Not long after, the remote projections of Han Xiao, Clottey, and Sherlock appeared in the office.
"Your Excellency."
The three of them nodded in greeting.
Uranril nodded, pointed at the report on the virtual screen, and went straight to the point. "This is the result of your work during this period? I'm not very satisfied. You know that what I want is not this kind of evidence to fool outsiders. "
Sherlock took a step forward, braced himself, and said, "Your Excellency, we've been trying to track down the whereabouts of the real culprit, but the enemy has no flaws. We don't have any leads. Coincidentally, we found out that the Supercluster Alliance and Manison are framing each other, so …"
He explained the recent work of the task force. Simply put, they did not have a single real clue, but they collected a lot of fake evidence.
Seeing that the outside world was getting more and more suspicious, and with the pressure and hints from the upper echelons, Sherlock had no choice but to extract a part of these fake clues and use his reasoning and analysis ability to form a self-consistent chain of evidence. Although it was fake, after his analysis, it sounded like the truth.
Uranril frowned. "Give me an exact answer. How long do you think it will take to find the real culprit?"
"… It seems like it will take a long time, unless we find a breakthrough." Sherlock shook his head helplessly.
"Both of you have the same idea?" Uranril turned around.
Clottey's face was dark. He did not say anything and nodded slowly.
Han Xiao, on the other hand, spread his hands and put on a "I can't do anything about it" look.
"The person who attacked Gaud is very cunning and did not leave any flaws. Even I have no clue. Based on the current situation, I think the dynasty can only look at the problem from a different perspective and consider the benefits. We need to find a suitable target to take the blame and temporarily calm the storm. The Supercluster is the most suitable candidate … Plus, they're in a hurry to get rid of the blame, so there's more or less something fishy going on. It's not wrong to accuse them."
Uranril shook her head and said, "But there will definitely be people outside who will see through our plan. The Supercluster will not admit to their crimes so easily. This is not good for the dynasty …"
"I know your concerns, but that's not important." Han Xiao interrupted her and said, "When Gaud was attacked, the dynasty lost. We were already at a disadvantage, so we could only try to salvage the situation. Right now, what the dynasty needs the most is results. We can't shut other people's mouths, but we can shut their guts. This way, even if people mock us, those who should be afraid will still be afraid, and our goal will be achieved."
"But if that's the case, wouldn't the real culprit laugh himself to death when he saw that the Imperium had targeted the wrong person? Will some people with ulterior motives think that the Empire can be used because of this? "Uranril said in a deep voice.
This was what she was worried about. Once the outside world saw through the Empire's actions, some people would think that the Empire was easy to deceive, which would also reduce the Empire's prestige.
"That can't be helped. We have to choose the lesser of two evils. We can't always do things based on our preferences, right?" Han Xiao's skin was as thick as armor. He chuckled and said, "Plus, this might not be a bad thing. It can make the real culprit lower his guard and give him a chance to expose himself. Perhaps one day, he'll give us a breakthrough."
The intelligence department official also agreed. "His Excellency Black Star is right. We have to make a choice eventually."
Uranril sighed and signed the order. "Then let's do it."
Actually, when this proposal appeared on her table, Uranril already knew that this was the silent consensus of the dynasty's upper echelons. She only needed to sign it. The ruler could not do whatever she wanted. She also had to walk the line between compromise and balance. She was about to step down from her position. She could not be stubborn anymore.
After signing the order, Uranril felt relieved for some reason. She shook her head.
"Looks like the mission of finding the real culprit can only be handed over to the next ruler. That's good. I can relax a lot."
At this moment, Han Xiao's eyes flashed. He said, "Actually, we're thinking too much. There's another possibility for Gaud's disappearance. I wonder if the dynasty has considered it?"
Everyone immediately turned to look at him.
"Oh? Tell me about it. "Uranril's interest was piqued.
"Do you think it's possible that this is Gaud's own actions? Is it possible that he faked his death and went missing?"
Hearing this, the intelligence department official could not help but laugh. "Your Excellency Black Star, we've made this assumption a long time ago. The final conclusion is that it's impossible. Gaud doesn't have such a motive."
"I don't think so." Han Xiao shook his head. "A direct descendant might not be completely loyal. Is it possible that he just wants to use the dynasty's resources to step into the Beyond Grade A realm and then fake his death to jump out of the faction and hide his identity?"
Then, he secretly glanced at everyone and saw their disapproving expressions. He immediately added, "Of course, of course.
This is just a logical judgment. I don't know Gaud's background, so of course, I won't completely believe him. Anyway, in my eyes, this kind of thing is not impossible. Haven't there been examples in history? "Sherlock was silent.
"Hmm, your suspicions are reasonable. Gaud has served the dynasty for too short a time."
Urranrell glared at him and spoke in a bureaucratic tone, "You don't have to worry about that. The Empire has its own system for vetting the direct descendants. We won't accept anyone with suspicious points. The Empire has absolute trust in the loyalty of the direct descendants …"
Han Xiao glanced at the expressionless Clottey and knew that Uranril did not want to continue this topic here.
He shook his head and smiled, pretending to be casual. "Alright, I was just casually mentioning it."
Sherlock, however, did not give up. "I'm more curious. Why would you think that Gaud faked his death? There must be something that made you think that way. Do you think there's something suspicious about him? "
Han Xiao was stunned and looked at him in surprise.
This guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes actually likes to play the supporting role so much? I don't know if I should say that you have a strong thirst for knowledge or that you don't pay attention to where you're talking. Can't you see that the dynasty's intelligence officer is already giving you a signal?
Han Xiao suddenly realized that this was an opportunity to lead the conversation. He thought for a moment, coughed, and said, "There's no clue.
"On one hand, I can't find any clues. It's too clean, unlike an outsider attack. On the other hand … it's not that Gaud revealed anything suspicious, but I happen to know a guy who successfully faked his death, so I connected the dots."
"Who's that?" Sherlock was curious.
"This person is quite famous. You guys definitely know him. It's that Sorokin from the Limitless Financial Group."
Without waiting for anyone to ask, Han Xiao continued.
"I discovered his little secret by coincidence. He's not as weak as he looks, and I can feel a threat from him. He might not be weaker than me, but he's always shown himself as a weakling. I don't know what he's up to. Plus, the real age of his soul seems to be much older than it is now. I tested him and found out that he might be a Beyond Grade A in history. I suspect that he faked his death and hid his identity until now … "
He hid some key information and exposed Sorokin's background with ambiguous words. The few of them were skeptical.
"How did you know?" Uranril was confused.
"This involves a Universal Treasure I obtained not long ago. It has a miraculous effect in the soul domain." Han Xiao smiled and did not explain in detail, pretending to be mysterious.
Uranril knew that Han Xiao did not want to talk about it, so she did not ask. Thinking about Sorokin's past behavior, she said thoughtfully, "If this is true, then Sorokin is planning something big. We'll have to adjust our attitude toward him …"
She would not believe him immediately, but Han Xiao had a lot of Political Assets, and he even had the strange bonus of (Civilization Leader Assassin). She would take him more seriously if he said it clearly.
Uranril planned to investigate Sorokin in private. Compared to Black Star, Sorokin was the outsider.
Seeing this, Han Xiao did not want to reveal too much. He only wanted to arouse the dynasty's interest in Sorokin.
This was the benefit of having the heavens listening in on him. He happened to have the right opportunity today, so he could directly make Sorokin look bad in front of the dynasty.
After all, the Supercluster being the scapegoat was just a temporary measure for the dynasty. They still had to continue looking for the culprit in the future, so Han Xiao really wanted to make use of this opportunity to mess with Sorokin.
This guy was good at being flexible and hiding too deeply. No one knew what he was planning. If he could expose him and make him unable to continue pretending to be weak, it would undoubtedly be a good thing.
With Gaud's incident, once Sorokin's strength was exposed, he would become a suspect.
Although in Han Technician's opinion, Sorokin did not have any motive, he could at least make this dog sick … Humph, who asked him to plot against me behind my back every day? Did he think that my little notebook was for nothing?
"Alright, that's the situation. I have nothing else to ask. If there's nothing else …"
Uranril was about to end the communication, but before she finished, she heard Han Xiao speak again.
"Wait, there's one last thing."
"… Speak." Uranril clenched her teeth.
She thought that Han Xiao was going to tell on her again, but Han Xiao suddenly put on a serious expression and spoke with a deep voice.
"Your Excellency Ruler, I'm talking to you as the vice president of the Beyond Grade A Association. I support the dynasty's actions against the Supercluster this time, but I hope that this matter will not implicate the members of the association."
Hearing this, everyone's spirits were lifted, and they looked at Han Xiao with surprise. Their expressions also became serious.
"Continue." Uranril narrowed her eyes.
"I believe we all know that there are direct descendants of the Supercluster hidden among the neutral Beyond Grade As. I support the dynasty's actions against the Supercluster this time, but I don't want the Beyond Grade As of the Supercluster to be part of the dynasty's revenge. I'm not shielding the culprit, but I ask that the dynasty not to vent their anger on some neutral Beyond Grade As and suspected Supercluster members. There might be a culprit among them, but before the culprit is proven, they will be protected by the association. "
Han Xiao's expression was solemn, and he looked like he was going to fight for what was right even if he had to offend the dynasty.
Uranril and the others immediately understood what he meant. Black Star knew where the evidence came from. Although he supported the dynasty's actions, he did not want this to become an excuse for the dynasty to take action against the Beyond Grade As.
It was fine to attack the Supercluster, but it could not involve other unrelated Beyond Grade As!
The change of identity was seamless. One second, he was still an ally of the dynasty, and the next second, he became the vice president of the Beyond Grade A Association.
"You're really watertight." Uranril had a complicated look in her eyes.
"If I don't speak for the association, I won't be able to keep my position as the vice president when word gets out." Han Xiao did not mind.
"… Alright, I understand. The dynasty's targets will only be limited to the Supercluster Alliance. Before obtaining complete evidence, they won't do anything to their hidden direct Beyond Grade As. After all, the association has already expressed their willingness to help us."
Uranril sighed.
Seeing this, Han Xiao smiled again, thought about it, and chuckled.
"Alright, if the dynasty doesn't mind, cooperate with me to publicize it. Say that the dynasty originally wanted to track down the neutral Beyond Grade As and even interrogate them, but I argued with the dynasty and protected the association members. In the end, I convinced the dynasty to give up on the idea and highlight my role in this."
"…"
Although the few of them did not speak, their eyes all revealed the same message.
Wow, you're really not polite, and you're so f * cking shameless!
"… Alright."
Uranril took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Otherwise, she might not be able to hold herself back from grabbing the thermos flask on the table and throwing it at Han Xiao.
Although she was complaining, she still decided to publicize it to increase Black Star's voice and reputation in the association. With Black Star presiding over the association, it would be more beneficial to the dynasty. This kind of reputation would benefit no one else other than their own people.
After receiving a definite answer, Han Xiao smiled and left.
He deactivated the remote projection and returned to the office where his main body was. Only then did he heave a sigh of relief.
"I've finally led the Empire astray with this wave of momentum …"
Han Xiaoxin felt much more relaxed.
Luckily, he had enough political assets, so it was easier for the dynasty to accept his opinion.
If it were not for the fact that Manison and Supercluster had attacked each other, he would have had to put in more effort. Now, he had basically taken advantage of the situation and used it as a pretext to make a fuss. It could be said that both sides had helped him and made things a lot simpler. He directly grasped the main conflict and did not need to do anything fancy.
Furthermore, he could also increase his reputation in the association and let the members see how the vice president was willing to fight against the dynasty for the sake of protecting the association's interests. As the saying went, a leader who did not fight for the interests of his subordinates was not a good leader. This wave would probably convince more people and make them see the benefits of him being in charge.
Han Xiao did not know how many birds he had hit with this rock. He only knew that he had neutralized a lot of the negative effects of Gaud's attack. When the dynasty announced that they would take action against Supercluster, this matter should come to an end for the time being.
As for the other unknown chain reactions, he could only wait and see.
…
On the other side, only Uranril and Clottey were left in the Ruler's office.
Urranrell subconsciously pinched her fingers, a hesitant expression on her face. After a long while, she said softly,
After a while, she said in a low voice, "Do you think he'll be the next Mecha Empire?"
Clottey looked at her and shook his head.
"He's a hundred times more dangerous than the Mecha Empire."
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