Chapter 268: The War of Public Opinion! The UNSC High Command Is Alarmed! The Era of Ai Qiumin Begins!
"Special Agent Alex."
At that moment, the voice of the AI Loki came through the earpiece shared by Alex and Cage.
"We've successfully suppressed the fleet of the Frontline rebels and secured control of the low orbit above Saegudos. We've also intercepted the Nova-class nuclear warheads."
"Now, we're about to deploy an assault team to your area to take full control of Saegudos City below."
"Also, your direct superior, Morgan Blackhand, wants to speak with you. I'm patching him through now."
As Loki finished speaking, Morgan Blackhand's voice came through immediately afterward:
"Alex, Cage, and Rita—your mission has now shifted. You're to assist the corporate fleet and department units in handling the rebel forces in the Eridanus II system and take full control of the situation there."
"I've already updated and uploaded your mission orders to headquarters. Your accumulated points remain valid. That's all."
Morgan Blackhand was relaying Li Ang's top-level orders. Given the timing of events, there was no need for them to continue with their original mission.
Furthermore, the operation that Alex, Rita, and the others had just completed would now be recorded as part of their career merits and contribute to their personal achievement profiles.
"Understood, sir."
After replying, Alex couldn't help but ask about Reed's situation out of curiosity.
After all, she was part of the intelligence division, while Reed belonged to a different branch. With him out on expeditionary duty, Alex had no direct channels for updates.
"Hah! Things are going great on his end. Right now, he's practically running the show over in the Covenant. Don't worry—our boss is in constant contact with them. There's nothing to be concerned about."
Morgan Blackhand didn't hold anything back from Alex. After all, the two of them were famously considered the model "couple" within the corporation.
"Got it. Thank you."
Hearing that Reed was doing fine, Alex finally let out a breath of relief.
"The situation in Eridanus is in your hands now. Stay safe out there."
With that, Morgan Blackhand ended the transmission.
Meanwhile, another dazzling meteor shower streaked across the skies of Saegudos City—orbital drop pods launched by the megacorp. Each one carried the unmistakable cargo: "Iron Cans."
Boom—!!
Just a few hundred meters from the ground, the drop pods initiated their deceleration buffers and landed near the military base.
Clack!
The hatches burst open, and a squad of Astartes stormed out, boltguns in hand, swiftly seizing control of the base.
As for the surrounding rebels, upon learning that their fleet had been completely wiped out, they promptly surrendered.
Seeing that friendly forces had finally arrived, Rita breathed a huge sigh of relief and lowered her weapon. After nearly 24 hours of non-stop vigilance, she could finally rest!
With the megacorp's forces fully in control, the passengers and crew of the Neptune—previously imprisoned—were set free and could finally return home.
But before that, they would need to cooperate with the megacorp's PR team for some photo ops and interviews—content that, unsurprisingly, would shine a very flattering light on the megacorp.
---
One week later.
As the megacorp's fleet continued to purge the Eridanus II system, the situation in the Sol System was anything but peaceful.
Sol System. Earth.
Under the UNSC's transformation, Earth in the Halo universe had become an impenetrable military fortress.
Its low Earth orbit alone hosted a massive array of defense systems designed to fend off any threat from deep space.
Whether it was a stray meteor or some unidentified object, nothing could breach Earth's surface without first getting past the thousands of orbital defense turrets.
On top of that, Earth's orbital stations were packed with warships beyond count.
The entire planet was surrounded by a lattice of ships, stations, and defense platforms, with brilliant flashes of slipspace travel lighting up the void like fireworks.
The transit layers within the solar system were abuzz with activity.
As the political, economic, and cultural epicenter of humanity, Earth also served as the central hub of the inner colonies within the third orbital ring.
Further out, on the fourth orbit, Mars was a key military manufacturing zone, churning out weapons and warships, and home to many military families.
In short, humans living in the Sol System enjoyed a life of comfort and security. They reaped the "sweat and blood" of the colonies and reveled in overwhelming material wealth. The might of their military gave them absolute peace of mind.
At this point in time, humanity in the Halo universe had yet to encounter the Covenant or the Forerunners.
Outside of top officials and a few researchers involved in Forerunner relic expeditions, the rest of humanity believed themselves to be the sole "players" in the universe.
And when the vast cosmos felt like nothing more than a single-player game, the people of Earth had not a shred of anxiety about survival.
After all, every resource and every planet out there was theirs for the taking.
UNSC Headquarters, Earth – Sydney, Australia
As the headquarters of the UNSC, the city of Sydney had undergone centuries of development, outshining colonies like Reach and Arcadia in both scale and prosperity.
To the residents of this radiant gem of a city, their biggest daily dilemma was deciding which star system to vacation in next.
As for work? That was something the people in the outer colonies did on their behalf.
After all, the reason some people could live in peace was because others were carrying the burden for them.
But the previously tranquil lives of UNSC, UEG, and ONI executives were now being disrupted by a string of troubling developments.
Core District, Sydney – Mid-Level Conference Room, UNSC HQ Tower
"How long has it been, and you still haven't gotten any concrete intel on the megacorp? Are all your ONI agents completely useless?!"
The furious roar echoed from inside the conference room, causing passersby in the hallway to instinctively slow their steps, hoping to eavesdrop on the shouting match.
"You can't even get intel on the megacorp, fine—but you're also clueless about how the Neptune vanished in the Eridanus II system! The rebels kidnapped hostages right under our noses—this is a direct insult to us!"
"We allocate massive military budgets to ONI every year for intelligence gathering, and you give us nothing in return."
"All that money—did your agents just pocket it and blow it on parties and booze?! Answer me!"
The one raging inside the conference room was none other than Admiral Terrence Hood, the highest-ranking commander in the UNSC Navy and the Chairman of the UNSC Security Council.
Within this room, he held the most authority—commanding the full might of humanity's armed forces. In the Halo universe, few rivaled him.
"Admiral Terrence, please calm down. You and the other generals here are seasoned veterans. Don't lose your composure over something like this."
The one speaking up against Terrence was ONI's special inspector, Veta Lopez, who had oversight and impeachment authority over senior UNSC officials.
As a member of ONI, it was only natural for her to defend her colleagues and push back against Terrence's overwhelming pressure.
Everyone present in this meeting room belonged to the upper echelon of humanity's power structure in Halo—either senior executives of various divisions or high-ranking officers and commanders.
And the core topic of today's heated debate boiled down to one thing: the Universal Megacorp.
Previously, the rebel Frontline posed more of a nuisance to the UNSC—an annoyance at most. But the rise of the megacorp had shaken the very foundation of their dominance.
At this moment, the top brass were locked in a fierce argument over the chain of events surrounding the megacorp. But anyone listening closely would realize: all they were doing was passing the buck and shirking responsibility.
There were only a handful of people seriously discussing real solutions.
Not long ago, Alex and his team had mistakenly entered the city of Segudos. After using a lottery draw to settle the Frontline Rebellion's base of operations, the entire rebel army began surrendering en masse to the Universal MegaCorp.
Although all hostages were eventually released, the rebel forces had simply traded one master for another—this time, an even more powerful and influential one.
This development left the attending UNSC executives deeply unsettled.
Coincidentally, not even a few days later, colonies across the system began seeing a flood of media reports related to the Universal MegaCorp.
Oddly enough, the sources of these reports were completely untraceable—almost as if they'd appeared out of thin air.
The content published by these outlets included introductions to Universal MegaCorp's technological products—hardlight weapons, advanced tech-based weaponry, kinetic armaments, various gene weapons, and more.
On top of that, they showcased the capabilities of their market expansion divisions and armed forces.
Even more shocking was the public disclosure of parallel worlds, megastructures, and the interdimensional trade network facilitated by the corporation.
There was a mountain of video footage to back these claims, leaving countless clueless viewers dumbfounded.
But even this wasn't the most dangerous part.
What truly terrified the UNSC was that Universal MegaCorp had begun deploying a vast number of agents to assassinate high-ranking personnel from the UNSC, UEG, and ONI.
They would first lay out various charges and evidence in open accusations, then release footage of the assassinations for public consumption. This kind of cathartic, vigilante-style justice quickly won massive support from the lower classes.
But to the upper echelons of the UNSC, this was equivalent to having someone squat on their heads and take a dump!
By law, even a criminal must go through trial before execution.
Yet these agents from Universal MegaCorp skipped judicial proceedings altogether, presenting their so-called evidence and then directly carrying out executions.
They had completely bypassed the UNSC's legal system, and their intentions couldn't be clearer:
The MegaCorp was making a move to seize absolute authority.
From trial to execution, the entire process was dictated by the corporation's own definition of justice, its own moral code—and enforced through overwhelming force.
They were executing UNSC officials in full public view, under the banner of their own principles and power.
This wasn't just physical elimination—it was psychological warfare. It was a full-scale attack on the UNSC's credibility and legitimacy.
Back on Earth and throughout the colonies, cybersecurity teams were scrambling to delete or suppress content that portrayed the UNSC in a negative light.
But it was impossible. The flow of information spread too rapidly to contain, and even smart AIs were powerless to stop it.
Information about Universal MegaCorp was proliferating like dividing cells, spreading rapidly to every corner of the human network within the Halo universe.
In just a few days, the MegaCorp's media campaign had whipped public opinion into a frenzy.
Unable to control the discourse, the UNSC leadership quickly split into two camps: one advocating appeasement, fearing they'd be the next to die.
After all, anyone who had climbed to their level of power likely had skeletons in their closet. Let's be honest—no one gets to the top without spilling a little blood.
Thus, many dove-like members expressed their willingness to collaborate with the MegaCorp for mutual benefit.
Since the MegaCorp came from a parallel universe, that implied they were technologically superior. A head-on confrontation would only lead to disaster.
The remaining hawks, however, insisted they must not yield so easily.
To them, the propaganda war was nothing more than a manipulative trick aimed at swaying public sentiment.
As for the elite and bourgeois citizens, they treated all this as little more than entertainment—gossip over dinner.
No matter how the power struggle unfolded, their comfortable lives would continue. They'd eat, drink, and watch from the sidelines until it was clear which side was winning—then they'd align with the victor. This has been the way of aristocratic human factions for thousands of years.
Only the oppressed common folk from outer colony worlds saw Universal MegaCorp as a true, powerful rebel force capable of change.
They weren't fools—they knew this flood of media was propaganda, no different from slogans like "The Great Chu Rises, King Chen Ascends."
The lies didn't matter. As long as someone could crush those UNSC bastards, that was good enough.
So when they saw that Universal MegaCorp had more advanced and varied methods of rebellion than the Frontline Rebels ever did, they eagerly chose to side with the MegaCorp, throwing their full support behind them.
However, the UNSC higher-ups knew all too well that this information was completely genuine. There were no signs of falsification.
Back during the conflict in the Eridanus II system, UNSC spies had already relayed intelligence back to headquarters.
Unfortunately, after the MegaCorp took control of Segudos, all embedded agents went dark—presumably discovered and eliminated by the corporation's internal intelligence division.
Now, the UNSC had completely lost all visibility into the MegaCorp's actions and had no idea what their next move would be.
In response to ONI Inspector Veta's retort, Admiral Terrence actually burst out laughing in anger. He stared coldly at the ONI leadership and said:
"Oh sure. We old farts have lived this long and never seen anyone bold enough to waltz into our front door and snatch our AI systems and research personnel."
"A department specifically responsible for intelligence gets hit twice in one day, and still can't figure out where the enemy is."
"Have you all lost your damn minds? Did pigs and dogs eat your brains? Can't anyone figure out how the hell they pulled it off?!"
Terrence's tirade was basically an open insult, laying full blame on ONI for their gross negligence.
The ONI higher-ups turned visibly grim. They knew exactly what he was referring to.
During the New Alexandria riots on Reach, both Dr. Catherine Halsey and the Smart AI Cortana had been abducted by the MegaCorp. No trace had been found since.
But that wasn't ONI's fault—after all, their intel division wasn't a combat unit. The enemy's firepower had been overwhelming. Losing the fight wasn't exactly shocking.
If anything, it was the UNSC customs department's fault for letting the infiltrators in. If security hadn't failed, the New Alexandria incident wouldn't have happened in the first place.
So really, the blame should fall on UNSC customs!
Just as ONI leadership was about to shift the blame, a sharp and composed female executive intervened to stop the escalating bickering.
She addressed the room calmly:
"Gentlemen, the purpose of this meeting is to solve the Universal MegaCorp problem—not to pass blame and dodge responsibility."
"General Terrence, I fully understand how you feel. But for the sake of the greater good, I urge you to have some patience with your colleagues—we still need ONI's intelligence division."
The speaker was Colonel Margaret Parangosky, ONI's Commander-in-Chief. As the head of ONI, she wielded immense authority within the UNSC—arguably equal to Terrence's.
The inspector who had clashed with Terrence earlier, Veta Lopez, was one of her loyal subordinates.
After Margaret spoke, Terrence didn't respond. He simply gave her a cold stare. In his eyes, ONI's incompetence had made her personally responsible.
"She's right," said Andrew Del Rio, voicing his agreement. "Now isn't the time to tear each other apart. We need a solution to deal with this unknown MegaCorp."
Andrew was the highest-ranking officer in the UNSC Navy's combat command, captain of a Carthage-class carrier.
Technically, he was supposed to report to Terrence and support his views.
But Andrew had always been a rational and neutral figure without strong factional leanings—one of the few in UNSC leadership known for actually getting things done.
So even though he sided with Margaret, Terrence wasn't surprised. He merely stayed silent and kept glaring at the ONI crowd.
"Colonel Parangosky," Andrew continued, "since ONI clashed with this group's agents as far back as last year, surely you've gathered some findings by now?"
As expected, Andrew immediately turned the pressure onto Margaret, catching the ONI delegation off guard. All eyes turned to their commander.
Margaret didn't rush to respond. Instead, she used the touch panel in front of her to pull up several holographic displays.
The screens showed footage from ONI's headquarters on Reach and its research facility on Arcadia—recordings taken just before their surveillance systems were disabled.
Only then did Margaret begin her explanation:
"This so-called Universal MegaCorp actually attacked our research bases as far back as last year. These recordings were captured just before the surveillance feeds were jammed."
"It's clear the agents had significantly enhanced physiques, possibly due to genetic modification."
"But that's not the main issue. What matters is why they infiltrated the bases—and why they stole such a vast amount of scientific data."
With that, Margaret displayed footage and documents related to Forerunner ruins.
She then began briefing the group:
"For many years, we've discovered alien constructs across various colonies. Most habitable planets contain remnants of this ancient civilization."
"After decades of research, we've confirmed that locations such as Arcadia, Reach, and several other colonies host ruins from this civilization."
"Before its extinction, this civilization had entered its golden age—an era they called 'Aetumen.' Their achievements in art and science were extraordinary."
"For reasons still unknown, the entire civilization collapsed within a short period, vanishing completely."
"But what we do know is this: every artifact, every remnant we've found so far—all originate from that Aetumen era of the previous civilization."
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