Chapter 286: Companions?

Everyone realized the seriousness of the problem and rushed over to grab the paper.

The first person to see the paper was March Planet’s Administrative Officer. After reading the words, he took a long, deep breath before passing it to the next person.

The next person also gasped upon finishing and quickly handed it over to the following person.

The person who received it next was dressed in a military uniform. Upon reading the contents, his face immediately changed. “Impossible, this is absolutely impossible.”

“Fool! Go check the security satellite for any suspicious activity!” The Administrative Officer yelled hurriedly.

“Wait, take someone from the Department of Justice with you.” The Administrative Officer quickly added as he saw the person preparing to leave.

The Justice Department Officer finished reading the paper and nodded. “We must take this intelligence seriously, regardless of its authenticity.”

After the Justice Department Officer and the uniformed man left, the remaining people read the contents, feeling their scalps tingle.

The content was simple: there was a warning that someone from the Red Earl might be in the Planetary Fleet, and the security satellite’s movement was suspicious.

While the Planetary Security System is a good tool for managing the planet, sometimes even powerful weapons don’t distinguish between friends and foes. Pado Planet’s experience had already shown that a strong enough weapon could harm both enemies and allies.

When Pado Planet was controlled by the Red Earl’s forces, the Planetary Security System completely collapsed, killing countless people, including many high-ranking officials who were reduced to ashes.

But turning it off isn’t realistic. What if that’s precisely what the enemy wants—to make us shut it down?

The Planetary Security System is the planet’s defense. Without it, the planet faces many threats, including natural occurrences like meteor strikes.

Then there’s the threat from other armed organizations, like pirate groups.

In the vast expanse of the void, no one knows when an accident might happen.

Meanwhile, Yang Bo sat in the cleaner’s home, frowning, as he realized the situation was getting more complicated.

“The military, parliament, and various families might all be targeting the newly appointed admiral.”

“And now the Red Earl and the Grey Ash Organization are involved. Tsk, this admiral has really offended everyone,” Yang Bo analyzed carefully, finding that the female captain was in a dire situation.

Although Yang Bo was unaware of the family behind the female captain, it didn’t matter how powerful they were. Whenever an old balance of benefits is broken, many people would naturally be displeased.

“Could the Red Earl’s people be taking the blame?” Yang Bo suddenly thought of another possibility.

Those behind the attack might not necessarily be Red Earl’s people. It could just as easily be other forces, like a powerful family unwilling to give up their benefits. The military could also be involved, or it might even be more parties.

These people could easily shift the blame to Red Earl, the Grey Ash Organization, or any other group.

Upon realizing this, Yang Bo disguised as a cleaner and hurried to the supermarket, a hidden gathering spot for the Bounty Hunter Guild.

“Third Master?” Zhou Rui was startled upon seeing the Third Master.

“I need to know which military officer is currently at what location. Have they moved?” Yang Bo asked directly.

Zhou Rui’s scalp tingled upon hearing this. Was the Third Master planning to act against someone?

Yang Bo noticed Zhou Rui’s reaction and said calmly, “If I wanted to act, I would have done so when the Freelance Mercenaries made their move. Someone else would’ve taken the blame then.”

“And as for what happens next, it’s best your Bounty Hunter Guild stays out of it. I’ve got some unpleasant news.” Although Yang Bo was just guessing, he couldn’t say that—he could only say he’d received information, and whatever happened later wasn’t his concern.

“Red Earl openly issuing a challenge like this might mean they’re being used. After all, a brand-new admiral brings certain implications. I suspect you’re well aware of what that means. I also found it strange during the Grey Ash Organization’s recent attack. How did they learn the future admiral’s whereabouts?” Yang Bo said matter-of-factly.

Zhou Rui and the others weren’t fools. After hearing his explanation, their expressions changed drastically. People of Yang Bo’s level didn’t need to lie, which meant that this wasn’t solely the work of Red Earl’s people.

“Contact them yourself. If the person is still in their original location, I’ll drop it. But if they’ve gone to the military camp or another location, I’ll head to the skyport exit,” Yang Bo said before leaving.

After Yang Bo left, one of the guild’s higher-ups asked, “What does Third Master mean by this?”

“If this high-ranking officer was taken to a military camp or government facility, it means the situation isn’t too severe—it’s just Red Earl stirring the pot. But if they weren’t transferred there, then something’s up. Once they’re under military or government protection, who can bear the blame if something happens?” someone explained.

“If the military and government don’t act, Red Earl’s people can only enter through the skyport, and Third Master will keep watching it. But once the government or military get involved, it’s anyone’s guess.” The same person continued.

“Damn, these people’s schemes are filthy.”

“It’s just about profits. I’ll make a call,” Zhou Rui sighed. No matter how flashy the parliament appeared on screen, behind the scenes they were all as dirty as anyone else.

Yang Bo left the supermarket with a bag of groceries. After all, you can’t visit a supermarket without buying something. He sipped on a carton of milk while activating his Optical Ability.

Yang Bo had Zhou Rui’s phone number from previous calls. Every number in the network is unique; each emits a different frequency.

By connecting his wristwatch to the network, Yang Bo monitored the nearby signal towers. Sure enough, he found Zhou Rui’s number communicating with somewhere else.

Following the signals, he tracked them to a satellite above, and then back down to the ground. Through this system, even if two phones were only ten meters apart, they would still communicate by routing through a satellite, not directly.

In this world, all communications rely on the planet’s satellites, bypassing land-based towers.

Using the satellite, Yang Bo locked onto a communication station nearby and pinpointed its location.

“Hehe, this goes deeper than I thought.” Yang Bo chuckled, finding that the corresponding location wasn’t a military camp nor a government office.

“Of course, it’s possible Wang Muxue gave her wristwatch to someone else.” That was another possibility.

Yang Bo was fairly familiar with this city. His good memory helped, and every time he stood on his penthouse balcony he could overlook the whole city.

Meanwhile, Wang Muxue sat in her room reading, casually toying with a small golden knife. It had a thumb-sized, water-blue crystal embedded in it.

A voice came from outside. “Miss, a woman named Zhou Rui is here for you.”

Wang Muxue replied calmly, “Bring her in.”

A woman in a red energy suit entered—her face obscured. The suit was tight-fitting, revealing a good figure.

It was clearly custom-made. Such suits fit perfectly, unlike second-hand ones, which always seemed slightly off.

Of course, Yang Bo was an exception—his suit could change shape.

“Cousin, why’d you think to call me?” Wang Muxue asked with a calm tone, taking the communicator.

On the other side, Zhou Rui chuckled, “Seeing you so calm puts me at ease. I’ve heard since childhood that nothing escapes your plans, but let me say something, Red Earl isn’t the only one after you. It could be the Grey Ash Organization, the military, or even the government. I bet you weren’t escorted to a military camp or government facility, right?”

Zhou Rui always hated how her cousin seemed to plan everything to the last detail, always guessing everyone’s next move—making her an insufferably boring companion. No one wanted to play with someone like that.

Naturally, Wang Muxue felt the same way.

“Oh? I didn’t realize the Zhou family’s intel on March Planet was this good,” Wang Muxue said, somewhat surprised. How deep had the Zhou family sunk, running their illegal business?

“Thanks for the compliment.” Zhou Rui hung up the communicator, smirking at it.

“Yang Bo.” Wang Muxue’s words had irritated Zhou Rui. The Zhou family’s fate now rested with just two people—Yang Bo and Third Master. Yet, she could never control the latter, who might devour the Zhou family instead of helping them.

Yang Bo, however, was different. He had a clean background, a simple resume, and wasn’t stronger than her. Even if he became stronger in the future, Zhou Rui could easily manipulate him.

Zhou Rui then sent an email to Third Master at the supermarket—who was actually Yang Bo.

Returning to the cleaner’s home, Yang Bo received the email, went to a bar, and changed back into Third Master’s persona. The bar had a special area for these identity swaps. Yang Bo checked and confirmed there was no issue.

The real cleaner returned home drunk soon after, as if nothing had happened.

Third Master disappeared swiftly. Yang Bo, now invisible, returned home only to find Zhou Rui had sent him another email.

“What’s this woman up to? Has she set her sights on me?” Yang Bo muttered to himself.

He studied the map and pinpointed Wang Muxue’s location.

“That woman surely has some cards up her sleeve. The Wang family will definitely protect this admiral at all costs. Maybe she’s a man-eating tiger.” Yang Bo recalled seeing the Crack Void.

“But how much Mind Control will I gain if this Mind Control master dies? Should I join the fun?”

“If the big families or the military make a move, it will definitely attract stronger opponents with special abilities. Could there be rare powers for me to scavenge?”

“Whoever dies, I can still pick up some benefits.” Yang Bo couldn’t resist anymore. He decided to join the fun, as these people surely had their own tricks.

“Here we go!” Yang Bo, dressed in his energy suit and invisible, arrived at Wang Muxue’s villa. This was a high-end villa area, surrounded by luxury homes. From here, one could even see his own villa far off in the hills.

“Wow, so many security drones and military personnel.” Yang Bo wandered around, spotting several military vehicles, drones, and police robots.

Invisible, Yang Bo checked out the nearby residents, breaking into an empty villa with ease. From the attic, he could clearly see Wang Muxue’s residence, though the glass was one-way, preventing him from seeing inside.

“Heaven help me! I hope some rare-powered assassins or death warriors show up.” Yang Bo picked an attic with a wide space, just in case. If an opponent was too strong, he’d need to pull out his mech. This would create the illusion he’d stashed the mech here in advance.

Yang Bo took out his mech and altered its appearance to be completely black. He could also release energy interference to avoid the Planetary Security System’s detection. All he had to do was run into the sea if needed.

Yang Bo waited throughout the night without any movement, but he wasn’t in a hurry. Patience is a virtue.

What Yang Bo didn’t know was that Zhou Rui’s warning had greatly angered the military. They’d initially wanted Wang Muxue to go to the military camp, but she refused, thinking her own home was safer. Not only did her family’s guards protect it, but there were also military troops and police drones outside.

It’s key to note that Wang Muxue was no weakling. As an A-rank admiral, she had more than just a few good tools. Plenty of people were lining up to offer her all sorts of valuables.

At noon the next day, Yang Bo suddenly heard a faint noise at the front door of his villa. It was extremely soft, but because he was in the attic, which was connected to the door frame, he heard it using his Listening skill and passive Sonic Detection ability.

“Could a bad guy also be eyeing this place?” Yang Bo muttered to himself, quickly going invisible.

Soon, Yang Bo noticed someone cautiously entering the attic. He was curious how this person dared enter so boldly.

The next moment, Yang Bo was stunned. The person hadn’t left any footprints or traces.

“Is this guy invisible too?” Yang Bo’s eyelid twitched.

A second later, Yang Bo heard breathing, and suddenly the figure became more visible, leaving footprints this time.

“Wow, he really is invisible. Who’s sponsoring this?” Yang Bo understood that this person’s invisibility was weaker than his own.

The next second, the person pulled something from his mouth—a ring with a thumb-sized gemstone.

Yang Bo’s eyelids twitched furiously as the man slipped on the ring, and a large container appeared out of thin air.

“So someone’s been thinking bigger than me,” Yang Bo smirked. He had been considering using similar metals to make storage containers, but someone had already beaten him to it.

“What a fruitful trip,” Yang Bo watched as the man retrieved some components—it looked like parts of a warship’s energy cannon?