I Have an All-Knowing Mirror

Chapter 89: The Interstellar Colonial Ship 3.7 Light-Years Away

The North Pole continent was a world of freezing ice and bitter cold.

Yet, no matter how frigid the outside world might be, it could not compare to the chilling despair gripping The Truth Society Founder's heart at this moment.

He watched helplessly as the thirteen Eight-Eyed Rank members he had considered his most trusted subordinates defected right before his eyes. Even worse, the Level 3 Androids and Level 4 Androids completely ignored his commands.

An unprecedented sense of absurdity welled up within The Truth Society Founder.

The loyal confidants he had spent over a century cultivating, and the androids he had manufactured by plundering resources from all over the world...

Were they all just gone?

In truth, if it had only been the thirteen Eight-Eyed Rank members who betrayed him, he could have understood it, no matter how unbelievable it seemed.

After all, as long as someone was human, they had flaws and could potentially be bought.

Even though the probability of a collective mutiny by thirteen Eight-Eyed Rank members was infinitely close to zero, the possibility still existed.

But for all the Level 4 Androids and Level 3 Androids to disobey orders, and even acknowledge Su Yuan as their master—that was something The Truth Society Founder simply could not comprehend.Androids possessed no sense of self; there was absolutely no chance of them being bribed.

The only way to control an android was to override their permissions using an encryption key.

Other than that, there was no other method.

Torture?

Temptation?

Threats?

All were utterly useless against androids.

How exactly did Su Yuan seize control of the androids? The Truth Society Founder could not figure it out. He was the only person on all of Blue Star who knew the permission keys for the androids. Even the Eight-Eyed Rank members only possessed command authority, not true control.

If command authority and control authority ever came into conflict, the androids would invariably obey the latter.

"Who exactly are you?"

The Truth Society Founder stared fiercely at Su Yuan.

At this moment, he even began to suspect whether the "Lord" was standing behind Su Yuan as well.

How else could he have taken over the androids' control permissions?

'Is the "Lord" dissatisfied with me?'

'Does he want to support someone else instead?'

'But how could that be?'

'I have served the "Lord" with utmost devotion for over a century, even going so far as to sell out Blue Star for his sake.'

Su Yuan looked at The Truth Society Founder, completely ignoring the question.

In the next moment.

Swoosh!

Two Level 4 Androids instantly launched an attack at The Truth Society Founder.

Level 4 Androids were on par with Level 4 lifeforms. Striking with their full strength, their speed was unimaginably fast.

But suddenly.

Beams of light erupted from The Truth Society Founder's body.

The various rays of light intertwined and traced against each other, faintly forming a suit of radiant armor that completely enveloped The Truth Society Founder and propelled him rapidly into the distance.

'Flee, flee, flee!'

This was the only thought remaining in The Truth Society Founder's mind.

He needed to escape back to the base and rely on its defensive capabilities to fend off Su Yuan.

Then, he would contact the extraterrestrial faction to confirm Su Yuan's true identity.

Although, judging from the current situation, there was a high probability that the "Lord" was standing behind Su Yuan.

After all, who else besides the "Lord" would know the permission keys for all the androids?

Yet, The Truth Society Founder instinctively felt that Su Yuan had no connection to the "Lord" whatsoever.

After all, there were only three or four years left until the "Lord" arrived. There was simply no reason for the "Lord" to replace him at this critical juncture.

The "Lord" would never do something that offered no benefits or advantages.

This was the firm conclusion The Truth Society Founder had reached through over a century of communication with the "Lord."

'As long as I can contact the "Lord"...'

The Truth Society Founder's thoughts raced like lightning.

If his guess was correct and Su Yuan really had no connection to the "Lord"...

Then how exactly did Su Yuan seize the control permissions for all the androids?

Could it be an extraterrestrial faction other than the "Lord"?

If he could report this matter to the "Lord," it would absolutely be a monumental contribution.

Buzz! Thinking of this, The Truth Society Founder once again pushed the "Light Armor" encasing him to its limits.

This "Light Armor" was a high-tech product bestowed upon him by the "Lord," and it was an incredibly powerful life-saving trump card.

Once activated, it could sustain itself for five minutes.

During these five minutes, The Truth Society Founder could rely on the "Light Armor" to fly at extreme speeds.

Furthermore, the energy barrier formed by the intersecting rays of light could completely isolate him from all external harm.

Unless its energy was completely depleted, the barrier would not vanish.

And draining the armor's energy? That would require at least ten Level 4 Androids attacking continuously for four straight minutes.

Given the speed at which The Truth Society Founder was piloting this "Light Armor," four minutes was more than enough time for him to return to the base.

Swoosh!

While channeling all his effort into driving the "Light Armor," The Truth Society Founder threw a quick glance over his shoulder.

"They aren't chasing me?"

The Truth Society Founder paused in surprise.

But he quickly figured it out.

Carried by the "Light Armor," his flight speed had long surpassed several times the speed of sound. Not even a missile could catch up to him.

Moreover, he was flying through the sky, and those Level 3 Androids and Level 4 Androids had not mastered the ability of flight.

Therefore, it was entirely within his expectations that they had not pursued him.

'This might not necessarily be a bad thing.'

During his return to the base, The Truth Society Founder's thoughts took a sharp turn.

Although he had lost everything, if his guess was correct and another extraterrestrial faction was standing behind Su Yuan...

Then the "Lord" would inevitably bestow a grand reward upon him for promptly reporting the situation.

'Almost there, almost there.'

The Truth Society Founder stared ahead with burning anticipation, finally catching a faint glimpse of the base's location.

Three seconds later.

The Truth Society Founder arrived at the base entrance.

Submitting to the multi-layered identity verification, The Truth Society Founder prepared to stride confidently inside.

However, right at that moment.

Warning sirens blared violently from the main gates.

"Identity verification failed."

This automated warning once again plunged The Truth Society Founder into sheer bewilderment.

'Me?'

'Identity failed?'

Two minutes later.

Su Yuan arrived at the scene with the rest of the group at a leisurely pace.

He immediately spotted The Truth Society Founder, stranded at the base entrance due to the depleted energy of his "Light Armor."

"Why aren't you running anymore?"

Su Yuan observed The Truth Society Founder with deep amusement.

Since he had decided to make a move against The Truth Society Founder, Su Yuan had naturally uncovered all of his opponent's hidden trump cards.

At the same time, relying on the gray mirror, he had pre-simulated every single scenario that could play out today.

The Truth Society Founder's various reactions, activating the "Light Armor," and even his internal thoughts about informing the extraterrestrial faction of his speculative discoveries...

Everything was perfectly within Su Yuan's grasp.

And when it came to dealing with The Truth Society Founder's ultimate life-saving artifact—the Light Armor—Su Yuan's best countermeasure was to do absolutely nothing and simply wait for its energy to dry up.

This wasn't to say that Su Yuan lacked the strength to shatter the "Light Armor's" energy barrier; there was simply no need to exert the effort.

The very moment The Truth Society Founder stepped out of the base, Su Yuan had already ordered AI Xiaolan to infiltrate and completely take over the base's internal network.

All of The Truth Society Founder's control permissions had been meticulously erased.

In other words, even if The Truth Society Founder managed to flee back to the base using the "Light Armor," he would still be locked out. Why would Su Yuan have anything to worry about?

From the very beginning of the plan, every single path The Truth Society Founder took was exactly the one Su Yuan had paved for him.

"Who on earth are you?"

The Truth Society Founder gazed up at Su Yuan, his face twisted in absolute despair.

One minute later.

"Master." The Truth Society Founder knelt before Su Yuan, radiating an aura of unparalleled reverence and absolute loyalty.

The sacred method Mind Brand granted a total of thirty-six control slots. Thirty-five of those slots had already been expended on the thirteen Eight-Eyed Rank members and twenty-two core Seven-Eyed Rank members.

The final remaining control slot had been specially reserved by Su Yuan for The Truth Society Founder.

"What a piece of trash."

Su Yuan cast a disdainful glance at The Truth Society Founder.

If the old man hadn't still possessed some lingering usefulness, Su Yuan would have considered wasting a control slot on him a profound tragedy.

To act as a willing lapdog for the extraterrestrial faction, The Truth Society Founder had not hesitated to sell out the entire human race on Blue Star. He had ignited the War of Nations, ruthlessly slaughtering his fellow humans across the globe.

Yet, when facing the extraterrestrial faction, he was nothing more than a spineless coward.

Moreover, the evaluation provided by the gray mirror confirmed that The Truth Society Founder had entirely defected to the extraterrestrials—he was the kind of fanatic who could never be pulled back to the side of humanity, no matter what.

If Su Yuan hadn't intervened, every last human on Blue Star would have been butchered by the extraterrestrial forces. And when the butcher's blade finally fell upon The Truth Society Founder himself, the man wouldn't have even dared to resist; he would have simply knelt on the ground and waited for death.

In the base's main command center, Su Yuan sat comfortably in the seat of highest authority.

Standing respectfully below him were The Truth Society Founder, the thirteen Eight-Eyed Rank members, the twenty-two core Seven-Eyed Rank members, and a vast legion of Level 3 and Level 4 Androids.

At that moment, Su Yuan was idly toying with the "Light Armor."

This "Light Armor" had been The Truth Society Founder's ultimate trump card for survival, but now, naturally, it belonged to Su Yuan.

"What a pity. It's merely a counterfeit. In fact, it barely even qualifies as a proper replica."

After inspecting it for a moment, Su Yuan shook his head in slight disappointment.

This "Light Armor" was something The Truth Society Founder had painstakingly pieced together over twenty long years, working off a set of construction blueprints gifted by the extraterrestrial faction.

As for the blueprints themselves, they were merely for a counterfeit version of the Bright God Armor.

The genuine Bright God Armor contained boundless, majestic power. Once donned, its wearer could traverse the Starry Void, absorbing ambient light and radiation across the Universe. Every casual movement would channel the divine armor's internal energy, erupting with a devastating might that far surpassed even a Level 10 lifeform.

That was what true technological power looked like.

In contrast, the "Light Armor" before him was naturally leagues inferior to the genuine Bright God Armor. Not only was it severely lacking in destructive output, but it also suffered from a fatal flaw—a single activation could only be sustained for a maximum of five minutes.

'However, for Level 4 or Level 5 lifeforms, it still serves as a decent life-saving artifact.'

Su Yuan pondered silently. No matter how severely this "Light Armor" had been downgraded, it remained dozens of eras ahead of Blue Star's current technological level.

In truth, when The Truth Society Founder had first constructed this "Light Armor," he had made dozens of critical errors along the way, resulting in a piece of equipment that couldn't even be called a proper counterfeit.

If not for those countless mistakes, the "Light Armor's" power would have been elevated by at least several tiers. Had that been the case, Su Yuan might have had to waste a few extra minutes dealing with it.

"The matter is settled."

Stowing the "Light Armor" away, Su Yuan swept his gaze over the crowd kneeling below.

Now that The Truth Society had fallen entirely under his control, the next hurdle he had to face was the fleet of Interstellar Colonial Ships scheduled to arrive in three to four years.

"Master."

At that moment, The Truth Society Founder took the initiative to speak up. "Do you need me to contact the extraterrestrial faction and inform them that an immense crisis has erupted on Blue Star, thereby forcing them to turn back?"

Since he was now completely dominated by the Mind Brand, all of The Truth Society Founder's thoughts and perspectives naturally aligned with Su Yuan's. He was genuinely racking his brain for ways to deal with the extraterrestrial threat.

"There is no need for that."

Su Yuan shook his head.

Unless Blue Star were to instantly explode right this second, and the resulting shockwaves were somehow detected by the extraterrestrial faction, there was no way to convince that Interstellar Colonial Ship to turn around.

Alternatively, they would only retreat if they confirmed that Blue Star already had a master—and that said master was an entity the extraterrestrial faction absolutely dared not provoke.

Otherwise, that Interstellar Colonial Ship wouldn't even entertain the thought of retreating.

After all, they had already completed the vast majority of their journey. With only three to four years left until they reached Blue Star, why would they abandon the expedition halfway?

It wasn't merely a question of gaining no benefits; more importantly, they would suffer a catastrophic loss.

The extraterrestrial faction's colonial fleet had undergone multiple wormhole jumps and spent over a century traveling here. Did anyone really expect them to just pack up and go home because of a simple warning?

Who would shoulder the astronomical costs in time and resources accumulated over that period?

"Proceed according to your usual routine. Deliver regular reports on Blue Star's status to the Interstellar Colonial Ship."

Su Yuan pondered for a brief moment before turning his gaze to The Truth Society Founder and issuing his command.

Up to this point, everything that had transpired was proceeding flawlessly according to Su Yuan's grand design.

The purpose behind having The Truth Society submit these standard reports was to stall for as much time as possible, delaying the colonial fleet's arrival at Blue Star for as long as he could.

"Understood."

The Truth Society Founder replied with immediate reverence, promptly stepping forward to the base's main control console.

He pressed a specific button. The console vibrated faintly as a palm-sized hourglass slowly rose to the surface.

The hourglass was crystal clear, and the sand tumbling within it was a brilliant azure, as deep and profound as an endless ocean.

The thirteen Eight-Eyed Rank members stared at the hourglass, their faces painted with utter confusion.

The method of contacting the extraterrestrials had always been The Truth Society Founder's greatest secret. Besides him, not a single soul knew how to establish communication with the alien faction.

This was also the very tactic The Truth Society Founder employed to maintain his absolute authority. If anyone else could easily contact the extraterrestrials, his value and importance in the eyes of the alien powerhouses would naturally plummet.

The Truth Society Founder delicately picked up the hourglass, rhythmically swayed it side to side a few times, and finally set it down upside down.

He then scurried back to Su Yuan. "Master, the report has been successfully transmitted."

The rest of the crowd exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions brimming with astonishment.

'That's it?'

Only Su Yuan gave a subtle nod of understanding.

The Truth Society Founder's method of contacting the extraterrestrials involved advanced quantum technology, making it fundamentally different from any traditional means of communication.

It was incredibly difficult to intercept or jam.

That seemingly ordinary hourglass was the core apparatus. Despite its simple appearance, the advanced technology hidden within was nothing short of miraculous.

Back when it was first manufactured, even with a detailed blueprint provided by the extraterrestrials, it had still taken the entire, unified strength of The Truth Society fifty long years to complete the hourglass.

This was exactly why Su Yuan had waited until this very moment to finally make his move against The Truth Society Founder.

Acting without absolute certainty would have only provoked the paranoid old man.

Which, in turn, would have forced him to desperately contact the extraterrestrial faction for backup.

Of course, if Su Yuan had been absolutely determined to sever their line of communication by brute force, he could have pulled it off.

The gray mirror had provided over a hundred different methods for blocking the transmission.

However, every single one of those methods demanded a significant price. Compared to those costly alternatives, the plan Su Yuan had flawlessly executed was the optimal solution tailored perfectly to his current situation.

There was no need to forcibly intercept the connection between The Truth Society Founder and the alien forces; seizing absolute control over The Truth Society Founder himself was more than enough.

"The interstellar colonial fleet..."

Su Yuan's gaze grew infinitely deep as he peered out toward the distant Starry Void.

Even with the massive subterranean base and the sprawling atmosphere obstructing his view...

Su Yuan felt as though he could clearly see a point located 3.7 light-years away from Blue Star.

Where that Interstellar Colonial Ship was currently surging forward at a speed infinitely approaching the speed of light.