40: Preserved Flower Action

The Eastern Union Imperial Capital, State Security Protection Bureau Strategic Analysis Department.

On the electronic sand table, several glaring red lights flickered on the satellite maps of the Don River Industrial State and several other states.

Seven senior intelligence analysts sat around a circular conference table, each with stacks of encrypted documents and battlefield briefings.

"The Northern Steel Federation's movements on the border are completely illogical," Zhao Zhigang, Director of Military Intelligence Department Three, circled an area on the east side of Gneiss State with a laser pointer.

"I can understand them conducting military exercises on the border to support the referendum. However, after the referendum was completed, instead of deploying troops in strategically important locations, they deployed their most elite armored units to this spot," the light stopped at the edge of a forest, "Ke Er National Forest Park. That doesn't look like a good place for a garrison at all."

Liu Jianjun, head of the Geopolitical Group, pushed up his glasses. "The latest satellite imagery shows that the North Steel Army's camp in the forest park doesn't look like it's for short-term rest."

He pulled up a high-definition image, pointing to the neatly arranged drilling equipment. "These are clearly industrial facilities. This doesn't conform to conventional military logic."

"Unless there's something more important than a strategic location there," Wang Li, head of the Economic Intelligence Section, interjected suddenly.

She overlaid a mineral distribution map on the satellite image. "The proven rare earth reserves in this area are valued at over 200 billion US dollars, and the Holy Mountain is right at the core of the mineral vein."

A buzz of discussion immediately filled the conference room.

"Impossible!" Major General Zhang Weiguo, a military strategy expert, slammed his hand on the table. "Military exercises, a referendum, troops entering 'new territory' in less than 72 hours—all this commotion just to snatch some ore?"

"If it were truly for that small profit, they wouldn't even need a referendum. Wouldn't it be more cost-effective to simply support a puppet regime and then outsource it?"

"Unless they've discovered a new mineral vein," Wang Li pulled up a set of electromagnetic detection data.

"Over the past 72 hours, the intensity of electromagnetic activity by the North Steel Army in the Holy Mountain area has increased by 470%. This far exceeds what's needed for military communications."

Zhao Zhigang tapped the table thoughtfully. "Have you noticed the North Steel Army's codename? The internal briefing refers to the operation as 'Everlasting Flower.'"

"Religious symbolism?" someone guessed.

"Or a misleading codename," Zhang Weiguo sneered. "Back then, the Rhine people of Europa named their invasion plan of the Vistula Federation 'Barbarossa.' Was it really to commemorate that emperor?"

Federal Central District, SIA Analysis Center

Deputy Director Mark Hansen slammed his coffee cup on the table. "It's been seven days! The North Steel People caused such a huge stir, and not only did they not head towards Blackland Kelan, but the main force of the North Steel Army is still stuck in this godforsaken Holy Mountain. Who can tell me why?"

Analysis Supervisor Kyle Jenkins pulled up a heat map. "There are two possibilities: one, they've hidden tactical nuclear weapons in the forest—"

"Radiation scan negative," the weapons control expert immediately interrupted.

"Two, there's a more important objective here than those few states that held referendums," Jenkins switched the screen, showing the large equipment being set up by the North Steel Army's engineering units.

"We've identified this as a K-500 mineral layer scanner, typically used for deep mineral exploration."

Lisa Wu from the Energy Intelligence Department suddenly looked up. "Wait, these coordinates..." She quickly cross-referenced the data.

"Before the Black Sea Autonomous Territory crisis in 2004, the Northern Steel Federation's Geological Survey Bureau had detected rhenium anomalies here."

"Rhenium?" Hansen frowned.

"A core material for aero engines," Lisa pulled up the data.

"Global annual production is less than 50 tons. Our inventory is only enough to sustain six months of wartime consumption."

The office suddenly fell silent.

"So this is Grand Duke Winter's trump card?" Hansen stared at the map. "Cut off the lifeblood of our and our allies' aerospace industry? This is an attempt to repeat history."

"Ruthless!"

Five Ports City, Birch Palace War Room.

Minister of Defense Colonel Sergei Dmitri reported over the sand table. "The first phase of exploration in the Holy Mountain area is complete. The mineral vein has been confirmed to extend at least 200 meters underground. However, according to the drilling results, the deeper the location, the lower the concentration of 'Youthfulness.'"

"No matter. The currently proven reserves are sufficient for us to complete all analysis research and produce tens of thousands of additional doses."

Chief of General Staff Surovikin added, "The 76th Airborne Division has been deployed about 20 kilometers west of Gneiss State, entering a standoff with Blackland Kelan's border guards."

Grand Duke Winter nodded slightly, turning to Minister of Foreign Affairs Lavrov. "International reaction?"

"The Eastern Union is guessing, and the Nova United States is probing," Lavrov revealed a meaningful smile.

"No one believes we would disregard international repercussions for something as 'absurd' as the Stone of Immortality, but they will believe we found a high-value rare metal mine."

"Anyway, Gneiss State hasn't had a moment of peace for the past decade or so. The higher-ups in Blackland Kelan are probably secretly delighted right now."

"Very good," Grand Duke Winter stood up and walked to the window. "Order the troops to strengthen patrols on the new border. Let the West continue to focus on the Slavic Holy City. When they discover the secret of the Holy Mountain,"

Outside the window, the symbol of the Birch Palace shone brightly in the night.

"We will have already grasped the key to the future."

Pierpoint, Strategic Investment Department Exclusive Lounge.

Emerald looked at the global intelligence agencies' internal reports projected on the wall and chuckled. "What interesting analyses."

Topaz munched on potato chips. "They still haven't figured it out?"

"What if they did?" Emerald pulled up the conclusions from the SIA and the Eastern Union's National Security Bureau.

"'Possible rare earth plundering by the North Steel Army,' 'unconventional energy exploration,' 'giant rare metal vein'......" She shook her head. "When the truth is too absurd, even the best intelligence officers will choose the most mundane explanation."

Topaz handed a whole, large potato chip to Numby, who was frantically begging for food, and joked, "Maybe there'll be a genius. After all, geniuses always have irrational ideas, don't they? Absurdity is the most attractive gold to them."

"Oh dear, how should I put this?" Emerald seemed to suddenly discover something, a hint of surprise in her tone. "Little Yelena's mouth is quite something, isn't it?"

"Huh? Hmph?" Topaz & Numby

State Security Protection Bureau Special Analysis Room, 3:12 AM

Lin Mo's desk was piled high with intelligence documents from various sources.

Three monitors simultaneously displayed different screens: the left showed population movement data from the Yunnan Province border, the middle displayed encrypted information sent back by an undercover agent in the Emerald Principality's Northern Mountains, and the right showed international media reports about Mandala.

He rubbed his tired eyes, superimposing the three sets of data in his mind. Red data streams intertwined in his thought space, gradually forming an unsettling network of connections.

"Something's not right..." he murmured to himself, his fingers gently tapping the desk, rapidly cross-referencing the newly formed intelligence network in his mind.

The population of Emerald Principality residents on the Yunnan border, especially in the Northern Mountains region, had sharply decreased by 47% over the past three months.

All undercover agents within the Four Great Families successively lost contact on the same day. A week later, these undercover agents were found collectively unconscious at the border. What was terrifying was that upon waking, none of them remembered how they had fainted, only that they were recording something on their phones just before losing consciousness.

When they woke up, all their phones were gone. The only thing that brought a little comfort was that each person had a red flag of their homeland in their pocket.

Recent news from Mandala has been entirely reports from foreign media praising Mandala's sudden infrastructure upgrades over the past six months as a great victory for democracy and freedom.

"Still here, Lin Mo?" Wang Lei, the Head of the Technical Department, pushed the door open, a cup of coffee in his hand.

Lin Mo didn't look up, merely turning his screen towards him: "Brother Wang, look at this."

Wang Lei leaned closer, his brow gradually furrowing: "That mud pit incident? Wasn't it classified as warlord infighting last month?"

"Too clean," Lin Mo said, pulling up a satellite image and zooming in on the outskirts of Mandala. "The Four Great Families, Ke Qin Independent Army, Wa State, Dan State... all named and prominent armed leaders were precisely decapitated overnight. Even if all special operations teams deployed in Yun Dian Province were dispatched, it would still be a stretch."

"But, coincidentally, only the Gray Market Allied Forces suffered no significant losses. And, completely against common sense, our comrades there were all sent back to the border in their sleep."

He switched the screen, displaying a comparison of buildings: "Look at this again. Mandala's power grid, water supply system, and even road quality all have upgrade announcements, but the Emerald Principality's infrastructure budget this year has no such expenditure."

Wang Lei's coffee cup paused mid-air: "You mean..."

"A force we don't know about has already taken de facto control of the Emerald Principality. Or at least, they've controlled the Northern Mountains," Lin Mo's voice was extremely low.

He pulled up the last photo, a batch of equipment being unloaded at Jinta Port.

Wang Lei leaned closer to the screen, suddenly widening his eyes: "This is... nuclear power equipment?"

"Based on the model, it's not from the Nova United States, nor is it ours," Lin Mo briefly explained, then opened another document.

On the computer screen, an area labeled 'Industrial Park' on the outskirts of Mandala showed a heat distribution characteristic of a nuclear reactor.

"It's not an ordinary nuclear power plant," Lin Mo pulled up a spectral analysis. "Analyzing its external structure alone, the nuclear power institute's opinion is that it's somewhat similar to our fourth-generation fast reactor. The style suggests it's a North Steel People product, but the parameters are definitely a far cry from ours."

"However, even if it's a far cry, this level of technology is at least twenty years ahead of most countries' existing nuclear power plants."

He quickly switched screens, displaying another set of data: "Look at this again. Population movement in the Yun Dian border region has decreased by 57% year-on-year over the past three months. Data from the State Grid shows a 20% reduction in electricity consumption outside the border, and the estimated residential population of the entire Northern Mountains has decreased by 30%."

Wang Lei gasped: "Someone ploughed through the Northern Mountains?"

"Perhaps," Lin Mo pulled up the last image, which was data found on the phones of the Northern Mountains' undercover agents after their return to the country.

"Our people captured this the night the Four Great Families were annihilated."

In the photo, several fully armed figures stood in the firelight. The exoskeleton armor on their bodies gleamed with a cold metallic luster under the moonlight, clearly not standard equipment of any known nation.

While trying to connect these pieces of intelligence, Wang Lei noticed an indescribable anomaly. His professional intuition told him that these anomalies were definitely related to the Northern Steel Federation. In fact, they might even be related to that equally strange conflict thousands of kilometers away.

"Brother Wang, please make an appointment for me," Lin Mo suddenly stood up. "I want to report directly to Director Zhou."

"Alright!"

State Security Protection Bureau, Director's Office

Director Zhou Zhenguo read Lin Mo's report three times, his brow furrowing tighter with each read.

"Your conclusion is very bold, Lin Mo," he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "A mysterious organization hidden in the Emerald Principality, possessing capabilities beyond current technological levels, and having made secret deals with the Northern Steel Federation?"

Lin Mo stood ramrod straight: "Director, all clues point in this direction. The Emerald Principality has changed hands, and we don't even know who the new master is."

Director Zhou was silent for a moment, then suddenly pulled open a drawer and took out a document bag marked 'Top Secret'.

"Look at this."

Lin Mo took the document. Inside were a dozen photos, all satellite images of the 'industrial zone' announced by the government on the outskirts of Mandala.

Beyond the high walls, there was a bustling construction site full of large engineering machinery. Inside the high walls, security was tight. The building materials inside the walls did not appear to be common steel, but what was most striking was that all the guards were wearing an unprecedented type of exoskeleton armor.

Although not clear, as the most advanced player in military exoskeleton technology on the Blue Star, he still had that discerning eye.

"This is..."

"Our satellite captured this three months ago," Director Zhou said in a deep voice. "What's even stranger is that the next day, images of the same area were interfered with by some technology, and we could no longer get clear pictures."

Lin Mo's breathing quickened slightly: "Director, I request to form a special team to conduct an in-depth investigation."

Director Zhou did not answer immediately. He walked to the window, gazing at the night view of the imperial capital, and only spoke after a long while:

"Do you know why all intelligence agencies around the world are watching the Northern Steel Federation and Blackland Kelan after the referendum incidents broke out?"

Without waiting for Lin Mo to answer, he continued: "Because this is the perfect smoke screen. When everyone's attention is drawn in one direction, truly important changes will happen in another unnoticed corner."

"Do you know why I agreed with the Strategic Analysis Department's analysis? Because it was reasonable enough that I had no reason to deny it."

Hearing this, Lin Mo understood the implication in the Director's words, but what followed was even greater confusion. His strong curiosity made him unable to help but ask: "So, Director, you agree with my speculation, but why not investigate further?"

"'Plundering rare earths'? 'Rhenium metal ore veins'? If it were that eagle across the ocean, perhaps it would be possible, but the Northern Steel Federation?" Zhou Zhenguo shook his head. "Although the Red Giant fell decades ago, it still left a lot of wealth for the nascent Steel Federation. Mature political thinking and national capability are the most precious of those many assets."

"Not to mention, Grand Duke Winter is also a direct disciple taught by the most outstanding strategic master of that glorious era."

Hearing this, Lin Mo suddenly understood the Director's meaning.

"Director, your meaning is that for them to engage in behavior completely inconsistent with their political maturity, there are only two explanations. Either the interests of that mining area are so vast that they could rebuild the Red Alliance, or that mysterious organization holds leverage that the Steel Federation's high-level officials cannot refuse."

Zhou Zhenguo turned around, his gaze sharp: "I'll give you five days to come up with more compelling evidence. If you can, I will approve your request to form a special team."