Infiltration

"Is it possible that it's a partial renovation?" the Captain asked.

"Unlikely. Wright's sample area is very wide, but the data is almost consistent. Unless they completely transform the colony, they can't achieve this effect."

"Is that so?" The Captain fell into deep thought.

The team member who had spoken earlier thought for a moment and continued, "I've also discovered something else. The Rat-folk's building materials are generally mediocre, but the wear and tear on their floors is very low. Especially in the living area, which should be a high-traffic area, the floor wear is almost the same as in the rarely visited equipment area. I initially thought the living area's floor had been renovated, but after checking it again, I found that the flooring materials were from the same batch."

"Does this mean the Rat-folk colony was just a facade? They practically never used it?"

That's one way to understand it.

"If the Rat-folk don't use this place, then..."

"Isn't it obvious? The previous inhabitants of this place were the Zerg. For some reason, perhaps joining the Alliance, or perhaps it was related to the Riken Race, in any case, they foresaw something and built this place. This was originally intended to deal with us; their obstruction is merely a ploy to lure us in."

"Then why are they doing this? Are they declaring themselves the masters of this place?"

"I think it's to sever their ties with the Zerg. Think about it, this is the closest place to the Origin Star. If even this place is Zerg territory, then the Rat-folk only have their Mother Planet to develop on. But under these circumstances, the entire Rat-folk elite class has very consciously concealed all of this. This is definitely not something that can be achieved by force."

"Yes, now that I think about it, all the actions of the Rat-folk, including the Zerg's eagerness to stop setting foot in the Origin Star System, were all done by both sides to appear less close."

"So, thinking about it from the opposite perspective, what is the relationship between them...?"

"Unfortunately, we became aware of the changes in the Origin Star System too late. By the time we deployed monitoring devices, the Zerg had already developed the ability to defend against them, which meant that our understanding of the Origin Star System over the past thousand years was almost zero."

"It's okay, I feel we're close to the truth."

"But the Rat-folk are wary of us, and we can't find any information. What should we do now?"

"Perhaps we should be more direct," Bianca suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" the Captain asked, startled.

"That's right! We've already shown our faces this time, and the opportunities to obtain intelligence will only decrease in the future, unless the tribe sends a new team, but that would also mean our mission has failed. I don't want to add that to my resume."

"But this could cause a diplomatic dispute."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful. This place is sparsely populated, which is perfect for our operation."

After weighing the pros and cons, the Captain finally agreed to Bianca's suggestion, "In that case, the sooner the better. Warwick, can you hack into the management system here?"

Warwick quickly pulled out several portable devices from his backpack, scanned the room, cut a small notch in a corner, and pulled out a data cable...

After a series of actions, Warwick gave an approval sign.

The Captain nodded in satisfaction. Reliable teammates were key to mission success. "Warwick, now hack into their network backend, take over the monitoring system, and retrieve the location of all personnel within the base."

Warwick nodded, flicked his fingers, and then turned on the projection screen on the device. All they could see was that the screen was divided into countless small squares, each representing a surveillance image in the Rat-folk base.

"Let's hack into their personnel management system and see which cutie is our target."

The Rat-folk's network security was utterly ineffective against the technology of the Epoch Clan. Soon, the highest-ranking Rat-folk in the base were marked on the small grid.

After comparing the options, they finally selected two targets: a laboratory supervisor who was currently alone in a remote laboratory, a powerful and isolated individual, making him an excellent target.

The other target was one of their guides today, the administrator of the base, who was currently resting in the living quarters. Although there were many people in the living quarters, this Rat-folk was of noble status, with information stating that he had royal blood, so he was given a large private room. If they were careful, they shouldn't alert anyone else.

"Warwick, plan the best route for us in real time, block surveillance along the way, and keep communications open," the Captain instructed, looking at his team members who were all ready to go.

Warwick patted his chest and gave a reassuring gesture.

After everyone nodded to each other in confirmation, and with Warwick's signal, they quietly slipped out of the room.

"Activate the auxiliary equipment." The Epoch Clan members were all wearing closed helmets, which not only integrated many functions, but most importantly, allowed them to communicate freely and safely. The auxiliary equipment consisted of Optical Camouflage and sound-dampening devices on their protective suits. Although there were seven or eight people standing in the passage, no abnormalities could be detected by the naked eye.

"Amina, monitor vital signs and report any abnormalities immediately."

"Received!" This place is not only the territory of the Rat-folk, but it may also harbor Zerg artifacts. To guard against anything on the life-technology route, targeted scanning equipment is necessary.

"Warwick, check the communications."

"Communication is working, Captain. The laser alarm device five meters ahead has been blocked. Please proceed immediately."

Without further ado, the Captain gestured, and the team orderly crossed the path ahead.

"Turn right in 100 meters ahead. All alarms along the way have been lifted. Be careful, there are two Rat-folk in the room on your left 50 meters ahead. There are blind spots in the surveillance, I can't see their route, so be careful."

The Captain remained silent, quietly switching his helmet's vision to the high-penetration infrared mode. Immediately, two blurry figures appeared ahead. Seeing them move away from the doors and windows, the Captain raised his hand to give instructions, and the team quickly moved forward.

And so, after a series of close calls, they made their way to the laboratory, which was the most remote location and the easiest place to make their move.

"Captain, the situation has changed. Target A has just left the lab."

"Stay put, Warwick, continue observing."

"He met with several Rat-folk, it seems they were going to have a meeting or discuss something."

"Damn it!" the Captain cursed under his breath. Research meetings were never on time; they couldn't just sit there waiting. "To Target B first! Warwick, plan the route!"

The team changed direction, and fortunately this time it went smoothly. With their technological and equipment advantages, they successfully arrived outside the door of the Rat-folk administrator.

"Warwick, can you open the door?"

"No problem, hehe, low-level civilizations will never know that the most unreliable thing is these electronic devices. Ten seconds~" Warwick chuckled as he began to count down.

"Ten"

"Nine"

"One"