Ignoring Cumming, Levy stretched, stood up, and walked towards the open window.
Although I was standing by the window looking out, I still kept an eye on the sleep pods quietly placed in the ward.
How strange.
Even during his lifetime, he would stay in the hospital ward to take care of his patients.
It wasn't just about being a caregiver; it also made Kamin feel so nervous that he couldn't even sleep.
Kamin's guess was not unfounded; in the days since arriving from the garbage planet, he hadn't even had time to close his eyes.
He gave a self-deprecating smirk.
Levy himself was somewhat surprised, never expecting that one day he would go from being carefree and unburdened to being like this because of a few vague stories and a mysterious person.
This was the first time in his life he had been so controlled, not by someone deliberately trying to control him, but by himself offering himself up to be controlled. Levy felt somewhat resentful, even rebellious.
Tsk, is this person really that important?
He didn't seem to care much about me either. He would run away after telling a story, not even giving me a moment to say another word.
Why should he be so worried that he can't sleep?
Suddenly, Camin shouted from behind, "Holy crap, the captain's awake! He's awake!"
Almost the instant Camin spoke, Levy immediately straightened up and strode toward the sleep pod.
Kaming immediately ran out of the ward to find Dodd.
Do you feel dizzy or nauseous?
"Do you remember what happened before you fell into a coma? Do you have any memories of what happened after you fell into a coma?"
Dud asked the young man who sat up in the sleep pod in a gentle voice.
"I don't remember. Where am I? How did I get here?"
Hearing this, Levi, who had been sitting in the back, stood up again, but his brows furrowed slightly.
He stepped forward, pushed Dud aside, and looked at the people in the sleep pods.
The young man, who was visiting the capital planet for the first time, was clearly a little flustered, with a sense of bewilderment and unfamiliarity. The sharp coldness that used to be in his eyes and brows had vanished without a trace.
"Sir?" The young man felt a little uncomfortable being scrutinized by Levy.
"Alright, you've woken him up." Dudley breathed a genuine sigh of relief. "From now on, you..."
His words came to an abrupt end.
Having waited in the ward for two days, Levi, who had previously been tense and anxious, gave the young man a brief glance and turned to leave the ward.
"...Is he too happy?" Dud was completely confused.
Camin was also confused. He quickly caught up with Levi and asked, "Boss, where are we going?"
"Back to Roy Palace."
On a garbage planet.
The tower was eerily quiet, with only the howling wind outside and the occasional faint explosions from the incinerator.
On the steps near the incinerator sat a tall, thin figure.
Before him stood a dozen or so soldiers, all poised and ready, their dark particle gun muzzles pointed at him. The safety catches were off, and fingers were on the triggers; this was clearly not just a bluff.
If even the slightest movement of a finger is made, the energy blast will blow that person's head off.
The person sitting on the steps seemed oblivious to the dangers. He raised his hand to smooth his hair, and frowned because of the sticky nutrient solution on his body.
"Where's the bathroom?" he asked, looking up.
The tone is cold and flat, with a hint of inorganic quality, yet it inexplicably inspires conviction and obedience.
One of the soldiers, who was holding a gun, couldn't help but subconsciously answer, "Upstairs."
"Thank you." The man nodded, stood up, and walked towards the stairs.
His movement made the surrounding defense forces even more nervous.
The people surrounding him retreated as he approached, their arms and hands, carrying guns, trembling.
Perhaps his trembling was too obvious, for the man looked up at him and asked, "Did you fail your shooting course at military academy?"
"Qin Chu!" The captain following closely behind finally couldn't hold back any longer and said through gritted teeth, "Please look at the situation clearly. You have no weapon and can only surrender. I'll count to three, stop what you're doing, put your hands on your head, and squat on the ground. Otherwise, no matter if you are Qin Chu or not, I will shoot."
“You can choose to fire.” Qin Chu shook off the sticky nutrient solution from his arm again. “But before you fire, I have enough time to remove the energy tank from the gun.”
These arrogant words made the captain pause.
Qin Chu glanced at him again: "But I must remind you, you are holding an old-style energy gun. Forcibly removing the energy tank will risk accidental discharge, and you, the one holding the gun, will be the one who gets hurt."
After saying that, the man turned and went up the stairs.
The sound of dripping water came from the makeshift bathroom.
All the National Defense Forces inside the tower had gathered on this floor, their expressions varied. The youngest among them, his face beaming with excitement at seeing his idol, couldn't help but pull the person next to him aside and whisper, "He's so handsome!"
The noise startled the official who had been stunned by Qin Chu. Looking at the surrounding national defense troops, he belatedly berated them, "Why didn't you fire! There are more than a dozen men with guns, are you afraid of him?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped abruptly, and the official immediately shut his mouth and quietly shrank back.
Qin Chu emerged shirtless, several deep scars on his back stretching with his movements like a serpentine celestial beast.
He casually wiped the water off his body with a military towel, ignoring the group of people standing outside, and instead reached out to remove the silver electrode patch behind his ear.
He crushed the patch to reveal the extremely tiny chip inside, inserted it into his personal terminal on his wrist, and pressed the power button.
This action immediately made those around them tense: "What are you doing! You really are artificial intelligence? The network has been cut off, so turning on your personal terminal won't help!"
Qin Chu raised his eyes and glanced at the official who had spoken.
His personal terminal screen lit up, and then a youthful electronic voice sounded: "Ding, Noah, Imperial Military Operations and Logistics System, First Legion Unofficial Member, ID: 215929007, at your service."
"Noah, send a special frequency signal to notify the deputy commander of the First Legion and the commanders of the Second, Third, and Fourth Legions," Qin Chu said.
"Sir, the signal has been sent ahead of schedule."
"Okay." After confirming, Qin Chu pressed the power button.
After doing all that, he leisurely raised his head and looked at the person opposite him: "Now please explain why you destroyed my body and sleep pod?"
“We have received notification that you have betrayed us while on a mission in the virtual world. For the safety of the Empire, we must do this,” the captain replied.
They were still holding guns, showing no sign of letting up.
"Treason?" Qin Chu raised an eyebrow. "Which organization issued the order? Was it discussed at a joint meeting? Is there the Prime Minister's official seal?"
"These are not things a traitor like you could know!" the official hiding behind shouted, then looked at the National Defense Army soldiers beside him, "I now order you to open fire immediately!"
"stop!"
A voice suddenly came from the entrance of this floor, followed by the sound of panting footsteps.
Just as some of the National Defense Forces had a chance to turn their guns around, they saw an officer's ID card coming right up to their faces: "Deputy Commander of the First Corps, Burke."
"Have you no shame? Do you really think our military has no one left? You even dared to kill the acting marshal?" Burke shouted as soon as his slightly protruding belly appeared.
He wasn't as bold as Qin Chu. He walked in with a gun in his hand, then backed up and stood next to Qin Chu.
"It's just one more person. He's only a lieutenant general, so he can't protect Qin Chu. Detain him along with him!" the official added.
At that moment, a tremor resounded throughout the entire garbage planet.
Before anyone could figure out what was going on, they heard a series of synchronized footsteps that surrounded the entire tower.
Then the footsteps gradually spread into the tower, rapidly approaching.
Two people in silver protective suits appeared at the entrance, their shoulder insignia gleaming, both holding the rank of general.
"Commander of the Second Legion, greetings, sir!"
"Commander of the Third Legion, greetings, sir!"
The two men stood heel to heel and saluted Qin Chu. One of them stepped forward and reported to Qin Chu, "Due to the impending beast tide, the commander of the Fourth Legion has remained in the outer star system to make deployments; only the deputy commander has arrived."
Qin Chu nodded: "Have you brought the people you were supposed to bring?"
"Everyone who passed the virtual system test has been assigned to a special operations team and is already outside," the Second Legion Commander replied.
These were military soldiers who spent years fighting against star beasts in peripheral star systems; their aura was far superior to that of the pampered National Defense Force. The faces of the surrounded men immediately turned grim.
"Is the military about to collectively betray us? Qin Chu's body has already been invaded by artificial intelligence. If you help him, you're helping the AI!"
As the official spoke, he made a small gesture behind his back.
"Send a message to increase manpower?" Qin Chu glanced at him, lifting his eyelids slightly.
The official froze.
Qin Chu lowered his eyelids again and said casually, "Go ahead and call them. Calling another regiment won't change the outcome."
These blunt words made the faces of the soldiers present turn green.
The two legion commanders standing at the entrance nudged each other, exchanged a glance, and whispered, "With such a sharp tongue, it must be the real deal."
Qin Chu looked up at the two of them, and they quickly straightened up and pretended that nothing had happened.
"Give me a set of clothes," Qin Chu said.
A combat uniform was quickly delivered from the other side. Before Qin Chu went to the inner room to change, Burke asked, "Should we suppress them all?"
Qin Chu turned his head and glanced around, then pointed with his chin at the official who was shrinking back: "Just detain one of them."
When Qin Chu came out after changing his clothes, the cabinet official had already been taken away.
The situation changed so drastically in just a few hours that the dozen or so defense soldiers present were still somewhat bewildered.
Unzipping his combat uniform to the top, Qin Chu walked up to the captain and said, "Please inform the cabinet that the Imperial Wartime Joint Conference will be held in the Imperial Capital in seven days."
The captain remained silent for a moment.
The person before him was too cold and serious; he seemed to see not a trace of human hesitation or contemplation. Even now, he couldn't tell whether this terrifyingly powerful person was General Qin himself, or an artificial intelligence occupying General Qin's body.
But he quickly realized it, because the person in front of him saluted him, his eyes dark but solemn and sincere: "The Empire is currently in a special period, with a large number of humans imprisoned and the beast tide about to arrive. The National Defense Force and the Military have always been at odds, but at this time we hope that we can put aside our prejudices."
"Yes, sir." The captain stood with his heels together and gave a loud salute in return.
Another roar and tremor followed, and all the spacecraft parked on the garbage planet drove away.