221: Could this be a setup?

Recently, the higher-ups had been exceptionally sensitive to the movements in the Abyss Domain, and Linzhou had also received a joint investigation notice. However, at his level, he couldn't access the most core secrets.

But now, none of that mattered.

What mattered was that he seemed to have found an answer that explained all the illogical phenomena.

He had also found... a reason that even made him feel at ease.

"Captain," the adjutant's voice trembled uncontrollably, "The energy analysis team has sent a preliminary conclusion. The ashes are likely composed of 'Annihilation' attribute energy that we have never seen before. They... they suggest directly raising the incident level to S-class."

S-class.

That meant a city-level disaster warning.

It meant that he, the Captain of the Ninth Squad, would have to submit a report, detailed down to every punctuation mark, to the highest echelons of the military within twenty-four hours, and face the most stringent interrogation.

However, Zhou Zheng was unexpectedly calm.

He turned off the constantly flickering screen and turned to look at his subordinate, who had followed him for many years.

"Do you think people from the Abyss Domain would go through proper immigration procedures?"

The adjutant was stunned, subconsciously replying, "Of course not! They all infiltrate through spatial rifts or other illegal means."

"Then that's that."

A strange sense of relief actually appeared on Zhou Zheng's face.

"A group of illegal immigrants from the Abyss Domain clashed with local forces in the Linzhou Black Market, and were ultimately annihilated in a shootout by an unknown powerful individual. No bodies remained, only some energy residue at the scene. How does that story sound to you?"

The adjutant's mouth slowly opened.

He wasn't a fool; he instantly understood his captain's meaning.

Pushing everything onto the vague concepts of the "Abyss Domain" and "unknown powerful individual."

The officials couldn't find the people from the Abyss Domain.

And the officials certainly couldn't find the "unknown powerful individual" who annihilated them.

No evidence, no witnesses.

This way, Special Operations Division Nine wouldn't have to bear any direct responsibility for this extraordinary incident. They only needed to report, "Traces of Abyss Domain personnel activity were discovered, but they were eliminated in an internal conflict," which would be enough to close the case.

In fact, it could even be considered a merit.

Brilliant!

Truly brilliant!

The adjutant's admiration for his captain rose another notch.

But then he thought of something else.

"What about... Lin Yu?" The adjutant lowered his voice, "We all know that the 'unknown powerful individual' is him. Are we just going to let him off? His danger level..."

Zhou Zheng's smile vanished instantly.

Right.

Solving the procedural trouble only led to a more terrifying, real-world problem.

If those people were indeed powerful individuals from the Abyss Domain.

Then what was Lin Yu, who could effortlessly annihilate them like that?

Zhou Zheng's mind raced.

He began to re-evaluate all his assessments of Lin Yu from this past half-day.

At first, he thought Lin Yu was just a lucky fellow with some talent, who stumbled into good fortune and caught Wang Han's eye.

Later, seeing him crush a face with his bare hands, he thought Lin Yu was a dangerous individual with a bizarre ability.

Even later, when the simulation system crashed, he raised Lin Yu's strength to a level comparable to his own.

Combining this with the special attention from Commander Qin Zhan and Zhong Huai, he boldly gave the astonishing evaluation of "the next Qin Zhan."

But now... "Captain?" The adjutant looked at Zhou Zheng's shifting expression, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"I admit, my previous assessment of him was too narrow-minded," Zhou Zheng slowly exhaled, every word carrying heavy weight.

Adjutant: "..."

Too narrow-minded?

An evaluation like "the next Qin Zhan" was already the ceiling the adjutant could imagine.

And that was still considered narrow-minded?

What would a broader perspective look like then?

"Classify all files related to Lin Yu as confidential," Zhou Zheng's voice was devoid of emotion, "From now on, without my authorization, no one is allowed to investigate, contact, or even discuss anything about him."

"Yes!" The adjutant immediately stood at attention.

"Outwardly, follow the narrative I just gave. One is a public report, stating a gang shootout and a gas explosion."

Zhou Zheng paused.

"The other is an encrypted report, sent directly to Commander Qin Zhan. Just say... forget it, I'll write this report myself."

"Then... Captain, our internal rating for him..." the adjutant asked with difficulty.

Zhou Zheng walked to the main console and brought up an encrypted internal assessment system.

On the screen, next to Lin Yu's avatar, was a bright red label, personally written by him.

[Potential Threat - Qin Zhan Level]

Zhou Zheng stared at those words, silent for a few seconds.

Then, he reached out and deleted that label, word by word.

The adjutant held his breath, watching his captain's operation.

Zhou Zheng's finger hovered over the virtual keyboard for a long time, seemingly deliberating his choice of words.

Finally, he entered two new words that made the adjutant's soul tremble.

Then, without any hesitation, he directly closed the file.

The adjutant couldn't even clearly see what those two words were, only feeling a crimson blur... Fangs Special Forces, Gravity Training Room Number Three.

The metal gate hissed with heavy air pressure, slowly opening.

Qin Zhan emerged shirtless from the 120x gravity environment, his muscles sculpted like steel, sweat steaming into white mist.

He casually grabbed a towel to wipe his face, then walked towards the body data monitor nearby.

"Captain, your instantaneous burst power has increased by another 3.2%."

"Cell activity is stable at peak value."

"Nerve reaction speed... My god, it's broken another record."

Several staff members in white research coats gathered around the screen, letting out a series of suppressed exclamations, their gazes towards Qin Zhan filled with awe and fanaticism.

"Monster."

Someone whispered, immediately earning everyone's agreement.

Qin Zhan was long immune to such praise. He merely glanced at the purplish-red data on the screen, confirmed that he hadn't regressed due to recent complacency, and prepared to leave.

Just then, a team member walked over quickly, looking solemn.

"Captain, an encrypted report from Linzhou Special Operations Division Nine, highest priority."

Qin Zhan's steps halted.

Linzhou Special Operations Division Nine?

He took the black data terminal, sealed with a triple physical lock and an energy field, and waved for the others to retreat.

The corridor outside the training room instantly cleared.

Qin Zhan entered his authorization password and iris verification, and the terminal emitted a soft click, unlocking.

A document was projected into the air before him.

Sender: Zhou Zheng, Captain of Linzhou Special Operations Division Nine.

Qin Zhan had some impression of this name.

He was an old hand, very capable, smooth in his dealings, but still had the bottom line of a soldier. He was a very good fellow; Qin Zhan had even reviewed his file during the military's internal selection back then.