First Interstellar Guide Chapter 87: Important Clue

Chapter 87: Important Clue

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Marshal Qin Xiao had been investigating the Dark Night Organization for years. However, every move he made was closely monitored by the enemy, so he couldn’t personally conduct the investigation. Therefore, the clues he obtained were very limited. He only knew that the Dark Night Organization had established many experimental bases in various federal star systems. For example, the base on Norma Planet B73 was an important stronghold for their research on the neurotoxin of the Bloodthirsty Flower.

He had suspected the renowned scientist Morvi. But he also felt that, with Morvi’s abilities, it was unlikely for him to establish such a large organization. Now, after hearing Ranran’s explanation, Qin Xiao finally understood the reason—a mimic octopus could impersonate the president. With President Harrison’s endorsement, many people would naturally be willing to join the organization. In this way, the Dark Night Organization’s scale could expand rapidly. After all, the benefits promised by the president far exceeded those of Morvi, the scientist. The president’s identity was also more convincing.

Who exactly was the imitator hiding behind the scenes?

This person must be very familiar with officials in various fields of the federation. Even impersonating the president could make people unable to distinguish between true and false. Qin Xiao carefully went through the names of high-ranking guides in his mind and asked Yu Ran, “Ranran, do you have any suspicions?”

Yu Ran replied, “The president of the guide association, Ludwig. People only know that he is an S+ guide, but they don’t know what his spirit body is.”

His suspicions coincided with Qin Xiao’s. The president was very mysterious, and no one had ever seen his spirit body. Could he be the mimic octopus?

Yu Ran asked, “Grandfather, you have been serving in the military for many years. Do you know about his experiences before he became the president?”

After Ludwig became the president, his previous records were hidden due to confidentiality policies. It was difficult for Yu Ran to directly find useful information, but Marshal Qin Xiao was already in his sixties, having served in the military for over 30 years. He must know the specific background of Ludwig.

Indeed, in the depths of his memory, Qin Xiao opened a file and said, “Ludwig was exceptionally talented since childhood. He entered the Sanctuary at the age of 13, graduated early at the age of 14, attended five years of university at the Federation’s First Military Academy, joined the Sun Legion as a guide accompanying the team at the age of 19, and retired at the age of 27. After retiring, he took a year off and then joined the guide association. When he turned 30, the old president retired, and he was unanimously elected as the new president.” Qin Xiao carefully calculated the time and said, “He has been serving as the president for 15 years now, so he should be 45 years old.”

Yu Ran said, “…45 years old?”

It was hard to associate the age of “45 years old” with the image of a young, handsome, and elegant man with golden hair.

Yu Ran asked in confusion, “His appearance hasn’t changed for so many years. Do you know the reason, grandfather?”

Qin Xiao said, “I’ve heard that he is very concerned about his appearance and extremely narcissistic. Every year, he undergoes facial restoration treatments in the healing chamber to maintain his skin condition at the age of twenty. He has remained unmarried to this day, probably because he believes that no sentinel is worthy of him.”

Professor Morvi’s treatment chambers were indeed effective; Yu Ran’s severed arm was also restored in the healing chamber.

If Ludwig was indeed a man obsessed with his appearance and extreme narcissism, spending a large sum of money each year on “facial restoration,” maintaining eternal youth, then it was just his personal preference, and others couldn’t say much about it.

But Yu Ran felt that something was off. He continued, “Ludwig, during his service in the Sun Legion, did anything special happen?”

Qin Xiao searched his memory carefully and quickly recalled an event, “After Ludwig graduated, he joined the Sun Special Forces and went on missions with them, achieving many military merits. Over a decade ago, the same summer that Ludwig retired, the Sun Special Forces were ordered to the Horologium Constellation to occupy a planet. Sixty percent of the area of that planet was covered by the ocean, which contained a large number of mineral veins, oil, and other resources. Rumor has it that the Special Forces had a fierce conflict with galactic creatures, resulting in heavy casualties. In the end, only the Captain and the guide returned alive to the capital.”

Yu Ran’s pupils slightly contracted—why did this sound so similar to his and Lu Zexuan’s experience in the Dorado Constellation? It was just that, while the Eagle Special Forces “completely perished” in the Dorado Constellation, it was a false image created by Yu Ran and Lu Zexuan; the members were actually hiding on the Red Spider Star. However, the Sun Special Forces did experience “heavy casualties” in the Horologium Constellation, with only the Captain and the guide surviving, which was a real event.

Yu Ran asked, “What is the name of the Captain who survived alongside Ludwig back then?”

Qin Xiao said, “It is none other than the current Commander of the Sun Legion, General Otis.”

General Otis, the Commander of the Sun Legion, and Mrs. Joseph’s husband. Yu Ran had encountered him by chance in the Bay Park, and he had also seen him at the Twin Palace, leaving a deep impression of the man in military uniform with a serious expression.

Yu Ran carefully organized this information, seemingly connecting all the fragmented information together. He remembered that when he met with the fake president, the fake president had said, “Among the four major legions, the Sun Legion is on my side,” indicating that General Otis of the Sun Legion was a member of the Dark Night Organization.

Then, the young man who fought alongside him in his youth, Ludwig, his guide at the time, and now the president of the guide association…Perhaps he was the mimic octopus hiding behind the scenes?

Yu Ran seized the key point and asked, “Grandfather, in your memory, did Ludwig’s appearance change after he retired at the age of 27?”

Qin Xiao said, “No. When Ludwig and Major General Otis returned from the Horologium Constellation, where they barely escaped, they were both injured. I remember Ludwig’s face was scratched by a monster, and it was repaired in the healing chamber. After that, his appearance never changed again. Moreover, he rested for a whole year before returning to work at the guide association.”

Yu Ran looked at the image of Ludwig in his grandfather’s memory and couldn’t help but feel something was off. Over a decade had passed, yet he still maintained the appearance he had at twenty-seven years old, with barely any changes in his skin condition… Was he truly someone obsessed with his appearance? Or was he even a “person” at all?

Yu Ran recalled the Spider Queen he encountered on the Red Spider Star. In the vast universe, there were many unknown planets, and among galactic creatures, there naturally existed highly intelligent life forms like the Queen. What exactly happened to the Sun Special Forces in the Horologium Constellation all those years ago? Were Major General Otis and Guide Ludwig truly the “survivors” of that war?

A daring speculation suddenly occurred to Yu Ran, “Could it be that Ludwig had already perished in that war? And now, the Ludwig appearing before us… is not even human?”

When Qin Xiao heard this, a chill ran down his spine. Ludwig, who hadn’t changed his appearance for over a decade… Was the beautiful face merely a facade for something more sinister beneath?

Yu Ran analyzed, “Mimic octopuses, such spirit bodies have appeared in the human world before. Perhaps there are similar highly intelligent beings in the universe with strong camouflage abilities—they could have taken on Ludwig’s appearance to infiltrate human society. However, having only seen the young Ludwig, it doesn’t know how humans naturally age, so it can only mimic the appearance of Ludwig when he was young.”

Qin Xiao listened to Yu Ran’s conjecture, feeling sweat forming in his palms.

Ranran was right. Since he could encounter highly intelligent Spider Queens on the Red Spider Star, there must be various types of highly intelligent life forms in the universe. With 60% of the Horologium Constellation’s resource planet covered by oceans, it was unknown if there were highly intelligent life forms in those oceans. The heavy casualties suffered by the Sun Legion when they ventured to the Horologium Constellation indicated that the galactic creatures there were extremely vicious. Perhaps only General Otis knew what had truly happened back then. However, he chose to stand with the Dark Night Organization. Or perhaps, he was already under the control of Ludwig.

“But, Ludwig still possesses mental energy and is able to heal sentinels. If he’s a galactic creature underneath, wouldn’t he lose the powerful mental energy that guides have?” Qin Xiao pondered.

Yu Ran thought carefully and said, “What if it’s parasitic?”

“You mean, a highly intelligent parasite completely controlling his body and consciousness?” Qin Xiao clarified.

Yu Ran nodded, “That’s what I’m speculating. I just find it strange that his appearance has remained unchanged for so long. Moreover, after he returned from the Horologium Constellation, he rested for an entire year… Even for a small injury like a scratched face that can be repaired in the healing chamber, a week of rest would be enough. Why would he need to rest for so long?”

“If your speculation is true, then his year-long rest might have been spent hiding away, quietly studying the rules of human society,” Qin Xiao concluded.

The thought of that beautiful man, harboring a terrifying galactic creature within him, sent shivers down the spines of both the grandfather and grandson. All the secrets lay in the Horologium Constellation.

The clues Yu Ran’s parents found back then also pointed to that star system. They discovered an uninhabited planet in the Horologium Constellation, perhaps an experimental base for the Dark Night Organization. However, the Star Legion failed to reach the Horologium Constellation, falling into an ambush by star pirates and having their starship destroyed…

“We must go to the Horologium Constellation to uncover the truth,” Qin Xiao declared decisively.

Yu Ran immediately protested, “Grandfather, you can’t go. It’s too dangerous!”

Qin Xiao smiled gently, looking at Yu Ran, who was surrounded by bubbles in the mental world, “Ranran, I am old now, but you are still young. If you aren’t afraid of death and are willing to infiltrate the Dark Night Organization as a mole, what do I, an old man, have to fear?” His voice was low and calm, “I am the Supreme Commander of the Federation, and I have a responsibility to uncover the truth of what happened back then.”

Yu Ran wanted to say more, but Qin Xiao severed the mental connection directly. He led Yu Ran back to the office, and everyone looked at the pale-faced Yu Ran, who had been “educated.” They couldn’t help but feel some sympathy.

Lu Zexuan hurried forward, gently wrapping his arm around Yu Ran’s shoulder and asked, “Are you okay?”

Yu Ran shook his head and whispered, “I’m fine. The Marshal was right. I shouldn’t have been following you around all the time. Starting tomorrow, I’ll stay in the room next door alone, waiting for you to finish work. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Lu Zexuan nodded helplessly, “Okay.”

Qin Xiao coughed to interrupt their conversation, “General Lu, I’ll be leaving now. If there’s anything the Eagle Legion needs help with, you can contact my assistant secretary.”

Lu Zexuan respectfully said, “Thank you for your concern, Marshal. Safe travels.”

He escorted Qin Xiao to the door before returning to the office with Yu Ran. In his mind, Yu Ran’s restless emotions made Lu Zexuan feel uneasy. He asked in a low voice, “Is the Marshal really going to the Horologium Constellation?”

The mental connection between the two of them allowed Lu Zexuan to hear every word of Yu Ran’s conversation with the Marshal just now. Ranran’s analysis and speculation led to the unsettling possibility that there might be a highly intelligent parasite inside Ludwig’s body. All the answers seemed to point to the Horologium Constellation.

“Grandfather wants to personally investigate the Horologium Constellation,” Yu Ran’s face was pale, his fists clenched tightly. “His spirit body, the Deep Sea Jellyfish, can turn invisible. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to sneak out of the capital star without alerting the Dark Night Organization’s spies. What worries me is if there really are terrifying highly intelligent creatures on that planet, my grandfather might be in danger…”

“But the Marshal has always been resolute in his decisions. If he’s determined to investigate personally, we can’t stop him,” Lu Zexuan furrowed his brows, gently holding Yu Ran’s hand. He whispered, “The Marshal has always had good fortune on his side. Besides, his jellyfish is the most powerful invisible spirit body. Perhaps the situation isn’t as dire as we think?”

“Hope so,” Yu Ran closed his eyes gently. If his speculation was correct and there was indeed a powerful, savage, highly intelligent galactic creature parasitizing Ludwig’s body, capable of mimicking humans, then they would be facing a boss of unimaginable strength. He hoped his grandfather would return safely. He truly didn’t want to lose any more loved ones.