Chapter 233: Release to the Sea
"Welcome to Hui Saka's morning show. Today, most areas of Yaha are sunny. Thanks to the planetary ring's precise control of the climate, rain clouds form where it is needed..."
Catherine looked at the military communicator in her hand. On the small screen, a lifelike robot was talking.
"Captain, this is just a fake identity, there's nothing to see."
There were jokes from the teammates nearby.
Catherine glared at the man who spoke, the look behind the golden mask was quite sharp.
Bly said softly, "Even though his appearance is different, he is still the same person in essence. What is really surprising is that he actually applied to join the Super Modifiers."
The team members who had a rare break together started talking:
"Didn't the director say that he would join us using this bionic machine? It's just a formality."
"I still don't quite understand what White Ghost wants. Does he want to become a great noble of the empire? Or does he want to escape from his previous predicament and gain recognition from the empire and be awarded a medal?"
"Yes, White Ghost was already at the top of the cyborgs, and he took off his mask on his own initiative. I didn't expect that."
Bly squinted and smiled: "So, this is why you are not as smart as the white ghost."
"You're all free, aren't you?"
Catherine frowned and said, "Conclude the meeting and prepare for dinner. After dinner, everyone will go back to patrol their respective areas."
"Yes! Captain!"
"Bray, you and I will go on patrol first. Let them rest."
"Thank you, Captain!"
Bly smiled with narrowed eyes, followed Catherine with his hands behind his back, got on the same armored hovercraft with Catherine, and rose above the city.
Patrols are usually dull and boring. Bly would use his mental power to sense a certain range, while he would hold an e-book to kill time.
Catherine turned on several projection screens and carefully observed the city that had just been ravaged by war. She could see many refugees in the gaps between the ruins.
"Bray, do you think the Empire is going to destroy the Suri Federation outright this time, or establish a puppet regime ?"
"It depends on what the empire needs," Bly said slowly. "If they want to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys and advocate the use of force, they should be directly destroyed and the people here should be moved to the planets being developed on the border of the empire for slave education. If they are interested in the resources here, then they will establish a puppet regime."
"Are you loyal to White Ghost now?" Catherine asked suddenly.
Bly smiled and shook his head: "I am only loyal to myself."
"I was asked this question by the higher-ups," Catherine said. "When Hui Saka first came to Yaha Star, we two had contact with him. In other words, we had contact with the White Ghost very early on."
"Captain, when you originally reported , you omitted the details of the three days you were controlled by me."
Bligh said slowly:
"Don't worry, Captain. I didn't do anything to you. I just kept you under anesthesia and in deep sleep. The anti-mind control chip in your head is really giving me a headache.
"I was questioned by the higher-ups, and I answered completely truthfully. At the time, I didn't know Hui Saka was the White Ghost, so I didn't have any defenses against him. I just treated him as a perfect work of art and prepared to collect him.
"That's all."
"The death of Dismemberer No. 3..."
"Captain," Bly turned to look at Catherine, "Since the higher-ups have blurred the issue, there's no need for us to dwell on it. Everyone loves White Ghost now, so it's correct to ignore the previous details and accept White Ghost."
Catherine leaned back in the leather chair and said calmly, "I'm just afraid that the White Ghost will join forces with you and create an irreparable disaster."
"Disaster? White Ghost doesn't want to be an enemy of the Empire. He is also a part of the Empire," Bligh said with a smile, "Besides, the organization is more worried about your relationship with White Ghost than me."
"Me?" Catherine pointed at the tip of her nose hidden behind the mask. "What do I have to do with the White Ghost?"
"Dating relationship."
Catherine raised her hand to her forehead, feeling a little powerless to complain.
She was just flirting at best. She always put work before personal feelings. Her job was to be a sharp blade in the hands of the empire. She...
Ding ding!
The private communicator sent a prompt sound, and Catherine completed the reading action instantly.
[Hui (ghost substitute): I heard from Director Ruiwa that you will also come back when I take the assessment? ]
【Catherine (Captain): I haven't received any news. 】
[Hui (ghost substitute): Let's make an appointment then? I did everything I could to reveal my true identity just so I could date you openly, Lady Catherine.]
[Catherine (Captain): Only ghosts believe ghosts' ghost words.]
[Hui (ghost substitute): I swear on my personal charm, if you don't refuse, it means you have accepted the date invitation. Bring me some military oil, my joints need lubrication, I will prepare a gift for you, how about dancing for you? ]
[Catherine (Captain): Let your real body jump.]
【Hui (ghost stand-in): No problem, I can still afford a video clip. 】
"Bah," Catherine threw the communicator aside, but quickly took it back and typed a line of text.
【Catherine (Captain): I am working, and we chat during breaks. 】
【Hui (ghost stand-in): Let’s get started. If we record a few more videos at once, we can catch more fish.】
Catherine sneered, with a gleam in her eyes.
Bray next to him raised his hand to his forehead.
If he remembered correctly, this should be the sixth time the captain and the master have chatted... in the last hour.
…
"Boss, the Super Reformer Organization sent us the assessment details. It seems that they have no intention of letting us off the hook."
"Hmm? Let me see."
On the Dongfeng, Yang Ming, who was lying on the sofa and chatting with Catherine, turned over and sat up, and several projection screens popped up in front of him.
When he put on the helmet and sent his consciousness to Hui Saka, it was equivalent to clocking in for work. When Hui Saka returned to his residence, Yang Ming took off his helmet, which was considered as clocking out of work.
Yang Ming looked at the assessment process carefully for a while, and his smile became a little stiff.
He laughed awkwardly, "Well, is this a polite way of rejecting my joining the Super Modifiers? Then I'll just go to Skywrath Fortress to earn military merits, and just in time to join Gris."
"Uh, boss," Lu whispered, "there is a note below that the results of this assessment are scored by the jury. In other words, it is all subjective and there is a lot of room for flexibility."
"Then why do they make it so complicated?"
"Is there a possibility," Ritsu said with a smile, "that the Council of Elders wants to save face and wants to create the impression that White Ghost is willing to risk his life to join the Super Reformers, so they reluctantly accept White Ghost?"
"Damn, are they trying to play tricks on me?"
Yang Ming rubbed his eyebrows and began to think about the response strategy.
The assessment is divided into three parts:
Basic ability test, practical ability test, and multi-member cooperation in complex environment.
If Yang Ming uses a mechanical body to participate in this assessment, live ammunition will be used throughout the entire test process.
"They still want you, boss, to show up in your true form."
"That would be too risky for me," Yang Ming said. "If they just push me, then all my efforts would be wasted. Once we get to know each other, trust each other, and have all the necessary guarantees, I will naturally show up on my own initiative."
Lu had a headache: "Then we can only strengthen Hui Saka's combat capability now, but it takes a certain amount of time to transform Hui Saka. From now until the assessment day, we can only barely complete part of the transformation."
"Prioritize mobility," Yang Ming said, "Firepower can be improved by plug-ins, but mobility is the core."
"Okay, boss. I'll arrange it right away."
“Is there any problem with the channel?”
"No problem," Lu raised his fist to his face and gave a thumbs-up. "We are now the largest arms smuggler on Planet Yaha. Hui Saka, the bionic robot, is itself a super-sized contraband!"
Yang Ming: …
Mechanical thinking entities can indeed do whatever they want in the cyber world.
If you want to improve the combat power of 'Hui Saka', you need to improve both the hardware and the software.
Because the combat machine is controlled by the consciousness body, Yang Ming's personal operating skills are also very critical.
If you want to be proficient in operation, you have to spend time training.
There was still more than a week left before the assessment, and Yang Ming also began his own devilish special training, improving his thinking synchronization rate, adapting to the movement characteristics of the mechanical body, and proficiently operating the various weapons that had been equipped...
If there is no training ground, then use Catherine’s back door to get access to the Super Modifier Training Center.
Without mature transformation data, they used the back door to get some confidential information from the New Federal CIA and the Empire's arms group.
Finally, the White Ghost test arrived as scheduled.
More than a hundred super modifiers who were on rest came from various administrative stars in the Imperial Star Circle to Yaha Star for on-site observation;
Catherine and Bly were also temporarily transferred back to the Super Modifier Base on Yaha Star and became the two examiners responsible for scoring.
The assessment time is set at 10 a.m., and after the two-hour assessment is over, it will not delay the normal lunch time at the training center.
The training center for super-changers is located in the military restricted area of Yaha Star. It is surrounded by three military academies, six military-related research institutes, and Yaha Star’s last line of defense - the Planetary Close-Earth Defense System Command Center. A little further away is the base of Yaha Star’s standing guard corps.
The Super Modifier Organization has a total of twelve large bases in the Imperial Star Circle, and the base on Yaha Star ranks among the top three in size.
At 9:15 in the morning, two military hovercrafts led the way, and an extended luxury hovercraft followed behind, arriving at the No. 2 main training ground of the training center.
Two alloy doors more than ten meters high slowly opened, and the main training ground's open space of more than 60,000 square meters appeared in front of Yang Ming.
The hovercraft drove into the gate, attracting attention from all sides.
There were hundreds of spectators present, including super reformers who had come after hearing the news, ordinary reformers, staff from the training center, and some middle-aged and elderly officers in military uniforms.
The hovercraft traveled two hundred meters and stopped in front of a hover stand.
In the stands, a jury of twelve elite super-changers stood up at the same time, including Catherine and Bray.
Click.
The rear door slowly opened, the jury held their breath, and the audience in the nearby stands were focused.
A sneaker protruded from the car door, followed by a pair of crisp dress pants.
He looked like he had just walked out of a TV show. His dark grey suit was wrinkle-free. His tall and straight figure embodied his masculine power, and his face had a calm smile.
The rumored white ghost officially appears in the form of 'Tsuyoshi Saka'!
This scene was perfectly recorded by a camera ball suspended in mid-air and simultaneously transmitted to the eyes of some dignitaries and senior generals.
——Both the military and the Council of Elders are paying close attention to this assessment.
"Captain Hanton."
Director Riva's voice sounded, and two projection balls floated over, interweaving the light to reveal the serious face of this middle-aged woman with a bit of endocrine disorder.
"Are you sure you want to take this test as a mechanical body?"
Yang Ming put his hands behind his back and slightly spread his legs, using the standard military posture of the empire.
"Yes! Thank you for your understanding!"
"Very good," Director Riva said, "If you fail this assessment, you will lose the opportunity to join the Super Reformers. Of course, if your original body arrives, you will have another chance to retake the exam. We all know how powerful your original body is."
Yang Ming said: "Compared to the Empire's invincible fleet, this so-called strength is nothing at all!"
"Then why don't you just show up?"
"I still cannot forgive Professor Kigrove for conducting a temporary and irresponsible transformation experiment on the officers serving on the research ship! I cannot let it go that my beloved empire threw me into Cole Harbor Prison for those unimportant non-core researchers, leaving me to face the strangulation of the New Federation Intelligence Department!"
Yang Ming's eyes became much sharper:
"I am willing to devote all my strength to pursue the glory of the Imperial Star!
"But I don't want to be captured by those ambitious scientific research teams and become a sample for their funding applications!
“I will use my actions to prove my loyalty and love for the empire, and use my accumulated achievements to exchange for a protection order signed by the Imperial Council of Elders!
"When all conditions are ripe, I will also donate the ancient technology I master to the empire!"
Director Riva nodded and said, "Good luck with your assessment, Hui Saka."
"Thank you, Director!"
Yang Ming waved his hand and saluted, and the atmosphere at the scene became solemn and depressing.
Bly walked forward slowly and said in a gentle voice, "The first item of the assessment is basic ability. You need to complete all the... performance tests on this list."
Yang Ming nodded, and the stands in front moved to the left and right, revealing the testing grounds at the rear.
The modular venue began to adjust rapidly. Yang Ming took off his dress shirt. Faint circles of light appeared on the soles of his feet and the palms of his hands. His body floated in the air and drifted forward.
Before entering the examination room, Yang Ming turned his head and glanced at Catherine.
Her golden mask was broken into half again, but today it was made into a face mask, revealing her bright eyes with light makeup on.
Yang Ming blinked lightly.
Catherine calmly ticked a few boxes on the scoring board, giving him an early evaluation of passing the test.
"Captain, you're being too obvious," Bly murmured softly, "There are still sixteen tests to come. Just tick each one you pass. Don't worry, these guys next to you are all my acquaintances. They will give me the same points as I give them. We must keep the White Ghost, even if it's just in name."
Catherine nodded slightly.
She hates all formalism and deception.
However, today is an exception.
