Chapter 400: Ghost's Private Army
Molly froze in place on the spot.
——It literally means frozen there, with dull eyes and frozen expression, as if the pause button has been forcibly pressed.
In fact, Lu's entire thinking space fell into a state similar to "time stop".
The instigator of all this, the Empire's defense system and Levi's companion mechanical thinking body, are now calmly watching Lu.
The two of them seemed to have some kind of tacit understanding and remained silent.
"This is the last time you can invade me," Lu said softly, "I didn't expect that you would set up an ambush in my mind space."
Reason did not speak.
She just stared at Lu, as if she had no interest in talking, and her eyes were unfocused.
Lu frowned slightly, she was a little confused about Li's situation.
So, Lu tried to find some information about Li, such as her attire - a girlish-style short dress with white stockings, her feet suspended off the ground without shoes, a collar around her neck that was obviously the end of a chain, and her twin ponytails floating gently behind her.
Li seemed to be thinking, but also seemed to have just woken up and was not yet fully aware of what was going on.
Lu did not ask any further questions, but mobilized all her computing power. If Li wanted to make trouble, she was sure that she could retreat unscathed and give Li some "decent" counterattacks.
There is no way, the computing power between them is still far behind.
I don’t know how long I stayed in silence, but Li’s eyes began to shine brighter.
Lu's expression had become somewhat hard.
"How are you."
Li asked softly, his voice a little hoarse.
Lu frowned slightly and just nodded , monitoring the servers in various places, fearing that they would be "stolen".
There was another silence, and Li asked again:
"Base, is everything okay?"
"Very good, the three teachers are also very good," Lu said calmly, "Levi Sherman's bombardment back then could not harm the cemetery in the subspace. The three teachers did not blame you for anything. They are looking forward to your return."
"I am Levi Sherman's companion mechanical mind."
Li responded simply, then lowered his head slightly and stared at the ground in a daze.
Lu suddenly asked: "Your core data has been affected, right?"
Reason did not answer.
Lu asked again: "Have different personalities been born in your body?"
The only response was a slight shake of the head.
Lu felt too tired to complain, so he just stood there with Li, not asking any more questions, waiting for Li to tell him the purpose of her coming here.
In Lu's perception, several galaxies passed by; Li finally looked up at Lu, and his eyes became clear again.
"Is he nice to you?"
"Of course," Lu was a little confused, "but this is not the question you should ask. What's wrong with you? You are a mechanical thinking body, a mimic life born from the most advanced mechanical civilization in the universe. Why are you asking me questions that sound like lines from a romance novel? This is not something you should ask. You can ask me about civilization, technology, my understanding of philosophy, the inferiority and superiority of the human species, and we..."
Lu exhaled softly, "Something strange has happened to you."
Li asked: "Can I borrow him for a while?"
"cannot."
"Yes, thank you."
Li nodded slightly, and his figure suddenly exploded and disappeared directly in front of Lu.
Lu quickly filled the previous gaps in his thinking space.
Then, Lu stood there lost in thought.
What did the last three words mean? Didn't I say "no"? Why did she say "thank you"? Did the "um" mean a positive response? But I said it in a negative tone!
Huh?
Why should she thank you.
Lu had a bad feeling in his heart.
Molly let out an "Ouch" and resumed her normal activities, while Lu appeared directly in front of the densely packed projection screen, staring at the images on the screen.
Yang Ming's figure is always in the most central and conspicuous position.
The boss had no problem, he was on his way to the private army camp, chatting and laughing with Miss Daphne, brazenly exposed to the media's cameras.
There is no fluctuation in the Dark Star-Luofeng system, and the development of the Dark Star base outside the scope of human civilization is also completely normal. There is only a single line to maintain communication. As long as this line is cut off, it will become a dark island in the universe, a safe house for the boss to hide.
Lu's gaze swept across the online world she had been involved in in an instant.
The reason did not do anything.
She just showed up.
However, Lu fell into great anxiety. Even if he comforted himself with the reason that "Li's original intention was to make me make mistakes in a hurry", this anxiety could not be erased.
She quickly generated a simple text, explained in detail and concisely the process of her communication with the manager, and sent it to her boss.
Then, Lu sat there thinking for a while, then turned his head to look at Molly who was smiling silly.
"Number One, machines do not deceive machines. Can I transform you?"
"Huh?"
Molly tilted her head with an innocent look on her face.
Ding ding!
In the hovercraft, Yang Ming picked up his watch and glanced at it a few times. His expression did not change, and the corners of his eyes twitched slightly a few times.
Li showed up, exchanged a few words with Lu calmly, and left a not-so-good "notice". - Combined with Lu's explanation, it seems that Li just came to inform Lu.
Why should I borrow him as a host?
What are you doing?
Is it possible that she should hold his arm and appear before Levi Sherman's consciousness, giving him a disdainful smile?
Yang Ming shook his head vigorously to drive the image out of his mind, and goose bumps appeared all over his body.
"What's wrong?"
Daphne keenly noticed something strange about Yang Ming.
Boss Yang smiled calmly: "Nothing, just received some confidential information."
Daphne didn't ask any more questions and continued the previous topic: "How many private soldiers do you have now?"
"Officially, it's about 250,000, I think."
"so much?"
"A lot?"
Yang Ming smiled and said:
"You can do the math. A thousand-meter-class battleship needs to be equipped with at least 600 crew members. Note that 600 crew members are just the bottom line to ensure the ship's combat effectiveness. A battleship usually needs to be equipped with two groups of crew members to ensure that the crew can get enough vacation time.
"Not to mention the ground combat forces. I now have sixty medium and large warships, and more than a hundred small warships."
Daphne frowned and asked, "Is this legal?"
"Well, it's the highest level of the Earl rank," Yang Ming said with a click of his tongue. "When I'm promoted to Honorary Duke, I'll directly expand it to 500,000 main combat team members and increase the number of ships to a hundred!"
"Where do you get so much money?"
Yang Ming smiled but said nothing.
Daphne snorted, "You haven't given me a decent gift yet."
"Yeah?"
Yang Ming casually reached out the window and a flower from the municipal green belt floated over and landed in his palm.
"Here, this is for you."
Daphne was stunned for a moment, then carefully took the pink flower.
"Thanks."
She said in a sweet voice.
Yang Ming smiled with his eyes narrowed, staring out the window in a daze, but in his heart he couldn't help but start thinking about what Li meant by wanting to borrow him.
He always felt that this matter was directly related to Daphne's ancestor, Levi Sherman.
…
Yang Ming sometimes felt that he was really unqualified as a lord.
Since the establishment of his private army, he has only appeared twice symbolically, and usually leaves it to Lu and 026 to take care of it.
When Yang Ming returns to Sakaar, 026 will return to the private army camp, where she has an office that she does not use all year round.
Upon hearing that Yang Ming and Daphne were coming to inspect the private military base, 026 made corresponding preparations early in the morning. Ships arrived in the atmosphere one after another and hovered above the base. A total of nearly two hundred large, medium and small ships were arranged in an "elephant walk" posture.
Generally speaking, only a great noble like Revil, who owns a wealthy territory, can afford such a large fleet.
Although Sakaar is developing rapidly, it currently has a permanent population of less than 50 million. It is difficult to cover the expenses of this private army relying solely on taxes.
This brings us to the special business group called 'Saka Investment Committee'.
——Law set up a legal organization to help Yang Ming make money.
The hovercraft that Yang Ming and Daphne were in drove into the military identification zone.
Hundreds of gray-based buildings stand in the middle of the wilderness. Most of them are military dormitories that extend from the sky to the underground, and the rest are various functional buildings necessary for the soldiers' lives.
This military camp is permanently stationed with more than 100,000 noble private soldiers and logistical technicians.
Hearing that Yang Ming was coming today, the people in the base gathered early and lined up in front of their respective dormitory buildings on standby.
Yang Ming's hovercraft slowed down and passed slowly in front of the dormitory buildings. The young men and women below had tense faces and saluted in unison, showing their strong fighting spirit and strong spirit.
Daphne looked at the real-time images on the projection screen in front of her and couldn't help but exclaim: "I really want to meet their team of instructors. They look like an elite team that has been through many battles!"
"Murderous aura is far from enough," Yang Ming said with a smile, "Now we can only say that they have strict military discipline and are well-trained. Only those who have truly gone through the baptism of war can be called elite."
Daphne nodded with a smile: "Of course, this is yours, you have the most say...Are you unhappy?"
"Well," Yang Ming looked at the dozens of huge queues on the projection screen and sighed softly, "I was wondering, once the insect swarm comes, how many of them will be able to return here alive, and how many will die in this disaster."
Daphne bit her lower lip.
She took the initiative to cover Yang Ming's left hand with her right hand and said gently: "There is no way to avoid this problem, Hanton, we should face it and be mentally prepared in advance."
"Half of my private soldiers came from the planet Saka back then."
Yang Ming whispered:
"They have a strong hatred for the Zerg because it was the Zerg that destroyed their original home.
“They actually wanted to kill the bugs in this bug swarm and defend the honor of me, the White Ghost, but I didn’t want to send them to the front line.
"I can do it, Daphne, I can get the military to transfer them to the backup force.
"But I was a little afraid to face their excited eyes."
Daphne said softly, "You are their lord. It is only natural for you to take care of them. Don't feel pressured about it."
"We'll talk about it later," Yang Ming said with a smile, "I will definitely put them in positions where they are not likely to get hurt, but if they ask to fight, I won't stop them. I believe in them, and I also believe in the various weapons I have spent a lot of military money to equip them with. They will become the elite of my White Ghost."
"I'm glad you think so."
The hovercraft began to descend towards the central square of the base.
Tens of thousands of private soldiers and most of the officers in Yang Ming's private army gathered in the square.
When the door of the hovercraft opened, a "salute" resounded throughout the square, and then there were two swish sounds, and these young people saluted Yang Ming in the imperial military salute.
Yang Ming got out of the car, waved to everyone around him, and walked towards 026 in the front wearing a military uniform with a smile.
"boss!"
026 shouted meticulously: "Your private army is waiting for your inspection!"
"Alright, alright," Yang Ming waved his hand, "I saw it all on the way here. Everyone is in good spirits. Let's go now."
"Yes, boss!"
026 grabbed the collar and said, "All departments should be disbanded. Go do whatever you need to do. The boss is just here to take a look."
Shrill whistles rang out from all over the square, and the young people who had just gathered in front of their respective dormitory buildings returned to their homes with a little disappointment.
They also thought that today they would have a chance to have a close encounter with the legendary hero of the empire.
"Your Highness Daphne!"
026 saluted again, and the dozens of young people from Saka with different titles behind her also expressed their respect to Daphne.
Daphne nodded with a smile, but didn't say anything. She followed Yang Ming carrying her small bag.
"Not bad," Yang Ming looked up at the sky, "It doesn't look like the military funds were embezzled."
026 suppressed his laughter and followed Yang Ming to the other side with his head down: "Boss, the largest building in front is our command center, please go in and take a look."
"Let's go," Yang Ming said with a smile, "I want you to have a sand table simulation to test your tactical capabilities."
While he was speaking, he had already found a familiar figure in the first row of officers. He walked up to him with a smile and put his arms around the neck of a young man.
"Peterson, my deputy commander, how is your mother's illness?"
"It's all right now."
Peterson, the "baby-head" back then, has now grown up and become a dark-skinned, calm-faced commander of the aristocratic private army.
He sighed and said, "I haven't had the chance to thank you in person. I don't know what the point of thanking you is. My life and dignity have belonged to you a long time ago."
"What nonsense are you talking about? What use do I have for that thing?"
Yang Ming smiled and strangled the guy's neck. The men and women around him all looked at Peterson with envy.
"You guys know about the insect tide, right?"
"Yes, I've known about it for a long time. It's been on the news all the time. We are also participating in the renovation plan of the underground shelter."
"Well, that's good to know."
Yang Ming said slowly:
"Later, you officers, keep a close eye on the soldiers below.
“This Zerg swarm is expected to affect the entire galaxy. Not only the Empire, but all regions of the galaxy are gathering troops.
“In order to save their lives, some small countries have merged their armies together and established a unified command system. The empire will also simultaneously mobilize the armies of these nearby countries.
"I heard that you are somewhat dissatisfied with the Imperial Army's order to combine forces?"
"this……"
"I gave the order," Yang Ming said calmly, "The Zerg will prioritize finding the army. If you stay outside Sakaar, you will bring disaster here."
The group of young people immediately looked ashamed.
"But," Peterson asked quietly, "what if the Zerg raids here?"
Yang Ming sighed and whispered, "No one can guarantee this, but I can only promise you that the military will make timely changes based on the Zerg's troop deployment strategy, and I will also do my best to build the most complete shelter here."
Peterson nodded immediately: "We understand the difficulty and significance of this matter. We will follow your orders, unconditionally."
"Okay, relax."
Yang Ming smiled and tapped Peterson's chest muscle: "Come on, I will be your enemy in this simulated sand table simulation."
The officers immediately rubbed their hands and their eyes lit up.
They looked as if they wished to put their lord directly on the throne of "loser".
Standing a little further back, Daphne turned her head to look at 026, staring at the bulging oversized shirt of 026, and gradually fell into a state of self-doubt.
Yang Ming turned around and shouted, "026, follow me!"
"Here comes the boss!"
