Upon his return to Stan City, what was once an old town was now almost indistinguishable from a large pile of ruins. Various supermarket storefronts had been completely looted, the streets were covered in trash and even the underground auction houses were firmly shut. He had hoped to possibly purchase more materials for building a mecha, but it looked like that plan would have to be shelved for the time being.

As known to all, the process of making a mobile soldier is extremely difficult. Research and development expenses are backed by the military and the civilian government has no ability to interfere, so one can imagine the level of confidentiality required. Even the cutting-edge technology involved isn't something he could create on his own.

But there might be another way of building a mobile soldier - by searching for a master craftsman amongst civilians. A master craftsman would spend a significant amount of time smelting supermetals. Despite being unable to compete with the core technology and equipment of the military, such craft has its unique qualities. It's important to note that military mobile soldiers are mass-produced products tailored to the physical conditions of ordinary soldiers. However, creating a single mecha is a completely different matter altogether.

According to the intelligence gathered by Eggy, the Icebird star field is a gathering place for these civilian mecha repair masters. It seemed like a trip to the Icebird star was really necessary.

But what Feng Yi is planning for now is to gather intelligence on the Saudis. For several days, he had been simulating operation routes along the coastal beaches, trying to figure out where the captives had been taken and gather information on people like Augustins. This was an extremely challenging process.

Feng Yi set out during the night. His speed was lightning-fast, and feeling the cold wind blowing across his face, he managed to successfully infiltrate the peripheral area of Saudi Arabian territory by 23:17 that night. An entire group of soldiers was stationed there, but besides that, there wasn't much more information.

Watching the faint light from the guard post, he squatted there for an hour, collecting plenty of information...

In the end, he found out that the guard post was divided into eight groups, changing every half an hour. Each shift change was undertaken by two guards simultaneously which meant that Feng Yi only needed to bypass two guard posts' changeovers to easily infiltrate the other tents. With his skills, he should be able to leave no trace while also stealing a Saudi military uniform.

In such a frontline unit, the loss of a uniform wouldn't raise too many eyebrows. It would probably be seen as a prank. But if a uniform disappeared in the Military Department, the result would be completely different. Because of this, Feng Yi chose not to infiltrate the Saudi Military Department directly, but instead snuck into a combat unit's tent after two shifts at the guard post.

His movements were as silent as a cat, leaving not a trace, not even fingerprints or footprints. Once inside, Feng Yi started riffling through the soldiers' clothing. After a short while, he managed to find a jacket full of money.

Before leaving, he purposely dropped a note of very small value on the ground. This act could effectively deceive others; when the soldiers woke up the next day to find their clothes missing, they would inevitably think that they had also misplaced their money.

Having changed into the uniform, Feng Yi continued on towards the heart of the Saudi Military Department without pause. Before dawn, he intended to find more clues about Augustins and the many soldiers. Unfortunately, his plan was thwarted halfway; the Saudi Military Department's defenses were incredibly strict with sentries patrolling every corner. Though he could sneak in using his skills, he decided to retreat after encountering two areas under 360-degree surveillance.

Though he said he retreated, he still managed to spot 75 posts through his night vision goggles around the outskirts. Feng Yi didn't know which deranged commander would come up with such terrifying numbers.

Soon after, Feng Yi retreated a few dozen kilometers and slept in an inconspicuous location, waking up early the next day to continue observing...

This time, Feng Yi spend an entire day observing. He got very little information. However, by mingling with people dressed in Saudi military uniforms, he was able to glean that the group army was divided into four divisions and were currently in a mixed state. The Saudis had suffered serious losses in their battle with the Federation, leading to some confusion in their organization.

Through this, Feng Yi managed to work out a rough idea of the situation. Moving around the big camp, he found places where he could mix in without being monitored and observed. He bought his cigarettes from other soldiers.

"Bro, bro, lend me a light," Feng Yi stopped a soldier in his tracks. This soldier was from the 77th Division. Feng Yi, after several days, had memorized the faces of those he wanted to remember. He took out a pack of cigarettes sneakily, fearful of being caught by the military police.

"Sorry, I don't smoke."

"Dude, can't go about our day without a smoke. Here, have one." Feng Yi seemed rather generous. He handed the soldier a cigarette, "I heard that our unit is going to be presented with a high merit award. Not sure if that's true."

"We've already received our merits." The soldier speaking with him showed a disdainful look on his face. "Those federation trash can't hold their own. Augustins has already been captured by those bastards from the 77th division. There's no merit left for us now."

"Don't say like that, they've been saying that we all should receive a medal too, just after those guys."

"Really? Where did you hear that from?"

"The machine-gun squad."

The soldier laughed upon hearing this, "Give it a rest, those guys in the machine-gun squad are as reliable as a fart, all lies. You are little too naive, boy."

"Right, right." Feng Yi scratched his head awkwardly, his words carrying the eagerness to learn, "I heard that the Federation general was recalled to the capital, and our commander is a lieutenant colonel, does that sound more like it?"

"Sounds about right, don't tell me you heard this from the machine-gun squad too."

"Yes, yes." Feng Yi put on an innocent, clueless face.

The soldier looked at Feng Yi as if he were a fool, "Kid, who knows Augustins's whereabouts better than us? Seems like those guys have fooled you, huh?"

Feng Yi could only nod like a pecking chick, looking confused. Eventually, he realized the man was mocking him, pointing to his nose, "I#, %$!... Well, I guess I am a fool."

The man gave a cold smile, leaned in close to Feng Yi's ear, "Let me tell you something, the one commanding this battle is none other than the famous Miss Vivian."

"Oh...It's Miss Vivian…" Feng Yi looked shocked, though he was pondering who the hell Vivian was. He didn't know much about the empire's generals, but it seemed like the man had veered from his question - something about Augustins was left behind. Feng Yi quickly changed the topic, hinting, "Did Miss Vivian capture General Augustins? Is that reliable? I heard the general was dispatched back home."

Actually, this was very confidential information, but the man from the Communications Squad was a bit irritated by Feng Yi's skepticism. "Let me tell you, Augustins is confined in Miss Vivian's tent. Those guys from the machine-gun squad are just full of hot air."

"Really?"

"Of course, but don't spread the news around, keep your mouth shut." He made a throat-slitting gesture towards Feng Yi, who stepped back in alarm.

"Spreading military secrets could get you executed. You know what to do, take care of yourself." He patted Feng Yi's shoulder solemnly.

Feng Yi nodded blankly …

Not until the man had walked away did a glint of cunning cross Feng Yi's eyes, murmuring Miss Vivian's name...

Within the next few hours, he visited various places in the camp, by asking indirect questions he got some information about some generals and Vivian. After a few wasted hours, he met the Communications Squad's soldier again and got the accurate address of Vivian, who was living in a seemingly simple tent.

Feng Yi quickly disappeared into the interior of Saudi, then pulled out his radar to check information about Vivian. As soon as he saw the results, he was taken aback!

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