Chapter 374 - 343: Entering the Landing Site

Chapter 374: Chapter 343: Entering the Landing Site

On the perimeter of the Landing Site, soldiers were collecting the bodies of the attackers.

Ever since information about the Alien Intelligence was leaked, there had been multiple attempts to make contact. Some had even resorted to suicide attacks, charging the defensive lines held by Sisiya’s soldiers.

The result, naturally, was their death.

Although Sisiya was not as powerful as North Star or the Soloma Empire, it was still a major world power. Its heavily fortified defensive lines were not something civilian factions could breach.

Without the backing of North Star and Soloma, it was impossible for civilian armed groups and mercenary bands to even break through the outer perimeter, to say nothing of the inner lines, which were guarded by even more elite troops.

"What a bunch of lunatics. Isn’t this just a death wish?"

"Who knows what they’re thinking."

"Maybe some of them are Parasites, trying to wreak havoc by asking questions."

"We don’t have to worry about that. Orders are to kill anyone who approaches without authorization."

The soldiers were chatting idly when a vehicle approached from the distance. It was an official Sisiya government car.

After it pulled up, the driver presented the soldiers with an authorization document. It came directly from Governor Yelena herself.

After cross-referencing and confirming the document’s authenticity, one of the soldiers glanced curiously into the passenger compartment. Inside sat a squad of soldiers, armed to the teeth.

"Reinforcements for the inner line?"

"Don’t ask questions you’re not supposed to."

"Yes, sir! Let them through!"

After passing the outermost defensive line, the vehicle crossed three more checkpoints before finally reaching the core zone of the Landing Site.

When the vehicle stopped, Sikokun, the commander in charge of the core zone, approached.

She glanced at the disembarking soldiers, had them fall into formation, and left just one of them standing apart.

"It’s you, then. Teacher Guan Tong." Sikokun’s gaze was complicated as she looked at the soldier.

The soldier pushed up his goggles, revealing a pair of deep, dark eyes.

"That’s right. We meet again, Ms. Sikokun."

"...I truly don’t understand how the Governor could have agreed to this."

Sikokun had previously received a secret communication from Yelena. She had been utterly incredulous upon learning that the Governor had agreed to let Guan Tong make contact with the Alien Intelligence.

She had confirmed it with Yelena several times, arguing that the risk was far too great.

If Guan Tong harbored ill intentions, it could lead to irreversible, horrifying consequences for Sisiya.

But faced with Yelena’s insistence, Sikokun would not, of course, disobey a direct order.

However, the matter was easier said than done.

Although the Alien Intelligence’s Landing Site was located in Sisiya, Sisiya itself didn’t have the final say on matters concerning its handling, scheduling, or questioning. Those decisions were made centrally by the Human Federation.

Sisiya only held defensive jurisdiction; they were not permitted to question the entity on their own.

So even if Yelena had promised Guan Tong an opportunity to ask a question, the actual implementation was a complicated affair.

Besides Sisiya’s own soldiers, "observers" from the various Human Federation member states were also present on-site. Their mission was ostensibly to observe the Alien Intelligence, but in reality, they were also there to monitor Sisiya’s troops.

If Sisiya were to act unilaterally, these observers would report it to the Human Federation, which would then launch an immediate investigation to hold them accountable.

To get Guan Tong into the Landing Site without arousing suspicion, he had to be disguised as a Sisiya soldier. This was the plan Yelena and Sikokun had decided upon.

That was right—the entire squad of soldiers was just a cover to get him in.

Guan Tong had now arrived at the Landing Site without attracting any attention, but seeing him did little to improve Sikokun’s mood.

"Whether you believe me or not, I have no intention of harming the people of Sisiya," Guan Tong said.

Sikokun stated bluntly, "But the very act of you asking a question is a potential threat."

"..."

"But this is the Governor’s decision, so I won’t obstruct you," Sikokun said. "Still, the questioning itself will require careful planning. For starters, how do you plan to avoid all the eyes watching this place?"

The soldiers here, the Human Federation observers... so many people were watching the Alien Intelligence’s every move. And that didn’t even count the satellites in orbit.

Even if Yelena had agreed to let him ask a question, she couldn’t possibly allow him to just stroll up and ask it out in the open.

The consequence of doing so would be immediate discovery and intervention by the Human Federation.

How to ask his question without anyone noticing—that was the problem Guan Tong had to solve.

"I’ll take care of it," Guan Tong said.

"And how do you plan to do that?"

’Naturally, by using the power of Shadow.’

’Besides, Guan Tong suspected Yelena might have already guessed his method.’

Intel on the Ascender known as "Shadow" was highly valued by all major organizations, and Sisiya was no exception.

’So, as Governor, could Yelena really be unaware of the intelligence file stating that ’Shadow can summon the Living Dead’?’

’That piece of intel had been discovered long ago, after the battle on Holy Grail Island during the first Ascender tournament. It even mentioned that the Living Dead appeared with the sound of a whistle.’

’So, the moment Guan Tong took out the Corpse Whistle in the museum and summoned the Living Dead, he had all but told Yelena that he was Shadow.’

’Yelena was a sharp woman. The moment Guan Tong revealed his identity, she must have sensed his sincerity.’

’That sincerity, in turn, gave his promise more weight.’

’A promise of protection from a mere academy teacher versus a promise from the world-renowned Ascender, Shadow... It was obvious which carried more weight.’

’Guan Tong believed that it was precisely because he had revealed his identity, giving his promise greater weight, that Yelena had ultimately weighed her options and decided to let him contact the Alien Intelligence.’

’Judging from Sikokun’s reaction, however, Yelena had clearly not shared the secret of his identity with her.’

’From Sikokun’s perspective, therefore, this ’indulgence’ toward a simple academy teacher like Guan Tong was not a decision a competent governor should make.’

"...Fine. Whatever your plan is, as the field commander here, I need to know it won’t endanger my soldiers’ safety."

"Agreed."

"Also, even if you can create an opportunity to ask your question, you’ll have to wait," Sikokun said. "The Human Federation has already decided on the next question, and it’s scheduled to be asked this afternoon."

"A new question... I see."

"Keep your goggles on properly. We can’t have anyone recognizing you, Teacher Guan Tong."

"I left the academy a long time ago. I’m not a teacher anymore. You can just call me by my name."

Sikokun nodded, her stern expression radiating the unquestionable authority of a commander. "Guan Tong, from now on, you stay by my side at all times. The Governor may trust you, but that doesn’t mean you can wander around the Landing Site as you please. That would only increase the risk."

Guan Tong pulled his goggles back down.

’Yelena and Sikokun didn’t want this getting out, and neither did he. So, he would follow Sikokun’s instructions on maintaining his disguise.’

’As for his companion, Shangyuan Zi, she would wait for him in Icefield Town. They would regroup after his part of the operation was complete.’

He then began to follow Sikokun on her rounds. The other soldiers didn’t know who this newcomer shadowing their commander was, but none dared to ask, for fear of incurring Sikokun’s displeasure.

’As Guan Tong followed her, he realized that while Sikokun said nothing, she was intentionally planning her route to give him a quick and clear understanding of the troop deployment in the Landing Site’s core zone.’

The entire personnel deployment at the Landing Site was arranged in concentric rings, with the Alien Intelligence at the very center.

The innermost ring was a large, vacant zone, devoid of any equipment or personnel. However, based on some marks left on the ground, Guan Tong guessed this area was specifically for placing the "food."

Beyond the "food zone" was a sector shared by the Human Federation observers and elite soldiers. Sikokun herself was stationed there, allowing her to both monitor the Alien Intelligence’s condition and mobilize troops at a moment’s notice.

Further out was the equipment zone, which housed devices like signal jammers.

Guan Tong looked further out. Several hundred meters away, a total of eight watchtowers were positioned in various directions. Each tower was manned by soldiers, whom he guessed were spotters and snipers.

He also spotted a few special teams, likely composed of Ascenders. They were responsible for defending against other Ascenders, setting up defensive barriers, and similar tasks.

With such a complex deployment, there was no fear of another Ascender using some sort of teleportation item to suddenly appear near the Alien Intelligence.

’After completing the circuit, Guan Tong was deeply impressed by the level of security at the Landing Site. He admitted to himself that if he had tried to infiltrate on his own, without Yelena’s approval, it would have been absolutely impossible to get in without alerting the guards.’

That afternoon, a convoy of transport trucks began to arrive. They were filled with the Parasites that had been prepared for the new question.

Some were "stock" from various nations, while others were fresh captures, immediately transported to Sisiya by the allied forces from Black Banner Country.

Seeing the Parasites gave Guan Tong an idea.

He told Sikokun his plan: he would sneak a single Living Dead in among the Parasites.

This way, when the question was posed and the Alien Intelligence began to feed, they could observe whether or not it consumed the Living Dead. If it did, the substitution would be a success, and Guan Tong wouldn’t need to ask his own question about the name.

If it didn’t, that meant failure. In that case, Guan Tong would leave immediately, no questions asked.

After considering his proposal, Sikokun agreed.

’Guan Tong knew she had no reason to refuse. This plan was far more reassuring to her than letting him find an opportunity to ask some unknown question.’

The transportation of the Parasites went on for several hours, a ceaseless parade of truck after truck.

’Guan Tong did a quick mental calculation. The total number of Parasites had already surpassed ten thousand. It made him wonder: what on earth was the Human Federation planning to ask?’

’It couldn’t be a simple question, not if they were preparing this much food.’

He also noticed that as more and more Parasites arrived, the graver Sikokun’s expression became.

She knew perfectly well: more food meant a more difficult question.

And a more difficult question meant greater danger for the soldiers on site.

Finally, as evening fell, the deliveries ceased. In total, more than thirty thousand slumbering Parasites were now concentrated at the Landing Site. They were arranged in a dense ring around the Alien Intelligence, waiting to become the price for humanity’s question.

No one would ever notice that among the more than thirty thousand Parasites, a single Living Dead, controlled by Guan Tong, had been mixed in. It now lay with its eyes closed, feigning slumber.