The prisoners were taken to a military prison, and Bai Yunpeng departed shortly after. He returned to the military district before dispatching several Professionals to escort Chen Gu back.

After they left, the prison immediately buzzed with activity. All twenty-three high-ranking Angel Envoys were locked up separately and subjected to a comprehensive inspection. Once it was confirmed they weren't hiding anything, various interrogations began and continued throughout the night.

Before dawn, these individuals were transferred to different planets and prisons.

The initial interrogations yielded no results. However, upon their arrival at the new detention sites, various other interrogation methods awaited them.

If these methods also failed to yield results, they would resort to the final step: forcibly reading memories.

The Star Nation was reluctant to use this measure on any criminal unless absolutely necessary. Once this procedure was carried out, the criminal would die, their memories being the only remaining asset.

Gradually, these Angel Envoys were transferred to different prisons. Subsequently, under various terrifying interrogation methods, they divulged some secrets of the True Knowledge Sin, which temporarily saved their lives.

One night, the twenty-three Angel Envoys, exhausted, scarred, and having endured numerous forms of punishment, lay in their cells and fell into a deep sleep.

Their cells were of the highest security level, filled with surveillance equipment.

Almost simultaneously, from somewhere within each of their bodies, a bug tinier than an ant slowly wriggled out, emerging through a wound. It crawled down from the bed and carefully navigated the surveillance blind spots to leave the cell. Then, it suddenly unfurled a pair of wings and, with extreme speed, began to inspect the entire prison via the drainage system!

These strange bugs were pitch-black, adorned with dark patterns that conveyed a sense of madness and evil.

If Chen Gu had been there, seeing these bugs would have startled him: Mutants of the Insect Race!

He would also be particularly puzzled. How could the True Knowledge Sin be involved with such evil, bizarre creatures?

Twenty-three Mutants of the Insect Race inspected twenty-three prisons. Finally, one of them located its target.

It flew out of the prison, found a high vantage point, and then rapidly vibrated its wings, emitting a signal.

On a distant planet, Boles, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils shone with a beast-like amber hue as he smiled malevolently. "Found your Prophet!"

...

Among the companions from Wuzhaoyin City, Big Rabbit was the first to meet the criteria for promotion.

The promotion ceremony was arranged at the backup base. Marcus called Chen Gu, and everyone went to offer Big Rabbit moral support.

In reality, they were just going to watch the excitement, at most shouting "Keep it up!" from outside the emitter.

Chen Gu also made time to attend. The base had now returned to its usual state, with Dr. Meng Ji and Gong Shuxu in charge.

Dora, on the other hand, wasn't nervous at all. She had gone from being a mercenary living hand-to-mouth to now having a secure "government post." Although she had lost her freedom, subsequent promotions were guaranteed, a prospect she found quite appealing.

This relaxed state of mind, in fact, allowed her to easily overcome this hurdle and advance to the Second Energy Level of Guardian Spirit.

Over the next ten days, everyone was successively promoted. However, Selena, also known as "Succubus," encountered a problem: her promotion failed, and she nearly mutated!

Selena was deeply affected by this setback and indulged in even greater debauchery, spending several consecutive nights reveling in nightclubs and drowning her sorrows in alcohol.

However, this situation didn't last long, as they were preparing to take action.

Aviloya had been holding back a mission, waiting for the team to complete their promotions and increase their strength before proceeding.

Chen Jixian finally arrived from Wuzhaoyin City, this time having moved his entire family—though, in reality, he only needed to bring his wife, as both their children were studying on the Capital Star.

The team's overall strength varied greatly. Gong Shuxu and Chen Jixian were at the Sixth Energy Level. Chen Gu was at the Fourth Energy Level, though his actual combat power surpassed that of an average Fifth Energy Level practitioner.

However, the other team members were only at the First or Second Energy Levels.

Chen Gu had originally thought Qing Ruyan would announce the mission, but to his surprise, Aviloya came in person.

She tapped the surface of the large conference room table. A holographic projection screen unfolded with a SWISH. "This," she began, "is the native life of planet Sparta No.11. We call them 'Longheads'."

The screen displayed a humanoid species with extremely long skulls, emerald green eyes, and large, four-lobed mouths filled with sharp, hook-like teeth.

They stood around two meters tall and wore coarse hemp clothing adorned with brightly colored feathers.

Their limbs were strong and muscular, with low body fat, and their claws were as sharp as knives. They were naturally excellent warriors.

"We have a peaceful coexistence agreement with the Longheads," Aviloya continued. "We've granted them large territorial reserves and significant autonomy. Their ruling royal family mobilizes the populace to mine ores for us. This planet is rich in mineral resources, primarily silica earth, No. 4 Ore Crystals, and iridium. In exchange, we provide them with food and weapons."

"The Longheads have considerable brain capacity; they are intelligent. Furthermore, some fortunate individuals among them possess extraordinary spiritual power, making them appear godlike to ordinary Longheads—this is the origin of their royalty. When we discovered this civilization, they had already developed to the city-state stage, complete with sophisticated armor and weapons. To this day, their royal family, in cooperation with us, has concealed our existence from their general populace. Consequently, the average Longhead is completely unaware that they have been conquered and are essentially living in a designated reservation, under our control."

After briefly outlining the Longheads' basic situation, Aviloya's expression turned serious. "However, we recently received unsettling news from our spies among them. A mysterious religion is spreading rapidly among the common Longhead populace, with most believers congregating in the mines. The doctrine of this religion reveals our existence, portraying us as 'evil demons from the stars.' They have also established a 'Great True God,' preaching that only faith in this deity can lead to our defeat and their liberation."

"Evidence suggests that some members of the Longhead royalty are also involved. Your mission is to investigate the inner workings of this cult, identify any members of the Longhead royal family connected to it, and, ideally, locate the cult's central command."

"Because we don't know which members of their royalty are involved, you will receive no support from the native population on planet Sparta No.11."

Boluo was the first to raise his hand. "We look too different from these strange creatures. How are we supposed to blend in?"

Aviloya tapped the table again. Another holographic projection unfolded. "This," she said, "is the Bio-Muscle Exosuit, custom-made by the agency for this operation."