Chapter 368

In the cold, silent void of space, several starships were split cleanly in two by an unknown force.

Countless crew members, their faces frozen in terror, drifted slowly among the stars, as if they had witnessed something utterly horrific.

At this moment, Li Ang stood with his hands behind his back before the last remaining starship, watching the white flag protruding from its top, momentarily speechless.

He had already figured out what had just happened—it wasn't a scam, but a premeditated robbery by a gang of space bandits.

Unfortunately, these bandits had overestimated themselves and underestimated the 【Earth Eater】; the starship they used to intercept their target had been smashed into space debris on impact.

It was only Li Ang's strong sense of responsibility that kept him here—anyone else in this far-flung region of the Federation would have fled the scene long ago.

Of course, these bandits might now be hoping he'd do exactly that.

Through his Reincarnation Eye, Li Ang could clearly see the bald man inside the starship, smiling ingratiatingly, and the plain-faced man beside him, lost in thought.

Since all the intelligence about the Kails Star Cluster had come from his online searches, he only had fragmented background knowledge, like viewing things through a fog.

Now that a local had willingly come to him, Li Ang naturally had no intention of killing them outright.

But since not all lifeforms could survive in open space as he could, Li Ang immediately guided the starship toward the 【Earth Eater】.

Seeing this, everyone aboard the starship—including the bald man—breathed a collective sigh of relief; they knew they'd likely survive for now.

Meanwhile, the plain-faced man stared blankly at the monitor showing the back of the man radiating crimson-and-azure energy, lost in thought.

Soon, the 【Earth Eater】 completed its docking with the starship—living warships were far more convenient than ordinary metal constructs in this regard.

The surviving bandits then stepped down from the starship, hands raised, entering the interior of the 【Earth Eater】.

Watching the maids approach and begin to take control of them, the bald man involuntarily swallowed hard.

In his perception, none of these maids were below the Second Echelon; many were even Third Echelon.

Even if not exceptionally powerful, they were still Third Echelon!

Undoubtedly, they had kicked a steel plate.

But since their captor hadn't killed them yet, it meant they still had some value.

As the bald man was thinking this, he suddenly found his body moving uncontrollably forward.

His soul nearly fled: "My lord, spare me!"

Before he could finish speaking, a pale hand clamped down on his head like an iron band.

Ignoring the pleading look in the bald man's eyes, Li Ang spoke calmly: "You knew this day would come. You should've been ready."

Though he needed a local to learn more about the Kails Star Cluster, that didn't mean the man would escape unscathed.

Before the bald man could react, Li Ang began using his Reincarnation Eye to read his memories—but this time, he received none of the information he sought.

Precisely speaking, the moment he started reading, the bald man's brain turned into a slurry.

Literally.

Watching the bald man's face oozing red-and-white fluid, Li Ang frowned slightly.

It was a contract—though he didn't know whether it originated from the Federation or the Empire.

One maid stepped forward to drag away the bald man's corpse; another wiped the faint blood from Li Ang's right hand.

At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded in the chamber.

"You were just reading his memories?"

It was the plain-faced man. Seeing Li Ang turn to him, he continued: "His profession was 【Storm Commander】, purchased from the Empire at the Third Echelon. If anyone tries to read his memories, the contract signed when acquiring the profession destroys his brain."

"If you have questions, I can answer them directly."

Hearing this, Li Ang's eyes flickered with understanding—it matched his suspicion almost exactly.

The Reincarnation Eye's "Soul Search" ability isn't particularly advanced, so failing to bypass the Empire's contract was only natural.

Thinking this, he regarded the plain-faced man's candid expression and said noncommittally: "You've got guts. Aren't you afraid I'll read your memories?"

This man is strange.

From the first moment he saw the plain-faced man, Li Ang had reached this conclusion.

Unlike the other bandits, who were nearly fainting from fear, this man had shown not a shred of terror from the start—as if he didn't care about his own safety.

That could be explained as boldness, but in the context of the Main World, Li Ang felt extreme caution was never excessive.

Yet through his Reincarnation Eye, the man was clearly only a Third Echelon professional.

Hearing Li Ang's words, the plain-faced man shrugged: "I think, under uncertainty, you won't do that again."

"Hmph."

Li Ang emitted a meaningless chuckle, then casually pulled over another bandit and began reading his memories.

He had no intention of showing mercy to those who tried to rob him.

Death. Death. Death.

Soon, only the plain-faced man remained.

'Strange.'

Li Ang glanced at the corpses of the bandits beside him, a flicker of doubt rising in him.

Logically, this shouldn't happen—not every bandit's profession could have been purchased; some must have been self-taught.

Unless—

Just as Li Ang began to suspect the truth, the plain-faced man spoke: "You've figured it out too, haven't you? They have ties to the Empire."

"But don't worry—this connection only restricts them from raiding Imperial territory."

He clicked his tongue. "By the way, everyone aboard this ship was core personnel, so all of them have some link to the Empire. Had you left another starship intact, you might've been able to read its crew's memories."

The plain-faced man remained calm as ever, even after witnessing the deaths of all his companions.

This explanation confirmed Li Ang's suspicion.

After such an abnormal event, he had already realized these bandits were undeniably tied to the Empire.

It was just that their discipline and combat effectiveness were poor—if they weren't, Li Ang might have suspected the Empire had disguised its troops as bandits to harass the Federation's borders.

Looking at the plain-faced man who was glancing around nervously, Li Ang suddenly asked, "What about you? Are you like them too?"

"Me?" The plain man scratched his head. "I only joined the other day. This is my first official job."

"Turns out."

Turns out I ran into you—a calamity.

He didn't say that aloud, but continued: "As for my identity, I used to barely count as an Imperial citizen."

Hearing this, Li Ang's expression turned slightly amused: "Do you know who I am?"

"Huh?"

At this, the plain man froze, then began carefully studying Li Ang's appearance.

But after a long while, he found no matching face in his memory, so he shook his head: "I don't know."

Could he be one of the new big stars from the Federal Central Star Region in recent years?

Just as he was thinking this, Li Ang spoke calmly: "I am the Viceroy of the Federation's planet."

"?"

The plain man's face instantly stiffened.

This isn't how things were supposed to go.

After a brief silence, he asked cautiously: "What crime did you commit that made you choose to go to Chaos Seat?"

"I'm a law-abiding citizen."

Watching the bewildered plain man, Li Ang smiled in satisfaction.

After revealing his identity, the man was finally no longer that nauseating air of total control.

"So now, explain everything to the Federation Army."

Though he didn't know the plain man's exact situation, Li Ang had no intention of keeping him—after all, the Kais Star Cluster wasn't the only one who knew about it.

Li Ang planned to hand the man over to the Federation Army upon departure.

Hearing this, the plain man panicked: "No! Please don't do that!"

"I'm actually an agent of the Lianbangdiaocha Bureau. I can't reveal my identity during this mission, so please don't hand me over to the Federation Army."

But Li Ang wouldn't believe him so easily: "Proof?"

"... None."

The plain man hung his head in deep disappointment—he could never carry proof of his identity during a mission.

Seeing this, Li Ang's eyes flickered slightly.

From the information the man had just revealed, Li Ang could already guess what his mission was.

Spy.

The man clearly intended to use the star pirates as a stepping stone into the Empire—but his plan had barely begun when he ran into Li Ang.

As for why he was willing to reveal his identity to Li Ang but not to the Federation Army—

There's a difference between one person knowing and many people knowing.

Of course, all this assumed the man was truly an agent of the Bureau—and even so, it still didn't explain why he'd acted so fearless before.

But for Li Ang, it didn't matter.