Kage's brows were twisted into knots, and he tapped his fingertips heavily on the virtual map, magnifying the three-dimensional structure of the palace to the extreme.
The light from the energy detector swept across every area marked as "investigated", but still could not find the twenty-three figures.
"Before the magic circle was raised, they were still hiding according to the original plan. It is impossible for them to predict the failure of the mission and evacuate in advance." He muttered to himself.
Kage was hovering at the highest point of the palace, his eyes sweeping over every inch of the area covered by the energy shield, his brows furrowed.
The energy detection network was as dense as a hair, even the gaps between the walls and the floor tiles were not spared, but the breath of those twenty-three people seemed to have disappeared out of thin air.
“Could it be…”
He suddenly leaned over and ran his fingertips across the glazed tiles on the top of the palace.
The tiles glowed coldly in the sunlight, blending in with the surrounding buildings. If he hadn't deliberately magnified his perception, he wouldn't have been able to detect the extremely weak energy shielding fluctuations at the edge of the tiles.
He swung his hand violently, and a blade of energy slashed towards one of the tiles.
With a crisp "clang" sound, the tiles shattered, revealing three figures curled up inside - they actually integrated special shielding armor with the palace building materials and hid on the roof like chameleons!
Kage's eyes flashed, and he instantly understood. These lurkers didn't choose to hide in the usual hidden corners, but instead took advantage of the structural characteristics of the palace.
Some drilled into the hollow interlayer of the supporting column and used energy to disguise themselves as the metal structure inside the column.
Some of them sneaked into the drainage channels under the palace and used the water flow to cover up their scent.
Some people even ventured close to the inside of the energy shield and used the energy interference of the shield wall to block their own signals.
"I see."
Kage sneered and called up the architectural structure diagram of the palace. The energy detection network instantly focused on those neglected "structural blind spots".
Soon, a muffled sound was heard from the drainage channel, sparks of energy collision erupted from the supporting pillars, and the figures inside the energy shield also became visible in the strong light - the remaining twenty-three people were finally nowhere to hide.
When he landed, he was holding the collar of the last lurker, whose armor was still covered with dust from the roof.
"Your Majesty's numbers are never wrong."
Kage's voice was icy. "You think you can escape detection by hiding in the cracks of a building? You're naive."
Kage threw the remains of the last camouflage armor into the open space, crushed the energy debris on the ground with the sole of his boot, and counted the number again to confirm that all twenty-three people were missing.
He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then turned and walked towards the palace.
Inside the hall, candlelight cast flickering shadows between the tall pillars.
Kage stepped over the threshold, knelt on one knee in front of Martin, who was sitting high on the throne, and reported in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the cleanup is complete."
Martin tapped the armrest with his fingertips, and the golden dragon robe glowed with his movements.
He nodded slowly, his eyes sweeping across the mess in the hall. "Druna, Lucas, remove the dragon language magic."
The two dragon knights responded in a deep voice and raised their hands to withdraw their palms from the stone pillars.
The pale golden barrier that enveloped the hall faded away like water waves, and the lingering magical hum in the air gradually dissipated.
"Pass on my order, let the legion knights come in to clean up." Martin's voice echoed in the hall.
The palace door was pushed open, and the legion knights in silver armor marched in, and the metal armor collided with each other, making neat clanging sounds.
They stood in the hall and knelt on one knee in front of Martin on the throne, their helmets making a dull sound as they hit the ground. "Your Majesty!"
Del Luna turned to look at Martin, and after receiving his nod of approval, he said loudly, "His Majesty has ordered the hall to be cleared!"
The knights responded in unison, stood up and began to move in an orderly manner.
Some people were carrying the scattered debris, while others were using purification magic to clean the stains on the ground. The metal boots stepped on the marble floor, making a steady and orderly sound.
Martin sat on the throne, watching the busy figures of the knights, his fingertips still tapping the armrests unconsciously, his eyes deep, as if he was thinking about something more important than cleaning the hall.
Martin's fingertips rested lightly on the armrest of the throne, and his deep gaze looked through the window lattice of the hall to the port where the fleet was anchored in the distance.
He mentally instructed Malcador, his voice calm but with undeniable authority.
Malcador's response came promptly, respectfully and calmly: "Your Majesty, more than half of the legions from the Gods' Plane have been integrated, but they all came from different systems, so it will take time to integrate them."
"knew."
Martin nodded slightly, thoughts running through his mind.
"We won't have to wait for complete integration. Once the fleet clears out the pirates, we'll have half of the integrated troops board the ship. We'll clean the ship, familiarize them with the onboard systems, and help them adapt to the new ship's environment as quickly as possible."
After a pause, he emphasized his tone, with a sharp flash in his eyes.
"Also, have the robots in the technical department completely remove all control rights that Matrix Galaxy has over those ships, including the main systems, sub-nodes, and even every independent module."
"Remember, this is 'complete removal'. No backdoors can be left. Every remote control interface must be completely blocked."
"I understand!"
Malcador's response was without hesitation.
"Immediately order the technical department to execute this and ensure all permissions are cleared without omission. After the fleet returns, the Integration Corps will board the ship according to Your Majesty's orders and begin adaptive training."
Martin said "hmm" and ended the communication with Malcador.
He leaned back on his throne, his eyes fixed on the imperial flag flying outside the palace.
At this moment, in a matrix, the old emperor of the Matrix Galaxy slapped the console.
"This idiot, why did he bother provoking Martin? Couldn't he just lie low and wait?"
"That's great! My plan is probably going to be ruined. I was originally thinking of waiting for a few higher-level forces to fight to the death, and then he would come out to clean up the mess. Now, things have changed so much. Why did that idiot do this?"
"No, we must remove his authority and stop him from doing this.
The alarm lights on the console flashed rapidly due to the heavy slap, and the red light reflected the ashen face of the old emperor of the Matrix Galaxy.
His fingertips slid frantically across the virtual panel, and the command to revoke permissions rushed to various subsystems like electricity, and veins bulged on his forehead.
"From the strategic reserve to the frontline patrol ships, all authority chains related to him are severed! Immediately activate the 'Silent Protocol' and suspend the activities of the hidden agents lurking in various star regions and put them into a dormant state!"
The light from the console flickered on his face, and the last trace of hesitation in the old emperor's eyes was replaced by ruthlessness.
"That idiot ruined the situation, and someone has to deal with it. Pass my order to revoke all his titles and military authority. He will be demoted to a star prisoner and sent to the Black Prison Galaxy to mine. Let him reflect on his own 'intelligence'."
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