Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 585 - 455: The Waters Are Too Murky

Things are not looking good? Qu Jianlei raised an eyebrow, is it your matter or mine?

Looking at the small lake on the Baofeng screen, he hesitated before speaking, "Hmm, Guard Captain, you speak."

"Tsk, it's not suitable to talk in the watch," Hertman sighed, "Should I come to find you?"

"Alright," Qu Jianlei hung up the communication, raising his eyebrow again: Isn't this guy using a secure line?

So, the so-called unsuitability is not due to fear of leaks, but... difficult to articulate?

The Guard Captain came quickly; Qu Jianlei hadn't finished his meal yet when he arrived at the cafeteria entrance.

After Qu Jianlei, the two went to a secluded spot.

The Guard Captain spoke solemnly, "The information you provided was indeed correct, Kleis and Annette have joined forces..."

Then he briefly explained the situation at the joint meeting, emphasizing the roles of the Planet Governor and the fifth-in-command.

"If it weren't for your information, contacting Ke Zhenshan now would certainly have been too late."

Qu Jianlei nodded at hearing this, "As long as the information is useful, why did you say things are not looking good?"

"The boss wants to take away Annette's power to liaise with the Military," the Guard Captain sighed heavily.

Qu Jianlei felt a bit puzzled upon hearing this.

"Isn't Nietzsche also with the Military and voted for support? Is the boss's adjustment a kind of punishment?"

"Not entirely," the Guard Captain shook his head, knowing that Panda couldn't grasp the high-level grievances, hence explained further.

In short, the task was given to Nietzsche, but only temporarily, because it doesn't make sense.

Thus, this task will eventually fall to the fifth-in-command Ke Zhenshan, just waiting for him to return.

Annette's problem is not just losing two major supports but also being surpassed in ranking by Ke Zhenshan.

This is incredibly distressing, knowing that Ke Zhenshan is much younger than him, ranking fifth due to limited experience.

However, if he surpasses Annette this time, it will be a permanent surpass unless he makes mistakes in the future.

Especially as the Imperial Government does not advocate gerontocracy; there is seniority, but younger officials get more opportunities.

This is the boss's reward to Ke Zhenshan, who isn't on the planet but made progress out of conviction, gaining a small step ahead.

The despair in Annette's heart is imaginable.

Qu Jianlei nodded after hearing all this, but didn't respond—what are you telling me all this for?

The Guard Captain saw Qu Jianlei not responding, then stated after a pause, "We are worried Annette might take desperate measures..."

"This guy's temper is not good, often resorting to violence to solve problems."

Qu Jianlei remained silent but was quite curious: would Kleis really be willing to concede?

However, upon reflection, the third-in-command initiated the attack this time, even if the plan failed, his rank remained unchanged.

But Annette is different, it's a case of failed theft losing everything, how could he balance that?

No matter what the Guard Captain said, Qu Jianlei just listened, but he would never express opinions lightly.

After Hertman finished speaking, he didn't continue, instead, he desperately looked at the opposite.

Both stared at each other for quite a while, neither willing to speak.

Qu Jianlei thought about the cheaply acquired Baofeng and finally sighed, "When you say 'we', do you mean?"

"Yes," the Guard Captain replied with a nod and a heavy tone, "Besides my boss, there's also the boss... they all think he's very dangerous."

Qu Jianlei twitched his lips at this, "The first-in-command and second-in-command united... what harm can a mere fourth-in-command do?"

Hertman shook his head, "It's impossible for them to unite, and the boss believes Annette doesn't dare to move against him..."

The boss indeed thinks so, and with confidence, because he is in charge of managing a planet.

If anything happened during his tenure, it's much more serious than if it happened to a deputy.

Not just Annette, even Kushnier wouldn't dare to make a move against him.

Qu Jianlei also agreed with this; on Blue Star, it's akin to being a frontier official, deputy positions truly cannot compare.

Interestingly, the boss believes nothing is wrong at home, but thinks the second-in-command Hoyel is more at risk.

He has been at odds with Hoyel for long, hence unlikely to unite against the fourth due to some suspicion.

Really, the boss thinks the second-in-command might encounter trouble, hence asked people to give a heads-up.

The Guard Captain smiled wryly, "…he's merely cautious of suspicion, after all, he and Annette are in cahoots."

Qu Jianlei nodded, "Indeed, this joint meeting was viewed as a performance, it's possible."

No matter what the other party says, he's definitely not going to actively bring up other topics.

"I knew you understood!" The Guard Captain gave a thumbs-up, then sighed, "So my boss is in danger."

Hoyel's danger, what does it have to do with me? Qu Jianlei nodded slightly, showing no expression.

Hertman stared at him speechlessly, waiting for half a minute before sighing helplessly.

"My boss thinks continuous defense isn't viable, wants to take initiative, but the people he can mobilize, others are aware too."

"Stop," Qu Jianlei hurriedly gestured with a hand, looking somewhat displeased.

"I am not interested in what you're saying now... it's simply messing me up!"

"I didn't mean to set you up," the Guard Captain also shook his head.

He originally didn't know how to start this conversation, but the other party's refusal actually gave him courage.

"I heard you're interested in the Vortex... I can arrange to send you one."

Qu Jianlei's mouth twitched slightly, and then he let out a bitter laugh, "Dealing with Annette... this feels like I'm destined to go on the run!"

He shook his head repeatedly, "Sorry, I truly can't help with this."

It's not that he's not tempted, the key is if he takes action, his weaknesses will be held by the other party.

Can the people from the Government be trusted? He has no confidence whatsoever in their integrity.

There's an old saying in Blue Star's Divine Land, "Those in politics have no personal virtues"—once you become an official, you have to set aside many personal ideals.

Qu Jianlei is very suspicious that if he takes action against Annette first, he'll be betrayed by Hertman right afterward.

If a dignified fourth-ranking official on the planet is found dead, won't they immediately need a scapegoat?

Qu Jian doesn't have any enmity with Annette, plus there are many guards around the fourth-ranking official, the operation difficulty is too high.

The Guard Captain looked at him; his expression was a bit odd, "Are you worried I'll silence you?"

To silence him... wouldn't that be quite difficult? Qu Jianlei let out a bitter laugh.

"My personal record is clean, why would I want to add a blemish?"

The Guard Captain shook his head and extended his thumb, "First, I have no intention of making you act, just to pass on a message."

"In your organization, surely there are cleaners or similar roles; see if anyone is willing to take on the task."

Qu Jianlei then realized that the other party was eyeing the non-existent "organization" behind him.

If that's the case, then this weakness of his is relatively minor.

If the Guard Captain really intended to trap him, he could easily feign ignorance.

However, he still shook his head, "Sorry, this situation is too murky; I don't want to get involved at all."

"Second," the Guard Captain extended his index finger and spoke on his own.

"I don't mean for you to deal with Annette, I want to ask... how much would it cost to take out a Supreme?"

Qu Jianlei was stunned upon hearing this, and he tentatively spoke after a long pause, "Are you saying to take out that one?"

"That's right," the Guard Captain nodded, speaking earnestly, "A Supreme emerging from Garbage Star, how many connections can they have?"

Qu Jianlei's expression was a bit strange, only speaking after a while, "You really look up to us, huh."

"This is also the best protection for you," the Guard Captain calmly stated.

"Think about it, if your organization can take out a Supreme, would we really dare to harm you... have that kind of courage?"

Qu Jianlei was clear-minded; he gave a dry laugh and asked with a strange expression.

"If I don't agree, are you planning to expose where the information was bought from?"

"Absolutely not," the Guard Captain shook his head straightforwardly, then spoke earnestly.

"Even if you don't agree, I wouldn't dare to casually threaten you; please believe in my sincerity."

Sincerity from the Government? Qu Jianlei smiled indifferently; he truly hadn't considered this factor.

Kushnier is his real enemy, currently searching through the Full Star Realm for him.

If there's an opportunity to take out the guy, he definitely wouldn't hesitate, especially... when someone is offering money for assassinations now.

The reason he said what he did earlier was simply to show his willingness to pass on the message, with "certain apprehensions".

"Don't talk to me about sincerity; this person is from the Military... to be honest, he is more sensitive than Annette."

"It's not like you think," Hertman shook his head and gave him some info, "He belongs to the second armed force."

In other words, Kushnier is now part of the reserve forces, not an active-duty officer.

Reserve forces and active duty, though they sound similar, they're quite different.

Killing an active-duty officer is akin to treason; with a reserve officer... it's not much more severe than murdering a common person.

Especially since the Guard Captain clearly stated, Kushnier hails from Garbage Star, there's almost no chance anyone would stand up for him.

Nonetheless, Qu Jianlei still shook his head, "I can't bear the consequences of killing a Supreme recklessly."

Supremes have a series of privileges, which include the Imperial protection of their right to life.

Acts of recklessly killing a Supreme are a serious crime, even though the average person can't really kill a Supreme, but if it's... a critically ill Supreme?

This crime is typically not committed by ordinary people, but it's explicitly stated in related laws.

Upon hearing his words, Hertman rolled his eyes, "That charge would stand, but have you considered..."

"If the Supreme killed is in a normal state, how many would have the guts to investigate this matter?"

"Don't try to fool me!" Qu Jianlei shook his head.

From the other party's words, he sensed a certain level of disorder within the Empire—where indeed, strength is king.

Yet he still was not sure, "What did that one do to provoke you?"

"That you're willing to take such a huge risk, and at any cost?"