548: Chapter 548 The Storm Is Coming

Konks met the other's gaze without flinching.

"Yes."

He answered very bluntly.

"I made two complete backups. One was handed over to you."

"The other was handed over to a friend of mine, a supervisor in the Interstellar Peace Corporation's Market Development Department, through my father's connections. It was a gesture of gratitude for his help in purchasing the spaceship."

Once those words were spoken, the room fell silent for a few seconds.

The young clerk, who hadn't said much, paused his pen.

The woman pouring water picked up her cup and took a sip.

The square-faced man and another middle-aged man exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat complicated.

To say they were surprised wouldn't be entirely accurate.

It was normal for someone who could think of using the Corporation's armed forces to leave so brazenly to also be thorough and prepare multiple contingencies.

To say they were uncomfortable was also true.

A citizen of their own country had gone through immense hardship to obtain such important intelligence, only to turn around and give a copy to an outside commercial giant.

It felt like a child at home had found a treasure, kept one for themselves, and sold another to the filthy rich street-drifter who ran the pawnshop next door.

But upon careful thought, there was no way to criticize him.

Konks's logic was very clear.

On the Eastern Federation's side, he went through formal channels, seeking fairness and justice, and perhaps expressing dissatisfaction with the current chaotic social trends at home.

But the Eastern Federation's justice had boundaries; it was impossible for them to personally flip the table for someone else's blood debts from over a hundred years ago.

On the Corporation's side, he went through private channels.

The Corporation didn't care about justice; they only cared about profit and risk control.

The resources the Corporation could mobilize and the methods they could employ when driven by profit were, in most cases, more direct and violent than those of the Eastern Federation.

As for the feelings of the Shankong people, the Eastern Federation might consider them for a few seconds, but there was absolutely no chance the Corporation would consider them for even half a second.

The square-faced man sighed, a sigh filled with a bit of helplessness and a bit of understanding.

"Comrade Konks, we understand your actions. From your standpoint, it's normal to want to use every possible power to achieve your goal. The Corporation's channel indeed might bring about faster changes."

"However," he changed his tone, becoming more serious, "the nature of this matter and the potential consequences have already far exceeded the scope of personal behavior."

"From now on, everything regarding the Shankong Civilization—what you saw, heard, and did, including the fact that you passed information to the Corporation—must be kept strictly confidential. You must not mention it to anyone, including your family."

"This is a matter of discipline, and it's also for your own safety."

"I understand," Konks promised solemnly.

"Additionally, before a final conclusion is reached, please do not leave the country for the time being and keep your communication channels open. We may still need your assistance."

"Alright."

The questioning ended there. The square-faced man stood up and shook hands with Konks.

"Thank you again for your work, Comrade Konks."

Konks left the small building and walked out of the quiet courtyard. Outside, Chang'an Avenue was bustling with traffic, and the sunlight was blinding.

He had finished his task for now. The rest was just waiting.

What he didn't know was that almost at the same time he was being questioned, the core summary and preliminary assessment report of the data he brought back had already been placed on the desks of higher-level decision-makers.

It wasn't just some department, but was sent directly to the decision-making core known as the 'Group of Seven'.

For people at this level, the perspective on the issue was completely different from Konks's, or even that of the investigation team.

What they saw first was not the 'evil' of Void, but the value of this intelligence to the Eastern Federation itself.

It was an incredibly detailed and evidence-backed complete case study of how a civilization used the most evil means to achieve internal unification, technological plunder, and ideological imprisonment to establish a regime of continuous oppression.

This case study came at the perfect time.

Within the Eastern Federation, due to the arrival of the Shankong cultural exchange group and the clamor of people like Zheng Huairen, a storm of public opinion regarding the path of civilization, spiritual faith, and material development had been stirred up.

Many young people were confused, and some dregs of the old era were taking the opportunity to resurface.

Now, with this material, the problem was solved.

What 'Gift from the High Heaven'? It was massacre and plunder.

What 'Faith in Order'? It was ideological imprisonment and ethnic cleansing.

What 'Harmony and Stability'? It was a dead silence built on living body modification and a reign of terror.

What 'Advanced Civilization'? It was a bunch of highwaymen who stole others' achievements and couldn't even digest them properly.

This was simply a tailor-made ultimate weapon to dismantle the 'Shankong Myth'.

Every line of evidence could be taken directly and turned into a resounding slap in the face for Zheng Huairen's group and the ideology behind them.

Using the bloody facts of aliens to educate their own children on what true civilization was and what evil paths must be guarded against.

What our fate would be if we failed!

This effect was more useful than holding ten thousand internal study sessions.

As for the current Shankong regime itself, after the members of the 'Group of Seven' finished reading the report, their reactions were very consistent.

They shook their heads.

It wasn't a denial or anything; it was pure sympathy.

"This civilization is rotten to the core," one member said, putting down the report and rubbing his temples.

"Built on plunder and lies, maintained by terror and obscurantism. The technology is stolen, the society is stagnant, the history is fake, and now it's been targeted by the Corporation," another added.

"That Konks gave a copy of the data to the Corporation too?" the third person asked, their tone betraying no emotion.

"Yes, through private channels. That kid has a sharp mind," the fourth person smiled, a bit helplessly. "He knows we have many procedures and concerns, so he wants to borrow the Corporation's blade to vent this grievance."

"If the Corporation's blade draws blood, it'll tear them apart, bone and all, to sell," the fifth person said flatly.

"To be honest, Void's assets are barely enough. The Biotechnica has some value; as for the rest, the Corporation might be interested in those Black Box factories. Everything else is a liability," the sixth person analyzed.

"Let's wait and see," the final person, also the group's convener, summarized. "Internally, use this material well to completely crush the ill winds in the ideological field."

"Externally, since the Corporation already knows about Void's situation, they will inevitably act. We will maintain our sense of propriety—condemn what needs condemning, sanction what needs sanctioning—but there's no need to be at the forefront."

"Don't let any benefits slip by, but don't be impatient either."

"The key is that we cannot let its domestic toxins pollute our own soil."

"Also," he added, "that young man named Konks has done a great service. Protect him; we can give him more responsibilities in the future."

The meeting ended.

The massive machine of the Eastern Federation began to quietly adjust some internal gears in response to this intelligence.

Propaganda, education, culture, security...

Multiple Systems began to formulate plans, preparing to inject the 'Shankong Truth' as a potent medicine into the current social debate at the right moment.

Externally, the Eastern Federation's Ministry of Foreign Affairs merely issued a 'puzzlingly' restrained statement.

It expressed 'concern' over the historical issues of the Shankong Civilization, called for 'objective and fair historical research,' and reaffirmed its principled stance against all forms of crimes against humanity.

But those in the know understood that this was just the slight, abnormal calm on the sea's surface before the storm.

The true eye of the storm was on the other side.

In the office of a certain P27-level supervisor in the Interstellar Peace Corporation's Market Development Department.

That supervisor, the friend of Konks's father, received an encrypted package.

Inside was a data core and a simple note in Konks's father's handwriting.

"A 'local specialty' my son brought back from Void; he said you'd understand as soon as you saw it. The boy is inexperienced and has caused you trouble."

The supervisor had just finished a long budget meeting and was in a mediocre mood. He casually plugged the data core into the offline reading terminal on his desk, intending to give it a quick glance.

Five minutes later, he turned off the terminal and sat in his chair, motionless.

Ten minutes later, he picked up the internal communication and connected to his direct superior, a P32-level Senior Executive.

"Executive, I need to report something to you immediately. It's regarding the 'Shankong Civilization' assets we are currently evaluating."

"I have received some supplementary Materials that could significantly impact our evaluation conclusions."