The alloy doors of the command room slid shut behind them.
The humble smile on Morton’s face didn’t last long, quickly morphing into a complex expression of excitement and calculation.
He personally pulled out chairs for Dalles and his two men, a stark contrast to his previous arrogant demeanor.
Daiz swaggered over and sat down, his combat boots thudding against the floor.
Cacao remained silently standing behind Dalles like an immovable metal statue.
Out in the training room, the warrior named Carl was still kneeling on the ground, his body trembling slightly.
He hadn’t even managed to stand up yet.
But it seemed no one was paying attention to him anymore.
“Mr.
Dalles, please take a look.”
Morton traced a finger across the map.
This time, his movements were full of respect.
He lit up a dense ring of red dots surrounding the capital circle.
“These are the core defense lines of the United Government’s central military district.
They have deployed seventy percent of their mobile forces here, along with their latest planetary orbital cannons.”
“Once the coup begins, my troops will advance on the capital from three directions simultaneously, pinning down the central military district’s main forces at these defense lines.”
Morton’s finger finally landed on the very center of the map—the location of the capital’s United Government building.
“And your target, Mr.
Dalles.”
Morton looked up at Dalles.
“Are the two ‘super soldiers’ in the hands of the United Government.”
“They are the secret weapons the United Government has developed over the years, and the very reason they dare to continuously cut the military budgets of our border defense districts.”
“Their combat power, each of them, is far above Carl’s.”
Morton tapped the desk, bringing up two encrypted files and projecting them in front of Dalles.
Codename: Shield.
Codename: Spear.
The files were simple, containing only their codenames, a blurry portrait, and an eye-catching number.
A flicker of surprise crossed Dalles’s eyes.
‘This planet really isn’t simple,’ he thought.
‘Warriors with a power level of ten thousand!’
‘No wonder Planet Caren became the core gathering place for aliens in this sector.’
‘Strength is always the primary factor in diplomacy!’
To Morton and the entirety of Planet Caren, these two super soldiers were an insurmountable chasm.
This also explained why Morton, despite controlling thirty-five percent of the military forces, had hesitated to make his move.
Seeing Dalles fall silent, Morton assumed he was intimidated by the numbers.
He cleared his throat, preparing to reiterate the difficulty of the mission.
“Ten thousand or nine thousand, it doesn’t matter.”
Dalles’s indifferent voice echoed in the command room.
“They are equally weak.”
“Continue with your plan.”
Morton’s mouth hung open, all his prepared speeches caught in his throat.
He licked his dry lips, his body leaning forward uncontrollably.
“Mr.
Dalles, are you…
sure?”
There was a barely perceptible tremble in his voice.
Dalles didn’t answer.
He merely raised his eyelids and shot Morton a cold glance.
Morton instantly shut his mouth.
Then, a jolt of ecstasy shot up Morton’s spine straight to his brain.
Suppressing the excitement threatening to burst from his chest, he finally revealed his true objective.
“Mr.
Dalles, I have a presumptuous request.”
He rubbed his hands together, looking like a child about to receive his favorite toy.
“I don’t want these two super soldiers to be killed.”
“I need them…
captured alive.”
“Because they carry the new generation of genetic enhancement technology secretly developed by the United Government!”
A fanatical light burst from Morton’s eyes.
“As long as I get my hands on this technology, I can mass-produce my own super soldiers!”
“When that time comes, let alone unifying Planet Caren, we will even have a place among the stars beyond this system!”
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, as if he could already envision a future where he ruled supreme.
Only his wild delusions echoed throughout the command room.
Morton grew increasingly animated.
“Mr.
Dalles, can you imagine the scene?”
“You just saw Carl’s strength.”
Morton pointed to the corner of the room.
Carl was leaning against the wall, struggling just to stand straight.
“His individual combat power is 5,500.”
“One Carl isn’t enough, but what if I had a thousand Carls?
Ten thousand Carls?”
“The United Government, peaceful evolution…
it’s all just a game for fools.”
He paced back and forth behind the desk.
His combat boots clanged loudly against the metal floor.
“Unifying Planet Caren is only the first step.”
“Once we have a factory to mass-produce super soldiers, the First Military District can completely break free from the United Government’s control.”
“When all of Planet Caren is united, we can expand our interstellar fleet.”
“Those aliens who only know how to collect protection fees will be nothing to us.”
Morton turned and stared at Dalles.
“The people of Caren will fight our way out of this star system.”
“In this universe, we will establish the Caren Empire.”
His breathing was heavy, and his eyes were bloodshot.
He was in a state of extreme mania and hyperarousal.
Dalles sat in his chair, arms crossed over his chest.
He watched the ranting and raving Planet Caren general in front of him.
‘Good grief, the guy is practically getting high on his own delusions…’
‘Does this idiot have a screw loose?’
‘Dreaming of conquering the universe.’
‘He doesn’t even realize his own situation.’
‘He’s nothing but a pawn incited by the Heeters to trigger internal turmoil on Planet Caren.’
‘They’re just cracking open Planet Caren’s shell to sell the meat inside for a good price.’
‘After the coup, if the natives of this planet even survive, they’ll quickly become drifters in the universe.’
‘Or slaves.’
‘There won’t be any Caren Empire.’
‘There will be nothing.’
Naturally, Dalles wasn’t going to point any of this out.
‘Fools work the hardest.’
“The general’s plans are grand,” Dalles interrupted Morton.
He sat up straight.
“But that’s none of my concern.
Let’s talk about the specifics of what needs to be done.”
Morton realized he had lost his composure.
There was no point in preaching this to cosmic mercenaries.
“Codename ‘Shield’ is responsible for inner-city security and rarely leaves the government building.
Codename ‘Spear’ is on mobile standby, usually stationed at the North District barracks.
Once the shooting starts, they will inevitably converge.”
He quickly straightened his military uniform.
He pulled out his chair and sat back down.
“You’re currently staying in the central capital, right?
After my army launches its attack, a signal will be sent to you.”
“The main energy control station will be cut off, and the air raid sirens will sound three times.”
“As long as you are in the city, you will be able to receive this signal.”
Morton marked a flashing location on the holographic map.
“Hearing that signal is your cue to intervene.”
Morton tapped heavily twice on the center of the map.
“By then, a gap will open in the central military district’s defense network.”
Morton then operated the control console.
“Codename Shield’s duty is to closely guard the top government officials and defend the central building to the death.
Codename Spear is part of the mobile forces; after the fighting starts, there’s a high probability he will be deployed to stabilize the front lines.”
“These are their predicted movements.”
After Morton finished speaking, he clasped his hands together, his attitude extremely polite.
“Mr.
Dalles, I am begging you to handle these two.
You must leave them alive.”
Dalles stood up.
“Understood.”
He turned and walked straight toward the door.
Daiz and Cacao followed closely behind.
Morton quickly sprang from his chair, jogging alongside them.
“Mr.
Dalles.
It’s not safe outside the spaceport.
I’ll arrange a convoy to escort you back to the capital.”
“No need,” Dalles said without breaking his stride.
“Your convoy is too conspicuous.”
Morton stopped at the door, rubbing his hands and nodding repeatedly.
Only after the figures of Dalles and his two men disappeared did a look of displeasure surface on his face.
He flicked his wrist and turned back inside.