"I wonder what the reward will be."
Han Xiao was a little curious.
The mission requirement was to catch the "murderer," not the "The True Culprit." He felt there was room for maneuver, depending on whether the mission's judgment logic was based on objective facts or the imperial perspective.
If it's the latter, then does that mean the mission is complete once the Empire successfully proves someone is the murderer?
In that case, there's still a chance to complete it.
Turning myself in is impossible; I'll never turn myself in in my life. Werewolves don't know how to kill themselves; the only way they can survive is by framing others.
Han Xiao shook his head. He didn't have the obsessive-compulsive disorder to clear all tasks. In his opinion, it would be best if the task could be completed, but if it couldn't, so be it. He was too lazy to go through all sorts of trouble.
Depending on the nature of the mission, the rewards are mostly in the form of Imperial Contribution Points. In the past, he would have needed these to exchange for some Imperial technical blueprints, but now that he has Jiebach, he no longer cares about Imperial faction contribution points. Only Political Asset can slightly tempt him.
The next day, Han Xiao, having rested and recharged, entered the Empire's special task force's online channel at the appointed time, and a remote projection appeared in a conference room.
As soon as they entered the room, they saw a series of projections appearing one after another, sizing each other up.
There were acquaintances and strangers among them; Han Xiao saw Clottey, Kant, Ravenlaude, and others.
Before anyone could begin talking, Tarrokov appeared, drawing everyone's attention, and then said seriously:
"Those present are all members of the Imperial Task Force. I won't say anything more; you all know what you're tasked with. This team brings together professionals from various fields, and you can mobilize all the resources the Empire has in the Shattered World. The Empire has only one requirement: find the murderer and the whereabouts of Gaud."
The next moment, Clottey spoke calmly, "I will temporarily serve as the head of the task force. You can contact me for any requests that require resource allocation. As for the specific work arrangements, the deputy head will decide."
At this moment, a tall, thin male imperial officer stepped forward, looked back at the crowd, and performed an imperial greeting.
"You can call me Sherlock Tillman. I work for the Imperial Intelligence Department, but I cannot disclose the specific organization. The higher-ups have selected me here to serve as the deputy team leader, responsible for coordinating the search operation. My individual strength is limited; we need everyone's concerted efforts."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Sherlock? That name sounds like a detective. This guy is definitely not simple; he must be a special talent in the Empire's crime-solving field.
The task force doesn't need force, only professional skills, so Sherlock became the deputy leader. Beyond Grade A members in the team are experts in different fields; simply put, they are tools.
Everyone introduced themselves. There were three experts in charge of the quantum network search: himself, Kant, and Judith, a direct descendant of the empire.
Sherlock assigned tasks to the experts with different roles, and soon came to the three of them, quickly explaining the requirements.
"... That's the situation. The virtual realm is the key area for the search. Please be sure to find any clues. I'll leave it to you three gentlemen."
Sherlock bowed respectfully, then turned and walked away to give instructions to the others.
Seeing them walk away, Kant scratched his head helplessly. "The two of you are enough. I'm not a virtual mechanic, why did the Empire bring me here?"
"I guess the Empire was just being polite and didn't expect you to agree, but I didn't expect you to actually come shamelessly," Han Xiao joked.
"... Black Star, you'll lose me as a friend if you keep doing this."
Kant's lips twitched.
"Ahem, gentlemen, the authorization has been granted, let's get started as soon as possible," Judith said from the side.
Han Xiao composed himself and accepted the quantum network access shared by the other party.
The empire brought these experts together not to let them work alone, but to open up almost all of the Shattered World's resources.
Take the three of them as an example. With just a word, they could mobilize all the virtual mechanics of the Empire in the Shattered World. At the same time, all the quantum network base stations set up by the Empire in the Shattered World had their backend permissions opened to the three of them, allowing them to log in to the quantum network of the Shattered World directly as administrators.
Furthermore, the Imperial Heroic Souls's permissions were temporarily granted to Han Xiao and Kant, these two "outsiders," and Judith's task, besides investigating the case, was to prevent the two from misbehaving after obtaining such high network access.
Han Xiao logged into the backend and focused his mind on the Quantum Network Vision, feeling a sudden sense of clarity.
The network of most of the Shattered World is laid bare and under its control. It is as if it has become a processing hub, able to read any data stream passing through the base station at any time. It has great power and even gives the illusion of being omniscient and omnipotent.
"Ah, that feels good." Han Xiao said, clearly enjoying himself.
No matter how sophisticated a virtual intrusion is, it's still just a thief picking locks and entering. But now it's like the homeowner has lent him the whole house, so he can do almost whatever he wants.
Although Judith and Kant were watching each other, he should be able to do something sneaky without their knowledge, but it was best to wait and see for now.
More importantly, with this authority, one can proactively eliminate any potential flaws in one's record, further clear up evidence, and solidify one's alibi.
Now that the empire has given him such an opportunity, he will naturally cherish it.
For the next few days, Han Xiao immersed himself in the quantum network, conducting cross-surveillance investigations with Judith and Kant.
Han Xiao initially thought there would be no clues, but surprisingly, he hadn't come up empty-handed these past few days; he discovered that things had taken a subtle turn.
Without even having to do anything themselves, Superstar Cluster and Manison deliberately sabotaged each other, trying to fabricate clues to solidify each other's guilt and begin framing one another.
Both sides acted discreetly; had Han Xiao not gained access to the backend of the Shattered World Quantum Network, he wouldn't have been able to detect their actions.
Now that he had access, and with his amazing virtual skills, neither side's subtle actions escaped his notice.
"Tsk, you clearly didn't do it, but you're so eager to shift the blame..."
Han Xiao's lips twitched.
If others saw this behavior, it wouldn't matter, but he was the real murderer. From his perspective, this situation was like two villagers accusing each other of being werewolves, tearing each other apart in the werewolf pit, while the real werewolf was ignored. He would probably laugh his head off.
However, upon further reflection, he understood the thoughts of both sides.
The Supercluster feared that the Three Universal Civilizations would launch a preemptive strike, so it took the initiative to strike first. Manison was aware of this and had prepared countermeasures. As a result, both sides immediately realized that the other had ill intentions and immediately started fighting.
That's the purpose of our muddying the waters.
Plans in place!
"Both sides are framing each other, and both are suspects. Since it's impossible to find the True Culprit, one of them will inevitably be used as a scapegoat by the Empire..."
Han Xiao's eyes darted around.
Now both sides are attacking and defending, and neither can definitively pin the other's responsibility, which gives them room to maneuver.
Given how things have developed, it's become easier for him to shift the blame than he expected.
With his current power, he only needs to make a slight move or manipulate things to influence the empire's judgment, helping one side to overpower the other, which means he has control over the situation.
"Who should I help...?"
Han Xiao pondered silently, his mind making up.
He had always been at odds with Manison, but in this matter, he intended to help the Old Manison.
After all, Manison is the current president of the Beyond Grade A Association. If he takes the blame, although it will damage his personal prestige, the Beyond Grade A Association will also be greatly Implicated, with very negative consequences. If the president secretly targets new members, many association members will feel insecure and become more wary, which is not conducive to the development of the association.
Conversely, blaming the Super Star Group could have a different effect: making Beyond Grade A believe that Gaud's misfortune was due to his involvement in factional infighting. This would make people feel that they wouldn't encounter such trouble if they didn't join a faction, thus increasing some Beyond Grade A ' identification with the association and contributing to its development.
Most importantly, since the Three Universal Civilizations and the Super Star Cluster Alliance are already at war, if they take the blame, more people will not be Implicated.
Although the Empire will not stop searching for the True Culprit in the future, for the time being, the impact of making the Supercluster suffer and taking risks can be minimized.
"Hmph, Old Manison, I'm not helping you, I'm part of the Preservation Association."
Han Xiao curled his lip.
He muttered a few words to himself, then immediately got to work.
No matter how fiercely two good guys fight, the final decision still rests with me, the wolf cop, who votes.
I always feel like there's some mysterious force helping me...
Inside the secret base of the Mechanic Emperor, Manison's expression was somewhat strange.
These days he realized that the Super Star Group was indeed plotting against him, so he took countermeasures and hurt the Super Star Group.
Both sides initially had only suspicions without evidence, but now they've each added numerous "flaws" to the other's case.
In this silent battle of offense and defense, Manison was actually at a disadvantage. After all, his opponent was the entire Super Star Cluster Alliance. Although he was powerful in virtual technology, he was struggling to cope on his own.
However, he recently discovered something unusual: some of the evidence fabricated by the Super Star Cluster Alliance had mysteriously disappeared, as if someone was helping him evade their attempts to frame him.
"To be able to detect the conflict between me and the Supercluster, and even intervene... could it be that the Three Universal Civilizations are secretly involved?"
Manison's mind raced.
The reason the Three Universal Civilizations did this is probably because they have confirmed that the Supercluster is the culprit, so they don't want the other side to successfully frame them and escape responsibility... Thinking deeper, if the Empire cannot distinguish who the True Culprit is, then this behavior is out of strategic considerations, to pin a "fabricated" crime on the Supercluster, to have them under control, and to settle scores secretly later.
If we think about it a step further...
Manison seemed lost in thought, caught in a nested loop.
Seven or eight days later, on the home planet of the Crimson Dynasty, in the head of state's office.
Urranrell browsed through the task force's report, he couldn't help but rub his temples.
"After these days of investigation, you have produced a seemingly complete chain of evidence, pointing all suspicion at the Super Star Cluster Alliance... but this is not the Empire's original intention."
Before her was a remote projection of a high-ranking official in the Imperial Intelligence Department, who said helplessly, "Whether it's true or not is not important now, as long as this chain of evidence is enough to convince the outside world."
"What I want is the True Culprit and Gaud's whereabouts. Otherwise, what's the point of having a special task force?"
"But time waits for no one. The True Culprit hasn't left any clues. If we continue the investigation step by step, the truth will remain elusive. People outside are already questioning whether the Empire can find the killer, and some online are even starting to idolize this murderer who has angered the Empire yet remains at large... We can take our time to find the True Culprit later. Right now, the Empire desperately needs results."
Upon hearing this, Urranrell frowned.
Through Han Xiao's various maneuvers, the task force uncovered a complete chain of evidence pointing to the Super Star Cluster. However, after careful examination, the task force realized that it was fabricated and most likely the work of Manison. The two sides' attempts to shift blame did not escape the Empire's notice.
Even so, after discussion, the task force still submitted the results to the higher-ups. All the high-ranking officials of the empire were well aware of the situation, but they still handed the report to Urranrell's desk.
With various rumors circulating, what the Empire needs most now is a "result," whether true or false. The target of this chain of evidence aligns with the Empire's strategy, and the Supercluster is the best target.
Moreover, the Supercluster's move is an attempt to create a "culprit" on its own. The Super Star Cluster Alliance was the one who started it, and if it drags on too long, they will succeed. The Empire does not want to see their plan succeed.
Urranrell hesitated for a few seconds, not immediately agreeing, and sighed, "Call Clottey and Sherlock over, I want to hear their opinions..."
At this point, she paused for a moment and added:
"And invite Black Star along as well."