Book 10: Chapter 47: Suspicion

“Sir, more than half of the scouts we left outside the Ruins have lost their signals,” Black moved close to Gan Luo and said softly. “Only a short time has passed since they sent the first warning signal. The enemy attacking us is very strong!”

“Hmm.” Gan Luo nodded noncommittally. He was examining a damaged metal sphere in his hand and asked casually, “Have you located the Lost divided group?”

“Luo Di said he detected movement in three places inside the Ruins. The other side seems to be moving separately.” Black glanced towards a figure lying prone on the ground behind them.

After the Chaos Team entered this world, they had all transformed into Insectoid Mantis. But modifications within the Insectoid Blood Pool had created several branches of Mantis with varied abilities. The Descendant Apostle lying on the ground now possessed exceptionally strong Perception abilities due to his displacement into this world. Consequently, he had been further modified into a Mantis Butterfly Insect which was highly sensitive to biological magnetic fields. Within his perception range, he could not only identify all different biological individuals but also locate them by sensing the reflection of magnetic fields off surrounding materials.

“Three against three? Heh, interesting!” Gan Luo chuckled carelessly. Before they entered, his team had also split into three groups. “Oh, did we make contact with the inside source?”

“The inside source has responded. The movements Luo Di detected are accurate. The enemy doesn’t seem to have any hidden forces set up inside the Ruins!” Black nodded, though he sounded hesitant. “Also, the inside source sent over the personnel list for this Lost detachment. Besides the two targets we made contact with earlier, the female Apostle Leader Robin leading them… there’s also a surprising individual…”

“Qin Lun? You mean that guy Kelly protected is also in this team?” Gan Luo turned to look at Black, narrowing his eyes. A faint smile touched his lips. “That truly is… a big surprise!”

“Sir, that Qin Lun orchestrated a brilliant strategy during the Metropolis Domination War. Given how smoothly everything has gone for us so far… could this be a trick?” Black voiced his concern.

“So what? With absolute power on our side, any schemes are a waste of effort.” Gan Luo sneered coldly.

“Sir, please be cautious. It might seem like we have them trapped inside the Ruins, and we have the advantage of two teams working together. However, if you factor in the team still outside the Ruins… then suddenly we are the ones caught between them.” Black frowned as he spoke.

“You’re saying…” Gan Luo’s scaled face twitched slightly. His gaze finally turned serious. “But judging from the earlier circumstances, those two teams’ timelines shouldn’t have overlapped!”

“Sir, even if they haven’t overlapped, the technological level of this world is very advanced. They might have methods for long-distance communication. Moreover, the details of the Holy Light Team’s battle in the X-352 star system are unclear. Should we perhaps question that Wolf again?” Black’s eyes gleamed as he cautiously suggested it.

“Wolf won’t tell us. Protecting his companions meant he had to compromise with us, but he won’t help willingly. Pushing him too hard might make him add false information, causing more trouble.” Gan Luo waved his hand, rejecting the idea flatly. “However, you make a fair point. Can’t have problems at this final stage. Ask the inside source; he should know the specifics of that battle.”

Gan Luo paused, noticing Black’s troubled expression. A thought struck him. “You already asked?”

“Yes, Sir. He refused to provide detailed intelligence!” Black said helplessly. “He claimed the information he provided already fulfills the agreed conditions. He said relying entirely on his information wouldn’t earn genuine respect, even if we defeat the Lost team.”

“Hah, if he truly were that principled, he wouldn’t have compromised in the first place. Looks like this Lost detachment has given him the confidence to resist.” Gan Luo laughed with suppressed fury, his insectoid eyes blazing with malice. “Fine then. Instruct him to send his current coordinates one last time. And remind him… playing both sides never ends well.”

…

The clock turned back to a quarter-hour earlier, just as Gan Luo and his group arrived at the Ruins. Qin Lun finished communicating with Robin and the others but didn’t immediately take action. Instead, he instructed Alex and the others to deploy all detectors to monitor the movements in the corridor behind them.

“Alex, Vera… It’s not too late for you to turn back if you regret this.” Qin Lun stood quietly for a moment before turning to look at the young Gith Flight Officers behind him.

“Commander, I don’t think I need to repeat myself. As long as you fulfill what you promised… whether it’s me, Vera, Meri, or Fiers… we are all willing to pay any price!” Alex’s resolute reply came through the mecha’s comms channel.

Several Bingren Mecha raised their arms to their chests, delivering a military salute towards Qin Lun and the Apostles. Then they turned and marched purposefully back into the corridor they had come from. Only four silent Bingren Mecha remained near Qin Lun and the two other Apostles.

“Where are Alex and the others going?” Sawa looked towards the departing group, then back at Qin Lun standing by the gate, her face full of confusion. “Sir, I don’t understand. Aren’t we supposed to be hiding?”

Qin Lun smiled cryptically but said nothing, instead turning his gaze towards one of the Gith Flight Officers’ mecha beside Sawa.

“Sawa, I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark for so long. Let me answer that question.” The spherical cockpit on this mecha’s chest suddenly popped open. A slender figure in a close-fitting space suit pushed back the canopy, revealing herself to Sawa.

“Leader Robin?! Aren’t you supposed to be with the other team?” Sawa’s eyes widened, staring incredulously at the beautiful team leader.

“Indeed, both leaders… I believe an explanation is due now!” Loben’s voice sounded from the spot. Another cockpit popped open among the four mecha, and Loben stood up inside it, his expression grave.

Robin glanced at Qin Lun beside her. Seeing he offered no objection, she sighed slightly, frowning as she spoke. “Qin Lun… contacted me through sister Kelly before we entered this world. He warned me that a hastily formed Patroller Team might have a mole.”

“A mole? Did you find something suspicious?” Sawa asked, shocked.

“No. We found nothing. Even now, this is just Qin Lun’s speculation alone.” Robin smiled wryly. “But despite that, he convinced me. That’s why we’ve kept some precautions hidden from the rest of you until now.”

“Why only reveal it now?” Sawa asked, puzzled. “If Lord Qin Lun suspected a mole, there were many opportunities to investigate before entering Paranto.”

“No, it was impossible to identify the mole back then. This world is too special; it restricts the Soul Sigil communication between Apostles. Telepathy also has a very limited range. The mole simply had no chance to betray us when we were out in space.” The cockpit of a third mecha – the left one of the remaining pair – opened, and one of the twins, Dean, climbed out.

“And you knew about this too? Was I the only one kept out?” Sawa frowned, looking dissatisfied at everyone.

“My brother and I only discussed it privately. We almost forgot about it after so long… never imagined Lord Qin Lun had prepared all along.” Dean put on a serious face, trying to sound mature.

“You both… why?” Hearing that Loben and Dean hadn’t known beforehand either eased Sawa’s frustration slightly, but she was still full of questions. “But the other two major factions of the Devil’s Horn are chasing us down to recruit us, right? Wouldn’t such a despicable tactic as planting a mole backfire? Wouldn’t it make the person they’re trying to recruit less willing to join?”

“It won’t backfire. Think about it, Sawa,” Qin Lun asked with a light laugh. They were communicating on a short-range Telepathy channel, ensuring the other two groups couldn’t overhear. “What would you feel if we were suddenly betrayed at a critical moment? What thoughts would cross your mind?”

“I would… feel disheartened. And really angry!” Sawa wasn’t slow to understand. Prompted by Qin Lun, a thoughtful expression crossed her face. “…Stop trusting the remaining team members. The team would crumble.”

“And not only your team,” Qin Lun continued calmly. “The initial shock would make you hate the traitor and the enemy factions. But once calm sets in… that anger might eventually turn towards Lost and the Order Front. You might feel it’s no longer worth staying in such a divided alliance. Changing alliances might suddenly seem like a good option.

“The enemy factions only launched their pursuit after you entered the Gospel World. But in truth, the fight began the moment the Light Team fell. The three major factions within the Devil’s Horn aren’t just alliances for interest, but also collections of different beliefs. Chaos and Apostle Monument don’t just want to recruit you by defeating you in combat; first, they need to destroy your faith in the Order Front.”

“Alright, I understand.” As Qin Lun spoke, not only Sawa understood, but the others apart from Robin also fell into thought. They had never considered things from this angle before.

“Lord Qin Lun,” Loben asked cautiously, “since you’ve considered all this, you must have already suspected someone, correct?”

“Before entering this world, apart from Robin, Frank, and the three of us, everyone else was suspect. But the unique nature of this world prevented me from ruling anyone out.” Qin Lun spread his hands helplessly.

“But among us now, there are only seven Mecha left: You, Frank, my brother and me, Leader Robin and Sawa… plus Bobby who is still on the Advancing. You’ve narrowed the suspicion down to just two people.” Dean’s eyes shone with admiration as he looked at Qin Lun, pointing towards the last Bingren who hadn’t revealed their identity. “I guess that’s Leader Balin, right?”

“Haha, finally get to see you mess up!” The remaining mecha suddenly emitted a high-pitched, childish voice. “Smarty-pants, guess who I am?”

“Bobby?!” Dean’s mouth fell open in surprise, completely bewildered. “But you’re not… Oh… I get it! It’s part of the plan!”

“This was my idea after we entered Paranto,” Robin explained with a smile. “Bobby’s physical body truly couldn’t be recovered until we returned to the Star Void; his consciousness was fused with the Advancing warship. However, back then, all the Bingren Mecha were also within his scope for fusion – he could attach his consciousness to them too. Bobby’s abilities in bioparticle resonance happened to be ideal for exploring the Ruins. To prevent a potential mole from noticing… I kept it hidden from the group.”

“So, one of our three missing companions… betrayed us.” Sawa frowned, looking at Qin Lun. “But… Lord Qin Lun… why Balin? Or Huobiao and Bowei? Why couldn’t it be one of us here?”