Chapter 45: Ambush and Attack

Yes, that's right.

Tian Xiao had indeed deceived Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia.

The one who had contacted the intergalactic pirates to harm Feiying 3 was definitely Wu Hao.

But Wu Hao would never dirty his own hands.

Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia were Wu Hao's pawns, tasked with handling all the dirty work.

"Team Leader is back. Investigate the traitors thoroughly!"

Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia had been assigned to Zone C25 for operations, which made sense in the context of avoiding Luo Fei's wrath, granting them some room for negotiation.

However...

What Wu Hao never anticipated was that Tian Xiao would raise the stakes on Luo Fei's initiative.

The moment he spoke, Tian Xiao demanded all the data from the last five days.

Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia were dumbfounded.

"D*mn it!"

"Why should we?!"

Tie Xiong shouted, furious. "The entire security team only needed a day's worth of data! Why should we hand over five days' worth?"

This fool... he was too honest.

Tian Xiao wanted exactly this from him.

It was clear that something had happened during this period.

The surveillance center was closely monitoring the situation in Zone C25.

Luo Fei, having heard Tie Xiong's anger and unease, narrowed his eyes slightly. He walked swiftly to the front of the surveillance center and spoke coldly, "This is Luo Fei. I'll say it one more time: hand over the five days' worth of data, all of your schedules and footage."

Luo Fei, as the leader of the base's security team, was more than capable of recognizing the panic in Tie Xiong. He was like a hunter sensing his prey, his eyes sharp as he fixated on the Bluebird that Tie Xiong was piloting. He turned to Chen Wuling and ordered, "Prepare to disable the weapon systems of Bluebirds 15 and 16."

Upon hearing this, every member of the security team gasped.

Tie Xiong was definitely hiding something, and it had already caught Luo Fei's attention...

Wu Hao, intending to defend them, opened his mouth to say something but was met with Luo Fei's cold, merciless gaze. He swallowed his words.

Sweat dripped down Wu Hao's forehead.

Before he could think of a way out, an unexpected turn of events occurred in Zone C25.

"I won't take this!"

Tie Xiong roared.

"This is open retaliation, Luo Fei! You're eliminating your opposition! I'll report you to the company headquarters!"

"I won't take this either!"

Zhao Jia suddenly chimed in with a high-pitched shout.

"I won't take this!"

"We aren't traitors!"

"Stop wasting words!"

"If you have nothing to hide, why not upload your data? Can the security department frame you?"

Qiao Dazhi noticed something was wrong, but couldn't pinpoint it.

Tian Xiao held his breath, intently observing the movements of the two Bluebirds.

The Qinglong was already in combat mode!

He believed that Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia had something to hide.

Their resistance to uploading the data suggested there were things they didn't want exposed.

To be honest...

At first, Tian Xiao had believed they wouldn't be foolish enough to leave any incriminating evidence behind, but Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia's reactions made him doubt.

These two idiots must have hidden something shameful in these past few days, something they didn't want anyone to discover.

Hmph!

Tian Xiao had been struggling to find a way to deal with Wu Hao.

Now, with Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia clearly guilty, he wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

Today, he was going to pin down Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia once and for all.

With Luo Fei's support, Tian Xiao secretly contacted Qiao Dazhi and prepared for a fire suppression operation.

However...

No one could have predicted that the real danger would come from behind.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!

Suddenly, a series of gunfire swept from behind the meteorite pit.

Tian Xiao and Qiao Dazhi's cockpits were instantly filled with red light.

"Warning!"

"Fire control system has locked onto target."

"Emergency evasive maneuver failed!"

"Damage to the craft."

Boom!

Boom!!

Four shells exploded on either side of the Bluebird.

The attack didn't come from Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia. It came from behind.

"D*mn!"

Tian Xiao felt the Bluebird's balance severely disrupted. The craft's surface was riddled with dozens, if not hundreds, of holes. The shrapnel posed a serious threat to the Bluebird's safety.

Qiao Dazhi fared no better. His Bluebird was tossed around, the tail section torn off by a heavy machine gun's fire.

The mining craft in the meteorite pit, which had been working, were caught in the crossfire and, in a panic, shot upwards, scattering in all directions to escape.

The surveillance center was stunned.

It was only now that they noticed two modified Bluebirds were rapidly flying just above the surface, heading towards the meteorite pit near Zone C25.

"Intergalactic pirates!"

"Leftover members of the Starwind Brigade!"

"How did they get into the base?!"

Luo Fei slammed his fist on the desk, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Wu Hao.

Wu Hao, however, had already regained his composure.

"How would I know?"

"Maybe because you, Team Leader, ordered everyone to gather at the surveillance center, giving them a chance. Or maybe they've been waiting in low orbit for you."

Wu Hao was like a venomous snake, still daring to bite back at this point.

Luo Fei didn't have time to argue.

With Qiao Dazhi and Tian Xiao in immediate danger, he gave the order.

"Everyone, except Wu Hao, prepare for combat immediately! Chen Wuling, lead the charge and intercept those two modified Bluebirds! We cannot let them get away. If anything happens to Tian Xiao or Dazhi today, I'll personally flay both of them and the traitors who provided the intel!"

The last sentence was sharp and full of murderous intent. Every security team member could feel the weight of Luo Fei's anger.

The team quickly sprang into action.

Wu Hao had become the prime suspect and was left behind, personally watched by Luo Fei.

There was no other choice.

Wu Hao was second only to Luo Fei in terms of strength within the security team.

If Luo Fei left the surveillance center, no one could control Wu Hao.

If Wu Hao was up to something behind the scenes, the entire base could be in jeopardy!

Luo Fei could only rely on the security team to eliminate the two modified Bluebirds.

To be safe, Luo Fei even personally disabled Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia's weapon system privileges, ensuring they couldn't use any weapons on their Bluebirds.

Seeing this, Wu Hao remained calm and feigned regret.

"Team Leader, you suspect me?"

"If you suspect me, that's one thing, but you don't even trust your own men!"

"Tie Xiong, Zhao Jia, and I are the backbone of the security team, ranking in the top four. If you keep us all here, who's going to deal with the two modified Bluebirds?"

"Intergalactic pirates are a group of desperate criminals! With Qiao Dazhi out of commission... it's only Chen Wuling and a few others left. Can they really take on those modified Bluebirds?"

"I advise you not to be so selfish! Open your mind and put the bigger picture first. Return the weapon system privileges of Bluebirds 15 and 16. The safety of the base must come first."

Wu Hao spoke in a tone of feigned sincerity.

Luo Fei's fingers tightened, struggling to keep his temper under control.

The presence of modified Bluebirds in the base was something he hadn't anticipated.

It didn't take much to realize Wu Hao was involved with these modified Bluebirds.

Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia's reluctance to upload data was likely because of the Bluebirds.

Luo Fei admitted his mistake:

He hadn't anticipated Wu Hao's counterattack to be so reckless and without regard for consequences.