☆ Chapter 57, the eighth sentence spoken to the big bosses
Half of the countries in the Red Cloud Galaxy have already fallen. Qin Muge's fleet has been divided into two parts. The first fleet is led by her, with Tianquan, Tianji, and Yuheng as her deputies. The second fleet is led by Min Kaiyang, with Tianxuan and Yaoguang as his deputies. Logistics are handled by Ling Tianshu.
Apart from these two fleets, the armies of other Interstellar Alliance nations were routed, essentially swept aside by the forces of the P4 Nebula. Even at this critical moment, voices unfavorable to the Empire continued to emerge from various countries, large and small. Perhaps P4 Nebula spies were involved, but whether those individuals were truly loyal to the Empire was obvious to anyone with a modicum of sense.
The war has not yet reached Tianzixing. In fact, apart from the attack on one of its subsidiary planets during the royal ball, the planetary fortress belt has not been ravaged by war since.
War refugees kept applying for refuge on Tianzixing. Even though the empire allowed the minimum number of people to enter each day, the population capacity of planets M1-M7 was already full, and Tianzixing suddenly had an additional burden of tens of billions of people.
Even without allowing these war survivors to enter the main planet of Tianzixing, the number of crimes, both large and small, is increasing every day due to the arrival of refugees. Fortunately, Tianzixing has a highly developed AI, so while the lives and property of its citizens have not yet been threatened, the prisons are almost bursting at the seams.
The suspicions of the Empire among the other nations struggling in the Red Cloud Galaxy have reached a certain level. In an era where even star-destroying cannons can be manufactured, the Crystalless Empire's homeland has not suffered any damage in the war between the two star systems. This is enough to make other nations that have been bullied to the point of barely hanging on to their last breath divert some of their remaining hatred towards the Empire.
Some even suspect that the Crystalless Empire and the P4 Nebula conspired to have the two largest nations join forces to divide up these planets in the Red Cloud System after the war ended.
Even if it doesn't come to that extreme, the most common question is for the Crystalless Empire to hand over the secret weapons it is still hiding. They don't believe that if there are no secret weapons hidden, how could the Celestial Star and its associated planetary belt remain intact to this day?
Moreover, while the large army didn't arrive, there were plenty of small groups of space pirates. They seemed to have a lot of courage, always attacking the Crystalless Empire with great ferocity, as if they could really bite a piece off this behemoth.
They weren't large beasts, but to the empire they were like a swarm of flies—not a threat, but incredibly annoying. Fortunately, the one left on Tianzi Star was the steady and reliable Tian Shu.
No one understood the current state of the Crystalless Empire better than her. On the surface, apart from entering a state of high alert during wartime, people's lives seemed largely unaffected. In reality, among the influx of people disguised as refugees, who knows how many were from the P4 Nebula? Although no one had been identified yet, this hidden danger was like a ticking time bomb buried in the heart of the Crystalless Empire.
In addition, the P4 Nebula deliberately bypassed the Empire's offensive plan, which caused instability among the Allied forces. On the other hand, the pressure from external public opinion meant that if the surrounding countries were dealt with in time, the Empire would be surrounded.
This battle is getting harder and harder to win.
Although Qin Muge's life has been busier than before, it's all about military strategy. Compared to the endless internal affairs of the empire she used to deal with, she enjoys this kind of life much more. Ling Tianquan, despite his fiery temper, has always seen further and is more composed than Tianji and Tianxuan when it comes to matters concerning the operation of the empire.
At a military meeting, Yang Yuheng and Ling Tianxuan jokingly mentioned that they were unhappy with the recent battles, feeling very upset whether they won or lost. The implication in their words was clear to everyone.
Qin Muge's lips curved slightly upwards, his eyes appearing wine-red in the indoor light, somewhat dark yet radiating an alluring luster. Hearing his subordinate's complaints, he smiled and, unusually, replied, "Yes, it's time to prepare for a counterattack."
Upon hearing this topic, the attendees were all jolted awake and sat up straight, ready to hear the general's specific counterattack plan.
A minute later, Qin Muge still had a smile on his face. No matter how strong the doubts in the eyes of the soldiers next to him were, he pretended not to see them. He calmly looked at the battle report in front of him and marked the current stalemate on the star map of the Red Cloud Star System. The colorful marks on it made the already huge star map even more dazzling.
Very well, it seems they won't be getting the specific counterattack plan from the general. They're all on the same side, and they're usually influenced by Qin Muge's wicked sense of humor, so they're even having this masochistic thought: 'It would be strange if the general actually told them the answer honestly.'
A similarly massive star map of the P4 Nebula appeared beside it, though the map wasn't much clearer than before. A steady stream of troops was being transported out of it. Half of the star map of the Red Cloud Galaxy showed signs of enemy occupation, while the Allied forces had only reached the doorstep of the P4 Nebula.
Staring at the hazy star map, Qin Muge narrowed her eyes slightly. Her long eyelashes fell into her eyes, blocking the light and making her wine-red eyes appear much darker. However, the corners of her lips were upturned, making it impossible to tell whether she was happy or angry.
Wait a little longer. She told herself repeatedly in her heart that she couldn't be too hasty. One day, she would make Luo Qinghe return the person to her in perfect condition, and even better than before.
My dearest Chaoge, I miss you so much. I wonder if you miss me too?
His index and middle fingers, covered by dark blue to almost black gloves, lightly touched the stem of the transparent stemmed glass next to him. He gently swirled the liquid inside, which was similar in color to his eyes, and then lowered his eyelids to drink the wine in one gulp.
A wonderful sensation unfolds on every taste bud on the tip of the tongue, colliding with the taste cells. A barely perceptible bitterness appears unexpectedly, but upon careful tasting, it transforms into a lingering, sweet flavor.
Her already rosy lips were stained with a dark red liquid, matching her unfathomable eyes and exuding a fatal allure.
Several newly promoted officers at the end of the table only glanced at the scenery before quickly lowering their heads guiltily, their Adam's apples bobbing. However, the allure they had inadvertently glimpsed in their minds could not be shaken off.
Ling Tianquan's gaze lazily swept across the entire arena, like a lion taking a nap after a hearty meal. Although his gaze was much less intimidating than when he was on the verge of battle, some of the men still couldn't withstand his intimidation. Especially after he sensed something and chuckled, some of the guilty ones immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
Qin Muge pretended not to notice anything, made a standard tactical arrangement, and then adjourned the meeting.
The blond-haired high-level AI, as was its habit, followed behind her. Compared to Yao Guang, who came out last and looked hesitant, it was much more direct: "Next time we have a meeting, General, it would be better to change the drinks in front of you to purified water."
Yang Yuheng leaned against Ling Tianxuan like a boneless person and followed along. His military uniform was never worn properly unless absolutely necessary. Hearing Min Kaiyang's words, he smiled broadly and teased her with a hint of amusement in his eyes: "Oh dear, General Min, don't be so serious. Even the Queen needs to have her own little hobbies."
A silver tongue ring peeked out from between her lips as she spoke, making onlookers involuntarily try to glimpse the whole scene inside as her lips parted.
Ling Tianxuan's fiery red hair was tied up high, allowing Yang Yuheng to lean against her. Upon hearing this, she only looked at Min Kaiyang with a mocking gaze, "Our Queen seems to have the right to freely choose her food, clothing, shelter, and transportation?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ling Tianquan walking in this direction as well, and casually added, "Right, Brother Tianquan?"
Ling Tianquan, his right index finger hooked behind his back, left hand in his pocket, raised a slight eyebrow, indicating he had heard Ling Tianxuan's question. Without pausing, he walked closer, showing no intention of stopping, simply tossing out, "None of my business."
Watching his dashing figure walk away, Ling Tianxuan blushed deeply and couldn't utter another word.
Seeing that the conversation about what drinks I have during meetings was getting more and more heated, Qin Muge felt that if he didn't interrupt, they might come to some strange conclusions. So he smiled and said, "I don't think I brought up the topic of what drinks I have during meetings as a topic of discussion, did I?"
The back of her right glove was engraved with the emblem of the Emperor Star—golden thorny vines entwined around a ball of dark blue light. At this moment, she gently touched her chin, and the dark blue light on the back of her hand began to glow, along with the golden thorny vines, which seemed to burn with energy.
The guards disappeared from her sight in three seconds—Holy crap, it was just a joke! Why did the general have to go on a killing spree?! I'm so upset! qaq
But where is the person she's thinking about right now?
Yan Chaoge was held in Luo Qinghe's arms with a flushed face, but Luo Qinghe's silver-gray military uniform did not make her expression turn cold. Instead, she smiled warmly.
He deliberately leaned close to her lips, lowered his voice, and teased, "If you want something from me, shouldn't you show some attitude, Chaoge?"
Yan Chaoge: ...Damn it...Can't you at least have some self-respect when you're acting like a hooligan? How are your idols supposed to feel about this?!
☆ Chapter 58, the ninth sentence spoken to the big bosses
In contrast to the Crystalless Empire's repeated defeats on the battlefield, the P4 Nebula was celebrating its triumphs. With half of the Red Cloud Star System under its control, the strongest kingdom in this vast nebula finally revealed its fierce claws from the clouds. Led by Marshal Luo Qinghe's Pine Star, other countries of all sizes in the P4 Nebula united to form the largest nation in history—the Juecheng Federal Republic.
Today marks the first Federal Assembly since the founding of the Juecheng Federal Republic, held in the capital of Songchen Star. Luo Qinghe is undoubtedly the protagonist of the day; the entire focus of the meeting is on her—the Grand Marshal who led the P4 Nebula to its current victory. If Qin Muge is the invincible war god of the Red Cloud Galaxy, then Luo Qinghe is the god-slaying queen of the P4 Nebula.
Whether by coincidence or by a tacit understanding between the two, Luo Qinghe's fleet never encountered Qin Muge's allied fleet. The war between the two star systems covered too vast an area. Qin Muge mainly guarded the countries and their affiliated planets around the Crystalless Empire, while Luo Qinghe's fleet, like a sword gleaming with cold light, shot straight out from the P4 Nebula, unstoppable, and occupied most of the planets far from the Crystalless Empire.
Originally, Chaoge would have been lucky enough to just sit by the window of some building and have a distant view of the venue for such an important meeting. He never expected to be involved in such a grand event.
At the time, she was squatting in the mecha repair department of the logistics department, studying the latest captured mecha parts, looking for a way to disassemble and reassemble the mecha parts without triggering the core self-destruct program, while also arguing with Little Red Riding Hood in her mind.
[Ding! Entering side quest mode! Complete the participation series of missions in Nebula P4. Mission reward: 10,000 points. Mission difficulty: six stars. Failure will erase all previous points.]
[Side Quest 1: Participate in the Galactic War. Reward: 3,000 points. Difficulty: Three stars. Failure will prevent you from starting the next quest. Current progress: Completed, reward issued.]
Side Quest 2: Participate in the Federation Conference. Reward: 2000 points. Difficulty: Two stars. Failure will prevent you from unlocking the next quest.
Listening to the ringtone Little Red Riding Hood had recently developed, Chaoge felt like she'd accidentally swallowed her phone. Looking at the mecha's sleek curves, she couldn't help but crouch down and cover her head: [Shut up... Getting Qinghe to agree to participate in the war was bad enough! Attend a Federation meeting?! Little Red Riding Hood, can't you just shut up for a second?]
The other workers nearby were already used to this situation. After all, in their minds, there were many unique personalities in their industry, and it wasn't a big deal for Chaoge to be so mentally taxed that he had to knock on his head.
Recently, Chaoge learned about the way people in the P4 Nebula acquire power. Unlike the Crystalless Empire's method of relying on AI, the P4 Nebula seems to have a power inheritance method passed down from ancient times. As each person grows up, their power awakens, and they undergo trials in their family's territory. Those who pass are accompanied by a small animal... Perhaps only Chaoge would call this companion of power a cute little animal.
Of course, Qinghe told her about this, but when Chaoge asked why it was Ouyang Haoze's puppy that was by her side instead of Qinghe's companion animal, Qinghe just smiled and said that it would be fine in the future.
At this moment, the adorable little puppy was still following Chaoge, sitting obediently to the side, occasionally lying there licking its paws. However, whenever Chaoge walked a little further away, it would stand up again, move a little distance back to where Chaoge was, and then sit down again, repeating this cycle.
Little Red Riding Hood cried out in Chaoge's mind, "I didn't mean to! This is part of the game! Keep trying! Look how generous the side quest rewards are. Before, the main quest only gave a few hundred points... It's the part next to it, you've got the wrong one."
【Oh.】Chaoge rolled her eyes at the ceiling, her expression as cold as could be.
When Luo Qinghe arrived, she saw that only Chaoge was left in the entire research room. She was wearing the same silver-gray military uniform, and her long black curly hair, which should have fallen behind her, was mostly covered by her hat, with only a few strands occasionally falling by her ears. She was focused on inputting instructions on the operating machine in front of her.
Several seconds later, she let out a slight breath, but her gaze remained fixed on the subtle movements of the robotic hand. Her deep brown eyes did not blink. Although Little Red Riding Hood had already made a calculation and knew that this method would not be wrong, she still wanted to see the final answer with her own eyes.
This method can bypass the core self-destruct program's connection part, leaving only the self-destruct core. The other components will be disassembled and reassembled into a new mech. Then, the core program can be forcibly entered to modify the instructions and implant new operational commands from the Federation.
"No need to keep an eye on it anymore, it's a success." A voice suddenly came from nearby, successfully diverting Chaoge's attention.
She turned her head, a hint of surprise on her face. When she saw Qinghe standing by the door, her surprise turned into a smile. "How did you know?" Along with her voice came the sound of a successful operation notification from the machine behind her.
“The operation was correct. Let’s go. I don’t remember the Federation ever exploiting you like this. It’s already twenty minutes past the end of the workday.” Qinghe’s lips also curled into a warm smile. Her tailor-made silver-gray military uniform made her look very handsome, but when she smiled, her face still seemed to be enveloped in warm sunshine.
Previously, Chaoge had mentioned to Qinghe that she wanted to do something, and then after receiving 'enough' benefits, a certain marshal waved his hand and assigned her to the logistics department, and she was also placed under the Science and Technology Institute, with her research results counted as military merits.
Chaoge had no choice but to follow her forward. Just as she was about to ask how she could tell that the operation was correct, she suddenly remembered that Qinghe had studied the same major as her...
Perhaps it was precisely because she knew she had a fatal disadvantage compared to others in attending the Yuandu Military Academy that she put in so much effort in other areas that even Chaoge, who had Little Red Riding Hood as a cheat code, couldn't match.
Ke Yuan didn't give her the chance to continue proving herself.
A sudden pang of bitterness welled up in Chaoge's heart, bubbling and gurgling within her. She turned to look at the wall of the corridor beside her and, feigning calmness, brought up a topic: "I heard that the first Federation Congress is about to be held. Shouldn't you be incredibly busy?"
Luo Qinghe's eyes were fixed straight ahead, but her peripheral vision was focused on Chaoge, so she naturally noticed that Chaoge suddenly turned her head to look at the bare wall next to her.
"Hmm? I only need the person in charge to be there, why would I be so busy?" As if she had heard something amusing, Qinghe's smile widened, revealing her pearly white teeth.
"For example... preparing a speech or something?" Chaoge was actually drawn into her thoughts by her serious question and began to seriously try to find a reason for the question she had just asked casually.
Luo Qinghe pretended to think seriously for a while, her pale red lips parted, and she replied, "The one who should speak is the strategist, not me."
Before Chaoge could react to the cutesy "ne" at the end of her sentence, Luo Qinghe seemed to have suddenly remembered something, a mischievous glint in her smile, and said slowly, "Speaking of which, I seem to have forgotten to remind you, you might want to be prepared to attend with me~"
"...The wind was so strong just now, what did you say?" Chaoge looked completely bewildered.
As a descendant of one of the three great families of the Crystalless Empire, she would still not have the authority to attend the Imperial Council if she were still in the Crystalless Empire. However, after being captured and taken to the P4 Nebula, her status has actually risen a level, and she is even allowed to attend the first meeting of the Federation's founding?!
Chaoge felt, for the first time in a long time, that the world's malice had smeared her face.
This pretense of just remembering something important is absolutely outrageous! Chaoge swears that Qinghe dropped this bombshell so suddenly just to see her stunned expression!
After a long pause, seeing that Qinghe showed no sign of retracting her words, Chaoge looked utterly miserable: "Don't you think I'm out of place in this kind of formal meeting? What right do I have to do something so important?"
"I will make sure you have it." Compared to her previous attempts to act cute, Qinghe's tone was much calmer now, but it was precisely because of this calmness that she seemed even more serious.
Hearing her answer, Chaoge felt even more heartbroken. After thinking for a long time, she reluctantly gave herself a reason: "Anyway, with my rank, I'm just sitting in the corner. I can leave during the meeting... right?" Pretend to go to the toilet and then sneak out, and come back when it's almost over. I'm so damn clever.
Unexpectedly, Luo Qinghe stopped and put her hand on her shoulder in a serious manner. Her dark eyes stared intently into her eyes as she said earnestly, "How can that be? I'm just an ordinary girl who has never seen such a big scene before. I'll be nervous if you're not here."
Chaoge: ...Could you be any more untrue?
So these days, all bosses have Oscar-worthy acting skills? Is your ultimate goal all the same—an Oscar?! Can't you live without acting?!
—I'm so tired, I feel like I'll never love this world again.
Covering her face, Chaoge gritted her teeth and said through her fingers, "I almost believed it."
I don't believe your nonsense!
☆, Chapter 59: The Tenth Message to the Big Bosses
Before Chaoge could even come up with an excuse to get far away from Qinghe and avoid this damned meeting, Qinghe turned her head, saw her expression, and suddenly smiled as she replied, "By the way, the Federal Assembly is being held today."
Chaoge: What exactly did I miss while I was working diligently?
Wait a minute, if it's being held today, does that mean I've already missed it? So Qinghe was lying when she told me to come along. Seeing that Chaoge's expression had softened and she even seemed relieved, Qinghe smiled and added casually, "But the meeting starts at 8 PM, so you have one hour and ten minutes left for dinner and changing."
Chaoge's walking speed increased dramatically as she strode towards the restaurant, not forgetting to turn and glare at Qinghe. After biting her lower lip, she said in an almost heartbroken tone, "I really don't want to go!"
Thanks to Qinghe, Chaoge, whose only motivation for going to work every day was eating, lost her appetite for the food in front of her. She picked up her fork and poked at the noodles on her plate with little interest, her face clearly saying "I don't want to."
When Luo Qinghe came to pick her up, the coat she was wearing was not the marshal's formal military uniform. At this moment, even if they were dining in this restaurant, it wouldn't attract anyone's special attention. After all, the people walking around had different ranks, and unless there was an official announcement, these research fanatics had no interest in seeing what an extraordinary person was sitting at the table next to them.