Chapter 28: 27: See the Escort Through to the End

This guy isn’t just acting on impulse—he’s completely out of control.

Doesn’t he consider the consequences of doing this?

After confirming that Minister Yin and the others had left, Zuo Bo Lijia, a trusted aide of Counselor Quan Teng, stepped out from the shadows, her expression complex as she watched Qi Ming picking up bullet casings.

She had just happened to pass by and seen Qi Ming stopped by the guards; knowing Counselor Quan Teng wanted to recruit him, she pulled out her own access pass and offered to bring him in.

Under normal circumstances, only the holder of an access pass could enter.

But the guards recognized Zuo Bo Lijia and knew she was Counselor Quan Teng’s personal aide—the third most powerful figure in TPC—and feared angering her, so after hesitation, they let him through.

To avoid misunderstandings and provoke radical actions from the hawk faction, Zuo Bo Lijia had not shown herself earlier, only listening from around the corner.

The more she listened, the more stunned she became.

This guy’s combat ability might be even stronger than they estimated, and his audacity far exceeds what they saw that day.

Assaulting a senior from his own team? He dares to strike a minister—and directly threatens Counselor Quan Teng through him.

It’s hard to say whether recruiting such a reckless individual is a good idea.

Some rules openly stated can be ignored—for example, the requirement to hold an access pass to enter.

But the unwritten rules formed by mutual understanding among factions must be obeyed, or they’ll trigger major chaos.

Then again, Counselor He Zhi has already sent men to kill inside the marine base’s counselor office—if anyone’s tipping over the table, it was them first.

Thinking this, Zuo Bo Lijia left to report everything she had seen and heard directly to Counselor Quan Teng.

Inside the room, Qi Ming, still kneeling to help Tong Shan pick up bullets, twitched his ears slightly—he knew she had left, and now he could speak freely.

“Counselor Tong Shan, did that Kirielod priest just say something to you?”

Tong Shan hesitated, unsure whether revealing the top-secret Omega File contents to Qi Ming would put him in danger.

Qi Ming: “Let me guess… he was talking about Ma Erte, right?”

Tong Shan was startled: “Did the company commander tell you everything?”

Qi Ming remained noncommittal: “What did the Kirielods say? Something like ‘Ma Erte are Earth’s original inhabitants, and Earth is the invader’?”

Tong Shan nodded, his face grim.

“That’s really strange,” Qi Ming rubbed his chin.

If he’d reached this conclusion through his own investigation, Qi Ming would’ve accepted it—he wasn’t a native, so he felt no inner burden.

But if this conclusion came from the Kirielods themselves, it was deeply suspicious.

Would those priests be so benevolent as to reveal the full truth to you?

A lie that’s seven parts truth and three parts falsehood is easiest to believe.

Qi Ming fell silent for a moment, then said:

“Don’t dismiss his words, but don’t believe them entirely.”

“If Ma Erte are Earth’s original inhabitants, then what about the Super Ancient Humans from thirty million years ago—and the subterraneans?”

In this fused universe, the “truth” from Ultraseven OV may no longer be the only one.

Tong Shan nodded: “That makes sense.”

…………………………

“Pant… pant…”

The Kirielod man in the gray robe fled into an abandoned house, gasping and disheveled.

Who the hell is that guy? How could he threaten me like that…

He recalled the moment he faced Qi Ming, baffled and filled with fear and rage.

“Kirielods, you can’t break through human fortresses either? Then why not cooperate with us subterraneans? You need an inside man.”

At that moment, a cold female voice spoke—the woman in sunglasses reappeared, but now she had only one arm.

“Cooperate with you subterraneans?”

Subterranean woman: “Exactly. We’ll help you crush humanity’s active military forces. Then you can take the remaining humans to your world and do whatever you want—convert them to believers or enslave them. We subterraneans reclaim the surface world.”

The Kirielod man asked a sharp question: “Can you speak for all subterraneans?”

The Kirielod race had once come to this world in the Middle Ages and had some understanding of Earth.

Just as humans have different races—Black, White, Yellow—and have formed various nations, subterranean humans also have different factions.

Among them, the subterraneans who worship the Victory Crystal and those of the Subterranean City Dillos should be the two strongest.

The group before him, who could only use Telestone as a front, earned nothing more than a “mediocre” rating in his eyes.

The gray-robed man outwardly agreed, but secretly harbored other intentions: “Cooperation is impossible—they lack the qualification—but as cannon fodder, they’re perfect…”

They set a time to act the following night.

…………………………

On the other side, Minister Yin, a man of military discipline, strong-willed, went to see Counselor He Zhi after briefly treating his wounds.

“What happened?” Counselor He Zhi was shocked at his swollen right cheek.

Minister Yin recounted everything word for word; when he mentioned his four subordinates being disarmed without cause, He Zhi was stunned.

“You’re saying that new foreign member of the Victory Team subdued all of you in an instant? Your subordinates are elite among elites.”

Minister Yin nodded, offering no excuses.

He Zhi couldn’t believe it: “Is this some kind of legendary kung fu?”

Minister Yin said he had studied the subject—he believed Shenzhou’s “kung fu” was a product of old-fashioned isolation, far behind modern combat techniques, long obsolete.

Martial arts masters always claimed to be powerful, yet never appeared on actual fighting rings.

He Zhi: “So you were ambushed?”

Minister Yin: “We didn’t take it seriously enough. Next time, I’ll be more careful—it won’t be this humiliating.”

Minister Yin continued. When he mentioned the letter Qi Ming had brought up, Counselor He Zhi immediately understood his meaning.

He was essentially saying: “You sent men to assassinate Counselor Tong Shan—I can use the same method on you.”

He Zhi: “Is this his personal threat, or is the Victory Team’s Zhu Xingtuan willing to protect his former superior by any means? Do you think they have the capability?”

Minister Yin: “You’d better speak with Counselor Tong Shan again.”

This man, an extreme hawk even among hawks, had surprisingly suggested his superior make a conciliatory move.

He Zhi leaned back, resting against his chair, thinking.

His assassination had failed, and now he’d been caught with evidence—the dove faction would surely exploit this to attack him.

But Director Tu Qiao Yu also knows about the Omega File—he’ll support me.

This matter can easily be smoothed over.

“Since Counselor Tong Shan already knows part of the truth, he’ll understand me—we both deeply love humanity.”

In the end, He Zhi accepted Minister Yin’s advice.

He planned to speak with the victim, hoping to reach an agreement with Tong Shan and put this matter to rest.

Earth is surrounded by wolves—countless monsters and aliens watch with hungry eyes; internal conflict must not escalate further.

“As for this Qi Ming… investigate his background thoroughly.”

(End of Chapter)