First Interstellar Guide Chapter 43: The Mole Surfaces

Chapter 43: The Mole Surfaces

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

After returning to his room, Tang Ce didn’t take a nap but instead pondered over the details he had observed earlier. Sentinels were inherently combative. With the exciting and intense battles on the field, most people’s attention was focused on the combatants. When Yu Ran quietly left to fetch water, those who shifted their focus to observe him definitely had some issues.

Among them, Mohr, Lin Fengyao, and Xiong Kai had the highest suspicion, while Hummingbird, who continued to secretly observe Yu Ran, seemed more like she wanted to get closer but was too embarrassed to do so.

Xiong Kai’s attention was the least obvious. He was standing on the sidelines of the combat arena, cheering and applauding like everyone else when the two sentinels were fighting. If Tang Ce hadn’t been paying special attention, it would have been almost impossible to notice that Xiong Kai was watching Yu Ran and Lu Zexuan out of the corner of his eye.

Mohr was openly watching Yu Ran and Lu Zexuan, even smiling without any pretense. Of course, this alone couldn’t rule out Mohr’s suspicion. After all, he was a high-level guide who had been with the Eagle Special Forces for many years and had even become close friends with Lu Zexuan. If he were the mole, he wouldn’t need to conceal anything because no one would suspect that his attention on Major Lu and Yu Ran was anything out of the ordinary.

Tang Ce lay in bed with his hands behind his head, closing his eyes and dozing lightly for a while. He only slept for half an hour before getting up. He had intended to go out and explore to see if he could find anything. However, as soon as he stepped out, he heard a very faint noise at the end of the corridor.

Tang Ce immediately made his lizard take on the color of the wall, quietly leaping to the ceiling and stealthily following. He arrived at the end of the corridor and looked towards the storage room—there, he saw an “invisible person” slowly climbing the wall inside the storage room.

Although the invisibility of the chameleon could deceive most human eyes, Tang Ce, also a spirit body like the chameleon, knew very well how to distinguish a sentinel blending in with the environment, especially one moving slowly while invisible.

Tang Ce silently watched the figure at the doorway. He saw Lu Xiaolong slowly climb into the depths of the warehouse, then reach out a hand, quickly open a cabinet, grab two cans of beef, and stuff them into his arms.

The ability of the chameleon’s spirit body was like putting on an “environmental-colored coat” for the owner. Things put into this “coat” would also blend into the environment. Therefore, the two cans of beef flashed before Tang Ce’s eyes and disappeared.

Tang Ce was speechless.

You occasionally disappear, only to come here and steal food to eat?! Seeing this scene, Tang Ce couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. He didn’t expect the chameleon brother to be a foodie, using his invisibility not to eavesdrop, but to steal cans of food? You’re really not making the most of your abilities!

Lu Xiaolong, crawling along the wall, almost blending into it, suddenly sensed human breath beside him, which blew onto his face. He was stunned for a moment, subconsciously wanting to run, but was grabbed by Tang Ce. “Brother Long, is that you? You scared me!”

Lu Xiaolong’s face changed, and he whispered, “Xiao Tang? What are you doing here?”

Tang Ce said, “I woke up hungry after a nap and wanted to eat something. The dining area isn’t open, so I came to the warehouse to see if there was anything to eat.”

Lu Xiaolong excitedly grasped his hand, “Fellow food lover! I also have a big appetite and get hungry easily. But, the meal times in the team are fixed, and I’m embarrassed to ask Mohr to allocate food for me separately, so I came to the warehouse to steal…to find some cans, cough cough.” He handed a can of beef to Tang Ce, “Here, I’ll share the good fortune.”

Tang Ce took the can helplessly, “Thanks, Brother Long!”

The two invisible sentinels, pressed against the wall, almost merged with it. Passersby couldn’t see them clearly, but they could see the two cans floating in the air and hear the sound of them eating.

Mohr, who got up early to inspect the warehouse, was startled when he saw this scene of “cans floating in the air.” After realizing what was going on, Mohr couldn’t help but smile wryly and adjusted his glasses, “You’re stealing food again, can’t you stop being invisible? I thought I saw a ghost.”

The two immediately embarrassedly revealed themselves.

Lu Xiaolong scratched his head, chuckling, “Dr. Mohr, you got up so early?”

“I didn’t sleep. I’m not like you sentinels who love to fight; I don’t need sleep to replenish my energy.” Mohr walked over, observing Tang Ce and Lu Xiaolong with a smile that seemed like it wasn’t a smile. “I thought so. Every time we count the canned food in the warehouse, there are always a few missing. It turns out you two have been stealing and eating.”

Tang Ce was speechless. I’m really innocent; it’s all the chameleon’s doing!

Mohr raised an eyebrow, saying seriously, “You two, go organize the warehouse, sort and arrange all the cans and milk. Also, if you want to eat something in the future, just tell me directly. There’s no need to sneak around and steal food like thieves. There’s no shortage of supplies on the starship. What’s with all this sneaking around?”

Lu Xiaolong ran away disheartenedly, and Tang Ce could only follow him to the warehouse.

The two of them quickly and skillfully worked, categorizing and arranging the different foods. Perhaps because of experiencing a “misery loves company” situation, Lu Xiaolong’s attitude towards Tang Ce became noticeably warmer. He took the initiative to talk to Tang Ce, “Sorry, I got you into trouble this time.”

“Brother Long, don’t worry about it!” Tang Ce muttered softly as he worked, “Mohr is quite fierce, huh?”

Lu Xiaolong said, “No, he’s actually very gentle.”

Tang Ce pretended to be curious and asked for information, “Really? How gentle is he?”

Lu Xiaolong said, “He joined the army early, and he’s older than us. He’s always taken care of us and worries about our mental state all the time. You don’t know, he’s actually quite pitiful. He lost his parents when he was 16.”

Tang Ce immediately seized on the key point, “He’s an orphan?”

Lu Xiaolong said, “Yeah, every holiday he has nowhere to go, so he spends it alone in the White Tower. He’s an A-grade guide, Mrs. Joseph has tried to match him with A-grade or higher sentinels many times, but he’s always refused. He could retire, really, but he doesn’t trust leaving us, so he stays in the squad to help… You know, he could find a well-off partner and settle down, get married, have children, live a stable life, instead of adventuring with us all the time.”

Tang Ce was speechless. Something didn’t seem right the more he listened.

Either I misunderstood him, or he’s actually a very gentle and loyal person. Tang Ce paused and casually asked, “By the way, what kind of person is Deputy Commander Xiong? He doesn’t talk much and didn’t participate in the morning combat.”

It was normal for new recruits to ask about other members of the team, so Lu Xiaolong didn’t suspect anything. 

Hearing Tang Ce inquire about Deputy Commander Xiong, he suddenly lowered his voice and leaned in close to Tang Ce’s ear, saying, “Deputy Commander Xiong’s background is not simple. Once, I got up at three in the morning to sneak a snack, passed by his room, and heard him talking to his family. His dad seems to be some kind of leader, very influential, and he told Deputy Commander Xiong that he had arranged everything, asking him to serve two more years and then return home for a position in the government or something.”

Tang Ce suddenly realized, “I see! His family is quite influential, we shouldn’t offend him.”

Lu Xiaolong nodded in agreement, “Exactly, we shouldn’t offend someone with such a background.”

While Tang Ce was outwardly asking Lu Xiaolong about the team, he was actually thinking quickly. Deputy Commander Xiong only talked to his family at three in the morning, which seemed suspicious. His father had already arranged everything? Lu Xiaolong, you heard such a crucial piece of information while sneaking around at night – and the government?

Tang Ce didn’t understand the government at all, but he believed Yu Ran should know the details. Guides had much better memory than sentinels, so sharing this critical information with Yu Ran might lead to some analysis.

***

At two in the afternoon, all the sentinels were awake, and Yu Ran also arrived at the command hall. Tang Ce worried that too much contact with Yu Ran might arouse suspicion from the mole, so he just joked around with the chameleon and completely ignored Yu Ran.

Yu Ran didn’t give Tang Ce any attention either, and went to stand next to Mohr voluntarily.

Lu Zexuan scanned everyone and said, “Everyone’s awake? Recovered your strength?”

The sentinels all responded in unison, “Recovered!”

Mohr looked at Lu Zexuan and suggested, “Major Lu, we’ll reach the target planet in two hours. Just to be safe, I’ll recheck everyone’s mental landscape to eliminate any negative factors. Also, since this mission is risky and unknown, I suggest giving everyone a dose of artificial guide essence injection. When necessary, it will help calm them down quickly.”

Lu Zexuan nodded, “Alright, let’s do as you suggest.”

The two guides sat in the treatment room, and except for Lu Zexuan, all the sentinels queued up to go in for the check. Hummingbird was very enthusiastic and was the first to come for the check.

Yu Ran had just extended his mental tendrils into her landscape when cheerful bird calls sounded from the forest, “Oh, he’s so cute, even cuter up close! Especially his two different-colored eyes, so beautiful! The little fox is so soft, can I touch it…”

Yu Ran, “?”

Lin Fengyao didn’t expect Yu Ran to enter her mental landscape with Mohr, immediately blushed, and said in the mental world, “I-I’m sorry, my bird loves to talk nonsense. Please don’t mind, really, please don’t mind.”

Yu Ran was speechless.

Mohr stifled a laugh and said, “You, tone it down a bit.”

Lin Fengyao immediately quieted down, and her spirit bird hid away due to embarrassment.

Yu Ran was very helpless. This sister had been secretly observing him all along, thinking he was cute, wanting to be friends with him, wanting to touch his little fox, but feeling too embarrassed, so she kept observing secretly… Causing Tang Ce to think she was the mole.

One sentinel after another came for the check. Finally, it was Tang Ce’s turn. He obediently sat down and closed his eyes. This time, it was Mohr and Yu Ran who conducted the check together. If Yu Ran wanted to talk to Tang Ce, he had to deceive Mohr.

Yu Ran superficially used his green tendrils to check Tang Ce’s shrubbery, but secretly mimicked the scene of his last conversation with the Marshal, quietly isolating an invisible area in the swamp, and used the invisibility ability of the nine-tailed fox to converse with Tang Ce.

“How is it? Any discoveries?”

“When you were delivering water to Lu Zexuan, Mohr, Lin Fengyao, and Xiong Kai were all observing you, but the chameleon was nowhere to be found. I investigated, and the chameleon occasionally disappears, but only to sneak into the warehouse to eat. He’s a foodie, so we can rule out suspicion on him.”

“Hummingbird was secretly observing me, wanting to be friends,” Yu Ran asked, “What about Mohr and Xiong Kai?”

“Both of them are suspicious, but I lean more towards Xiong Kai—when Xiong Kai observes you, he doesn’t show any signs, making it hard for others to notice him paying attention to you. His father’s identity is not simple, seemingly related to the government. I don’t know much about it, do you have any relevant information?”

“I do.” Yu Ran had spent a week memorizing detailed information about all government officials, military officials, and prominent figures in the Federation for an undercover mission. He quickly searched his memory. “The surname ‘Xiong’ is not uncommon in the Federation, with many sentinels and guides named after bears, including black bears, brown bears, polar bears, and even raccoons, with the surname Xiong. So, initially, they didn’t suspect anything because of Xiong Kai’s surname. However, a Xiong surname official related to the government…”

Yu Ran immediately recalled the information in his mind and said clearly, “Xiong Xingyan, a Federal Congressman, spirit body is a black bear, A+ sentinel; his wife, Qi Ruolan, a professor at the Federal Central Academy of Sciences, spirit body is a queen bee, A+ guide; they have a son and a daughter. However, the information about their children has always been kept confidential, as per the regulations of the Federation government. The offspring of important officials need to be protected by keeping their information confidential. Suppose Xiong Kai is their son, then Xiong Kai should also have a sister.” Yu Ran paused and asked Tang Ce, “Do you know any girls surnamed Xiong, whose spirit body is related to bears or bees?”

“I don’t know any with the surname Xiong. But, daughters could also take their mother’s surname, right?” Tang Ce suddenly thought of a name, “If she takes her mother’s surname, then Qi… That’s it! Qi An!” Tang Ce interrupted, “Her spirit body is a bee, and she graduated from the Federation’s First Military Academy’s Reconnaissance Institute. She was a prominent figure during her time at school. I should call her senior, she’s two years older than me.”

“The queen bee who can summon bees? Could she be the Deputy Head of the Investigation Division?” Yu Ran followed Tang Ce’s train of thought and suddenly thought of this person.

“Did she go to the Investigation Division? In that case, if Xiong Kai is the mole, the couple you found out about, his parents, they could all have been bought by the Dark Night Organization!” Tang Ce couldn’t believe it, “Government official, Professor at the Federal Academy of Sciences, Deputy Head of the Investigation Division… These are all high-ranking positions!”

This result was even more terrifying than Mohr being the mole. After all, Mohr was alone and couldn’t cause much trouble. But if Xiong Kai’s whole family were members of the Dark Night Organization, it meant that the organization’s infiltration, which had lasted for many years, had already permeated various fields of the Federation.

Yu Ran recalled the sudden attack by the Investigation Division at the Twin Palace banquet last time—

Zhu Tianyi, with the Deputy Head, controlled the situation using the wide surveillance ability of the bees. At that time, Yu Ran didn’t reveal any flaws and successfully escaped. But now thinking back, suppose he and Ailene had been caught then… The Dark Night Organization had a backup plan!

If there were Dark Night Organization members in the Investigation Division, especially the Deputy Head, right by Zhu Tianyi’s side! In other words, during Zhu Tianyi’s sudden “ambush operation,” the Deputy Head wasn’t there to help Zhu Tianyi catch people but to provide cover for friendly forces! No wonder, during the investigation of the theft of sentinel academy data before, Yu Ran had never seen this mysterious Deputy Head. But at that important banquet, she suddenly appeared with a large group of bees.

At that time, Yu Ran didn’t know her name. But now with this analysis, her spirit body was group attack bees, inherited from her mother, her name was taken from her mother, her father was a government official, and her younger brother, Xiong Kai, was undercover in the Eagle Special Forces.

The whole family was exposed.

If Yu Ran’s speculation was correct, then Qi An found out that Director Zhu was going to attack the banquet venue and urgently reported it to the organization. The Dark Night Organization sent her to follow Director Zhu to help Ailene and Yu Ran escape!

The more Yu Ran thought about it, the more likely it seemed! Such important information, the organization wouldn’t just let Yu Ran hand it over to Ailene. In case there were problems during the banquet handover, another mole—Deputy Head Qi An of the Investigation Division—would try to steal the data, as a double insurance.

On the special forces side, the Dark Night Organization probably wanted to control the Eagle Legion through Lu Zexuan. Sending just one mole to monitor Lu Zexuan wasn’t very useful. But buying an entire family and embedding their eyes in various fields was more in line with the Dark Night Organization’s style.

The Marshal said that the organization’s infiltration was to an unknown extent, even he didn’t know. He even suspected that there were enemies around him. So, he didn’t dare to take in Tang Ce back then and always kept in touch with Yu Ran alone. He also reminded Yu Ran that although the Investigation Division was under the President’s control and had strong capabilities, it might not be clean internally and couldn’t be trusted!

If the Deputy Head was the mole, then indeed, the fox was hard to guard against. No matter how much Zhu Tianyi investigated, it would be difficult to make any progress.

The enemy’s terrifying and powerful strength far exceeded expectations. From now on, he must be even more careful.

Yu Ran quickly calmed down and said, “Major Tang, we should minimize contact with Xiong Kai, pretend like we haven’t found anything, or it will alert the snake. If he encounters danger, we still have to save him—keeping him alive is the key to better utilizing him.”

Tang Ce thought the same and immediately said, “Understood. He’s in charge of the starship, and if he encounters danger, I’m afraid he might abandon everyone and run with the starship. So, you also need to be careful.”

Yu Ran said, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him.”