This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 417 - 222 Unforeseen Impact_2

Chapter 417: Chapter 222 Unforeseen Impact_2

Feder blinked, the corners of his mouth slightly pulled apart, but quickly composed himself, exhaling slowly. "Good, all is still well."

Crack! The metal table before Asimara suddenly shattered, she uttered emotionlessly, "Trash!"

Prince Bai Jiang appeared hesitant, not at all excited. Glancing at Asimara, he asked, "Failed? With all the preparations, how could it fail? Did Ulrich and others intervene?"

"No." Alik shook his head, his voice bitter, "The Mechanical Azure Dragon exhibited a strength and combat tactics far beyond our estimates. He deployed a new Combat Mecha and even had the support of an A-level Combat Mechanism."

"His Mecha has strong resistance to EMP bombs and Magnetic Nanomagnetic Interference Devices, as if it was specifically prepared for them."

"Furthermore, the Borneost Civilization has requested that we commence a rescue operation as soon as possible."

After pondering for a moment, Prince Bai Jiang nodded in agreement, "We understand. Instructions will follow shortly."

Alik nodded, daring not to glance at Asimara, and left with his head lowered.

Prince Bai Jiang couldn’t help but sigh, "This Mechanic is truly unfathomable."

Asimara remained cold and silent, while Feder scoffed, "Perhaps someone had already secretly informed the Mechanic. Acting, who can’t do that?"

"Since I’m under constant watch, I never had the chance. I think we should thoroughly investigate internally."

"Feder!" Prince Bai Jiang scolded before looking towards Asimara.

Just then, her smart device vibrated subtly. Asimara’s expression altered slightly - only messages from certain individuals set with special alerts would cause her device to vibrate.

"Look, aren’t we under wartime restrictions? Why can still someone contact the outside world?" Feder raised his voice.

Asimara glanced at her device, her eyes dilating faintly; for the first time, a hint of life appeared on her gorgeous face.

She pinched her fingers and a virtual screen emerged, displaying a scene that instantly silenced Feder’s excited exclamation. His face froze in astonishment.

In it, Li Ming was surrounded by armored soldiers, looking numb and seemingly in despair.

Big brother, how could you get captured!

Feder wailed inwardly, having held on for so long with his father about to take action, only for Li Ming, the root of all evil, to be captured.

What was the point now?

Without a doubt, that old man would definitely spill everything, not out of distrust in Li Ming, but too much certainty in him. The other party would surely use this opportunity to seek favors and strike a deal with Asimara.

He even felt a sudden urge to self-destruct prematurely, perhaps to lessen his own guilt.

Prince Bai Jiang’s heart sank as he glanced at Feder’s expression.

It was almost certain that the ties between the two were significantly profound; perhaps they traded something under the table.

"Although the ambush plan failed, the apprehension seems to have succeeded," Asimara stated indifferently, "The evidence you require will be available shortly."

"Do you want to wait until the concrete evidence is in front of you, or speak now?"

Feder no longer appeared calm as before; his eyes widened slightly and his forehead broke out in dense sweat. The feeling of impending doom made his heart race.

His emotions were not usually so easily affected, but the news arrived too abruptly.

As long as Li Ming wasn’t captured, without any evidence, it would have been nearly impossible for Asimara to pin such severe charges onto him with his status.

But now, things were different.

His extreme nervousness made him involuntarily recall his dealings with Li Ming, from the merit earned from the death of the Firework Apostle to the Evolution Theory and Secret of Liberation he was forced to reveal.

In the face of these things, the video he recorded to join the Torch Organization seemed inconsequential.

Why did he get captured!

Feder was infuriated internally. Ever since Li Ming fled, he had been living in fear that Li Ming might fall into someone’s hands and expose their dealings.

And now, it happened - into Asimara’s hands no less. She wouldn’t hesitate to finish him off.

Prince Bai Jiang’s gaze flickered as he spoke in a serious tone, "Feder, did you truly leak any classified information?"

"Come clean voluntarily, and you might offset your crime with merit. If you wait until the evidence is presented, it’ll be too late."

Feder’s mind was in turmoil as he suddenly looked up; he knew his father too well. Those words were not meant to protect him but to prepare to abandon him.

If it were just about trading intelligence, that wouldn’t be a major crime. After all, a trade involves give and take, and such maneuvers were not uncommon.

But the key issue was not these, and his father had only mentioned these.

The implication was clear: if you have only traded intelligence, I can still protect you, but if it’s more than that, you’re on your own.

Feder felt chaotic and cold inside. Previously faced with Li Ming, he had no choice but to do certain things, but he did not harm his father’s interests.

Now, with just a slight turn of events, his father was thinking of abandoning him. Although he could understand, it truly chilled his heart.

Asimara’s lips twisted into a slight, mocking smile. From this young man’s reaction, she could already tell that it was more than just trading intelligence.

Prince Bai Jiang now wants to extricate himself? That’s too simplistic.

Asimara added: "Tell us everything that happened after you contacted Li Ming, who directed you and what you did. I can promise you a reduction of your crimes in return."

Prince Bai Jiang’s face was cold. Asimara’s insinuation was clear: the more people Feder implicated, the greater the reduction of his sentence.

Feder kept his head down, saying nothing, and the room lapsed into an oppressive silence; Asimara gestured to turn off the monitoring, and the cameras in the corners went dark.

"Feder," Prince Bai Jiang said sternly, "what intelligence, exactly, did you trade?"

He also felt some reluctance, but the problem was that he did not know what Feder had actually done.

He did not know whether the results of the interrogation would cause a massive upheaval or if Feder was indeed connected to the death of Isus.

This made him dare not promise or guarantee anything rashly, as it was all too easy to give Asimara a handle on him, which was also frustratingly infuriating.

"Can I... have some time?" he pleaded, his head still down, hair covering his cheeks, his voice hoarse.

Asimara frowned and said indifferently: "One more thing, those who tried to capture Li Ming are from the Star Abyss Empire, so don’t get your hopes up."

Seeing that Feder had no reaction, Asimara shook her head, "Once Li Ming speaks up, you won’t have any chance."

Interrogating Li Ming would have the same effect, and Asimara insisted on making Feder speak because his testimony could implicate more people.

Whatever Li Ming might say would hardly threaten someone of Prince Bai Jiang’s stature.

None of the three spoke again. Feder was torn, and after a long silence, finally moved, causing his chains to clatter.

"I..." His voice was dry and trembling, Asimara watched him closely.

"...have nothing to say."

Prince Bai Jiang breathed a sigh of relief, while Asimara’s eyes turned cold, "Playing with your life, you think this is a joke?"

Feder gave a bitter smile, not because he was mentally strong, but because no one could save him from what he had done, whether he spoke now or later, the outcome would be the same.

Whether Asimara’s promise to save him was true or not, who could say?

And it was his father’s hint of abandonment that left him feeling utterly despondent.

As for the truth of the matter, he didn’t really doubt it; Li Ming was at most a Level C life form, with his mentor implicated, there was little room for resistance.

Asimara’s gaze was icy as she rose to leave.

Suddenly, her smart terminal vibrated again.

She looked down, glanced at Feder, decided to deliver the final blow, and chose to answer immediately.

A virtual screen appeared, Gabriel’s expression was solemn. Without waiting for Asimara to speak, he said directly: "There’s trouble on my end, Li Ming was just bait, some sort of Phantom state, Mechanical Azure Dragon has found me."

"I’ve now left the Land of Stars, give me your coordinates, I’ll meet up with you first."

Feder, his expression ashen, suddenly looked up, his eyes bursting with radiant light, feeling an immense surge of excitement, the sense of relief after a narrow escape enveloping him. He suppressed it tightly, slowly exhaling.

Prince Bai Jiang was momentarily stunned, his gaze growing more profound, scanning over Feder, not excited but deep in thought.

In the room, strands of storm converged, metal wall panels resonating with a clang.