Chapter 274: 274, Isolation and review

Were the nanobots damaged?

Li Dingding frowned and asked, "What's the matter, didn't find the person with a synchronization rate of zero?"

"No, there were many people undergoing synchronization checks that day, and many were refugees, so the lab staff didn't record each person's synchronization rate in detail—only those above 80 were logged," the subordinate whispered, "But the rosters of the units that underwent testing that day are all here..."

Li Dingding was so angry he laughed, staring at the thick stack of rosters in his hands. "They're just being lazy, and they dare to be lazy about this? But why would a case like this be assigned to me—can't you handle it?"

"No," the subordinate said, lowering his head. "This was specifically entrusted to you by the Presidential Council. They said the program loaded onto the nanobots was erased."

At these words, Li Dingding froze.

He knew the nanobots well, for his daily work involved countless incidents related to them. In his mind, the programs loaded onto nanobots were never erased—such operations could only occur after the bots were recalled to the factory for classified processing, even requiring the Presidential Council's C1 authorization.

No wonder the Presidential Council had assigned this to him—it had already touched upon Li's highest secrets!

Li Dingding said, "Enough, you may leave."

After speaking, he began flipping through the files alone. Just as the previous case remained unsolved, another one had emerged.

Upon finishing the files, Li Dingding's head began to ache. There was nothing useful in them—not even a single clue beyond the thick roster.

He grabbed the file and flipped through it rapidly, but after ten minutes, he halted.

Something's wrong! Something's wrong!

He quickly retrieved the earlier file and began searching. Within two minutes, Li Dingding suddenly smiled.

Because while reviewing the roster, he had noticed something unusual: repeated names.

Li Qingzheng, Ren Xiaosu, Chen Wudi, Wang Yuch...

The entire combat squad's names appeared three times in these two documents!

The first was the outpost roster.

The second was the private unit roster that had swapped gear with the Divine Machine Battalion.

The third was the roster of all units tested that day.

Li Dingding had always believed that too many coincidences might be the answer.

This combat squad was suspicious—at the very least, the people in it were.

Li Dingding picked up the phone and said, "Detain the private unit Iron Camp Two's Ren Xiaosu, Li Qingzheng's combat squad."

The person on the other end replied, "You... are you sure you want to arrest them directly?"

Li Dingding frowned. "Are my words not clear enough?"

"No," the person on the phone said. "I know them—they're the ones I know. Ren Xiaosu is now a model for the entire army, and Iron Camp Two has been renamed Hero Camp. Ren Xiaosu is still the Hero Camp's commander..."

Now Li Dingding was stunned—this was a twist.

The person on the phone continued, "If you're certain he's guilty, we'll bring him back now. But if you're merely suspicious, we need to be discreet. Right now, they're the only unit in the entire army that's won a battle—annihilating the Qing's special operations battalion. And their 313 position is currently under attack."

It had to be said, the Hero Camp was a solid shield—no ordinary person would dare touch such a model. Moreover, they were in the middle of a battle. If something happened to this model, who would take responsibility for the army's morale?

Even Li Dingding couldn't say he could shoulder this burden.

Li Dingding laughed. "I'll go to the 313 position myself—this will be handled in secret."

...

That night, the fighting at the 313 position had ceased. After Li's follow-up forces arrived, they immediately reclaimed all the lost high ground, adopting an almost desperate stance to drive the Qing forces back.

In the evening, cheers erupted within the 313 position, but Ren Xiaosu felt Li's celebration was premature.

Though he didn't know why Qing Zhen had drawn Li's frontline forces here, Qing's brief retreat now couldn't prove who had lost or won.

War had never been so simple.

That night, a convoy of off-road vehicles suddenly entered the 313 position. After a brief exchange with the highest-ranking officer there, they immediately headed for the high ground where Ren Xiaosu and the others were stationed.

Ren Xiaosu had been observing the rear with a telescope all along, so the arrival of this unusual convoy had already caught his attention.

Suddenly, he had an ominous premonition—he even felt they had come for him.

The convoy approached, but no one announced their purpose. A military officer held a list and said, "Ren Xiaosu, Li Qingzheng, Chen Wudi... you sixteen, get in the vehicles and follow us into the 313 position!"

Ren Xiaosu and Li Qingzheng exchanged glances. He had already realized that all the names called out were from their combat squad.

Before the operation, the outpost had thirty people, including one who had been recruited from another squad.

Now, after two battles, their combat squad had only sixteen left.

Ren Xiaosu considered making a last stand and leaving, but since his name had been called, following the trail to find Yan Liuyuan and the others in the stronghold would be too easy. If Yan Liuyuan were captured, the situation would only worsen.

At this moment, soldiers around them had their guns subtly aimed at them. If Ren Xiaosu fled now, Jiang Wu's eight students would likely be sacrificed here.

Moreover, Ren Xiaosu suddenly noticed that the thirty soldiers attempting to surround them seemed to all be nanobot soldiers.

Li Qingzheng whispered, "Xiaosu, what's going on?"

"Nothing, let's go with them first," Ren Xiaosu decided to follow the group into the 313 position. He needed to wait for an opportunity—but this plan, he couldn't share with anyone!

Inside the 313 position, two military tents had already been prepared, suggesting the visitors held high status. Even the new commander of the 313 position treated them with utmost courtesy.

These people escorted Ren Xiaosu and the others to a tent, where a middle-aged man smiled and introduced himself: "Good evening, everyone. I'm Li Dingding. I'm here only to investigate some matters. Please don't be too alarmed—after all, you are heroes of my Li family. If any misunderstandings arise during this process, I hope you'll understand."

Though Li Dingding's words were gentle, Ren Xiaosu remained convinced they harbored ill intent. Moreover, singling out their combat squad for investigation meant something had likely been exposed—though Ren Xiaosu didn't know how much.

But it didn't matter. Ren Xiaosu was still waiting for an opportunity.