498: Chapter 433: Clues Point to the Quartermaster as a Strong Suspect

The capture of the sixteen Gray-Clad individuals tore a hole in the Seventh War Zone logistics System.

But Lin Zhou knew that this was just the tip of the iceberg.

The upline identified by Zhou Ming consisted of four people—two were already dead, and two were still alive.

The two who were alive held a Rank of at least Lieutenant Colonel, could access high-level secrets, could mobilize vast amounts of supplies, and could cover up the tracks of sixteen people.

People like this numbered no more than twenty in the Seventh War Zone.

Lin Zhou had Qin Qing pull up the list of all officers in the Seventh War Zone with the Rank of Lieutenant Colonel or higher and cross-reference it with the clues provided by the Gray-Clad.

The clues were very vague—only two code names: "Hammer" and "Anvil."

These were not military Ranks or positions, but code names used within the Void Sect.

[Void Sect · Code Name Clues] - Hammer: Responsible for logistics allocation, has access to all logistical supplies - Anvil: Responsible for personnel deployment, can mobilize grassroots officers - Commonality: Both have served in the Seventh War Zone for over five years and both have had direct professional dealings with Karon.

"Over five years, direct dealings with Karon, able to access supplies or personnel..." Qin Qing narrowed the list down to ten people.

Ten people: five in the logistics System, three in the personnel System, and two in the operations System.

Lin Zhou eliminated them one by one, finally leaving three—Major General Horn, Chief of the Quartermaster Division of the Logistics Department; Colonel Zhao Heng, Deputy Chief of the Personnel Division; and Colonel Liu Ming, Chief of Staff of the Operations Department.

[Suspects · Three Individuals] - Horn: Major General, Chief of the Quartermaster Division, responsible for all procurement, storage, and distribution of supplies in the Seventh War Zone. Worked with Karon for eight years; Karon recommended him to the Seventh War Zone. - Zhao Heng: Colonel, Deputy Chief of the Personnel Division, responsible for the deployment of grassroots officers. A classmate of Karon from the Old Universe era, with close personal ties. - Liu Ming: Colonel, Chief of Staff of the Operations Department, responsible for formulating operational plans. Fought alongside Karon in the Old Universe era; Karon once saved his life.

"All three are possibilities." Lin Zhou looked at the list, "But Horn has the greatest authority. He can access all supplies, can mix Void Dust into the supplies, can destroy shield runes, and can leak transport routes. The 'Hammer' mentioned by the Gray-Clad is him."

"What about evidence?" Qin Qing asked.

"There is no direct evidence. However, there is a suspicious point in his resume."

Lin Zhou pulled up Horn's personal file and pointed to a record.

One hundred years ago, Horn was reported "killed in action" during a reconnaissance mission in the Chaos Star Domain.

His Divine Kingdom was destroyed by a Chaos Beast, and his body was never found.

Three months later, he returned to the Expeditionary Force alive.

The military's record stated it was a "misreported death," and no one investigated it.

[Horn · Suspicious Points] - Time: One hundred years ago - Incident: Went missing during a reconnaissance mission in the Chaos Star Domain, judged as killed in action - Three months later: Returned alive, claimed to have been rescued by a passing merchant caravan - Suspicion: No details on the merchant caravan, no record of the rescue process, all accompanying comrades were killed - Follow-up: Normal promotion, no investigation

"A hundred years ago, the Void Sect had not yet surfaced. If Horn had been corrupted back then, he would have been lurking in the military for a hundred years." Iron Face stood behind Lin Zhou, looking at the file.

"One hundred years is enough for him to rise from Major to Major General, enough for him to build a massive network of connections, and enough for him to corrupt countless people."

Lin Zhou stood up. "I'm going to meet him."

"Under what pretext?"

"Inspection of logistics supplies. I am the Commander of the Seventh War Zone; I have the authority to inspect supplies in any department."

Iron Face nodded. "I will accompany you. My identity as an Inspector will ensure he doesn't dare to act rashly."

The two arrived at the Quartermaster Division of the Logistics Department.

Horn's office was on the top floor of the Logistics Department building, with two guards standing at the door, their Divine Rank at LV500.

Seeing Lin Zhou's Major General Rank and Iron Face's Inspector uniform, they did not dare to block them.

Horn sat behind his desk, appearing to be in his sixties, with graying hair and a kind face, looking more like a grandfather next door than a soldier.

His Divine Rank was LV800, his aura steady, with no traces of Void energy.

But Lin Zhou knew that high-level believers of the Void Sect could perfectly hide their Void energy.

[Horn · Observation Data] - Divine Rank: LV800 - Void Energy Traces: None (on the surface) - Fire of Civilization Perception: Weak reaction

Lin Zhou's Fire of Civilization pulsed faintly in his palm.

He sensed it—deep within Horn's Divine Rank was a trace of an extremely faint, dark red light.

It was the same source as the Void energy in Karon's and Zhao Lingyun's Divine Ranks, but more concealed.

"General Horn." Lin Zhou saluted.

"Commander Lin, an unexpected guest." Horn stood up, beaming with a smile.

"What trivial matter in the Logistics Department warrants your personal visit?"

"Routine inspection. There have been quite a few problems in the logistics System recently, and I need to look over things personally."

Horn's smile remained unchanged.

"Of course. Division Chief Qin, take Commander Lin to the warehouse."

"No need to go to the warehouse." Lin Zhou sat down. "I'll just look at the accounts."

A flash of imperceptible tension crossed Horn's eyes, but it vanished quickly.

He had his adjutant pull up all the supply accounts for the last three years and pile them on the table.

Lin Zhou flipped through the accounts, reading page by page.

He read very quickly, with the data analysis System of the Temple of Civilization processing it simultaneously.

The accounts were immaculate—inbound, outbound, losses, every entry was perfectly clear.

But Lin Zhou noticed that the loss rate of one type of material was abnormally high—Origin Space Stones.

The annual quota of Origin Space Stones for the Seventh War Zone was one hundred, and the normal loss rate should be within 5%.

But the accounts showed a loss rate of 15%, an extra loss of ten stones every year.

"General Horn, why is the loss rate of the Origin Space Stones so high?"

Horn remained calm.

"Origin Space Stones are unstable and prone to shattering during transport. The Seventh War Zone is located at the edge of the Void, where spatial fluctuations are frequent, so a high loss rate is normal."

"Is the loss rate the same in other war zones?"

"I am not aware of the situation in other war zones."

Lin Zhou closed the accounts.

"I want to see the physical inventory in the warehouse."

Horn hesitated for a moment but still led him to the warehouse.

Deep in the warehouse area was a separate small warehouse with no number on the door, only a special lock.

Horn opened the lock and pushed the door open.

Dozens of boxes were stacked in the warehouse, labeled "Origin Space Stone · Fragile."

Lin Zhou opened one box, and it was empty.

"This box is empty."

Horn's expression changed.

"Impossible. This batch of stones was just put into storage last month."

Lin Zhou opened the second box, the third... ten boxes, all empty.

Cold sweat beaded on Horn's forehead.

"General Horn, where did the Origin Space Stones go?"

Horn was silent.

Iron Face stepped forward.

"Major General Horn, you have the right to remain silent. But everything you say will be used as evidence in court."

Horn looked up, the kindness in his eyes gone, replaced by a cold, resolute light.

"You won't be able to find it."

He raised his hand, and a dark red beam of light shot toward Lin Zhou.

Lin Zhou had been prepared; with the Sword of Civilization in hand, he severed the beam of light.

The sword light continued, slashing toward Horn's right arm.

[Battle · Data] - Horn Level: LV800 - Attack Mode: Void Energy beam - Lin Zhou Counterattack: Sword of Civilization slash - Effect: Horn's right arm lightly injured

Horn retreated, knocking over the boxes behind him.

He clutched his right arm, dark red blood gushing from between his fingers.

Without surrendering, he burned his Divine Rank, transforming into a streak of dark red light, and fled out of the warehouse.

Lin Zhou did not pursue.

He crouched down and picked up a storage ring that Horn had dropped.

The Fire of Civilization seeped into the ring; it was empty, but it retained the energy fluctuations of the Origin Space Stones.

[Storage Ring · Analysis] - Residual Energy: Origin Space Stones - Last Used Time: Three days ago - Transferred Quantity: Approximately fifty - Destination: Unknown (requires tracking)

"He ran." Iron Face chased to the warehouse door; Horn had already disappeared into the gray-white mist.

"He will return. The high-level members of the Void Sect are all dead; he has no way out."

Lin Zhou put away the storage ring.

"Seal the warehouse and impound all accounts. At the same time, issue a warrant for Horn."

"Yes."

After returning to headquarters, Lin Zhou sent Horn's file and the wanted poster to all war zones.

Horn's military Rank was stripped, and his Divine Rank was marked.

No matter where he fled, he would be tracked.

Qin Qing walked in.

"Captain, Horn has run away. Will the remaining 'Anvil' also run?"

"No. Anvil is in the personnel System; he cannot run. Have Iron Face investigate Zhao Heng and Liu Ming."

"Yes."

Two days later, Iron Face sent word.

Zhao Heng—Deputy Chief of the Personnel Division, Colonel—had also disappeared on the day Horn fled.

A suicide note was found in his office, in which he surrendered to the Military Justice Department, admitting that he was a Gray-Clad of the Void Sect, with the code name "Anvil."

But he did not state his destination.

[Zhao Heng · Surrender Letter] - Content: Admits to being a Void Sect believer, code name "Anvil" - Confession: Collaborated with Horn for many years, transferring supplies and leaking intelligence - Destination: Unknown - Attachment: Communication records between Horn and Void Sect high-level members (partial)

Liu Ming—Chief of Staff of the Operations Department, Colonel—did not run.

He was waiting in his office for the people from the Inspectorate.

During the interrogation, he admitted that he knew Horn and Zhao Heng were Void Sect believers but did not report them.

The reason was that Horn had once saved his life.

"I know I was wrong." Liu Ming lowered his head.

"I am willing to accept military justice."

Iron Face detained Liu Ming, awaiting trial by military court.

Lin Zhou stood on the city wall, looking at the gray-white mist.

Horn and Zhao Heng had disappeared, but their upline might still be there.

The infiltration of the Void Sect was much deeper than he had imagined.

"Captain, what are you thinking about?" Qin Qing walked over.

"I'm thinking about where those fifty Origin Space Stones in Horn's storage ring were sent."

"Can it be tracked?"

"Yes. Li Mo is analyzing the residual energy fluctuations. The transfer of Origin Space Stones leaves behind spatial imprints. As long as the imprints have not completely dissipated, they can be tracked."

In Li Mo's laboratory, an analyzer was processing the energy residues from Horn's storage ring.

Three days later, the results were out—those fifty Origin Space Stones had been teleported to a coordinate at the edge of the Void in the Old Universe.

[Origin Space Stone · Destination] - Quantity: Approximately fifty - Destination: Edge of the Void in the Old Universe - Coordinates: Overlaps with the anchor point of the Lord of Nothingness - Purpose: Likely used to strengthen the anchor point of the Lord of Nothingness

Lin Zhou's pupils contracted sharply.

"The anchor point of the Lord of Nothingness, I purified half of it a year ago. They are using the Origin Space Stones to try and repair the purified part?"

"Theoretically, yes. Origin Space Stones can stabilize spatial rules. Although Void energy is chaotic, it can also be 'anchored' by Origin Space Stones. Horn and Zhao Heng have been transporting resources for the Lord of Nothingness all along."

"How long have they been transporting them?"

"At least ten years. Fifty Origin Space Stones per year, that's five hundred stones in ten years. Enough to restore much of the Lord of Nothingness's anchor point."

Lin Zhou was silent.

When he purified the anchor point a year ago, the countdown to the awakening of the Lord of Nothingness was pushed back from one year to three years.

If Horn and Zhao Heng had been continuously transporting Origin Space Stones for ten years, the level of contamination of the anchor point might be much deeper than he had anticipated.

The half he purified might just be the tip of the iceberg.

"Li Mo, recalculate the awakening countdown of the Lord of Nothingness."

Li Mo pulled up the data and entered the new parameters.

Ten minutes later, the results were out—originally scheduled to wake up in three years, but if the Origin Space Stones transported by Horn were used to strengthen the anchor point, the awakening countdown might be shortened to two years.

[Lord of Nothingness · Awakening Countdown (Revised)] - Original: Three years - Revised: Approximately two years (possibly shorter) - Margin of Error: ± three months

"Two years..." Lin Zhou murmured.

"Captain, we still have time." Qin Qing said.

"Not much." Lin Zhou turned around.

"Pass the order down, the entire army is to enter the highest state of alert. At the same time, accelerate the reproduction of the seed of civilization. Within two years, every inch of land in the New Universe must have the Fire of Civilization."

"Yes."