This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 292 - 160: Laying Low_2

Chapter 292: Chapter 160: Laying Low_2

Duke Bai Ye nodded, "Was it the Star Hunters who made the move?"

"Yes, the fourth fleet of the Star Hunters, led by a B-class life form," Neil quickly pulled up the intel from the smart terminal.

"However, there was an accident. One of his subordinates, for some unfathomable reason, betrayed him, stole a spaceship, and fled, and even released all our citizens back to us," Neil said with bewilderment, "If not for that, we wouldn’t have been able to find this place."

"Releasing our citizens back to us, isn’t that a good thing?" Duke Bai Ye gave him a look and frowned, "Are you sure that cargo is still in his possession?"

Neil nodded hastily in his mind, "We can be sure. The Star Hunter has issued a warrant, and spread the word out; there should be no one daring to take that cargo, and if they do, it would be at an extremely low price."

He brought up the warrant for Duke Bai Ye to see, then noticed that his lordship’s expression, previously indifferent, had suddenly become serious and doubtful, "It’s him..."

"Do you know him?" Neil was surprised and couldn’t help asking, adding, "This person also has several mimicry faces; what the Star Hunters put out should be his true appearance."

"This guy has been mixing in the Land of Stars for many years, but he doesn’t have a high profile, with no notable deeds. He calls himself the Wind Hunter."

Duke Bai Ye’s expression flickered: "He is Wu Yanqing’s student."

"Wu Yanqing?" Neil looked bewildered at this name, quite unfamiliar to him, and only after swiping through the smart terminal did he realize, "Is he from Blue Star?"

Then with some indignation, "So it was them pulling the strings behind the scenes."

Duke Bai Ye’s expression was cold and impatient, "Why didn’t you notify me sooner?"

"This..." Neil hesitated.

"Forget it," Duke Bai Ye waved his hand. Every civilization’s governmental institution was enormously large and cumbersome; he hadn’t been responsible for this matter before, so naturally, he wouldn’t have been informed.

"I’ll go make an inquiry. We don’t have an extradition treaty with Blue Star; all we can do is try our best." He walked aside, opened the smart terminal, and then made contact with someone.

A moment later, he came back with furrowed brows.

"Duke..." Neil spoke tentatively.

"He has already left Blue Star..." Duke Bai Ye said, with a tone suggesting deep confusion, "and he took Li Ming with him."

"Li Ming?" Neil was even more puzzled,

"Why would Li Ming leave..." Duke Bai Ye pondered, seemingly having forgotten about Neil, "Could it be that he has a guilty conscience?"

Halfway through his thoughts, Bai Ye’s face turned awkward, and he quickly regained composure; after all, he seemed to be the first to flee.

"Li Ming, is that the one who..." Neil looked at the information on the screen and couldn’t help exclaiming.

But when he lifted his head, he saw Duke Bai Ye’s grim face and dared not finish his sentence.

After examining the information closely again, Neil couldn’t help saying, "Isn’t he one of the people present at the time of Isus’s death?"

"Moreover, his potential development is amazing; he should be a key figure nurtured by the Yitelan Civilization. How could he leave with someone who has been loafing around the Land of Stars?"

"Could it be... that he is fleeing because he fears criminal charges!?" Neil speculated daringly while carefully observing Duke Bai Ye’s expression.

The impact of Li Ming on the Sela Royal Academy was profound; the entire Sela Civilization held a strong grudge against him, so casting aspersions on him was certainly not wrong.

Unexpectedly, Duke Bai Ye’s face grew even more displeasing as he rebuked, "Isus the Prince’s death, such a major event, and you dare to spout nonsense!"

"Leaving means fleeing from crime; can there not be other reasons?"

If we’re talking about timing, he would be the first person to have fled.

"Go and scout immediately!" Duke Bai Ye barked.

Neil, not knowing how he had found himself on the wrong side, dared not retort and hurriedly led his team to scout.

"Duke, let’s return to the spaceship first," said a trusted aide in a soft voice from behind.

Duke Bai Ye’s expression softened somewhat. Back on the spaceship, the trusted aide spoke softly:

"Neil may not think before he speaks, but he isn’t entirely without reason. Li Ming’s potential is astonishing; he should have gone to the Yitelan Civilization, but his sudden departure raises questions."

"Didn’t you also say before that all those who were enemies of Li Ming met with bad ends? Shouldn’t we directly communicate with the Yitelan Civilization?"

"Neil doesn’t think before he speaks, and you have a brain?" Duke Bai Ye retorted coldly, "You believe such foolish talk? That saying could apply to you too; you have survived until now because your enemies have died even more than his."

That saying could be applied to every life form.

His targeting of Li Ming was solely because of the latter’s huge potential and his affiliation with Blue Star; he was sure to become a major trouble in the future, and therefore, he wanted to eliminate him.

But such an accusation was the type that hurts the accuser nearly as much as the accused, bringing trouble without any evidence.

"But didn’t you previously mention that Li Ming was near Sain and Isus when they died?" The trusted aide asked, puzzled, "Isus’s death is a huge matter. Even if the reason is far-fetched, it’s enough to warrant an investigation, isn’t it?"

"You are only thinking of Li Ming. What about Chen Jinglong? Do you know he was there as well?" Duke Bai Ye had, of course, considered this but had dismissed it, "We were also there at the time, have you forgotten?"

The trusted aide was puzzled: "But our timeline..."

"Multiple sources have already confirmed that a Dimensional God exists within Torch, and it’s top-secret. Rumors of its terrifying abilities speak of it as the most powerful Dimensional Creature Torch Organization has found in recent years," Duke Bai Ye said, shaking his head in resignation:

"Given the abilities that the Dimensional God has shown so far, if it can ignore space to communicate, then our timeline is worth nothing, as we are very close to the starport and should inherently be included."

The Torch Organization has admitted to this affair and has already discovered a seed within the Winged Shadow Fleet.

Although the memory review showed that this person was not an inside-outside conspirator and didn’t even know the name of the Dimensional God.

Feder believed that since the Dimensional God possessed Mind Power, erasing memories would be incredibly easy.

Coyle had been killed, and now the most important thing was to seek retribution against Torch, not cast suspicion on more people.

So, Duke Bai Ye did not intend to probe this issue, as he was also one of the "suspects" and might inadvertently draw attention back upon himself.

But Li Ming’s sudden departure truly piqued his curiosity.

"This seems like an opportunity. You’ve left Jingnan, and without anyone to protect you, do you really think interstellar space is that easy to navigate?" Duke Bai Ye couldn’t help but sneer, issuing an order:

"Gather all information on this Wind Hunter with all your might. If he reappears, be sure to capture him immediately."

"Yes!"

In the following period, Duke Bai Ye’s subordinates, utilizing the clues they possessed, continually sought after the target planet, a time-consuming endeavor.

Even with a delimited range, searching each one still required time.

Thus, over half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

...

In the shabby spaceship, Ya Ro was agitated every day. That day, as he scrolled through his smart terminal, he couldn’t help but curse through gritted teeth:

"Damn, another one pretending to care about me. When I asked them for money before, not a single one lent me any."

"They all just want to capture me and trade me in for the bounty!"

Ya Ro cursed non-stop, moving around in the cramped cabin and accidentally bumping his head. Although it didn’t hurt, it ignited his anger. He pointed at the spaceship and screamed:

"You heartless thing, I’ve fixed you so many times, stayed with you through thick and thin, and this is how you treat me!"

After ranting for a while, he felt even more sorrowful as even the spaceship’s operating system had taken on the likeness of Li Ming.

"Brother, why so irritable?" Li Ming pushed the door open, steaming from head to toe.

"You’re finally out. I’ve just heard from a few of my old friends in the Star Hunter group that the Fourth Fleet hasn’t gone back yet," Ya Ro hurriedly said:

"I’m guessing they’re still looking for the location of that cargo."

"Old friends?" Li Ming was quite surprised.