This night was destined to be sleepless for the base.
Debris from the crashed spaceship was scattered everywhere. Not to mention people, even the escape pods were warped by the shockwave.
"Report, after a thorough search, the spaceship is completely destroyed. The personnel have been vaporized, only some fragments could be collected. The escape pods were also deformed by the shockwave; no survivors were found inside."
Someone was reporting to a middle-aged man.
"Understood. Have the cause of the spaceship's destruction been found?"
"We haven't collected all the pieces yet. The black box hasn't been found."
"Continue searching. We must find the reason for the spaceship's explosion."
"Yes." The person saluted the middle-aged man and left.
Of course, the black box wouldn't be found. This spaceship had been tampered with. If the black box were still on board, wouldn't a few people's situations be discovered by others?
The middle-aged man let out a soft sigh, turned, and went to his office. He dialed that number again.
"Boss, confirmed no survivors."
"Understood. Do not contact this number again."
"Yes."
The middle-aged man hung up, feeling that his boss might be overly cautious.
"Boss, I just received a call from the other side. They confirmed no survivors."
"He knows too much."
The old man, who was smoking a cigar, stood in a rustic courtyard watering flowers.
"Understood."
"Handle it cleanly. After it's done, have this person leave and never return."
"Yes." The man agreed and left.
A moment later, the door to the courtyard was knocked.
"Come in."
"Sir, please come with us."
Two young men showed their identification.
"What is this situation?" The old man was stunned.
"There are some matters that require your cooperation in the investigation."
The old man glanced at the courtyard, then at the grand armchair, and closed his eyes. He knew that this departure would likely be for the worse.
"I'm going to make a phone call."
The old man said as he started walking towards the room.
"I apologize, sir. From now on, all your communications and external contacts must be approved by higher authorities."
"Then, never mind. Let me get a coat."
The old man turned and entered the room. The two young men accompanied him into the room, one on each side. On the bed in the room lay an old woman dressed plainly.
"I have to go out for a while. When Xiao Liu arrives later, I'll have him arrange for someone to look after you."
He went to the old woman's side, took her hand, and whispered.
"Where are you going?"
"Higher authorities need me for something. I won't be back for a while."
"Go ahead, and take care on the road."
"I know. Make sure they turn you often, otherwise, you might get bedsores."
"You go ahead, I'll tell them."
The old man put down the old woman's hand, picked up a coat, and walked out. Watching the two young men beside him, the old woman's eyes dimmed, and she softly murmured, "What must come will eventually come."
Guo Xuyang woke up in the morning intending to find the old man, but he unintentionally discovered the old woman in the old man's room. He then avoided appearing beside the old man, intending to act when the old man next visited the villa. In his eyes, this old man was no different from a dead man. However, before his own death, he needed to figure out exactly who was involved in this matter. He hadn't even considered killing Xie Lisha, but this old man was too wicked-hearted; he absolutely could not be allowed to live. Guo Xuyang did not expect that someone would get to the old man before him and take him away. His senses had been following the old man into a courtyard, the same place where Jiang Qixin had assigned them their tasks. He knew this was where Jiang Qixin and his colleagues worked, but he hadn't expected this old man to be taken there. Could it be that Jiang Qixin and his group were taking action against the old man? If that were the case, the other party's background shouldn't be very significant. Guo Xuyang was a bit at a loss.
"Elder Liang, we have asked you to come here today because there are some matters that need you to clarify." Jiang Qixin stood up and said to the old man.
"What's going on? Do you need such a large gathering to summon me?" The person referred to as Elder Liang asked him.
"Who recommended the personnel list for this operation, and who decided on it? Who all knew about this situation?" Jiang Qixin asked him.
"Elder Zhang, Elder Xu, and I decided on this. What? Do I need to report to you when arranging for people to go out?"
"Elder Liang, the people who went out this time have all sacrificed. The authorities are demanding an investigation. We ask for your forgiveness for any shortcomings." Jiang Qixin said.
"Sacrificed? How is that possible? Didn't they just leave yesterday? What happened?"
"I'm not very clear about what happened. The notification I received was only to investigate; I can't inquire about anything else. Yesterday, someone from the base called you. Please tell me what that was about."
"I don't know about that. I'll ask Xiao Liu when I get back."
"Are you referring to Liu Shuai? Coincidentally, he is also here. How about I have someone bring him over so you can ask him yourself?" Elder Liang's expression changed upon hearing this. He knew this situation wouldn't end well. If his guess was correct, someone at the base had already started taking action. He hadn't expected the resolve from above to be so strong, with people already dispatched to investigate as soon as there was any movement here. Jiang Qixin, seeing Elder Liang remain silent, didn't urge him, merely watching his changing expression. Interrogating an elder of this caliber was, after all, his first time. If it weren't for the boss assigning him this task, and if it didn't involve Guo Xuyang, he wouldn't have taken this job. This was a thankless task, and these old men could crush him with a single finger.
"Have him come over. I'll ask him." Elder Liang said after a long period of thought. He wanted Xiao Liu to take all the blame, but he knew Xiao Liu's shoulders weren't broad enough to bear such pressure. Furthermore, even with Xiao Liu's help, it wouldn't make much of a difference. What he was thinking about now was whether Xiao Liu was truly loyal to him. If so, he would find a way to help Xiao Liu escape and take all the blame. If Xiao Liu betrayed him, then there would be nothing more to say.
"Please wait a moment, I'll arrange for someone to bring him here." Jiang Qixin said, picking up the phone on the desk.
"Bring Liu Hai over."
"Report." Not long after, someone reported at the door.
"Come in," Jiang Qixin said. A man who used to stand behind the old man smoking the cigar was brought in.
"Xiao Liu, have you received any calls in the past couple of days that you haven't told me about?" Elder Liang asked.
"No, Elder Liang. I haven't received any calls," Liu Hai replied.
"They just mentioned here that someone made a call. What was that about?"
"I don't know. If I receive any calls, I will report them to you promptly."