So it turns out that the one who went head-to-head with Blue Cross today was Nevernight.
Chaoge recalled the eccentric city lord in her ornate European dress, and couldn't quite understand why she had suddenly attacked the Blue Cross Legion.
far away.
The headquarters of Nevernight.
The woman holding the golden leaf fan, whose face was originally half-hidden by the fan, suddenly closed the fan when she saw the latest news on the screen. She turned around, lifted her skirt, and was about to go outside when she was unexpectedly met by the person she wanted to see. She quickly bowed and said, "My lord!"
"What's going on?" the person asked calmly, but his gaze went past her to look at the largest display screen behind her.
"Further ahead lies the territory of the Third Fleet. They should have successfully escaped the Blue Cross's bombardment, but whether they can evade the Third Fleet is uncertain." Even though she was dressed in an elaborate European-style gown, it didn't prevent her from completing the formal greeting. She received no indication of standing up and didn't seem to mind maintaining this posture to finish her sentence.
Luo Qinghe had no choice but to turn her gaze to her. Her gentle features turned cold and intimidating when she looked down, and the person being stared at by her felt a cold sweat break out on their back.
“Look up, Lan Ke.”
The person who heard the order straightened up and met the gaze of their lord, their eyes meeting those calm ones. However, that was all a facade. Having spent so much time with their lord, Lan Ke knew that the calmer she appeared on the surface, the more obsessive she was inside, and this was certainly true at this moment as well.
Luo Qinghe stopped speaking. Lan Ke looked at her hesitantly, and after a long while, he gritted his teeth and decided to risk his life to offer his suggestion: "My lord, your current actions are at a critical juncture. You should not go to the Crystalless Empire at this time, as exposing your identity will greatly increase the risk."
The expected scene of fury did not occur. After listening to her words, Luo Qinghe simply stared silently at the screen behind her.
A few minutes later, she sighed almost imperceptibly.
"Let's do as you say for now." Such a compromise would be almost impossible for Luo Qinghe. She might back down on anything, but never on matters concerning Yan Chaoge.
For a moment, Lan Ke thought he had misheard.
But all he could see was his master's departing figure. For a fleeting moment, an indescribable sorrow welled up in Lan Ke's heart, as if he understood what she had given up in her words just now.
Standing by the window, Luo Qinghe looked at the unchanging scenery unique to the universe outside.
She had been curious for a long time about why Chaoge would like such scenery. Although it was gorgeous, it was illusory and unreal. After looking at it for a long time, she felt that it was fake and scary.
Every time she thinks of Chaoge, a warm feeling rises in her heart, gradually spreading and making her feel that she is still alive in this world.
If I don't care about her because of my own plans... then what is the purpose of her plans?
Luo Qinghe asked herself a question, and a look of confusion gradually appeared in her eyes.
She belatedly realized that she had abandoned Chaoge once again, perhaps just now, or perhaps she had already decided to do so during that battle when she was ready to fight to the death.
But what if we lose this bet?
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she forcefully suppressed it. Luo Qinghe realized she couldn't imagine what it would be like to gain something in the end, but lose such an important person.
Then wouldn't her world be the same as before?
She stared coldly at the scenery outside the window, her gaze seemingly able to pierce through endless planets and meteorites, landing on the distant Tianzi Star in the Red Cloud Galaxy.
Blue Cross Pirate Legion Control Room.
A man was leaning back in his chair, dozing with his eyes closed, when someone came in. Not surprised to see him like this, the person walked straight up to him, leaned down, and reported the current battle situation in his ear.
The man suddenly opened his eyes, his sharp, eagle-like eyes flashing with a glint of light. A scar ran from his forehead down to his left cheek below his eye. His thick lips parted in a smile: "I understand."
"Tell everyone to conserve your ammunition. If Nightless City goes crazy, we won't play along." The deep command carried a hint of contempt, clearly showing that Nightless City, the king of the pirate group, was not taken seriously.
"Ah? But what about the Yan family and the Yan family..." The subordinate was clearly hesitant and whispered a reminder.
The next second, the smell of blood spread throughout the cabin. The man shook his hand, flicking the hot blood droplets onto the ground, and then wiped them on his outer robe.
Almost the instant the smell of blood filled the air, people came in to clean up. The horrific scene was too much for anyone to bear, but these people seemed to be used to it.
They heard their king coldly utter a sentence: "If you dare to mention those trash from the Empire in front of me again, kill them without mercy."
"yes."
Ling Tianji, the big winner of the chaotic battle, was not in a good mood either. The reason was simple: Yan Chaoge's fearless attitude as a newborn calf gave him a little headache.
"You're talking to me about cooperation?" Ling Tianji looked at the girl in front of him with some amusement, really wanting to know where she got the confidence to make this suggestion to him, especially when their entire Yin Yang Group had become prisoners.
Chaoge tilted her head, showing no awareness of being a prisoner: "Are you planning to kill me? Holding me captive or using me to your advantage would be much smarter than this option. And coercion and bribery won't work on me much, so why not just cooperate?"
Ling Tianji stood up from where he was sitting and walked towards Chaoge.
Behind Chaoge were two junior officers, seemingly to prevent her from suddenly attacking and harming Ling Tianji.
But Chaoge would never fight Ling Tianji.
Qin Muge's personal guards are all freaks! The lowest strength level they have is eight stars, a level that Chaoge only obtained after completing the final mission and leveling up.
Among them, Ling Tianji's strength is eight and a half stars, which means that even in a simple arm wrestling match, Chaoge cannot beat him, let alone in a tactical attack.
Being too lazy to make futile struggles is a characteristic of Chaoge. So now, as Ling Tianji approaches, even though the hairs on his body are about to stand on end, he still sits motionless in place. He even yawns because his nerves, which had been highly tense, have now relaxed.
Ling Tianji walked up to Chaoge's seat. The smile that always graced his lips made his face eternally beautiful and lethal. He wasn't worried at all that Chaoge posed any threat to him. He placed one hand on the table, leaned over to look at Chaoge, and used the other hand to open her collar and touch the small ball that emitted a faint blue light.
Chaoge subconsciously leaned back, disliking the feeling of being invaded by his breath at such close range.
Little Red Riding Hood, I think you have to admit I have one redeeming quality.
Yao Chen was constantly monitoring her surroundings because of her situation. Hearing Chao Ge still having the leisure to boast to him, he speechlessly uttered a single word in her mind: "Speak."
"There must be some quality about me that attracts beauties! Otherwise, why do they all like to take advantage of me?" Chaoge boasted to Yaochen triumphantly.
Yao Chen: ...I have never seen such a shameless person.
"Isn't this your trump card?" Ling Tianji's voice slid close to her ear, his delicate tone sounding somewhat sticky in this situation, making one momentarily think it was a lover's whisper.
Chaoge chuckled softly, her deep brown eyes holding the same meaning as his own, staring into his captivating eyes, and said calmly, "Do you think I would still be alive today if I had used this thing as a trump card?"
Ling Tianji raised his handsome eyebrows, admitting that Chaoge was finally somewhat beyond his expectations.
A soft whisper escaped from his thin lips, disappearing into the air in an instant: "Heh."
The person the general has taken a liking to is indeed interesting.
☆ Chapter 76: The Thirteenth Evaluation of the Yin-Yang Collection
The two leaders in the Tengshe Central Conference Room were locked in a stalemate, but Ritter's progress on the P4 Nebula could be described as a major breakthrough. On the way back to the military base with the remaining soldiers, relying on his own strength and acting skills, he unsurprisingly made his way safely to the base.
However, it wasn't until he entered the military base that he learned the garrison commander was Ouyang Haoze. Upon hearing this, Ritter had a bad feeling. How to put it... although he didn't have much of an impression of Ouyang Haoze, based on his vague memories and intuition, he couldn't quite put his finger on the guy's personality.
This is very rare for Rhett.
Even Si Zhongqi could tell that it was a very dangerous being, and as a subordinate who was previously valued by Luo Qinghe and Si Kong Yufu's childhood sweetheart, Ouyang Haoze's presence was definitely not that weak.
His suspicions deepened, especially when he heard that his superior wanted to see him personally. Had he been exposed?
The responsibility for the failed energy escort fell entirely on the person in charge. The soldiers who were responsible for returning to deliver the message were not blamed. Although it was understandable that they were summoned by their superior who cared about the matter, he just felt that something was not right.
This feeling lingered until he met Ouyang Haoze. He tried his best to portray the excitement and fear of a lowly soldier facing his superior, but it seems all that effort was wasted—
"Wow, you're still alive." The young officer raised an eyebrow the moment he saw him appear, giving Rhett a 'I knew it' look, making Rhett feel like he'd inadvertently walked into a trap.
What does that mean? Does Ouyang Haoze know me? Judging from this, their relationship seems to be more than just ordinary.
With his incomplete memory, Rhett couldn't immediately tell whether he was friend or foe.
Ouyang Haoze didn't expect that his words would go unanswered like a stone sinking into the sea. He looked at Ritter with some doubt, and a bold guess popped into his mind: Could this person be... suffering from amnesia?
Having inadvertently uncovered the truth, Ouyang Haoze wondered how he could tactfully bring up his guess.
The standoff between Chaoge and Ling Tianji continued. Neither side could figure out the other's trump card, but Ling Tianji's advantage in this situation was that he still held leverage over Chaoge.
First, Chaoge's status as a prisoner cannot be changed at present. Ling Tianji holds the power of life and death over her subordinates. Even if he can't do anything to Chaoge, as long as he brings her back to the Wujing Empire, her current status will be enough to make her suffer.
Secondly, Ling Tianji still possesses the data on the Third Fleet from the Great War between the Red Cloud Galaxy and the P4 Nebula.
Chaoge was not unaware of the first point, so at this moment she could only try her best to appear that she didn't care much about her subordinates. Ling Tianji was also unsure how deep her feelings for those people were, and rashly bringing this up might backfire.
It's not his hobby to squander a winning hand; what he wants is to maintain complete control in his cooperation with Chaoge.
Therefore, he simply gestured to the guard beside him, and a large screen immediately appeared in the center of the conference table. Chao Ge turned his gaze there, wondering why he was going to play a video at this time.
Soon, the answer was revealed before her eyes. When she saw the number of mechs in the Third Fleet suddenly increase in the center of the video, and the scene of her own mech infiltrating the Third Fleet from the enemy forces within the Third Fleet's surveillance range, she knew that she was completely at a disadvantage in this game with Ling Tianji.
"So, after seeing this, I wonder if Miss Yan still wants to discuss cooperation with me?" Ling Tianji looked at her with a light smile. This time, the smile truly spread, and her beautiful peach blossom eyes shimmered with laughter, making her extremely beautiful.
Chaoge let out a soft breath. Once Ling Tianji releases this video to the world, no matter what her purpose was in infiltrating the Third Fleet, she will be wanted by both the Red Cloud Star System and the Crystalless Empire. Moreover, she is currently in the hands of the Red Cloud Star System.
Furthermore, her level of authority will be completely exposed. Qin Muge will then face some criticism for granting such high authority to a traitor of the empire—is this something a wise leader should do?
Although Chaoge enjoys occasionally causing trouble for the Wujing Empire, she absolutely does not want to be criticized for this issue, regardless of whether the situation will become that serious.
She let out a soft breath, a slow smile spreading across her face. Leaning back in her chair, she said calmly, "If there's anything you need me to do, you can say it now. I only have one request: that the members of the Yin-Yang Clan on Tengshe be safe and sound."
Alright, you can ask for whatever you want now. I've laid out my bottom line, so you don't need to hold back anymore.
"This is outrageous!" Little Red Riding Hood, unable to contain herself any longer, uttered these words in Chaoge's mind. Hearing her voice, a smile flickered in Chaoge's eyes.
[I thought you were planning to play dead forever, Little Red Riding Hood. If he had all the advantages at this point and still hadn't gotten to this point, then I really would have cursed him senseless.]
【You knew this would happen all along?】 Little Red Riding Hood thought Chaoge would have some plans, at least to rival Ling Tianji, but she didn't expect that after talking for so long, the result would be no different from the beginning.
【I tried my best to struggle, but it turns out the struggle was futile. But don't be too disappointed. Once you step into the territory of the Crystalless Empire, this is your world, right, Little Red Riding Hood?】 Although Chaoge was being held hostage by Ling Tianji, she wasn't afraid as long as Little Red Riding Hood was by her side.
Ling Tianji narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly trying to determine whether her show of weakness was genuine or not.
After a long pause, he slowly brought up something: "The three major families in the military are about to hold an exchange meeting."
An exchange meeting? That term sounds familiar.
"Those who can stand out at the exchange meeting will almost certainly rise through the ranks after joining the military. As long as they are recognized by the three major families, they will receive the support of the three major families and the maximum allocation of resources as long as they do not hinder the collective interests of the military during their development." Ling Tianji narrated unhurriedly, his tone devoid of emotion. After listening attentively to him, Chaoge had a rough idea of his plans.
But that's just too unreliable!
"This... is impossible, I'm not from the Ling family." Forgive her for her poor eyesight, but she really didn't realize the importance of this exchange meeting.
Because he hadn't been here for very long—only a semester at most in the Crystalless Empire—Chaoge naturally didn't understand how important the support and shared resources from the three major families in the military were.
This is why the members selected at each exchange meeting, when divided equally, are roughly equivalent to the original strength of the three major families. What Ling Tianji wants to do this time is to openly and fairly break this balance.
This allowed the Ling family to gain the upper hand this time, and all its members to fall under his control.
In the next fifty years, the power distribution of the Ling family, and even the three major families, will be reshuffled.
He wanted to make those guys suffocate under his own rules and regulations.
"No one else could have done this. But in an empire where authority reigns supreme, only you can break this constraint."
Ling Tianji glanced indifferently at the thing around her neck. That authority would be a great temptation for anyone in the empire, but he knew Qin Muge. Now that it was around Chaoge's neck, he would never take it away.