Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 351 Suspicion of an Insider
“Silver Moon, your new partner has arrived,” the observer called out to the woman.

The woman sheathed her sword and turned around, finally allowing Rowan to see her face clearly. She appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with delicate features, fair skin, and typical characteristics of the Silver Blue Empire—pale blue eyes and silver hair. Most striking was her aura, a blend of a swordsman's sharpness and feminine grace, giving her a very unique presence.

"Hello, I'm Silver Moon." The woman approached Rowan, her voice clear and pleasant. "Welcome to the Field Agent Department."

"Hello, I'm Rowan, codename Starmark." Rowan extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Silvermoon shook Rowan's hand and said, "I've heard about you; you performed exceptionally well at the Giant Axe Arena. However, the work of a field agent is very different from your previous experience, and you'll need some time to adapt."

The observer said from the side, "Silver Moon, for the next week, you will be responsible for training Starmark to familiarize themselves with the work. After a week, you will receive your first official mission."

Silvermoon nodded: "Understood."

After the observers left, only Rowan and Silvermoon remained in the training room. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward, as it was their first meeting and they were about to become partners who would need to work closely together.

"Let's talk about your abilities first," Silver Moon broke the silence. "I know you excel at mental attacks, especially that Starburst Sky-Splitting Blade. Do you have any other abilities?"

Luo Wen answered truthfully, "Besides mental attacks, I also have a certain talent for analytical reasoning, and my close combat abilities are also decent. Recently, I've also learned some new cultivation methods, which has improved my strength to some extent."

Silvermoon nodded: "Very good, this combination of abilities is very suitable for fieldwork. My expertise is swordsmanship and close combat, and I also have some experience in infiltration and disguise. Our abilities complement each other very well."

"So what do we do next?" Rowan asked.

“Let’s test your actual combat capabilities first.” Silvermoon walked towards the weapon rack. “Combat is unavoidable on field missions. I need to understand your true level before I can develop a suitable cooperative strategy.”

Rowan also walked towards the weapon rack, but he didn't take any weapons. To him, the Starburst Sky-Splitting Blade, formed from his spiritual energy, was the best weapon.

"Don't you need weapons?" Silver Moon asked curiously.

“My weapon is somewhat special,” Rowan said with a smile, his mental energy surging as a starlight-piercing blade materialized in his hand.

Seeing this, Yin Yue's eyes flashed with surprise: "So that's how it is, materializing mental energy. That's indeed a very advanced technique."

The two stood facing each other in the center of the training room. The longsword in Yin Yue's hand emitted a faint silver light, while Luo Wen's Starburst Blade shimmered with starlight.

“Let’s begin,” Silver Moon said, her figure flashing as she charged toward Rowan like a silver lightning bolt.

Rowan immediately raised his sword to meet the attack. The Starburst Sky-Splitting Blade collided with Silver Moon's longsword, producing a crisp metallic clang. Although the Starburst Sky-Splitting Blade was formed from condensed spiritual energy, its hardness was in no way inferior to that of a real metal weapon.

Silver Moon's swordsmanship was indeed superb; each strike was as fast as lightning and at tricky angles, making it impossible to defend against. Her movements were also extremely agile, moving through the training room like a fish in water, sometimes attacking, sometimes retreating, with perfect control of the rhythm.

Rowan was initially on the defensive, as his close-combat experience was indeed less than Silvermoon's. But he quickly began to utilize his strengths. The Starburst Blade suddenly split into four, attacking Silvermoon simultaneously from four different angles.

A hint of surprise flashed in Yin Yue's eyes, but she reacted extremely quickly. Her longsword danced with a silver light, actually blocking the attacks of four Starburst Blades at the same time.

"Interesting!" Silver Moon exclaimed, her attacks becoming even more ferocious.

The two exchanged blows, their battle growing increasingly intense. Rowan's Starburst Blade was unpredictable, sometimes splitting and sometimes merging, keeping Silver Moon constantly on her toes. Silver Moon's swordsmanship, however, was exquisite, each strike imbued with profound swordplay principles.

The fight lasted for more than ten minutes, ending in a draw. Both were slightly out of breath, but their eyes showed satisfaction.

“Your strength is greater than I expected.” Silvermoon sheathed her sword and stood still. “Especially that splitting technique, it was very creative.”

Luo Wen also sheathed his Starburst Sky-Splitting Blade: "Your swordsmanship has truly broadened my horizons. The swordsmanship of the Silver Blue Empire lives up to its reputation."

"Now that the skills test is complete, let's begin the formal job training," Silvermoon said. "The work of a field agent is complex, including intelligence gathering, covert infiltration, target protection, enemy pursuit, and so on. Each task requires different skills and strategies."

Over the next few hours, Silvermoon gave Rowan a detailed introduction to the various working skills of a field agent. She first explained the basic methods of intelligence gathering, including how to obtain information without being detected, how to analyze and verify the authenticity of intelligence, and how to establish an intelligence network, among other things.

“Intelligence work may seem simple, but it’s actually extremely complex,” Silvermoon said. “A tiny mistake could lead to mission failure or even expose our identities. So we must be extra careful.”

Then, she explained the techniques of infiltration and disguise. Silver Moon took out a special device, an advanced disguise device developed by Virtual Universe Corporation, which could change the user's appearance, voice, and even aura.

“This disguise device is one of our most important pieces of equipment,” Silvermoon demonstrated how to use it. “But disguise is not just about changing one’s appearance; more importantly, it’s about disguising behavior and psychology. You must completely integrate into the target’s identity and truly become that person.”

Rowan studied every detail diligently. He discovered that the work of a field agent was indeed far more complex than he had imagined, requiring far more skills than the average person. But at the same time, he was also excited, because this was the kind of challenge he had always longed for.

"That's enough for today." Yin Yue checked the time. "We'll continue training tomorrow, and the day after I'll take you on a field trip so you can see the real working environment."

“Okay.” Rowan nodded. “Silver Moon, I have another question. What are the backgrounds of the other members of our department?”

Silver Moon thought for a moment: "Their backgrounds are all different. Some come from the military, some from intelligence agencies, and some, like you, were recruited from other places. But they all have one thing in common—everyone has their own special abilities. For example, the captain of the first team is a psychic, capable of reading other people's memories. The sniper in the third team is said to be able to accurately shoot targets from 100,000 kilometers away."

“They all sound impressive,” Rowan remarked. “Indeed,” Silver Moon smiled. “So your selection shows the company highly values ​​your abilities. However, the real test is yet to come. Tomorrow we’ll have more in-depth training, including some practical simulations.”

After saying goodbye, Luo Wen returned to the Genius Building. Hong, Lei Shen, and Luo Feng were all waiting for him, eager to know the outcome of today's meeting.

"How is it?" Hong asked anxiously, "Any results?"

As agreed beforehand, Luo Wen couldn't reveal the specifics of the job, only vaguely stating, "It's approved. I'll start work tomorrow. However, the job is somewhat unusual, so it might be inconvenient to go into detail."

Thor nodded understandingly: "Intelligence work does require secrecy. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

Luo Feng also said, "Congratulations, Luo Wen. Of the four of us, you and Hong have both found suitable jobs. That's wonderful."

Hong patted Rowan on the shoulder: "Looks like we're both about to get busy with work. But no matter what, we'll always be friends, and that will never change."

The next day, Rowan arrived at the field agent training base on time. Located on the 100th floor underground of the Virtual Universe Company headquarters, it was a completely independent training facility. Silver Moon was already waiting for him; today she was wearing a black training uniform, making her look even more capable.

“Today we’re conducting tactical coordination training,” Silvermoon said. “In field missions, teamwork is crucial. A glance, a gesture—any of these can determine the success or failure of a mission.”

The training that followed was extremely rigorous. Silvermoon designed various complex scenarios to simulate different types of mission environments. Sometimes it involved infiltrating enemy bases to steal intelligence, sometimes it involved protecting important targets in public places, and sometimes it involved encirclement and annihilation during the pursuit of fugitives.

Each scenario demands perfect teamwork between the two. Rowan needs to learn how to use his mental power to support Silvermoon, how to gather intelligence without revealing himself, and how to make the right judgments in critical moments.

“Remember, we are a team,” Silvermoon said during a training break. “Your strengths are reconnaissance and long-range support, while mine are close combat and assault. Only by leveraging our respective strengths and compensating for each other’s weaknesses can we become the strongest combination.”

On the third day, Yin Yue took Luo Wen away from the training base and arrived at a bustling commercial district outside the headquarters of Virtual Universe Company.

“Today we’re conducting field training,” Silvermoon said. “Your task is to gather information on all key personnel within this business district without being detected.”

This task sounds simple, but it is quite difficult in practice. The commercial area is densely populated with people of various races, and accurately identifying targets and collecting information in such an environment requires extremely high observation and analytical skills.

Rowan used his mental power to carefully perceive his surroundings. He discovered that this commercial district was indeed full of hidden talents, with many powerful figures concealed among ordinary merchants. Through careful observation and analysis, he gradually figured out the identities and purposes of these people.

"Well done." After a day of field training, Silver Moon was satisfied with Rowan's performance. "Your mental perception is indeed very strong, and your analytical judgment is also very accurate. However, there are still some details that need improvement."

"You've made rapid progress," Silvermoon summarized after a week of training. "You've basically mastered the essentials of fieldwork. However, the real test is yet to come. Tomorrow, we'll receive our first official mission."

"What kind of mission?" Rowan asked.

Silvermoon smiled mysteriously: "A very interesting mission. We're going to investigate a business group that may have a traitor. According to reliable sources, this group may be leaking our trade secrets to hostile forces."

A flicker of excitement flashed in Rowan's eyes. He was finally about to embark on a real mission, and he couldn't wait to prove his abilities.

"Are you ready, partner?" Silvermoon asked.

“Always ready,” Rowan replied firmly.

The next day.

In the morning, Rowan arrived at the field operations department's operations conference room on time. It was a soundproof, enclosed space with state-of-the-art anti-eavesdropping equipment installed on the walls to ensure that no classified information would be leaked.

Silvermoon was already waiting in the conference room, a huge three-dimensional model of a complex of buildings displayed on the holographic projection table in front of her. The Observer and Samuel were also present, both with serious expressions.

“Starmark, please have a seat.” The Observer gestured to the chair next to Silvermoon. “We will now begin the mission briefing.”

After sitting down, Rowan carefully observed the architectural model in the holographic projection. It was a massive commercial complex, consisting of dozens of high-rise buildings, and looked like a small city.

"This is the headquarters of the Meteorite Business Group," Samuel began. "The Meteorite Group is one of the top fifty large business groups in the universe, primarily engaged in rare metal trading, interstellar transportation, and energy development. The group's total assets exceed ten trillion cosmic coins, and it has branches in more than thirty star systems."

The observer picked up the thread: "Recently, we discovered some anomalies in the Meteorite Group's business activities. They obtained market information that should have been kept confidential, and beat our Virtual Universe Company's subsidiaries in several important bids. More worryingly, they have an excessively detailed understanding of some of our internal projects."

"You suspect there's a mole within the organization?" Rowan asked.

“It’s not just a matter of an inside job.” Silvermoon pointed to a peculiar building in the projection. “According to our intelligence, the Meteor Group may have secret connections with several hostile forces. They are not only stealing our trade secrets, but may also be providing these forces with financial and material support.”

Samuel clicked the controller a few times, and several portraits appeared on the projector: "These are the senior management of the Meteorite Group. This person is Victor Meteorite, the founder and chairman of the group. This person is Arya Stoneheart, the vice chairman of the group, in charge of external relations. And this one is Marcus Darkstream, the group's chief financial officer."

“We suspect that at least one of these three individuals has connections to hostile forces,” the observer stated. “Your mission is to infiltrate the Meteorite Group, identify the true traitor, and obtain evidence of their collusion with hostile forces.”

(End of this chapter)