486: Chapter 421: Following the Clues, Deputy Commander Caron is Exposed
The analysis results of the Void Mark fragments left the Seventh War Zone command center shrouded in oppressive silence. The Lord of the Void, the Incarnation of the will of the Return to Ruins, estimated Rank LV10000+, awakening in three years. This number exceeded everyone present's cognition—a Peak great divine power, perhaps even a God above Gods level existence. Lin Zhou was silent for a long time, General Rex smoked cigarette after cigarette, and Commissioner Iron Face's brows were knitted into a tight knot.
"Three years." General Rex stubbed out his cigarette, his voice hoarse, "Can we raise the defense of the New Universe to a level capable of contending with the Lord of the Void within three years?"
"No." Lin Zhou shook his head, "An existence at LV10000+ cannot be blocked by defense alone. We need to find its weakness."
"What is its weakness?"
"Fire of Civilization. The essence of the Return to Ruins is 'Void', and the essence of the Fire of Civilization is 'Existence'. Existence has a natural restraint against Void. But, we need enough Fire of Civilization. Just me alone is not enough."
"Then how many people are needed?"
"At least ten thousand Civilization Walkers are needed, each igniting at least one wisp of Fire of Civilization." Lin Zhou pulled up the simulation model of the Temple of Civilization, "Three years to train ten thousand Civilization Walkers is impossible. But, we can try another way—instead of training Civilization Walkers, we collect essence of order to strengthen the civilization furnace, letting the furnace's flames cover the entire New Universe."
"Can the flames of the civilization furnace contend with the Lord of the Void?"
"Not directly. But it can illuminate the darkness of the Return to Ruins and weaken the strength of the Lord of the Void. When the Fire of Civilization is bright enough, the Lord of the Void's Rank will drop, from LV10000+ down to LV8000, or even lower."
General Rex was silent for a moment. "How much essence of order is needed?"
Lin Zhou brought up the data. "The civilization furnace currently produces 15 million Divine Power daily, and about 100 units of essence of order daily. To illuminate the entire New Universe, at least 100,000 units of essence of order are needed. At the current rate, it will take three years—exactly three years."
"100,000 units… where will it come from?"
"The Old Universe. On the edge of the Return to Ruins, there are still a large number of corrupted divine kingdom wrecks that have not been purified. Each wreck can produce hundreds to thousands of units of essence of order. Within three years, if we can purify all the wrecks on the edge of the Return to Ruins in the Old Universe, 100,000 units will be enough."
General Rex stood up and walked to the Star Map. "How many corrupted wrecks are there around the Seventh War Zone?"
Lin Zhou zoomed in on the Star Map, pointing at the greyish-white light dots. "About 300 unexplored ones. About 100 explored but unpurified ones. A total of 400. Each produces an average of 250 units of essence of order, adding up to exactly 100,000."
"400…" General Rex took a deep breath, "Three years, 400 locations. On average, one must be purified in less than three days. Can your legion hold up?"
"Yes. But we need support. Purifying wrecks requires the Fire of Civilization, only I and my legion can do it. If the legion is overworked, combat effectiveness will drop."
"I will transfer people from other war zones to support you."
"No. Soldiers from other war zones do not have the Fire of Civilization coating, and they will be corrupted if they enter the corrupted area. It can only be executed by my legion."
General Rex was silent.
"General, I have a request."
"Speak."
"I need more military merit. Military merit can be exchanged for essence of order, space Origin stones, and upgrade Materials for the civilization armor. If we can upgrade our equipment as soon as possible, purification efficiency will increase."
General Rex nodded. "I will give you the green light. Military merit in the Seventh War Zone will be prioritized for you."
"Thank you, General."
Lin Zhou walked out of the command center and returned to the barracks. Qin Qing was waiting for him, holding a new piece of intelligence.
"Captain, news came from the Inspection Department, the interrogation of Vice Commander Chen Tianchou has made new progress. He confessed that besides Karon, another high-level official was recommended by him to the front line. That person is currently also in the Seventh War Zone."
Lin Zhou's pupils contracted sharply. "Who?"
"The Seventh War Zone Vice Commander… Karon is already dead. It's not Karon. It's another one."
"The Seventh War Zone only has Karon as Vice Commander. Who else is a Vice Commander?"
Qin Qing pulled up the establishment table of the Seventh War Zone. "Seventh War Zone, Commander General Rex, Karon (fallen), Vice Commander…" She paused, "There is another Vice Commander position, which has always been vacant. But Vice Commander Chen Tianchou said the person he recommended has already filled that vacancy."
"Who filled it?"
"I don't know. Vice Commander Chen Tianchou said that person took office secretly, even General Rex doesn't know. His appointment was issued directly by the Expeditionary Force headquarters, with an extremely high secrecy level."
Lin Zhou's blood ran cold.
A Vice Commander that even the war zone commander didn't know about, hiding in the Seventh War Zone, could take over command at any time. If he were a believer of the Void Sect, the entire Seventh War Zone would fall.
"Li Mo, check which high-ranking officers have been newly transferred to the Seventh War Zone in the last three months."
Li Mo brought up the personnel files. "In the last three months, there are three newly transferred high-ranking officers in the Seventh War Zone—one Major General, two Brigadier Generals. The Major General is from the Logistics Department, and the two Brigadier Generals are operations staff officers."
"What about their backgrounds?"
"They are all very clean. They have served in the Expeditionary Force since the Old Universe era, with outstanding military achievements and no blemishes."
"Too clean." Lin Zhou shook his head, "The Void Sect selects believers specifically by picking people with clean backgrounds and no blemishes. Because such people won't be suspected."
He stood up. "I need to see someone."
"Who?"
"Iron Face. The commissioner of the Inspection Department. He has the authority to access the personnel files of the Expeditionary Force headquarters."
Lin Zhou found Iron Face and explained the situation. Iron Face didn't say a word, and pulled up the complete files of all officers newly transferred to the Seventh War Zone in the last three months—including their original personnel records, promotion records, and Divine-Grade health check reports.
[File · Anomaly Discovered]
- Name: Zhao Lingyun
- Rank: Lieutenant General (Newly transferred, Position: Vice Commander of the Seventh War Zone)
- Divine-Grade: LV1500
- Transfer Time: Two months ago
- Appointment Method: Issued directly by Expeditionary Force headquarters, Top Secret
- Is General Rex informed: No
- Remarks: Former Deputy Minister of the Operations Department of the Expeditionary Force headquarters, has close personal ties with Vice Commander Chen Tianchou
"Zhao Lingyun…" Lin Zhou had never heard this name. "Where is he?"
"In the Seventh War Zone. His station is in the East District of the fortress, in an independent office building." Iron Face pulled up Zhao Lingyun's location, "He is nominally a 'War Zone Advisor' and does not participate in daily command. But in reality, his authority is higher than General Rex's—he can report directly to headquarters, bypassing General Rex."
"This is the person Vice Commander Chen Tianchou mentioned. Zhao Lingyun is the hidden Vice Commander."
Lin Zhou stood up. "I need to see him."
"Under what name?"
"In the name of the Commander of the Civilization Guardian Legion. Reporting on the front-line combat situation."
Iron Face thought for a moment. "I will accompany you. The status of the Inspection Department can keep him from acting rashly."
The two arrived at the independent office building in the East District of the fortress. Zhao Lingyun's office was on the top floor, with two guards standing at the door, Divine-Grade LV600. Seeing Iron Face's inspection uniform, they dared not block them.
Zhao Lingyun sat behind the desk, in his forties, with a refined face and gold-rimmed glasses, looking less like a soldier and more like a scholar. His Divine-Grade was LV1500, his aura steady, with no traces of Return to Ruins energy. But Lin Zhou knew that high-level believers of the Void Sect could perfectly hide their Return to Ruins aura.
[Zhao Lingyun · Observation Data]
- Divine-Grade: LV1500
- Return to Ruins energy traces: None (Surface)
- Fire of Civilization perception: Weak reaction
The Fire of Civilization flickered slightly in Lin Zhou's palm. He felt it—deep within Zhao Lingyun's Divine-Grade, there was a trace of an extremely faint, dark red light. It was of the same Origin as the Return to Ruins energy in Karon's Divine-Grade.
"General Zhao." Lin Zhou saluted.
"Brigadier General Lin Zhou, I've heard much about you." Zhao Lingyun smiled, "I heard about the achievements of the Civilization Guardian Legion back at headquarters. Sit."
Lin Zhou sat down, and Iron Face stood behind him.
Zhao Lingyun glanced at Iron Face, his smile unchanged. "A commissioner from the Inspection Department is here to listen to the report as well?"
"Routine duty." Iron Face was expressionless.
Lin Zhou began to report the front-line combat situation—the reconnaissance progress of the Seventh War Zone, the purification status of the corrupted wrecks, and the results of clearing out the remnants of the Void Sect. Zhao Lingyun listened very carefully, nodding from time to time, and occasionally asked a few questions.
After the report, Zhao Lingyun stood up and walked to the window. "Brigadier General Lin Zhou, I am very satisfied with your achievements. I will recommend you for promotion to Major General to headquarters."
"Thank you, General."
"Is there anything else?"
Lin Zhou stood up. "No."
He turned around, preparing to leave.
"Lin Zhou." Zhao Lingyun called him.
Lin Zhou turned back.
"You have done a good job investigating the Void Sect. But some things are not for you to manage. When it's time to stop, you must stop."
Lin Zhou was silent for a moment. "General, some things cannot be stopped."
He walked out of the office, with Iron Face following behind.
The moment the door closed, Lin Zhou said in a low voice: "He has already been corrupted. The degree is lighter than Karon, but he is indeed corrupted."
"What is the evidence?"
"The perception of the Fire of Civilization. Deep within his divinity, there is energy from the Abyss."
"Can it be used as evidence in court?"
"No, because only I can perceive it."
Iron Face remained silent. "Then what should we do?"
"Keep an eye on him. He will show his true colors."
Upon returning to the barracks, Lin Zhou had Li Mo secretly install rule detectors under Zhao Lingyun's office building.
The detectors could record all of his energy fluctuations, communication logs, and personnel entering and exiting.
[Surveillance · Deployment]
- Target: Zhao Lingyun
- Method: Rule Detector
- Quantity: Five
- Location: Around the office building
- Time: 24-hour continuous monitoring
Three days later, the detectors transmitted the first batch of data.
[Detector · Data]
- Zhao Lingyun's energy fluctuations: Normal
- Communication logs: Frequent contact with headquarters (Normal)
- Personnel entering/exiting: Several unidentified individuals
Among them, one individual caught Lin Zhou's attention—a person wearing a black cloak with their face obscured.
The detector captured their energy fluctuations—Divine-Grade LV3000, with an aura similar to a Cardinal of the Void Sect.
"A Cardinal? Aren't they all dead?" Wang Meng asked in surprise.
"The white-robed bishops are dead, and two of the three Cardinals are also dead. There is one left who hasn't been found."
Lin Zhou zoomed in on the energy fluctuation chart of that person. "It's him. The last Cardinal. The fact that he came to find Zhao Lingyun means Zhao Lingyun is his mole in the military."
"Should we arrest him?"
"No. We must play the long game to catch a big fish."
Lin Zhou continued the surveillance. Over the next week, the person in black met with Zhao Lingyun three times.
Every time they met, Zhao Lingyun would disable the communication and detection shielding in his office.
But Lin Zhou's rule detectors were coated with the Fire of Civilization and were unaffected by conventional shielding.
[Meeting · Records]
- First time: Discussed the supply line attack plan
- Second time: Discussed the seizure of the Abyss energy core
- Third time: Discussed how Zhao Lingyun would take over command of the Seventh War Zone
After the third meeting, Zhao Lingyun began to make his move.
Using the name of "Headquarters Special Envoy," he demanded that all legions submit their daily battle reports to him.
This meant he was gradually seizing command of the Seventh War Zone.
Lin Zhou found General Rex and handed him the surveillance data.
After reading it, General Rex's face turned grim. "Zhao Lingyun... He is my junior. When we were at the officer academy, I mentored him."
"General, he has already been corrupted."
"I know." General Rex stood up. "But he hasn't shown any clear flaws. Without evidence, we cannot move against him. He has the Expeditionary Force headquarters behind him; moving against him would mean becoming an enemy of headquarters."
"Then let's make him show a flaw."
"How?"
Lin Zhou thought for a moment. "Give him an opportunity—an opportunity that will allow him to seize command. For example, have you, General Rex, 'temporarily leave' the Seventh War Zone."
"Are you crazy?"
"It's not madness, it's flushing the snake out of its hole. General, leave the Seventh War Zone for three days under the pretext of 'returning to headquarters to report for duty.' Zhao Lingyun will definitely seize the chance to take over command. At that time, he will inevitably contact the Void Sect to deploy his next move. We will monitor the whole process and obtain irrefutable evidence."
General Rex remained silent for a long time. "Three days. I will only give you three days."
"That is enough."
The next day, General Rex boarded a shuttle and left the Seventh War Zone, heading to headquarters to report for duty.
The news quickly spread throughout the fortress. When Zhao Lingyun heard the news in his office, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
That evening, he summoned the commanders of all legions to a meeting.
"General Rex has returned to headquarters to report for duty. For these three days, I will be acting commander." Zhao Lingyun sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over the legion commanders present. "All legions, submit daily battle reports directly to me. Frontline reconnaissance missions will be coordinated by me."
Lin Zhou sat in the corner, saying nothing.
After the meeting ended, Zhao Lingyun kept Lin Zhou behind.
"Brigadier General Lin Zhou, your Civilization Guardian Legion is the sharp blade of the Seventh War Zone. For these three days, I need you to go deep into the Chaos Star Domain to execute a special mission."
"What mission?"
Zhao Lingyun handed him a sealed order. "Open it when you reach the destination."
Lin Zhou took the order and walked out of the conference room.
Back at the barracks, he opened the order—the content was to lead his army deep into the Chaos Star Domain to clear out a target "suspected to be a Void Sect stronghold." However, the coordinates were on the edge of the Abyss in the Old Universe, consistent with the escape route of the previous Cardinal.
"He wants to lure me away," Lin Zhou said.
"Why?" Qin Qing asked.
"Because I have the Fire of Civilization in my hand and can detect his Abyss contamination. If I stay in the fortress, he won't dare to make a move. Only by sending me away can he safely take over command."
"Then are you going?"
"I am going. But not really. Have the Dragon Vein Golden Scale disguise itself as my aura and take a small team to those coordinates. I will stay behind and secretly monitor Zhao Lingyun."
"Yes."
The next day, the Dragon Vein Golden Scale transformed into Lin Zhou's appearance and left the fortress with fifty elites. Lin Zhou changed into a standard military uniform, using the Fire of Civilization to simulate the aura of a low-ranking officer, and lurked near Zhao Lingyun's office building.
On the night of the third day, Zhao Lingyun finally made his move.
Under the name of "Emergency Combat," he ordered all legions in the Seventh War Zone to enter the highest state of alert. Then, he walked into the core control room of the command headquarters—the place that controlled the switches for all the defensive Formations in the Seventh War Zone.
The control room required dual authorization from the commander and deputy commander to enter. With General Rex absent, Zhao Lingyun used his status as "acting commander," combined with his own "deputy commander" authority, to enter the control room.
Lin Zhou followed behind him, the disguise of the Fire of Civilization deceiving all the guards.
Inside the control room, Zhao Lingyun stood in front of the main console, his hands pressed onto the operation panel. Dark red light surged from his palms, seeping into the core of the console—he was tampering with the permissions of the defensive Formations.
[Control Room · Status]
- Defensive Formation: Being rewritten
- Rewriter: Zhao Lingyun
- Rewrite target: Change defensive Formation to Abyss energy shield
- Completion: 10% ... 20% ... 30% ...
"Stop." Lin Zhou stepped out from the shadows, the Sword of Civilization in his hand.
Zhao Lingyun turned around abruptly, and upon seeing Lin Zhou, his expression changed drastically. "You... aren't you in the Chaos Star Domain?"
"That was my Dragon Vein Golden Scale." Lin Zhou walked in front of him. "General Zhao, what are you doing?"
Zhao Lingyun was silent for a moment, then laughed. "You are indeed clever. Unfortunately, you alone cannot stop me."
He raised his hand, and a dark red beam of light shot toward Lin Zhou. Lin Zhou swung his sword, severing the beam, and the sword light followed through, slashing toward Zhao Lingyun.
[Sword of Civilization · Damage]
- Target: Zhao Lingyun
- Divine-Grade Integrity: 100% → 80%
Zhao Lingyun retreated a few steps, clutching the wound on his chest. "You... your sword..."
"The Fire of Civilization restrains the Abyss." Lin Zhou stepped closer. "Surrender, Zhao Lingyun. Vice Commander Chen Tianchou has already confessed, and Karon is dead. You are the last one."
Zhao Lingyun sneered. "The last one? No. The Void Sect will never perish."
He burned his remaining divinity, turning into a ray of dark red light, and rushed toward the console.
Lin Zhou rushed forward, and the Sword of Civilization pierced into his chest.
[Sword of Civilization · Purification]
- Target: Zhao Lingyun
- Divine-Grade Integrity: 80% → 50% → 20% → 0%
Zhao Lingyun's body began to turn transparent.
"You... cannot kill... the Void..."
"I am not killing the Void. I am killing you." Lin Zhou retracted his sword.
Zhao Lingyun turned into points of light and dissipated.
[Zhao Lingyun · Fallen]
Lin Zhou stood in front of the console and restored the permissions of the defensive Formations to their original state.
General Rex's shuttle landed on the fortress's landing pad. He walked into the command headquarters and saw the intact control room, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Lin Zhou, you won."
"It wasn't me who won. It was the Way of Civilization that won."
General Rex looked at him and was silent for a moment. "Where is Zhao Lingyun's body?"
"It turned into the Void. There is no body."
"Then what about the evidence of his crimes?"
Lin Zhou pulled up the surveillance records—the entire process of Zhao Lingyun tampering with the defensive Formations, as well as the records of his three meetings with the Cardinal of the Void Sect.
"These are enough."
General Rex nodded. "Lin Zhou, from today on, the defense of the Seventh War Zone is entrusted to you."
"General?"
"I must return to headquarters to report for duty and, incidentally, deal with the aftermath of Zhao Lingyun and Vice Commander Chen Tianchou. For the time being, you will be the acting commander of the Seventh War Zone."
"Me? A Brigadier General as acting commander?"
"Do you have an objection?"
Lin Zhou was silent for a moment. "No."
"That's good."
General Rex patted his shoulder and walked out of the command headquarters.
Lin Zhou stood in the center of the command headquarters, looking at the Star Map.
Qin Qing walked in. "Captain, has the commander left?"
"Yes. Acting commander."
"Is the pressure high?"
"It is."
"But you can do it."
Lin Zhou smiled. "Perhaps."
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