Chapter 408 - 398: Information About Veridian Prime Leaked

The people were deeply moved to see the base being so generous.

They had originally thought "providing meals" meant something like the free soup in a school cafeteria, but they never expected this...

Some people held bowls filled with steaming hot congee, their eyes instantly welling up with tears.

This plain white congee, which they wouldn’t have given a second glance before, was now something they wouldn’t trade even for Gold.

Moira Lynch and her group were also aware of the base’s call to action, but they didn’t participate.

After all, they had more important things to do. Besides, they weren’t short on food, so there was no need to compete with everyone else.

While this side was bustling with activity, the base wasn’t idle either.

The trenches for the pipes had been dug. Now, they needed to figure out how to channel the heat from another planet to Caelus.

This was where the junk Moira Lynch had brought back earlier came in handy.

The scientists found quite a few useful things inside. Although the items were completely wrecked, that very fact meant they could dismantle them without hesitation.

Unlike with other artifacts, where every little piece they took apart pained them deeply.

Currently, the international community was paying particularly close attention to Cathaya’s actions.

It couldn’t be helped. The whole world was suffering, and while Cathaya was suffering too, life there was steadily improving.

It’s not scarcity that breeds discontent, but inequality.

Everyone was in the same miserable boat, but then your lot suddenly started improving.

———

"Get her!"

In a vast, white expanse of snow, a woman covered in wounds was running for her life.

And behind her, several fully-armed people were in hot pursuit.

The temperature-regulating clothes the woman was wearing were tattered and torn, gradually losing their ability to maintain warmth.

Feeling her limbs grow colder and colder, with the relentless pursuers still behind her, the woman grit her teeth and activated her talent.

The next second, a blue vortex appeared before her eyes.

The woman passed through the vortex and vanished on the spot.

When the people behind her finally caught up, all they saw were footprints that ended abruptly in the snow.

"Dammit, she got away!"

One of them slammed his fist on the ground in frustration.

Another person consoled him, "This is no time for impotent rage. Birch Trent knows about Veridian Prime. It’ll be a huge problem if she manages to get that information out."

None of them had ever suspected that Birch Trent was also a player. She had hidden right under their noses for so long.

If she hadn’t gotten too eager and revealed a flaw, they had no idea when they would have discovered this traitor.

Now that she was gone, all they could do was report it to their superiors and hope they could come up with a way to stop the information from leaking.

News about Birch Trent was quickly sent back.

"That Birch Trent... how has the country ever wronged her?"

Anyone with eyes could see that Cathaya was getting better and better. And Birch Trent, of all people, had even been to Veridian Prime.

That’s why people couldn’t understand why she would still choose to be a traitor.

Just then, someone pushed the door open and walked in.

"Well? Can you divine Birch Trent’s current location?"

The person nodded. "We can, yes. But according to our divined results, Birch Trent has already been killed. And... the probability of the Veridian Prime information leak has reached one hundred percent."

Hearing that Birch Trent was dead, the people in the room were first relieved, but their hearts sank at the second part of the statement.

Suddenly, the phone on the desk rang. Chase Shepard picked it up.

The person on the other end said a few words.

After hanging up, Chase Shepard’s earlier tension vanished, and he plopped down into his chair.

Seeing this, the others all looked at him, their eyes asking what had happened.

Chase Shepard said unhurriedly, "They said if the news leaks, it leaks. We just won’t admit to it."

The others were left speechless.

’That... actually makes sense.’

As long as they denied it, what could anyone else say? It’s not like they could come to Cathaya to see for themselves. They wouldn’t have the guts.

However, the anticipated interrogations never came.

Although Birch Trent’s information did get out, and some smaller countries wanted to stir up trouble, the major powers remained silent, as if they’d been struck dumb.

At the same time, Cathaya’s capital city had transformed into the most formidable fortress when the cataclysm arrived.

Unlike other bases, there were no signs of snow here. Everything looked exactly as it had before the apocalypse.

At its very center stood a colossal Elf Tree House, its dense canopy blotting out the sun.

This Elf Tree House was the reason the surrounding area wasn’t covered in snow.

As one of only two treehouses with a protective barrier—the other belonging to Moira Lynch and her group—it enveloped the entire capital.

RING-RING!

The next second, a video call came through.

A middle-aged man glanced at the caller ID. After letting it ring for a while, he unhurriedly accepted the call.

"Hello."

"Mr. Miller, long time no see."

On the other side of the video call was a man with blond hair and blue eyes, who greeted Paul Lewis with a very gentle smile.

But Paul Lewis wasn’t buying it. ’We’re all old foxes playing the same game, so why bother with the pleasantries?’

"Is there something you need? If not, I’m hanging up. I have a pile of documents to get through."

With that, Paul Lewis moved to end the call.

Seeing this, the other man grew anxious and quickly stopped him. "Wait a moment. You’re as impatient as ever, Mr. Miller. Alright, I’ll get straight to the point. I’m calling about Veridian Prime."

He sounded extremely rushed this time, as if he was afraid Paul Lewis would actually hang up.

"Veridian Prime? What’s that? Never heard of it. Mr. William, I’m very busy. Please don’t waste my time with hearsay."

With that, Paul Lewis decisively ended the video call.

He hung up crisply. He had already performed this action dozens of times today.

Ever since the information about Veridian Prime was leaked, he had taken dozens of calls, all of them about that same subject.

But no matter who asked, his attitude was always the same: I don’t know, I’m not aware of that, and I have no idea what you’re talking about.

’As for international relations?’

’What’s that?’

This world has always been about the survival of the fittest. In the eyes of the strong, the opinions of the weak are utterly irrelevant.

Not long after Paul Lewis hung up, another video call came in.

Again, he waited a dozen or so seconds before unhurriedly answering...

"Hello..."