Evolution - Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Hearing him speak such murderous words with such an otherworldly air, everyone smiled faintly.
If they didn't possess the resolve to carve out a bloody path for themselves when none existed, they probably wouldn't be standing here today.
Less than an hour after being given the antidote, He Qingzhi woke up.
But that was all. He was just awake.
He could hear and speak, but he couldn't move yet. Having been lying down for so long, he could only continue to lie there and join the discussion.
After giving everyone a heads-up, Ji Changqing didn't beat around the bush or act mysterious. “The place we're going to is a mineral transshipment yard.”
While they were stuck on Wendeli, Saiweiyala had conducted a large-scale analysis of signal strengths in order to send out intelligence.
The analysis revealed several areas with strong signal shielding, as well as locations that periodically transmitted signals. She and He Qingzhi had secretly investigated them.
They hadn't planned on infiltrating to investigate, just observing from a distance.
After discovering several laboratories in succession, they found a mineral transshipment yard. This place had no signal shielding, nor was it heavily guarded.
“If we're not mistaken, this transshipment yard is full of minerals from the Alliance—minerals that are scarce in the Empire.”
Nankong understood instantly. “So if we can hitch a ride on one of their ships, it's the fastest way back to the Alliance.”
Jixin was a bit stunned. On one hand, there was their confidence in being able to just hitch a ride. On the other, he had just realized that something was off about Ji Changqing's identity.
She had been preparing to return to the Alliance all along, not persuaded by him to go to the Alliance.
The thought that raced through his mind was that he had been used. And the most terrifying part was, would they kill him to silence him after they were done?
He subconsciously took half a step back. He immediately grew angry with himself. That retreat signified that fear had taken root, and it meant that deep down, he already believed the person before him had the power to decide his fate.
Ji Changqing noticed his subtle change and rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, don't be so dramatic. Let me ask you, didn't you come looking for me yourself? Didn't I help you take out your enemy? And aren't we now planning to return to the Alliance?”
The gloomy malice that had just begun to rise in the suspicious Jixin's heart was immediately choked back by her words.
Ji Changqing's words were just short of pointing at his nose and saying, “If you hadn't come to me, do you think I would have sought you out for a partnership?! Who would expose themselves without absolute certainty? It's not like she needed to rely on anyone.”
“Don't act like everyone else is dirty-hearted while you're some kind of perfect saint. We all know what's what,” Ji Changqing continued to jab at him. “Aren't you using me as a tool too? Have I said anything about it?”
Damn it, they were just cooperating. And just because she was honest about her identity, he was putting on this act like he'd been betrayed. What a psycho!
Nankong shot Jixin a sidelong glance, also thinking he had a screw loose. “If we were just using you and wanted to silence you, wouldn't the best time have been before we left the villa?”
Jixin had no idea that Nankong had felt the urge to kill him twice. Once was when Jixin brought his men to control the Klopp Family Head's personal guards and delivered the codebook. The other was just before they left the villa.
But Ji Changqing had no such intention. When she sensed that Nankong hadn't given up on the idea of excluding Jixin from the plan, she expressed her stance through her actions—her plan to return to the Alliance had always included five people, not four.
Only because of her firm attitude did he suppress his killing intent.
Now that they had come this far, with an uncertain path ahead, it was a time when they needed all hands on deck and had to work together. His killing intent had dissipated, yet Jixin was the one getting wary?
How stupid can you be?!
He said in a low voice, “What's important now is getting back safely. If anyone dares to sabotage this, don't blame the rest of us for being ruthless!” A violent, fierce glint flashed in his eyes. “I've endured humiliation and hardship for years, and it wasn't to fail at the last moment and die in the sea of stars.”
Everyone was momentarily stunned.
Saiweiyala snapped back to her senses, clenched her fists, and said fiercely, “Me too! I have to get back alive so I can testify against those people one by one!”
No one would have expected the first to respond to be Saiweiyala, a minor.
As a fellow victim of the planetary rebellion back then, Nankong reached out and ruffled her hair, looking quite gratified. When he turned to look at Jixin, he wore a faint, unreadable smile. “Besides, when it comes to worrying about one's own life, you're probably not at the top of the list.”
He pointed at the prone He Qingzhi. “His name is He Qingzhi, you know that? If you follow the military academy league, you should know about the hot favorite to win the championship six years ago, who was framed for accidental manslaughter and had his future ruined, right?”
Of course Jixin followed the military academy league. His eyes widened slightly at the words. No way. It couldn't be what he was thinking, could it?
His gaze shifted uncertainly between He Qingzhi and Ji Changqing. In the news back then, two people were sentenced at the same time. He Qingzhi was here, so didn't that mean the other one was…
He Qingzhi simply closed his eyes, pretending he didn't exist.
Ji Changqing just raised an eyebrow, looking completely unconcerned, and even fully confirmed his suspicion. “Yep, you're right. I'm that unlucky bastard. Come on, let's reintroduce ourselves. I'm Ji Changqing.”
The look in Jixin's eyes as he stared at Ji Changqing was filled with the novelty of having lived long enough to actually see a living saint.
They were fellow travelers back then, in a sense. He understood perfectly that if it weren't for Ji Changqing's protection, He Qingzhi's life would have been many times more miserable. If it had been him, having his bright future ruined like that… not actively doing something malicious would already be considered magnanimous. Protection? He must be dreaming!
Jixin's gaze swept over Nankong, Saiweiyala, Ji Changqing, and He Qingzhi. The first two were victims of the Klopp family during the planetary rebellion. As for the latter two, one was framed, and the other had brought his imprisonment upon himself, but they were still victims of the Klopp family, which had led to them being abducted to the Empire right before their release.
Thinking of the enemy he had killed earlier, he could also be considered an indirect victim.
Yes, in a way, they were all the same type of victim. A sense of shared misfortune welled up from deep within him, completely dispelling his deepest fears.
What he feared was simply that he was different from them, having been part of the Klopp family's clandestine forces before turning against them.
Thinking about it now, weren't they all the same? He had just come to his senses a little late.
“Don't worry, everyone. I won't hold you back. I'll definitely cooperate,” Jixin said, feeling he should state his position.
And with that, the matter was considered closed.
Having regained some strength, He Qingzhi said faintly, “Then let me give you the details about this transshipment yard.” After all, he was the one who had staked it out most of the time. “Every four days, two to three transport ships return to the yard. Then, on the 5th of every month, a batch of transport ships from various affiliations in the Empire comes to pick up the cargo.”
He paused for a moment. “I've done the math. The transport ships from the Alliance come from eight different locations. The two with the longest routes take thirty-four days for a round trip.”
Killing intent appeared in Nankong's eyes. Eight locations meant that several factions within the Alliance were involved in this chain of illicit gains. For so many years, countless minerals had flowed into the Empire this way, which were then used to reap the lives of the Alliance's border garrisons.
“The transport ships returning from the Alliance basically stay on Wendeli for four days before departing again.”
Saiweiyala's fingers flew across her optical computer, pulling up a series of route maps. “These are the routes to the eight locations.”
To Ji Changqing, He Qingzhi, and Saiweiyala, these route maps were essentially meaningless.
Who could blame them? They were all rookies who hadn't yet been beaten down by Alliance society. They had no understanding of the complex distribution of factions and border garrisons.
In their prison training program, they were only taught various survival skills; no one had told them about these things.
But it was different for Nankong. No matter what, he was a man who had reached the rank of colonel, a high-ranking officer.
His heart sank the moment he saw them.
Saiweiyala pulled up two more, different route maps and explained, “Two of the routes were changed. These are the previous ones.”
Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi had something to say about these two altered routes, as they had compared them before. “They bypass the starfield guarded by Major General Xie'er.”
They hadn't thought much of it. Most of the starfield Major General Xie'er guarded had been conquered in recent years. It had gone from being Imperial territory to Alliance territory, so a change in route was normal.
Nankong's mood grew even heavier. They weren't just bypassing the starfield guarded by Major General Xie'er. It was more likely that the people who would have given them passage had been dismissed by her, or that her strict military discipline had forced these people to lie low for the time being.
From the looks of it, their greatest danger wasn't getting back to the Alliance, but the period after they entered Alliance territory, before they could hand over the evidence to a trustworthy person and receive proper protection.
He stared at the eight route maps for a long time, mentally calculating who among the officials in the relevant regions was relatively trustworthy and competent—and, of course, had a strong enough background.
After racking his brains, he decisively opted to brainstorm. He briefly explained the current situation to the rookies, which starfields the eight locations belonged to, and the distribution of power in those starfields, then asked directly, “Do any of you have a relatively reliable and trustworthy contact who can receive you when you get back to the Alliance?”
On this topic, He Qingzhi was much more helpful than Ji Changqing. He pointed directly at the farthest route. “Yan Hang Starfield. Gu Changjun of the Gu family is there.”
Nankong was a little surprised. He knew of the Gu family and had heard a little about Gu Changjun, but he'd never heard that the He family was on good terms with them.
“I wouldn't have guessed. You're acquainted with her?”
He Qingzhi said with a deadpan expression, “I just know she's there.”
Then what's the point of saying that! Nankong was so exasperated he laughed. “I also know someone from the Lu family is there.”
He knew the highest-ranking officers in all these starfields, but could he get a word in with them? Knowing was useless!
He Qingzhi pointed at Ji Changqing. “Then it's up to her. She's acquainted with Gu Changjun's younger brother, Gu Changge.”
Ji Changqing rolled her eyes. “Isn't your relationship with Gu Changge even better?!”
Back in the day, that idiot Gu Changge had even screwed everyone over just to help this guy compete for Chief Student.
He Qingzhi ignored her and even rolled his eyes back at her.
What is she thinking? His relationship with Gu Changge was indeed good when they were young, but the Gu family looked down on the He family, let alone after their defection. Were they supposed to run up to Gu Changjun and say they were members of Star Hidden? Wake up. Besides their names being on a roster, they had no proof.
He continued to drone on to Nankong, “The Lu family, she knows them too.”
Nankong looked at Ji Changqing, clicking his tongue in amazement. “I didn't realize your connections were so extensive. Are you confident?”
Ji Changqing frowned and hesitated for a moment. “Why don't we contact Major General Xie'er?”
Their group needed new, unsuspicious identities to operate in the Alliance before they could rendezvous with the people from Star Hidden.
As for Gu Changjun, they could contact her, but she might not have the ability to arrange new, unsuspicious identities for them. Moreover, it would require going through Gu Changge, and she was skeptical of his ability to keep a secret.
To be honest, although she had joined Star Hidden in a daze, she didn't really trust its members. If she had to choose, her first choice would naturally be Major General Xie'er!
“You can't contact her. Military communications require registration, and given their previous methods, the two of you are most likely considered dead in the Alliance.”
He paced around the crate He Qingzhi was lying on, feeling more and more that his previous idea was probably insane. “No. The Klopp Family Head has had enough time to secretly send a message while we're on our way back. We should have just killed him!”
That was easier said than done. If they had killed the guy, an alarm would have gone off immediately, and they wouldn't have escaped Baoling Planet so easily. “It's possible that while we're still en route, everyone you've ever dealt with is already being watched. The moment they make a move, those people will follow the trail and pounce.”
Considering the time that had passed, the people Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi knew should have graduated from the military academy and joined the army by now. Secretly contacting them was out of the question.
He looked at Jixin. Perhaps he was their only hope.
Jixin felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. Back in the Alliance, would he actually have more room to maneuver?
These former high-ranking military officers and outstanding academy cadets were all useless. In the end, did it all come down to him?
Before his excitement could fully bloom, Nankong spoke with a look of disgust. “Forget it. Weren't all your old contacts from Klopp's side? Even if they weren't, those people would sell us out even faster!”
Ji Changqing nodded in solemn agreement. The Empire's black market was overflowing with bounty lists. The Alliance might be slightly better, but not by much.
The main problem was, they really had no connections.
Back in the Alliance, Jixin was the only one who had dabbled in the gray or black markets, and he was just someone else's lackey. This meant that the people connected to the Klopp family clearly had the upper hand in this area.
It was better not to walk into a dead end.
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