Chapter 691 - 672: The Informant

On the afternoon of May 8, as the Zhu Rong spacecraft flew toward Mars, the Security Council convened a meeting to discuss the revision and improvement of the "Outer Space Treaty," an initiative launched by Germani.

It was almost like a unilateral lecture, as the other 14 member states frowned in silence since they were still unaware of what had happened.

The bland meeting lasted for three hours, and after the first hour passed, Dimitri could no longer stomach the nonsense and stood up to leave, followed not long after by Xu Rang.

After exchanging information, they confirmed that neither had received any updates from their countries, which only added to their frustration.

Just as Xu Rang was preparing to leave and end this absurd day, he caught sight of the current Secretary of State, Jack Sullivan, hastily entering the building.

Sullivan had a grave expression and even his stride seemed formal. Xu Rang nodded as a gesture of greeting, preparing to pass by, but Sullivan called out to him.

"Xu, welcome to today’s discussion. I hope it was fruitful for you."

"Of course, peace is an everlasting topic for humanity, and we constantly hope for true peace to arrive."

Xu Rang couldn’t figure him out and responded with official-speak to get by, although he vaguely sensed Sullivan was alluding to something.

His calm demeanor seemed to slightly irritate Sullivan, who moved closer and lowered his voice:

"America firmly opposes any attempt to weaponize space, no matter the type of weapon. We will not sit idly by and let those with ulterior motives act recklessly. We still have the determination and ability to maintain world order and stability."

Xu Rang: "..."

Are you talking about yourself...

Xu Rang, sensing the tension, managed to keep his expression controlled. He believed something had happened, but he could not show weakness without knowing the full picture, so he responded earnestly:

"We are willing to work with America to maintain a peaceful and stable world order, and we also strongly agree with the demilitarization of outer space."

Sullivan hummed imperceptibly before speaking:

"United Mining may use nuclear weapons in a limited way under supervision for peaceful purposes, but this does not mean the United Nations will relax the strictures of the Outer Space Treaty—not at all. We will not compromise!"

Xu Rang stood still and looked back at the departing Sullivan, carefully digesting the implications of their conversation.

What is this about arming space? I haven’t heard anything.

He shook his head and decided to report exactly what had happened.

...

"What, a leak?!"

Lin Ju’s eyes were filled with unmistakable shock as he stared wide-eyed at Zhong Cheng, who was seething with anger.

"Yes, there are always traitors around!"

Zhong Cheng had just received the information as well. The security bureau had just captured a spy attempting to probe into the Qianjun Rod project, who was undergoing memory restoration.

The Qianjun Rod project, which is based on the Solar Flare’s laser satellite project, is code-named Project 210, and the name has not even appeared in any documents—all references used code names.

In fact, Project 210 was still in the planning stages. Although it was being developed by New Yuan, the military and research institutions were also involved.

Due to its top-secret nature, Project 210 had just been subjected to the highest level of confidentiality discipline, and the security bureau was enforcing the strictest controls, especially during this initial phase.

The spy had not failed to notice the strange atmosphere, but with confidence that he could operate without detection and the promise of a handsome reward from his contact, he decided to take the risk.

The intelligence he received only required him to investigate a certain "highly confidential laser weapon project," to confirm its existence and try to obtain related materials.

The word "laser" was the most sensitive issue for the Security Bureau, and he had merely started to look into it when he was taken into custody, quickly confessing everything after a brief interrogation.

Although the CIA’s mission objectives were extremely vague, the use of such a valuable pawn in combination with the word "laser" instantly led the Security Bureau to conclude that there had been a leak in Project 210.

It was shocking and infuriating for the higher-ups that a newly established research project that had not even been fully launched had been compromised without anyone being the wiser; they swore to root out the traitorous leaker, even if it meant searching every inch of the ground.

The Aerospace Development Committee, also in the know, naturally had to cooperate with the investigation, but Zhong Cheng couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong.

The few people on his side should be reliable, and Lin Ju was beyond doubt. New Yuan’s security measures were always strong, and he couldn’t find a breakthrough at the moment.

However, Lin Ju was beginning to realize the possibility of Project 210 being compromised so quickly was quite slim, but if it was what he had feared—the leak of Death Ray No. 1...

If America had attributed Death Ray No. 1 to Project 210, it would make sense, but since Death Ray No. 1 had been dormant for four months, how was it discovered?

"We have a big problem internally, a deeply hidden mole that has not been caught yet. Otherwise, America would not have known so quickly. It’s simply outrageous!

Just wait, there will definitely be a new round of thorough vetting soon. We must catch this black sheep, or it will continue to cause immeasurable damage!"

Zhong Cheng actually suspected the problem might lie with the many eyes within New Yuan since it was a private enterprise, but with Lin Ju there, he refrained from voicing this suspicion.

While still guessing whether Death Ray No. 1 was the problem, Lin Ju also said solemnly:

"New Yuan will also carry out a comprehensive secret investigation. There are not many people in the laser project team who are aware of the details. If needed, we will cooperate."

"I do trust you," Zhong Cheng replied.

Then he sighed again, sounding somewhat dejected:

"It’s not easy to have a leading project, and now we have to race against time again. I just hope we can be quick enough to not let America catch up again.

Project 210 is all about timing, alas!"

Looking at Zhong Cheng, who was short of cursing his fate, Lin thought there was no need to worry. In his memory, America’s laser technology was never on par with domestic advances, let alone New Yuan’s overwhelming technological superiority and manufacturing capacity.

If it really came to pushing the limits, it was not impossible to have laser satellites covering the globe within a year.

"Don’t worry, Director Zhong. If worst comes to worst, add some more to our budget and launching Thousand-Jun Stick No. 1 half a year or even a year ahead of schedule is not out of the question."

"..."

"Ahem, there’s also some not-so-good good news. The meeting about United Mining’s blasting operation has been called. Everyone opposes America’s regressive actions. With their flimsy excuses, putting a stop to the blasting plan is not feasible.

But it’s hard to say what will happen afterward. We still need to resolve this issue."

"Then we must not compromise!"

Lin Ju already understood that America’s recent anomalies were to force domestic stance on laser satellites, and obviously, they couldn’t be allowed to have their way:

"If they pressure us, we will meet them head-on. We struggle for peace and should hurry to launch the Solar Flare to frighten them. We can conduct two semi-public experiments soon to show them our capabilities."

After thinking for a while, Zhong Cheng nodded:

"You’re right. It’s wishful thinking for them to expect us to back down. We can discuss this matter.

But for now, you should rest. In twenty more hours, ’Robin Hood’ will detonate."