Slept for a whole day and night, I woke up and checked my phone. It was exactly noon.
Jiang Ye sat up and slowly went to the kitchen to eat.
Just as the food printer started, the phone rang. It was Shao Wan!
Jiang Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly answered, "What's up? Mechanical spies?"
"We've checked 90%, and there are no mechanical spies, but we've found other troubles," Shao Wan said. "Should I tell you the big trouble or the small trouble first?"
"Small trouble," Jiang Ye took a deep breath.
"During the investigation, we found many people engaged in illegal activities. A chemistry teacher at a school, along with three students, was producing hallucinogenic drugs in the laboratory and had already sold over 400,000 yuan worth. There are 46 sex workers, both male and female, who solicit clients through dating apps and introductions from acquaintances. We found a home casino, a small gambling den in a residential building, where people played mahjong and poker with bets exceeding 100,000 yuan. Another factory privately manufactured handguns, but they didn't manage to make bullets. A factory owner kept four women at his home and restricted their movements. Shao Wan paused. "There are also some petty thieves, all of whom have been imprisoned and will be sentenced in the next couple of days."
Jiang Ye took a deep breath. "What's the big trouble?"
"People from the Galactic Separatist Alliance," Shao Wan lowered his voice. "There are three of them in total. We found banned books in their homes, and each of them has tattoos."
"What is the Galactic Separatist Alliance?" Jiang Ye frowned, sensing something very bad.
"It's a rebel organization aiming to split the Galactic Empire. We don't know their numbers, but they've been found on various planets. I didn't expect our planet to have them so soon," Shao Wan said. "Their activities are extensive: colluding with aliens, sabotaging the economy, bomb attacks, brainwashing and propaganda, intelligence theft, and inciting social unrest. The military has classified the Galactic Separatist Alliance as a Level 1 terrorist organization. I suggest you inquire with the military about how to deal with these three individuals." Shao Wan said, "This is a matter of great importance!"
"Have these three terrorists been arrested?" Jiang Ye asked.
"They are in the maximum-security cells of the Binhai City Prison. I've assigned two police officers to monitor each of them, and Che Zhen has also deployed a twenty-man machine gun unit to station near the prison," Shao Wan said.
"I'll be there immediately," Jiang Ye hung up the call.
He hastily ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, changed his clothes, went downstairs, got in his car, took off, and set the destination to Binhai City Prison.
Jiang Ye sent a message to Li Nannan on his phone, "Commander, we've apprehended three members of the Galactic Separatist Alliance on my planet. How should they be handled?"
The phone vibrated, and a video call came through directly.
Li Nannan was sitting in a leather seat, wearing a military uniform and a seatbelt. Her previously short hair had been completely shaved off, leaving only less than five millimeters, but her delicate features still revealed her beauty.
"Are you sure they are members of the Galactic Separatist Alliance?" she frowned.
"The police officers reported it to me. I'm on my way to see them," Jiang Ye said. "They found banned books in their homes, and each of them has tattoos. I don't know the specifics of the tattoos."
Li Nannan's expression was worried. "This organization is very troublesome, like a virus. They are adept at recruiting members from the lower classes. With funding from alien accounts, they develop a host of members without anyone noticing, and then they start causing trouble. At the smallest, it's street protests; at the largest, it's violent revolution. They incite the common people to sacrifice themselves and destroy the social order of a region. The military's recommendation is to execute such individuals directly, or at least imprison them and completely cut off their communication with the outside world."
"Can we play the long game to catch a bigger fish?" Jiang Ye asked.
"What do you mean?" Li Nannan rubbed her nose with her hand.
"Don't they receive funding from alien accounts? I can force them to ask those alien accounts for money and extract some intelligence," Jiang Ye said. "Living people are more useful than dead ones!"
"You can try, but be careful not to play with fire and get burned," Li Nannan said. "You can donate money to the Galactic Stability Association, and they can send people to help you with this matter."
"Galactic Stability Association?" Jiang Ye was a bit dizzy. "What kind of organization is that?"
"It's a semi-official organization run by retired military personnel, mainly responsible for eradicating traitors," Li Nannan poked the screen with her finger. "I've sent you the link. You can contact them. Donating to this organization has benefits, contributing to the stability of human society. And the more money you donate, the higher the safety assessment your planet will receive from this organization. Many companies refer to this safety assessment, you understand? More companies will come to your planet."
"I see. Spending money to buy reputation, and contributing to society at the same time?"
"Exactly," Li Nannan nodded. "I have to go, I'm preparing for a jump."
The call immediately ended.
The car had also landed outside the prison. Shao Wan, along with several police officers, was waiting and immediately surrounded them.
Jiang Ye got out of the car. "Take me to see those three people."
"Please follow me!" the portly warden said immediately.
The group went upstairs, straight to the top floor of the prison. In the large room at the end of the corridor, three steel pipes were erected, spaced five meters apart. The criminals were handcuffed, shackled, and fitted with mouthguards to prevent self-harm by biting poison. They were tightly bound to the steel pipes.
Behind each steel pipe sat two police officers, like statues. As soon as they saw Jiang Ye, they collectively stood up and saluted.
Jiang Ye remained silent, observing the three terrorists.
The first, a black old man, was full of wrinkles, his beard and hair white. He was meditating with his eyes closed.
The second, a white fat man, was still wearing a carrier's overalls and breathing heavily as if he couldn't get enough air. His eyes were filled with fear.
The third, a white girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, wore a white tank top and denim shorts. She had a good figure. Her face was small, and she was looking down, silent.
"What about the tattoos?" Jiang Ye asked.
A nearby police officer immediately stepped forward, roughly turned the black old man around, and lifted his shirt. On his lumbar spine was a fist-sized tattoo of an exploding planet.
"This symbol is the mark of the Galactic Separatist Alliance," Shao Wan said. "All three of them have it. The old man is named Kai, tattooed on his lumbar spine. The fat man is Juskinder, tattooed in the center of his back. The girl is Qin, tattooed on her buttocks."
"Does the placement of the tattoos have any significance?" Jiang Ye asked.
"We don't know. We know very little about this organization," Shao Wan shook his head.
Jiang Ye walked forward a couple of steps and stood beside the old man Kai, reaching out to touch his head. "What is the significance of your organization's tattoos on different parts of the body?"
The old man didn't open his eyes, remaining motionless as if dead.
Jiang Ye moved forward a couple more steps, coming next to the fat man. "Can you answer?"
The fat man blinked incessantly, his lips clamped shut tighter than a vise.
Jiang Ye moved again to the girl Qin. "Can you answer?"
"You can tattoo it on any part of the body," Qin's lips trembled, her voice very small. "I surrender, I'll tell you everything, don't kill me!"
Jiang Ye nodded and waved to the police officers. "Hang the other two upside down from the ceiling, and get Qin some food and drink."