Chapter 867: Leads

Li Xiaofei did not offer much explanation. Soon, a mid-ranking officer responsible for the operation entered the meeting room to begin the briefing.

In order to target the two major leaders of Eden and a high-ranking figure from the Reaper faction, the military district had covertly mobilized numerous elite soldiers from across various divisions.

However, there were some questions in Li Xiaofei’s heart,

Why did the other party insist on meeting inside the Stargate Base?

Wouldn't it have made more sense to arrange a secret meeting on some desolate, uninhabited planet that no one cared about? Choosing to rendezvous in a place as dangerous as this... wasn’t that basically walking into a trap and just begging to be captured by the human race?

The meeting itself was not complicated. Each squad received its own mission. Naturally, the mission details were transmitted in secret, and only the team leader knew the full scope of the overall mission.

The thirty-seven rapid response teams were like thirty-seven precision components. Once installed and activated according to the confidential instructions, they would operate in sync to fulfill the overall objective.

Of course, Li Xiaofei suspected that the military's arrangements didn’t stop there. He wasn’t sure whether there were additional special forces units involved beyond the thirty-seven he had seen, but he was certain that true military powerhouses would also be participating behind the scenes.

After returning to the barracks, Li Xiaofei relayed the mission orders to his team. His second-in-command was Liu Fang. She was the former reservist team captain and a towering, bear-like woman.

Once everything was assigned, the entire team slipped into character immediately. Disguised in plainclothes and following their group’s internal tactics, they scattered like grains of sand blown into the desert, beginning their operation within the Stargate Base.

Li Xiaofei acted alone. The orbital Stargate Base surrounding Planet Nock was called the Steel Dome. The Steel Dome Base was a massive metallic ring orbiting a Subspace teleportation anchor point. The centrifugal force generated by its rotation was converted into gravity, turning the inner surface of the ring into an inhabited urban area.

Li Xiaofei walked along the street. Though he was unfamiliar with the area, it didn’t matter. There were electronic signposts everywhere, and the full-time orbital elevators could take anyone to their destination with ease.

It was a world of contradictions. Some people wore long traditional robes, while others were dressed in sharp business suits. The buildings flanking the streets ranged from classical pavilions steeped in ancient charm to towering skyscrapers made of glass and steel. It all looked chaotic and absurd, yet somehow, it blended together with a rare harmony. Even seeing someone dressed in a swordsman's tight battle gear, carrying a coded suitcase and wearing sunglasses didn’t seem out of place.

Half an hour later, Li Xiaofei arrived at a bar named Spring Liquid. After buying a ticket, he stepped inside. He passed through a scouting formation at the entrance, walked down a corridor about three meters long, and was immediately greeted by a wave of noise and sound.

This was one of the entertainment venues officially sanctioned by the military. In a high-pressure location like the Stargate Base, where war could break out at any moment, entertainment was a necessity. It helped warriors relax their taut nerves.

With flashing neon lights, blaring electronic music, scantily clad women in cosplay outfits weaving through the crowd, flushed faces, writhing bodies, and the stench of alcohol mingled with smoke in the air, it didn’t seem much different from the bars back on Earth.

Li Xiaofei pushed through the crowd and made his way to the VIP section in the back. The VIP area was divided into booths and private rooms. He stopped outside Room 08 and knocked gently on the door. It opened and he stepped inside. There was only one person inside.

“M-My lord...” The moment the person saw Li Xiaofei, he immediately stood and bowed with deep respect. His expression was laced with fear.

Li Xiaofei walked over and took a seat on the sofa.

“The information,” he said.

Casually, he uncorked a bottle of liquor and poured himself a drink.

The person remained hunched over as he spoke, “My lord, I found out that the person who was transferred from Chongque City back then was relocated by the Holy... by the organization to Stargate Base. According to the plan, they are to be smuggled through a secret route into the fallen zone.”

The man was none other than Yue Zhuoran. After the events on Chu Planet, he had been retrieved by the Yue Family. Once his injuries had healed, he had resumed his activities.

He had rejoined Eden, and after undergoing a series of rigorous interrogations, he gradually regained their trust. This time, he was once again involved as a participant in Eden’s major operation.

Of course, he was already Li Xiaofei’s covert informant. A version of the Life and Death Talisman inscribed with Immortal Force had completely bound him under Li Xiaofei’s control.

Li Xiaofei took a sip of his drink. It burned sharp and fiery. Humanity’s desire for alcohol seemed to be an eternal, unchanging melody. Even martial arts experts were fond of drinking.

Mortals drank mortal wine, while immortals drank immortal brew. The liquor served in this bar was clearly distilled from high-grade cosmic materials. Even someone like Li Xiaofei could feel a trace of intoxicated satisfaction.

“Detailed information,” he said slowly. “You know exactly who I’m looking for.”

Yue Zhuoran quickly responded, “I’ve done everything I can to investigate. I found the name Sikong Xue on the personnel transfer list. But I haven’t been able to determine where she’s being held. From what I’ve learned, the individuals involved in this transfer are of exceptional importance. The security around them is extremely tight.”

Joy flickered in Li Xiaofei’s heart. After all this time, he had finally received a solid lead.

Then, a thought struck him,

could this military operation be targeting the transfer of these individuals?

If the transferred personnel were truly that valuable, it would explain why Eden’s top two leaders in the Xiao Kuang Star Region would personally appear, and why a major figure from the Reaper faction would risk everything to come and facilitate the exchange. But that raised another question. Just how important were these people being transferred?

Li Xiaofei asked a few more questions. According to Yue Zhuoran, Eden had long been secretly selecting individuals from among the human race in the universe. They were searching for people with particular traits, so that they could send them covertly to the Reaper faction.

These individuals were used either as raw material for evolution experiments or research. Some were consumed. Others were transformed. Over countless years, due to the fierce and effective resistance of the human race in the universe, the Reapers had never been able to secure a total victory. As a result, even in the star regions occupied by the Reapers, known to humanity as the Fallen Zones, there still existed a large number of human inhabitants.

These people were ruled, confined, and studied by the Reapers. It was said that the higher-order intelligent Reapers were deeply fascinated by humanity. They wanted to understand how such an insignificant, ant-like species could grow so powerful. They wanted to know how it could produce so many formidable individuals that even they, the most relentless harvesters across the cosmos, were forced to halt their advance.

"Keep digging for information," Li Xiaofei said with a wave of his hand. "I need the exact location where the detainees are being held. Once you find it, send me a message immediately. You don’t need to do anything else."

Yue Zhuoran nodded quickly and agreed without hesitation. It was only after stepping out of the private room that he let out a long sigh of relief. But he did not leave immediately.

Instead, he turned and entered another private room just a short distance away. A while later, his previously arranged group of friends arrived, and they began spending lavishly. Over a dozen beautiful women, some in traditional attire, others in bikinis, were called in to join the party.

Li Xiaofei, meanwhile, remained alone in Room 08 for another half an hour. Then he stood up and quietly left. One hour later, the military's Rattle the Grass to Startle the Snake special operation officially commenced.