Chapter 465: Ghost Theory
Inside the cabin of the ferry, Yang Ming calmly returned to his seat, took out the speech and began to study it on his own.
Yang Ming was certain at this moment that Li was definitely not acting according to circumstances or adapting to circumstances. She had planned everything in advance; or, by calculating various possibilities, she had glimpsed the timeline that was now moving forward.
Logically, she and Levi had already reached the other side, that is, the higher-dimensional world, but were stopped by the Faya people;
Then, it is reasonable that Li has many abilities that Xiaolu is unaware of.
This high-level intelligent substitute robot is truly amazing.
It has the same weight as the original, the same skin condition, and simulates the feeling of "a strong warrior walking carefully" to the greatest extent. Its powerful mobility allows it to deal with small-scale battles without revealing the fact that it is a substitute robot.
Even the thing's simulated soundtrack has been tuned to perfection.
What's even more outrageous is that Daphne helped Yang Ming to match his outfit, and this stand-in robot was wearing the exact same military uniform and leather boots. Yang Ming only needed to put the Knight Commander badge on the stand-in's chest to complete the disguise. ——There are dozens of styles of imperial military uniforms.
"cough!"
Yang Ming cleared his throat, and the guards beside him immediately looked over.
"Grand Duke, please give us your orders."
"It's okay," Yang Ming said calmly, "I'm just a little nervous... well, nervous. You know, the upcoming speech will be for all the officers of the empire, and it will also affect the internal environment of the empire to a certain extent. I'm under a lot of pressure."
Both guards showed genuine admiration.
One person said, "Your contribution to the empire far exceeds the honor and reward you have received. Sir, please don't be nervous. The soldiers of the whole army are honored to listen to your lectures."
"My hometown was once infested with insects. You arrived at the critical moment and saved my family and tribesmen. Sir, if have any instructions, please let us know. I am willing to die for you!"
"Oh, young man," Yang Ming said with a smile, "you should live for this country, not die for me. You should be loyal to the army, not to me personally."
"This is not loyalty, this is faith, sir!"
Yang Ming smiled and patted the man's arm, saying gently, "Okay, go and have a rest. I'll be on board soon."
The two guards saluted and then stood straight back in the corner.
Yang Ming continued to study the speech in front of him.
In the bathroom, Yang Ming, who was wearing a perception helmet, had a new speech manuscript sent by the barber appearing in front of him.
Yang Ming smiled awkwardly and did not read the short essay written by Li.
Li is not a qualified leader, and this kind of New Federal election-style speech has no meaning on the Empire's side.
【I have my own plans.】
Yang Ming wrote a line of words in the air.
The manager immediately stopped sending the speech and responded with a "OK" gesture.
Her plan was progressing in an orderly manner.
Yang Ming controlled the stand-in robot, calmly left the shuttle bus, and entered the special protective ship that was waiting in the air. The princes and elders who had been waiting for a long time came forward to greet him warmly.
Yang Ming did not show any good expression towards the prince of the empire .
At best, these princes will be princes who only draw a salary for nothing. If they want to leave the Imperial Star, they must report to the Imperial Administration Bureau.
Yang Ming was too lazy to pay attention to these three elders who had a little legislative power.
The previous chief elders of the Council of Elders were all forced to death by him. These people were considered the "leftover problems" from those years. Whenever Yang Ming smiled at them, they would have to consider whether the white ghost was grinding his teeth.
Yang Ming nodded, found a seat in a corner, and continued to study the speech.
The princes and elders did not feel awkward and continued to talk and laugh together as before.
'What is the ultimate goal of reason?'
Yang Ming kept thinking in his heart.
At this stage, his communication with Lu has not been cut off, and he can occasionally receive information feedback from Lu.
The venue for the live broadcast is ready.
The imperial soldiers stationed in various military ports, ships, surface bases of planetary defense forces, and special protection posts have already assembled early, waiting for the appearance of the white ghost.
Next, all that was needed was for Yang Ming to show up;
And today is destined not to be peaceful.
At 10:02 a.m. Imperial Star time, the white ghost Hamton arrived at the command ship of the Prince of Gloriousness.
This news spread rapidly through various information dissemination channels such as social platforms and public opinion media.
Because Yang Ming arrived at the command ship ahead of time, he was given twenty minutes of rest.
However, before Boss Yang could enter the lounge, he was stopped by Daphne who had hurried over.
"Hanton!"
Daphne looked a little nervous.
Yang Ming calmly made a silent gesture and pointed to the lounge: "Let's go in and talk."
"Yes," Daphne nodded immediately and went in with Yang Ming.
The four combat maids following closely behind her immediately stepped forward and guarded the front and rear passages, and the eldest girl considerately activated the shielding device.
"Listen to me, Hamton," Daphne said with bloodshot eyes and a serious expression, "Today's speech should be canceled. You shouldn't have come here rashly. But the message I sent to stop you from coming was intercepted by them, and they won't let me leave here either."
"They? Who?"
"The four elders of the military," Daphne said, "There are hundreds of warships nearby, most of which are directly under their control, and two fleets were transferred here overnight. They want to harm you! Hanton!"
"I will not die, Daphne."
Yang Ming said in a gentle voice: "Have you forgotten? I can use the cell regeneration technology to come back to life. It only takes a while."
"No, Hanton, you shouldn't take this risk!"
Daphne said:
"Let's go back now. With your strength, you should be able to leave safely. Let's go back to Emperor Star and ask for asylum from our great uncle.
"At this moment, they don't care about the so-called public opinion. They can, they can completely use such a lame excuse as the empire being infiltrated by foreign forces to cover up their attack on you! They!"
"Daphne! Look at me!"
Yang Ming held Daphne's delicate arm, and their eyes were entangled with each other.
Yang Ming felt a little reluctant and lowered his head and walked forward.
Daphne thought Yang Ming wanted to kiss her. Although it was inappropriate at the moment, she could not refuse the request of her beloved man and closed her eyes slightly.
Yang Ming's nose rubbed against hers, and a safe electric current that was enough to make a person unconscious was quietly released. Daphne opened her eyes, and then her body fell backwards, with Yang Ming holding her back.
'This silly princess.'
Yang Ming shook his head.
Yang Ming, who was hiding in the restroom of the shuttle bus, said, "Let her return to the Imperial Star safely."
A line of small words appeared in front of Yang Ming:
[If the Imperial Diva died here, it would trigger a bigger wave of public opinion. ]
“I don’t need to do this to achieve my goal.”
[Yes, you are qualified. All you need is ten to twenty galactic years of development time, and the mechanical civilization will be able to sweep across the Milky Way. I hope she won't cause us any trouble. My original plan did not take into account Daphne's subsequent impact.]
"Thanks."
Yang Ming whispered as he helped Daphne to the sofa nearby and called in the eldest and second child.
He doesn't need to worry about what happens next, just take care of arranging everything.
Now all we need to do is wait for the speaking time to come.
Yang Ming raised his hand and adjusted the operating interface of the perception helmet, adding a simple countdown within his field of vision. Then he held his breath and stared quietly ahead.
If fate can be mapped out, then now, the fate of hundreds of billions of human beings has begun to converge towards this small cabin.
Yang Ming thought of the game background when he played "Abyss" back then.
At that time, the empire was in a downward trend due to continuous insect plagues and the continuous encirclement and blockade by the two camps of freedom and democracy. The national strength of the empire declined, the mechanism of external plunder failed, and the overall development of the empire was in a downward trend. Social problems became increasingly acute, rebels broke out in various places, and military mutinies occurred from time to time.
The current empire, thanks to the early intervention of the White Ghost, no longer has the hidden danger of insect plagues, and has beaten the New Federation to the point where it cannot raise its head. Although there are many problems at home, because the empire's mechanism of external plunder is functioning healthily, class contradictions are suppressed and diluted by the welfare that is constantly squeezed out by the government.
The historical trend seems irreversible.
Yang Ming couldn't help thinking at this moment.
The Fayarians set the rules of the game in the Milky Way, so are the fates of various political systems in the Milky Way also calculated by the Fayarians?
Or maybe the Fayya people are only observing and predicting, and can’t really interfere too strongly with the complex collective of the material world?
High-dimensional world.
The reason why the empire has such a system is rooted in the personal ideals of the founding emperor Levi Sherman.
Individual dimensionality upgrade.
Individual dimensionality upgrade at all costs.
Using the imperial system to efficiently integrate resources and using methods that have been harmful for tens of thousands of years to meet one's own needs, what does such a Levi Sherman have to do with greatness?
Of course, from another perspective, Levi Sherman is aggressive and forge ahead, while Yang Ming's mentality most of the time is to "this is OK" and play badly.
There is no way. The concept of not endangering the safety and interests of others is just a basic quality of young people on Earth.
'Isn't this a reflection of a relatively backward form of civilization?'
Yang Ming thinks that this is not necessarily the case...
Boom, boom, boom.
There’s a knock on the door.
Yang Ming stopped his wandering thoughts, straightened his collar, slowly stood up, and nodded to Da Wa.
Daphne was sleeping soundly on the sofa.
Walking out of the door, waiting for Yang Ming were two teams of spirited guards of honor.
Following the red carpet on the ground, Yang Ming walked towards the "studio" of the command ship. Warm applause was heard in front of him. Dozens of noble officers who had been waiting for a long time were clapping vigorously.
Yang Ming raised his hand and waved, but received a lukewarm response from these noble officers who were not on the front line of combat.
There's nothing to worry about.
This place is about to turn into a sea of fire, and the more than 1,800 people on this ship will all become victims of the plan.
Yang Ming walked up to the podium with a smile on his face and nodded slightly at everyone.
He wasn't sure if he could finish today's speech, and at this moment, he already felt the attention from all corners of the galaxy.
The spotlight that does not glare gathers the light;
The shooting suspension ball, which had been ready for a long time, moved symbolically.
The on-site director, who seemed to be hundreds of times more nervous than Yang Ming, gestured to Yang Ming to come in;
Dozens of noble officers who served as audiences here, as well as the princes, elders, generals, and officials who served as background boards and sat on the steps behind Yang Ming, were all watching Yang Ming at this moment, waiting for an inspiring speech.
Yang Ming stood with his hands behind his back, looking relatively relaxed, and then there was silence for thirty seconds.
He seemed to be thinking about something with his head down, or waiting for something.
Finally, when the technician couldn't help but check if there was anything wrong with the instrument, Yang Ming said:
"They asked me to tame you."
In the palace, the old emperor, who had been sitting listlessly in his chair and whose enthusiasm had been severely dampened, suddenly sat up straight with his eyes wide open.
The human individuals waiting behind various communication devices all widened their eyes at this moment. They had a premonition that this did not seem to be an ordinary speech.
In the virtual conference room, the expressions of the elderly people who were waiting for Yang Ming to speak changed slightly.
"Cut off the live broadcast!"
"This Hanton, he really wants to take this opportunity to challenge us and the Sherman family!"
"What's going on? We can't cut off the live broadcast. Our control program has been modified... We have lost contact with the Prince! Damn it! How did he do it?!"
"Activate the Imperial Guard system! Quick! You can also activate the Imperial Guard 2.0! Hurry! We've been tricked!"
"Ino! Play a role!"
Director Ino frowned tightly, then cut off his own communications and rushed to the communication base next to the laboratory.
There is a professional team there.
In the Prince's command ship, Yang Ming raised his head slightly, looked at the stunned expressions of the noble officers below, and sighed softly in his heart.
When he puts on the perception helmet, he will inexplicably become more confident.
No one could stop him, because at this moment, and perhaps only at this moment, the core soul of the empire structure, Levi Sherman's greatest reliance, the mechanical thinking body, stood on his side.
So, said the ghost.
…
“They asked me to tame you.
"I want to instill in you some ideas that the empire is invincible, the empire is great, and that being born into the empire is a blessing for you lowly people.
"I received this speech yesterday, and I have waited until today to finally let out the anger I have been holding back...
“Fuck formalism, bureaucratic capitalism, and imperial hegemony!
“I’m not crazy.
"You don't have to worry about my mental state being affected or being bewitched by someone.
“I am Hanton, the White Ghost, the hero of the empire and the nightmare of the imperial nobles.
“Before this conflict broke out, I always thought that the empire could be saved, just because there were some problems with the system. But as I learned more and more about the real history, I found that the empire was no longer saveable.
"The empire had long ago achieved a constitutional monarchy. The emperor became a symbol, and the cabinet was used to manage politics. However, this cabinet was unknown because it was hidden in the shadow of the imperial power. It was called the Sherman family elite in power.
"In a corner that we can't see, there is a virtual round table. The old men sitting at the table are all three hundred or four hundred years old. They first use their bodies to extend their lifespans as much as possible. When their bodies are completely broken, they upload their consciousness to the server and continue to manage the lifeline of the empire until their self-consciousness collapses and they pass this lifeline on to their descendants.
“When I first came into contact with the Empire, I felt… Hey, this Empire is not bad. The imperial power is bound to the Imperial Star, the Empire is constantly restraining the nobles, and the Empire is respectful to its people.
“But when I reached the core of the empire, I discovered that those were just lies fabricated to maintain stability within the empire.
“The Empire is not in awe of anyone.
"Tens of thousands of years of inheritance have made the Sherman family possess unparalleled wealth. They pushed the emperor forward and made him their spokesperson. They also locked him up in the Imperial Star to spread the word that we respect and obey public opinion here, and the emperor has no real power at all.
"Then what?
“The legislative power lies with the Senate, and the real power positions of these elders all come from aristocratic families that have been passed down for many years, and these aristocratic families are vassals and followers of the Sherman family.
"The army is more thoroughly controlled, and those who don't obey are kicked out early. The generals who are truly talented, courageous, and obey their orders will only get an honorary title in the end, and then wait for the war to come in the army. After the war is won, they will accumulate merits, but they can't be promoted if their merits are enough, but they have to wait until they are older.
“So you’ll find that admirals in the empire usually retire after being promoted for a few years.
“That’s how they control the military.
"I shouldn't have said this to you in today's live broadcast, because... despair, all I see here is despair. The empire is essentially an exploitation machine, and this machine constantly gathers resources to the Imperial Star Circle and transfers wealth to the imperial nobles, allowing these nobles to live a life of drunkenness and debauchery. With only one ten-thousandth of the empire's population, they consume 40 percent of the empire's resources.
"And then what? What do we get?
"What the people can get is the pride of being in the most powerful political system in the galaxy. Your nerves have been paralyzed bit by bit by the Sherman family, and your minds have been twisted bit by bit. You could have enjoyed more resources and received more respect!
“You could have given young people more opportunities for advancement! Let most people live decently through hard work, instead of like now!
"The remote areas of the empire have a huge population of hundreds of billions. So what? Do these people have the opportunity to transcend their current class? No, the vast majority of people don't!
"When I first went to Sakaar, I thought it was a starving planet, a planet that had experienced war. But it wasn't. It was just weakened because of the exploitation of the imperial nobles and the capital of the imperial star circle.
“Many people there died of starvation!
“When I was in Yaha Star, I saw countless times young men and women sitting lost on the streets. They could not see the direction of the future, nor the way forward. They could only constantly kill their own ideals, bow to reality, lower their expectations of life, and make themselves a screw or a hermit crab in the harsh social system.
“What else makes me feel hopeless?
"And you, my compatriots, my dear people.
"You no longer desire basic freedoms, you turn a blind eye to the tragic plight of the 60 billion slaves in the empire, and you always find some self-paralyzing excuses to escape from the actions of the imperial nobles.
“But have you ever thought about whether you would like your children and grandchildren to experience the same life you are living now?
“Forget it, saying these things is actually useless. I am not blaming you. Everyone has the right to pursue a better life. I also know that the current empire is like a dark cloud. As long as it does not weigh down on the people’s heads, the people will not really resist the empire’s system.
“But are we going to remain indifferent to the actions of the Sherman family’s elite ruling clique?
“They monopolize the resources, block the power, and control the channels for advancement. They have designated 60 percent of the empire as blood-sucking land. They secretly maintain the interests of the nobles to prevent themselves from losing control of power.
"Your descendants are nothing but their slaves!
“The only difference is whether they are high-class slaves who are close to independent human rights, or low-class slaves who are deprived of the right to a normal life.
“Yes, there is nothing you can do, because the power of the empire has nothing to do with the people.
"But at this moment, the imperial soldiers who can hear my call, you should remember... you must remember! If one day, when you feel that the orders you receive are not in line with the interests of the empire and your own core values, go and ask your superiors.
“Is this an order from the Sherman family?
"Okay, everyone. That's all I can say today, because this ship is about to be destroyed. They planted a bomb in advance. What I can do is to interfere with the live broadcast signal in advance, so that I can talk to you about these topics in this way on this occasion.
“When my body is blown up, please do not be angry, because anger alone will not defeat these enemies.
“My beliefs will not be destroyed, and my ideals will not be extinguished.
"This is my last chance to tell you all this in the near future. After you bow your heads, please live a good life and don't worry about gains and losses. The empire has existed for tens of thousands of years, and this situation cannot be improved with one or two parades or the death of one or two earls.
“I hope you can think and find a way to truly liberate yourself.
"Empires do not last forever.
"If the revolution needs blood, I am willing to be the blood donor.
“I won’t really die. I have completed the transformation into an ancient god. I can use some technology from the higher-dimensional world to be reborn. It just takes some time.
“The one who died here today was the Empire’s hero, White Ghost.
"I will come back one day, back here, back in front of you, back to this civilized human regime called the Sherman Empire. By then, I hope to hear someone call me Comrade Hanton instead of Grand Duke of the Empire."
…
The violent flames devoured everything.
