Chapter 321: The Hero's 'Dejected' Exit
There were no reporters outside the palace.
This made Yang Ming, who had prepared a scene, feel deeply regretful after coming out.
——This is the Imperial Star. Unless it is arranged in advance, few reporters have the ability to approach the palace module.
An extended hovercraft slowly drove over, the back door opened, Princess Daphne turned her head to look outside the door and nodded slightly to Yang Ming.
Yang Ming forced an ugly smile and declined Princess Daphne's kindness with a gesture. He turned around and walked a few steps forward. Then he opened the red film and flew up directly, floating straight towards the hotel where he had stayed before.
Princess Daphne frowned slightly: "Can't the Imperial Star make a law to prohibit humans from flying around at will?"
The maid driving the car could only blink awkwardly and comfort the princess, "The Earl's parents are still in danger. The Earl should still be worried... Your Highness, where are we going next?"
"Go back," Daphne said calmly, "In this situation, whatever I do will easily attract criticism."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The maid responded softly.
Yang Ming turned his head and glanced a few times, making sure that Daphne didn't follow him, then he breathed a sigh of relief.
I hope the princess will be more sensible and stop getting entangled with him.
He has already resorted to such a self-torture tactic, and now the crucial step is to resolutely resign and withdraw from the political circle of Imperial Star. He cannot allow any gossip to arise.
By the way, the emperor's expression is very gratifying.
After Yang Ming returned to the hotel, he sat quietly in the hotel lobby, putting the communicator aside and waiting for news.
About ten minutes later, Major General Clion led several young officers and appeared in front of Yang Ming. They all saluted Yang Ming.
"Lord Hanton! Next we will report to you on the rescue efforts for your family."
"We have detected a commercial transport ship at the coordinates given by the kidnappers. We have mobilized the nearest combat units to provide full support!"
"Lord Hanton, the other party is a group of vicious and well-trained robbers. We even suspect that they may be special forces from some country... Although this is illogical, our military intuition tells us that your parents' safety should be relatively guaranteed."
Yang Ming nodded slowly: "Excuse me, please take a seat."
Major General Clion finally felt emotions such as fragility, anxiety, and helplessness in this young man in his early twenties.
Originally, the impression Yang Ming gave him was that he was extremely confident. He maintained a strong aura at all times and could knock out an entire ship's worth of elite soldiers with just a single word.
"Everyone, take a seat and pay attention to the contact signal."
Major General Clion turned his head and gave some instructions, and then the young officers sat aside rather stiffly.
Several waiters came over and brought tea and drinks, which showed that they were quite considerate.
Yang Ming asked: "Are you sure it was done by the New Federation?"
"At this stage, we are more suspicious of the New Federation, and we cannot rule out the possibility that domestic forces are in alliance with the New Federation."
Major General Clion whispered:
“In terms of motive and purpose, the New Federation is the top suspect, but after the case occurred, the New Federation actively contacted our Foreign Affairs Bureau and Military Intelligence Bureau.
"They sent us strong and direct signals, even painstakingly explaining that they were not taking any level of military action against the Empire.
“If we look at it from a macro perspective, the New Federation has just suffered the double disaster of the Imperial Expedition and the high-level Zerg massacre, and the domestic population has not yet stabilized. It is indeed unlikely that they will take such radical retaliatory actions.
"This may have been done by other countries, who intended to use the Empire's fist to crush the New Federation, so that both the Empire and the New Federation would suffer losses and give up some high-quality resources."
Yang Ming nodded: "In other words, we can't find out who did this?"
A young officer said: "The performance of their warships is comparable to that of the elite fleet of the Imperial Star Circle... The other side is well-organized and has strong mobility..."
"Yes, we can't find out who did it for now," Major General Clion sighed, "But the truth will definitely come out one day. At this stage, we need to ensure the safety of your parents."
Yang Ming didn't say much.
He leaned forward, picked up a can of drink and put it back, lowered his head and sighed, rubbed his face with his hands, and sat there quietly with his face covered.
Someone nearby took a picture of this scene, which later became a hot picture circulated on the Internet inside and outside the Imperial Star.
Major General Clion whispered, "Three top commanders have resigned, leaving a vacancy in the military's top twelve-member meeting. It will probably take a few months for stability to return."
Yang Ming whispered, "Several generals have been implicated."
"You don't have to feel guilty about this. The former Supreme Commander asked me to express my condolences to you. This kidnapping case exposed the huge shortcomings of the local defense system. However, several military departments have tried to improve and fill this shortcoming, but they have run into trouble due to insufficient military funds."
Major General Clion sighed.
Yang Ming asked in return: "Hasn't the Empire's military budget always been sufficient? And it's never made public."
Major General Clion whispered, "In theory, it is sufficient, but with the periodic economic decline and population decline of the local administrative stars of the empire, there will be corresponding gaps in local military spending."
Yang Ming asked: "Why did the military tell me this?"
Major General Clion approached Yang Ming and whispered:
“Although the three commanders have resigned, they will join the military think tank. In fact, they will just not appear in front of Your Majesty, which will not have much impact.
"What the military means is... the general lack of military funds for local defense forces is due to the defects in the local military expenditure system. It is a very common phenomenon that the private fleets of the nobles devour the military funds of the second-line regular army.
"If you can investigate this issue, it will have a great positive effect on the empire."
Yang Ming almost laughed out of anger.
Before Hanton's parents were rescued, the military began discussing with Hanton how to do business.
While they were discussing this, a young officer brought over a communication device.
Two Stinger ships that Yang Ming was very familiar with appeared on the projection screen. Figures wearing thin space suits flew out of the Stinger ships and launched an attack on the transport ship in front.
It's quite a coincidence.
The transport ship that the robbers arranged at the end was right in the area where Captain Catherine was carrying out her mission. The Stinger jumped there with one leap. The landing point was very close to the transport ship, and it reached the target point in more than ten minutes.
Catherine led the way, carrying a ship-cutting sword, her eyes behind the golden mask full of coldness.
The way she chopped off the hatch made Yang Ming break into a cold sweat.
Without the constraints of her ideological imprint, Captain Catherine became more and more violent.
…
[The Super Modifier Assault Team successfully carried out the rescue, and the hero's parents escaped safely. 】
[The leader of the Super Modifier Team, Catherine, is the girlfriend of White Ghost. There are no kidnappers at the scene, only a few mechanical guards whose positron brains have spontaneously combusted.]
[Can the insulted great majesty still tolerate the imperial hero who is eager to save his parents? ]
[The empire hero also has an ordinary side, he must save his parents. 】
Yang Ming's fingers gently slid across General Clion's network access terminal. ——Through the military interface, it was connected to the empire's unified network.
The previously lifeless global network seemed to be exploding today.
The heat of the kidnapping case has not subsided yet. The video clip of the White Ghost insulting the emperor has been edited into countless versions and is circulating wildly on the Internet inside and outside the empire.
Public opinion within the empire was better, with many people expressing their understanding of White Ghost and their hope that White Ghost would not be punished by the Emperor.
The overseas network is simply unbearable to look at.
The name Myron Sherman has become the subject of discussion for many people, and the three words "big idiot" have also become a hot search term in many galactic countries.
The far-reaching impact of this incident far exceeded Yang Ming's imagination.
The emperor has always maintained his mystery, which is actually a national policy of the Sherman Empire.
When the emperor steps down from the platform, the deterrent effect of imperial power will be greatly reduced, not to mention now, when the White Ghost directly insults and the emperor takes the initiative to show his love for the people, giving people the impression of just an amiable old man next door.
The people's long-standing fear of imperial power was relieved to a great extent.
When Yang Ming and Lu formulated this plan, what they were actually considering was how to make the emperor voluntarily give up the White Ghost, the butcher knife.
Yang Ming exchanged his current title and bright future for freedom.
Of course, the effect of this plan has been achieved. Yang Ming can now express his apologies to the Emperor and then pack up and leave the Imperial Star.
The most brilliant part of this plan is the understanding of the Emperor's psychology.
If it were an opponent like Director Ino, Yang Ming would definitely think twice, but the emperor in front of him, the emperor who took pleasure in tormenting the empire, was not a very outstanding politician.
The rule of the Sherman family is that only mediocre people can become emperors.
Now, the matter is done, and the emperor is in a dilemma. Not only must he not let anything happen to Yang Ming, but he must also show comfort and care to Yang Ming in every possible way and play the role of a benevolent monarch to the end.
Over the next half day, related news repeatedly became a hot topic across the empire.
News related to "big idiot" has become the hottest term in various social software and online communication groups.
The various administrative planets of the Empire successively issued policies requiring civilians not to discuss the matter. This only added fuel to the fire, causing the public, who originally did not pay attention to the kidnapping of the Empire's hero's parents, to pay attention to the climax of the entire incident -
'The Emperor is a great idiot.'
The kidnapping case also has a new name.
[The Imperial Insult and Kidnapping Case].
The power of the Sherman family finally began to exert its influence, and public opinion began to be guided in the direction of "the emperor's benevolence", and emphasized the great earthquake caused by the military in this case in order to restore the emperor's dignity.
The next day, Handon's parents were taken to the Imperial Star, where they were received in person by the Emperor, who also broadcast the news to the entire region.
This well-maintained couple, who had just been unconscious for a night's sleep, were received by His Majesty the Emperor. They were also rewarded with a manor, several servants, and enjoyed special imperial star subsidies.
This couple will be trapped on the Imperial Star as hostages from now on.
The second half of the broadcast showed the Empire hero, White Ghost Hamton, reuniting with his family.
Yang Ming appeared in the camera, expressing his gratitude for the great emperor's dedication, the military and the Council of Elders for their efforts in rescuing his parents, and every citizen of the empire who cared about his family.
He then announced that he had not been subjected to any threats or coercion, and that he had voluntarily resigned from all his current positions and was willing to return the imperial title.
He explained to a group of reporters with a serious face:
“Insulting Your Majesty is a serious crime I have committed. It is a slander against the glory of the empire. Although it was a last resort under the circumstances, I still deeply regret this choice.
"I thought a lot last night and read a lot of public opinion on the Internet. Of course, these opinions will not shake my beliefs, but I must reflect on my past.
“The corrupt officials and nobles who oppress the people, the hostile forces outside the country, and the space Zerg, the natural enemy of mankind, were my enemies before and will continue to be my enemies in the future. I want to return to the original white ghost and contribute my own strength to the development of the empire and the improvement of people’s lives.
"I was between life and death, and I gained a power that far exceeds that of an ordinary transformed warrior. I will definitely use this power to protect the glory of the empire."
"Lord Hanton, do you really want to resign from all your positions and give up this hard-earned title?"
"Yes, I insulted your majesty. Although your majesty is magnanimous, this is my self-punishment."
Yang Ming said seriously:
"I will give up my special territory and honorary title, and the rewards I have received for fighting against those corrupt nobles over the past year.
"My parents will live in Dixing in the future, which makes me feel at ease. My roots will also be here, but I will go back to being the white ghost I was a few years ago."
The reporters looked at each other.
The answer given by Yang Ming was completely unrelated to the questions they had prepared in advance.
They were called here to sing praises to the virtues of the Emperor of the Empire, not to attend the farewell meeting of the White Ghost.
But obviously, this is a better news point.
Reporters swarmed over and began asking questions that became increasingly sharp.
Yang Ming would answer some questions at first, but in the end he just lowered his head and pursed his lips, his face full of gloom, as if he was under tremendous pressure.
In the palace, the emperor who was watching the broadcast was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, but he did not say much. He crossed out the broadcast and began to appreciate the controlled public opinion on the Internet.
Especially watching how these people praise his wisdom and bravery in various ways.
False imperial opinion floats on the surface:
Praise posts on major portals.
The real imperial opinion is hidden underground:
'Big idiot! Haha! You are a big idiot!'
"Be careful, or the secret service will arrest you and punish you for your stupidity."
"It's hard to say that this isn't the true feelings of Ghost-sama!"
"I love Ghost-sama more and more. Family is the most important thing!"
The sales of genuine White Ghost peripheral products have entered a new hot period.
After the broadcast ended, several guards sent by the Noble Court appeared in front of Yang Ming.
Yang Ming explained a few words to Hanton's parents, telling them not to worry too much, and left with the guards.
It was a rare opportunity for Yang Ming to take a prisoner van and be taken to a giant transport ship in space to be investigated by the Council of Elders and the Court of Nobles.
The reasons for the investigation were, one, verbal insults to His Majesty the Emperor, and the other, advocating the abdication of noble honors, which was not permitted by imperial law.
Yang Ming had anticipated this.
But what Yang Ming didn't expect was that just half an hour after he arrived at the giant ship of the Noble Court, his Royal Guard Knight Badge was taken back.
Now, he no longer has the authority to enter and leave the palace freely.
This shows that the emperor acquiesced to his departure.
The plan was generally successful. Now I just have to wait for the follow-up results and how much profit I can make.
In the rather luxurious prison room, Yang Ming had a gloomy expression on his face, and sighed softly in his heart:
'Comfortable.'
However, after being locked up for only half an hour, Yang Ming, who was lying there counting the stars outside the window, felt his ears tremble slightly and he heard light footsteps.
Such a familiar perfume smell.
The corners of Yang Ming's mouth twitched slightly, and he quickly adjusted his expression and continued to look gloomy.
