Chapter 2226: Treason!

"While you were sweeping through the Lion Star Pirates' lair like a whirlwind, Shi Ming, with his keen insight, was the first to notice something amiss. After careful consideration, he resolutely decided to change his original plan and sped towards the southern edge of this no-man's-land, intending to hunt down space pirates there and complete the first phase of his assessment mission."

"However, no one expected that a sudden change was about to befall Shi Ming. Just as he was deep into enemy territory, ready to show his skills, a mysterious and unpredictable force suddenly struck, catching him off guard. In an instant, cannon fire filled the air and smoke billowed, plunging Shi Ming into chaos... In the end, the starship that Shi Ming was piloting was shattered in the fierce battle, turning into a pile of wreckage floating in space."

"As fate would have it, at this very moment, Zhao Yiming also embarked on a journey to solve the problem of space pirates, and even planned to personally go to the southern region to investigate. Who could have imagined that he would make such an astonishing discovery—the long-disintegrated Shi Ming starship lay there quietly, surrounded by countless broken wreckage and parts. Upon seeing this, Zhao Yiming immediately sent an emergency report to headquarters without hesitation, describing the entire scene in detail. Not only that, he also volunteered and offered his services, expressing his willingness to take on the important task of further investigating the mystery of Shi Ming's disappearance."

"Upon receiving this crucial intelligence from Zhao Yiming, the command center immediately paid close attention and formulated a corresponding strategic plan as quickly as possible to address the current situation. Following this, a barrage of orders were issued to Zhao Yiming: He was to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth investigation into Shi Ming's disappearance with all his might! However, to everyone's utter surprise, not long after, Zhao Yiming suddenly vanished as if he had evaporated into thin air! It was as if he had completely disappeared into the vastness of space in the blink of an eye, and no matter what, no information or contact could be obtained from him."

"Faced with such a bizarre situation, the higher-ups were extremely anxious but helpless. In the end, they placed their hopes on our elite squad to uncover the layers of mystery behind Shi Ming and Zhao Yiming's disappearance, and to find out their exact whereabouts and even the reasons why they might have met with misfortune."

"It's foreseeable that if the two individuals were attacked by hostile forces, we would undoubtedly throw ourselves into the fierce battle without hesitation. However, it's important to note that the second assessment item in this mission is to thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of these two individuals. In a sense, time is especially precious for us trainees participating in the assessment—after all, the sooner we report the important intelligence we obtain to our superiors, the better and more secure our final assessment results will be. As a result, getting all the trainees participating in the assessment to work together in unison to carry out the mission in the southern region is practically impossible! Not to mention achieving effective information sharing among ourselves..."

As Ye Ye, Ning Dan, and Zhao Qiaoqiao piloted their respective faction's starships, speeding towards the southern region like meteors streaking across the sky, a unique and significant small meeting quietly began among these three elite figures. At this moment, Ning Dan unreservedly laid out all the various intelligence and information she possessed on the spacious and tidy table, then began a thorough and meticulous analysis and research of this data with focused concentration. However, when Ning Dan explained some crucial and challenging points, even Ye Ye couldn't help but frown slightly, revealing an unspeakable confusion and worry in his heart.

"Didn't you really notice at all that there was something slightly strange or eerie hidden here?"

Ye Ye finally couldn't suppress the surging emotions in his heart and broke the silence to ask Ning Dan a question.

"Uh...ah?" Caught off guard by Ye Ye's question, Ning Dan couldn't help but unconsciously utter a single syllable full of questioning in response. Clearly, she was extremely surprised that Ye Ye would suddenly throw out such an unbelievable question.

"What exactly do you mean by that?..."

Before Ye Ye could even open his mouth to say anything more, Zhao Qiaoqiao, who was sitting next to him, seized the opportunity to speak and said impatiently.

"Think about it! Our Huaguo Starship Academy, as a sacred place dedicated to sending all kinds of outstanding talents to China, can be said to be a cradle for cultivating countless elites. Those students who can enter the genius class for further study need no further explanation, but even those students who come to participate in the entrance examination and can only be placed in the ordinary class, if we place them on the vast land of China, they are still among the most outstanding people in the world!"

After a brief pause, Zhao Qiaoqiao continued speaking.

"Logically speaking, whether it's our college or the relevant leaders at the national level, they would definitely attach great importance to this entrance examination for new students and make thorough and meticulous arrangements in advance—after all, such an important and serious matter cannot be taken lightly! However, something unexpected happened! Two students from the genius class and a large number of students from the regular class mysteriously disappeared without a trace. What's worse, there were even casualties... It's really too unbelievable!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Qiaoqiao couldn't help but sigh heavily again before speaking once more.

"Even if we assume that such serious consequences were caused by a momentary oversight by a high-ranking official or the academy, we should definitely not be the ones responsible for thoroughly investigating the exact reasons for the disappearances of these people!"

When she got to this point, not only Ning Dan beside her fell into a brief silence, but Ye Ye himself also fell silent... At this moment, the two of them maintained a relatively quiet atmosphere as if neither of them intended to say anything more.

“Actually, I had a feeling a long time ago that something was off about this whole thing. I always had a feeling that my family was busy with something very important, so important that they couldn’t even spare the time to worry about us… In fact, we were part of this big event, or even bait!”

As soon as Zhao Qiaoqiao finished speaking, Ning Dan's eyebrows shot up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. However, Ye Ye, standing to the side, nodded in agreement with Zhao Qiaoqiao's view.

Then, Ye Ye took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

“I think you’re right… Before we left to become a star, the leaders in charge of several major departments all disappeared, including Cui Yingying, Li Lingzhi, and Tian Qi. As for how I learned about this, you don’t need to ask. Just believe that it’s all true.”

Ye Ye's tone was very confident. At the same time, Ye Ye was also extremely surprised—because the analysis made by the girl named Zhao Qiaoqiao was incisive and hit the nail on the head! Sure enough.

Those who manage to stand out from the vast sea of ​​people and successfully enter the so-called "genius class" must all be hidden talents. At this moment, upon hearing this, Ning Dan couldn't help but frown slightly and began to concentrate on thinking... However, at this moment, Ye Ye suddenly turned his gaze to Ning Dan and then, without warning, asked her a question.

"Ning Dan, I want to ask you this question—who exactly was that old man I was chatting with the other day?"

His voice wasn't particularly loud, but it wasn't too quiet to be heard either, and it carried an air of authority that was not to be underestimated. Startled by Ye Ye's abrupt question, Ning Dan stared at the screen in astonishment, seemingly completely unprepared for his direct and straightforward approach. After a long pause, she finally seemed to snap out of her daze, but she was still muttering something incoherently.

"Who is it? Don't you know?"

When Ning Dan uttered these words, there was a hint of inexplicable surprise and doubt. It was as if she was utterly astonished by the question and couldn't understand why Ye Ye wouldn't know.

On the other side, Ye Ye seemed somewhat bewildered.

Should he know?

"This... I really don't know... This whole thing is so outrageous and bizarre that I'm completely confused myself, and I have no idea how to explain it to you..."

Faced with Ning Dan's questioning, Ye Ye was speechless for a moment, unsure of where to begin. However, after considering their current predicament and everything that had happened, Ning Dan, after careful deliberation, finally decided to tell him the truth.

Ning Dan hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and slowly spoke.

"Actually... he is the former patriarch of our Ning family—Ning Ba! At the same time, he is also the biological father of the eldest daughter of the Ning family."

The words had barely left his mouth when Ye Ye froze, his face filled with astonishment. The former patriarch of the Ning family?! This identity was completely unexpected! Although before this, through some clues, Ye Ye had already made some guesses in his mind, believing that the mysterious old man was definitely no ordinary person, far beyond the capabilities of a common servant; even so, he at most imagined that the other party was some highly respected elder in the Ning family, or a family member of high status. But who could have predicted that the reality would completely exceed his expectations, that this old man's true identity was actually the former patriarch of the Ning family!

"So this former patriarch of the Ning family probably doesn't stay at the Ning family for long, right?"

Suddenly, Ye Ye seemed to have grasped some key information. He frowned slightly and asked thoughtfully.

Ning Dan nodded slightly in agreement.

"That's right. The old patriarch usually enjoys traveling around, otherwise the eldest daughter wouldn't be in charge of the Ning family's affairs. However, as for where the old patriarch is right now, that's beyond my knowledge. But as far as I know, a few days before we set off, the old patriarch brought back many clan elders without warning. If we connect this with the speculation we just made..."

At this point, Ning Dan became somewhat speechless, seemingly unable to continue.

After all, if things really develop as she expected, then the sudden return of the old patriarch of the Ning family probably means that a momentous event is about to unfold! Thinking of this, Ning Dan couldn't help but feel a chill.

At this moment, Ye Ye muttered to himself.

"Tell me, what could be so important that the country would disregard everything, not only letting us run rampant but also willingly using us as bait to lure the enemy?"

"If multiple forces launch a fierce offensive against China at the same time, and the United States, which is known as the Morning Star hegemon, is also watching like a hungry wolf, waiting for an opportunity to strike, then with internal and external troubles, if the Ning family dares to start a rebellion, how much of a chance do you think they have to win?"

Ye Ye's words were like a bolt from the blue, exploding in the small conference room of the three starships! Zhao Qiaoqiao was dumbfounded upon hearing this, staring ahead in astonishment. After regaining her senses, she hurriedly turned to her deputy and the teacher in charge of the team, and warned them in a low voice.

"You two didn't hear anything, understand?!"

At this moment, Zhao Qiaoqiao had completely abandoned her usual innocent and adorable demeanor, replaced by a cold and resolute expression, even exuding a chilling aura. The two men were immediately frightened, but considering the significant stakes involved and Zhao Qiaoqiao's incredibly powerful background, they nodded without hesitation, promising to keep their mouths shut. Ning Dan, on the other hand, appeared increasingly astonished, almost instinctively blurting out...

"What...what nonsense are you spouting? How could our Ning family do such a heinous thing..."

"I'm just assuming..."