Erica Tarangur, female, twenty-nine years old, unmarried.
Thanks to the absurdly open social media of this era, Ji Jue easily ran image comparisons and dug up her accounts and past records across various platforms and forums.
She had strictly adhered to security protocols and never posted anything that could leak personal privacy. Regrettably, personal privacy wasn’t worth a dime these days.
Ji Jue had casually bought a few data packages from Empire data brokers, and that was all it took to lay everything bare—from home addresses to credit cards, not a single detail was missing.
According to her curriculum vitae, she hailed from a military family. Her grandfather and father had both served in the Imperial military in turn. Rather than using her gender to evade military service, she had voluntarily enlisted. After three years of service, she earned a master's degree from the Imperial Glory Military Academy. Following graduation, she had served as an Imperial bomber pilot right up to the present day.
An Imperial through and through, of impeccable pedigree and clean background. In just a few short years, she had already climbed to the rank of lieutenant colonel. It was fair to say her future was boundless.
If Old Tom was a sixth-class auxiliary at the base, then in terms of resume, looks, prospects, and current standing, this young lady was an absolute, undisputed first-class member of the elite.
An outsourced hack like Old Tom wasn't even qualified to lick her boots. Catching a whiff of her high-class perfume would already be the blessing of three lifetimes—something he’d have to risk life and limb for the Empire to earn.
Yet the problem was...
"Is this really you?"
Ji Jue stroked his chin as he looked at the dazzling smile in her social media selfie, his eyebrows gradually arching.
Even now, Ji Jue couldn't be completely, undeniably certain whether she was that wolf.
Then again, who could?
Unless one stood on the verge of death beneath the wolf's fangs and claws, who could ever see its true face?
It was hard to imagine that someone with such a bright future could actually degenerate into a corrupted one.
No—to take a step back, if it was actually her, that would be the better outcome.
Wolves were masters of disguise and concealment, possessing a myriad of bizarre and uncanny arts. Just the various details Ji Jue had heard from the House of An had already been an eye-opener.
Not to mention, he had seen it with his own eyes during the rally: the wolf that turned into blood and slipped inside the body of a Celestial Chosen, while the victim had no idea when they had been parasitized.
For all he knew, Erica had long since been hollowed out from within, leaving only a shell of flesh and skin—literally turned into a sheepskin vest worn by the wolf.
The manifestation of a wolf lay in insatiable hunger, and the process of endless feeding was also an expression of ceaseless plunder.
A famished corrupted one would instinctively crave prey, life, and blood. Even the most thoroughly disguised wolf was no different. The moment a mask was put on, it was only for the sake of gorging itself when the mask came off.
Plundering life, plundering power, even plundering skill and the self as if receiving a blessing.
The instant any corrupted one fell into the ranks of the pack and gained the recognition of the Wolf of Great Sin, they would comprehend this art born of primal bestiality and greed from their very soul.
A wolf adept in this could even devour a target's soul into an empty shell and drape it over their own soul. Even to this extent, the target's memories and consciousness would remain intact, their behavior indistinguishable from before. Even a bedmate would find it impossible to tell truth from falsehood.
Until the mask was truly torn away, who could tell whether what lay beneath was a sincere heart or wolfish ambition?
Beyond this absurdly sophisticated disguise, they even possessed a hypersensitivity that reacted to the barest touch.
They could clearly perceive malice and hostility directed at them by others—whether conveyed through a gaze, a gait, a tone of voice, or even a fleeting, wary glance in a crowd.
Bestial perception defied all reason.
It was precisely for this reason that Ji Jue was unwilling to show himself. He was no hunter specialized in this field.
Given his intense malice toward wolves, let alone meeting face-to-face, the other party would likely become wary and on guard the moment they caught sight of him, even from hundreds of meters away.
He had to maintain distance.
To ensure complete safety, Ji Jue hadn't even briefed Tang Qian beyond telling him to find someone.
The Swarm was fine for head-on encounters, but when it came to ambushes and sneak attacks, their murderous aura was simply too heavy to hide. Yet Ji Jue couldn't find a more suitable and reliable pawn on short notice, so he could only make do.
Which meant that as things stood, he still had to work through Tang Qian!
Let Old Tom suffer a bit.
Because he was good at bearing hardship.
Then again, things weren't easy for Ji Jue either...
Since Old Tom was so good at taking hardship, he might as well shoulder the blame too!
The next day, as the sixth-class auxiliary Old Tom was out on regular patrol duty with his squad, he made his usual round and then slacked off under the shade of a tree.
Amid the faint drone of cicadas, a voice suddenly drifted over from the other side of the wall.
"Does your family have a method to disguise yourselves as ordinary people?"
"Holy crap—"
Tang Qian shuddered, practically jumping out of his skin.
*You bastard Ji, why the hell do you pop out of corners like a ghost?!*
When Ji Jue hadn't replied the previous night, Tang Qian had assumed the matter was done and dusted and that he had scored a huge windfall for nothing. He had been planning to pack his bags and skip town any day now. Who would have thought this scummy Ji Jue was still dogging his heels?
Hearing Ji Jue's question, he shook his head without a second thought.
"Nope."
He expertly picked his nose and began to drool. "Sorry, boss. I'm just a dumb Swarm guy with no education. There's really nothing I can—"
"—There is, Boss! There is!"
Before Tang Qian could finish speaking, an old face surfaced at the base of his neck, answering in a resounding, resolute voice: "Our family has a full nine methods for that! Nine!"
"Fourth Granduncle?"
Tang Qian was dumbfounded, his face turning thoroughly green. *What are you doing, you old fossil? Can't you see this dog is brewing up something massive? Why are you rushing to deliver yourself into his hands?!*
"What Fourth Granduncle?! I don't have an unfilial descendant like you!"
Fourth Granduncle flew into a rage. "When we of the Swarm do business, we stand by one word: fairness! The boss paid his money, so how could we slack off? Have you forgotten our Tang family's ancestral teachings?!"
Tang Qian was speechless. There were so many things wrong with Fourth Granduncle's words that he didn't even know where to begin correcting him.
First of all, leaving aside how many words 'fairness' actually was, or what the hell 'ancestral teachings' were supposed to be, when did their family ever actually carry the surname Tang?!
Before he could react, Fourth Granduncle had already made the call: "A loyal worker keeps duty in his heart! Don't you worry, Boss. You spent the money, so our service will be absolute perfection! Don't look down on my boy Qian just because he's young—he's an elite among elites! You mustn't go easy on him! Through hell and high water, braving mountains of blades and seas of flames, just order him around as you please!"
Tang Qian fell silent, entirely past the point of words.
There was too much to criticize, so he didn't even bother. He just wanted to find a crooked tree and hang himself on the spot; at least then he might die with some shred of innocence.
It seemed there was no getting off this pirate ship now!
"Since Fourth Granduncle has put it that way, I won't stand on ceremony." Along with Ji Jue's words, a lighter flew over the wall once more. "Take this."
"Still looking for someone?"
Old Tom was suspicious, convinced something was wrong with Ji Jue.
"No need. I already found her. However, I still need a small favor from you," Ji Jue said placidly. "Don't worry, there won't be any complications. It involves corporate warfare between military industries, so I can't go into details, but I'm not expecting you to turn the tide. I just need you to dig up some dirt on a competitor."
"Then you've got the wrong guy."
Half-doubting, Old Tom turned the lighter over in his hands, inspecting it. "I'm just a lousy outsider. Take one wrong step in this base and I'll be riddled with bullets. What could I possibly find?"
"That's where your professional blind spot lies."
Ji Jue's voice took on a chuckle. "Let me teach you a little trick for slipping in unnoticed: find a toolbox, preferably put on a work uniform, wear a cap, and carry a ladder. You can go wherever you want in the entire base. Who knows, you might even get up close and personal with the young lady for a wondrous adventure!"
*Like hell I'd believe you!*
Old Tom rolled his eyes, refusing to say another word.
He could tell that bastard was definitely up to no good!
***
Come evening, after gorging himself to his heart's content in the cafeteria as usual, Old Tom began wobbling about, burping and rubbing his round belly as he strolled around the base's sports field to digest his food.
Only after putting away a dozen cold beers did he finally conclude today's gluttonous journey.
Guided by the music playing through his earpiece, he took a turn and walked into a secluded restroom, paying no heed to the maintenance sign hanging outside the door as he pushed straight in.
Amid the rushing sound of water pipes, a sweat-drenched worker turned around in surprise and waved him off. "Sir, this restroom is currently out of order—"
"I know."
Tang Qian nodded. Taking in the worker's similar build, the same skin tone, and features that shared perhaps a thirty-percent resemblance to his own, he shook his head with a brief sigh. Then, raising a hand, he pointed toward the other side. "It's leaking over there too."
"Huh?"
The worker looked back in confusion. Then, the world went dark.
With a sharp crack, he was out cold.
A sledgehammer-like fist retracted, seized the man by the collar, and dragged him into a toilet stall.
Facing the entirely defenseless maintenance worker, Tang Qian's face twitched. Pinching his nose, he reached out his sinful hands to undo the buttons one by one, revealing a dense thicket of black chest hair... Old Tom's hands trembled, tears welling in his eyes.
He couldn't help but despise himself for taking on any job just for gold coins.
"Ji Jue, you bastard... you're really not human..."
Pinching his nose, he changed into the clothes and put on the man's headset. Hearing the familiar voice on the other end, curiosity finally got the better of him. "How did you do this? Did you hack the base's entire system?"
"Why would I hack that thing? Am I looking to die?"
Ji Jue was amused. What made Old Tom think he was capable of messing with the Empire's strategic fulcrum in Mid-Continent?
Isis's existence was precious, but by no means impossible to replicate. If he could produce her, others could certainly produce something similar—it was just that others weren't quite as unique as she was.
The internet wasn't beyond the reach of the law; having computing power didn't mean one could do whatever one pleased.
Besides, when it came to computing power, technology, and hardware, who in the entire world was more plentifully equipped and advanced than the Federation and the Empire?
Setting aside the specifications of a master control system for a garrison base like this, it was guaranteed to be bristling with alarms. Furthermore, Spirit of Creation custom-built by grand workshops stood at the ready inside—and definitely more than one.
Commandments were written directly into the core of the underlying framework. Without the encryption keys, even if Ji Jue deployed Deus Ex Machina, the system wouldn't give him any quarter; it would simply report him and blast him to kingdom come.
Even so, the base's master control system didn't oversee everything.
Due to security and confidentiality considerations, it was only responsible for critical sectors and tasks, and it had to ensure complete isolation between inside and outside.
For an outsider to breach it was harder than ascending to the heavens.
Yet just as even the most heavily fortified base still needed plumbers, no matter how complete and advanced a system was, it wouldn't bother managing trivial matters like fixing a toilet.
This was the inherent flaw of Tianyuan: sometimes, the wider the net was spread, the more loopholes emerged.
When weighed against the cost-effectiveness of input versus output, it was impossible to cover every single base; in fact, it was inevitable to focus on the big picture while letting the minor details slide. The most economical method wasn't plugging every single crack, but maintaining an effective, responsive emergency team alongside viable contingency plans and defenses.
It was precisely because of this that Ji Jue had found a sliver of room to maneuver within limited boundaries.
Ji Jue didn't dare touch the base's master control system, but the system of an outsourced maintenance company was his to bend and shape however he pleased.
Even if that contractor also had Imperial backing and maintained strict internal vetting, it was nowhere near as high-pressure and dangerous as the base itself. As long as he steered clear of vital, sensitive departments, a seemingly airtight garrison base actually offered plenty of room for exploitation—provided one operated carefully!
And now, the arrangement had been laid right before Old Tom.
Chapter 590