Chapter 294
"Of course, I'm not necessarily..."
"Yes." Samuel was close to Halton, so he moved closer and shared his Optical Brain screen directly in front of Halton.
By the time Halton realized what was happening, he had already read all the words in front of him. He changed the subject he was about to say, deliberately saying, "Holy crap, this is going to mess up Patrick's plans!"
These four people trusted him so much, he had to let them recoup some of their losses and be wary of Patrick, lest they actually get scammed and end up helping others count their money.
"Huh?" Samuel didn't understand but dared to ask anything, "What are his plans?"
Samuel's questioning was expected, Halton seized the opportunity to reveal. "Three days before I came to pick you up, I went to the Saint Parknia Planet to attend a private banquet. I overheard some rumors that Patrick had secretly contacted people from many planets, inviting them to secret meetings. They didn't say when the meetings would be held, but I suspect it's related to the recent large-scale kidnapping incident in the Ossotalia Empire."
Everyone believed it was Qin Su's doing, but when speaking to the outside world, everyone unconsciously agreed on the same story, tacitly pinning the matter on the Ossotalia Empire. Only in this way could they legitimately do what they wanted.
"By the way, those people's clothes and appearance made them look like they were from Duolatun Planet that's two or three days away from Saint Parknia Planet. But that's just my guess, since I haven't actually spoken to them. I don't know if they were wearing Duolatun Planet's clothes or if they really are from there. You can judge for yourselves. But I definitely didn't see them in the Doratan news a few days ago."
He Muzhi frowned and looked up. This was inconsistent with what Patrick had told the people in Class 6). Compared to Patrick, Halton was more trustworthy. At least in this matter, Halton would not lie to them, nor would he have any reason to do so. He was a politician who was frequently active in Doratan's news reports.
I received the message two or three days ago, and adding these three days, it's been about five or six days.
Given Patrick's style and out of caution, he would only begin to secretly form an alliance if he had a greater than 50% certainty of the situation, and such consideration would take time.
Patrick had been secretly planning a joint operation with other planets to annihilate the Ossotalia Empire even earlier than they had.
After the live broadcast incident today, Patrick had a 70-80% chance of guessing what Qin Su was planning, which is why he let them out and asked them to cooperate.
"Don't be too nervous," Halton reassured him. "Qin Su obviously knew what Patrick was doing all along. That's why he let you act ahead of time. Patrick would never have expected this."
The disappearances of people from different planets occurred at different times and were concealed to varying degrees, but not many were publicly exposed. Most of the missing people held important political, military, business, technological, and other positions on their respective planets, and would choose to conceal their identities for greater benefits. It is not surprising that Patrick was able to stay in that position for so many years, pretending to be a pushover, and having so many informants that he could know the secrets that other planets wanted to hide in advance.
"But it's not a big deal to receive the news in advance." Halton thought about how those people were dissing his remarks behind Patrick's back. "Many people gather for profit, and they can easily start a fight over the slightest 'unequal distribution of spoils.' Patrick has the ability to bring them together, but they may not be convinced, and they won't be as quick to act as your (Class 6."
During this time, he heard rumors of infighting in Class 6) several times, but as long as Qin Su was there, no matter how bad things got in Class 6), they would all work together as one because of Qin Su.
"..."
He Muzhi and the other three exchanged glances. They recalled how, half a month after their holiday internship, Qin Su had sent Class 6) to Clyus. They realized, belatedly, that Qin Su had anticipated Patrick's actions from that time onward and had taken action to ensure that everyone in Class 6) was prepared for the operation even faster than Patrick.
"That's right." Lin Yin agreed with Halton, a look of frustration on her face. "It's just that I always thought, based on President Patrick's public statements and what he said privately, that he was really just waiting for this year's election to step down. I never expected..."
Lin Yin didn't say what she meant next, but the other four people present understood what she meant.
Only then did they realize that the real Patrick was not willing to step down and was still secretly working hard to try to win re-election in the new presidential election in June.
Qin Su was the strongest being they had ever seen, and they naturally assumed that if Qin Su wanted something, nothing would not make way for him.
They regretted being deceived by the illusion Patrick created and learned a lesson.
More than anything, what struck me was Patrick's courage in facing Qin Su, who possessed absolute strength, by outwardly avoiding direct confrontation but inwardly lying in wait, seizing every opportunity to plot a comeback.
If we ask ourselves honestly, without considering the future or the longer term, but only looking at the present, the 999 people in Class 6 truly submitted to Qin Su. No matter what Qin Su ordered them to do, even if some of them disagreed, they dared not show it and strictly followed the rules. They would never have thoughts like Patrick 'Patrelek, and they did not have the courage to take advantage of Qin Su to achieve their own success.
"So many times as president." Seeing the four of them getting all worked up about it, Halton chuckled to lighten the mood, "It's normal to feel resentful, don't overthink it."
It's okay if they don't have Patrick's courage now; perhaps they're still young and haven't experienced much. When they reach Patrick's age, they might do things that will shock them just as much as they do now.
"His opponent was Qin Su, and he wasn't satisfied with that, so he even schemed against Qin Su. Although he lost, he really..." Lailisi muttered, "I really admire him."
Halton glanced at Samuel beside him, who was nodding vigorously, unlike the other three who had responded to Qin Su's command. He said helplessly, "I bet you'll be the last of the 999 students in Class 6 to reply to this order."
Samuel was incredibly fast and precise when it came to data that interested him, but he completely failed at everything else.
"!"
Samuel was startled, and only then did he reply with an exclamation mark followed by an "yes".
[He Muzhi: Received.]
He Muzhi listened to Halton's teasing of Samuel, looked down at the two words of reply on his still- on Optical Brain, and knew that 99% of the time he was no different from the other 998 people in Class 6 in Qin Su's eyes. Especially since Qin Su would not reply to such commands that only required them to run and did not require them to have their own thoughts, he still did not close the Optical Brain interface of the message page.
Lailisi sat a distance away from He Muzhi, watching He Muzhi with a lost Optical Brain, and asked with a hint of confusion, "Goodness, could it be that what you received is different from what we received?"
"No." He Muzhi reverie. "Just spacing out."
Although he had many things he wanted to ask Qin Su for confirmation, the thought of Qin Su's distant and indifferent attitude towards them over the past year kept his thoughts to himself, and he didn't have the courage to voice them.
"Did you get any information?" After receiving Qin Su's order, Lin Yin kept a close eye on the movements of the other (Class 6 students in the group, and like the other three, she inquired in their private social circles, which they had entered either voluntarily or involuntarily.
More than three minutes had passed since they received Qin Su's order, and not a single person in the 999 Group spoke.
Upon seeing the words "Kamila Planet," their first thought was of the transit point Qin Su had provided for them before infiltrating Clyus — Kamila Planet, a brand-new, unnamed Sky City that was the shared secret base of Class 6).
Since Qin Su had ordered them to secretly lead people to the area to set up camp, he naturally assumed that the other (Class 6 would also likely receive the same order. However, without substantial evidence, they dared not be certain and could only try to verify it indirectly.
Before Samuel could speak, Halton, who was staring at Samuel's Optical Brain chat page, answered for him, "Samu also said there aren't any here for the time being."
"Yes," Samuel agreed.
"I don't have any either," Lailisi shook her head.
"Me neither." He Muzhi first sent the list of trusted individuals that he had immediately compiled after receiving Qin Su's order to the four-person group chat, "Take a look and see if there's anything missing or problematic."
Seeing that the three people had received the sent document, He Muzhi continued the previous topic, "I think everyone's evasive answers only prove something is amiss. What do you think?"
"Sigh." Lailisi was busy checking if anyone had slipped through the net, and casually replied, "If you ask me, we don't really need to think so much. Qin Su has given a clear deadline, and we'll know when the time comes. Back then, we all entered Clyus and left our mark on Kamila Planet. The probability of us sticking together is extremely high. We were classmates, why waste brain cells guessing?"
He Muzhi and Lin Yin were both taken aback when they heard this. They looked at each other and realized that, since when, they had become increasingly suspicious, and even doubting the other students in Class 6 had become an instinctive habit.
Halton, seeing through Samuel's Optical Brain that he was also on the list prepared by He Muzhi, was delighted.
'That's great. Although he didn't receive a personal order from Qin Su like He Muzhi and the others, He Muzhi included him in the action team. So, rounding up, it's not like Qin Su was passively invited to join him.'
--
Setini Palace.
Once the time for their interaction was up, Qin Su notified the Modified Humans from different planetary bases to leave. Although things didn't go as planned at first, his deliberate efforts to extend their time together had, based on the conversations he overheard, yielded the results he desired.
That's right...
Through the Electronic Eye, Qin Su saw that all the tableware and decorations, inlaid with various gems and made of precious metals, which had been specially prepared for the Modified Humans had successfully completed their mission, were intact and complete, leaving nothing behind. A deep sense of powerlessness swept over him.
What about his explicit statement in the notice that they could take whatever they liked? Does he really think he's being polite? Is he the kind of person who's ever polite?!
Everyone was too reserved, making him seem like a robber...
Thinking back on his past behavior, Qin Su: "..."
What do you mean by "similar"? He is.
There was nothing he could do but accept it. After all, it was a waste of his own good intentions, and he knew without even tossing and turning that he couldn't do it.
On the way to the Spaceship's landing site, Li Zi twitched her nose; her nasal cavity had been modified to detect scents that most people couldn't. "Can you smell anything?"