The Minister of Propaganda was quickly taken away by the enforcement police of the Security Department. Everyone present knew he couldn't possibly reveal anything about the flow of illicit funds; this was merely a trap.
This confrontation also showed everyone in the interstellar council that the Supreme Magician isn't just about fighting and killing; he also understands human interactions and possesses a tough yet cunning political finesse, quickly dealing with any troublemaker.
Furthermore, he didn't rashly turn against the secretary-generals of the Three Great Empires but instead stopped at the right moment, showing great restraint. This was indeed his brilliance. Since the whole executive body is currently under the control of the Three Great Empires, completely falling out with them would mean no political order could be implemented. Instead, by subtly hurting them while smoothing things over on the surface, he made them owe him a favor—this was the best solution.
As the police took the Minister of Propaganda away, Strange felt a significant drop in tension around him while walking back to his office. The subtle scrutinizing glances had vanished, and he was in a very good mood.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Wisdom following him looked utterly distraught. He carefully reflected on why he lost this round, pinpointing Shiller's accounting skills and the hacker's powerful ability to alter data.
Even an old accountant can make the accounts flawless, but knowing precisely when to manipulate the figures is the final step for these old hands in their path to promotion. Fake accounting is risky, and knowing how to exploit that risk for maximum benefit is indeed a deep art.
This time, Shiller's game was out in the open; everyone knew he was cooking the books, including the Three Great Empires, who wanted nothing more than to catch him. In any other situation, they would pursue it relentlessly, but ironically, the Three Great Empires also wanted to clear the debts quickly. So, even if his accounting was utterly ridiculous, everyone could only hold their noses and accept it.
The Supreme Wisdom had reserved a trump card, intending to capture evidence of data tampering. But he failed, and it was purely due to being outmatched in skill. Although he had several suspects in mind, he couldn't be sure.
The first suspect was Stark. The Iron Demon God is a veteran galaxy celebrity, yet he hadn't shown any hacker skills. Then, there's Reed Richards, who, during their last war, opened the Antimatter Universe portal, summoning a swarm of bugs that consumed many resources without yielding results. However, he's an expert in mechanical engineering, not known for software achievements.
It could very well be Loki. Before, Loki used the Infinity Gem for countless rewinds, honing his hacking skills. He's been committing crimes across the cosmos, and as an Electronic Lifeform, the Supreme Wisdom is most familiar with his methods.
But according to what he knows, Loki isn't that formidable. In their encounters, Loki usually withdrew first. The God of Mischief isn't up to par with Electronic Life in digital domains, though he was always too quick to catch.
If none of these are the suspects, then who could it be?
The Supreme Wisdom suddenly recalled having noticed someone stirring trouble on the interstellar internet, spreading rumors detrimental to the Three Great Empires. So far, the behind-the-scenes manipulator hasn't been found. Could it be the same person?
It seems there's a hidden super hacker on Earth they don't know about. Moving forward, they must remain even more cautious; suffering this kind of loss once is enough.
Returning to the office, the Supreme Wisdom had already adjusted his threads. The only problem was that the cooling module of his body was genuinely malfunctioning, burning part of the hardware. He needed to replace it before the Supreme Magician noticed.
In the hallway, it wasn't too bad, but as soon as they entered the enclosed office space, Strange immediately sniffed the air, turned to the Supreme Wisdom, and said, "What happened? Why is there a burning smell?"
"Damn, his nose is sharp," the Supreme Wisdom cursed inwardly. Outwardly, he put on a smile, though it was more a grimace, and said, "My body has encountered some issues and might need replacement."
He initially expected Strange to mock or make things difficult for him, but Strange simply waved him off and said, "Go quickly. If you catch fire here, don't burn down my office."
The Supreme Wisdom suddenly felt that having sensory organs like humans was useful. If he had real eyes, he would have loved to roll them at Strange. As he turned to leave, Strange added, "And wear a suit, maintain a good appearance, don't embarrass our department."
The burnt smell from the Supreme Wisdom grew stronger.
Meanwhile, Strange was in a particularly good mood, casually walking over to a sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window. Shiller approached him from the opposite side. Strange leaned back with his hands behind his head, gazing at the bustling new district outside the window, then said, "You know, this feeling is pretty nice."
"What feeling?"
"Holding power, the world under my control."
"Aren't you supposed to emphasize focus at times like this?"
"When practicing Magic, of course, you need total focus. But when leading, you have to enjoy it occasionally."
"Do you think that's it?"
"What do you mean?"
Shiller smiled and said, "The Minister of Propaganda was just the bird that stuck its head out. We might have dealt with him swiftly to intimidate others, but it's not enough. To the Three Great Empires, a minor department head is dispensable. The executive bodies have long been hollowed out; the real harm is the entire executive institution."
Strange sat up, squinted his eyes, and said, "Is the next step to deal with them?"
"Not the next step, but this step."
Tap, tap, tap. The sound of leather heels echoed in the empty corridor. A purple-skinned humanoid creature in a suit walked ahead. He had four eyes, two backward antennae on his head, and his features looked a bit like Mantis from the Guardians of the Galaxy.
"This way, Mr. Shiller." He gestured deeper into the corridor. Shiller nodded at him, and the two walked to the end of the corridor. From the stairs here, it was all cells below.
This place was the holding room for serious offenders in the Security Department, typically used for detaining heavy interstellar criminals awaiting trial. There were quite a few fierce-looking big guys in the cells, but they were all behaving themselves now. Only the innermost cell had the sound of cursing coming from it.
Shiller walked over and saw the head of the Propaganda Department banging on the wall and cursing. Standing outside the railings, he cleared his throat, instantly silencing the man. The Propaganda Department head turned and glared at him fiercely.
"Don't look at me like that, Mr. Pino. You know why I'm here."
The other party continued to stare coldly without speaking. Shiller gave the adjacent Secretary of the Security Department a knowing look, who nodded and turned to leave. Shiller spoke from outside the railings: "The day the Supreme Magician became Councilman, you should have known that anyone could become a sacrifice in the struggle between the Human race and the Three Great Empires. You're the first, but won't be the last, and definitely not special. At any time, you are unimportant."
The other's expression showed a hint of panic. For politicians, calling them cunning is akin to praising them; calling them foolish is considered merely objective evaluation; but saying they are unimportant is truly insulting.
"When those from the Three Great Empires are sent to prison one by one, who will remember you? When the people of the Three Great Empires become too busy to save themselves, who can save you?"
"Mr. Pino, let's not beat around the bush. You can only rely on yourself now, and you do indeed have an important chip in your hand. Think carefully about how you can use it."
After speaking, Shiller took a newspaper from his pocket, tossed it through the railings, and said, "Think more about your Matriarchy."
After Shiller left, the head of the Propaganda Department clenched his fists, trembling with anger. But soon he seemed to suddenly lose all his strength, collapsing to the ground.
He was indeed from the Shi'ar Empire, but the Shi'ar Empire itself was a fusion of civilizations, all assimilated by the Twin Gods of Xiea, his Matriarchy being one of them.
However, this kind of assimilation is akin to brainwashing; some people easily fall into it, while others have some immunity. Unluckily for the Propaganda Department head Pino, he was one of those not deeply brainwashed. He did not have a strong notion of Empire, but valued his own tribe more. Clearly, his tribe was not faring well in the Shi'ar Empire, and he was the most accomplished among them.
If he were sentenced to prison, his tribe's status would be further lowered, and the nobles could do anything. And the Councilman's political advisor was right—it's unlikely the Three Great Empires, busy saving themselves, would rescue him.
So he bent down, picked up the newspaper from the ground, and saw the headline on the front page—"Interstellar Pirates Rampant Again, Residents Around Centaurus Beware!"
"Chip... chip..." he muttered softly, suddenly rushed to the railings like a madman, banging on them and shouting, "Come here, quick, someone come!"
Prison guards rushed over immediately, banging on the railings with sticks. The head of the Propaganda Department took a deep breath and said, "I want to confess."
"What do you want to confess?"
"The whereabouts of the illicit funds— I know where the 20 trillion went!"
Centaurus. In the Raider Base, Yondu placed both hands on the table, watching the scrolling headlines of the Interstellar News Network, shook his head, and said, "The big shots of the Interstellar Council are up to their tricks again. Environmentalism? My foot on that!"
Beside him, Star Lord rolled his eyes, stood up from his chair, and said, "You say you watch the Interstellar News Network to keep up with the latest moves of the Interstellar Council and respond accordingly, yet you've cursed this latest move entirely."
"Haven't I figured it out already?" Yondu spread his hands and said, "Playing at this is purely brainless. Talking environmentalism with the Three Great Empires? Maybe in another life!"
Star Lord sighed and said, "Let me warn you again, tone it down a bit these days; the Human race is reclaiming their spoils all over the cosmos. If you insist on competing with them, what good can come of it?"
"I'm not planning to compete with them." Yondu immediately became a bit evasive and said, "I'm just scavenging some scraps near Centaurus. Their tribe has developed to the interstellar era already; they wouldn't stoop to compete with me for small spaceship fragments, right?"
"Huh, you clearly misunderstand human greed. Don't be fooled by the current absence of the Supreme Magician. If you run into those superheroes or mutants, you'll still end up crying for your mama!"
"Alright, alright, you're so cautious." Yondu stepped out from behind the table, grumbling, "With so many of us Ravagers, so many mouths to feed, how can we earn a living! You keep us from going out, then tell us, how do I feed this big group!"