then he closed the door."

There was dead silence in the Meeting Room.

The military expert stopped in their tracks and turned to look at Salmox.

"Sir, what do we do now?"

Salmox was silent for a few seconds.

"What do we do? I want to know what to do, too."

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the night sky of Valdos Star remained pitch black, and the volcanoes in the distance were still erupting.

"That assassin was clearly aiming to disrupt the negotiations. His goal was not to kill Corax; that kind of micro Energy Gun has limited range and limited power, making it impossible to truly kill a Primarch.

His goal was to create chaos and frame us."

The intelligence expert raised their head.

"Sir, you are right. I just analyzed the trajectory and power of that Energy Beam. With Corax's reaction speed, he could have completely dodged it.

Even if he couldn't dodge, his Power Armor could have blocked an attack of that level. But the assassin chose an angle that allowed that Raven Guard to throw himself in the way to block the shot."

Salmox turned to look at him.

"So, his true goal was to kill a Raven Guard?"

The intelligence expert nodded.

"Or, at the very least, create the illusion of a Raven Guard's 'death.' Either way, it puts us in an extremely passive position."

Salmox's eyes narrowed.

"Who wants to see us fall into a passive position the most?"

Everyone looked at each other and said in unison.

"The Keloke Empire."

Salmox gritted his teeth.

"That Kesi was captured by Sanguinius, and the Keloke Empire must be harboring a grudge. They don't dare to retaliate directly against the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance, so they play these dirty tricks. They want us and the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance to be suspicious of each other and hostile toward each other, so they can sit back and reap the rewards."

The military expert frowned.

"Sir, even if we guessed it, we have no evidence. Will Corax believe us?"

Salmox gave a bitter smile.

"If it were you, would you believe it?"

The military expert fell silent.

Salmox slumped back into his chair.

"It is normal for Corax not to trust us right now. If it were me, I wouldn't trust us either. The key is whether he is willing to give us time to find out the truth."

He rubbed his temples.

"Send people to guard the entrance of the East District. Report any movement immediately. Also, continue to track the whereabouts of that assassin. I want to see a person if they are alive, or a corpse if they are dead."

The Adjutant nodded.

"Yes, sir."

He turned and left.

Salmox looked out the window and muttered.

"Corax, what exactly are you thinking?"

Dongqu Xiuxiqu, late at night.

Corax stood alone in front of the window, looking at the night scene outside.

Behind him, Sailusi lay on a makeshift stretcher, breathing steadily, truly looking like a corpse.

Corax's gaze fell on the orange-red Lava outside the window.

The assassination order he had sent out was also a spur-of-the-moment decision.

The Ash People needed pressure, needed panic, and needed to feel the cost of opposing the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance.

A "sacrificed" Raven Guard was more persuasive than any tough rhetoric at the negotiating table.

Sailusi's injury was real, but the death was fake.

The Ash People's fear was real, but the assassination was fake.

Between truth and falsehood, this gray area was exactly what he wanted.

Let the Ash People guess, let them fear, let them be at a loss.

Now, the effect had been achieved.

Next, it would depend on how Salmox played his hand.

"Father."

Sailusi's voice came from behind, very soft.

Corax did not turn around.

"Speak."

Sailusi lay on the stretcher, his eyes still closed, but his lips were moving.

"Do you think the Ash People will be able to sleep tonight?"

The corners of Corax's mouth curled up slightly.

"Probably not."

Sailusi smiled, a light smile that flashed and vanished.

"That's good. Can't let them be too comfortable."

Three o'clock in the morning, West District Meeting Room.

Salmox had countless reports spread out before him, but he couldn't take in a single word.

The Adjutant pushed the door open and entered again.

"Sir, over in the East District... still no movement at all."

Salmox looked up.

"What is Corax doing?"

The Adjutant shook his head.

"I don't know. They have the door closed, and our people can't get in. We can only see through the external surveillance that the lights in the room are always on, and occasionally there are shadows moving about."

Salmox was silent for a few seconds.

"What about that deceased Raven Guard?"

The Adjutant's expression turned grave.

"Still in their room. It is said that tomorrow, they will be transported back to the ship."

Salmox took a deep breath.

"If... if they insist on believing that we did it, what will happen?"

The Adjutant did not answer.

But both of them knew that answer.

War.

A war they could not possibly win.

The lesson of the Fengqi Star Alliance was right before their eyes.

If the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance used the same methods to deal with the Ashes Star Alliance...

Salmox dared not think any further.

The next day.

The door to the Dongqu Xiuxiqu finally opened.

Haliwusi walked out, followed by four Raven Guard.

They were carrying a stretcher, on which lay a person, covered from head to toe with a white cloth sheet.

Under the sheet, one could vaguely see that black Power Armor, and the charred bullet hole on the chest.

Sailusi remained motionless.

Haliwusi's expression was solemn.

At the end of the corridor, Salmox hurried over with several officials.

"Mr. Haliwusi!"

Weiliwusi stopped and looked at him.

"Your Excellency Salmox, is there something?"

Salmox's gaze fell upon that stretcher, and his throat moved.

"Is... is this the fallen warrior?"

Weiliwusi nodded.

"Sailusi. A brother who had been with me for one hundred and twenty years."

A flash of guilt crossed Salmox's three eyes.

"Mr. Weiliwusi, I once again express my deepest condolences to you and your brothers. We will certainly investigate this matter thoroughly and provide your side with an explanation."

Weiliwusi looked at him, his expression unchanged.

"Your Excellency Salmox, I only wish to send my brother home now. Other matters can wait until later."

He waved his hand, and the four Raven Guard who had newly arrived from the ship carried the stretcher and continued walking forward.

Salmox stood where he was, watching their backs gradually recede.

The Adjutant leaned in and asked in a low voice.

"Sir, will they..."

Salmox raised a hand to interrupt him.

"Let them go. Right now, any obstruction is just adding fuel to the fire."

He turned and looked toward the direction of the Dongqu Xiuxiqu.

"Corax hasn't come out yet. He is still waiting."

The Adjutant was stunned for a moment.

"Waiting for what?"

Salmox gave a bitter smile.

"Waiting for us to give him an explanation."

Inside the Dongqu Xiuxiqu, Corax stood before the window, watching the stretcher recede into the distance.

He turned around and looked at the remaining five Raven Guard.

"Next, Salmox will try every possible means to make amends. He will send more gifts, make more promises, and guarantee that he will pursue the culprit with all his might."