From Cannon Fodder to Star Conqueror

Chapter 5: Double Agent

It was like being doused with a bucket of ice water on a cold winter day.

Amber instantly snapped to attention.

Fortunately, his strong physical control helped him suppress the urge to 'shiver' from the shock.

He never imagined that, just after completing his rendezvous with Margaret, he would already be exposed to the Federation's intelligence chief on Robert IV.

"Major Mars, you mean..."

Amber spoke stiffly, unsure of how to respond to this question.

But remaining silent in the face of the middle-aged officer's inquiry could lead to even bigger problems.

"Don't worry, Amber," the middle-aged officer, with a dark expression, actually managed a faint smile.

"I've activated the highest level of indoor lockdown, so no one else will know about the conversation in this room."

Major Mars paused, then gestured to the chair across from him and continued,

"Don't be nervous, sit down. Since you were able to make contact, it means the Empire hasn't noticed anything wrong and still trusts you."

With that sentence, Amber immediately understood.

So, he had been turned by the Federation, becoming a double agent?

It was at this moment that the remaining fragments of memory in his mind suddenly became clear.

After enrolling in the Federation's first military academy, for some unknown reason, his identity was exposed.

In the Security Bureau's interrogation room, he had endured a lot, even going through some method of 'deprogramming' by the Federation.

In the end, he was successfully turned by the Federation's Security Bureau and became a double agent, appearing to be a covert agent of the Empire while actually working for the Federation.

"No wonder I couldn't feel any mental imprint in my mind. So the Federation removed it?"

The newly refreshed memories allowed Amber to fully understand his background.

But no matter how he thought about it, this turn of events was beyond his expectations.

On the way to Major Mars' office, Amber had imagined countless possible scenarios, but none of them had prepared him for this situation.

Amber felt like a player in a spy-themed game, except he hadn't received the script.

His identity was purely based on guessing, and the story had to be made up as he went along.

Calming his breathing and quickly regaining composure, Amber pulled out the chair in front of Mars' desk and sat down.

As previously mentioned, in his past life as a player, Amber had no real attachment to either the Federation or the Star Dragon Empire.

Though in the game, he had chosen to be born in the Star Dragon Empire, it was purely to get a closer look at the empire's dragon princess.

Though both were human, the Star Dragon Empire's founding family was said to have the bloodline of a cosmic creature, the 'Starry Dragon.'

They looked like humans, but had dragon-like traits, such as 'dragon scales' in certain body parts and 'dragon horns' growing from above their ears.

Thus, the royal family of the Star Dragon Empire referred to themselves as 'children of the dragon.'

Moreover, the Star Dragon Empire was highly advanced in gene modification and optimization.

Through generations of genetic engineering, the Empire's citizens were essentially 'perfect humans' with optimized genes.

Because of this, the average appearance in the Star Dragon Empire was extremely high, with handsome men and beautiful women everywhere in the core star systems. Occasionally, one could spot aristocrats with 'dragon horns' on their heads.

Hence, a large number of LSP (lecherous) players rushed into the Star Dragon Empire faction, claiming they wanted to 'ride the dragon princess.'

But that's a digression.

In any case, neither of these two factions could be called 'good guys'; both had internal problems that were hard to fix.

Not to mention, shortly after the war began, the Star Dragon Empire would collapse due to a rebellion led by the regent.

The entire royal family went missing, and the vast empire was divided into several nations by the major noble families.

The Federation, having lost this major enemy, also experienced a rapid escalation of internal corruption.

A large number of colonial planets began to rebel, and the Federation's national power rapidly declined.

The galaxy, once balanced by these two powers, fell into the 'Dark Ages' where multiple factions were in constant conflict.

Therefore, tying oneself to either the Federation or the Star Dragon Empire, two sinking ships, was unwise.

Amber didn't want to get involved in the upcoming cosmic war.

In the game, players were clones, and if they died, they simply respawned in a new clone body.

That was why he had dared to stand on the flagship bridge of the 'Pink Fluffy Bunny' guild's main fleet and fight alongside his battleship.

But now, it wasn't a game anymore. Without the 'rebirth' advantage, Amber didn't want to take any risks.

His understanding of the major factions, the development of the cosmic situation, and the many secrets hidden on various planets, including the locations of ancient space pioneer ruins, gave him confidence that he could make a fortune while ensuring his own strength continued to grow.

Once he had enough wealth, he planned to go to the Thousand Star Empire and become an 'angel investor.'

Though the elves and humans of the Thousand Star Empire were noble and elegant like in mythological stories, when it came to the pursuit of wealth, they were no different from humans.

If everything went smoothly, Amber could live a wealthy life surrounded by elves and alien beast-girls for the rest of his days.

But now, Amber had to make a dangerous decision.

The intelligence chief in front of him was no fool.

So he couldn't tell Major Mars that the Imperial female spy had said nothing to him, that their meeting had only been a simple handoff.

After considering all the factors, Amber finally spoke.

"The Empire's expeditionary strike group will launch a raid on Robert IV in three days."

As soon as he said this, the smile on Major Mars' face vanished.

He immediately straightened up in his chair.

"What's the credibility of this information?"

"I believe it's fairly credible, sir."

Amber licked his dry lips, though his mask concealed the action so the intelligence chief couldn't see it.

"Because the Empire's spies on Robert IV have already made preparations to cooperate with the Empire's orbital paratroopers."

Amber didn't fully disclose the information from Margaret's side, withholding the part about the Imperial spies planning to sabotage the communication center.

Who knew how many Imperial spies had infiltrated this base?

If any of them noticed something wrong or found their actions obstructed, they might even try a 'desperate last stand.'

So this was the best solution Amber could think of in the short term.

He had informed the Federation that the Empire was about to attack while not interfering with the Imperial spies' sabotage efforts.

Everyone had a bright future ahead.

Upon hearing Amber's words, Major Mars fell silent for a moment.

He became unusually serious, and his previously gloomy demeanor seemed to lighten a little.

"Choosing to do this on Army Day, those damn Imperial bastards..."

"This information is very important, I must report this to Commander Adam immediately."

Major Mars stood up, causing Amber to automatically rise from his chair as well.

He walked over and patted Amber on the shoulder, leading him toward the office door.

"Don't leak today's conversation. I'm sure you know the discipline, Amber."

Amber nodded.

The office's lockdown was lifted, and the door automatically opened as they approached.

"Go to the officer's mess hall. Colonel Dallas is supposed to welcome you new recruits, right?"

After leaving the office, the intelligence chief's face quickly shifted into a smile.

But to Amber, the smile looked more like a grimace.

"I'll take my leave now, sir," Amber said.

Major Mars nodded but didn't speak. Watching Amber's figure disappear around the corner, he dropped his smile.

He turned and walked in the opposite direction.

(End of Chapter)