Chapter 28 Recruiting Soldiers on Flora; Winning the Hearts of the People

Xu Lingzhao looked at Pei Zhenwei, whose eyes were glazed over. She didn't want to use her mind to control her and extract her memories. First, it would damage her mental strength, and if she didn't control it well, she would go insane. Second, she didn't want to use her mind to control others anymore. It was exhausting, and... it also affected her. Sometimes these effects were already out of control, but she tried her best to suppress herself.

She opened her phone and sent a message to Lu Qianxue and the other two, informing them that Pei Zhenwei had been found and that they should be prepared, as Xu Lingzhao would take her to see them.

Xu Lingzhao looked out the window. She had moved quickly enough to get back before noon. However, looking at the schedule and tasks on her personal terminal, she realized she still had a lot to deal with. The most pressing issues were the reorganization of power within the Federation and the inauguration ceremony.

However, she had a good helper—Lu Qianxue. Lu Qianxue was more professional than her in many things, but she couldn't entrust everything to her. She looked at the information Lu Qianxue had compiled on the personal computer.

Lying in the seat next to her, Pei Zhenwei murmured, "Why didn't you kill me?" Her eyes were vacant, like a puppet.

Xu Lingzhao didn't even lift her eyelids: "I don't want you to die in a foreign land, but you're eager to die. I'll do the opposite of what you want. Save your breath." She paused: "Why don't you think of a way to argue?"

Pei Zhen chuckled softly, then turned her head away, silently shedding tears. She didn't want Xu Lingzhao to see her crying like this. She knew she had committed an unforgivable crime, that she had been bewitched for a moment. She knew Xu Lingzhao didn't actually intend to kill her, but she didn't know how to face them.

It was she who kidnapped Xu Lingzhao's lover, it was she who leaked secrets and exposed her whereabouts, leading to He Zaining's capture by the rebels, it was she who shot and wounded Lu Qianxue's shoulder, it was she who injured Ling Qianzhu. She is now a person with every vice imaginable. If it weren't for their past friendship, she would probably have been strangled to death by Xu Lingzhao with her bare hands long ago.

But there's more to all this than meets the eye; she was bewitched.

Xu Lingzhao sensed the tears falling beside her, but she made no move. At such a moment, pretending not to care would preserve their dignity. She switched the screen and saw that the return route would pass through a planet famous for its flower cultivation—Flora. She remembered that Chu Jingze liked white roses.

The villa's flowerbed had white roses, but none could compare to the ones she had specially brought back. Xu Lingzhao had the warship make a brief stop at the space station on Flora Planet. She disembarked and turned her gaze to the bustling space station, her eyes landing on the flower vendor. She walked over and carefully selected the white roses, like a tourist visiting the place.

"Let go! Let go of my brother!" a screaming female voice rang out, accompanied by the sounds of punches and kicks.

Xu Lingzhao followed the sound and frowned at what she saw: a strong-looking woman was protecting a thin man and constantly stopping those who tried to pull her brother away.

"What? There's no reason not to pay back debts. What's wrong with having some fun with your little brother?" A man with a scar on his face and a buzz cut said in a sleazy tone, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his eyes gleaming with greed.

Others chimed in, and the scene became chaotic. The words spoken were extremely offensive, clearly indicating that a group of local thugs were bullying people.

“We don’t owe you any money, you bunch of scoundrels!” the woman shouted, angrily kicking away the person who came up to her.

As Xu Lingzhao put down the flowers and prepared to step forward, the old woman selling flowers grabbed her hand and shook her head at her: "Young lady, don't worry about this. These local bullies have been here for years."

"Many years?" Xu Lingzhao's face darkened. She patted her grandmother's hand, gave a faint smile to indicate that she was alright, and then looked sharply at the perpetrator. Her mental power spread out instantly, and her pressure precisely suppressed the perpetrator.

She stepped forward, lifted the man with the buzz cut from the ground, and reduced some of her mental energy to make him speak. She asked in a deep voice, "Who is your protector?"

Her voice was calm, yet it carried a powerful pressure that assaulted the mind of the person before her. He went from glaring fiercely at Xu Lingzhao to showing pain on his face, gritting his teeth as he said, "I...you know who I am, right? You dare to treat me like this? You'll die a horrible death."

"Is that so?" Xu Lingzhao pushed him to the ground and said coldly, "Song Shuci, find out who is in charge of Flora now and tell him to get over here."

"Yes." Song Shuci replied respectfully, signaling the Planetary Army to handcuff all the thugs and make them kneel by the roadside.

Xu Lingzhao knew this was a C-class planet, slightly better than a barren planet, mainly used for growing flowers. It was perfectly normal that he didn't recognize her; the adoption rate of quantum computers was probably not even high enough. She looked at the shivering siblings, took off her cloak, walked over, squatted down, and covered the man with it.

As soon as she stood up, the older sister who had been protecting her younger brother knelt down in front of her. Xu Lingzhao immediately helped her up. She grabbed Xu Lingzhao's forearm and pleaded, "Sir, sir, please save us! My parents died on the train, and my younger brother is seriously ill. I... I'm strong, I'll do anything for you."

Hearing her stammering words filled with pleading, Xu Lingzhao's eyes flashed with pity. He gently patted her shoulder and, after a moment's consideration, said, "Then are you willing to join the Planetary Army? I will send someone to treat your brother."

"Yes! Yes! I'm willing!" she hurriedly replied to Xu Lingzhao, afraid that she would take back her words. Just as Xu Lingzhao nodded and signaled Song Shuci to take her away, a group of ragged young people rushed into the street. Their eyes showed fear, but they looked straight at Xu Lingzhao. One of them suddenly shouted, "This is Commander Xu, the new commander!"

The scene instantly erupted in excitement; after all, there were people who knew her.

In the end, Xu Lingzhao had Song Shuci conduct on-site recruitment. They were all homeless people, homeless children, and victims of the tragedy caused by war. She looked at the people queuing up and down. The civil war may have ended on the surface, but Pasifica was about to face a powerful external enemy—the evolved Zerg. Now was the time to use manpower. There were many planets like Flora. Xu Lingzhao planned to return to the Pasifica base and coordinate manpower to recruit soldiers from various asteroids.

"Who dares to cause trouble on my turf?" A fat man in uniform got off the hovercar. His cheeks were flushed, and he looked drunk. Some of his entourage were arrogant, while others huddled together trying not to be noticed.

"Oh? Nobody told you who I am?" Xu Lingzhao narrowed his eyes and instantly used his mental power to make him kneel down. He cried out in pain and cursed under his breath.

"Commander-in-Chief, this is what I just gathered about his crimes, as well as the related crimes they reported during the recruitment process." Song Shuci handed the personal terminal to Xu Lingzhao.

Xu Lingzhao glanced at the list of crimes, including arson, murder, robbery, and rape. He had committed every single one of them. The surrounding area was packed with onlookers, especially since the space station was the busiest place on the planet.

“The evidence is sufficient, and every single one is enough to warrant the death penalty.” Xu Lingzhao’s voice was neither loud nor soft, but it instantly silenced the crowd. “But ultimately, it is due to the inadequate management of the Federation. I, Xu Lingzhao, apologize to all the people of Flora and other planets that are experiencing the same thing. I will launch the anti-evil operation as quickly as possible, and he will be the first.”

Xu Lingzhao drew her sidearm from her waist and pointed it at the man's forehead. With a "bang," his body fell to the ground. She said to Song Shuci beside her, "Execute all relevant personnel within one day. The space station is only for entry, not exit."

The accompanying planetary forces were all busy, and the accompanying reporters recorded everything, compiled it into positive news, and released it on the StarNet, thus launching a recruitment campaign covering lower-level planets.

Xu Lingzhao knew that in the past, only those with money and power could become members of the Planetary Army. But now, she personally broke this rule and drafted a draft of the Planetary Army's benefits on the spot. Not only Alphas could join the army, but Omegas and Betas could too. She cut off the Planetary Army's monopoly by power, won the hearts of the people, and formed a force loyal to her.

She bought all the flowers and gave them to everyone who signed up for the army on the spot, while also sending people to manage the flower trade on Flora Planet. Xu Lingzhao stood in the crowd, transparently completing each operation, and she felt someone touch her shoulder.

It was that old lady who wrapped the white roses that Xu Lingzhao had chosen into an exquisite bouquet and handed it to Xu Lingzhao. She clasped her aged hands together and murmured, "God will always protect you."

Xu Lingzhao bent down and accepted the gift with both hands. This scene was also captured by the accompanying reporters. Her appearance was a nightmare for those who were indulging in pleasure and whose inner selves were rotten, but it was also a ray of light for those who were in dire straits.

She glanced at the time; she had been there for five hours and had already missed lunch. She estimated she could return to Chu Jingze's side before evening. She returned to the starship and left Flora amidst the cheers and jeers of the crowd, leaving Song Shuci to oversee the process.

The phone rang; it was a video call from Lu Qianxue. Xu Lingzhao answered the call absentmindedly: "What's wrong, Qianxue?"

"You're so handsome! I saw your video in Flora." Lu Qianxue smiled, her face showing her exhaustion. They both saw the fatigue on each other's faces.

Xu Lingzhao chuckled: "What, Miss Lu made a video call specifically to praise me?"

Lu Qianxue's smile faded, and she said seriously, "Of course not. Those old fogies don't agree with the cursive script you drafted. Hmm... what should we do?"

Xu Lingzhao pinched the bridge of her nose and narrowed her eyes slightly: "Have anyone who disagrees come to see me in the conference room at the Pasifica headquarters tomorrow. If they remain obstinate, execute them all on the spot." She paused: "The Pasifica Federation's office center will be located in the old center. It will remain unchanged, and it will be convenient to move there. The relocation and inauguration ceremony will take place in two days. I will discuss the specific allocation of power at tomorrow's meeting."

“Okay.” Lu Qianxue nodded. She also felt that it was better to keep things simple. After all, there wasn’t enough time for complicated ceremonies. Moreover, Xu Lingzhao’s actions today had won over a lot of public support, and the calls for his assistance were high. She pursed her lips and asked, “Where is Pei Zhenwei?”

Xu Lingzhao pointed the camera at Pei Zhenwei, who was already fast asleep.

"She's so relaxed, so carefree..." She doesn't seem like a meticulous person at all; instead, she seems to have been bewitched into becoming a traitor.

Xu Lingzhao arrived at the villa entrance, holding a bouquet of white roses. As soon as she got out of the car, a figure broke free from the guards' restraints and rushed in front of her.

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Author's Note: [Confetti][Confetti] Update! I typed faster this time, it took about two and a half hours. [Smug][Smug]