Breakthrough Progress

"Let's first sort out today's situation and figure out how these people got ahead of us!"

After everyone resolved the Park Family's matter, they returned to the Future Headquarters's conference room, where Qu Zhihua spoke first.

"I've actually figured this out, and the principle is quite simple," Old Wang said.

"Just say it!" Qu Zhihua.

"Remember when we were capturing Calai or those assassins, there were always some NPC soldiers around?" Old Wang.

"You mean there are informants from behind the scenes among them?"

"Sigh, indeed, we made the mistake of relying on past experience; we didn't treat them like human beings."

"Yes! And they were there when I arrested Park Il-saeng. Why didn't I think of that sooner?" Old Wang.

"Could they become a new breakthrough point?" one person asked.

Old Wang: "I just went to check, they're all dead."

Everyone: "..."

They acted damn fast! Another lead gone cold!

"Are you sure there won't be any problems with Wang Dalong? I actually have some doubts about him too!" Qu Zhihua.

"He won't, and I hope that whoever comes to power in the future will not cause trouble for these absolutely Neutral Faction, because they are the backbone of humanity's fight against the Insectoid!" Old Wang said.

Everyone nodded in understanding, and then Qu Zhihua continued:

"Since there's no problem over there, we only have one last clue left!"

"The suppliers? They have too many powerful backers!" one person said.

"Actually, we fell into a misconception from the beginning: why should we investigate the forces behind them? Aren't they themselves problematic?" Qu Zhihua.

"Now that you mention it, it's true! Especially that guy named Star Universe."

"Then starting tomorrow, we'll begin investigating Star Universe Building Materials, which has the biggest problems, one company at a time!" Old Wang.

The next morning, everyone went straight to the headquarters of Star Universe Building Materials Company as soon as they logged on.

Star Universe Building Materials Company is actually not a very large company. They only own three material Planet, which is less than 1/100th the size of the top ten interstellar construction companies.

But this very company managed to secure the most profitable business for Outpost Star: the supply of Normal stone.

Rocks are something that can be found on any habitable or terraformable Planet, so the Outpost Star that it took over 100 times the cost to transport them from outside was truly astonishing.

Park Il-saeng's claim about substandard ingredients is utter nonsense; it's just a fabricated excuse.

Old Wang specifically tested it, and the stones from the Outpost Star didn't contain any special elements at all.

More importantly, the stones used in the Outpost Star's buildings are composed of exactly the same material as the stones on the Planet.

What does this mean? It means that these people actually mined stones on the Outpost Star and then spent over 100 times more to get in.

They wouldn't even rob money like this; they couldn't even be bothered to put on an act.

If that weren't the case, it would have been impossible to spend 70 billion on building a half-finished project.

That's 70 billion, a massive number that most people would need to count the zeros to decipher when written in Arabic numerals.

Upon arriving at Star Universe Company, the group was unsurprisingly turned away at the door.

But it doesn't matter, they've already found out where their company's manager lives, and someone has already gone to scout the area beforehand.

When Old Wang and his group arrived at the home of their company's manager, they found him eating hotpot and singing, with his two younger sisters and a group of cronies sitting beside him!

"Don't move! Sweep... oops, I mean, call the police!" Old Wang said.

Everyone in the room was stunned by what they saw, clearly not expecting such a spectacle.

Finally, it was a man who looked to be in his forties, with a receding hairline, who was the first to react and say:

"I say, you've all come to the wrong place, haven't you? This is the CEO of Star Universe Company, the young master of the Zhang Family!"

"Oh! Is that Star Universe Building Materials Company?" Old Wang asked, feigning surprise.

"That's right!"

"Is that the Zhang Family, where Mr. Zhang Ping'an lives?" Old Wang asked, even more "surprised."

"Exactly!"

"Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear! Then we've come to the right place. Zhang Yicai, your misdeeds have been exposed. Come with us!" Old Wang said after a series of exaggerated performances.

Everyone: "..."

Are you suddenly acting like a drama queen?

Regardless of whether Old Wang was being dramatic or not, Zhang Yicai did seem flustered.

The fact that they arrested him despite knowing his identity shows that they are not afraid of the Zhang Family at all.

Considering what had happened between the Park Family and the Azure Dragon Legion in the past two days, it wasn't hard for him to guess Old Wang and his group's identities.

"They must be the group of hotheads investigating this incident. Am I going to be silenced?"

It definitely will! I'm doomed!

Zhang Yicai was muttering this, he suddenly convulsed! This was something no one had expected.

But with Old Wang here, as long as he's not dead, he can be saved.

After Old Wang used a Negative Status Removal Potion to revive him, the group began interrogating him.

This guy is really honest. As soon as everyone started asking questions, he interrupted them and then began to answer everything he knew!

"You don't need to ask anymore. I've told you everything I know. Then, can you escort me back to the Zhang Family?"

I'll take that as your agreement. This whole thing started with the establishment of the Outpost Star.

After the Alliance decided to build the Outpost Star, one person saw that it would be profitable.

Among these people, my elder brother Zhang Yiming, the eldest son of the Zhang Family, and Xun Wujin, the eldest grandson of the Xun Family, were the leaders.

This company was their idea; I'm just a scapegoat.

They found Park Il-saeng, the head of Outpost Star, to work together from the inside. They manipulated the bidding process, allowing their people to secure all the raw material supplies, and then began to raise prices to make a profit.

At first, no one thought it would be this outrageous; the plan was simply to double the price and have everyone share the profits.

But once this opening was made, it couldn't be closed again!

After being skimmed off at each level, the price increase from one time became ten times, but this was just the beginning; the numbers became so chaotic that they eventually reached one hundred times.

However, at the beginning, no one noticed that because of the Alliance's emphasis on this project, the construction of the interstellar route was allocated more than 70 billion yuan.

According to the original project cost, this money was enough to build 100 Planet.

Because there was money in the accounts and too many people were greedy, no one could figure out the accounts.

It wasn't until recently, when we suddenly found we had no money in the account, that we realized something was seriously wrong!

However, we weren't too panicked at the time. At worst, we could retreat a bit, persist until we completed the construction of 20 or 30 Planet, and then report back. No one could say anything about that.

But before we could even begin, the Neutral Faction's Guardians received the news.

Then you came to investigate, and those people were all silenced one after another..."

Zhang Yicai revealed their entire plan and even provided information on two main culprits.

However, it seems they can't do anything about these two main culprits.

Everyone estimated that what he said was probably more than 90% true, with the only remaining possibility being that he himself had been completely purged.

"Write down everyone you know who is involved in this matter!" Qu Zhihua said.

"Okay!"

The discovery went more smoothly than anyone expected, but the group remained focused on the list in their hands.

"What's next?"

"Take him to the Zhang Family first to confirm the truth of the matter!" Qu Zhihua.

After Qu Zhihua finished speaking, Old Wang and the others took him to the Zhang Family, leaving a few people behind to guard the Mediterranean group.

"If they make even the slightest move to send a message, kill them without hesitation," Qu Zhihua told the guards who stayed behind before leaving.

They didn't want any more accidents to happen; if this person were to die, the whole situation would truly be hopelessly unpredictable.

Fortunately, their journey to the Zhang Family was peaceful, and no unexpected enemies appeared.

The group soon arrived at the Planet where the Zhang Family lived, and they found themselves standing outside a tall city gate, feeling somewhat emotional.

Because this is not a city, but the Zhang Family, the Alliance's First Family.

The Zhang Family has a long history, with countless collateral descendants; those in this city are only a portion of them.

Their family has tens of millions of members, and there are several well-known Legendary about them.

The Park Family, which was wiped out, was already a relatively large family, but there wasn't a single Legendary about them.