"Don't let this Duke Inferno's current antics fool you. He hasn't actually come to the Space Station. If he had, he could have just shown himself. Why bother hijacking the news feed?"
"When I find him, I hope he has a bit of backbone and lives up to that speech he just gave."
By the end, Qi Zhimu made no effort to conceal his icy killing intent.
Stelle began to mourn for Duke Inferno. Of all people to provoke, he had to provoke a Galaxy Ranger.
Although she didn't know much about Galaxy Rangers, Welt had once said that the creed of The Hunt Path included vengeance.
Not to mention that Qi Zhimu was Herta's lover; he wasn't someone to be trifled with on his own. Once he set his sights on you, life was bound to get difficult.
"Hmm... new question: if Duke Inferno didn't come in person, then how did he attack the staff members?" Stelle asked.
Qi Zhimu: "I've only heard of him; I don't know much about his abilities."
"However, him jumping out like this just confirms my earlier guess. By now, this short video must be spreading like wildfire throughout the Herta Space Station."
"...Yes," Asta replied with a bitter smile.
"Although I used special methods to block the video's transmission, I still can't stop it from spreading privately. I've only managed to slow it down slightly."
Hearing this, Qi Zhimu's pupils shifted slightly.
Asta didn't seem to realize what this meant yet. As expected, she was still a naive young lady at heart—good management skills, but lacking in experience.
"Found it." Qi Zhimu tapped the enter key, enlarging several summarized documents.
"Take a look at these group and private chat logs. You should be able to understand why attacking the Herta Puppet wasn't enough for Duke Inferno, and why he had to target the staff members as well."
The two leaned in to read carefully and noticed the commonality within seconds.
It was impossible not to notice; the materials Qi Zhimu found weren't just chat logs—they were extremist comments directed at the Space Station's management.
And the people making these extremist comments had quite a few supporters.
"Just watch the group chat for the next step. Five minutes, tops." Once they had finished reading, Qi Zhimu added, crossing his arms.
Following Qi Zhimu's lead, the two temporarily forgot to think about the underlying reasons and stared intently at the group chat.
Less than three minutes later, a file was uploaded, and within seconds, both of their expressions changed.
[ZhaLiZhaQi: /Missing staff members are all opinion leaders of the Space Station dark web.xlsx]
[Unlicensed Spaceship Pilot: ?!]
[Tireless Destroyer: What is this thing?]
[Bill Geva: Missing staff members are all opinion leaders of the Space Station dark web... Good grief, the Security Department doesn't even know about this, yet you're well-informed, kid.]
[ZhaLiZhaQi: Ahem, I just forwarded this from next door. Apparently, the account was deleted and ran off as soon as it was posted.]
[Tireless Destroyer: Feels a bit forced, but if this is true...]
[Unlicensed Spaceship Pilot: I smell a conspiracy.]
[ZhaLiZhaQi: Conspiracy my foot. This is definitely a show of missing staff members directed by Asta herself, just to eliminate dissenters.]
[Unlicensed Spaceship Pilot: The management must step down!]
[Tireless Destroyer: But if that's really the case, isn't this group dangerous?]
[Face-Tanking Ultimate: ...]
Stelle typed a string of ellipses and sent it, then turned her head to look at Asta, seeing exactly the pale face she had expected.
Qi Zhimu's guesses had all been proven correct.
To dismantle the Herta Space Station, what could be more destructive than a chaotic impeachment of the management by the staff members?
Especially with Herta away; as panic spread, the chaos would only grow.
Just as Stelle was wondering what to do, a sudden change occurred!
Without warning, Asta was enveloped in eerie blue flames.
"Fi-fi-fi-fire..."
In the next instant, she vanished from before their eyes.
"Asta!"
Stelle instinctively tried to grab her, but grasped only empty air.
"Zhi... huh?"
She turned to Qi Zhimu to ask for the next move, but found nothing there.
Even he was gone...
This is bad.
She had absolutely no idea what to do next.
She took out her phone, preparing to try and contact them, when a figure suddenly appeared beside her, scaring her into instinctively brandishing a baseball bat.
Upon realizing it was Qi Zhimu, her tense expression collapsed.
"You scared the life out of me! How are you like... like a..."
"Like a ghost?"
"...Ahem, generally speaking, yes."
"Let's go. Come with me to extinguish the little flame that has infiltrated the Space Station," Qi Zhimu said with a faint smile.
"Hehehe, a little flame? Even a genius wouldn't be this arrogant. You certainly talk big, but no matter. Your arrogance makes me feel quite compatible with you. If you can do it, try it."
A slightly familiar voice echoed around them—who else could it be but Duke Inferno?
Stelle became vigilant once more.
Qi Zhimu, however, was not surprised at all.
"Mixing a wisp of your own infernal fire into the Space Station while not daring to come in person—aren't you ashamed to say such things?"
This time, there was no response.
"Did you find the opponent's location?" Stelle asked.
"Mm."
Qi Zhimu grabbed Stelle's arm. Her vision blurred, and a heavy sense of weightlessness washed over her.
Before she could speak, she found herself standing in the Seclusion Zone.
"You can teleport?"
"No, I just compressed the time it takes to get from the Security Department to the Seclusion Zone to under two seconds."
"???"
Stelle: Help, my head is itching. I don't understand any of this.
"The Space Station's protective barrier is at its strongest state; that little flame can't escape. I just went to Herta's office, activated the folded space here, and modified certain parameters."
There was no sign of urgency on Qi Zhimu's face as he calmly said:
"The opponent is trapped in the nearby space and can only delay the time it takes for us to find him."
"Then what about Asta, and the vanished puppet and staff members?" Stelle asked.
"If everything goes as expected, they are within that special space of the infernal fire. Once the flame is extinguished, the people will naturally return. I didn't expect Duke Inferno to use spatial powers; that caught me by surprise."
Previously, he had thought it was a transfer.
Next, the game of catching a turtle in a jar began.
Just as Qi Zhimu had said, the infernal fire could not escape the Space Station and could only constantly shift within the specific space.
No matter how it tried to escape, its area of movement grew smaller and smaller, until it was finally cornered in the last space.
"Why not run anymore?"
Qi Zhimu flicked his fingers nonchalantly and mocked:
"Could it be because the surrounding space has been solidified, making it impossible to perform spatial transfers or travel? The farce is over, little flame."
The infernal fire grew a pair of human-like eyes, staring fixedly at Qi Zhimu.
"Ignorant fools blindly chase the light of the fire, unaware that the gift of destruction has already landed right at their feet."
"No wonder the Lord's legion arrived in person and still failed to purify this place. For now, I will admit my recklessness."
"But next time, I will visit in person and offer you a funeral for your sins with infernal fire. Prepare to wail..."
"Prepare to wail my foot. Still putting on an act in front of me, speaking gibberish."
Qi Zhimu grabbed his a type of chinese lute and smashed the infernal fire, the power of The Hunt quietly seeping in, silently attaching itself to the flame particles.
"Listen, I will kill you within three days. Wash your neck clean, Ifrit."
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