Chapter 75: Omnic: Emperor
After the cocktail party, the slightly tipsy Kolev was helped back to the door of the villa by two smart middle-level factory managers.
After sending the two speculators away, Kolev hummed a tune, turned around and prepared to open the door, and the safety lock clicked and opened automatically.
Xiaolu's figure appeared on the small screen of the security lock and made a gesture to keep quiet.
What's going on here?
Kolev closed the door and looked curiously towards the living room, where he saw Yang Ming slumped in the sofa.
Yang Ming didn't even take off his military uniform and just sat there with his arms folded.
Kolev strolled over slowly, took the calming tea from the housekeeping robot, said thank you, sat directly next to Yang Ming, and patted Yang Ming's thigh with his hand.
"Are you in trouble?" asked Kolev.
Yang Ming let out a long breath.
"It's not a big deal," Yang Ming muttered, "I just got a little scared."
"Hmm?" Kolev laughed. "Scared? What else can scare you?"
Yang Ming turned his head and looked at the old man.
The faint light from the electronic clock shone on Yang Ming's profile.
"I... forget it," Yang Ming sighed dejectedly and lay back down, "I'd better not tell you about this, so as not to put too much pressure on you."
"Hey!" Kolev complained dissatisfiedly, "You have to share information with me. I left behind the manor I spent a huge amount of money to follow you to start a business here!"
Yang Ming said weakly: "Lü, you come and explain. There is no need to hide it from my dear uncle."
“Okay boss!”
The projection device in the corner projected several rays of light, and Lu's virtual image appeared between the two of them.
She maintained a height of twenty centimeters, sitting on the edge of the sofa, also holding her chin up in a depressed look.
"My boss and I planned a nearly perfect fake assassination."
"And then?" Kolev frowned and said, "You are really too brave."
"This is just about transforming our technological advantages into resources, and during this period, it is inevitable to take some risks."
Lu said calmly, pursing her lips and revealing a slightly thoughtful expression.
“I had never been able to enter the emperor’s bedroom before, and I didn’t find anything unusual while observing the emperor.
"To this day, my boss is wearing a watch - this is something I modified, it has some more sophisticated functions - and I discovered it at the same time as my boss."
She paused for two seconds deliberately, whetting Kolev's appetite.
Just as Kolev could no longer hold back, Lu said:
"The Emperor is an advanced bionic robot that operates independently. Note that it operates independently and is not synchronously controlled by humans."
Kolev was stunned for a moment and wondered, "Isn't this normal? We have used this thing before."
"It's different, uncle," Yang Ming murmured, "Compared to the one in the deepest part of the palace, the one we used is more like a toy."
Lu explained: "Whether a robot is an intelligent machine depends on whether it can have a clear self-awareness and whether the humans interacting with it can judge that it is a normal human being rather than a program without knowing it... Various signs show that the old emperor has definitely not become a bionic robot recently."
Kolev was stunned for a moment: "Omnic Crisis?"
Yang Ming clicked his tongue and said, "If this is an Omnic Crisis, then we would not only be free of pressure, but we would be able to find more opportunities. Although this expectation is a bit sorry for Edwan."
Lu continued, "I just analyzed everyone around the emperor, the maids, ministers, guards, and concubines, and determined that they are all normal human beings. In the entire palace, only the emperor has shown abnormality, which is somewhat intriguing."
Kolev thought for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "Is it possible that the old emperor wanted to secretly create a substitute, and then the substitute developed his own thoughts and killed the old emperor in turn?"
"Very nice imagination," Lu commented.
"Uncle Hatton, it's unlikely. If a lone omnic is placed there and is under constant surveillance by everyone in the palace, he will definitely make mistakes."
Yang Ming said calmly:
“Considering the daily maintenance of the omnic and the help needed to cover up this incident, there must be a force secretly controlling this omnic, and someone is covering for it.
“There are only three situations now.
"First, the intelligent machine was placed there by the real old emperor. The old emperor controlled everything remotely, and had a personal maid to deliver messages.
"Second, the Sherman Empire created this intelligent machine. This is the most likely possibility. They may have made this arrangement in order to better control their vassal states.
"Third, there are ministers and generals around the emperor, or external forces such as the New Federation, who have accomplished all this without anyone noticing, and replaced the old emperor with an intelligent machine so that it can be launched at a critical moment."
Lu reminded: "The second possibility is the most likely."
Kolev asked: "Is the old emperor dead or alive now?"
“I don’t know.”
Yang Ming was silent for a few seconds, then said in a deep voice:
“If it’s the second case, then it means… the Sherman Empire has been watching here.
"He was like a giant sitting on a throne on top of a mountain, watching the New Federation, the military, the rebels, and the prince jumping around indifferently, and then stepping on them at the most critical moment."
"I understand this feeling," Kolev said with a sigh. "It's just like the dogfight we saw. A few small fish fought to the death, but the dreadnoughts came and blasted them all to pieces."
Yang Ming responded without comment, stood up and began to pace back and forth.
Things don’t just get complicated .
After discovering the old emperor's secret, the entire Yilandu star could no longer give Yang Ming any sense of security.
The actual ruler of this empire is an intelligent machine of unknown origin!
Yang Ming is constantly reflecting.
He had indeed thought that the political game of this medium-sized country was too simple and too idealistic. He took advantage of the intelligence advantage created by the law and did not regard the "native forces" here as opponents at all.
This time, the Moth Project, in addition to obtaining important intelligence about Emperor Luo Feng, also reminded Yang Ming himself.
" We should be more down-to-earth," Yang Ming said, "We must respect all our opponents. If necessary, we should take the initiative to leave Yilando and go to other administrative planets in Luofeng to develop and transform our current political capital... No matter what the moment, life is the most important."
Kolev immediately said: "I totally agree with this!"
"But boss," Lu reminded, "if you leave the political center, it will be almost impossible for you to obtain official positions, military ranks, and prestige in a short period of time. Taking risks is necessary, Lu insists on this."
"If risks can be avoided, we should avoid them. Don't worry. The Sherman Empire's envoys will arrive in two days."
Yang Ming said in a deep voice:
“This is our chance to determine who owns the omnics in the palace.
"Lü, be prepared to evacuate at any time. Don't let your guard down at any time. Watch the delegation to see if there is anything unusual. If a member of the delegation has secret contact with the old emperor, it proves that this intelligent machine is a tool of the Sherman Empire.
“Investigate whether the old emperor visited the Sherman Empire for a long time before and after he ascended the throne, or whether he had any abnormal behavior.
“The fourth princess Emilia is twelve years old this year, which means that the old emperor might have been replaced by an intelligent robot within the last twelve years.
“Of course, IVF cannot be ruled out.
"If the old emperor is directly controlled by the Sherman Empire, then we must remind Adwant and ask him to find a way to leave the country, and we can only use the backup plan."
Kolev wondered, "Backup plan? Is it that crazy plan I heard about before?"
"Okay, my old friend, you just need to be responsible for getting money and resources," Yang Ming patted Kolev's thigh, "Discuss with the lawyer when you find a good project, she will transfer the money to you, and I will take care of the rest of the troubles."
After saying that, Yang Ming stood up and walked towards the spiral staircase, leaving Kolev's sight with brisk steps.
Kolev also felt a little troubled by this.
That night, Yang Ming just chatted briefly with Miss Windsor and went to bed in a hurry.
He has a lot of things to do next, so he must keep his spirits up.
I will meet with Edwan tomorrow, and also conduct a preliminary investigation into the forces behind the old emperor to prepare for the escort of the delegation.
However, what Yang Ming didn't expect was.
The old omnic emperor gave the sensitive and politically charged task of welcoming the envoys to the airport to the newly 'favored' Edwang alone.
…
The envoys arrived on that day.
The Flower Square in the city of Yilanduoxing.
Yang Ming looked up and could vaguely see the Sherman Empire's kilometer-class flagship hovering in low-Earth orbit.
Escorting nearby were a dozen warships from the Luofeng Empire's Second Fleet.
A hundred-meter-long landing craft left the tail of the flagship, slid smoothly into the atmosphere, opened its protective shield and began to accelerate its descent.
Standing in front of several rows of guards, Adwant put his hands behind his back and hooked his fingers.
Yang Ming took two slow steps forward, staggered half a body length away from Edwang, and asked in a low voice:
"Any instructions, Your Highness?"
"Don't be nervous. The princes of the Sherman Empire will not eat people," Adwant whispered. "Pay attention later. Felimon will arrange for you to take over as soon as possible. They want to create some small accidents to target you. Today's occasion is extremely important."
Yang Ming clicked his tongue and said, "You should worry about yourself first, Your Highness. The First and Third Princes are probably going crazy now."
"My father asked me to come here alone, which is indeed a bit against them," said Edwang helplessly, "Of course, it may also be used to target me. By the way, did I tell you? The leader of the diplomatic corps has changed this time."
"Hmm? Who did it become?"
"Prince Snoopy of the clan house is leading the team, along with two imperial generals and three clan house elders."
"Wow, the importance has increased a lot," Yang Ming responded casually.
He didn't care much about it.
Yang Ming now only wants to know whether this group of envoys from the Sherman Empire will secretly contact the old emperor to change his engine oil or tighten his screws or something like that.
Beep beep.
Yang Ming's watch vibrated slightly. He picked it up and took a look at it, and couldn't help frowning.
He had agreed with Lu in the morning to avoid contacting him unless necessary. Who knows if the Sherman Empire's technical means can detect Lu's existence.
This means that Lu has now discovered an emergency.
Yang Ming glanced around and found that the guards everywhere were in a state of nervous waiting. Most of the hired civilians in the back, holding flowers and balloons, were staring at the spaceship falling from the sky.
Taking out the hidden earplug and pressing it into the left ear hole, Yang Ming immediately heard Lu's report.
"Boss, there's a frigate up there with spies from the New Federation mixed in, and they seem to be planning some holiday fireworks."
Yang Ming narrowed his eyes, made a quick decision, and tapped on his watch.
[Notify Gudun Maha to ensure the smooth landing of the diplomatic corps. ]
Except for the New Federation, no one wanted to anger the Sherman Empire, the old lion in its twilight years.
"Yes, boss."
Yang Ming was about to take off his headphones, but Lu reminded him:
"Also, Boss, the Third Prince previously ordered Wu Li to bury your path to promotion. They have now begun to implement the plan and will create a small-scale car accident to trap the convoy of the envoys for a while and cause some panic. They will operate it again later and let you take the blame."
The corner of Yang Ming's mouth twitched slightly.
Damn!
He is here to maintain the political stability of the Luofeng Empire, but the Third Prince and that Wu Li are playing tricks on him behind his back!
As if he has no temper?
Yang Ming's fingers moved rapidly, and he sent a message to Miss Windsor to cover up his little action.
[Release the bed photo of General Uli and make it a breaking news. Use the name of the new federal agent.]
"No problem, boss. Most of the New Federation's agents have evacuated Ilando City. They don't have time to respond."
Lu hummed a few times, as if hesitating about something, and soon said in Yang Ming's ear:
"Boss, assuming that the omnic in the palace was placed by the Sherman Empire and its own technology is slightly behind the times, we can try to control this omnic. This may be a shortcut for you to quickly achieve your goal. Although this is extremely risky, it is very exciting."
Yang Ming quickly replied:
[Don't rush to make a judgment before you have collected enough information. ]
[Keep silent from now on. In case of emergency, whether to transmit me back to the Feinan will be decided by you after comprehensive analysis.]
"Okay, boss. Gudun Maha has started emergency operations. The top military officials are all nervous. They are afraid of the Sherman Empire in their bones. Begin to be silent."
Yang Ming smiled calmly.
He paused in his small movements and looked up at the flagship of the Sherman Empire.
Kilometre-class battleship.
I don’t know when he will be able to get one.
A few minutes later, murmurs gradually emerged from the crowd at the back. Yang Ming vaguely heard the scandal about General Wuli and the Royal Guard, but did not take it seriously.
The landing craft in the air began to slow down, and a magnificent symphony sounded in the square covered with flowers.
Yang Ming stood there with a smile on his face, like a ceremonial officer.
"Ming," the second prince, Aidewang, suddenly turned his head and called out to Yang Ming, "Come to my side. You can't let me be the only one to take the spotlight."
Several thoughts flashed through Yang Ming's mind quickly, and he immediately made up his mind. He walked slowly to Edwang's side, still half a body length behind him.
The ministers and generals around him just glanced at Yang Ming quickly and then looked away.
Most of them understood something.
If the second prince gains power, this young man will surely rise to great heights.
The Sherman Empire's spacecraft landed smoothly.
