Evolution - Chapter 139
Chapter 139
The special forces team sent by Star Hidden to meet them was nominally under the Second Army. As for which specific branch of Star Hidden they actually belonged to, Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi had no idea.
The team leader and his two men didn't stay long and didn't ask about their mission at all. They sat for a moment, inquired about their health, and learned that Ji Changqing's external and internal injuries had been treated. She just needed more rest and would be able to travel between stars in a couple of days.
However, the spinal injury was a bit tricky; the doctor had only offered a few suggestions.
The Alliance had some unique places that were perfect for recuperation. These locations had developed incredible hospitals, each with its own specialty, like the orchids of spring and the chrysanthemums of autumn, each excelling in its own way.
But all these places shared one common feature: they were expensive.
The team leader just nodded upon hearing this and offered the universal comforting phrase: “Don't worry too much. You'll get better.”
He made no mention of the potential consequences for Ji Changqing if she didn't recover well.
After the three men left, He Qingzhi looked at Ji Changqing quietly, his eyes filled with confusion. He lowered his head and sent her a message on his terminal.
“Why didn't you mention Nankong and the others?”
This special forces team was actually the last of the three parties to arrive. Not long after Ji Changqing had been rushed to the military hospital for emergency treatment, Nankong's group had already contacted He Qingzhi. The people arranged by Lieutenant General Lu to pick up Saiweiyala had arrived.
That very evening, they had moved Saiweiyala and the other two to a secure location under heavy protection.
Ji Changqing pondered for a long time before replying, “They might be a problem.” When the three men were here just now, she had faintly sensed malice.
That malice couldn't possibly be coming from He Qingzhi, could it?
The thing was, she could only sense malice directed at herself. One-on-one, face-to-face, the feeling was clear. But with three people present, she couldn't tell if all three harbored ill will, or if it was just one of them.
A shiver ran down He Qingzhi's spine. He suddenly felt that his life was in grave danger.
He truly envied Saiweiyala's group. While he and Ji Changqing were navigating a world of flashing blades and shadowy figures, they were enjoying peace and quiet.
Just as he was feeling envious, Ji Changqing added grimly, “How do you know they're completely safe over there? Maybe they just haven't discovered the danger yet.”
He Qingzhi was on the verge of tears over this miserable life!
Even when he was playing the lone hero on Hading Planet, it hadn't felt this difficult.
Ji Changqing sent a message to Nankong, asking about their progress.
Nankong immediately understood: there was a problem on their end, and the people with them couldn't be trusted.
He replied quickly: “The evidence from the He Family Head is almost decrypted. We need one more day at most. I'll try to get Gu Changjun's fleet to come over. What do you think?”
He had already gotten information from the person leading Saiweiyala's escort team and knew that if the situation became urgent, Gu Changjun's fleet could be mobilized for support.
Ji Changqing thought for a moment and replied, “If possible, see if you can get Major General Xie'er to come as well.”
“Got it,” Nankong replied crisply.
They hadn't revealed everything yet; Lieutenant General Lu had made these arrangements purely for safety. Once they decrypted all the evidence and had the complete list, they would submit it to the Alliance's supervisory agency through Sith.
At that point, the higher-ups would naturally bypass everyone connected to the list and assign trustworthy personnel to escort them back safely.
Requesting Major General Xie'er by name shouldn't be a problem.
As for whether Major General Xie'er would refuse, that wasn't even a consideration. Once this evidence was submitted, whoever was responsible for their safe escort would receive ready-made merit. It was a prize served on a platter—would Major General Xie'er really turn it down?
Absolutely not!
After messaging Ji Changqing, Nankong put down his terminal and glanced around.
The three of them had been in a slightly better situation than Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi these past few days, but only marginally so.
Sith had been incredibly effective, swiftly arranging for people to pick up Saiweiyala. Through her, they had given Sith the evidence and list obtained from the Klopp Family Head. After repeated probing, they realized that the enemy seemed completely unaware of Saiweiyala's connections.
Saiweiyala had been less than ten years old when she disappeared, and she had ended up in a den of space pirates. Children change drastically as they grow up, and with her origins untraceable, no one had connected her to the top-tier researcher in the Alliance.
Unlike the four of them, anyone they might have had contact with was being watched like a hawk.
This was good news for them.
Therefore, they decided to give a copy of the evidence to Sith. That way, even if something happened to them and they didn't make it back safely, the intelligence they had worked so hard to obtain would be secure.
When Sith learned that his young niece had actually been involved in such a major affair, he was scared out of his wits. Then, hearing that his only relative—still a little pipsqueak in his memory—had suffered so much hardship at the hands of these bastards, what else was there to say? Of course, he was going to take them down!
Saiweiyala herself was out of her depth with the He Family Head's heavily encrypted storage sphere, and they couldn't find enough trustworthy people to form a team to crack it. But things changed after Sith got involved. Once he had the list from the Klopp Family Head, he and Yu Zhiyao worked together to screen for outstanding and trustworthy experts in this field from the Academy of Sciences.
Sith naturally trusted Yu Zhiyao and He Yi. Both were from Blue Star, with completely clean and reliable backgrounds. The problem was that neither of them, nor he himself, were experts in this area.
However, this wasn't too difficult a problem for them to solve.
They first excluded anyone connected to the list obtained from Klopp's side, then carefully selected six people. Under the pretext of a classified project application, they transferred these six individuals into a strictly sealed research lab. No one was allowed to leave or communicate with the outside world until the project was completed.
At Sith's request, Yu Zhiyao also entered the research lab.
The technicians were responsible for decryption, while she was in charge of organizing the decrypted files and data, as well as recording the relevant passwords.
With a proper task force, the decryption progress for Saiweiyala's group advanced by leaps and bounds. After three days and nights of non-stop work, they were now just a hair's breadth away from finishing.
But the complexions of Nankong, Jixin, and Saiweiyala looked much worse than those of He Qingzhi and Ji Changqing. Saiweiyala, in particular, had heavy dark circles under her eyes, her hair was a messy bird's nest, and her voice was faint. Even when she took a moment to go to the restroom, she seemed to float, looking like a ghost.
He and Jixin were slightly better off, but they were like startled birds, daring not to entrust their safety completely to others. Moreover, they had to operate under pressure, right under the noses of their watchers.
The two of them continued to secretly take turns on watch, looking inevitably haggard. The psychological pressure was immense. They looked worse than He Qingzhi, and even worse than Ji Changqing, a patient just recovering from serious injuries.
But all the hardship was worth it.
On the second day after the special forces team's arrival, before lunchtime, after a night's sleep, the usually handsome and refined Nankong—now sporting a scruffy beard—sent a video call, a rare occurrence. He announced cheerfully, “We're at least halfway safe now!”
The materials had been decrypted and submitted to the supervisory agency through Sith. He believed the higher-ups would take action soon.
This way, all the powers on the list would be secretly monitored or transferred, even if no immediate action was taken against them. Furthermore, their safety was now a top priority, and the higher-ups would dispatch more suitable personnel for the escort, which was much more reassuring.
The danger of a blade constantly hanging over their necks was gone.
Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi exchanged a look and couldn't help but smile.
But their happiness was short-lived. Their devil instructor from the prison training program sent a coded message, telling them to avoid the Star Hidden personnel. He suspected an internal infiltration and that news of their return might have already been leaked.
Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi's moods plummeted.
Although they had joined Star Hidden, it wasn't through the normal recruitment process for new soldiers. They hadn't had time to develop a strong sense of belonging and still lacked sufficient trust deep down. But despite their doubts, they had hoped it would be a little more reliable and effective.
And this was the result? This?
It was a classic case of “what you fear most is what comes to pass”!
Even though their earlier discovery had prepared them somewhat, they couldn't help but feel disappointed.
They had already met them face-to-face!
Now, what kind of fresh and unconventional excuse could they use to shake off the team that was supposed to be their escort?
As it turned out, they had been overthinking things, worrying for nothing. They didn't need to consider any of that.
In the afternoon, a high-spirited Jiang Hua, feeling like he had bet on the right horse and won, came with his men to secretly transfer them.
Even though he didn't know the specifics of what had happened, he could read the situation. This time, Lieutenant General Lu of Yan Hang Planet had personally named him to lead a team to cooperate in the escort. It was imperative that he, along with Gu Changjun and the Flying Tiger Army, deliver these people safely to Yan Hang Planet.
These people were so highly valued by the higher-ups; their mission must have been incredibly important. And as someone who had resolutely extended a helping hand and sheltered them for a few days, wasn't that, by extension, a meritorious deed?!
The once-demoralized Lieutenant Commander Jiang, who had thought he would waste away his life here, was now full of fighting spirit. He might even be able to climb higher. He had to seize this opportunity and perform well!
They blended in with Jiang Hua's team, entered the military spaceport, shed their clothes, changed into a different set of military uniforms, and boarded Gu Changjun's warship directly.
As soon as they were aboard, the warship took off, flanked by two small reconnaissance ships crewed by the Flying Tiger Army and Jiang Hua's men, respectively.
Gu Changjun was currently the commander of a warship, but her rank wasn't high enough to have her own permanent fleet. However, her leadership skills were quite good, and she managed her warship with impeccable order. Being specially designated by Lieutenant General Lu for this trip, she was likely not far from a promotion.
Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi were delighted to have successfully rendezvoused with Nankong, Jixin, and Saiweiyala. When they saw Gu Changjun hurrying over, they were even happier.
Everyone felt as if at least three-quarters of their lives had been saved!
Although Gu Changjun didn't know why she was so warmly welcomed by this flock of startled birds, their sincere display of emotion was, admittedly, quite pleasant.
She gave Ji Changqing a warm hug. “Welcome back. Changge and the others have been thinking about you.”
Facing He Qingzhi, her feelings were much more complicated. She punched him on the shoulder. “It's good you're back.”
Gu Changjun chatted with them for a while, slowly filling them in on the information they had missed over the past few years.
First was the matter of the He family.
Not everyone in the He family shared the same mindset as the family head's branch. Most only maintained a superficial relationship with the main lineage. But when the family head, whom they considered an idiot, led his people to defect from the Alliance, the rest were implicated.
The Alliance didn't have a custom of punishing entire clans or shifting blame, but there was a standing rule: for traitors, three generations—up and down—were barred from entering fields related to Alliance secrets.
Members of the He family holding key positions in the government, military, or Academy of Sciences who might have access to classified information were all transferred.
The decline of the He family was visible to the naked eye.
He Qingzhi listened with a blank expression, his eyes moist.
Everyone just patted his shoulder silently, comforting him. At least his actions this time had earned great merit, which would help mitigate the negative impact and play a positive role in the He family's future development.
Gu Changjun patiently explained to the five of them that because the matter was so significant, it was certain they had earned great merit, but the calculation of that merit would have to wait. In the meantime, without exception, they would each be sent to different locations to live incognito under strict surveillance and protection for six months to a year. They could just treat it as a vacation.
Whether it would be a year or six months depended on how long it took the Alliance to uproot this massive tumor and clean up the mess.
Having them live incognito under strict protection for a period was more for their own safety.
At this point, the other four all turned to look at Ji Changqing in unison, thinking how truly miserable she was. They were going on vacation; she was going for recuperation. Hahahaha!
Indeed, comparison is the thief of joy. Logically, spending half a year or even a year under strict surveillance and protection wasn't a pleasant prospect. But compared to Ji Changqing's situation, they were bursting with happiness!
What's more, they could now mock her to her face with impunity, because with her injuries, this girl couldn't use force!
No need to worry about her getting angry from embarrassment and pinning someone down for a beating.
After they had their fill of laughter and teasing, Gu Changjun briefly outlined the subsequent arrangements. She was mainly responsible for escorting them to Yan Hang Planet and ensuring their safety there. Major General Xie'er would personally lead the Sixth Fleet of the expeditionary force to meet them. They would rendezvous on Yan Hang Planet, and Major General Xie'er would arrange the rest of their journey.
Hearing that Major General Xie'er was coming personally with her fleet, Ji Changqing, He Qingzhi, and Nankong all let out a “Wow,” feeling that they were finally in the clear.
Saiweiyala and Jixin were a bit clueless, but they quickly followed their teammates' lead, clapping and cheering!
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