Timeless Assassin

Chapter 1118: Ultimatum

(Meanwhile, on Planet Yu Prime, Yu Rulo’s POV)

The repeated failures of the intelligence department to obtain even the slightest tangible report on Planet Satoru, or the true strength of this mysterious General Sparrow, had made Yu Rulo’s temper worsen with each passing day, as what began as irritation had now grown into something dangerously close to pure rage.

For over ten days, reports had arrived only to say nothing meaningful, as there were no troop estimates collected, no force composition sketches assembled, and no confirmed assessments regarding either the enemy’s numbers or the strength of this so-called General Sparrow, which was precisely what made the silence surrounding Satoru feel so unnatural.

And that, more than the failure of the conquest itself, infuriated him.

"What sort of nonsense is this, hm? It has been over ten days since those cultists landed on Satoru, and yet there has not been a single meaningful word about their numbers, their Commanders, their troop tiers, or even who in the heavens this General Sparrow actually is, so tell me, what exactly has my intelligence department been doing all this time besides collecting salaries and breathing my air?"

Yu Rulo thundered, as his voice echoed through the chamber while the gathered intelligence heads stood below him with lowered heads and rigid shoulders.

No one answered immediately, because although each of them had explanations prepared, none of them wished to be the first to offer excuses before a Patriarch already this enraged.

However, someone eventually had to, as at last, the intelligence chief stepped forward, sweat already visible across his brow.

"My lord, it is not from lack of trying, I swear it is not, but the Cult has sealed Satoru beyond anything we anticipated, all merchant ships are denied entry, nearby trade routes have been forcibly redirected, and their patrol vessels now exert military control over the surrounding airspace, which means our agents cannot even venture close enough to begin proper reconnaissance," the man explained, as even while speaking he sounded aware of how weak those words would sound.

*SLAM*

*THUD*

Yu Rulo’s fist crashed into the desk hard enough that the stone cracked beneath the blow, as the shockwave rolled through the chamber and made several gathered officers visibly flinch.

"Damn it, I do not want excuses, I want intelligence, and if all you have brought me after ten days is a story about how difficult your jobs have become, then perhaps I have overestimated every single one of you standing before me," he snarled, as his aura spilled outward in violent pulses that made breathing itself feel heavy.

"For all these years when you had nothing much to do....

Have you not received healthy salaries from my treasury?

Have you not received power, rank, privilege, estates, servants, and prestige far beyond what ordinary men can dream of, and now that the moment has finally arrived where you are expected to justify all of that, this miserable display is the result you bring me?"

His anger mounted with each passing word, as his voice grew harsher and more cutting while the pressure in the room rose alongside it, until even those nearest to him looked as though they feared breathing too loudly.

The intelligence officers lowered their heads even further.

No one dared interrupt him, as Yu Rulo continued with his enraged rant, his voice lowering now, though somehow sounding even more dangerous.

"I have the Yu Clan God demanding answers from me, and as Patriarch I am standing here unable to tell him whether the Cult has one Demi God or ten, whether Satoru houses a million soldiers or ten billion, whether this Sparrow is a nobody or a catastrophe, and do you fools understand what that makes me look like?"

His fingers dug into the fractured desk.

"It makes me look like a dickless eunuch who is incompetent beyond belief and not fit to lead the Yu Clan in his stead...."

Silence swallowed the chamber.

Then he spoke again, and though calmer in volume, his tone carried a menace that unsettled them far more than his shouting had.

"Three days," Yu Rulo said, as each word landed with deliberate weight.

"I am giving every one of you three days to bring me concrete results, real results, not speculation, or theories or hypotheses pulled out of your asses.

But rather the truth!

And if after three days I still do not know what exactly is happening on Planet Satoru, then I swear by the Yu bloodline I will personally hunt each of you down and make examples out of you."

He threatened, as several agents visibly paled.

One nearly stumbled where he stood.

But Yu Rulo was not finished.

"And do not mistake that for anger speaking, because it is not," he continued, his voice almost calm now, which frightened them far more. "That is a promise, and if I must tear apart every intelligence branch under my authority and rebuild it from ash, I will do it."

He straightened.

Then flicked his hand dismissively.

"Get out of my sight and prove you deserve to live under my command."

He said, as the officers bowed so deeply their foreheads nearly touched the floor before retreating in hurried silence, as none dared linger a second longer beneath that murderous pressure.

Soon the chamber was empty.

Only Yu Rulo remained.

His breathing was controlled, yet his thoughts were not, because beneath all the fury, what unsettled him most was not incompetence, but the possibility that the Cult had hidden itself so completely because it had something truly terrifying to hide.

And if that possibility proved true, then Satoru was not merely a conquered world, but perhaps the opening move of a war the Great Clans were not ready for.

"Let’s hope this is just one of the Cult’s regular attacks and nothing more.

And that after conquering this one planet they will go quiet for a few more decades.....

Because if not.....

Then we might be in more trouble than we are giving them credit for...."

He muttered, as he let out a deep sigh and pinched his forehead to lessen the headache that had started to develop.