Chapter 512 Broken, Coming

Born out of an exploratory activity hundreds of years ago, the Black Spot Group was founded by a group of unconventional Algrade aristocrats. Initially a "scholar group," it has completely changed its appearance over the course of several hundred years. Regardless of its original purpose, it has now clearly become a behemoth that cannot be ignored or controlled.

Tech giants, independent armed forces, extremist organizations, black trade, and the actual controller of large lawless star zones - the current Black Spot Group is no longer an "academic organization". Although it is rumored that it is still led by the original group of Algrade scholars, it has obviously gone too far in the original grand goals of that group of scholars, and has been encumbered with too many things in the process of moving forward.

Anyway, according to Baili Qing, Yu Sheng felt that the composition of this organization was as complicated as Hu Li's stew...

"The Black Spot Group is a behemoth, its organizational structure vast and mysterious, its details unknown to outsiders. We only know that its top leadership is still firmly controlled by the 'Board of Directors' composed of the former Star Nobles, while countless 'Project Departments' are responsible for carrying out the group's will. Research and development, trade, investment, espionage, intrusion, sabotage, kidnapping, assassination... They have done everything over the years, all to achieve that 'lofty and rational goal.'

"Their reach isn't limited to the lawless zone. The Black Spot Group's businesses span the entire galaxy, encompassing both legal and illegal operations. Through layers of covert operations, or through hidden financial and personnel channels, they control countless industries. These industries have infiltrated various civilizations, some operating openly and legitimately. There are also long-standing commercial lines operating seemingly ordinary private businesses, but behind them may be the shadow of the Black Spot Group...

"This is also their biggest difference from the Angel Cultists or the Holy Hermitage. Although many civilized circles have generally labeled them all as 'dangerous elements,' it is undeniable that compared to the Angel Cultists, whose minds have been completely corrupted by the Dark Angels, and the paranoid and closed-minded Hermitage, the Black Spot Group at least has some... elements that are closer to civilized society."

Listening to the voice coming from the other end of the phone, Yu Sheng had a thoughtful look on his face. This was the first time he had such an in-depth understanding of this mysterious "Black Spot Group", and many of the details were different from his previous impressions. Perhaps it was because he had dealt too much with the crazy Angel Cultists and the paranoid and fanatical Saint Worshipping Hermitage, which gave him a preconceived impression. He had always thought that the Black Spot Group was a similar group of lunatics, but now it seemed... this huge business + extreme technology organization was far more complicated than those two cult groups.

After a moment's thought, he suddenly became curious: "Since the Black Spot Group has such a wide influence, does it also have influence in the border areas..."

He didn't say anything else. After a moment of silence, Baili Qing's voice came from the other side of the receiver: "The 'umbilical cord' technology used by deep divers."

"Wow—" Irene exclaimed in a somewhat exaggerated manner, and then began to whisper to Yu Sheng, "I was told this thing had a sinister style. It looked like it had some black psychic energy and subspace stuff in it, so its origin must be questionable. You see, it really is some hidden little deal..."

"It's not some 'invisible transaction,'" Baili Qing explained calmly after hearing the puppet's whispers. "The Black Spot Group's various exotic detection devices are circulating on the black market. Reverse engineering them isn't a problem for us. Technology itself has no bias; it's good if it can be put to use. At least the 'umbilical cord' technology has reduced the death rate of deep-sea divers by nearly 50%."

Yu Sheng didn't say anything after listening to the explanation on the phone, but it was obvious that the "contribution" of the Black Spot Group to the border area might be far more than just this one technology. After all, according to what Baili Qing said just now, this extreme technology giant has produced countless "good things" - dangerous technology is dangerous technology, but there are many things in the world that are more dangerous than those technologies.

In addition, he did not continue to ask whether the Secret Service or the Border District Council also had any "private connection" with the Black Spot Group.

This question obviously has no answer, or even if there is an answer, it would be meaningless.

"Now this group has extended their reach into the border area," Yu Sheng stroked his chin, his phone propped up on the table with the speaker on. "They're here for 'knowledge'... But then again, I saw Sun Chen's body and even spoke to him after his death, but I didn't notice anything unusual about him then."

"That's because before his 'death,' Sun Chen, a sleeper agent for the Black Spot Group, had already used the sanatorium's personality materialization mechanism to separate from his true form and go into hiding. This may have been planned for years, and there may have been more than one sleeper agent. Even the initial mission of this sleeper agent named 'Sun Chen' may not have been related to the knowledge of the tower...

"Black Spot's agents are like cockroaches, laying eggs everywhere, waiting to hatch. They utilize a variety of dubious techniques to control these lurkers or set various 'activation' conditions for them. These eggs are so hidden that even the operatives themselves are unaware of their identities as employees or the missions they undertake. Only when the conditions are right will these cockroaches suddenly emerge from all sorts of unimaginable places and burrow into your face..."

Baili Qing was halfway through her words when Yu Sheng finally couldn't help but say, "Stop, stop, stop. I understand what you mean, but this metaphor is a bit disgusting..."

After saying that, he took a breath and changed the subject: "So what are your plans next? How are you going to deal with those 'black spot agents'?"

"The Secret Service will be following up on this matter. Their target is the 'knowledge' related to the Goddess of Omens, and the 'knowledge' Sun Chen took away probably won't meet his department's KPI requirements. They will definitely have follow-up actions," Baili Qing said. "I'm contacting you only to remind you that your current investigation activities overlap with the targets of those black spot agents, so please be careful.

"I'll compile some information on Black Spot agents and send it to you, including their operational styles, common tactics, and abilities. This is for reference only. If you actually encounter one, you'll need to be flexible and adapt. Of course, I believe your abilities won't be a problem dealing with them, but it's always better to be cautious."

"I understand. Thank you for your concern. Also, if I find any trace of those black spot agents, I will contact you immediately."

"good."

After ending the call with Baili Qing, Yu Sheng put away his phone, rubbed his brows, and frowned slightly.

Hu Li next to him also placed the bowl that had been licked until it was crystal clear on the table, and he and Yu Sheng had a serious expression.

Luna, who had come up the stairs at some point, was also standing quietly by the side, her expression... the same as usual.

Irene's arms had healed by then. She looked up at Yu Sheng, then down at herself, her hands supporting her chin as she exuded the fragrance of lotus roots. She also looked thoughtful. After a few seconds of contemplation, she suddenly clapped her hands, "Oh no! It's coming for me!"

Yu Sheng: “…”

"Hey, what happened? I'm an elegant, powerful, beautiful, and charming Alice doll, but now I'm being targeted by evil forces just because I had a fight with a fallen EsGod!" Irene stood up on the table, her hands on her waist, her eyes shining. I don't know what she's bragging about, but she just looks so smug. She keeps complaining, but her head is almost sticking out. "It's obvious that these people are coming for me - what should I do?"

Yu Sheng looked at the inexplicably cocky little doll and didn't know what to say. Just as he was stunned, Luna beside him suddenly broke the silence: "No, I'm coming for you."

Irene Gaba turned her head and stared at Luna with scarlet eyes: "Why?"

"They are after the knowledge of the Goddess of Omen. The key word is 'knowledge'." Luna paused for two seconds and said the longest sentence ever. "Ai Lin, there is no knowledge."

Irene paused for a moment to react, then lunged forward with a roar: "C! Shape! Buckle! Damn it! -"

Then, there was a burst of ping-pong and clanging noises in the attic. Seeing this, Yu Sheng quickly dragged Hu Li to hide by the window. At the same time, he looked at Luna with great admiration as she casually waved her arms to knock Irene back to the ground. He sighed with emotion: "Even with such a long delay, she still has to cricket Irene twice for every sentence she says. Luna is really addicted to it."

"Erin asked for it," Hu Li crouched beside Yu Sheng, hands on the ground, tail wagging like a melon-eating spectator, "She usually picks on Luna whenever she gets the chance... though most of the time she's just slapped back."

At that moment, Yu Sheng saw Luna dodge another self-sacrificing lunge from Irene with a graceful dance-like movement. Irene then flew towards him, dancing from the air. He stepped forward and casually caught the doll, waving his hand. "That's enough. It's like tearing down a house in the middle of the night."

Luna immediately gracefully lifted the hem of her nun's skirt and bowed, then quietly retreated to a corner of the attic as if nothing had happened.

Irene could only grin at her from a distance.

"Jokes aside," Yu Sheng quickly diverted the attention of the two puppets, one large and one small. "No matter what, those black spot agents have already infiltrated. They are such a powerful force, and they dare to do such a thing in the border area. It must be that the 'Knowledge of the Goddess of Omen' is extremely attractive to them. They can't have infiltrated with just a few cats and dogs. We will most likely have to deal with them..."

Yu Sheng paused for a moment, and Hu Li, who was standing beside him, tilted his head and looked at Irene: "Would you like to stay out of the spotlight?"

The little puppet stood up straight when he heard this, crossed his arms and glared, "I'm going to avoid their limelight? If anyone knows about it, it will embarrass the whole hotel—and I have four regiments of troops under my command, who am I afraid of? As long as the painting is not lost, I will use my clone to smash it to death..."

The little thing's attitude was arrogant, but it had good reason to be arrogant. Yu Sheng nodded repeatedly as he listened, but halfway through nodding, he suddenly realized: "...Wait a minute! Four groups?! When?!"

"Last night at 2:30," Irene shrank her neck suddenly, "You've used up the little blood you saved again, and this time even the black iron left by the silly fox has been used up..."

After she finished speaking, she scratched her hair, thought for a moment, and gave Yu Sheng an awkward and low-class smile: "Hehe——"

(End of this chapter)