Chapter 68: Undercover Operation (Bonus Chapter)

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Extra update (9/10)
The pace of the story slows in these chapters, with more dialogue and exposition, mainly to advance the plot—please bear with me.
After the Earth arc, the narrative will pick up speed again.
...
Within Earth's main fleet, UN Chief Wei Hong convened an emergency meeting regarding the matter of Sky Vault Star.
During the proceedings, officials of the Synthe branch articulated the advantages of divine arts for Earth’s civilization and insisted on continuing their journey to Sky Vault Star.
Many attendees were swayed by these arguments.
Thus, the meeting swiftly reached a consensus and issued a new directive:
Unveil the mystery of the divine arts on Sky Vault Star.
If humanity could master such unfathomable, enigmatic power, it would bring unprecedented opportunities for the planned counterattack against the galaxy.
...
On the vanguard fleet, Wei Wensu had already received orders from the main fleet.
Once again, Wei Wensu took the lead in holding a conference; frequent meetings were necessary to address the situation with greater precision.
Yet, the participants appeared despondent—they had just endured a painful defeat.
Wei Wensu’s gaze swept over everyone in the room before he spoke:
“None of us wish to fail, but nonetheless, we have failed—and the losses are severe.”
“Now, we must analyze the reasons for our failure and discuss how to accomplish the task assigned by the United Government.”
“We must clear the way before the main fleet arrives. That is our duty as the vanguard!”
Seeing the group’s silence, Wei Wensu suddenly slammed the table and stood up.
“Failure isn’t frightening. What’s frightening is losing even the desire to win!”
“Besides, our setback is temporary. We haven’t reached the end of the road!”
“For the sake of all Earth’s people, we must pull ourselves together and look forward!”
He turned to Natasha and asked, “Professor Natasha, please begin by analyzing the causes of our defeat.”
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Though Natasha was a woman, she possessed strength and resolve equal to any man.
Her character was marked by a refusal to admit defeat, which was why Wei Wensu chose her to speak first.
Upon being called, an unwilling expression flickered across Natasha’s face.
“I believe our greatest failing was arrogance and underestimating the enemy,” she said, biting her lip.
“When our experimental ship first arrived at Sky Vault Star to reconnoiter, we relied solely on our own experience, concluding the planet’s civilization lagged behind ours by thousands of years, without considering other factors.”
“Professor Yao Yuan and his team entered Sky Vault Star aboard the experimental ship and acquired its historical records.”
“Their history books documented the Star Vault Church and the High Priest’s wonders in detail.”
“Yet, based on our assumptions, we dismissed these accounts as fabricated tales, laughed them off, and stopped paying them any serious attention.”
“Later, Professor Yao Yuan and the others entered Sky Vault Star’s human society for field research, but their main objective was simply to learn about the relationship between Sky Vault Star’s people and us Earthlings.”
“Because they were too arrogant, believing Sky Vault Star was too backward, even when many questions pointed toward the Star Vault Church and the High Priest, they—and we—regarded the historical records as utter nonsense, not to be trusted.”
“So they recklessly entered the Central Temple, thinking themselves capable of survival and retreat, or at worst, expecting a rescue from us. But we all know how that ended.”
Natasha’s words seemed to open the floodgates, and everyone began to actively discuss and summarize the reasons for their defeat.
As the voices rose and fell, Wei Wensu signaled for calm and continued, “We must not merely dwell on failure and lessons learned. We must also put forth our recommendations.”
“Our understanding of Sky Vault Star now far surpasses that of the main fleet, so our proposals are of great value to them.”
As everyone pondered, Natasha abruptly stood and said, “I think we can send in undercover agents.”
Everyone heard her and focused their attention on Huo Jing, waiting for further explanation.
“We need a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of Sky Vault Star.”
“We Earthlings look exactly like the people of Sky Vault Star and speak the same language.”
“So we can easily send undercover agents to infiltrate Sky Vault Star, masquerading as natives, and gather more detailed intelligence.”
“Those agents can also await the main fleet’s arrival, at which point the information they’ve gathered will enable the United Government to make more accurate decisions.”
Natasha’s proposal elicited frequent nods from the group, even Wei Wensu expressed his approval.
“Undercover work is extremely dangerous—any carelessness could lead to exposure.”
Liu Xueyi, seated beside Wei Wensu, voiced concerns about the safety of undercover operations.
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“So we can dispatch several different teams for undercover missions, each unaware of the others’ existence.”
“That way, if any group is exposed, the others remain safe.”
“And if an undercover agent can penetrate the core of Sky Vault Star and obtain more detailed information about the divine arts, it would be of incalculable value to us.”
As Natasha outlined the specifics of the undercover operation, Richard offered his perspective:
“Professor Natasha, we don’t have a clear understanding of the divine arts. What if the High Priest possesses mind-reading abilities and discovers us?”
“I’m willing to lead this mission—by switching to a cloned body of East Asian descent and undergoing consciousness editing and transfer surgery!”
Upon hearing Natasha’s answer, Richard’s eyes widened slightly, admiring her courage.
Not only was she willing to abandon her own body, but consciousness editing was far more challenging than mere transfer.
Moreover, with current technology, consciousness editing can lead to unpredictable memory defects, yet it’s undeniably a clever strategy against psychic abilities.
After Natasha voiced her opinion, her close associates Ivanov and Claire also volunteered.
Wei Wensu considered Natasha’s plan, and seeing her determined gaze, he nodded in agreement.
The meeting concluded: an undercover squad of Earthlings would once again infiltrate Sky Vault Star.
This time, they would live there for years—
Until the main fleet arrived, or they penetrated the inner core of Sky Vault Star.
...
Every move made by the Earthlings was laid bare before Shen Xing’s eyes.
“Undercover agents?”
Shen Xing nodded, affirming the Earthlings’ strategy.
Had he not possessed a god’s-eye view, they might indeed achieve their aims.
But under current circumstances—
Shen Xing could take advantage of these agents and turn their plans to his own benefit.
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