Chapter 67

The night was as dark as ink, and only the faint blue glow of the data board filled the resting cabin. Wen Ling leaned against Miao Weizhen's shoulder, and they could hear each other's steady breathing. His fingertips unconsciously traced the subtle mark left by the broken jade under the other's sleeve, as if touching an unknown past.

"Wen Xunyi's condition..." Wen Ling's voice was so soft as if she didn't want to disturb the tranquility. "What do you think?"

Miao Weizhen's fingers paused in his hair, his brown eyes appearing particularly profound in the dim light. "Wen Xunyi's old illness is real, but the Federation won't be satisfied with this. They don't want a critical illness, they want death."

Wen Ling sat up straight abruptly: "You mean..."

"Qu Beichen's order is very clear." Miao Weizhen's voice was as cold as ice. "He wants Wen Xunyi to die of his serious illness."

At this moment, Luo Yan's emergency call came in: "Minister, a secret report from 'Shadow' has been intercepted. The Federation's special medical team has arrived in the Imperial City, carrying... special medicine."

Wen Ling's face turned pale instantly. He knew too well what those "special medicines" of the Federation meant - they looked like treatments, but were actually fatal.

"How much time do we have?"

"Forty-eight hours at most." Miao Weizhen had already pulled up the diagram of the Imperial City. "The medical team will have a 'consultation' tomorrow morning."

Every minute that followed became precious. Wen Ling immediately summoned the core team, while Miao Weizhen walked into the intelligence analysis room alone and activated the highest level of encrypted communication.

"Who do you want to contact?" Wen Ling followed in and saw him entering an extremely complicated password.

"A man who has been undercover in the Imperial City for many years." Miao Weizhen's fingertips moved quickly across the console. "He is currently the royal pharmacist."

Late at night in the Sailiang Imperial City, an elderly man dressed in traditional pharmacist attire quietly entered the pharmacy. He gently pressed a finger against a secret compartment in the medicine cabinet and pulled out a pale blue potion—the "antidote" Miao Weizhen had prepared for him three years ago, capable of neutralizing most federal poisons.

"When you boil the medicine tomorrow, mix this in," the old man whispered to his trusted disciple, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible. "Remember, this is life-saving medicine."

Meanwhile, Wen Ling was in the base's command center, closely watching every signal coming from the Imperial City. When he saw the code for "medicine ready," he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You even anticipated this?" He looked at Miao Weizhen beside him with a complicated look.

"I anticipated every move the Federation would make." Miao Weizhen's voice remained calm. "I laid out this plan in the Imperial City three years ago, waiting for this day."

The next morning, the federal medical team "diagnosed" Wen Xunyi's condition had worsened and prescribed a "special medicine." Just as the medicine was about to be delivered to the bedroom, the old pharmacist appeared at the right time.

"This medicine is very potent and needs to be neutralized with a special herbal remedy." He calmly took out the medicinal soup he had prepared long ago. "This is a secret recipe passed down from our ancestors."

The federal envoys looked at the soup with suspicion, but after a quick test showed it was non-toxic, they had no choice but to agree. What they didn't know was that this seemingly ordinary soup was the key to detoxification.

After Wen Xunyi took the medicine, his "condition" really began to "improve." This news caught the Federation off guard and disrupted their original plans.

"Right now." Miao Weizhen nodded to Wen Ling.

Wen Ling immediately connected to the galaxy-wide broadcast. Before the camera, he presented irrefutable evidence: the confidential conversation between the Federation envoy and the medical team, an analysis of the poison's composition, and even a handwritten letter from Wen Xunyi asking for help—the one the old pharmacist had risked his life to bring back the previous night.

"This is what the Federation calls 'medical aid.'" Wen Ling's voice spread throughout the star field. "They don't want a cure, they want to usurp the throne!"

After the broadcast ended, Wen Ling found Miao Weizhen standing alone in front of the observation window, looking at the distant Sailiang star field.

"That old pharmacist..." Wen Ling asked softly, "Is he in danger?"

"He has evacuated safely." Miao Weizhen turned around, his brown eyes reflecting the stars. "This move ends here."

Wen Ling held his hand and found his palm warm. At that moment, he understood that in this big game of chess, Miao Weizhen had not only anticipated every move of the enemy, but also had already thought of a retreat for every chess piece.

The dawn light streamed through the observation window, enveloping the two figures in a warm halo.

After the crisis in Saigong Imperial City was resolved, an unusual solemnity settled over the base's command center. Wen Ling simultaneously faced three pieces of urgent intelligence: a failed assassination attempt on the elderly Prince Saigong, a communications blackout with the Saiwen Kingdom in Cuiwei Continent, and unusual fleet movements at the border of Jiyuan Continent.

"Pressure from three sides." Wen Ling's fingertips drew three sharp tracks on the star map. "The Federation is testing our bottom line."

Miao Weizhen looked up from the holographic projection, his eyes tinged with sleeplessness. "The assassins are from the Federation's 'Shadow' forces. Cuiweizhou's communications have been cut off by the new quantum interference network. The Jiyuanzhou fleet was just a feint."

Wen Ling took the decrypted document he handed over, her pupils shrinking slightly: "The federal secret message mentioned the need to stop the 'alliance'... What have you been secretly planning?"

Miao Weizhen tapped his finger on the console, and nine dots of light suddenly lit up on the star map, each labeled with the name of an ancient nation. "Sailiang, Saiyi, Saili, Saizhi, Saixin, Saiwen, Saigong, Saijian, Sairang," his voice was remarkably clear in the silent command center. "I'm contacting all the ancient nations oppressed by the Federation to form a restoration alliance."

Han Zhong exclaimed: "This is..."

"The nine ancient kingdoms of our home planet." Miao Weizhen pulled up a dusty historical star map. "Thousands of years ago, our ancestors established ten kingdoms on Saiming Star, upholding the principles of 'benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, as well as gentleness, courtesy, frugality, and modesty' as the cornerstones of civilization."

On the star map, the territories of the ten countries spread out like a brilliant galaxy.

"Until the Sairen Kingdom abandoned its ancient teachings." Miao Weizhen's voice was as cold as steel. "Under the pretext of 'the benevolent are invincible, wisdom controls all things,' they embarked on a path of technological monopoly and elite rule, establishing the current federation and annexing the other nine nations one by one. Now, it's time for this ancient civilization to see the light of day again."

Wen Ling gazed at the territory swallowed by the Federation on the star map and whispered, "So you have to unite all the oppressed Federation vassal states..."

"Rebuilding a civilization based on virtue." Miao Weizhen's eyes were as bright as sparks. "This is the Restoration Alliance."

At this moment, Luo Yan appeared silently at the door: "Minister, a secret message from Sai Gong."

The holographic projection showed the anxious face of Sai Gong's contact: "Minister, after the old prince was assassinated, the pro-war faction demanded that the alliance prove its strength. They need to see... proof of a breakthrough in Cuiweizhou's quantum interference network."

In the silence after the communication ended, Wen Ling suddenly stood up: "Perhaps the ancient algorithm in the fragments of Xinglan's consciousness..."

He quickly walked towards the main console, his hands rapidly manipulating the screen. Ancient data streams from Xinglan's memories intertwined with modern technology at his fingertips, like a dialogue between civilizations spanning millennia.

"What is he doing?" Han Zhong asked Miao Weizhen in a low voice.

"Create a miracle." Miao Weizhen's eyes never left Wen Ling's figure.

When the last section of code was entered, a deep blue ripple suddenly appeared in the Cuiwei Continent star field on the main screen. The ripple spread at an incredible speed, penetrating the quantum interference network and reconnecting the nine ancient star fields.

"Success!" The technical officer could not hide his excitement.

What is even more shocking is that as the ripples passed, the outlines of the territories of the ten ancient countries vaguely appeared on the star map, as if a thousand-year-old civilization was awakening at this moment.

Miao Weizhen gazed at the nine ancient kingdoms that had been reconnected on the star map and said in a low voice, "After a thousand years of separation, the nine kingdoms are finally connected again."

Sai Gong's contact was connected again, his tone filled with awe: "We have seen it... Is this the power of the Restoration Alliance?"

"This is the power of an ancient civilization." Wen Ling and Miao Weizhen stood side by side. "It's a power that belongs to each and every one of us."

"Sai Gong has joined the alliance." The contact saluted solemnly. "May the ancient teachings be revived and civilization be revived."

When silence returned to the command center, Wen Ling looked at the nine reborn points of light on the star map: "This road is full of thorns."

"But the spark has been ignited." Miao Weizhen gently touched the newly connected territory on the star map. "This time, we will let the entire starry sky see it—the ancient civilization betrayed by the Sairen Kingdom will be reborn."