Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 590 - 460: Persona

Qu Jianlei contacted Gradi, still using Star No. 3 as a relay to ensure that no one could detect his real location.

The Guard Captain's wife was at home and was a bit surprised when she received his communication. "Didn't you say you had been quite busy lately?"

Qu Jianlei immediately understood that Hertman hadn't told her what he was about to do.

Such situations were actually rare in the Imperial realm because a family's rise was the whole family's rise, and their fall was the whole family's fall as well.

Perhaps, this matter of assassinating the Supreme was too serious, which is why the Guard Captain didn't want his wife to know?

Qu Jianlei didn't dwell on these details; he directly asked, "I heard someone was assassinated?"

"Huh, who knows if it's true or false?" Gradi replied dismissively.

"There are two possibilities: one is that an enemy truly made a move against him, but my husband believes it's more likely an act!"

"I see!" Qu Jianlei didn't say more and directly hung up the call.

The Guard Captain only returned after midnight.

When he learned that Panda had contacted his wife, he was taken aback and then sighed.

"Oh, why didn't you let him contact me? I also have something to discuss with him!"

He had been searching for Panda recently, especially over the past few days, but the other party had tech experts protecting him, making it impossible to trace him.

Gradi replied, "With all the security in the city now, are you sure you're not being watched if he contacts you?"

The Guard Captain sighed again, "I know it's inconvenient for him, but... the situation is really getting serious."

He had discussed with his wife that Annette might be orchestrating the event himself.

However, he didn't point out one issue: the assassination of the fourth-in-command indicated that the assassination aimed at the boss was imminent!

Initially, Annette was hospitalized, making it basically impossible for him to give orders, and if Hoyel was assassinated next, he had no motive.

The confrontation between the second-in-command and the fourth-in-command at the joint meeting could just be attributed to different political views, as they had quarreled many times before.

But the consecutive assassination attempts on two Vice Planet Governors could lead people to think of other factors.

Precisely because the boss was in danger, Hertman came home so late.

Faced with her husband's unease, Gradi nonchalantly remarked, "He contacted me, not you..."

"He must have his own considerations. Do you think he's a fool?"

The Guard Captain heard this and his expression became a little better, "Indeed, it would be underestimating him not to have deduced that much."

His words were vague, which piqued Gradi's interest, "He must have guessed something?"

"Don't ask so many questions," the Guard Captain shook his head, "If he contacts you again, tell him to hurry up and complete the project."

However, did Qu Jianlei really need reminding? He contacted Gradi because he found the situation peculiar.

Upon hearing that Annette might have harmed himself, he immediately realized: Hoyel's trouble was imminent!

He had no connection with the first Vice Planet Governor, but that person was his employer—without an employer, who would pay the final bill?

"Xiao Hu, analyze that person's movements; do they follow any pattern lately?"

"No, he's been running around randomly," Xiao Hu analyzed the intel, its voice soft and gentle.

"He never stays in one place for long, at most four hours, and even then, the duration is random."

Qu Jianlei thought for a moment, then asked, "Is his return to the Fourth War Zone Headquarters also irregular?"

Kushnier had a habit of inevitably returning to the war zone headquarters to rest at night, not casually finding a place to stay in public.

"Irregular," Xiao Hu replied, then curiously asked, "Are you planning to ambush him outside the war zone headquarters?"

The headquarters of the Fourth War Zone was located at the edge of Fengrao City.

However, due to its nature as a war zone, there were no residential or commercial shops around—just vast woodlands and open fields.

There was even a small weapons shooting range and test site there.

Qu Jianlei nodded, "That's indeed the plan, but being too close to the war zone doesn't allow enough time and has a provocative undertone."

Who could tolerate having their military's supreme ambushed right at the front gate of the war zone headquarters?

Xiao Hu paused for a moment before speaking again, "Actually, I'm a bit puzzled by why he's been going out frequently."

It's not that it had woken up an independent consciousness, but based on intel, most Supremes were quite reclusive.

Well, "reclusive" might not be the right word; it's mainly that most Supremes seldom engaged in frequent activities.

Supremes could live up to three hundred years; they have plenty of time for cultivation or research, with no need for frequent communication.

The more they communicate, the more causal ties they create, which could waste a lot of time.

Having reached the Supreme level, who wouldn't want to go further and see what lies beyond?

Like Granny Jia, even after failing to break through to the next level beyond Supreme, her habits had formed.

She was usually like an invisible person in the Rare Books Tower of the library, rarely interacting even with her great-granddaughter.

If Qu Jianlei hadn't piqued her interest and subsequently gotten along with her, she wouldn't have bothered to interact with this young junior more.

Qu Jianlei just smiled nonchalantly, "He's brushing up his presence everywhere, so Hoyel is genuinely in danger..."

Even a Supreme is manufacturing alibis everywhere; what could that be for? There's no need to even ask.

But then, a flash of insight struck his mind, "Will he definitely stay at the headquarters all night?"

The AI promptly responded, "It's not certain; the one at the headquarters might just be his wristwatch."

Truly worthy of being artificial intelligence, just look at that powerful logic.

Qu Jianlei nodded, "So, he might go out at night... It's impossible for the Supreme not to have a Storage Talisman!"

For an A-level Warrior, a Storage Talisman might be quite rare, but on Zarif Star, even Spirit Foxes have more than one Storage Talisman.

However, for the Supreme, it's much simpler; just say the word, and people would willingly offer one.

Kushnier roams everywhere during the day without using a Storage Talisman to hide his wristwatch, obviously wanting everyone to know his location.

Therefore, if his wristwatch still reveals his location at night, it's probably not just out of fear of missing important information.

Leaving the wristwatch in the dorm and sneaking out quietly could easily create a blatant false impression, couldn't it?

Qu Jianlei could even imagine that there might be a few days afterward when Kushnier stays at the headquarters all the time.

And then during that time... Hoyel was assassinated!

This maneuver can't completely clear Kushnier of suspicion, but even if it only reduces it a bit, it's worth it, right?

Qu Jianlei figured everything out, but the AI was anxious, "If he goes out at night, it's not convenient for me to track him."

This guy has a bit of a rogue attitude, but he truly wants to help.

Qu Jianlei, however, pondered and stated, "When he sneaks out quietly, that might be just the right time for us to launch a surprise attack."

But some people's actions really leave one speechless.

Near midnight that same night, Kushnier actually left the war zone headquarters.

He was still riding that high-powered motorcycle, dressed in a Wasteland-style outfit, roaring away into the distance.

Qu Jianlei was ambushed nearby and was momentarily stunned, "Wasn't he supposed to sneak out quietly at midnight?"

The AI spoke in his mind, "Occasionally going out at midnight is also upright. It's called maintaining a persona."

Qu Jianlei spoke in a deep voice, "Did he bring the wristwatch?"

"He did," the AI replied without hesitation, "This is also part of the persona, not doing shady things."

"This is ridiculous," Qu Jianlei smiled indifferently, "A vain attempt to cover up."

However, he wasn't in a hurry to react; these days, the streets are being tightly patrolled, and it's easy to run into a checkpoint.

Sure enough, not long after, the AI proudly announced, "Kushnier was stopped at a checkpoint."

Nearby the war zone headquarters, people would definitely know Kushnier, but at checkpoints further away, maybe not.

For an average Supreme, being stopped and having their identity checked is a very disgraceful thing,

but Kushnier didn't mind. After showing his identity, he continued riding the roaring motorcycle away.

"Truly worthy of being a Supreme," one inspection officer quietly sighed, "Not a hint of arrogance."

"It's because he's in a good mood," another colleague poured cold water, "If he's in a bad mood, he could kill you without consequence!"

With the AI's capability, it only knew the location stayed at the checkpoint, not what was said.

Of course, after a while, it would still be able to hear it — there are recording devices on site which will upload it.

But right now there's no need for such hassle. Qu Jianlei released his Spiritual Perception and directly sensed it.

Qu Jianlei understood the situation quite well, but he wasn't in a hurry to follow.

Assassinating a Supreme is no small matter; one can never be too cautious.

Kushnier being out so late at night, not sleeping, wasn't without reason; something happened with Star No. 4's reserves.

Recently, the search efforts on the planet have intensified; even City Guards and Patrol Guards have been overwhelmed, bringing in some reserves.

A reserve member's family was harassed by the City Guard; the other party is said to have a significant background and demanded certain things.

Dispersed reserves are no different from ordinary people, but gathered reserves, that's a force second only to the military.

The Imperial's second armed force is not just a name; the reserves rallied a group and gave the other side a thrashing.

The City Guard wouldn't accept this, and Patrol Guards came out to maintain order, which overall was unfavorable to the reserves.

Now Kushnier is heading over to handle this issue.

This matter could either be big or small, with no genuine need for a Supreme's involvement, but since he wants to manage it, he certainly can manage.

Kushnier believes that by focusing on this kind of sudden incident, if anything else happens elsewhere, his suspicion would be lighter.

Upon arrival, he displayed the Supreme's toughness— is there no one to stick up for the reserves?

To show his seriousness, he stayed for more than an hour to comfort the reserves on site.

Later, some senior figures from the reserves extended an invitation, hoping he would stay over at the reserves' residence, which he bluntly refused.

Compared to the war zone headquarters, the reserves' living conditions are much poorer, and the key is the various trivial matters are too many.

Riding the high-powered motorcycle, Kushnier sped back swiftly.

At a certain moment, he frowned slightly, "Hmm?"

(Updated, requesting monthly tickets, follow-up subscriptions, and recommendation tickets.)