Upon seeing Ruan Mingchu, Tu Aotian let out a "howl" and sprang up like a cannonball, landing in Ruan Mingchu's arms.
"You're finally back!"
It's as if they miss Ruan Mingchu so much.
Ruan Mingchu ruthlessly tore Tu Aotian off his body, holding it by its two rabbit ears, without even asking it what had happened.
Hearing the noise, Mu Yu came out of the kitchen, and the first thing he said was, "Why are you back?"
Ruan Mingchu raised an eyebrow: "What, you don't welcome me back?"
“No—” Mu Yu shook his head. “I thought you would come back later.”
Ruan Mingchu looked up at the sky outside the window; the setting sun had only left its glow, and darkness half-covered the sky.
Mu Yu also looked over, realized what he had just said, and became angry and embarrassed, ignoring Ruan Mingchu.
Ruan Mingchu pulled the person into his arms, kissed their forehead, and then let go.
I miss you as soon as we're apart.
That's why I came back early.
Mu Yu blushed, pushed Ruan Mingchu away, and went back into the kitchen to keep busy.
Ruan Mingchu chuckled. So cute.
We should say things like that more often in the future. If we don't have braised fish, steamed "shy fish" is also a good option.
Tu Aotian rolled his eyes, broke free from Ruan Mingchu's grasp, and jumped back onto the chair.
Damn it, can't you let go of each other first when you're being all lovey-dovey?
Approaching the dining table, one can clearly see Mu Xiaoyu's progress. From the charred, unidentified object on the far left plate to the delicious and visually appealing stir-fry on the far right.
Such rapid progress in such a short time is simply amazing.
Ruan Mingchu counted the plates; it was even more impressive that he could cook so many dishes in such a short time.
Jinbaobei and the other two must have been hurt by Mu Yu's earliest immature works, look at them all with big bellies.
Tu Aotian saw the mockery on Ruan Mingchu's face and scoffed, "You think you can escape? You'll have to eat the rest, eat it all up!"
Ruan Mingchu washed his hands, picked up a pair of chopsticks, sat down at the table, and slowly began to eat.
"Don't worry, it will be eaten clean."
The meal was interrupted halfway through before it was finished.
When the ringtone that Ruan Mingchu had specially set for his father, the emperor, sounded on the terminal, Ruan Mingchu sounded somewhat unfamiliar at first. This ringtone had been set for over twenty years, and this was the first time it had rung on the terminal.
Ruan Mingchu was somewhat puzzled as to why his father would call him. Perhaps Qingyao had taken his terminal.
The communication was connected, and Ruan Huang's image popped up.
Ruan Huang did not speak, but simply turned the terminal camera towards a screen.
On the screen was a person dressed in black, completely covered from head to toe.
Ruan Mingchu immediately noticed the background behind the man in black; it was the main gate of the Comprehensive Military University.
The man in black's voice was changed to a mechanical tone using a voice changer, and his bulky body was likely a disguise.
He claimed to be the seventh divine messenger of the Miracle Organization, and the gist of the video was that the Comprehensive Military University had fallen, and if they wanted to rescue them, Ruan Minh Thu should go alone.
If Ruan Mingchu doesn't go there within seven days, or if he doesn't go alone, they will livestream the murders across the entire internet.
Sitting on the express warship, Nguyen Minh Thu was deep in thought.
It is clear that their target is Nguyen Minh Thu himself, and after the Nguyen Emperor announced his mermaid bloodline, the most likely reason is that they covet his mermaid identity.
But the Miracle Organization has a history of abducting genuine mermaids. To be honest, if they wanted mermaids, researching and acquiring them from the mermaid world would be much easier than their current approach.
So their purpose is not limited to Nguyen Minh Thu; there must be a deeper purpose, or perhaps this operation is just a smokescreen?
What surprised Ruan Mingchu was that the Comprehensive Military Academy was the top military academy in the Shuangjiu Star System, and its defense measures were extremely tight, even more so than those of ordinary military bases.
If his intention was merely to threaten Nguyen Minh Thu, he wouldn't have ignored any primary or secondary school. Why did he specifically target a military academy with considerable fighting capabilities, and actually succeed?
Is the military headquarters of the Double Nine Galaxy incompetent, or is this yet another dirty scheme starting from within?
Even if Ruan Minh Thu did not trust the Grand Marshal Mu Bing, he still trusted his father, the Emperor, and Mu Yu.
Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Ruan Mingchu turned to look at Mu Yu. "What's wrong?"
Mu Yu: "Hmm..."
"I'm not quite sure how to explain this to you," Mu Yu said, his face contorted with worry. "Anyway, don't worry, everyone's fine."
He pondered the whole way but still couldn't explain things clearly, because he didn't know much, yet he knew a little.
Ruan Mingchu pressed down on Mu Yu's shoulder: "Say what you want to say, or don't say what you don't want to say. You don't need to argue with me."
Mu Yu nodded.
"Didn't Marshal Mu send me over before...?"
The main plan was to orchestrate a legitimate event to swindle away the faculty and students of the Comprehensive Military University, and to set up some traps on campus.
"There shouldn't be many people in the school right now. Besides, the school is so big, and some places are extremely dangerous and suitable for hiding. I think they probably only caught a few people and are just bluffing."
The idea of it being occupied is completely impossible; a territory of five million square kilometers is no joke. Even if all members of the Miracle Organization came, they couldn't possibly take over the entire military university.
After Mu Yu finished speaking, he looked at Ruan Mingchu's expression and even Ruan Mingchu, who was as clueless as a mule, felt something was off. When Marshal Mu asked him to do it, Ruan Mingchu was still wondering what he was doing with all this stuff, but now it felt like he was preparing for this sudden attack.
Ruan Mingchu nodded, indicating that he understood.
No wonder the message was given to him by his father, rather than sent directly to him. It turns out it was a pre-arranged scheme, with both sides using him as a pawn.
Admittedly, Ruan Mingchu was extremely displeased at that moment, feeling as if he had been manipulated.
So now it's certain that his father and the Miracle Organization both want to hinder him in this matter.
I don't want him involved in anything?
Ruan Mingchu suddenly sat up straight, two words appearing in his mind.
border!
If this hadn't happened, he would have gone to inspect the top ten border districts within two or three days. The border had been too calm lately, as if some storm was brewing.
Ruan Mingchu was horrified. If the Miracle Organization was really plotting something on the border, and his father had allowed it for some reason, he couldn't imagine what the consequences would be.
After thinking for a long time, Ruan Mingchu relaxed and leaned back against the chair. No, his father, the emperor, was willing to sacrifice even Qingyao for the sake of the people; how could he possibly allow trouble on the border to lead to widespread suffering?
Regardless, Nguyen Minh Thu took out his terminal and began contacting the various generals stationed at the border to make arrangements in advance.
Mu Yu watched as Ruan Mingchu's expression changed repeatedly. He wanted to ask, but couldn't bring himself to say it.
Instead, Ruan Mingchu shared his guess with him and asked Mu Yu to give his opinion.
Mu Yu racked his brains, but even with his face turning red, he couldn't utter a meaningful word.
Ruan Mingchu chuckled and ruffled Mu Yu's hair. "Say whatever you want. Do we need to be so formal with each other?"
Mu Yu hesitated for a moment before saying, "I once overheard Marshal Mu and several other marshals having a meeting, where they were talking about immigration. One of them said that all the ordinary civilians in his star system had been relocated."
Ruan Mingchu: ? ? ?
If all the ordinary people in a galaxy leave, who will be left?
Seeing Ruan Mingchu's shocked expression, Mu Yu said, "Maybe I misheard. After hearing that, I even searched online, and there's no such thing as a galaxy where the population is decreasing."
Ruan Mingchu didn't think Mu Yu had misheard. Alphas have strong senses, and Mu Yu was a powerful Alpha, so the chance of him mishearing was zero.
If, if the current population of that galaxy consists of either wicked and predatory nobles and corrupt officials, or members of the wicked Miracle Organization...
Ruan Mingchu felt suffocated as soon as he thought about it.
Marshal Mu is the Emperor's man, and the other marshals in his faction are naturally also the Emperor's men. What exactly does the Emperor want to do?
If a galaxy is occupied by the Miracle Organization, it is inevitable that they will one day rebel and split apart.
Throughout history, empires have experienced periods of division, and while ordinary people may not understand the damage caused by such divisions, those at the top are certainly aware of it.
Ruan Mingchu asked Mu Yu, "Do you still remember the marshal's voice when he spoke?"
Mu Yu nodded firmly: "I remember, his voice is somewhat unique. If he appears in front of me again and speaks, I will recognize him."
Ruan Mingchu and Mu Yu began searching for videos of the marshals' speeches on the military's intranet, and had Mu Yu listen to them one by one.
“These are the only marshals currently in office,” Ruan Mingchu rubbed his temples. “Perhaps he is a deputy marshal, perhaps he has already stepped down, or perhaps he has changed to another position.”
After listening to so much pointless talk, Mu Yu was exhausted. The two sat shoulder to shoulder, head to head, in silence for a while.
Not long after, Mu Yu sat up straight again, clenched his fist and gestured twice: "Keep going, we'll definitely find it!"
Ruan Mingchu smiled and hummed in agreement.
Even the most tedious and boring tasks seem to have an inexhaustible source of strength when done together by two people.
Persistence pays off. After a day and two nights, Ruan Mingchu and Mu Yu finally found the right people.
Gao Wei died two years ago when his spaceship was attacked on his way back to the 77th star system after a duty report. The spaceship exploded, and everyone on board perished.
Upon seeing this line of information, Ruan Mingchu's pupils constricted sharply. If it weren't for luck (the arrangements Qingyao had made on him), his life story would probably have contained this line: attacked warship exploded, leaving no trace of his body.
The 77th Galaxy, and the 37th Border District is right next to the 77th Galaxy.
Ruan Mingchu went to investigate the garrison commanders of the 37th district, and as he had expected, the previous general had resigned due to illness two years ago and a new person had taken his place.
He sighed and rubbed his temples. What a mess this is.
Nguyen Minh Thu had always stayed on the border and felt that he had done his job well, providing stability to the empire.
Everything looks like a mess now.
If he hadn't been attacked, he would still be in Zone 1, Zone 2, or Zone 3, and would have no way of knowing about these things.
Perhaps it won't be until the day war breaks out that he will realize that this seemingly stable empire is fraught with crisis.
Dwelling on the past is pointless. Now that we've discovered it, let's start making amends from this moment on.
Ruan Mingchu reached out and pulled Mu Yu into his arms, rubbing the glands on his back with his thumb. Sure enough, Mu Xiaoyu instantly froze into a wooden statue.
"Hehe," Ruan Mingchu chuckled, "Want to smell your pheromones? Let me smell them."
Mu Yu buried her face in Ruan Mingchu's shoulder and kept silent, but soon a faint sweet scent permeated her body.