Chapter 118 (1/2)
“Maximillius is dead.” Luthor’s expression was grim. This was a disaster, an absolute disaster. How the hell did the federation’s strongest expert die in a simple mission of capturing a nascent-soul cultivator!? It was as believable as his bodyguard dying by accidentally swallowing the toothpick that came with an olive! If he hadn’t seen the video footage himself, he wouldn’t have believed it. Of course, very few people saw the video. Upon discovering Maximillius’ death, everyone’s phones were confiscated from the streets near the internet café; their privacy was invaded, and the videos were deleted. As for the clips that popped up on the internet? Simple! The federation shut down the internet! Although there’d be temporary confusion and lots of anger towards the internet service providers, it was much better than the mass panic that would occur if people found out the guardian of the federation perished. Besides, when weren’t people angry at the internet service providers anyway? They were the perfect scapegoat.
“The most important thing is to prevent an attack from the coalition and the empire,” the head of homeland security said. “Luckily, we suppressed the news in time. Even if a few videos of the event leak into the empire’s and coalition’s hands, it won’t matter. They’ll suspect it’s a ploy to draw them out. Neither of the two will make a move, not when the other might attack them if they invade us. The worst-case scenario is if both the empire and coalition form an alliance to move against us. If that happens, it may be the end of the federation.”
Luthor rubbed his temples with his hands. It was all his predecessor’s fault! He was the one who insisted on sending those scouts into the universe. If they hadn’t discovered the Moon Lotus World, would all of this have happened? It wouldn’t! Maximillius would still be alive, there wouldn’t be a peak soul-seed criminal killing federal officers, and the existence of the illegal-substance dealers known as the Moon Lotus Sect wouldn’t be poisoning the citizens! Luthor exhaled and straightened his back. In the end, what happened had happened, and moving on was the only thing that could be done. “What actions should we take?”
“For now, we have to continue operating as per usual,” the head of homeland security said. “Luckily, Maximillius rarely showed his face to the public, spending the majority of his time in closed seclusion. As long as we pretend he is alive and in seclusion, the status quo should remain as is. However, with the empire and coalition hearing rumors of Maximillius’ death, they’ll likely probe us to verify the information. There is a riskier plan which involves creating a fake video of Maximillius and releasing it, but if the fabrication isn’t good enough, the empire and coalition will realize something is off.”
“Is there nothing we can do to seize the initiative?” Luthor asked. “If we remain in a passive position, it’ll only be a matter of time before the federation falls.” His forehead wrinkled. “Isn’t there anyone close to becoming a false immortal? What are all our soul-seed experts doing? Pump them full of spirit stones and force them to advance! The gap Maximillius left behind must be filled.”
“The closest person to advancing was Officer Andrew Stone,” the head of homeland security said. “But, as you know, he was brutally executed by Frost Butcher Rachel.”
“Is that what we’re calling her now? Frost Butcher?” Luthor asked. “Who comes up with these names?”
“I do,” the head of homeland security said. “Do you have a problem with my naming sense, sir?”
Luthor shook his head. “Forget it,” he said and sighed. “Anyone else? Surely there are some capable BAR pilots who are close to becoming a false immortal. What about the hidden masters who never show themselves but are actually extremely strong?”
“We’ve identified a few of those hidden masters,” the head of homeland security said, “but all of them turned out to be frauds. The strongest one was a golden-core cultivator. As for our officers, there’s no one capable of becoming a false immortal. If it were that easy, there wouldn’t only be three false immortals in the whole intergalactic society.” The head of homeland security cleared his throat. “Pardon me, I mean two, since one of them was turned to ashes due to unknown reasons.”
“Unknown reasons?” Luthor asked, his eyes widening. “You didn’t apprehend Elder Vremya after he disintegrated Maximillius!? Where is he now!?”