"Indeed, but what I'm most worried about right now isn't the person stirring up trouble from the shadows, but the safety of Ms. Herta's puppet and the staff members."
Asta could not hide the worry on her face.
"Ms. Herta trusts me so much, but I didn't do well enough during the last Legion incident."
"This time, even her puppet has been attacked, and I..."
"There's no need to blame yourself so much."
Qi Zhimu felt it was necessary to interrupt her and offer some comfort.
"Have you forgotten that after the Space Station's security barrier was upgraded, it can block any spatial transfer methods below Level 5?"
"As long as the mastermind tries to transfer the missing people out of the Space Station and touches the edge of the barrier, the Security Department will immediately receive a high-intensity alert."
"Currently, not only has there been no movement from the Security Department, but there isn't even a trace of the invading enemy, which means the culprit hasn't left and is still lurking inside the Space Station."
"The more you lose your composure, the easier it is to fall into the opponent's trap."
"Come with me to the Security Department first. Surveillance is unlikely to capture a culprit skilled in spatial methods; I have a theory, but not enough clues."
"...Okay."
The composure Qi Zhimu displayed, unflinching even if a mountain were to collapse before him, made Asta feel as if she had found a pillar of support.
It was shameful to admit, but as the station master, she was subconsciously relying on a staff member, even if... the former was Ms. Herta's lover.
To be favored by that genius, he could never be as simple as he appeared on the surface.
Perhaps he was not as good as her at managing trivial matters, but in dealing with crises and in terms of insight, he was clearly far superior to her.
The three arrived at the Security Department, but Arlan was not there; he was leading a team outside to strengthen patrols.
Qi Zhimu didn't bother with the surveillance for the moment; instead, he adapted to the situation and used the Security Department's dedicated network to investigate information about the missing staff members.
In addition to that, he checked for any testimonies provided by eyewitnesses near the time the staff members vanished.
"What are you looking for? And what were you referring to with the theory you mentioned earlier?" Stelle couldn't help but be curious.
Qi Zhimu rapidly filtered through the information, looking for parts that fit his theory, while casually analyzing the situation.
"The culprit is creating fear but has chosen not to kill them on the spot and leave behind corpses."
"The superficial method used to make people vanish is burning by fire. If one doesn't understand Spatial Studies, most would think that the fire is extremely domineering, burning people until not even ash remains."
"This suggests that the fire is most likely just a disguise; it actually has no direct lethality, or perhaps it does, but it cannot be used."
"In any case, the lethality isn't important for now; what matters is what the opponent wants to do."
"If it were me, creating disappearances, spreading news, and causing chaos—the core purpose would most likely be to use panic to trigger an internal collapse."
"Without an absolute advantage in brute force, attacking the mind is the best strategy. By keeping everyone in a state of anxiety, the defensive forces will naturally become weak due to the distraction of searching for the missing people."
"When the right moment comes, dismantling the entire Space Station will be as easy as flipping one's hand."
Stelle silently recalled her Trailblaze journey on Jarilo-VI.
Forget it.
There was no psychological warfare over there; it was all smiles on the surface and backstabbing behind the scenes.
Asta's expression became incredibly grave.
Qi Zhimu's deduction was not without merit.
No wonder the opponent wanted to target Ms. Herta's puppet.
There was no shortcut that could create more chaos or stir up more trouble for the management than the disappearance of a puppet representing Ms. Herta.
"But I have another question. If it was just to create chaos, moving against Herta's puppet would have been enough. Why go to the extra trouble of targeting ordinary staff members?" Stelle couldn't understand.
"That is the key I am looking for."
Qi Zhimu smiled meaningfully, his fingers dancing rapidly across the keyboard.
Before long, several files were displayed side-by-side, clearly containing detailed intelligence on the missing staff members.
Asta didn't quite understand, hesitated for a moment, and asked: "Are you trying to find the common denominator in why the culprit targeted them?"
"No."
"Huh?"
Not just Asta, but even Stelle tilted her head in confusion, wearing an expression that awaited an explanation.
However, Qi Zhimu did not explain; he simply copied the information separately and continued searching for something.
The two women had no choice but to study the detailed information of the missing staff members.
The more they looked, the deeper their brows furrowed.
They had assumed these people had something in common, but to their surprise, their identities were diverse, and their interpersonal relationships had no overlap.
Even when nitpicking and factoring in height, blood type, hobbies, and even things they had done recently, they still couldn't find a pattern.
"My head is so itchy; I feel like my brain is growing." Stelle grabbed her hair with both hands.
"Don't rush. If my prediction is correct, the culprit will appear in some form next to further amplify the panic."
Whether it was a coincidence or something else, just as Qi Zhimu finished speaking, Asta suddenly exclaimed.
"Look at the Herta Inspection Team group chat!"
[Cha-li-Cha-qi: Something big is coming!]
[Hui-ren-bu-juan: ???]
[Bill-Ge-Wa: Oh my god! / Ms. Herta Fan News Flash (Latest).mp4]
Stelle immediately clicked to watch.
· Announcer: Ms. Herta Fan News Flash — Breaking news! Breaking news!
· Announcer: There is finally a follow-up on the attack on Ms. Herta! The Annihilation Gang has claimed responsibility for the entire incident and will be taking further action. The Association expresses its strong conde...
Before the announcer could finish, the news flash was interrupted, and the image was replaced by another mysterious figure.
With ram horns on its head and burning with flames, it looked like a demon, causing people to gaze upon it with awe and fear.
A low voice sounded slowly.
???: The gods among the stars have departed and turned away; they have no heart to care for the insignificant masses.
???: Only the wounded Benefactor can command the worlds to be bathed in the flames of destruction.
???: There are always cowardly villains who attempt to refuse the grace and escape the gift of pain.
???: Run, run all you want—no matter where you flee, Annihilation will eventually arrive!
"This is..." Asta was shocked.
"Dammit! Ifrit?!" Qi Zhimu's face darkened immediately.
"Who is Ifrit?" Stelle asked, puzzled.
Qi Zhimu didn't stop his movements as he clarified for her.
"Ifrit, the master of the Ever-Flame Mansion, and the Ever-Flame Mansion belongs to the Annihilation Gang under the Destruction faction. Now it's old grudges and new."
"Annihilation Gang, Ever-Flame Mansion, Ifrit..." Stelle thought thoughtfully: "I seem to have seen them somewhere while surfing the net."
As for the old grudges and new that Qi Zhimu mentioned, she was aware of it and decided it was better not to provoke him.
Putting herself in his shoes, if she were to accept a commission and return home only to find it razed to the ground, she would also explode with rage.
"Nothing more needs to be said. Once I settle the trouble on the Space Station, I'm going to go slaughter Ifrit immediately!"
"Eh, he's already hijacked the news flash; hasn't he already arrived?"
"Already arrived?"
Qi Zhimu shook his head in disdain, his tone contemptuous.
"Based on what I know about the Annihilation Gang, this bunch, who mostly follow behind the Antimatter Legion eating their exhaust, are all people who bully the weak and fear the strong."
"I have never seen a single one with real backbone; they are almost all pieces of trash who piss their pants and beg for mercy before they die."
"They claim to be of the Destruction faction, but in reality, they are just licking Nanook's heels and indulging in fantasies."
"I despise that son of a bitch Dr. Primitive, but he had one sharp comment that was correct: The value Nanook sees in the so-called Annihilation Gang is perhaps far less than that of an infant who deliberately breaks a vase."
Actually, the opportunity for Black Swan to come to the Space Station can be connected. Think about who in Penacony first knew about the news of Duke Inferno's death?
Another PS: The editor gave me data I couldn't see myself. A few days ago, overnight, there were over 400 2-3 star ratings with no text comments, with reading times between 27-36 minutes.
No wonder the number of positive reviews in the comment section keeps rising, but the rating decreases instead of increasing.
I've racked my brain trying to figure out who wants to mess with me, but the method feels like a kid... Could it be someone I sarcastically insulted in the comment section?
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