Chapter 474 Interstellar Rebellion 13
Inside the hotel room, Zhou Jue heard a soft beep from the terminal on his wrist.
Sulia's name flashed across the screen, followed by a triple-encrypted data packet.
"They're here."
Zhou Jue opened the data, and the information flow instantly flooded into the bracelet, projecting a virtual light screen.
[Host, this is... your personal file?]
The system's voice echoed in my mind.
“That’s right.” Zhou Jue’s gaze quickly swept across the light screen, which contained extremely detailed information about the person.
Target: August Valerius.
Military rank: Silverwing Federation General.
Position: Core member of the pro-defense faction, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Central Star Karava Garrison, in charge of the city's internal defense and logistics.
The man in the photo is about fifty years old, with neatly combed blond hair and a politician's signature smile.
"He seems quite kind," Zhou Jue casually remarked.
[The information says he's greedy, lecherous, and ruthless; he climbed to his current position by betraying his former superiors.] The system added.
“This kind of person is the easiest to turn, the easiest to be used as a pawn, and of course, the easiest to be used as bait.” Zhou Jue’s gaze moved down and saw the key information marked by Su Liya.
Back then, it was this Valerius who took the initiative to contact their undercover agent, codenamed "Canary".
He used the S-level intelligence, the "restart button," to obtain a pledge of allegiance that would allow him to advance further—the complete information on an SS-level mental power user under Sulia's command, as well as the secret base where the user was located.
It was a bloody deal.
They paid the price of a 'top-tier ally' and an entire intelligence network in exchange for this 'hope'.
In retrospect, this hope was a poison disguised as honey.
"Where does he live now?" Zhou Jue turned off the light screen.
[Karava, the third floating continent, 'Cloud Peak Manor'.]
[Host, that place is thirty-two kilometers away from us.]
"knew."
Zhou Jue sat up in bed without hesitation. Divine sense probing was ultimately incomplete; against an old fox like Valerius, a more direct approach was necessary.
With a flash, she disappeared from the hotel room.
The next moment, Zhou Jue's figure appeared silently on the outskirts of Cloud Peak Manor. She affixed a Concealment Talisman to herself and cast an Invisibility Spell, making her seem to blend into the night. She passed through easily without even causing a ripple in the manor's energy shield.
The first floor was a magnificent banquet hall, but it was completely empty at the moment.
The second floor is an entertainment area with a private cinema, a simulated golf course, and much more.
Third floor, study.
Zhou Jue has found his target.
General Valerius sat behind a huge ebony table, holding a glass of red wine, his brow furrowed, as if troubled by something.
Zhou Jue quietly approached and began to listen to his innermost thoughts.
[Those idiots are trying to squeeze another penny out of me this month with their arms procurement; they're really asking for trouble.]
[Lilith's appetite is getting bigger and bigger; it's time to replace her with someone else. The new female cadets at the military academy are quite good.]
[That bastard Marcus dared to steal the asteroid I had my eye on. Next time in council, I'll make him pay.]
Zhou Jue listened for a long time.
It's all garbage ideas about corruption, lust, and power struggles.
No.
There was nothing there.
There was absolutely no thought about the "restart button," "Operation Dawn," or even about Sulia's codename "Canary."
That's true. Nobody thinks about the 'bad things' they've done every day. Besides, someone who can climb to a high position within the pro-democracy faction is definitely not as simple as the information suggests.
This kind of old fox knows too well how to protect himself, and even knows how to deceive his own brain.
Ordinary eavesdropping won't be very effective; you need to give him a little stimulation to make him recall the previous intelligence.
"Looks like I have to give you some 'juicy tidbits'."
Zhou Jue flicked his finger, and a faint, almost imperceptible light entered Valerius's nape.
Puppet Talisman, activated.
Valerius's eyes went blank for a moment, and he mechanically put the wine glass back on the table.
Guided by Zhou Jue's thoughts, Valerius stood up, walked to the wall on one side of the study, pressed a hidden switch, and a secret room appeared. He walked in blankly.
Zhou Jue followed her in, quickly setting up an array to isolate Valerius from all detection, ensuring absolute safety. She then took out a truth-telling talisman and affixed it to Valerius.
“Now, I’ll ask, and you answer.” Zhou Jue’s voice was icy cold, devoid of any emotion.
"Who instructed you to leak the 'restart button' information to 'Canary'?"
Valerius answered every question without resistance: "It's the 'Marshal's' order."
What is his purpose?
"Use the rebels to press the 'restart button' to trigger the 'Marshal's' plan."
What is the specific function of the button?
“I don’t know. It’s top secret, but I do know that its role is far more terrifying than the rebels imagine; it’s the key to the entire plan.”
"What is the Marshal's plan?"
"To overthrow the existing order, kick out the royal faction led by the Third Prince, and even... replace the supreme position of 'Heavenly Eye'."
"Is the Marshal a proponent of war or a proponent of peace?"
"The pro-expansion faction, but they have disagreements with the current pro-expansion faction leaders. The marshal feels that expansion is too slow."
"Who is the marshal? Where does he live? What information do you have about him?"
"have no idea."
......
After the interrogation ended, Zhou Jue was overwhelmed with turmoil.
As expected! This Valerius wasn't a pawn that Suria and her group had turned against them. He was a deeper spies planted within the pro-war faction by another force—the "Marshal" faction!
They leaked intelligence to Sulia so that they could use her to press that button! They wanted to use Sulia's "Operation Dawn" to achieve their own plan to overthrow the ruling faction and even "Sky Eye"!
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Sulia and her resistance were merely tools to be used from beginning to end.
After confirming all the information, Zhou Jue removed the array and talismans. She once again guided the dazed Valerius out of the secret room, had him sit back at his original desk, picked up the glass of red wine, and his previously furrowed brows and troubled expression disappeared.
Everything was as if nothing had happened.
Zhou Jue's figure disappeared silently from the study, leaving the Cloud Peak Manor, a place rife with undercurrents.
Things are a million times more complicated than I imagined.
Sulia must be notified immediately.
The entire plan needs to be scrapped and started from scratch.
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