244: Quick! Send a boat to pick them up!

"What's going on!"

Kraken grabbed the guard by the collar and questioned loudly,

"What do you mean, a riot?"

The guard's chest heaved frantically, gasping for air as he said:

"Those... those employees! And many citizens!"

"Rifles... rocket launchers... and a bunch of Exoskeletons—"

"Those country bumpkins got a bunch of controlled weapons from who knows where, and now... now they've all rebelled!!!"

"Gunshots everywhere, the Planetary Defense Force is on its way to suppress them, and orbital support can't be reached!"

Kraken's pupils instantly constricted, a chill rising from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

As if to embolden himself, he shouted at the guard:

"Why didn't you say so sooner! Why! Why didn't you just send me an emergency message!"

"Damn it! I've been targeted!"

"My presence here must have been exposed! Those guys... my brothers, and those old fogeys on the board!"

"They must be trying to get rid of me with this!"

Panic flooded his brain, and coupled with his recent drug use, Kraken's already limited thinking ability vanished at that moment.

He screamed and shouted his wild suspicions—

Like a mad dog drowning.

The guard, still being held, felt a mouthful of old blood rush up when he heard, "Why didn't you send a message?"

Wasn't it you who couldn't be reached?

The captain of the guards, watching the hysterical Kraken, knew that once this guy went crazy, he wouldn't stop anytime soon, so he pulled his subordinate aside and began discussing a battle plan.

Only when Kraken had calmed down a bit did the captain pull his arm and calmly advise:

"Young Master, now is not the time to panic."

"If the description is accurate, this place is no longer safe—at least the major cities and concentrated Industrial Zones are no longer safe."

"We are currently in the suburbs, where the population is sparse, and the Sanatorium's security is still quite strict."

"I suggest we hold our ground here, prepare for the worst, and then wait for the rescue fleet sent by the Chairman—Young Master, please contact the Chairman again and explain the situation to him."

The now quiet Kraken nodded vigorously, reaching out to the guard behind him, panting as he said:

"Communicator—quick! Call my dad! Quick!"

...At this moment, in Sea Witch Constellation V21.89, at the Saint Blade Group's headquarters space station,

In the Chairman's office,

Franck, the Chairman of the Saint Blade Group, sat in his large office chair, with his old friend—a Tier 3 General Manager from the Giant Stone Group—sitting opposite him.

"What? Franck, which of your sons was that just now?"

At this moment, the General Manager held a glass of red wine, smiling as he looked at Franck and asked.

Franck shook his head, seemingly unwilling to answer the question,

"No one in particular, just a good-for-nothing fellow."

"Sigh—" The General Manager shook his head, "You're always like this, overly doting on your children."

"I remember, for their sake, you issued policies and changed laws."

"Half of your dozens of sons are into drugs and messing around. What will happen to your Saint Blade Group on the day you pass on your position, when there isn't a single person capable of taking charge?"

Franck looked into the General Manager's eyes, meeting his gaze.

How could he not know?

But his past life had left too many shadows in his heart—

He didn't want his sons to fall into the same predicament he had as a child, that was all.

After a long while, Franck finally averted his gaze and answered, sidestepping the question:

"Monopoly of material wealth can make people poor;"

"Monopoly of power can make people weak;"

"Monopoly of information can make people ignorant—"

"But monopolizing all three can make people grateful."

Then, he suddenly changed his tone, his voice becoming impassioned:

"Right now, I am striving within the Saint Blade Group, working hard to achieve this—"

"And I am almost successful! My sons can comfortably sit atop this tall spire until the day they mature!"

The General Manager shook his head upon hearing this and said nothing more.

Since the other party had already made his arrangements, it would be impolite for him to say more.

"Beep beep beep—"

Suddenly, Franck's communicator rang again. He picked it up and saw—

Still Kraken?

"Hello? What's wrong? Didn't I say I'd send someone to pick you up later?"

But the person on the other end of the communicator sounded very panicked, his breathing uneven,

"Fa... Father! Dad! Save me, Dad!!!"

"Someone's trying to kill me!"

"Those country bumpkins—they, those slaves, and consumables, they've all rebelled!"

"The planet I'm on! Everyone's rebelling! And someone provided them with weapons!"

"Wait, wait, wait, calm down first," Franck interrupted, hearing Kraken on the other end struggling to speak coherently.

"Did you get high again? Didn't you say you quit?"

The person on the other end wailed,

"Dad!!! I didn't!!! Dad!!! I really quit... quit for almost a whole day!!!"

"Someone really is trying to kill me!!!"

Franck patiently replied:

"Don't panic, tell me, what exactly is the situation? Is there anyone else with you? Where are those guards I arranged for you?"

"If you can calm down, speak properly. If not, hand the communicator to your guard first—preferably the squad leader."

"Someone rebelled on your planet? Scale? Time? Extent of fall?"

"Also, if I send people to pick you up, where should they rendezvous?"

There was a rustling of clothes, and then a distinctly calmer voice spoke.

Franck listened, thinking, this must be one of the guards he arranged for his son.

"Reporting, Chairman! We are currently on Habitable Planet Three of Sea Witch Constellation V22.78, encountering a large-scale armed slave uprising."

"Currently, all thirty-three Industrial Zone clusters on the planet are engaged in firefights. The situation in low Earth orbit is temporarily unclear, but given the organized and scaled provision of weapons and supplies to the rioters, we suspect the situation there is also not optimistic."

"Currently, our personnel are at full strength, supplies are ample, and we are located in a Sanatorium in the suburbs."

"We will defend our position here, relying on the terrain, and await rescue."

After hearing the guard squad leader's words, Franck finally became truly serious—

It was actually true? Franck quickly shouted:

"Alright, you all hold your ground! Make sure to protect Kraken!"

"I will immediately dispatch a fleet to rendezvous with you!"

"Yes!!!"

After quickly hanging up the call, Franck immediately dialed The Corporation's armed forces department and said:

"Sea Witch Constellation V22.78 has experienced a premeditated large-scale rebellion under the interference of hostile forces!"

"Immediately dispatch two B-class fleets to suppress it! Also, send an additional A+ squadron to the Sanatorium in the suburbs of the third Industrial Zone there, to rescue the personnel trapped there! Pay special attention to a person named Kraken!"

"Yes!"

...