Chapter 63

On the day Ji Fu advanced to S level, she returned directly to the exam site.

There was no time to build a new mecha, and the only star-level mecha she had, Jiaoyue, was left on the asteroid. The only mecha she had with her was the S+ drone mecha, Canglan.

Unlike the black mecha from three years ago, this drone mecha had a cockpit and featured an [Extreme Combat Mode] that only high-level mecha soldiers could activate.

After the system finished loading, Ji Fu looked up and saw the extreme, berserk combat interface of Canglan.

The mecha’s alert sound chimed:

[Landing in three minutes]

Ji Fu paused briefly and withdrew her gaze.

Her hands were cuffed to the table, limiting her movements.

The interrogation room was quiet. Apart from Cheng Hao, who had come to retrieve her optical brain earlier, no one else was paying attention to her. Bored, she doodled circles on the interrogation table when she heard a simultaneous alert in her ear:

[System has been infiltrated]

“Wuhu,” exclaimed Qin Chu Yue, who had already infiltrated the target location ahead of time, raising an eyebrow. “The intelligence of your new optical brain is impressive.”

She looked up at the connected optical brain interface in front of her, which had completed the final step of infiltration.

From this vantage point, she could also see the nearby mecha patrol squad.

There were quite a few people, most of them piloting mechas ranging from B to A rank. There were also several star-level mecha soldiers leading the teams, all armed to the teeth and on high alert.

These mecha soldiers were escorting many individuals out.

They were all natives of this remote planet.

Qin Chu Yue’s gaze darkened.

Her eyes swept over the numb expressions of the ordinary people, finally landing on the distant interstellar warship.

Her position was hidden, and not far away, so she could see the people on the spaceship at a glance.

The other person was wearing an expensive suit and sitting by the window of the warship, sipping tea with a gloomy and indifferent expression.

Since the interstellar warship entered this remote planet, this person had never disembarked from the ship, only overlooking the detained ordinary people from a high vantage point.

Qin Chu Yue lightly tapped her goggles, and the identity of the other party appeared on the optical brain panel.

[Wu Qingyi, star-level]

Wu Qingyi was Wu Yang’s cousin, and the P-1822 star system where Qin Chu Yue was currently located also belonged to the Wu family.

After Ji Fu killed Wu Yang in the Hanhai Academy, she obtained a large amount of internal information from Wu Yang’s optical brain.

Qin Chu Yue had used that information to create a fake identity card yesterday and infiltrated this remote star system ahead of time.

She used the identity of a member of the Wu family, one of the main personnel.

So she sat there openly, observing everyone without arousing suspicion.

The hatch of the interstellar warship was already open, and the captain of the patrol warship was entering verification information.

On Qin Chu Yue’s optical brain, all the information entered by the other party appeared simultaneously.

Among those who also saw the information was Ji Fu.

Ji Fu sat upright under the cold light, expressionless, lightly tapping the table that had roasted her hands.

There were no operational keys on the tabletop of this interrogation table, only the crisp sound made by her tapping the table.

Clack—

Inside the small starship, Ulan, upon hearing the faint sound, ignited the mecha engine and flew out of the starship with a roar.

The burst of the mecha’s engine echoed, causing everyone stationed at P-1822 to abruptly turn around.

The star-level mecha soldiers below immediately detected the anomaly.

The alarm sounded, and everyone present entered a first-level alert state.

[Alarm! Alarm! Enemy attack!]

After Wu Yang’s sudden death in the Hanhai Academy, the entire Wu family was already on high alert.

Wu Qingyi, apart from Wu Yang, had the highest talent in the Wu family.

For his safety, the Wu family equipped him with an entire interstellar fleet.

The fleet, which included Wu Qingyi himself, comprised a total of five star-level mecha soldiers, making it the top combat force of the Wu family.

This level of meticulous protection could already prevent the vast majority of attacks and was the largest resource that middle-tier families like the Wu family could mobilize.

There weren’t many super-star-level mecha soldiers in the entire interstellar era, and most of them held important positions, making it impossible for them to specifically come to protect Wu Qingyi.

Even so, five star-level mecha soldiers were enough to handle the vast majority of situations.

It’s worth noting that in the Great Energy Stone System before, there were only four people from the Si and Han families who were used to alternate guarding the energy stone warehouse.

Wu Qingyi’s eyes deepened, and he directly logged into his mecha. He pressed the communication key and said coldly, “Don’t kill directly, leave some room to breathe.”

Since Wu Yang’s death was inexplicable, the culprit had not been found yet. He wanted to know who had been targeting their Wu family all along.

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked up and saw that dark-colored mecha, which had broken through the defenses of the star system, pierced through the dense attack lines of the interstellar warship, and smashed down directly above them.

In the interrogation room, Ji Fu’s expression was cold. She lightly raised her left hand and drew a faint mark on the table.

Ulan simultaneously raised his hand to the extreme. From high above, the mecha plunged directly into the sky, drawing a crimson quantum light wave.

Boom!

The moment the light wave was emitted, it made a heavy roar, distorting the entire space for a moment.

Bang—

A large number of mechas were shattered by the light wave, and together with the quantum light wave, they formed a large sea of fire.

The entire process took only half a second, and the interstellar fleet led by Wu Qingyi directly lost dozens of people.

The captain of the fleet’s expression changed drastically.

After this mecha appeared in their field of vision, the star-level mecha he was piloting directly made a judgment that the opponent’s mecha was only an S+ grade.

But just now, that strike almost had the momentum to tear apart space with a usual quantum light wave, which didn’t seem like it was just S+.

He immediately pressed the mecha’s communication key and shouted loudly, “This mecha doesn’t seem right. The person controlling the mecha may have a talent higher than S+. Everyone…”

Before he could finish his words, he looked up and saw the mecha crashing down. Without using any heavy weapons or activating the cannons, the person advanced barehanded, lifted the mechanical arm, and slammed it down.

With one blow, he shattered the defense system of the star-level mecha blocking his path.

The star-level mecha soldier, after being heavily hit, released all the cannons on his body, went berserk, and tried to counterattack, but was stopped by the person in front of him with force.

Crack, swish.

He forcibly broke the mecha on his body and pressed down the mechanical arm on his left shoulder, crushing him down like a Mount Tai.

The several star-level mecha soldiers behind him also moved to help, trying to rescue him from Ulan’s grip, but all the cannons they pulled out hadn’t even had a chance to fire at Ulan.

Suddenly, the S+ mecha pierced the engine of the opposing mecha with terrifying mechanical power.

Bang!!!

The star-class mecha was torn apart. Wei Lan forcefully ripped out the engine along with his own hand.

Crash!

The star-class mecha had its engine brutally ripped out, sparking violently with electricity.

“This guy is a maniac!” The battleship captain’s face changed. He had seen the entire process clearly. Despite being attacked by two other star-class mechas and surrounded by gunfire, Wei Lan still shredded the mecha in front of him.

While the captain was in shock, Wei Lan pulled out the heavy weapon from the defeated mecha.

It was a pitch-black long sword, the weapon that Ji Fu was most skilled with.

He wielded the long sword and, before the gunfire could hit, decapitated the mecha in front of him, using its massive body to shield himself from the heavy artillery.

As the mecha exploded in front of him, Wei Lan drove his mecha forward again, moving swiftly and ghost-like through the crowd.

In less than three minutes, he had destroyed three star-class mechas.

Only the captain of the interstellar battleship and Wu Qingyi remained.

The captain had been injured in the confrontation, with one of his mecha’s arms cut off by Wei Lan’s sword. He was now on the brink of collapse, sweating profusely from the pain.

He looked at the person in front of him with suspicion and uncertainty.

The cockpit of the opponent’s mecha was not transparent, so he didn’t know who the pilot was. But to kill so many star-class mechas in just a few minutes with such explosive power… it could only be a super-star-class pilot!

Even a super-star-class pilot would be constrained by the S+ mecha, though.

Yet, the person before him was terrifying beyond measure…

Wu Qingyi, abandoning his previous cold demeanor, repeatedly pressed the distress signal. The P-1822 star system was not far from the Shen family’s territory.

Their system was also connected to the Shen family, but despite sending out a signal for so long, there was no response from the Shen family.

Wu Qingyi didn’t know that Ji Fu had cut off the entire remote star system.

Moreover, after Wei Lan started the attack, Qin Chu Yue had hacked into the system, releasing all the ordinary people held captive by the Wu family fleet.

Now, only the Wu family members remained on the battlefield.

With no other option, he ordered the battleship captain to risk his life to restrain Wei Lan while he attacked from the side.

The people with Wu Qingyi were deeply tied to the Wu family, and the battleship captain had no choice.

Gritting his teeth, he charged at Wei Lan, trying to pin him down with his one good arm, using his legs and single arm to lock Wei Lan’s movements.

Just as he locked on, Wu Qingyi fired the star+ roaring cannon.

The cannon fired instantly, targeting Wei Lan’s head, causing a blinding white light under the high-intensity nuclear blast.

At the moment of impact, Wei Lan shook off the captain, shattering him into pieces.

He glanced at the numerous heavy artillery rounds falling towards him, his eyes momentarily pausing.

In the interrogation room, Ji Fu looked up and saw all of Wei Lan’s stats skyrocketing.

His explosive power hit its peak.

She paused, then looked up again, seeing Wei Lan throw out a mechanical hook with extreme speed, latching onto Wu Qingyi.

Using mechanical force, he dragged Wu Qingyi’s star-class mecha, which was much heavier than his own, right in front of him.

Using Wu Qingyi himself as a shield, he blocked the star+ roaring cannon Wu Qingyi had fired.

Boom.

Wu Qingyi was torn apart by the explosion, and Wei Lan stood amidst the roaring aftermath, breathing lightly. He pressed the bone pin near his ear and said softly, “I’m not hurt.”

From afar, Qin Chu Yue, hiding from the gunfire, was speechless.

Before the mission, Ji Fu had instructed them to be careful, ensuring Wei Lan would not get hurt again.

One moment he was a ruthless killing machine on the battlefield, the next he calmly stated he wasn’t hurt.

Alright, fine, he’s got two faces.

Qin Chu Yue complained in her mind but didn’t stop moving.

Amid the chaotic battlefield, she sneaked onto the Wu family’s interstellar battleship, fully infiltrating it with Ji Fu’s system and planting the prepared devices inside.

It wasn’t over yet.

The next part was the real gift for the Wu family.

After completing her tasks, she stood beside Wei Lan, joined by a mimicry robot approaching from another direction.

This was Qin Chu Yue’s specialty and Ji Fu’s most crucial ‘alibi’.

The mimicry robot, modified to resemble Ji Fu during the attack on the Li family, still had the same red hair.

After the P-1822 attack, Wei Lan piloted his mecha back to the small starship. The mimicry robot, after Wei Lan’s departure, picked up a large sniper rifle and blew up the remaining mecha wreckage.

Boom!

The small starship took off amidst the raging fire, synchronized with the interstellar battleship modified by Qin Chu Yue.

Loaded with top-tier ammunition, it sped towards the Wu family’s main star.

The hacked P-1822, like the Li family before, had all its surveillance covered and signals cut off.

Before the news of this attack could spread, the Wu family’s main star was already under bombardment.

The interstellar battleship, loaded with countless munitions and controlled by Ji Fu’s system, traveled unimpeded into the Wu family’s star system.

Ultimately, the starship exploded above the Wu family’s main residence.

The members of the Wu family, including the head of the household, initially thought it was Wu Qingyi returning.

The system was fully open, with no hindrance at all.

It was only when the starship hovered over the main residence that they sensed something was wrong. As soon as they scanned the starship and detected the powerful ammunition inside, the entire starship exploded.

Boom!!!

The explosion’s flames soared high, illuminating the entire space.

Such a large commotion caught the attention of nearby patrolling battleships.

The alarm rang throughout the Wu family’s area.

When the news reached the Imperial Star Alliance headquarters, the entire hall fell silent.

But before they could react, the long-quiet Slaughterhouse live broadcast forcefully reappeared.

The same mandatory notification from the Slaughterhouse was received by everyone in the joint exam rest area and the interrogation area, including Fang Yanli.

At that moment, Fang Yanli was still sitting outside the interrogation room. Upon hearing the notification, his face turned cold as he activated his optical brain.

The Slaughterhouse live broadcast page popped up.

After several months, the organization’s style remained unchanged, diving straight into the topic without any unnecessary chatter.

Today’s title was quite interesting—**”To the Great ‘Second-Class Citizens'”**.

Fang Yanli’s expression was icy as he instinctively glanced at the person sitting in the interrogation room.

From the time she was urgently detained until now, Ji Fu had been held for nearly eight hours.

Throughout these eight hours, she had been under constant surveillance.

Before Fang Yanli arrived, all of her belongings, including her optical brain, were thoroughly checked, and she herself was closely monitored.

After Fang Yanli took over, all items were directly handed to him.

From beginning to end, apart from appearing somewhat mentally fatigued, she hadn’t done anything unusual.

Now, the Slaughterhouse had resurfaced.

Under the dark red title, a plethora of evidence was displayed.

It was all about the Wu family.

At this point, many people finally realized that Wu Yang’s death was likely also at the hands of the Slaughterhouse.

But figuring this out now was clearly too late.

The evidence provided by the Slaughterhouse was shocking.

The Wu family was involved in resource businesses, which were already shady, entangled in resource plundering, illegal occupation, and bribery within the Alliance, affecting numerous ordinary people and families.

But these weren’t the main issues.

Wen Fang glanced up at Fang Yanli.

Recently, the Wu family had been experiencing a resource shortage, particularly of Qionghai Flower Stone, a relatively rare crystalline mineral.

…the same type that was mined on the Yun Chi family’s remote star years ago, which could only be extracted manually due to its parasitic properties.

Over the years, research on Qionghai Flower Stone had increased, and even ordinary people knew it had some radiation effects.

Its parasitic properties essentially meant it absorbed nutrients from humans.

The Wu family needed a large workforce for extensive mining, but fewer people were willing to do this dangerous job.

With the development of the mechanic industry, ordinary people who seriously studied it could make a living without sacrificing their health to mine Qionghai Flower Stone.

Facing the huge demand, the Wu family resorted to underhanded tactics.

First, they massively bought some remote star systems, such as the P-1822 system that had the recent incident.

They then claimed the residents of these systems had stolen resources from the Wu family, downgrading these ordinary citizens to second-class citizens.

These second-class citizens were then exiled to areas with Qionghai Flower Stone, forced to mine it day and night.

The exploited were mostly low-class individuals who couldn’t afford optical brains. As second-class citizens, they had no voice and were continually drained by the Qionghai Flower Stone.

In just a few months, dozens had died from severe radiation and nutrient depletion caused by the stone.

The data provided by the Slaughterhouse showed that the Wu family had recently acquired several more remote star systems.

**”Commissioned by the residents of the P-1822 system, the slaughter task has been completed.”**

**”Any interstellar era citizen can commission the Slaughterhouse, where no distinction is made between primary and secondary citizens.”**

—From the Slaughterhouse.

Qionghai Flower Stone, second-class citizens.

Wen Fang remained silent, his gaze darkened as he watched the light screen.

Fang Yanli, however, fell into a prolonged silence.

The Wu family’s actions were no different from the oppression faced by the Yun Chi family by the two major families years ago.

Looking through the one-way glass, his eyes fell on the person inside.

Ji Fu propped her chin up, leisurely watching.

He knew Ji Fu couldn’t see him, but she knew he was standing just outside the glass.

As their eyes met, Fang Yanli recalled what Ji Fu had said to him long ago.

She had asked him, after capturing Yun Chi, was there peace?

Fang Yanli’s eyes lowered, and his usually expressionless face grew rare and somber.

Even Cheng Hao, who had been guarding outside the interrogation room, felt particularly complex emotions.

The investigation report on Yun Chi’s identity had been reviewed by all of them.

Three years ago, they had exerted every effort to capture Yun Chi. Yet three years later, under the rule of the Alliance, such events were still occurring.

This incident felt like a heavy slap to the face for all of them.

It was even harder to accept than the escapes of Wei Lan, Qin Chuyue, and others.

Cheng Hao, who had followed Fang Yanli for many years, for the first time began to doubt himself.

He himself came from a humble background; it was only by luck and an exceptional talent that he had reached his current position.

But who was the justice he worked so hard to uphold for, and for what purpose?

He was lost in thought when his optical brain suddenly rang.

Cheng Hao answered the call, and after listening to the other side, his expression changed slightly.

Composing himself, he quickly entered the interrogation room and reported in a low voice, “Someone captured photos at the scene of the Slaughterhouse attack.”

He opened his optical brain and showed the photos to the two people beside him.

The images were taken from a distance by local residents and showed two women.

The taller one, dressed provocatively, was familiar. Cheng Hao recognized her at once as Qin Chuyue.

As for the shorter one…

“Although this person isn’t wearing the Han Hai school uniform today, it’s clear she is the other mastermind involved in the Li family attack.”

This incident had happened just an hour ago.

Throughout the entire time, Ji Fu had been sitting in the interrogation room in front of them.

Cheng Hao glanced at her and said in a deep voice, “Dean Yang of the Interstellar Academy has already lodged a protest with the Alliance, demanding the highest authority to release Ji Fu immediately.”

They hadn’t obtained any useful information from Ji Fu, and they hadn’t even started the review when the mastermind conveniently appeared today.

The timing was very delicate.

However, when the Slaughterhouse published the commission, they also released the details of that commission.

The commission was made in the early hours of yesterday, with the commissioner stating that they would be taken away by the Wu family today and requesting the Slaughterhouse’s immediate action.

In light of this timeline, it made sense.

However, Ji Fu’s alibi was too perfect. Whether Cheng Hao believed it or not was irrelevant; based on his understanding of Fang Yanli, Fang Yanli most likely wouldn’t believe it.

Ji Fu, sitting calmly inside, was also waiting.

Among the information revealed by the Slaughterhouse today, the most crucial piece was the data she had found on Wu Yang.

The Wu family’s urgent search for Qionghai Flower Stone was closely tied to the Shen family.

This was also a significant gift she was delivering to Shen Qinglan.

The elimination in the joint exam was nothing compared to this. This was her real answer to Shen Qinglan.

Destroying the Wu family would be like severing an arm for Shen Qinglan.

And this was just the beginning.

As for today’s review.

Wei Lan’s body hadn’t fully recovered, and she hadn’t found more clues about extracting talents. She didn’t intend to declare war directly.

Blindly venting anger was meaningless. If she were to make a move, it would be a decisive blow.

The bomb she placed on Jiaoyue was her trump card against Fang Yanli.

Whether to play this card depended on Fang Yanli’s actions. She knew Fang Yanli well enough to believe that without solid evidence, and with the Interstellar Academy backing her, he wouldn’t directly target her.

But if Fang Yanli decided to overturn the table, she had ways to escape from here.

She was no longer the low-class individual she had been three years ago.

Ji Fu’s hand, propping up her chin, tapped lightly and intermittently.

She was waiting for Fang Yanli’s response.

A few minutes later, the door to the interrogation room swung open.

Unexpectedly, it wasn’t Fang Yanli who entered.

It was Wen Fang, the representative from the Alliance.

Wen Fang looked at Ji Fu with a complex expression and said softly, “Miss Ji, the charges against you have been lifted.”

“You are free to leave now.”

At the same time, in the chat groups of the three major military academies, a message was spreading like wildfire:

“Ji Fu has been released without charge.”