Chapter 658: Infiltration Under Orders

“Take off your clothes?”

Yenir was shocked. His eyes immediately narrowed as he noticed that at the base entrance, every Awakener was being brusquely ordered to strip down!

Not only were they required to undergo a full-body naked inspection once inside, but with his keen sense of smell, Yenir even detected a faint hint of blood.

Clearly, once inside, they were not only scrutinized for any disguises but also had their blood tested to verify their identities.

Such strict, group-by-group examinations quickly sparked resistance among most Awakener.

Especially the women.

“Lord Yenir, do they know someone infiltrated? This will expose our identities too!”

Ming Luo and the others exchanged looks, their faces suddenly darkening.

They were confident in their ability to hide their true appearances—even a Third-Stage Mental Energy Detection wouldn’t catch a thing! The masks they wore were system tools, the Huaguo Military’s final ace in the hole!

But when it came to blood testing, things got tricky.

At the same time, a sinking feeling suddenly filled Yenir’s heart.

Yet he wasn’t convinced his actions had given him away. If Yuanlong had really suspected his infiltration, it wouldn’t have been a routine inspection—he would have immediately mobilized a large force of Third-Stage warriors to eliminate him!

For Mother, the potential loss of millions of Awakener was one thing; wrongly killing this batch was nothing to worry about!

“Don’t stress—it’s likely they’re just being extra cautious, expecting us to plant someone. Their alert level is just a bit higher.”

Slipping to the very back of the line, Yenir observed as the group steadily thinned, his mind racing with ideas on how to blend in.

He wondered if it were possible to swap the blood samples—but with so many witnesses, even his formidable abilities wouldn’t go unnoticed.

Unless the crowd was smaller, giving him a chance to make the switch.

Fewer people…

“Fire Wolf Squad! What are you waiting for? Move it!”

“Zhao Teng, why are you standing with them? Get over here and hurry up!”

While Yenir frantically pondered a solution, soldiers at the base entrance began shouting angrily. It was clear that the idle behavior of Yenir and his group had already aroused their suspicion.

As more soldiers focused their attention on them, Ming Luo and the others grew visibly tense.

There was no time left to waste—any further delay could spell disaster!

“Keep up, I have a plan!”

Before Ming Luo and the others could ready themselves for combat, Yenir strode forward. Under his direction, Zhao Teng scurried to the highest-ranking inspector with a flattering smile, whispering something in his ear.

Soon, in the puzzled gaze of Ming Luo and his companions, they saw Zhao Teng first point at them and then at the group of female Awakener on the right.

The Squad Captain overseeing the inspection gave them a bizarre look before laughing derisively and shaking his head.

“Lord Yenir, we are…”

Without understanding what Yenir was orchestrating with Zhao Teng, Ming Luo and the others soon watched in astonishment as several soldiers waved at them with a lazy, self-assured smirk.

“You, join that group.”

A soldier pointed, clearly directing them toward the team of female Awakener.

——–

“Lord Yenir, what is this all about?!”

Under a barrage of odd looks, Ming Luo and the others trailed behind Yenir, too embarrassed to meet the eyes of the girl in front.

They could feel that once they joined the line behind the female Awakener—already resentful of the invasive inspection—the girls glared at them in a mix of anger and humiliation.

“Inspections alone are bad enough! Why are we being forced into the same group as them?!”

“I’m not going in! I refuse!”

Clatter.

Faced with the vehement protests of several female Awakener, the inspecting soldier promptly leveled his gun at the outspoken girl.

“These are orders from above! Anyone who refuses the inspection will be arrested!”

“Everyone, don’t resist too much. These few cases are special; just bear with it. Haven’t we already agreed that the women will conduct your inspections? Any further complaints, and we’ll show no mercy!”

A Third-Stage inspector let out a light cough, his feigned admonishment leaving the female Awakener before Yenir with no choice but to shoot a fierce glare at him.

In their minds, Yenir’s group were likely henchmen of some big-shot, shamelessly taking advantage of the situation!

At the same time, despite the murderous glare from the girl ahead, Yenir only smiled calmly, unconcerned.

There was no other way.

If not for this one trick to infiltrate, he wouldn’t resort to such extreme measures.

He observed that the inspection process for men and women differed. The women’s line—owing to their gender—was in utter disarray, unlike the orderly groups of male Awakener who were treated almost like livestock.

Women were usually grouped in pairs or trios, a setup that allowed for a bit more privacy.

Thus, after much thought, Yenir had only one option.

If two or three people were inspected together with just one inspector, and if he acted quickly enough, he could take control of the inspector without any onlookers!

“Once inside, line up behind me. I’ll neutralize the inspector attending to you first.”

“Then, I’ll swap out your blood test results.”

Yenir quickly communicated the plan to Ming Luo and the others. Upon hearing it, they immediately refocused and felt reassured.

Still, they couldn’t understand how Yenir had managed to persuade the inspectors.

“It’s simple. I sent Zhao Teng to find the Squad Captain and told him I was fascinated with the girl ahead—I’ve chased her for ages without catching up.”

“When gentle persuasion fails, you get rough—I couldn’t stand losing her, so I decided to play hardball!”

“A piece of Blue Equipment in exchange for being the last one inspected is a bargain for these finishers. Since inspections are inevitable, they naturally won’t refuse me.”

Listening to Yenir’s calm explanation, Ming Luo couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration.

If it were him, he’d never have come up with such a perverse excuse.

Thinking of how far Yenir would go to infiltrate, Ming Luo marveled:

“Lord Yenir, you’ve sacrificed so much for the country…”

“It’s only right.”

“If I don’t sacrifice, who will?”

———-

Three minutes later.

Entering the sealed inspection tunnel, Yenir calmly observed the young girl walking ahead, his gaze briefly noting the other inspector stationed in the adjacent booth.

Ignoring the girl’s burning, murderous glare as if she wanted to kill him, Yenir spoke evenly:

“Strip. Once your check is done, it’ll be my turn.”

“If you finish too fast, I might not even get a good look…”

With that, Yenir began to mimic the action of dropping his pants along with the others.

In an instant, the girl in front blushed a deep red and, trembling, spun around.

That damn bastard! What a pervert!

Feigning indifference, Yenir stared fixedly at her back. Strangely, even as she glared at him as though ready to kill, he found her oddly endearing.

“Sorry, I’m doing this for the future of humanity.”