Chapter 655: Masks and Shadows

“The looks? Only those in the know…”

Nie Fei blinked, straining to recall relevant memories. But it wasn’t long before she shook her head in frustration.

“Sir, I only caught the Supplies Department mentioning it by chance. They’re extremely cautious. If it weren’t for our special status, even many high-ranking officials wouldn’t know that the Youth exists.”

“As for appearances, they were too far away—just a quick glimpse. If we could track them down, maybe…”

“Wait a minute…”

“Silver hair! Yes, now I remember! I overheard them saying that the Youth sports striking silver hair—it really catches the eye!”

“Silver hair?”

Yenir arched an eyebrow, an idea sparking in his mind.

He’d always considered that a near-dead, centuries-old monster would surely resort to disguises if it planned to operate in the open.

Undoubtedly, the best disguise would be to pose as his own descendant—or even adopt an entirely different persona.

But if he transformed into a Middle-Aged Man, wouldn’t time eventually reveal him as one who’d died again?

Bear in mind, over a decade has passed since the assassination attempt. According to his memories from a past life, humanity’s extinction was marked exactly twenty years later!

However, making such a hasty judgment just wouldn’t be realistic.

Without further hesitation, Yenir’s eyes gleamed as he made up his mind.

“Nie Fei, you and a Third-Stage mid-level fighter head straight back to the Capital. Then go find Fang Hao… No, head directly to the Research Institute and see Dean Huang. Just tell them I’ve already given them a heads-up.”

“Once you’re there, I’ll arrange for the Military and all related departments to work with you in compiling the information. Let’s see if we can uncover more clues!”

“Three million Awakeners… the Coast… Sea Beasts…”

“Relay the material consumption details to them, and have them combine it with the near-shore changes in China over the past ten years to produce a report for me!”

As his words faded, Nie Fei was momentarily stunned before instinctively interjecting,

“No… I really don’t need to tag along…”

“Absolutely not! Your identity is already exposed. No matter how hard you try to disguise it, some habits always give you away. We’ll infiltrate the base separately—you just record everything you know!”

Unquestionably, while listening to Yenir’s orders, Nie Fei wanted to protest but ultimately felt there was truth in his plan.

She’d been there too long. Under such vigilant Rebel scrutiny, it was hard to say if someone might deduce her identity merely from her gait.

Gait analysis has long been one of the Military’s methods for verifying identity.

“Sir, please take care! Do the Military records include your personal data? Not general records, but the ones designed to prevent impersonation.”

“If they do, then… come with me!”

Though she couldn’t understand why Yenir risked himself personally with such high status,

Nie Fei quickly reminded him that, to her knowledge, the Rebels had already gotten their hands on all the Military generals’ information. If Yenir was among those well-known figures in the Military, his cover would be blown without a doubt!

Yet, much to Nie Fei’s surprise, after a brief hesitation Yenir simply shook his head.

He understood what she meant. Even though his rank was much higher than what she had imagined, his rapid rise meant that the records kept by the Military Department only reflected his Second-Stage fighter days…

To put it bluntly, Yenir had bulldozed his way through without following any standard protocols—naturally, the Military never archived his data.

Elements like blood, gait, bone structure, and iris patterns are a chaotic mix… well, he hasn’t had time to address them.

But in retrospect, it might actually work to his advantage.

Noticing Yenir’s head shake, Nie Fei’s unease deepened.

She couldn’t help but notice that Yenir’s tone exuded an air of absolute confidence—as if his command alone could mobilize the entire Huaguo Military.

More importantly, she still couldn’t pinpoint a real person matching Yenir’s true identity.

“Who exactly is this guy?”

“Could he be some retired super-mogul from within China?”

Glancing at Yenir with a mix of awe and apprehension, Nie Fei kept her speculations to herself.

————-

“Lord Yenir, are we really going to take such a risk and go inside?”

After seeing off Nie Fei, Ming Luo took a deep breath, his eyes full of worry.

While they had hoped to avoid Base No. 2 earlier, now it was a must. That place has claimed three million lives—who knows what horrifying dangers lurk inside?

He wasn’t afraid, but Yenir’s identity made it feel extremely risky!

Needless to say, that place surely harbored vast hidden Rebel reserves, likely far exceeding the intel they’d gathered!

Yenir was formidable—rumor had it that in the National War, he could take on a hundred foes single-handedly, virtually indestructible.

Yet Ming Luo knew there was no such thing as an invincible Awakener. Otherwise, Yenir wouldn’t bother concealing his movements and would simply blast his way through—no matter how strong he was, one always fears plotted schemes!

Invincible? Maybe once, twice, or even thrice—but such defiance of fate must come at a tremendous cost!

Noticing Ming Luo’s concern, Yenir smiled firmly and declared,

“Don’t worry about me. As long as I want to leave, no one can kill me!”

“I’m more worried about everything else than my own safety.”

“Besides, Ming Luo, haven’t you thought about it?”

“A coastal base that’s claimed so many lives over ten years—isn’t it odd where these Awakeners come from?”

With a weary sigh, Yenir admitted that the situation was indeed a thorny one.

To be honest, even his worst-case scenarios made him fear that if everything were spelled out, it might completely shatter the Military’s morale!

1. Either the Capital’s Military has lost drastic control over the region and a massive Rebel force is hiding right under their noses, meaning all their intel is wrong!

That would certainly explain the current chaos! It’s not entirely impossible!

Since the post-apocalyptic rebuild, to put it bluntly, China’s estimates of lower-tier populations are solely based on the numbers reported from every level.

With only the Military’s exclusive network in place, most areas are essentially autonomous—the Military really can’t micromanage everything!

2. Or perhaps these are non-native Awakeners! The Rebel faction has always maintained contacts with neighboring countries. If these three million Awakeners are scattered across Asian nations, it might barely be acceptable.

The Rebels have hoarded so much material, and their technology is shrouded in mystery. In theory, they could indeed mass-produce such a large number.

But that also means that if they decide to purge the Rebels, it wouldn’t just be this batch—they’d have forces in various Asian nations too!

Just the thought of it made Yenir’s scalp go numb!

If he hadn’t coincidentally arranged for a group of Otherworldly Ghost Third-Stage mid-level fighters to return to the Battle Zone across various nations during the National War,

to be frank, he had no idea how to tackle such a possibility!

“As long as I have Otherworldly Ghosts watching me in every country, I can at least focus on domestic issues.”

Exhaling deeply, Yenir waved dismissively as he ordered the Otherworldly Ghost Rebel forces to head back into the City.

The pressure was immense—every second counted.

The third scenario was also the worst.

That is,

“Over a million Awakeners were manufactured solely by the Mother!”

“And these million subordinates are merely the tip of the iceberg under that monster’s control!”