It's true, you have no idea how much I like you now, my great general.
☆ Chapter 35: The Thirty-Fifth Evaluation of General Qin
After finishing the meeting, Ling Tianchu glanced at his men, his gaze carrying a meaningful undertone. Ling Tianquan, of course, didn't need his prompting; when he wasn't on the battlefield, he was indifferent to everything around him. Only when he occasionally unleashed a chilling aura did people realize that he was nothing more than a leopard that was temporarily dozing off.
He was slowly walking out of the conference room, his brow relaxed as if he hadn't just been the one participating in such a meeting concerning the future of the galaxy.
Su Yaoguang has always followed the general's lead blindly, and her loyalty ranks among the top in the personal guard. Moreover, her loyalty is undoubtedly much simpler than that of the others present. Unlike the Ling family, which is rife with internal strife, not to mention the conflicting stances between the three major families; nor does she harbor her own schemes like Min Kaiyang, and they are even of different races.
She left the palace alone and headed towards the Su family's residence, making no attempt to stop and exchange a few more words with anyone. Her steps were always firm and unwavering, solely because the person she followed was incredibly powerful, ensuring that no one would ever question the decision they made when taking that step.
Ling Tianchu needed to stay in the palace for a while longer due to official business. Those who knew the inside story could see how delicate the relationships were among the members of the Ling family while he was away.
Ling Tianquan walked forward with a lazy gait, landing at roughly the same position as Tianji, while the youngest, Ling Tianxuan, walked at the very front. Their three-colored military uniforms clearly outlined the distinct personalities of each general.
The journey should have been quiet and uneventful, but Ling Tianquan was the first to speak today. Despite the silence, he seemed to have seen through the thoughts of the other two, and began with a sneer, "Stop wasting your time thinking about the general. Clean your heads, or you'll lose your lives on the battlefield for such trivial matters."
The mocking gaze was like a sharp sword, its light piercingly incisive. Ling Tianji's exquisitely beautiful face involuntarily blossomed into a smile as gentle as melting snow and blooming flowers on branches. The black military uniform contrasted sharply with her fair skin, and the tightly bound collar gave her an austere beauty. Her jade-carved neck curved like that of a swan.
His eyes and brows exude charm, and when he smiles, the sunshine in the whole world pales in comparison.
"What are you saying, Second Brother? We only hope to offer our utmost loyalty to the General. As for anything else, we dare not even think about it." The voice was very unique, like a singer's chant, or the melodious song of a nightingale. In its ups and downs, it exuded a soft ambiguity.
Ling Tianxuan deeply disliked Tianji, evident in the disdain in her eyes whenever she looked at him. As one of the three major families in the military, the Ling family, even for its own benefit, was riddled with factions and infighting. Ling Tianshu, Ling Tianquan, and Ling Tianxuan were all legitimate children, while Ling Tianji was their half-brother. This alone made it perfectly normal for him to be ostracized by these three.
As the current head of the family, Ling Tianshu tries his best to treat everyone fairly, considering the interests of the family. Ling Tianquan is a fanatic who only cares about fighting and is indifferent to everything else. Only Tianxuan is treated like a little princess in the family. Because she is the highest-ranking among the younger children, her dislike for Tianji is almost common knowledge.
Upon hearing his answer, Tianxuan, who already had some ulterior motives, immediately snorted coldly, completely disregarding whether she was also included in Tianquan's words, and sneered: "Is that so? It seems that someone still lacks a certain self-awareness."
Hearing their respective answers, Ling Tianquan, who had initiated the conversation, frowned. His imposing aura instantly put Ling Tianxuan and Ling Tianji on alert, almost instinctively reaching for the guns at their waists.
When they came to their senses, they wondered if it was just their imagination. Ling Tianquan was simply watching them calmly, showing no sign of making a move.
He glanced at them one by one with a gaze that subtly carried an air of authority, a slight smile gradually curving his lips into a wild and arrogant smile, as if he were looking at two incredibly weak individuals flaunting themselves before him, exuding an overwhelming aura. "As for him, I'm not going to bother with him." His tone remained nonchalant and casual, as if the person he had just mentioned was merely a passerby.
"But, Tianxuan. If you dare to use the Ling family's possessions on the general, don't blame me for not warning you, you fool." In simpler terms, this means, 'My foolish sister!'
After hearing his words, both of them looked rather unpleasant.
Many times, Ling Tianxuan suspected that she and Tianquan were not born to the same mother, otherwise she couldn't understand why her second brother saw her face as so mocking. Whether in ordinary times or when disciplining her, mockery was an indispensable accompaniment.
Even compared to that bastard Ling Tianji, she was the only one her second brother mocked! Why was that?! Was it sibling love?! Did you eat it?! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Being lectured in front of Ling Tianji, whom she disliked the most, made Tianxuan's face turn red, then white, then red again, like a big dye vat.
He put one hand in his pocket, finished speaking, and walked forward without looking to the side, completely oblivious to the terrible conversation he had just started. His military uniform jacket was draped over his shoulders, the hem and sleeves swaying in the air, casting a long shadow in the sunlight that was visible to both of them.
Ling Tianji's smile remained unchanged, as if he hadn't heard what was said at all. Danfeng's eyes were charming and affectionate, and the beauty mark at the corner of his eye made him look like a demon who had become a spirit from the mountains.
Ling Tianxuan opened her mouth to argue, but ultimately felt she had lost face, so she simply kept quiet. In the entire Tianzi Star, if General Qin's combat prowess and leadership skills were the strongest, then Ling Tianquan would undoubtedly be second.
This man seemed born for the battlefield. Whether in military academy or the personal guard, no one dared to ignore his presence whenever he sat down. If it weren't for Qin Muge in the Crystalless Empire, and if the royal coup years ago had succeeded, Ling Tianquan might be the one sitting in the general's position today.
It's just because Qin Muge is too versatile, holding both royal and military power, and he's very good at both.
Inside the royal palace.
Having finally concluded a day of meetings, Qin Muge entrusted the remaining arrangements for receiving the leaders of various countries to Ling Tianchu. While nominally under Ling Tianchu's supervision, the other two military factions would undoubtedly intervene as well. As for the private relationships between the three major families and other countries in the Red Cloud Star System, Qin Muge outwardly maintained an air of ignorance and indifference.
When Ling Tianchu finished dealing with his work and was about to give his routine report, he was somewhat surprised to find that Qin Muge was not in the study, but standing by the window looking up at the sky. He seemed to have maintained that calm and composed posture for quite some time.
The starry sky outside the window is bright. The waste produced by modern technological development is no longer discharged into the air, but that does not mean that the sources of pollution have been reduced. But that's a story for another time.
The Red Cloud Galaxy, which is no less magnificent than the Milky Way, offers countless stars when viewed from Tianzi Star. Planets of all colors appear as tiny, glittering dots against the deep purple-black night sky, like shattered diamonds. When Ling Tianshu first entered, he expected an immediate response, but Qin Muge remained unresponsive until he stopped in surprise.
The pale light stretched her shadow long on the desk. Because the light was too cold, unlike the sunlight during the day, she looked somewhat lonely in her pure white military uniform.
Just as Ling Tianchu was about to call out to her, he saw her turn her head. Half of her face was hidden in shadow, revealing bloodshot red eyes that seemed to suck in one's soul. "What's wrong, Tianchu? Is something serious? You've been in here for so long without saying a word?"
The curve of her rosy lips was not much different from usual, and even those who were always eager to guess her thoughts could not find a trace of anything on her face. Ling Tianchu could only truthfully report what had just happened, and having finished his business, he had no intention of staying any longer, and calmly turned to leave the study.
"Tian Shu." Qin Muge always felt that her personal guard was full of oddballs. Being outwardly harmonious but inwardly estranged was a minor issue. Some people couldn't wait to be around her 24/7, but this guy who needed her support the most was someone who could stay in front of her for a second but would never stay for two.
Ling Tianchu thought she had something to tell him, so he turned back, looking like he was ready to obey without complaint.
Qin Muge suddenly didn't want to say anything anymore. In Ling Tianchu's view, she just smiled casually and said to him, "It's okay, you can go."
...Is this what she means by suddenly being bored and wanting to amuse me? Ling Tianchu wanted to think so, but Qin Muge seemed to be preoccupied today, so much so that even those of them who were used to trying to figure out her thoughts could sense it.
On his way to the military garage, Ling Tianchu's mind was filled with the image of Qin Muge standing by the window, gazing at the sky. Because Qin Muge was so powerful, they often forgot that she was still a woman.
However, Ling Tianshu quickly put this thought out of his mind. After all, from the moment Qin Muge took power, no one in the entire empire had ever seen her vulnerable side, as if those things simply did not exist.
After all, no one has been able to figure out her thoughts for so long.
Qin Muge stood alone in the huge study, the screen on the table flashing all kinds of information, there were so many things to deal with that he could never finish.
What Ling Tianchu didn't see was that the smile on Qin Muge's lips vanished the moment he left, replaced by a weary, tired look.
Her physical condition was so good that even if she maintained that standing posture all night, she didn't feel tired at all. But the night wind grew colder and colder, until it was almost bone-chilling.
Qin Muge knew his own constitution; even if he were exposed to the wind all night, he shouldn't feel cold unless it was a chill in his heart, a chill that traveled from the very center of his beating heart through his blood vessels to his limbs and bones.
How many years has it been since I felt this way?
Qin Muge didn't want to count, nor was she bothered to. For her, the days here, until she met Chaoge, were meaningless.
When Min Kaiyang returned, he saw Qin Muge with one hand supporting his head and the other idly swiping the screen. He didn't need to look closely to know that it was playing a soap opera that the women on Tianzi Star had recently become very popular with.
"You can handle those documents today. They're all from the intergalactic conference anyway, so I won't interfere." Qin Muge gave him a look, casually tossing him a sentence before burying himself back into studying the soap opera.
Min Kaiyang stood there stunned for a long time. In the past, Qin Muge would always handle such important matters herself. Even if she had a headache, she would only half-jokingly and half-complaining about other things to distract herself, instead of dumping everything on him like this today.
"Are you kidding me?" Min Kaiyang stared at her expressionlessly, his golden eyes looking very serious.
Qin Muge gave a listless "Hmm?" and glanced at him, seemingly not understanding why her serious words had suddenly come across as a joke.
She lowered her head as if deep in thought, but the video that had been paused actually started playing again. Min Kaiyang waited a long time, until he thought Qin Muge was probably ignoring his question—
She finally deigned to raise her noble head when she looked up, giving Min Kaiyang a direct view of her face. Her red eyes were half-hidden by her eyelids, revealing only the gleam in her eyes.
"The Royal Emblem isn't with me, so how can I do what a leader should do? At a time like this, matters concerning the future of the empire should be handled by you, the core AI, right?" After saying that, he nodded in self-affirmation and continued to look down at the video, displaying a willful demeanor that refused to engage in further communication.
If Min Kaiyang were a person, he would probably have roared out at this point. The problem is, he's an AI; even if he were in his most furious mode, it would only produce incredibly frustrating noise. So, in the end, he maintained his deadpan expression and asked in a tone that was practically calm and no different from usual, "The Royal Badge, didn't you hand it over yourself?"
Qin Muge nodded crisply as she watched the video, answering his question as if she hadn't even thought it through: "Yeah, right, what does it have to do with me?"
What business is it of yours that you handed it over yourself?! Have you forgotten the logic in your words?! Min Kaiyang's core operations are practically collapsing.
Qin Muge once again showed her utter lack of any moral bottom line in front of her AI.
"Are you playing with my loyalty, Qin Muge?" Finally, Min Kaiyang's expression softened somewhat, as if he had finally acquired human emotions.
Upon hearing this, Qin Muge pondered for a moment before lazily replying, "You mean, you were loyal to me? What a strange statement." The tone at the end was almost irritatingly irritating, as if he had only just learned something so important today.
Her slender, beautiful eyebrows were slightly raised, and her red eyes revealed a hint of interest.
After a long pause, Min Kaiyang squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth, sounding somewhat like he was gritting his teeth: "Stop messing around, okay!" He had originally planned to add, "Can the empire's rulers be changed so easily?", but then he thought about it again and realized that many of the empire's current rules were set by Qin Muge, and it really was something she could change just like that.
In particular, the royal insignia, symbolizing supreme authority in the hands of those in power, can function as a military tally, mobilizing seventy percent of the power of the entire core of the celestial planet. Wait… seventy percent?
Thinking of Qin Muge's proposal at today's intergalactic conference, Min Kaiyang's golden eyes widened slightly, and he stared at Qin Muge with what could be described as a glare: "You gave me 30 percent of the military equipment, but left the remaining 70 percent to Yan Chaoge. What exactly are you trying to do, Qin Muge?"
Upon hearing this, General Qin pretended to think seriously for three seconds, then raised his head with a solemn expression, but his voice carried a hint of frivolity, "I suddenly want to resign. What do you think of my suggestion?"
=! Yes! No! How! How! Is! It!
Min Kaiyang quickly recalled what had happened that day, finally connecting it to what he had said to Yan Chaoge in Yuandu. The system rapidly checked all the information records from that day, including those from the General Headquarters, and found something in the latest development technology report.
That was the toxin he had captured from Yan Chaoge's AI last time. Although it couldn't infiltrate his and Yan Chaoge's systems, the tracker he developed could not only bypass the tracking of all the AIs on Tianzi Star, but also detect the existence of similar viruses and issue an alarm.
Today, Qin Muge used the system that directly hacked into Yuandu's surveillance system to overhear their conversation without Yuandu's knowledge.
If Yan Chaoge were here, she would definitely complain again, "How can a general be so familiar with petty theft? He has absolutely no sense of propriety as a general!"
But here was Min Kaiyang, and the atmosphere suddenly fell into a terrifying silence.
A few days later, a major event occurred at the Yuandu Military Academy.
☆ Chapter 36: The Thirty-Sixth Evaluation of General Qin
It turns out that during the recent mecha component testing in Yuandu, Chaoge's answer to a design question was very creative, and in the subsequent practical test, he produced the product he had previously guessed, reducing the wear rate of a certain part of the mecha's connection by 20%.
The improved component not only enabled her to achieve an excellent grade in this subject, but the research results were also directly reported to the research team at Yuandu Military Academy.
Such a brilliant talent, how come no one discovered him before? Some professors who were researching mecha technology clicked their tongues in amazement as they looked at the blueprints for the improved component.
Only those who dedicate their lives to scientific research would think of things so simply. Since the one who delivered an unexpected answer was Yan Chaoge, the youngest daughter of the Yan family who was not particularly favored, various forces immediately adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
Even the patent application for this new achievement seems to be fraught with difficulties, with the future shrouded in mystery.
However, Chaoge, who was most concerned about this issue, was more at ease than anyone else. She had long anticipated that whether she remained unknown or made a name for herself, it would not change the current situation in the slightest.
At the last court ball, the Yan family subtly hinted that they intended to groom Yan Xi as their next heir. As a result, her high-profile actions at school could easily give others the impression that she was unwilling to fall behind her older sister.
[Video signal request from Yan Chen.] Little Red Riding Hood issued a notification while Chaoge was watching the TV series on her wristband 3D projector.
Chaoge nodded in agreement.
She showed no intention of sitting up straight. She yawned, looked at the person on the projector, and casually called out, "Dad."
"Are you going to fight with your sister for it, Chaoge?" Yan Chen's mood was obviously extremely bad. He went straight to the point, and the heavy atmosphere behind him was something Chaoge could feel even on the other side of the screen.
As mentioned long ago, Chaoge harbors an unspoken fear of Yan Chen, as if it were innate, flowing in her blood, a reverence for her father.
No matter how much she mentally prepared herself, she still felt a bit intimidated when she met Yan Chen's unfathomable eyes.
But it was as if his soul had separated from his body. The instinctive fear of his body was completely ignored by his mind. The mockery in his eyes became more and more obvious. The corners of his lips gradually curved into a smile. His pearly teeth were faintly visible between his lips as he spoke. His tone was not loud: "Rob? So that's what you were thinking, Dad."
Just as Yan Chen thought she was about to give some noble reason to justify her actions, Chao Ge chuckled softly and met Yan Chen's gaze intently: "I'm just taking back what belongs to Yan Chao Ge."
Yan Chen's expression immediately changed, turning as black as the bottom of a pot. He said sharply, "Since that's the case, let me tell you, the position of heir of the Yan family can never be yours, Yan Chaoge!"
"That's enough. Your future achievements will be far greater than this, so why bother with this?" Little Red Riding Hood sensed the sorrow in Chaoge's heart and couldn't help but offer her words of advice.
"I'll tell you later." Chaoge replied to Little Red Riding Hood, her gaze never leaving Yan Chen, as if she had been stunned by Yan Chen.
The position of heir to the Yan family can never be yours, Yan Chaoge.
—If it's not Yan Chaoge's, then whose is it?