Chapter 654: Shadows of Suspicion

Feeling Yenir’s unabashed scrutiny, Nie Fei’s heart skipped a beat — she instantly realized that Yenir had begun to doubt her.

Yet Yenir’s demeanor only made her relax completely!

That’s right — the mysterious man before her was indeed a high-ranking official of Huaguo!

If the Rebels were staging this performance, hoping to pry information out of her, they would never turn the suspicion on her instead!

Only the Military, understanding the gravity of the situation, would handle it with such extreme caution!

“Sir, I’m not lying!”

“Why are so few after me? It must be those high-ups who discovered me, determined to keep this news under wraps!”

“I escaped from Base Two, and initially they even intended to spare a witness. Those chasing me were only the internal managers of the Base — they didn’t dare alert anyone else!”

Quick-witted and alert.

Nie Fei stated her suspicion directly as proof of her credibility.

After taking a deep breath, she pressed on swiftly:

“As for why such critical intelligence wasn’t sent through a private message, there are two main reasons.”

“First! I was assigned by the Special Operations Group long ago to infiltrate the Rebels. Sir, you know that in our Military system, every one of us has our system interface checked regularly!”

“If I dared contact anyone from the Action Team, my identity would be exposed.”

“Second… and most importantly.”

Nie Fei offered a bitter smile:

“The intelligence is so vital that I don’t even know if my original superior is still alive. Having been embedded in the Rebels for so long, I’ve come to realize that there are many traitors within the Military.”

“Especially in the past six months, I’ve witnessed several Action Team members, much like me, betrayed by their ‘superiors.'”

“Then there was the National War bulletin three days ago. Frankly, I don’t even know how things are on your end or what condition the Capital Military is in.”

“That’s why I planned never to divulge this matter unless I met the Minister…”

“But I never expected…”

As she spoke, Nie Fei stole a quick glance at Yenir, whose expression mixed deep contemplation with a flash of curiosity and tension.

For someone of Yenir’s stature to appear here — whether by coincidence or design — meant that the state of the Capital Military was far better than she had ever imagined.

And besides…

“Sir, do you know Mr. Yenir?”

“After hearing the Prime Minister’s speech — my god, it’s incredible what kind of man he is. I heard he used to be in the Action Team too?”

“Rumor within the Rebels spoke of someone fearsome, not only with immense potential but who had even uncovered traitors within the Action Team during the last Dungeon clash, causing devastating losses.”

“If you know him, I think you should pass this intelligence on to him! He’s unquestionably trustworthy!”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Yenir was momentarily stunned, and everyone nearby couldn’t help but cast intrigued glances at Nie Fei, who beamed with admiration.

“Pass it on… to Yenir?”

Yenir couldn’t help but chuckle; he never expected to hear his own name from Nie Fei’s lips.

Especially since the girl seemed to hold him in such high regard.

The feeling was simply too strange…

“Yes, his current status is nearly the highest in Huaguo! I believe he must have been in the Action Team — surely he’s more…”

The moment Nie Fei spoke, she realized her mistake.

Though the Lieutenant General present wasn’t as impressive, comparing him to someone else right before his eyes was rather discourteous.

Ignoring Nie Fei’s awkward expression, Yenir nodded slightly and immediately sent a message to double-check via the system whether Nie Fei had any records with the Action Team.

The matter was too critical.

Though he trusted Nie Fei about 90 percent, he had to remain extremely cautious.

After all, if the intelligence turned out to be true, the priority at Base Two might be raised to the level of Mother!

The Base that slaughtered three million Awakeners was still dependent on the Sea Beast!

This realization instantly stirred a thought of something truly terrifying in Yenir’s mind!

“A decade-long scheme…”

“No — even twenty, thirty years!”

“From the very beginning, when they first harnessed the Sea Beast’s power, to later setting up a Laboratory in the East Sea to create monsters, and then at Tianjin Port ‘devouring’ countless Awakeners.”

“Yuanlong… what exactly are you after?”

———-

Three minutes later.

Yenir nodded as he observed Ming Luo, who had quietly returned to the team.

From Zhao Hongtu he had confirmed Nie Fei’s identity.

Indeed, she was an early member of the Action Team, a fact that even left Zhao Hongtu astonished.

Nie Fei’s father had been one of the earliest members of the Action Team.

When Nie Fei was eight — two years after Yuanlong’s assassination — the Action Team dispatched her father to investigate Yuanlong, and he went along with the assignment.

Later, twelve years ago, her father lost his life in a Sea Beast attack, and Nie Fei was tasked with continuing the undercover operation.

It was precisely because her record was so spotless that she managed to infiltrate the Rebels and remain undercover until now. However, due to her limitations, many problems arose within the Military, and Nie Fei never fully rejoined the Action Team; instead, she risked her life day after day gathering intelligence.

Until, just a few days ago, when she inadvertently uncovered this earth-shattering secret!

“Are you sure you’ve never seen any indication — not even within the Rebels — that Yuanlong might still be alive?”

“Who is at the top? Or rather, aside from the openly acknowledged highest authority — an elderly man at Peak Third-Stage — do you think there’s a true mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes?”

With a grave expression, Yenir multitasked, quickly scanning through the internal map of Base Two that Nie Fei provided while inquiring about Rebel intelligence.

According to Nie Fei, Yuanlong was indeed dead, buried at the core of the Safe Zone with annual ceremonies held in his honor.

Moreover, Yuanlong left no heirs, and even his closest subordinates had gradually passed away over the past decade.

If not for the strong belief that Yuanlong was most likely Mother, coupled with the System’s confirmation that Mother was still alive…

To be honest, Yenir even doubted whether he had misjudged the situation.

“Is there really someone behind all of this?”

“The current highest authority is Li Xianlong, a former deputy commander from the original West China Battle Zone during the early days of the Armageddon outbreak.”

“General Ye, my rank isn’t high, although my position is unique. Within the Rebels, I can uncover bits of special information. As for the high-ups… frankly, I’m not in a position to receive their orders.”

“So I can’t give you a definitive answer to your questions.”

“However… I’ve faintly heard some Middle-Level Officials mention that while transporting supplies to the high-ups, they witnessed these leaders showing great respect towards a remarkably young individual.”

“Perhaps the scion of a major figure? Or maybe… perhaps not.”

Unable to be certain, Nie Fei racked her brain, coming up with nothing more than that one clue.

No sooner had she finished speaking than she noticed Yenir raise an eyebrow — it was clear that this piece of information had caught his full attention.

“Very young? And of high standing?”

“Do you know what he looks like? Or does anyone have more details?”

For some inexplicable reason, Yenir felt a strong sixth sense warning him that in a long-established faction like the Rebels, it was almost unthinkable for old-school leaders to show such deference to a young person.

That just didn’t match the typical demeanor of those old-timers.

Just look at how Lu Haishan treated him.

When it came to the new generation, those old men always exhibited an inexplicable hostility and even wariness!