At Their Wits' End

Ma Zhi took up his post as deputy minister, but he had no intention of switching sides again.

He knew perfectly well that wavering back and forth would only lead to a miserable death.

Some people always believed they could play both sides, but in the end, they were nothing more than a joke.

Since he had decided to side with the people behind Maple Leaf Mining, he would follow that path to the bitter end.

Most importantly... this deputy minister position came with a title but no real authority.

Ma Jiahe had merely used a temporary expedient, placing him on a lofty pedestal to resolve the public opinion crisis.

Once he actually took office, Ma Zhi found that he could not get anywhere near the core of power.

Although Ma Jiahe assigned him a mountain of work, it was all either tedious trivialities or thankless tasks that offended people.

A deputy minister with power behind the title was worthy of the name. Without it, he was no more than a clay or wooden idol in a temple.

However, Ma Jiahe probably never imagined that Ma Zhi, the insignificant man he saw as focused solely on his work, had long since betrayed him.

He thought Ma Zhi wanted to climb the ranks and fight for power and profit, but he had never considered that he might defect.

Guardian Star!

Pegasus Group's fleet was retreating. They had held on for half a month, and although Maple Leaf Mining had not launched any counteroffensive at all—

Everyone knew this was merely the calm before the storm.

At present, Pegasus Group's new warships were on par with Maple Leaf Mining's, but its territory was simply too vast for it to cover everything.

It could still manage during a strategic offensive, but now