Liang He's plan to expand the patrol area, install detection probes, and establish a large early-warning zone proceeded smoothly. Three days later, all the early-warning probes were operational.

On that same day, Chen Gu observed Chu Zheng. For some unknown reason, she had recently become exceptionally determined and diligent. He watched her smoothly switch between two professions and release four skills in succession, then said with satisfaction, "Chu Zheng, you can graduate now."

Chu Zheng, however, didn't feel much excitement. She asked, "Does that mean your task as my instructor is over?"

Chen Gu smiled and nodded, finally relieved. But to be considerate of the girl's feelings, he said, "We are colleagues at the Bureau of Mystic Security. There will be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future."

Chu Zheng nodded seriously. "Definitely."

After being awestruck by the superstar's grandeur that day, the girl had returned to her room. Like a little hamster, she hid under her blanket, nibbling on snacks all night. Finally, she understood her advantage: she was a dual-career professional. As long as she matured quickly, she would undoubtedly be able to "add points" for herself.

Chen Gu reported Chu Zheng's "graduation" to Dr. Meng Ji and then went to bid farewell to Liang He. His mission on this project could finally come to a close.

Unexpectedly, however, Liang He's expression turned stern, and he said gravely, "During this period, no one is allowed to leave the base without permission!"

"Our early-warning probes detected abnormal activity early this morning. I suspect Star State spies!"

Chen Gu frowned. "The Empire just suffered a major setback here; the Star State must have heard something about it. How dare they come?"

Liang He argued with conviction, "Couldn't the Star State do the exact opposite? Exploit that kind of thinking to catch us off guard?"

"Luckily, I'm in charge of the base now. If it were you, the Star State would probably have succeeded."

Chen Gu was annoyed by his disdain. However, he reasoned that once Liang He confirmed everything was safe and lifted the ban after some time, he would be able to leave the base. Therefore, there was really no need to argue with such a narrow-minded person at this final juncture.

He turned and left without a word.

On the way, he received a call from Ken. "Find some time in the next few days; I've arranged a very important interview for you. Take advantage of your current popularity; you need to maintain your visibility."

Chen Gu asked, "When? Today definitely won't work; I can't leave now."

Ken, also an advisor for the Bureau of Mystic Security, didn't press further. "Today or tomorrow would be best. If today doesn't work, I'll arrange it for tomorrow." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Chen Gu thought about Liang He's temperament and shook his head. "Forget it. Don't arrange anything for now."

Liang He definitely wouldn't relent in just one day.

Ken complained, "Now is the best opportunity! Many stars might not get such a good chance in their entire lifetime. Status is intangible but real. If you miss this opportunity, you might not only stagnate but even regress..."

Chen Gu gave a wry smile. "I'll try to think of a way then." He still didn't dare to give Ken a definitive refusal.

However, what Chen Gu hadn't expected was that Liang He declared the entire base to be in a state of combat readiness. Two days passed quickly, yet there was still no sign of this status being lifted.

Liang He remained adamant, arguing that an early-warning probe had indeed sent back an abnormal signal.

The two-day lockdown meant no one could leave or enter the base. Without supplies, they could only eat the nutrient paste produced by the base's material synthesis machines—which, to put it mildly, was a far cry from their previous meals in terms of taste.

Although the base wasn't exactly seething with complaints yet, people were quite dissatisfied.

Nearly everyone could see that while Liang He was capable and strict, his strictness was often not entirely for the public good but rather targeted at people or things he disliked.

This wasn't just affecting Chen Gu. Liang He and Dr. Meng Ji had already argued in the office several times.

By the third day, with Liang He showing no intention of lifting the state of combat readiness, Chen Gu began to feel that something was amiss.

His next match was scheduled for the following day. Could Liang He be intending to keep him trapped in the base, deliberately making him miss it?

With an undefeated record, he was at the top of the individual competition leaderboard, and his prospects looked very promising.

Although team competitions traditionally held more weight than individual ones in the Alliance, for a newcomer like him, missing a match due to Liang He's obstruction and having his undefeated streak broken would be a real shame—not to mention infuriating!

Putting the entire base on combat readiness because of a single early-warning probe report is, to say the least, an overreaction.

After three days on high alert without so much as a rustle, even the most cautious person should consider it sufficient.

Liang He is indeed not an easy person to get along with, but deliberately targeting me like this seems somewhat unnecessary...

Early-warning probes were only sensory detectors; they didn't transmit audio or visual feedback. Certain animals in unusual postures, such as apes, orangutans, or even a large lizard rearing up to run, could trigger a report from the probe.

Moreover, an isolated report like this, uncorroborated by other probes, had a greater than ninety-nine percent probability of being a false alarm.

Chen Gu decided to wait a bit longer. But by that evening, Liang He had still not lifted the base's state of combat readiness.

Unable to sit still any longer, Chen Gu went to find Liang He. "Your Excellency, I have a match tomorrow evening. I've come to request leave; please permit me to go out tomorrow at noon."