Chapter 195: Hanton is about to surface
The Dongfeng was sailing stealthily in a corner of the border of the Luofeng Empire.
The lights on the bridge were turned off, with only the projection dials of a few instruments providing a faint light source. Outside the wide portholes that looked like the two eyes of a spacecraft, the quiet starry sky was shining faintly.
"Oh, you are here after all."
Kolev's voice rang out, startling several lights in the corner of the bridge and illuminating Yang Ming who was lying in the chair.
Yang Ming took off his headphones and yawned at Kolev: "What's wrong, my dear first mate?"
Kolev waved to the chair-track robot on standby, and the latter came over with a squeaking sound.
It removed its head to provide a seat, and even detected that Kolev was an old man who sat for a long time, and took out an anti-hemorrhoid cushion from its tool bag.
A little tech, a lot of care.
Kolev sat comfortably on the air cushion, cleared his throat, and stared at Yang Ming with a pair of eyes that "saw through too much".
"I think we should talk, like old friends," Kolev said slowly, "I didn't know you were under so much pressure before, Yang Ming, or rather, Hanton. You have gained power, but you also bear this pressure."
Yang Ming shrugged: "I have more pressure. The Valkyrie only brought me a crisis of survival."
"It's just a survival crisis," Kolev leaned forward. "Isn't that enough? Each of us can only live for ourselves. We can't take care of others. This is the life lesson I have learned after living for so many years. Helping others is something that is within our ability."
“This is different.”
Yang Ming exhaled softly: "Each of us has our own social responsibilities, isn't that right?"
"Come on," Kolev pushed Yang Ming's knee, "It was the Empire that abandoned you. In prison, they let you take the blame in exchange for those useless scientific researchers."
"That's not what I'm talking about," Yang Ming said with a smile, "I don't owe anything to the Sherman Empire, and I don't need to fulfill any responsibilities for them, but..."
Kolev frowned slightly.
Yang Ming licked his lips and took over the topic lightly: "Don't worry, I won't use the so-called sense of morality to kidnap myself. I am a person with a very low moral bottom line."
"We all are," Kolev said with a smile. "There is a villain in everyone's heart. The difference is whether you indulge this villain or assimilate with him."
"Let's not talk about that."
Yang Ming said seriously:
"Any advice? Regarding my current situation?"
"I have thought about this for you for a long time," Kolev intertwined his fingers, "I have thought that if you abandon Yang Ming's identity, betray the Luofeng Empire, and move from the open to the dark, the loss will be minimal. Po Suo knows who Yang Ming is."
"Hmm," Yang Ming shook his head, "That won't solve the problem at all."
"Yes, Xiaolu said that the Valkyrie and you can sense each other's existence, unless you always carry that device with you."
Kolev groaned again:
"And the Luofeng Empire is very important to you. It is the cornerstone of your development, right?"
"I still have Dark Star," Yang Ming said, "I can take two paths. Now I have one more choice. This is the benefit of filing Dark Star at that time."
"That's right, but a purely mechanical civilization cannot exist independently," Kolev said. "I roughly understand that for the assessment task you are currently performing, you need first-, second-, and third-level civilizations. Although the Luofeng Empire is far from a third-level civilization, if we pile all our resources on Yilandu Star, we can still create a third-level civilization within a few years."
"This is probably about eleven or twelve years or even longer."
Yang Ming said slowly:
"The assessment cycle for high-dimensional civilizations is constantly increasing. We have passed the first-level assessment, and we have obtained the necessary technology for the first-level civilization to develop into a second-level civilization.
“The assessment period this time is six years.
"As long as Yilando's economy, technology, culture, and military take another step forward, we will be able to reach the third assessment line.
"So we don't need to discuss this issue too much now. I can abandon the name Yang Ming when necessary."
"Okay, so your biggest pressure right now is that the Valkyries and the Empire might unite."
Kolev looked embarrassed.
This issue is complex and difficult.
Yang Ming tapped the ground with his toes, swayed back and forth on the chair, and a little light appeared in his eyes.
"I've actually figured out a solution, Kolev, don't worry about me."
"You don't want to unite with the Empire on your own?" Kolev frowned.
"why not?"
Yang Ming spread his hands: "Do I have any way out now?"
"Then how can you guarantee that the Empire won't put you in a jar?"
Yang Ming was silent for a while.
He said: "It depends on politics."
"Please, politics is the most unreliable thing," Kolev frowned, "It's better to believe in the loyalty of the prostitute than to believe the lies of politicians."
Yang Ming laughed a few times.
This old man always has some wonderful metaphors.
Yang Ming smiled and said:
“This matter is indeed rather troublesome, and I am also unsure about it.
"Moreover, if I reveal the existence of the Dongfeng, it will inevitably attract the Empire's attention and vigilance.
"The Empire is very clear about the divisions. They are not afraid of cyborgs no matter how strong they are, because they cannot defeat ships and cannons. They can also produce cyborgs in batches. The huge population is divided into different classes, and countless people yearn for the class leap that can be obtained by becoming cyborgs.
“But they will be wary of the Dongfeng.
“When I was fighting the Valkyrie, I found that even the enhanced mecha’s light shield couldn’t stop the Valkyrie, and even the Feinan’s firepower couldn’t completely suppress the Valkyrie. I knew that I had to expose the existence of the Dongfeng.
"I hesitated, so I threw the problem to Lu, and she did it all for me."
Yang Ming sighed softly:
"Now, I have to find a way to face this problem and resolve the enormous pressure that the Sherman Empire has brought to me.
“Everything stems from the transformation operation carried out on the Keygrove experimental ship… Sometimes I think that after all this time out there, managing Falling Wind, developing Dark Star, and causing trouble for the New Federation, I will eventually have to return to the starting point of the story.
"It's like a fucking dream."
Kolev frowned and asked, "Is this the only way?"
"Yes," Yang Ming picked up the half-filled bottle of drink beside him and took a sip. "Either I can find the Valkyrie's hiding place in a short time and completely destroy her, or I can only find a foothold in the Sherman Empire before the Valkyrie and protect my current foundation and my life."
He smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will reserve some cell tissues in Dark Star."
"You also have this ability?"
"I hope I do," Yang Ming raised his eyebrows slightly, "or rather, I want them to think that I do."
Kolev laughed dumbly: "Well, I really can't help you with this matter. I can only help you relieve the pressure."
Yang Ming: My eldest niece Mimili is better at relieving stress.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm still thinking about it," Yang Ming said, "but the idea has been determined. It's nothing more than inciting the people, accusing Kigrov, and expressing the White Ghost's loyalty to the emperor."
Kolev laughed a few times: "They may marry the emperor's daughter to you so that you can improve the genes of the Sherman family."
"Uh," Yang Ming frowned slightly, "I don't have a good impression of the imperial female nobles."
"What's wrong?"
"Tsk, the Imperial Star Circle is very chaotic."
Kolev's eyes suddenly gleamed with gossip, and the two of them huddled together and whispered, occasionally letting out a few laughs full of righteousness (hey).
At the entrance of the bridge, Mimili watched this scene and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
Who would dare to believe this if I told them?
She had originally planned to comfort Uncle Hamton in order to warm up their relationship, but her old father got there first.
It seems that her great idea - the simultaneous advancement of machinery and fleshly desires - cannot be realized in the short term.
…
Three galaxies later.
In the Sherman Empire, Fort Skywrath.
Captain Gris sat on a leather chair with a helpless look on his face, his legs crossed, an e-cigarette in his mouth, his resolute face hidden by sunglasses. Two muscular men behind him stared seriously at the group of men and women in white coats in front of them.
What can Grace do?
They were highly valued by their superiors and were the few who knew the confidential information. In order to control the scope of the spread of the news, their superiors simply assigned a series of tasks to their team.
Even interrogation was included.
Ding ding ding!
Grace knocked on the bell in front of him, slightly lowered his sunglasses, and scanned the more than 20 scientific research staff in front of him with his sharp eyes.
Most of the latter are a little nervous.
"Did you guys remember anything?"
A group of people shook their heads at the same time.
"As you know, the higher-ups take this matter very seriously," Gris said. "The White Ghost came from Professor Kigrove's test ship. This is a foregone conclusion. There's no need to cover it up. Just speak out what you know so that everyone can avoid wasting energy."
The captain paused and continued:
"If you insist on saying this, we can only start the memory verification procedure, which may damage your precious cerebral cortex.
"Every wrinkle of your brain is a precious national resource."
A thin old man pushed up his glasses and said slowly, "If we hide this, what good will it do us?"
"The riot caused by the Valkyrie was simply a nightmare," a middle-aged woman sighed, "I know that we are conducting unjust experiments and using human bodies as specimens. Of course, this is to ensure that our empire can continue to be strong and that our families and descendants can continue to enjoy the protection."
Grace picked up the paper material beside him.
He has read the above content more than a dozen times.
Gris murmured:
"Let's reconstruct the scene... When the ship was near the resource star, the Valkyrie suddenly lost control and the bottom cabin was in chaos...
“The first riot was caused by the Valkyrie and the other test subjects. Later, the Valkyrie was knocked unconscious by a strong anesthetic.
"Many people died in this riot, and then you forced the researchers who were controlled by the Valkyries to be quarantined and look for a cure."
"Yes," a woman responded, "I was an eyewitness to the riot in the lower cabin laboratory. I don't know what happened at the time, but the Valkyrie suddenly lost control. More than a dozen colleagues rushed to the cabin where the Valkyrie was and freed her."
One person raised his hand and said, "I saw the third mate of the ship lingering in front of the Valkyrie gate. He had an argument with a female colleague. It seemed like they had a quarrel."
"The third officer is in charge of firefighting. It should be said that the laboratory's fire safety index does not meet the standard. Many of our indexes do not meet the standard. The air there is also seriously affecting our health, but we work hard there."
"Okay! Speak one by one!"
Grace said, "The second riot happened a few hours later, right?"
"Yes, we all stayed near the escape pod at the time, and the bottom cabin was also being cleaned. We received clear orders to rest."
"What happened during this period?" Gris asked. "Is there anything worth noting? Anything will do."
Everyone looked at each other.
Those who were able to escape in the final riot were those who had already prepared to escape during the first riot.
A young girl suddenly raised her hand and said a few words hesitantly:
“I heard about this incident when I went back to the dormitory to get my things. I heard two guards next door talking about it.
"They said Captain Hanton was really bold and asked Professor Kigrove to use a laser cannon to pierce the joints of the Valkyrie. The Valkyrie is the professor's beloved, and he will definitely suffer for saying that.
"But Captain Hanton did help us. The Valkyrie is so terrifying...
“That’s what they said.”
Captain Hanton.
Grace circled the name in the paper documents, briefly recalled the information behind the name, and asked slowly: "Besides this, is there any other relevant information?"
These people in white coats shook their heads.
Grace sighed in disappointment, "Prepare for a polygraph test."
After saying that, he led the two strong men out of the interrogation room and moved into the interrogation room next door which had a similar layout.
Here are a dozen soldiers who escaped from the Keygrove ship.
"Talk about Captain Hanton."
Gris went straight to the point.
The soldiers looked reminiscent and began to talk about the third mate who was in charge of firefighting.
"He is the third officer on our ship, a tough imperial soldier. He once took the initiative to apply for himself to be transformed into an experiment, but was rejected. Most of the experimental materials used on the ship are death row prisoners."
"He is good at fixing things, very self-disciplined, and works out every day without slacking off."
"He loves the Empire and the Imperial Star."
"Captain Hanton was the last to escape," a soldier said slowly, "When we were caught by the ship, he was the first one inside. We saw a small airship, a small spaceship equipped on the ship. He was with Doctor Lina. Doctor Lina is an attractive middle-aged woman."
Gris raised an eyebrow.
He took out the special network access terminal in the fortress and quickly retrieved a confidential document.
No read permission?
Grace opened the chat address book, found a contact, and sent the file to him.
A few minutes later, a screenshot of the file was sent back to Grace, followed by a sweet kiss.
'See you tonight, my little one.'
Gris dealt with it hastily and lowered his head to read the screenshot of the document.
His frown deepened.
Lina is a spy planted by the Guel Alliance on Professor Kigrof's ship in order to steal the Empire's research on the ancient god's life forms.
Captain Hanton was imprisoned in Cole Harbor Prison by the International Tribunal of the New Confederation because he refused to plead guilty;
There was a riot in Cole Harbor Prison. Captain Henton tried to escape but was shot dead (it was later confirmed that it was a fake death arranged by the Guell Alliance Intelligence Organization to cover up Captain Henton's whereabouts). The Imperial Military Intelligence Agency felt that it was being fooled, so it launched a bloody revenge, and a dreadnought destroyed the ship where Lina was.
Captain Hanton's final fate was marked as death on that ship.
This is not right.
Grace carefully looked at the time of every modification and change in the document and found that the final judgment on Captain Hanton's life and death was made half an hour before the confidential document was sealed, which was three months after Lina's death.
According to the operating rules of the Imperial Military Intelligence Department, general secrets will be closed and sealed within three months.
In other words, Captain Hanton's death was most likely determined without a detailed examination.
They do this all the time.
The main reason why the Empire was suppressed by the New Federation in the field of intelligence was that the Military Intelligence Bureau had a bunch of useless people.
Grace threw the network access terminal onto the table, with a look of relief in his eyes.
"It must be depressing to be abandoned by the Empire, Captain."
Gris muttered to himself and reported the clues and intelligence he had found in full.
He could finally breathe a sigh of relief and repay the sweetheart for helping him unlock the secret.
Buzz, buzz!
The network access terminal kept jumping. Grace picked it up and glanced at it. His expression suddenly looked as if he had eaten a fly.
"Boss! The White Ghost is live streaming. He wants to talk to you!"
Snap!
His superiors were all still breathing, and the generals were all alive and well, so why did the White Ghost want to talk to him!
Isn't this just causing trouble for him?
