Game: Civilization Paradise

Kazir led Long Ming and the others onto a mobile platform. He reached out and tapped the virtual interface, selecting S1 Sector as the destination.

The mobile platform began to move rapidly.

…

「L1 Sector.」

Inside a private meeting room.

A middle-aged man with graying temples, dark skin, and deep-set eyes sat coldly in a chair, dressed in the uniform of a major general.

Nearby, Bassaf was like an ant on a hot griddle, speaking with utter desperation.

“Legion Commander Kefamo, you have to save me this time!”

“You only think of me when you’re in trouble? Are you a complete idiot? I ask you to transport some cargo, and you manage to sink the Kunpeng! If you hadn’t been so overconfident—if you’d just stayed put at Light Tower Base and waited for rescue—would any of this have happened?”

Legion Commander Kefamo glared at Bassaf, scolding him angrily.

“I know I was wrong, I really do, but I’m in huge trouble now. A ton of supplies on the Kunpeng are missing, and the Energy Crystals were completely looted! The officials from the Third Legion and the Star Alliance are absolutely furious!”

Bassaf pleaded with Kefamo.

“The Energy Crystals are gone? How could you let this get any worse? Didn’t you know the Council specifically requested those crystals?”

“I know, but I never expected the Energy Crystals to get lost!”

“I don’t even know what to say to you. You’d better pray that those people from Dark Abyss can find that batch of Energy Crystals. Otherwise, you’re a dead man!”

Hearing that the Energy Crystals were gone, Kefamo was so furious he could have exploded.

KNOCK KNOCK.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” Kefamo said in a cold voice.

CREAK.

The door to the meeting room was pushed open.

A burly, bald man with a violent expression strode in, followed by personnel from the Dark Abyss. He wore the uniform of a lieutenant general, and a tattoo of a twisted Fierce Beast was branded on his neck.

“Deputy Legion Commander Talona, why did you come in person?” Legion Commander Kefamo said very politely.

Although he was the Legion Commander of the 42nd Legion, he was no match for Talona—the Deputy Commander of the Third Legion—in rank, status, or power.

“Kefamo, look at this fine mess your 42nd Legion has made. A bunch of fat rats!” Talona questioned him icily.

“Deputy Legion Commander Talona, you know that the composition of the 42nd Legion is very complex. But I never imagined these guys would be audacious enough to touch the Military Department’s supplies. Rest assured, I will show no favoritism. If their guilt is confirmed, they will be punished severely!” Kefamo said to Talona.

“That’s right. They must be punished severely,” Bassaf chimed in, his expression tense.

Talona turned his head to look at Bassaf and said sharply, “Oh, we’ll punish them severely, alright. But the one who deserves the most severe punishment right now is you!”

Hearing Talona’s words, the color drained from Bassaf’s face. He shot a pleading look at Legion Commander Kefamo.

Although Legion Commander Kefamo didn’t really want to get involved, Bassaf was, after all, his right-hand man. ‘If I abandon him now, who will follow me in the future?’ And so, he spoke up.

“Commander Talona, Bassaf truly made a mess of things this time, and he bears undeniable responsibility. But the issue with the Energy Crystals had nothing to do with him. He was occupied with holding off that Insect Ship the entire time.”

“That’s right! Commander Talona, I never thought the Energy Crystals would go missing. Don’t worry, I’ll find them for you if it’s the last thing I do!” Bassaf chimed in eagerly.

“Energy Crystals? Do you really think I came here just for the Energy Crystals?”

As Deputy Legion Commander Talona spoke, the veins on his forehead bulged.

“Then what did you come for?”

Kefamo was suddenly seized by a very bad feeling.

“Let me tell you, the egg has a problem too! You can explain it to the Council President yourselves!” Deputy Legion Commander Talona roared in a thundering rage.

“How is that possible? Isn’t the egg still there?”

Bassaf looked as if he’d been electrocuted, his face a mask of pure terror.

Kefamo’s face turned ashen, but he remained calm enough to ask, “What exactly happened? If the egg was also lost, how are we only finding out now? Was it swapped out?”

“It wasn’t swapped out. The egg is just an empty shell now,” Deputy Legion Commander Talona said coldly.

“How could this be?”

Hearing this, Bassaf felt as if he had been plunged into an icy cavern, his face a mask of despair.

At that moment, a man in a Dark Abyss uniform, with a pale face and eyes like a vulture, stepped forward and said hoarsely, “Deputy Legion Commander Bassaf, you are suspected of incompetent command, dereliction of duty, and condoning the plunder of Star Alliance assets, among other crimes. Please come with us for questioning.”

Bassaf looked to Legion Commander Kefamo for help.

But Legion Commander Kefamo simply turned his head away.

Bassaf instantly deflated like a punctured balloon and was led away by the men from Dark Abyss.

…

——————————–

「Dark Abyss Department.」

Kazir led Long Ming and the others inside.

As far as the eye could see, the entire Dark Abyss Department was filled with rows of cold, metal cells. Most of these were interrogation rooms, torture chambers, and the like.

Kazir first escorted Long Ming and his group to the storage area, making them empty out all their equipment and the contents of their safes.

Then, they were split up and taken into separate interrogation rooms.

The interrogation room Long Ming entered was not very large, and its layout was simple.

An interrogation table and a few chairs.

Long Ming walked to the opposite side and sat down. A metal ring clamped around his waist.

Just then, a rather young man with a stern face walked up, sat down in front of Long Ming, and said in a cold voice, “I am Interrogator Joke of the Dark Abyss Department. From now on, you will answer what I ask. But you had better think clearly before you answer, or you may never walk out of here again.”

“Alright,” Long Ming replied calmly.

“Name!”

“Long Ming.”

“Do you know what crime you’ve committed?”

“I don’t.”

“Still playing dumb? Didn’t you see the ores that were confiscated?”

“We didn’t hide those.”

Long Ming’s expression was perfectly calm, without a trace of panic.

“You think I’ll believe that? Everyone we catch red-handed says the same thing.”

“First of all, our squad received orders to rescue the Kunpeng. But besides me, none of them even entered the Kunpeng. How could they have stolen any ore?”

“What did you say? They didn’t enter the Kunpeng?”

“That’s right. You can verify this. The situation was too dangerous at the time. I have a Third Generation Mechanical God, so I was the only one who went in.”

“Then it could have been you who stole them and hid them. Our records show your safe has dimensions of 3x3x3—plenty of room to hold that ore,” Joke said, looking directly at Long Ming.

“I can’t argue with your speculation. However, you can check the surveillance footage from the moment I entered Blacktan Fortress. I believe that footage will prove I never went to the hiding spot,” Long Ming replied calmly.

Seeing Long Ming so composed, Joke’s expression flickered. He then said, “You’d better pray everyone else’s story matches yours!”

“They will.”

Long Ming showed no signs of panic.

Joke snorted coldly, then stood up and left the interrogation room, leaving Long Ming locked inside alone.

Long Ming leaned back quietly in his chair.