70: Poisonous words

"Bastards! Bastards!" Xing Zhan slammed a fist onto the metal tabletop, producing a dull, heavy thud. "I'm going to tear them into ten thousand pieces! Draw up a general offensive plan immediately! I want to flatten that damned base within three hours!"

"Sir, please calm down!" The adjutant's face was deathly pale as he found the courage to advise, "We know nothing about the enemy's firepower configuration, troop numbers, or even who their Commander is! The annihilation of the 'Ghost' squad proves their defense system far exceeds our estimates. Attacking now is too risky!"

"Risky?" Xing Zhan's bloodshot eyes glared at him. "That word doesn't exist in my dictionary! I only want revenge!"

"But... the men's morale..." The adjutant's voice dropped. "Everyone witnessed the strength of 'Ghost,' yet they vanished just like that, without a sound... Now the camp is in a panic, everyone's guessing what kind of monster is hidden in that base."

"A bunch of useless trash!" Xing Zhan roared, yet he couldn't deny the truth. He could feel that the sudden barrage of artillery had not only destroyed his camp but had also crushed his troops' morale.

At that moment, a bizarre piece of music, sounding as if it came from the depths of hell, began to play slowly from all the broadcast units in the camp.

It was funeral music—mournful and desolate—sounding exceptionally jarring across this silent wasteland.

"What the hell is this?!" Xing Zhan's troops were caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.

Inside the Mining Area No. 7 command center, Reno watched the chaos in the enemy camp on his screen and asked with a puzzled look, "Boss, what's this... for? Playing funeral music before a battle?"

"Shh." Chen Feng made a silencing gesture, a cruel smile touching his lips. "Listen, the funeral is about to begin."

Amidst the funeral music, a synthesized voice—mimicking the specific tone of Giant Star Mining's high-level executives—spread clearly throughout the valley via the high-power broadcast system.

"Warriors of Giant Star Mining, soldiers of the Scavenger Unit, today, with heavy hearts, we are here to mourn our three bravest warriors—the heroes of the 'Ghost' squad."

In Xing Zhan's camp, all the soldiers froze, looking at one another in confusion.

"They did not die from enemy fire, nor did they sacrifice themselves on a glorious battlefield." The voice was filled with grief and regret. "They died of betrayal! They died due to the conspiracy of a base and shameless parasite named Bachm!"

"What?!"

"Steward Bachmu?"

Uncontrollable gasps of shock rose from the crowd.

In the command center, Reno was dumbfounded; he finally understood Chen Feng's intention.

The "eulogy" in the broadcast continued, skillfully mixing in one detail after another that was difficult to distinguish as true or false.

"...According to internal communication records we intercepted, Bachm, the mining area manager with the ID JTS-07-MGR, was about to be exposed for corruption totaling 3.7 million interstellar credit points. In a fit of madness, he colluded with an external smuggling ring, attempting to sell out the entire Mining Area No. 7 in exchange for protection!"

"He deceived Commander Xing Zhan with false military intelligence! He sold out the 'Ghost' squad's infiltration route, leading them into an ambush set by traitors! He even, not long ago, sent an encrypted email to his superior—the Regional Auditor—with the subject line 'How to dispose of an overly bothersome investigative unit'!"

These details were half-speculation and half-real dirt that Chen Feng had dug out from Bachm's database!

"Bullshit! Utter nonsense!" Inside his mobile command vehicle, Xing Zhan angrily kicked the broadcast receiver to pieces.

But it was useless. Rumors had already spread like a plague through the iron army he had built with his own hands.

"I remember now, Steward Bachmu was indeed acting suspicious before..."

"That's right, before 'Ghost' set out, he specifically sought out the captain for a private talk!"

"No wonder the base's defenses were so precise; it was that bastard Bachm who tipped them off!"

The soldiers' whispers merged into an undercurrent, and questioning gazes began to turn toward their Commander. At this moment, Xing Zhan's authority faced an unprecedented challenge. He knew it was a trick, but he couldn't defend himself because he had no evidence to refute it! Was he supposed to tell the soldiers that Bachm had already been buried and he himself knew nothing about it?

Just as Xing Zhan was sinking into a vortex of rage and frustration, his private command channel suddenly let out a "beep," receiving an encrypted file with the highest clearance.

He snapped it open, his pupils suddenly constricting.

The contents of the file were outrageously simple.

The first part was a list, terrifyingly detailed—his unit's current casualty count, remaining ammunition reserves, energy block consumption rate, and even a psychological stress assessment index for his soldiers.

The second part was a combat plan. A multi-point strike plan targeting his supply lines, precise down to the minute. The map even marked his most deeply hidden backup supply point.

At the end of the file, a line of cold text was attached.

"Commander Xing Zhan, your mission is to suppress a rebellion, not to be buried with a dead embezzler. Withdraw your troops now, and you can blame all failures on Bachm. Otherwise, you will lose everything here, including your honor."

This line of text was like a bucket of ice water poured over Xing Zhan's head, extinguishing all his anger and leaving only a bone-chilling cold.

He understood that the opponent's intelligence capabilities had already exceeded his comprehension. Continuing to fight wouldn't be a war; it would be suicide.

After a long silence, this bloodthirsty Commander, amidst extreme reluctance and humiliation, squeezed out a few words from between his teeth.

"Full... army... retreat!"

Inside the base, the miners watched as that once-invincible fleet turned around in disarray like beaten dogs and fled in haste. First there was a dead silence, followed by a burst of deafening cheers.

They had won! They had actually forced back Giant Star Mining's ace unit!

In the command center, Chen Feng stood before the massive viewport, quietly watching the departing enemy ships. To Reno, who was also immersed in ecstasy behind him, he said:

"It's a bit early to cheer."

"Go, let's sweep our true 'Kingdom' clean."