Life had become far too routine, so Lin Xiaohe had Xin Bao secretly tap into networks.
To do this, she spent 10 skill points to upgrade Xin Bao.
Now, Xin Bao’s range for covert network access was no longer limited to 100 meters but had expanded to 100 li.
During casual chats on the 5th Division’s local area network, most of the discussions revolved around the outstanding performance of the students from the Command Academy. It was said that they had once defeated an Imperial Major’s guard, which was quite an impressive feat.
Of course, Lin Xiaohe, stationed far from the frontlines, along with her pink Beetle mecha, often appeared in the chat channels as a point of contrast.
Lin Xiaohe didn’t enjoy listening to gossip about herself. She much preferred infiltrating the Imperial intranet to eavesdrop on their gossip.
“Haha, those idiots in the Federation are still patting themselves on the back, thinking capturing the Kashgar Sector is some great victory. They even invited war correspondents for interviews.”
“I heard one of those correspondents is the son of the Sixth Stellar Ring Military District Commander.”
“Yep, that naive young master.”
“My god, the commander of the Sixth Ring, that guy with the love-addled brain, actually let his only son come to the frontlines?”
Lin Xiaohe stopped what she was doing and pricked up her ears.
What did that mean? The district commander had a ‘love-addled brain’?
Ahhh! My damnable curiosity is acting up again!
But, annoyingly, those Imperial guys didn’t elaborate further.
“Of course ‘Baldy’ wouldn’t agree to let his son come to the front. The kid came on his own initiative this time.”
“Does the naive young master look down on our Empire and wants to come rack up some military achievements?”
“As if he has the guts for that? He’s in an online romance with some girl. Came to Milo Star to meet her in person.”
Lin Xiaohe’s jaw dropped. Could this ‘love-addled brain’ trait be genetic?
Lin Xiaohe was now fully alert, silently urging them on. Come on, tell me more!
Just as it was getting to the good part, the connection dropped!
Damn it all.
Lin Xiaohe was filled with regret as she switched the channel back to the 5th Division’s intranet.
“Wan Tianming: We guarantee the successful completion of the mission and the safe reception of the war correspondent group.”
“Darcy: We trust you with this.”
Lin Xiaohe chuckled. So the naive young master was coming to their 5th Division. That would make eavesdropping on gossip even easier.
Less than five minutes later, the 5th Division’s intranet exploded.
[Urgent Notice: The war correspondent group has been abducted by an unidentified group. Officers at the battalion level and above, report to the conference room immediately.]
Wow!
Lin Xiaohe’s heart itched with curiosity, like a hedgehog who couldn’t get its paws on a melon, making her fidget restlessly.
“Xin Bao, monitor all nearby networks closely.”
Xin Bao: [All networks?]
“Yes, all of them!”
Due to range limitations, connecting to other intranets besides the 5th Division’s was largely a matter of luck. To get more of the scoop, Lin Xiaohe had to put Xin Bao to work.
The 5th Division acted swiftly. Not only did they dispatch Wan Tianming’s team, but Darcy’s Special Reconnaissance Battalion was also mobilized.
A no-fly zone was established with the disappearance point at its center, spanning a 30-kilometer radius. All aircraft were grounded, with violators subject to immediate shoot-down.
This was to prevent the kidnappers from simply flying into outer space.
Simultaneously, a communications blackout was imposed within a 50-kilometer radius. All communication facilities were shut down, and military jamming equipment was activated.
This was to sever the kidnappers’ contact with any reinforcements, trapping them like a turtle in a jar.
As the orders went out, the entire Recon Battalion fanned out in a sector formation for reconnaissance.
Guard units along the route were ordered to assist in the search.
The operation was massive because no one dared to guess what the Military District Commander might do if his ‘naive young master’ fell into Imperial hands.
A day passed, and the 5th Division still hadn’t found any trace of the correspondent group. They had no choice but to report the situation to the Milo Star Command Headquarters.
Command Headquarters was furious. With the frontlines raging, such a blunder was utterly unacceptable—a slap in the Federation’s face!
Headquarters ordered that the correspondent group must be located within two days and rescued within five.
Because in five days, the Federation was launching a large-scale assault on Imperial-occupied territory, and the 5th Division needed to push the front lines forward.
Within the 5th Division, every soldier was mobilized.
First, battalion-level officers held a meeting. Half an hour later, the meeting was expanded to include platoon-level officers.
However, none of this had anything to do with Lin Xiaohe, who was stuck guarding the observation outpost.
Darcy had completely forgotten about her existence and hadn’t given her any tasks.
Lin Xiaohe opened a tube of nutrient fluid—plain flavor. The taste was as reliably awful as ever.
Xin Bao excitedly reported: [Xiaohe, I’ve connected to a small local network.]
“Let’s hear it.”
Perhaps because the distance was a bit far, the audio was choppy and intermittent.
“…that pretty boy was so easy to fool, completely duped by Li Lisha like an idiot. When we grabbed him, he was still begging us not to hurt her.”
“Weren’t you ordered to maintain radio silence? The 5th Division is acting like maniacs, ready to comb every inch of ground to find us.”
“What’s there to fear? This place is in the middle of nowhere, not even an outpost around. Who could monitor our comms? Besides, once we cross the Black Sea Desert ahead, we’ll reach Imperial-controlled territory. This job will be done!”
Zzzt… Ssshhhk…
The communication seemed to be jammed. Lin Xiaohe couldn’t hear anything more.
Lin Xiaohe’s eyes sparkled. Sitting at home, merit fell from the sky!
Judging from the kidnappers’ conversation, they were definitely the ones who had abducted the war correspondent group.
Without a second thought, Lin Xiaohe immediately sent the network position to Darcy: “The targets just passed through this area.”
Darcy: “…Cadet Lin Xiaohe, I understand your desire to meritorious service. But honesty is a soldier’s virtue.”
Lin Xiaohe: “I swear on my character, this information is true.”
Darcy: “Deception is also a strategy. If you insist on your story, then tell me: that location is far from your outpost. How did you find out?”
Lin Xiaohe was embarrassed. In her eagerness to make a contribution, she had forgotten that she needed to explain this point: “Because my mecha is stronger?”
Darcy sighed. He really didn’t enjoy babysitting, especially kids with zero self-awareness about their own capabilities.
“Listen, Lin Xiaohe, I don’t have time to waste. Wan Tianming’s team has detected suspicious activity and needs our support. If you insist on your earlier claim, I can authorize you to act independently.”
Darcy curled the corner of his mouth into a ridicule smile. “Compared to the merit of discovering the enemy’s trail, the merit of actually capturing them and rescuing the correspondents is undoubtedly greater. I wish you success.”
The communication was mercilessly cut off. Lin Xiaohe was caught in a dilemma.
Should she go for it or not?
Even though Darcy was being sarcastic, his words made sense. She wasn’t really serving as a soldier; she was participating in the special admissions assessment.
If she didn’t meritorious service, how would she pass the assessment?!
Lin Xiaohe wiped her face, grabbed Xin Bao, hopped into the pink Beetle, and zoomed off toward the target location.
