Chapter 207
However, the authorities clearly adopted a cold approach, offering no further responses. For a highly developed civilization, information control is a breeze. The public uproar surrounding that unusual tsunami has already cooled down at an astonishing speed, fading from the collective consciousness.
After all, although the tsunami struck suddenly, it occurred over an uninhabited sea. Given the foundational defenses of the giant ocean star's sky structures, the ultimate damage was merely economic, with no substantial casualties reported.
If it weren't for Jiguang being directly involved, knowing that a friend living in that area had gone missing, she would have brushed the incident off as just another fleeting news story.
“Ms. Jiguang?”
“Yes.” Jiguang snapped back to reality, taking in her surroundings and the serious expression on the minister's face. She began to recount the basic details about Ye Bai: “My friend Ye Bai is an ancient human from Blue Star… Yes, the one with the wormhole…”
“She was awakened from cryostasis by the Blue Star Council three years ago, just as I was there for my graduation project, and that’s when I met her…”
“Seeing news about the Makur Group on the Star Network, I thought of Ye Bai working there. I became worried about her situation and submitted relevant information to the Star Alliance’s departments on the Star Network…”
“Since Ye Bai received subsidies and bonuses from the Star Alliance for her work at the Makur Group, I suggested she register on the Star Network to earn money in the myriad realms, cough, and improve her mental power level…” At this point, Jiguang discreetly omitted the part where she had provided Ye Bai with some strategies for the myriad realms.
The minister listened in silence, occasionally probing for details. The room was filled with sophisticated detection instruments, subtly monitoring Jiguang's state and relaying information back to the minister's terminal in real-time.
Once Jiguang finished outlining the basic situation, the minister pondered for a moment before asking, “After the tsunami, have you been able to contact Ye Bai through other channels… like the Star Network?”
“No.” Jiguang shook her head. “I haven’t received any replies from her on the Star Network, and the emergency communications have been the same.”
The minister continued, “Has Ye Bai mentioned anything about leaving the giant ocean star recently?”
At this question, Jiguang’s antennae twitched slightly, and she replied firmly, “No way. If Ye Bai were to leave the giant ocean star, she would definitely tell me. She wouldn’t just disappear without a word.”
This was also the reason Jiguang had been so worried about Ye Bai.
The minister nodded thoughtfully and asked, “Has Ye Bai mentioned what she’s been up to lately?”
“The last time she messaged me, she was discussing the games in the myriad realms. She had completed her job change task and was working on a delivery mission,” Jiguang replied honestly.
Based on the feedback, the minister knew Jiguang was not lying and said, “As far as I know, Ye Bai, as an ancient human, has an F-level mental power, right?”
“That was in the past. After completing her job change, she’s already reached D-level.”
The minister suddenly asked, “D-level… Did she tell you that herself?”
“Of course, and it’s a natural phenomenon.” Jiguang asserted, feeling that the minister’s question was redundant, as countless facts had already proven the myriad realms' effect on enhancing mental power. Her research institute had ample samples to support this.
Having spent three years with Ye Bai in the lab, Jiguang was well aware of the F-level mental power data; there was no room for error. Ye Bai reaching D-level after her job change was entirely plausible.
After probing a few more details, the minister concluded the inquiry.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Jiguang. We will notify you if there’s any new information regarding Ye Bai.”
“Please let me know as soon as possible.” Jiguang left the interrogation room, her heart heavy with worry and concern.
After Jiguang departed, the minister’s communication channel buzzed with discussions among three intelligence analysts:
“Jiguang is basically honest, but she did conceal some details when mentioning the myriad realms…”
The minister remarked, “She likely used her position to provide Ye Bai with some assistance. What’s your analysis of her cultural immersion level?”
“Jiguang’s background is secure; she hails from the core ethnicity of the Illusory Sea Star and only left her home planet after turning twenty. Her core cultural attitude is firm, and her cultural immersion from Ye Bai is below 30%, which is within safe limits.”
Hearing this conclusion, the minister relaxed his brow slightly. “She underwent ancestral awakening, so being within safe limits means she’s safe.”
The actual specifications of this investigation were even higher than what Jiguang had witnessed.
Cultural immersion refers to a spiritual competition that exists between civilizations. If one’s cultural confidence and cohesion are insufficient, they can easily be influenced by other civilizations, unknowingly affecting their own cultural ideologies.
Many civilizations establish closed planets to preserve their unique cultural identities to guard against such immersion. The home planet of the Illusory Sea civilization, Illusory Sea Star, is one such example.
On an individual level, this manifests in intelligent beings as complex emotions, leading to choices that may not align with their group’s interests.
The degree of cultural immersion in this investigation was to determine whether Jiguang had compromised her loyalty to her group due to her friendship with Ye Bai—sharing some of her knowledge about the myriad realms was still considered within a normal and controllable range.
“It seems Ye Bai has clearly concealed something from Jiguang…”
The minister’s gaze fell upon a report.
It was a damaged fluid sandbag detection report found at the important scene of the incident labeled ‘WQ-4112 Anomaly.’
The official forces of the Illusory Sea civilization were not to be underestimated. After more than ten days of analysis and investigation, they had pinpointed the most suspicious location in the tsunami incident: Ye Bai’s former rental apartment.
All the debris from that damaged apartment had been salvaged and restored, now existing in relevant archives.
In addition to the damage caused by the Rift Piercer being studied in detail, investigators also discovered this anomalous fluid sandbag. The report documented the purchase channel and date of the sandbag, which was from much earlier.
Strangely, this fluid sandbag had not been discarded after being damaged; instead, it had been intentionally stored away, and the force that caused its damage exceeded the D-level mental power that the apartment owner should have possessed.
Undoubtedly, an A-level powerhouse had once appeared on the giant ocean star, triggering the unusual tsunami. However, as the investigation deepened, everything pointed back to the original owner of that rental apartment—Ye Bai.
Ancient human, Blue Star, power exceeding D-level.
Combining the results from Jiguang’s inquiry, the minister marked these three points as critical, sensing that a shocking secret might lie behind them.
“Request the foreign affairs department to contact the Blue Star Council.”
…
Deep within the chaotic star sea, in a mysterious technology space known as the Ether Laboratory.
Ye Bai was immersed in the vast knowledge left by the black hole. If it weren’t for her hunger reminding her, she might have forgotten the passage of time.
“It’s time to log in.”
Ye Bai shook her head. The efficiency of acquiring knowledge through mental links was too high, and the instinctive thirst for knowledge from intelligent beings made her unwittingly lose herself in it. It was only when she turned around that she realized, combined with the time spent traveling to this laboratory, she hadn’t logged in for nearly a game month.
Back on the ship piloted by Luo Jin, while playing the role of the black hole, she had sensed danger but hadn’t been reckless enough to log in while the real situation was unknown.
However, the time spent here had yielded significant rewards, as Ye Bai had essentially mastered the information about black holes.
It turned out that the black hole was the true mastermind behind the Makur Group. The A-level big shots in the chaotic star sea were likely managing their influence within the Star Alliance, just like seeds scattered in the wind. The Makur Group was a biological research lab branch supported by the black hole within the Star Alliance environment.
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