Chapter 68: The Disappearance Incident

Accepting one's losses with grace is a virtue.

Zhu Xiaotian, Old Lu, Liu Fangyan... they all lost miserably.

From the moment the bet was placed, they had mentally prepared themselves for unfair consequences.

The group returned to the base.

Upon their arrival, Tian Xiao received an unexpected piece of news.

During his absence, General Wang Yunfei did not target the security squad but instead seized the opportunity to procure a G-class transport ship. Somehow, he managed to retrieve three empty F-class ship hulls left behind at the Galactic Gale Corps' headquarters, hauling them back to the base. He then instructed the logistics department to dismantle the ships around the clock.

Tian Xiao couldn't help but view Wang Yunfei with newfound respect.

Those three massive ship hulls were notoriously cumbersome to transport, to the point that even Zhang Lian had abandoned the effort.

But Wang Yunfei, quietly and efficiently, orchestrated the operation and brought the hulks back without making any noise.

Dismantling the three ship hulls and selling the scrap could fetch tens of millions.

Moreover...

The cost of a G-class transport ship wasn't high—a few million at most.

In just a few days, Wang Yunfei had made over fifty million in resources for himself.

Though he couldn't get a hold of the security squad or gain other benefits, the base's top commander clearly had a sharp mind.

With vast connections and unconventional methods, Wang Yunfei seemed more capable than most at getting things done.

By comparison, Tian Xiao felt his own progress was somewhat lacking.

"Captain."

While Tian Xiao was mulling over these developments, Chen Wuling approached him quietly to report another matter.

"During your escort mission, the base remained stable overall. However... three disappearance cases occurred."

"What happened?" Tian Xiao asked, his brows furrowing.

"The three missing individuals were all miners. They disappeared while performing collection tasks outside the base... There were no signs before their disappearance. We didn't receive any alerts or distress signals. The command center flagged them missing after monitoring their absence for forty-eight hours."

"Did you check their vital signs?"

Tian Xiao's frown deepened.

Miners going missing was a serious issue. It could affect the security squad's performance review at the end of the year, making it imperative to get to the bottom of it.

Chen Wuling nodded grimly.

"Yes, their vital signs appear normal, but we cannot reach their chip managers. We have no way to locate them precisely."

Chen Wuling's face darkened as he continued:

"All signs point to one possibility... They may have been parasitized."

Behind Tian Xiao, Zhu Xiaotian and the others' expressions shifted.

Parasitization.

A rare ability possessed by certain insect beasts.

Parasitized individuals harbor insect larvae within their bodies, causing their biological chips to be removed. The victim falls into a coma, serving as a vessel for the larva to mature.

This phenomenon had been part of mandatory education for humans for centuries.

Now that Chen Wuling suspected parasitic insect beasts in the base, Tian Xiao had to take the matter seriously.

Three parasitized individuals meant at least one mature insect beast was nearby.

This was no small matter.

Insect beasts capable of parasitization typically possessed a minimum G-class strength.

Tian Xiao vividly recalled the black jiao insect beast.

Insect beasts that parasitize others tend to be more intelligent than the black jiao, often capable of extracting knowledge from their hosts. They could operate mining equipment and even interact with people as though nothing was amiss.

This posed a grave threat.

The team watched Tian Xiao closely.

Old Lu spoke up:

"If parasitization has begun in the base, we must treat this as a top-priority crisis. We can't afford further spread."

Liu Fangyan nodded in agreement.

"I've heard of highly covert insect beasts that slowly parasitize entire bases, eventually leading to total collapse. Captain, should we request reinforcements?"

"Yes, let's request aid."

"Captain, requesting assistance is the best course of action."

Lacking experience with such threats, the team felt uneasy.

Tian Xiao didn't rush his decision. He recalled various insect beasts capable of parasitization while pressing Chen Wuling for further details:

The exact time the first person disappeared, their last recorded appearance on the base's surveillance footage, and the specific location where the missing individuals were last seen.

He also inquired about any commonalities among the missing individuals prior to their disappearance.

Chen Wuling hesitated.

He could answer the first question.

However, determining the precise location of disappearance was difficult. Underground tunnels often intersected, and weak signals made pinpointing locations challenging.

As for commonalities, he hadn't considered it.

Upon realizing the potential for parasitization, he consulted Luo Fei, who advised waiting for Tian Xiao's return to conduct a joint investigation with Wang Yunfei.

Tian Xiao understood the difficulty and requested all surveillance footage and data.

He tasked Qinglong with analyzing it.

"Identify commonalities."

Qinglong, having absorbed a G-class biochip, could process over 30 units per second, conducting billions of calculations.

The answer came swiftly.

All three missing individuals were male, around thirty years old, and physically robust.

This was a notable pattern—insect larvae thrived in hosts with abundant life force, producing near-mature parasites.

The second pattern was their disappearance during nighttime.

The third pattern drew Tian Xiao's attention sharply.

All three individuals disappeared on the same day and had interacted at the same location: the hulls of the three F-class ships transported back to the base.

A thought formed in Tian Xiao's mind.

Could the insect beast have entered the base via those ships?

However...

Why hadn't any logistics personnel working on the ships gone missing?

Wait.

Logistics personnel couldn't leave the base. Any anomalies would immediately raise alarms.

This thought reinforced Tian Xiao's suspicion.

He stood abruptly. "Let's go."

"Where?" Zhu Xiaotian asked.

"To inspect those three ships Wang Yunfei brought back."

"Captain?" Chen Wuling followed closely, sensing the implication.

"Is it those ships?" Chen Wuling pressed.

Tian Xiao remained noncommittal. "We'll see soon enough."

Insect beasts leave traces, no matter how covert.

"Chen, pilot the modified Bluebird No. 2. Approach stealthily."

"Everyone else, arm up."

Fully armed, the team departed the security building.