[White Ghost's parents were kidnapped, and the Imperial Defense Forces are urgently hunting them down.]
[A strangulation against the White Ghost, the parents of the empire hero became hostages. ]
[Abnormal public opinion, warship kidnapping, who did White Ghost offend? 】
[Breaking news! A foreign fleet attacked the administrative planet on the edge of the empire and abducted White Ghost's parents! ]
…
Imperial Palace, Government Hall.
The military, the Council of Elders, the Development Religion, various government departments, and dozens of powerful officials of the empire stood before the old emperor, all with their heads bowed and remained silent.
This matter was very small, just two imperial civilians were kidnapped. Considering the size of the empire, this matter was not even worth discussing at the highest level government meeting.
But this matter is very big.
A fleet of twelve warships launched an organized raid. The intelligence system of the Military Intelligence Bureau was completely breached. They even issued a false order. The two abducted civilians were the biological parents of the White Ghost, the hottest political star in the empire. Now the entire network of the empire is paying attention to it, and the local propaganda department can't suppress the heat...
People admire heroes.
But people prefer to snoop into the personal privacy of heroes to satisfy their huge desire for voyeurism.
Three hours had passed since Hanton's parents were abducted, and the interception by the Empire's local defense forces had failed. The enemy's warships were far superior to those old ships of the local defense forces, especially in terms of stealth performance.
The old emperor's expression showed no joy or anger. He just sat there quietly with a faint smile on his lips.
"Where's Hamton?"
The highest commander of the military immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Hanton is waiting in the spaceport. He wants to borrow a warship that can jump to join his ancient technology warship."
"Let him come over," the old emperor frowned, "Can he find the kidnappers? Isn't he afraid that this is a trap set by the New Federation for him? Let him come over, prepare for a live broadcast across the territory, let him make a public appearance and say a few words to calm public opinion first."
"yes!"
The supreme commander turned his head and looked at the two old men behind him. The one on the right seemed to have relatively easy mobility and immediately turned around and walked towards the gate.
"Run a few steps!"
The old emperor suddenly shouted:
"Now hundreds of billions of people in the empire are watching your military's excitement! The Military Intelligence Bureau has been infiltrated like a sieve! The local defense forces have tens of thousands of ships, but in the end they didn't have a direct confrontation with the robbers!"
The old general ran quickly, his body trembling a little.
The acting chief of the Council of Elders reported: "Your Majesty, this is definitely a premeditated and organized kidnapping plan. We analyzed the twelve warships and found a lot of key information."
The old emperor waved his hand, and the acting chief immediately unfolded the projection screen and displayed twelve photos.
“Your Majesty, please take a look. All twelve warships are 600-meter cruisers. Their hull shapes and manufacturing processes are identical at first glance, and they appear to be the product of the same assembly line, but they differ in details.
"The nine warships forming the sniper array photographed by the defense fleet are all of the same model. They have nine dispersed energy transmission main guns that can instantly output energy comparable to the traditional main guns of a 1,300-meter-class medium battleship. This is a relatively advanced main gun technology.
"According to our preliminary investigation, this technology has only been deployed in a small number of powerful countries, which can be said to be a complete suppression of the emergency fleet of the local defense forces.
"In addition, their ship layout, power system, and somewhat exaggerated jump efficiency... There is no doubt that these are advanced ships.
"More details are about the three ships that entered the atmosphere and participated in the raid. Your Majesty, you see... they don't have frontal main guns."
The old emperor frowned and looked at it: "What's wrong with this?"
"Of these three ships, one is a comprehensive supply command ship, one is a special ship for ground suppression, and one is an information jamming ship."
The acting chief elder sighed:
“Their hull structures are the same as those of the nine main battleships, and their overall performance is also very similar, but it is obvious that the shipyards that produce these ships have achieved modular assembly.
"This requires an extremely high level of ship design. The fact that the other party can develop a basic ship into a multifunctional model can only mean one thing!
“They themselves have extremely high industrial standards.
"There are no more than ten countries or forces in the Milky Way that can achieve this level of technology."
The old emperor said calmly: "You said so much, just to say that this kidnapping case was done by the New Federation?"
"It's very likely, that's the only explanation."
"Is there any difference between this and the view we held before?" The old emperor was immediately furious. "Isn't the style of this ship the same as that of the New Federation?"
A middle-aged man outside the hall lowered his head and walked in, shouting from a distance:
"Your Majesty! The Foreign Affairs Bureau has just received a diplomatic letter from the New Federation. They expressed their high concern about the vicious kidnapping case that occurred in the Empire, and said that the ships that appeared in the Empire were definitely not their military ships. The Empire is requested to remain rational and restrained and handle this issue more professionally!"
"Get them out of here!"
The emperor suddenly roared:
"If today's matter cannot be resolved, then make them hand over all the ship information! Otherwise, we will start the second expedition!"
The middle-aged man quickly lowered his head and accepted the order, turned around and ran outside, and began to think about how to choose the diplomatic words.
Generally speaking, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of every country is a very important department, but the Empire is an exception. Even if their Foreign Affairs Bureau is of sufficient level, it will not be summoned directly by His Majesty most of the time.
There is no way, the empire's diplomacy is left to the military.
The emperor called a maid beside him and casually glanced at the public opinion of the empire. His expression became increasingly worse.
"As I recall, the discussion surrounding the new emperor's accession to the throne was about the same."
The old emperor raised his hand to his forehead:
“You know what I’m most worried about?
"It's you, the military. You have brought disgrace upon the military! They came to the heart of our empire and captured two living people under your strict guard!
"The army is the foundation of my country, Sherman! You are shaking the foundation of the country!"
The two old generals could only lower their heads.
They could sense that the old emperor's anger should have come from other places, but he vented it on the military, which had been working diligently and treading on thin ice.
The local defense forces have aging ships, incomplete response mechanisms, and high maintenance costs for near-Earth spaceports, so they choose far-space spaceports... In the final analysis, isn't it all caused by insufficient military spending?
Of course, no one dares to refute His Majesty the Emperor now.
"Has the Archbishop activated the territory's defense system?"
"Your Majesty," a younger bishop of the Development Cult bowed his head, "We have tried to activate it three times, but the response we got was that a kidnapping case is not enough to awaken the Imperial Guard System. Although the public opinion on the Internet is fierce, most of them are waiting for the follow-up. Only a very small number of them are anti-imperial remarks. They are all at a controllable stage."
"Controllable?"
The old emperor sneered.
"Then let's wait for Hanton to come back! There is no capable minister in the whole country!"
The ministers could only bow their heads and hold their breath, fearing that the emperor would suddenly call their names.
As for Princess Daphne...
No one cares about the gossip about White Ghost now.
…
When Yang Ming arrived at the palace, the kidnapping had already occurred for four hours.
Several government departments of the empire have cooperated and have prepared an official emergency broadcast. Yang Ming also received the script from the Tentacle Organization in advance.
The official attitude of the empire was that he should first calm down public opinion within the empire and then consider the problems of his own family.
The content of the script was actually not excessive. Yang Ming only needed to express one message clearly - he believed that the imperial military and local security system could solve the problem in a timely manner and protect the personal safety of every citizen of the empire.
As for the rest, Yang Ming can curse the robbers however he wants.
According to the emperor's request, Yang Ming needed to broadcast inside the palace, with the emperor himself appearing in the background to express the emperor's importance to the heroes of the empire.
"His Majesty!"
Yang Ming walked straight into the middle of the ministers and gave a weak imperial military salute.
He whispered, "I didn't expect that my family's kidnapping would alarm your Majesty and all the ministers."
The old emperor snorted, "Why? Are you saying that we have nothing to do and are meddling too much?"
Yang Ming lowered his head quickly: "I definitely didn't mean that. Your Majesty, I am deeply touched that you care about my family. I just feel that this matter has wasted too many resources of the empire."
"Public opinion, public opinion !"
The old emperor waved his hand, and the acting chief elder beside him immediately understood.
The acting chief explained earnestly, "Lord Hanton, I know you must be worried about your parents, but you are the earl of the empire. What you should do now is not to drive the ship to chase those robbers, but to calm down the public opinion first."
"I understand and accept it."
Yang Ming immediately said:
"After all, this incident was caused by me, and I will do my best to calm public opinion...
"But can I ask, has the Empire found out who did this? The New Federation? The nobles I offended? Or some other force with unknown motives?"
The acting chief sighed, "We currently infer that it was the New Federation that did it, but until we find substantial evidence, we cannot attack the New Federation."
An old general from the military added: "We have organized hundreds of warships to track down those twelve warships. Don't worry, Hanton. As long as there is a possibility, we will bring your parents back safely."
The old emperor said: "After your parents are rescued, they will live on the Imperial Star! I will reward them with titles and manors!"
"At this time, I cannot express my gratitude to you, Your Majesty. I just hope they are safe and sound."
Yang Ming immediately said: "I can broadcast now."
An official nearby immediately turned around and shouted, "Photo ball! Release the photo ball!"
Many officials straightened their manners.
A maid ran over, holding up her skirt, and almost twisted her foot on the way because of her high heels. She walked straight behind the emperor's seat, leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear.
The old emperor's face became visibly gloomy.
"The Imperial Guard system can't be activated yet?"
The maid hurriedly said, "Yes, Your Majesty, the Archbishop has inserted the scepter more than ten times, and the Imperial Guard system has not detected any crisis in the empire and refuses to start."
The old emperor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He raised his hand to signal the maid to leave. He sat on the throne and thought for a few seconds before speaking:
"Don't worry. The robbers have already started the live broadcast before you. They are already outside the empire and are requesting to communicate with Hanton."
All the ministers in the hall remained silent.
Yang Ming asked: "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
"What do I mean? I definitely mean to protect your parents and every citizen of the empire," the old emperor said calmly, "Negotiate with them right here, Hanton, I want to see what they want to do."
"Your Majesty, this may be inappropriate," an elder said in a deep voice, "You are the highest will of the empire. It is against the procedure to directly inquire about a kidnapping case."
The old emperor uttered a word softly: "Get lost."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
A maid came running barefoot and brought a long table with a panoramic projection system on it. A projection screen with scrolling codes appeared in front of him.
——The Imperial Palace naturally has a system that directly connects to the entire empire’s network.
The projection screen shook slightly, and the image inside the ship's cabin appeared.
Hanton's parents were sitting in two suspended chairs, both soundly asleep, with two hourglasses placed next to the chairs.
Antimatter bomb!
An old, electronically processed voice resounded throughout the entire palace.
"Has the White Ghost not arrived yet? Does our Earl of Hamton not even have the heart to save his own parents?"
"Now let me check the number of viewers for this live broadcast. Oh, yes, the live broadcast has been limited. Now it is less than a few million. Wow, this is the Empire's method."
"You can cut off this live broadcast, yes, you can cut it off completely, and then I will choose one of Hanton's father or mother and throw him out of this ship."
"We have gone to so much trouble to capture the two of them. Please do not doubt our determination to kill them. Of course, you can say that they sacrificed their lives for the country and confer them some beautiful posthumous titles, but think about it, your hero, the little ghost of the empire, is sitting alone, helpless and painfully on the sofa in the living room of his old home, crying bitterly at the projected photo on the wall. He curled up and his body kept shaking. He hated his own incompetence and why he could not teleport back and forth between the galaxies, so that his parents would not be directly blown to death. Haha, haha! He is an orphan! Oh~ a powerful orphan, an orphan of the empire!"
The corners of Yang Ming's mouth kept twitching and his expression became extremely gloomy.
The emperor made a gesture, and the maid pointed the camera ball at Yang Ming and started a live broadcast.
Yang Ming took a breath, straightened his chest and raised his head, looking straight ahead.
"Ooooh! A ghost is coming!"
The noisy voice sounded again.
A mechanical guard with a silver-white skeleton walked into the screen, muttering something, and raised his hand to press a few buttons.
The picture was divided into two, and Yang Ming's figure and half of the imperial palace appeared in the picture.
“Don’t hurt them.”
Yang Ming said in a deep voice: "If you want to target me, just come directly to me."
"White ghost? Handsome white ghost."
The mechanical guard let out a cackle:
"Let me see... Are you on the Imperial Star? Yes, you are so powerful that you can convict all the nobles at will, so you should be on the Imperial Star now.
"Are those five or six guys behind you the ministers of the empire?"
"what you up to?"
Yang Ming did not respond: "Tell me your purpose, don't be mysterious here. You should know that if you hurt my parents, I will tear you and the people behind you to pieces."
"Then come on, White Ghost, and do what you are best at, boarding the ship."
The mechanical guard sneered:
“He is just a product of the empire’s biochemical experiments. He accidentally created some achievements and was then deified by the empire and became the biggest traffic star.
"Are you still human?
"Do the women on the Imperial Star smell good? Ah? Earl of Hamton, when will you become the Duke of Hamton, or the Prince of Hamton?
"It must feel good to be the emperor's dog."
Yang Ming said angrily: "Shut up!"
"Look, you are already irritated by me. What else can you boast of except your little bit of military strength? Come, let me show you. Look outside, outside the ship."
The picture changed, and a meteorite belt appeared on the robber's side.
Along with a beam of bright light, a hot ball of light appeared in the meteorite belt.
"Did you see that?"
The mechanical guard laughed:
"My antimatter bomb is real. I can decompose your parents into elementary particles at any time. You won't even be able to collect their bodies then.
"By the way, I also made a simple timing device. Look here."
The picture was shaking as I got closer to the two hourglasses and saw the small timer underneath them.
The mechanical guard casually turned on the timer and the countdown began to tick.
Only thirty minutes.
Yang Ming could only rant: "You bastard! What on earth do you want to do!"
The mechanical guard smiled and said, "It's very simple. Just three things. If you satisfy me, I will give you the coordinates of the transport ship and interrupt the timer."
"speak!"
"The first thing is to find the emperor. You only have about twenty minutes, but I think it should be easy for you to ask for an audience with the emperor."
Yang Ming frowned tightly, pursed his lips and said nothing.
"Why, you want to sacrifice your parents?"
Yang Ming said firmly: "If my parents died at your hands, it was because of sin, and it has nothing to do with anyone in the empire!"
"Anyone can say nice things, the choice is yours."
The mechanical guard ran his finger across the cheek of Hanton's father and pressed down hard. Hanton's father's body kept shaking.
Yang Ming was so furious that his whole body was shaking.
Suddenly, the old emperor's voice came from behind him: "Turn the camera over, Hanton, don't be afraid of darkness and evil. If it is to protect the citizens of our country, what's wrong with me, the emperor, showing up?"
Yang Ming turned around and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, they may be plotting something bad..."
"It doesn't matter, this is the Emperor Star."
The old emperor waved his hand and the maids started working.
Yang Ming walked around to the back of the long table. Behind him were the emperor and more than a dozen of the empire's most powerful ministers.
The traffic in the live broadcast room suddenly began to surge, and thousands or tens of thousands of live broadcast diversions appeared in the online world.
As if intimidated by the emperor, the mechanical guards spoke in a much more restrained manner.
"So you are in the palace, that's great... White Ghost of the Empire, the second thing is that you have to confess."
"Tell me, how to repent."
"For the crimes you committed, you didn't hesitate to raise How many people have you killed now? Do you still remember?"
Yang Ming raised his head slightly: "If you are talking about the Empire's conquest, as a soldier of the Empire, I am destroying the enemy to defend my country. If you are talking about rectifying the corrupt nobles, I can tell you that some of the nobles are the Empire's vampires, blood-sucking worms that lie on the hundreds of billions of people in the Empire! I kill them to eliminate harm for the people!"
The mechanical guard laughed and said, "What did Prince Venos say? You don't think that other people don't know that the emperor asked you to do this, do you? Hahaha, stop being righteous, you are just a hypocritical and despicable villain! Are you still the white ghost charging at the queen alone? You are no longer one, you are now just the emperor's butcher knife, you are just the embodiment of the deterrent power of the imperial power! And you are also eliminating harm for the people, only procedural justice is eliminating harm for the people, and abusing lynching is just venting your own desires! This is in the Imperial Code, you don't even know this?"
Yang Ming clenched his fists.
"Hurry up and confess. You can just say, I confess the sins I have committed."
"I...I repent for the sins I have committed."
"Very good. The third thing may be a little difficult for you, because if you do it, you will lose the power and fame you have worked so hard to gain, but your parents will survive."
The mechanical guard laughed:
"Look at the Emperor and repeat to him three times: Myron Sherman is a big, stupid asshole."
Yang Ming stared at the projection screen in front of him. There was a slight commotion in the hall, but it disappeared immediately.
Myron Sherman is the emperor's real name, which is a taboo in the empire and will not be mentioned easily.
The emperor frowned and looked at the projection screen below, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hurry up, White Ghost, what are you waiting for?"
The mechanical guard smiled and picked up the hourglass. His silver-white fingers poked it a few times nimbly, and the countdown suddenly changed to only three minutes left.
“Thirty minutes is too much for you, considering you’ve already found the Emperor.
“You only have three minutes.
"Quick, turn your head and look at the emperor. Why are you looking at me? Don't you believe in its power?"
The mechanical guard picked up an antimatter bomb, walked to the window and handed it to a robot.
The robot immediately entered the conversion cabin, rushed into space holding the bomb, accelerated for about ten seconds, and then pressed the button on the hourglass.
The close-range explosion shook the screen, and the outer protective shield of the transport ship barely withstood the power of the explosion.
"White Ghost, what are you waiting for? Look at the emperor and call him a big idiot. Remember to mention his name. Myron Sherman, the biggest dictator in the galaxy, the oppressor of hundreds of billions of people in the empire. Come on! Speak!"
"Hanton."
The old emperor's voice suddenly came, still calm, steady, and even without any emotion:
"If it can save the lives of two innocent citizens of the empire, then just do as he says. It's just a few insults. It's the emperor's duty to protect every one of his citizens."
" His Majesty!"
Immediately, an elder shouted:
"This is a disgrace to the nation! It cannot be made up for by the lives of two civilians!"
"Your Majesty, please consider this carefully! This matter must not be carried out lightly!"
"Your Majesty, how could Earl of Hamton do such a rebellious act! Where do you put Earl of Hamton, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, please take back your order!"
"Please, Your Majesty! Take back your order!"
Yang Ming turned his head and looked behind him, towards the platform. The emperor nodded seriously.
"Come on, Hanton, don't worry. I won't be upset with you because of this."
"His Majesty!"
Yang Ming suddenly turned around and took the initiative to kneel on one knee towards the emperor. After taking two deep breaths, he shouted loudly:
"I voluntarily give up all the honors and official positions of the Empire. In the future, I will continue to fight against the Zerg and resist foreign enemies for the Empire! Your Majesty, Your Majesty... Please forgive me!"
The emperor said calmly, "You don't have to do that. I won't allow it. You are a hero of the empire, and heroes of the empire should be praised and honored! Just scold me, this is for saving my people!"
"Myron Sherman is... a big idiot..."
The emperor closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if he was feeling some strange state of mind.
The mechanical guard grabbed Hanton's mother's neck and said, "Louder! White ghost! Louder!"
"You bastard!"
Yang Ming turned his head and growled, then lowered his head and shouted:
"Myron Sherman is a big asshole."
"Hahahaha!" The mechanical guard laughed wildly, "One more time!"
"Myron Sherman is a big idiot!"
"Perfect! Please allow me to take my leave early, Your Majesty the Great Emperor."
call out!
The live broadcast was directly cut off, and a line of deep space coordinates was sent to the screen. Immediately, a maid ran over with her head down, and the old general of the military also lowered his head and began to contact his subordinates.
In the hall, the old emperor smiled and said slowly:
“This so-called robber obviously has a misunderstanding of our empire.
“I am the emperor, yes, but I am only a restrainer and regulator. I supervise the nobles of the empire within the framework of the restrainer empire.
“If the people of the empire encounter any injustice, they can get true justice from me.
"It's just a few insults. How can I not be tolerant? Please rest assured, the hero of the empire will not be treated unfairly. I cherish him because he really uses his power for the people, so..."
"Your Majesty," a maidservant beside him whispered, "The other party is the one who started the live broadcast. The current live broadcast has been completely cut off."
The emperor paused, his expression darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye, and suddenly kicked over the low table in front of him.
"You three old losers! You have turned my Invincible Fleet into a bunch of losers! You have been fooled by a few robbers! Go back to your hometown right now! If you can't do it, don't do it!"
The three old generals bowed their heads and knelt down, without any argument, just sighed.
The problem with the local defense forces is really due to the lack of military funds...
"His Majesty!"
Yang Ming lowered his head and sighed, "Please punish me!"
"Get out! Get out now!"
The old emperor cursed loudly, and a group of ministers quickly obeyed his orders and retreated with their heads down.
"Hanton you!"
The old emperor pointed at Yang Ming and cursed: "Are you stubborn? If your parents were killed by them, they would be heroes of the empire and praised by the world. I can build a big monument for them! Of course, now I have gained a certain degree of public support. I have shown that I love the people like my own children. This is great. I can take this opportunity to market myself... You can go down now."
"But your majesty."
"Get out!"
"yes!"
Yang Ming immediately stood up, turned around and left in a hurry.
More than ten minutes later, Yang Ming heard the news that the three highest commanders of the imperial army had collectively resigned.
…
In a dark room in the Luofeng Empire, the operator of the mechanical guards, retired pirate, and first mate of the Dongfeng, Old Kolev, took off his helmet and breathed a sigh of relief.
This book made by Lu...
"It's exciting."
…
Deep within the Imperial Star, in the dark space where the black box floats.
The girl in the black box trembled her eyelids slightly, and a chain around her leg quietly disappeared.