Chapter 191 Negotiations in Shanles
"Why is the Eye of Supervision here?"
They are here to arrest me. Liu Xingquan opened his mouth silently to Sutil.
Sutiel lowered his head and looked at the pale Liu Xingquan. He said, "Don't worry, we will leave soon."
The Eye of Supervision. They are here to arrest me. They will torture me like last time, interrogate me, and force me to betray my friends. Liu Xingquan felt his legs go weak.
Sutiel grabbed Liu Xingquan's shoulders, showing his white teeth, and said in a reassuring tone: "Xingquan's light is above, I will protect you to Hope Town, this is my oath. Don't be afraid, we will leave here soon."
Xiao Zhen stood in the cabin and looked at the city below. They were about to arrive at an industrial port that was not originally on their itinerary. The spacecraft was slowly entering orbit, and the towering buildings that passed through the gray and heavily polluted clouds of Xiangles were coming into view and gradually enlarging.
This is a prosperous industrial city planet, the shining pearl of the Jinghai star zone.
"I heard that the prosperity of Chanles is thanks to Hope Township," said Liu Bei.
Xiaozhen remembered the book, "The Book of Hope mentioned that Lianna, the original builder of Hope, had provided assistance to Shanles." There is a brief description in the book that Shanles was a planet managed by malicious AI thousands of years ago. Under the ubiquitous control of AI, all life was consumed as tools. Lianna, the leader of Hope, which was already independent at the time, noticed this planet far away from Hope. She got in touch with the oppressed biological tools in Shanles, and after a period of accumulating strength, with the military assistance of Hope, the people of Shanles successfully overthrew the rule of the malicious AI and got rid of the fate of being enslaved.
"It seems that today is the local Lianna Festival."
"Today is a good day, but now there is bad news. We are not allowed to land." Captain Ban looked at the information screen, "Our landing request has been rejected."
Ms. Fei said, "Because we were considered as an affiliated ship of the Eye of Oversight. In fact, it was the Expanse's landing request that was rejected."
"Tsk tsk." Shark Tooth made a strange sound from his teeth.
"After all, it is the notorious Supervisory Eye." Inspector Sheying said.
"The same goes for your Security Committee." Shark Fang said, leaning against the door. "Whether it is the Eye of Supervision or the Security Committee, before receiving the order from the Council, Shanles will not politely open the door to let you in. The Goddess of Jealousy Army is not a decoration."
Ilian looked calm and unhurried as he joined the call. A mottled and flickering holographic image appeared on the screen. An alien with fleshy tentacles spoke up, "Greetings, Inspector General Ilian. I am Governor Ulan..."
"Don't talk nonsense." Illian interrupted him rudely, "Get Governor Shanles to me immediately."
"Your Excellency the Inspector General, our planetary governor is on vacation, do you have any…"
"I'm going to talk to the Governor right away." Illian's words shook the Governor's expression for a moment, "Because Hope Township is about to burn."
The conference hall of the Governor's Mansion in Shanles was filled with buzzing discussions. The spacious table reflected the bright light of the luxurious crystal lamps on the ceiling. This was an extremely luxurious conference hall. The participants were all high-ranking officials in Shanles. At this moment, they whispered to each other, with suspicion and fear flashing in their eyes.
Zhuang Liu, the planetary governor of Shanles, was a tall Gobos man, with his four arms in a solemn posture. In the legends of some planets, this image was often portrayed as a god. He looked at Chief Inspector Illian and said, "Your Excellency, are you saying that the Izel Alien Fleet is lurking nearby?" His tone was very humble. Even the highest governor of Shanles had to show due respect in front of the Eye of Supervision. When the word "Izel Alien Fleet" was spoken by Governor Zhuang Liu, there was a wave of ripples in the hall.
"It's not just a haunting." Ilian said, "The Fog Land has been destroyed. Yan Zhen, the captain of the Zejin, and all the crew members on the ship who attended the meeting can testify to this. They are all witnesses to the death of the Fog Land. They brought some images taken from orbit. Not only that, we encountered the Izel alien fleet head-on on the way, and their number far exceeded your imagination. The Star Order suffered heavy losses. In addition to the Star Order, the Ash Iron Guard of the Security Committee was also ambushed by the Izel alien fleet. Inspector Sheying can testify to this. The current situation is extremely serious, more serious than you can imagine."
The discussion in the hall became a little noisy. Governor Zhuang Liu had to ring the mute bell twice to signal them to keep quiet.
"More importantly, we brought the last top-secret intelligence from the Mistland." Ilian looked around the hall and said, "After analysis, Hopeland is the final target of the Izel alien fleet's attack. This was originally a top-secret purple intelligence known only to those above the level of star governor, but the war is urgent, and now I have to make it public to you."
After he finished speaking, the hall fell into a suffocating silence. The people of Shanles exchanged glances, and after a moment of silence, the hall was flooded by a buzzing tide again.
"How can we guarantee that the information you have received is true?" asked a bureaucrat. When Ilian's sharp eyes shot towards him, he immediately shrank back timidly.
"The Fog Land is Hope's largest resource import base. The Izel alien fleet destroyed the Fog Land first in order to cut off Hope's supply. In addition, my technical officer and I conducted research and analysis on the information congestion in this star region on the way." Ilian waved his hand in the air, and a holographic image immediately popped up. The area around Hope was like a shadow of thick black fog scattering outward. "This wide-ranging information blockage is spreading outward from Hope. It is obvious that the Izel aliens interfered with the long-distance communications around Hope to block any signals for help."
"I agree with your point of view." A female voice sounded. When she stood up, the hall immediately became silent. She was General Pamela, the commander of the Goddess of Jealousy Army, and her reputation resounded throughout the galaxy. She was a typical southern beauty, with long golden-red hair and a gorgeous ceremonial uniform that shone brightly under the crystal lights in the hall. Her face was delicate and resolute, and her sharp eyes looked straight at Inspector General Ilian without showing any weakness. "We, the Goddess of Jealousy Army, have been paying attention to the recent abnormal long-distance communication jam phenomenon. Your explanation gave us the answer. The Izel aliens are trying to hide their attack targets, and the foggy land is just a stepping stone for them to attack the Hope Town. If your Excellency had not obtained and analyzed this purple intelligence, the Izel aliens would really have secretly attacked the Hope Town."
After General Pamela sat down, Governor Zhuangliu, who was sitting next to her, also expressed his agreement.
Ilian nodded slightly, and his next words swept through the hall like a hurricane. "I have fought against the Izel alien fleet head-on." He said, "I saw their scale. Hopeland will never be able to resist them. The Eye of Overseer cannot sit idly by and watch the tragedy of the Fog Land repeat itself in Hopeland. Hopeland needs reinforcements, and it needs your help. I request the Goddess of Jealousy Army and the Order of the Stars to go together to rescue Hopeland."
Governor Zhuangliu said nothing.
A bureaucrat suddenly said, "The Izel aliens are going to attack Hope Township. What then? As an industrial port, is our Shanles also their target?"
"Yeah, will Shanles be in danger?"
"We are an important industrial base here, the largest and best shipbuilding industrial port in Jinghai. If we lose it, everything will be ruined."
Such voices began to spread in the conference hall.
Inspector General Illian's pale eyes scanned the meeting room, and the voices of the senior officials immediately lowered. He said, "Intelligence shows that Hope Township is the target of the Izel aliens."
"What if they want to destroy Shanles like they destroyed the Fog Land? Even if their target is Hope Land, Shanles is still very dangerous."
Inspector Sheying stood up and said, "Speed is of the essence in war. After cutting off the resource supply to the Fog Land, it is highly likely that an attack on the powerful Shanles will take too long and would be a waste of time. Since the Izel Alien has launched a surprise attack on Hope Township, it will not waste time on Shanles."
"It's not that simple." A senior official arrogantly stated his point of view. He was the planetary interior minister of Shanles. "We are constantly receiving refugees. Refugees from the Wangbei galaxy come in ship after ship. In order to prevent infection by the Izel aliens, we are spending a lot of manpower and financial resources every day on quarantine and isolation to avoid burying invisible bombs. It can be said that these refugees are destabilizing factors, but even so, we Shanles still accept them. If according to your request, the Goddess of Jealousy Army that should have protected Shanles will follow you to rescue the Hope Town. Then, even if you don't consider the people of Shanles, who will protect these refugees who have come here from afar to seek asylum?" He looked at Ilian, "Your Zekin also brought a ship of refugees, and you left them in Shanles. If the Izel aliens appear, who will protect them then?"
"Yes, yes." The senior officials echoed. The Minister of Finance said, "We the people have to pay billions of dollars in military expenses every year to support the Goddess of Jealousy Army. How can we waste tax money like this?"
Inspector Sheying said: "Saving Hope Township is also protecting Shanles—"
"You make it sound easy, but you're the inspector of the Safety Committee who even lost his ship."
"You——" Sheying said angrily.
"Order!! Order!!!" Governor Zhuang Liu hit the silent bell, "Order!!"
The Minister of the Interior twisted his huge body and said, "Of course I cannot represent the people. However, one of the possible results of the Goddess of Jealousy's army going to rescue the Land of Hope is that Shanles will be massacred by those filthy aliens, which is equivalent to using the lives of 2.3 billion people as a bargaining chip. Governor, General Pamela, I know you are eager to rescue the Land of Hope, but you are first and foremost the managers and protectors of Shanles."
"That's right!! " "Yes!!"
Governor Zhuangliu frowned and waved his hand for him to sit down.
"How can we send reinforcements at such a critical moment..."
Xiao Zhen stood up. He was the youngest among the participants. When he stood there, everyone's eyes were on him.
" I have never been to Hopeland. But on the way here, I read a book about Hopeland. The book said that the leader of Hopeland, Lianna, inherited Lothar's will and continued to lend a helping hand to those who have hope and desire freedom. When the people of Shanles suffered from hardships and torture, it was Lianna's help that gave Shanles a new life." Xiaozhen said, "I witnessed the tragic destruction of the Mist Land with my own eyes. I saw the burning city, and the once beautiful Mist Land forest has now become a filthy dead land. Everywhere I look, there are debris and ashes. The Mist Land is dead. But Hopeland is still there, and the descendants of those heroes are also there. It has a long and friendly relationship with Shanles. When I entered Shanles in a landing craft, the people were cheering the names of heroes such as Lothar, Lianna, and others. Hopeland has long had common memories with Shanles."
"That's right!!!" The door was suddenly pushed open and a sturdy female warrior walked in.
General Pamela was surprised and said, "Nevi? This is not an occasion for you to enter."
"Let me say a few words, Your Excellency Pamela." Nevi saluted General Pamela. She looked around at the dignitaries in the hall, and finally fixed her eyes on Governor Zhuangliu. She said in a sonorous and powerful voice, "Governor, what material is your Governor's Mansion made of?"
Governor Zhuangliu replied, "It is pyrophyllite." He added, "It is a very rare building material, donated by Hope Township."
"Yes, the pyroxene stone you are standing on is one of the best building materials in the galaxy. It can even withstand some heavy artillery fire. In history, Hope Township has donated large quantities of pyroxene stone to Shanles for free for construction many times. Over the past thousand years, Hope Township has provided Shanles with countless assistance. Without Hope Township, there would be no Shanles, the pearl of the Tranquil Sea." Nevi glared at the senior officials in the hall, "Everyone here is a Shanlesian who grew up listening to the stories of Lothar. Now that Hope Township is in trouble, you actually want to sit back and do nothing? Do you still remember that today is Lianna's Day!!"
She turned to look at Governor Zhuangliu and General Pamela, her eyes gleaming, "We must go to rescue Hope Township."
…
Nawei was still asked to leave the hall.
The discussion in the hall turned into an uncontrollable quarrel, and even a senior official slammed the table and threatened to commit suicide. In the end, Governor Zhuangliu had to forcibly suspend the meeting, leaving only Ilian Sheying and General Pamela to discuss in the secret room.
Xiao Zhen stood in the corridor and looked out the window. The Lianna Festival was still being celebrated outside. A small dark-colored spaceship with a white bird printed on it was taking off into the sky, and soon it disappeared. The sky was shining with colorful images of heroes, and the people of Shanles were cheering and singing below. They didn't know that Hopeland was about to burn, but they probably couldn't hide it for much longer.
Naiwei leaned against the wall outside the hall, looked at Xiaozhen and said, "I just met a foreigner who is about your age."
“Are you a tourist?”
"He and his brother are gone," said Nevé, looking at the sky. "They are just passing through to repair their boat. I hope they are not going to Hope Land."
Xiao Zhen stretched out his consciousness tentacles without hope, trying to read the appearance of the brothers in Nevi's subconscious. At this time, Ilian and the projection inspector pushed the door and walked out of the hall.
They told Xiao Zhen the bad news that Shanles could not send reinforcements to Hope Town.
