Chapter 652 Be careful of Gustav!
Before Li Ming had to wait too long, a video communication request popped up on the virtual projection screen of the smart terminal in his hand before it went out.
"Anatole?" Li Ming muttered to himself after looking at the notes.
This guy is online 24 hours a day, right? I just sent the message and there was a response.
With a slight movement of his heart, Li Ming's skin surface underwent subtle changes, his muscles moved, and he had completely changed his appearance.
After switching to the Qinglong vest, he pressed the connect button, and the flat virtual screen projected by the smart terminal also switched to a vertical one.
"Your Excellency Qinglong..."
On the screen, Anatoly first greeted solemnly, wearing a bright red suit. The background seemed to be in a cabin, with a silver bulkhead behind him.
There was admiration in his voice: "I didn't expect that you would take action yourself and even find out the truth before us."
"And we haven't achieved anything in such a long time. I'm really ashamed and have failed your trust."
Li Ming didn't react much, just perfunctorily replied: "I also learned the truth by chance."
"By chance?" Anatoly asked tentatively, his eyes twinkling. "Can you tell me some details?"
Li Ming just looked at him expressionlessly, "You don't trust me, so you contacted me just to question me?"
"No, that's absolutely not the case." Anatoly looked terrified and hurriedly explained, "I'm just surprised. After all, such a powerful Titan branch is extremely rare."
"I'm contacting you not to question you, but to remind you."
"Remind me?" Li Ming remained silent. Anatoly lowered his voice deliberately to create a mysterious atmosphere and said, "I suspect that Gustav may have been involved in this matter."
"Oh?" Li Ming couldn't help but feel surprised. Could this old guy predict the future? He could even guess Gustav?
"Why?" he inquired.
Seeing Qinglong finally showing interest, Anatoly explained in detail, "During the last joint meeting, Gustav said he was at the Evil Ancestor base and believed that the Evil Ancestor had been attacked."
"It's been a month and a half since then, and the seven X-level life forms, including the Evil Ancestor, have disappeared. The interval between attacks cannot exceed half a month."
"And right after Gustav witnessed it, there were no more attacks. I always feel like there's something strange about this. Maybe it's not a coincidence."
Tsk...Anatole is such a cunning guy.
Li Ming stared at the virtual screen. He had obviously noticed this a long time ago, but he didn't say anything. It was unknown what he was thinking.
Anatoly, feeling a little uneasy under Qinglong's gaze, explained, "Originally, I was just suspicious, so I didn't tell you right away. About half a month ago, I secretly contacted Gustav to test him..."
"His attitude was very strange. He didn't look worried or frightened. It didn't look like he had just witnessed the disappearance of the evil ancestor."
At this point, he asked cautiously, "Did Gustav contact you? Could this conclusion come from Gustav?"
As soon as Qinglong announced the attacker, he contacted him in order to determine whether this incident was related to Gustav.
Qinglong found out the truth so quickly that it would take him a long time to reach the Sea of Stars.
It would take even longer to investigate the attack scenes one by one, but Qinglong's efficiency was terrifyingly high.
Maybe someone has done this for him. He is adopting a conservative strategy, so the only possible person is this guy Gustav.
Gustav is just like him. Although he seems arrogant, he is actually very cunning. He can negotiate anything and will easily compromise as long as the price is high enough.
The reason why he never compromised with Qinglong was because he had no cards to play.
He really didn't want to see Gustav and Qinglong reach some kind of agreement and then return to Interstellar Vision.
He had backstabbed that guy in the first place, and Gustav would not easily forget it.
"Gustav did contact me." Li Ming said lightly. He paused here and glanced slightly.
There was another communication request from Anduin.
Let’s get together, Li Ming muttered and refused for the time being.
Seeing Qinglong remained silent, Anatoly's heart skipped a beat, thinking that the two had reached an agreement.
But then Qinglong continued, "However, the conclusion did not come from him. This information is absolutely reliable and has been verified."
What does that mean? Anatoly was a little confused. It was hard for him to determine whether Gustav and Qinglong had reached an agreement through these words.
It was not easy to ask further, so Anatoly could only play the edge ball and pretended to be relieved and said:
"I'm glad the news didn't come from him. Gustav is a man of few moral principles and extremely cunning. You must be careful when dealing with him."
"Him?" Li Ming couldn't help feeling funny when thinking about Gustav who had turned into ashes, and a strange smile appeared on his face.
Anatoly saw a look of indifference and contempt. He couldn't help but remind him, "Don't underestimate him. I've dealt with Gustav a lot."
"Although on the surface, he has always been honest within the organization, he has actually been in contact with certain people. Due to his strength, not many people dare to challenge him in secret."
"Once he finds an opportunity, he will definitely strike back fiercely. Although he has now disappeared from the interstellar space and appears to be in a state of disgrace, in a sense he is also hiding in the dark."
Anatoly has always been wary of Gustav. After backstabbing him, he tried to avoid confrontation with him at joint meetings, fearing that he would attack him secretly.
But he has been secretly looking for the other party's traces, trying to eliminate this hidden danger.
However, given the vastness of the interstellar space, Gustav deliberately hid himself, making it almost impossible to find.
"I see." Li Ming nodded, his reaction still calm. "Thank you for the reminder."
Anatoly pursed his lips and wanted to say something else.
But he also understood the principle that too much is as bad as too little. If he continued, it would seem that he looked down on Qinglong.
Finally, he could only nod and say, "I'm glad you know. We'll conclude the investigation and return home."
After ending the communication, Li Ming's eyes flickered. This sudden investigation result really shocked many people.
He found Anduin's contact information and called back. The call was connected quickly. The background of his call was different from Anduin's. Instead, it seemed like he was in a starry sky.
"Your Excellency Qinglong..." Anduin looked a little alert, and was looking around vaguely.
"Where are you?" Li Ming noticed something was wrong and asked.
"Moselini Starshatter Belt..." Anduin spit out a location.
"Not with Anatoly?" Li Ming couldn't help but wonder.
"That guy..." Anduin's face darkened as he angrily said, "He's such a coward. With his efficiency, it would be impossible to find the murderer even if he were to investigate for ten thousand years. I parted ways with him a month ago."
"Based on the trajectory of the attack, I estimate that we are near a Class X lifeform base. Let's see if any rabbits run into us."
"You are so brave that the evil ancestor has disappeared." Li Ming was a little surprised.
"With X-level life forms being attacked repeatedly, the situation will be unfavorable if the truth isn't uncovered soon. I'm confident I won't risk my true self," Anduin said helplessly. He then added, "Since Your Excellency has already found the murderer, I won't take any risks."
At this point, Anduin's expression became quite serious. "However, I discovered something strange during the process. Gustav is indeed investigating this matter and has contacted many X-level life forms."
"But after the incident with the Evil Ancestor, he no longer had any contact with any X-level life forms."
"If the secret attackers are from the Titan branch, he might cooperate with them. I even think he might come to attack you."
Anduin was quite worried. "Have you seen the attacker? Are they the Titan offshoots you killed earlier?"
"Not really. This is a brand new group. But don't worry, I will handle this matter personally." Li Ming shook his head and spoke vaguely, "As for Gustav, they are not a threat."
Anduin was relieved to see that Qinglong was clear in his mind, but after hearing the last sentence, he also thought that Qinglong did not take Gustav seriously, so he couldn't help but remind him:
"Gustav's evolutionary level is not low and should not be underestimated. Even if he is in the dark, we must be on guard against him."
"Yeah." Li Ming nodded. He didn't expect that the matter was declared over, but instead everyone reminded him to be careful.
However, he also understood that these things were essentially speculations by Anduin, Anatoly and others, without any substantial evidence.
It is because the matter seems to have been settled and there will be no chance to talk about these clues if they are not brought up now, so they are brought up.
After chatting with Anduin for a few words, he couldn't help but say, "Sir, don't trust Anatoly too much. He's very cunning."
I don’t know what kind of conflict the two of them had that made Anduin so angry.
Li Ming didn't care about ending the communication. He certainly didn't trust Anatoly.
However, the other party's survival brings him greater benefits. As long as force can intimidate such people, they will always crawl at his feet.
In fact, his trust in Anduin was also conservative, but much higher than Anatoly's.
Hmm… We need to find someone to replace Gustav as the vice-chairman.
Shaking his head, Li Ming turned over and lay on the bed. While he was talking to the two people, many X-level life forms responded to the message he sent. He picked out a few enthusiastic ones and replied.
Two or three days later, the star gate passage here returned to normal. Li Ming boarded the spacecraft immediately, completed the formalities, and entered the star gate.
It takes about one and a half months to return to the Mechanical Royal Court from here, which is not a short time.
And just half a month later, news came from the Star Alliance--
"The Star Alliance Council announces that Chairman Gutierrez has resigned due to health reasons. He will be replaced temporarily by Vice Chairman Antigo. A new Star Alliance Chairman will be chosen by a vote within sixty days."
A single stone caused a thousand ripples. This was the resignation of the top leader of the Star Alliance, and it was not a normal change of leadership. It immediately sparked heated discussions on the interstellar network.
Many interstellar commentators jumped out, taking stock and sorting out various information.
"…The President of the Covenant is elected by representative voting, with the representatives of the civilization on the Covenant Council voting on behalf of all citizens of that civilization."
"...can serve three consecutive terms, each lasting 1,000 years. This is Gutierrez's second term, making him the sixth president in Star Alliance history to not complete three terms..."
"...The first five have almost all caused significant damage to the Covenant, either leading to a significant economic recession or causing heavy casualties. The same is true for Gutierrez."
"...the Chaos Star Gap siege resulted in the capture of a large number of Covenant Evolved Beings and the loss of the crucial weapon, the Kashmir Spear. At the time, there were rumors that he would resign, but unexpectedly, the chairman was so skilled that he managed to hold on."
"The much-publicized Holy Castle incident later revealed that the Covenant had invested enormous resources in it, yet gained nothing. Furthermore, an X-class lifeform was captured..."
"I didn't expect that I would last until now before resigning."
Everyone is speculating about the reasons for Gutierrez's resignation. Some key events have already happened, but Gutierrez has always remained standing.
It's really strange that he suddenly resigned after all the recent troubles.
"...The transfer of the Overlord's flesh and blood should have been completed, and Gutierrez's last remaining value has been squeezed out..."
In the spaceship, Li Ming was reading the news and couldn't help but sigh. Gutierrez's methods were not bad. He must have disgusted Adam and Malcolm.
At a press conference for media reporters, Gutierrez made his last appearance. He seemed to be in good condition, with a mixture of nostalgia and regret.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that he felt relieved.
Gutierrez even jokingly responded to the reporter's questions, "...maybe I'll publish a few books, telling the inside story of the Star Alliance, to earn some money for my retirement..."
This immediately caused a burst of laughter, and then another reporter asked, "Does your Excellency have anything to say to your successor or the Star Alliance?"
Gutierrez paused, then faced the camera and said in a serious tone, "If you find a threat, you must eliminate it as soon as possible, at all costs."
The aura of years of high positions and the oppressive feeling of an X-level life form, mixed with the vague murderous aura, made the entire media scene silent.
But soon, he grinned and said, "Of course, if you can't kill him, then we'll build a good relationship with him as soon as possible."
These remarks naturally sparked a lot of discussion among people, who believed that Gutierrez had a hidden agenda.
"It's really interesting. These senior leaders are in two completely different states after leaving office than when they were still in office." Li Ming found it interesting. He closed the relevant news and opened several other dialog boxes to take a look at them one by one.
Gutierrez's resignation has sparked heated discussion among the general public.
Among the interstellar high-level officials, another piece of news attracted more attention.
The Titan branch suddenly appeared and indiscriminately attacked X-level life forms.
This news came from the United Organization of Higher Life Forms. The person who confirmed this news was Chairman Qinglong. Thanks to the endorsement of this super boss, almost no one doubted it, and everyone was in danger.
Almost all X-level life forms left their nests, and they dared not tell even their confidants their whereabouts, which triggered a series of events.
The impact was so great that even Li Ming himself was a little surprised.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
