33: Chapter 33 Monitoring Intelligence Officer, Emotional Value Soars as Newcomer Appears

The sea breeze suddenly picked up a few degrees, kicking up the peeling lime dust from the stone steps of the old lighthouse, which looked like a small, fleeting puff of white smoke in the afternoon sun.

The Starship Base launch tower in the distance became increasingly clear in his field of vision, its newly laid stainless steel exterior gleaming under the sunlight.

The sounds of cranes and welding drifted over on the wind. The metallic clanging and the roar of engines mixed with the tides of the Gulf of Mexico, making the entire Boca Chica peninsula look like a massive engine running at full capacity under the three o'clock afternoon sun.

Edward turned around, his tone returning to its usual calm and meticulous nature.

He looked at Musk: "The next step is that we need to find specific clues about the alien technology. I already have a lead on this."

"I have an old classmate in Washington, Eli Walsh. He is the Director of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security."

"After I had dinner with him on Chestnut Street a few days ago, based on my understanding of him, he will definitely investigate this matter himself."

"Walsh has been immersed in the intelligence system for nearly thirty years, from being a Naval Intelligence Officer to the CIA, and then to the Department of Homeland Security. As long as he starts investigating, he will definitely get results."

Musk closed his tablet and leaned against the stone railing. His tone returned to his usual manner: "Are you talking about the number three man at the Department of Homeland Security, that old guy who once intercepted Persian arms ships in the Persian Gulf?"

"That's him."

"As long as Walsh is still investigating within the intelligence system, it is only a matter of time before he finds a flaw."

"What we need is the thread he is about to uncover."

"And once we have that thread, my staff team can handle whatever they can't finish, and you can take over."

Musk chuckled softly, exhaling through his nose. He didn't continue the topic of Walsh, but there was a certain certainty in that laugh. As long as his tech company made slight systematic adjustments, monitoring the recent movements of a Washington bureaucrat would not be difficult.

And this was one of the reasons Edward chose to form an alliance with him. Edward had political reach, connections, and intelligence judgment. But to trace every move of a veteran intelligence officer at a modern technological level—where Walsh had recently appeared, what types of databases he was accessing or tracking—required Starlink-level resources, twenty-four-hour server cluster operations, and data analysis capabilities that even the Federal Government might not be able to detect itself. And in these areas, currently on the entire planet, Musk was the best at it.

"Three days." Musk picked up the empty coffee cup and stood straight on the rooftop, his eyes, weary from an all-nighter, facing the sea breeze. "I will tell you where Walsh has been these past few days, what information he has checked, and whether he has had contact with any unusual people."

He stared at Edward. "But you need to be prepared. If we can really dig out the specific location of that research base by following his leads, the next step won't be just chatting."

"I never intended to just chat." After Edward finished speaking, he put his hands into his jacket pockets and turned to walk toward the black Ford at the foot of the tower. His steps were as steady as when he arrived—not slow, not difficult—as if this desolate, weed-choked cape would be leveled into a battlefield tomorrow.

Musk did not see him off. He stood alone on the top of the old lighthouse, holding the empty cup in one hand and pressing the tablet, which was already displaying a static surveillance screenshot, with the other, watching Edward's car turn along the bumpy gravel road toward the intersection leading to the Starship Base.

The seagulls circled twice and flew further and further away, the sea breeze slapping the bottom of the cup in his hand, which still had a few dregs of cold coffee. In the distance, the glow of flames and molten steel danced beneath the launch tower. There was no more anger on his face, only a cold, hard, calculating expression.

... Los Angeles, Silver Lake Park, afternoon.

Zhang Yi lay in his invisible tent, legs crossed, one arm behind his head, while his other hand occasionally swiped in the air, adjusting the viewing angle of the semi-transparent system interface before him.

Outside the tent, the lawn of Silver Lake Park was warmed by the afternoon sun. Several children were swinging on the playground in the distance, their laughter carried over by the breeze, mixed with the fresh scent of grass just mowed by a lawnmower.

No one knew that right under this seemingly empty shade, a young man was overlooking a grand drama unfolding across the entire Lighthouse Country from a "God's-eye view."

The system notification sound had been ringing continuously for over ten minutes.

[Ding—Psychological fluctuation detected from Edward Warren, Emotion Value + 580.] [Ding—Psychological tremor detected from Raymond Carter, Emotion Value + 520.] [Ding—Deep vigilance fluctuation detected from Eli Walsh, Emotion Value + 550.] [Ding—Cognitive impact detected from Trent Molloy, Emotion Value + 510.] [Ding—Anger and shock fluctuation detected from Elon Musk, Emotion Value + 630.]

The notification sounds were as dense as firecrackers on New Year's Eve, each one representing a brilliant brain being heavily struck by the script of the [Extraterrestrial Visitor].

Zhang Yi watched the numbers constantly scrolling up on the system interface, the corners of his mouth curling higher and higher. Ten thousand. Fifteen thousand. Twenty thousand. Twenty-five thousand... The numbers were jumping up, the scrolling speed as fast as a stock pumped with hormones.

When the notification sounds finally stopped, the Emotion Value balance settled on a new number—45,000 points.

"Forty-five thousand," Zhang Yi looked at the number and couldn't help but whistle. "From two thousand to forty-five thousand, how many days has it been? Edward and his group are truly my Gods of Wealth... no, my God of Wealth team."

"One person is worth an army; five people together can build me a mountain of gold."

"Now with Musk added, he is the world's richest man, and his emotional fluctuations are bigger than anyone else's; one wave of anger just gave me 630."

He teased, but he was indeed in a good mood. 45,000 Emotion Value was half as much again as the previous 30,000, and a world of difference from the initial 2,000 points. Although it was still a drop in the bucket compared to the high-end items in the system store that cost millions, at least he didn't have to quibble over a few hundred Emotion Value points anymore. Of course, he still had to save; he would spend what needed to be spent, but not a single penny more on what shouldn't be spent. Having lived a poor life, stinginess was an instinct deep in his bones.

However, just as he was about to close the notification record, his gaze suddenly swept over an unfamiliar name on the interface.

He recognized all the names on the system interface where Emotion Value had increased—Link Warren, Edward Warren, Raymond, Hawthorne, Sloan, Margaret, Eli Walsh, Trent, Elon Musk. He could match every one of these names; each person was a key node in his script chain. Link was the first witness, Edward and his think tank were the first to deduce, Walsh was the first intelligence bureaucrat to be dragged in, and Musk was the newly added tech giant.

However, at the very bottom of the system notification record, a name he had never seen before suddenly appeared.

[Ding—Fear fluctuation detected from Diana Hopkins, Emotion Value + 480.] [Ding—Anger fluctuation detected from Diana Hopkins, Emotion Value + 450.] [Ding—Deep unease fluctuation detected from Diana Hopkins, Emotion Value + 510.]

Diana Hopkins. Zhang Yi looked at this name, his brows furrowing slightly. Hopkins, this surname was very common in the Lighthouse Country, much like "Zhang," "Wang," or "Li" in the Dragon Kingdom. But in this script, everyone who appeared was not an ordinary person. Link was the son of a senator, Edward was the head of a century-old political family, Walsh was the number three person at the Department of Homeland Security, and Musk was the world's richest man. Then who was this Diana Hopkins?