Chapter 140 Western Federation - 5 Tang Bufan was stunned, then...
Tang Bufan was stunned, then quickly tensed up, his first thought being to understand the battle situation.
"When?!" Tang Bufan asked, his heart pounding. Ever since his last direct confrontation with the drones, he had developed a strong aversion to war.
He was shot in the hand by a drone and had a laser aimed at his head. If he hadn't compromised and admitted that he was still human, he would have died under the drone like the butler of the Guo family.
Lu Yi's hands were also covered in cuts... Tang Bufan couldn't bear to think about it; just thinking about it made his chest feel tight and he wanted to cry.
“Just three minutes ago,” Fick said solemnly. Sirius, as a high-ranking orc, had also joined the battle. When he left the laboratory, he made a quick phone call to Fick, firstly to ask him to notify the Western Federation, and secondly because the two were classmates with a deep friendship over the years.
As a researcher, Sirius's combat abilities were inferior to those of ordinary high-level orcs, and the battlefield was brutal... This might just be their last conversation.
Tang Bufan was extremely anxious upon hearing this. Thinking of Pei Zhishu, He Xing, He Yun, and others, he immediately threw down the magazine in his hand and went to find Lu Yi.
"Madam!" Fick suddenly grabbed Tang Bufan's hand.
Tang Bufan turned around and saw the handsome orc frowning at him: "Don't run."
Tang Bufan was stunned. He touched his stomach and realized that he had been running in a hurry... You can't run during pregnancy.
"...I'm sorry." Tang Bufan took a few breaths and forced himself to calm down: "I was too anxious."
The two quickly left the fourth floor and found that the news had spread faster than they had imagined. Many servants were already whispering among themselves, but they shut their mouths when they saw Tang Bufan and Fick, and straightened their heads and resumed their elegant demeanor.
Lu Yi, in his personal study, had already heard the news. When Tang Bufan and Fick knocked on the door and entered, there were already seven or eight people sitting inside, watching a virtual screen in a small conference room connected to the study.
Tang Bufan didn't recognize any of these people, but they all clearly knew him. A middle-aged officer in the first row stood up to offer Tang Bufan his seat, and a young officer in the second row offered his seat to the middle-aged officer.
Tang Bufan nodded his thanks and sat down in that spot. The virtual screen was very large, like a movie screen, and the camera was shaking violently, obviously filmed from a first-person perspective. Tang Bufan saw the familiar Guo family garden, where many places were already on fire.
The Rebooters once again resorted to poisonous human attacks. The bat-winged poisonous humans, acting as the air force, continuously dropped various mutated poisonous humans down. Tang Bufan saw a familiar male servant in the camera's view, being dragged up into the air by three bat-winged poisonous humans, then falling high down. His body tumbled in the air, emitting desperate screams. He couldn't help but feel nauseous, covering his mouth and turning his head away in unbearable pain.
Noticing Tang Bufan's discomfort, Lu Yiyi raised her hand, and the virtual screen disappeared into thin air.
The officers inside the room did not raise any objections. They were too far from the Eastern Federation to be of any help, so it was enough for them to get a general idea of the situation; they did not need to see the whole thing.
"What are your thoughts?" Lu Yi asked.
“The Rebooters do not harm humans,” a middle-aged officer said. “They launched the attack as soon as the humans from the East District Underground City left Tai City.”
“Yes, but what I’m more concerned about is why they didn’t deploy drones this time.” Lu Yi leaned back against the desk behind him and analyzed, “Drone attacks are much more efficient than poison-men attacks, but poison-men attacks have a huge advantage—they don’t cost any money.”
War costs money. Even the cheapest small military drone costs tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention high-end warships, which cost hundreds of billions and can drain the Federation's coffers.
After the Western Federation acquired the technology from humans, Hans pushed for a rapid production. Combining the industries of the six major cities, it took half a year to barely produce one aircraft. The Rebooter base was estimated to be only the size of a city, and even with its advanced technology, its production capacity was limited.
As soon as Lu finished speaking, the officers present immediately understood.
"The last drone attack severely injured Guo Wen, leading to his downfall and Guo Shen's takeover. If I were a Rebooter, I would definitely seize the opportunity to pursue and kill Guo Shen. That would instantly collapse the morale of the entire Eastern Federation, and the human forces led by Pei Zhishu and Fang Yue would take over the entire East in one fell swoop." Lu Yi said slowly, looking at the officers below: "Zero is definitely not a stupid person, but why doesn't he do it? The only reason is: he's out of money."
“Very likely,” an older officer agreed. “Every year, humanity spends hundreds of millions of dollars on the maintenance of the underground city. The Rebooter base is a completely enclosed ground base, covered with high-precision anti-radar image screens. Its maintenance costs must be extremely high. If various scientific research is also to be carried out, the funds simply will not be enough.”
“Yes.” Lu Yi crossed his arms, tapping his arm lightly with his fingers. After a moment of contemplation, he gave the order: “Have the logistics department prepare supplies as soon as possible to provide humanitarian aid to the Eastern Federation free of charge.”
“But we’ve only just transported a large batch of supplies over there.” A young officer frowned. “Although there are relatively few mutated poisoners running to our border right now, summer and autumn are the peak breeding season for poisoners. And the Federation’s fisheries and livestock harvests this year are still unclear. If we don’t stockpile enough supplies, we may face a shortage of supplies in the winter.”
“Turner, you need to understand that the Eastern Federation is on the front line right now. If it falls, the battlefield will become ours.” Lu Yi said in a deep voice, “The Federation has built so many factories over the years, and the population is increasing year by year. A war could destroy everything. It’s better for the people to go hungry than to die.”
The young officer was speechless, while Lu Yi continued to issue orders: "Lieutenant General Baker, issue a cold wave warning and tell the People's Research Institute that it predicts there may be a long winter this year. Tell them to start building cellars and stockpiling supplies now. Don't say it's to prevent war and avoid causing panic, but don't deliberately hide the current situation on the border. Let them know what the mutated poison people are like."
“Yes, Master Louis.” The lieutenant general named Baker nodded in response.
"The military's food supplies also need to be reduced. Cut back one-third of them first, and store the rest in warehouses. Commander Cook, select a team to go out to sea as an advance team to find a suitable base in the Pacific Ocean, either Australia or an island in the South China Sea. Avoid Japan, as it's too close to the Eastern Federation. Once there, immediately start building basic living facilities and warehouses. If the fight against the Rebooters is a long-term war, your base will be crucial to our future supplies."
"yes."
After Lu Yi issued all the orders, he dismissed the officers, leaving only him and Tang Bufan in the small conference room connected to the study.
Tang Bufan still felt a tightness in his chest. He thought that the war in the Eastern Federation was not over yet, and he dared not let Lu Yi turn on the screen for him again, for fear that he would see people he knew die tragically again.
"Teacher, don't be afraid." Lu Yi walked up to Tang Bufan and gently stroked his face with heartache: "You will be very safe here."
He was now incredibly grateful that he had brought Tang Bufan back; he didn't want to frantically search for Tang Bufan in the chaotic crowd again.
"I hope He Xing and He Yun have gone into hiding," Tang Bufan said softly, unable to resist reaching out to hug Lu Yi, pressing his face against him with distress: "They are still very young."
Although he was also worried about Pei Zhishu, he should have many bodyguards around him.
"It'll be alright," Lu Yi reassured them. "When we left, there were already many orcs stationed in the garden. They'll protect them."
He paused for a moment after speaking, then told Tang Bufan, "I plan to bring forward my coming-of-age ceremony, and leave after it's over."
Tang Bufan was taken aback and looked up at him: "When?"
“Three days from now,” Lu Yi said. He would have Emma speed up the preparations so that the ceremony would be held the day after tomorrow. Although he wanted to stay with Tang Bufan for a few more days, the sooner he got there, the sooner the residents of the Eastern Federation could receive support.
Tang Bufan's hands, which were wrapped around Lu Yi's, involuntarily gripped Lu Yi's military uniform. His lips trembled, but he didn't stop him in the end. He just asked in a hoarse voice, "Can't I really go with you? I'm... very strong now."
Tang Bufan wanted to say he could help: "I know I'm pregnant now, but I can do some logistical work, help in the kitchen, or assist the doctor..."
"Teacher, please stop, please stop." Lu Yi reached out and covered Tang Bufan's mouth, pleading with him, "I don't want to do that, I don't want to. You're my precious child, do you understand?"
Tang Bufan's eyes reddened, and he shut his mouth as Lu Yi had wished. But after a while, he said in a hoarse voice, "When you get to the Eastern Federation, help me check on He Xing, He Yun, and Wan Yiming."
"Okay." Lu Yi patted his head and responded softly.
Because of the war and Lu Yi's impending departure, Tang Bufan was filled with anxiety and couldn't eat. He casually ate an apple in the room, and at three o'clock in the afternoon, he heard new news from the Eastern Federation.
Because of the attack on Taicheng, the orc army that was supposed to escort the peacekeeping convoy back to the dungeon turned back to Taicheng to provide support. As a result, the peacekeeping convoy was attacked by drones shortly after they left.
The elderly Yu family member and Yu Fen, along with more than twenty others, died on the spot. Only seven humans survived. Upon learning of this, Fang Yue, from the New Business Alliance who were on their way to Penglai Base for an inspection, immediately offered to take over the suspended supplies.
Tang Bufan's first thought was that this was Fang Yue's retaliation.
Back then, the peacekeeping faction wiped out the education and culture group, and today Fang Yue is wiping out the peacekeeping faction. As for whether those drones were launched by the Rebooters... once a person dies and a machine flies away, who can know?
To facilitate terrain surveying of the Penglai base, the inspection vehicle brought by the New Business Alliance was equipped with drones.
But clearly, no one has the mind to delve into this now. The underground city still needs people to continue transporting supplies. The Eastern Federation is currently preoccupied with its own problems, and Fang Yue's takeover is perfectly timed and advantageous.
Tang Bufan sat by the corner window, looking out at the thick fog, knowing that the East District was now in complete chaos.
In a way, Yu Shi escaped a terrible fate, even though he married a disabled husband... I wonder if Fang Yue will settle scores with him later.
Tang Bufan sighed and took a deep sip of black tea.
That evening, Tang Bufan finally got through to Pei Zhishu, who had some free time.
“He Xing and He Yun are both fine. I sent them home to take refuge,” Pei Zhishu told Tang Bufan.
What if Ming?
Which one?
"It's that orc lad who followed me around every day back then."
“Oh…” Pei Zhishu thought for a moment, then remembered: “The one who went to work in the kitchen later? The casualty statistics for this incident haven’t been fully released yet. I’ll check them later and let you know.”
"Okay." Tang Bufan quite liked Wan Yiming, a young man who was much more honest and straightforward than his uncle Wan Bing. Thinking of what he had heard in the small conference room today, Tang Bufan told Pei Zhishu, "The Western Federation is preparing new supplies, and Lu Yi will bring them over."
"Okay, thank you."
Tang Bufan remained silent for a moment, then couldn't help but ask Pei Zhishu, "Was the destruction of the peacekeeping force part of your and Miss Fang Yue's plan?"
Tang Bufan thought about it again and again. From the attack on Taicheng to the escort troops returning to provide support, and then to the attack on the isolated peacekeeping force, it was all interconnected.
Fang Yue herself admitted that she had worked with the Rebooters, but they had broken up.
Have they really broken up?
Pei Zhishu remained silent for a while before saying, "The Peacekeeping Faction will not be destroyed. The New Business Alliance is an organization of tens of thousands of companies, and its internal struggles are far beyond your imagination. Miss Fang Yue and I both believe that it is not suitable to take over the underground city's government. Therefore, the Peacekeeping Faction will be taken over by Mr. Qin Feiniao, the current Minister of Culture."
Ministry of Culture... Tang Bufan suddenly remembered that after the destruction of the Education and Culture Group, its surviving members were merged into this department.
"Qin Feiniao was once a member of the education and culture group?"
"……yes."
Tang Bufan suddenly smiled: "Then I imagine he and Miss Fang Yue must have a good relationship, right?"
He had always believed that his fake underground identity and wanted poster were the result of Zero hacking into the peacekeeping faction's system, but now he thought that it might not have been Zero who entered them into his system.
Pei Zhishu sighed softly on the other end of the line: "You already understand, don't you?"
"Miss Fang Yue has quite the methods." Tang Bufan rarely satirized people, but he was genuinely uncomfortable with himself. "I just hope she's telling the truth when she says she doesn't reject orcs."
He hung up the phone after he finished speaking, feeling sorry for himself. He had been worried about Pei Zhishu all day, but that person might be part of the plan.
This is a ruthless person who is willing to sacrifice his entire life to meticulously plot against the orcs.
When Lu Yi returned in the evening, Tang Bufan recounted his conversation with Pei Zhishu that day.
"Did Fang Yue give you a pass to the Rebooter Base?" Tang Bufan said to Lu Yi with a serious expression. "Don't go! I suspect it might be a trap!"
Lu Yi thought for a moment and said, "If it's a trap, she should have told me the location of the base directly."
Tang Bufan frowned: "You believe what she said?"
“No, I’m certain that the construction of the new human base will require orcs as laborers,” Lu Yi said. “The East District Underground City has been severely damaged, and the construction of the new base is imminent.”
"But now there are no poisonous people?" Tang Bufan looked at him.
Lu Yi was taken aback by Tang Bufan's statement, and then began to ponder: "I overlooked this point. Most of the mutated poison people are not intelligent enough yet, but if Zero continues to evolve them, it is indeed possible."
After he finished speaking, he gently patted Tang Bufan's head and said softly, "Anyway, I will be careful."
"Don't touch my head," Tang Bufan muttered, then looked up and stroked Lu Yi's head: "I like it when I touch you."
Lu Yi smiled and obediently squatted down.
Because Lu Yi's coming-of-age ceremony was to be held earlier than planned, the servants in the castle were very busy. After resting yesterday, Tang Bufan was in a much calmer mood today. He took Anderson to the library on the fourth floor to continue browsing the travel magazines.
Fick left last night. Sirius was injured in yesterday's battle. I heard that his foot was bitten by a giant poisonous man. The poisonous man's terrifying bite force directly fractured his right shinbone. If another orc next to him hadn't immediately smashed the poisonous man's head, Sirius's right leg would probably be gone. Fick was extremely anxious and immediately applied to Lu Yi for a small flying vehicle and headed to the Eastern Federation.
Lu Yi did not refuse, but asked Fick to tell his father that the Lord of Naples was supposed to come here to see his son.
Fick said he understood, and this could be considered Lu Yi's "disclaimer," letting the Lord of Naples know that it was his son who insisted on going to the battlefield.
"I think those two are up to something." Anderson didn't have Lu Yi's intelligence network, but he guessed some things correctly.
“Sirius already has a wife and kids,” Tang Bufan said as he flipped through a magazine.
“So what? Many people in this world get married just to escape.” Anderson sat by the window, looking out at the misty outside. “Like my wife… she committed a crime and fled to me.”
Tang Bufan looked up at him slightly. The silver-haired, silver-eyed man was facing him sideways, his handsome face expressionless.
"You still love him?" Tang Bufan couldn't help but ask.
Anderson didn't answer for a long time. When Tang Bufan looked down and flipped through the booklet again, he sneered and said, "Actually, I can hardly remember what he looks like now. It's been eleven years... I just remember asking him through the prison bars, 'Would you like to come with me?' and he said... 'I would.'"
Tang Bufan fell silent, and Anderson also stopped speaking. The only sounds in the vast library were the soft turning of pages and a gentle breeze.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. On the day of the ceremony, the castle's servants began their work before dawn.
Tang Bufan also woke up early. In fact, he hadn't been sleeping well for the past two days, constantly thinking about Lu Yi's departure, and felt quite melancholy.
Probably disturbed by the noise from the servants and outside, Ethan started throwing a tantrum in a nearby room. He tantrum, and Luther joined in, the two of them shouting and yelling.
Tang Bufan put on his bathrobe and walked to the window to look out. The sky was still dim, and the warm yellow streetlights had a halo around them in the fog. Lu Yi came up to him from behind, and the two of them listened to Ethan and Luther's quarrel.
"Teacher, I'll sing you a song." Lu Yi kissed Tang Bufan's ear and began to sing softly, his voice deep and melodious, drowning out the arguing sounds in the distance.
Tang Bufan thought to himself that he was really amazing, he could dance and sing, no wonder he was so infatuated with him.
After breakfast, changing clothes, and going downstairs, Tang Bufan had some experience from attending Guo Wen's retirement ceremony in the Eastern Federation.
The coming-of-age ceremony was held in the central square of the Federation. At nine o'clock, the motorcade departed from the manor. Lu Yi and Tang Bufan sat in the convertible, smiling and waving to the crowds on both sides of the street.
This was Tang Bufan's first public appearance in the Western Federation. Everyone was very enthusiastic about him, and Tang Bufan did not disappoint them. He was young, handsome, dressed in a custom-made suit, elegant, and dignified, perfectly matching their ideal image of a first lady.
Most importantly, with the contrast between him and his wives Anna and Ethan, he seemed perfectly normal.
Upon arriving at the central square, Lu Yi led him onto the stage, where a bishop came to give them blessings. Lu Yi gave a speech, and Tang Bufan also spoke briefly. This was easy for him, given his experience as a teacher, and his approachable smile won the hearts of the people.
The ceremony concluded smoothly at noon, and lunch was held in the Federal Central Auditorium. Considering that Tang Bufan was pregnant, Lu Yi arranged for someone to send Tang Bufan back at 1 p.m., while he himself stayed behind to continue dealing with the guests and reporters.
Anderson did not attend; he had been sleeping in the room. He had just gotten up when Tang Bufan returned and, as Tang Bufan's bodyguard, made a perfunctory gesture of greeting.
"Are you attending the banquet tonight?" Tang Bufan asked him.
"It depends on my mood," Anderson said, taking a piece of beef from Tang Bufan's table and eating it.
"Afraid of running into your ex-wife?" Tang Bufan asked tentatively.
After Anderson's third wife accused him of having a mental illness, she remarried to another high-ranking orc. She did well in her remarriage and lived a comfortable life as a lady in a city far from the Fog City.
This must be Hans's way of giving her a reward.
“Who’s afraid of her?” Anderson rolled his eyes. “Do I look like such a coward?”
Tang Bufan wanted to say, "You don't even dare to have a lover anymore."
But he knew Anderson would be angry if he said that, so he looked at him with a half-smile and said, "She didn't come. Her husband came alone. I guess she felt guilty and didn't dare to face you."
Anderson's expression softened a bit: "Of course she feels guilty. She'll never sleep soundly again after hurting an innocent person."
“Then I’ll attend,” Tang Bufan said. “If I get pregnant later and Lu Yi doesn’t come back, you’ll have to keep an eye on me every day.”
After all, there were two troublemakers in the family, and even if Tang Bufan was bold, he wouldn't dare to face the couple alone.
Anderson hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement: "Alright then."
Having been insane for so long, how many times has he faced ridicule and strange looks?
I really want to go back to the wilderness, ride a motorcycle, and speed away against the wind.
Because he got up too early in the morning and concentrated on the parade and the speech on stage, Tang Bufan took off his tuxedo and lay down to sleep after Anderson left.
He had only intended to take a nap, but he ended up sleeping until evening, while soothing ball music was already playing in the lobby downstairs.
Tang Bufan sat on the bed in silence for a while before slowly lifting the covers and getting up.
Since he was already late, he decided to take his time. It took him more than half an hour to wash up and change into his ball gown.
Upon opening the bedroom door, one sees Anderson, also dressed in a formal suit, leaning against the railing with a bored expression.
"You called me to a banquet, but you slept in so late yourself." Anderson complained, glancing at Tang Bufan, who was dressed in a white fitted tuxedo. Perhaps because he had just woken up, he looked even more gentle than usual.
But Anderson knew that this was just a facade; Tang Bufan's personality was more stubborn than most people's.
"You know I overslept, why didn't you come and wake me up?" Tang Bufan retorted, leading Anderson down the wide staircase.
The arrival of the two quickly attracted the attention of the people at the banquet. Tang Bufan noticed some people staring at Anderson and whispering among themselves. Tang Bufan glanced over and gave them a slightly warning look, which immediately silenced them.
Lu Yi was holding a cocktail and talking to an officer when he saw Tang Bufan arrive. He immediately smiled, handed the glass to a male servant, and walked towards Tang Bufan.
The band conductor changed the music at the right time; it was a dance piece. Lu Yi took Tang Bufan's hand, put his arm around his waist, and led him to the center of the dance floor.
Tang Bufan suddenly felt everyone's eyes on them. His cheeks flushed slightly, and he obediently put his hand on Lu Yi's shoulder, glad that Lu Yi had helped him jump a few times before, otherwise he would have embarrassed himself.
“You look as beautiful as a prince in a fairy tale today,” Lu Yi said, looking down at his lover. “This dress that Emma made for you suits you very well.”
"Aren't you the prince?" Tang Bufan smiled faintly, spinning slowly with him. "I'm living this kind of life thanks to you."
"No, it's all thanks to you." Lu Yi said earnestly, "Teacher, you'll be fine no matter who you're with. You can love people and make them believe in love. I'm so glad I was the lucky one you chose."
After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and kissed Tang Bufan's ear in front of everyone, making Tang Bufan's face turn even redder.
After the dance ended, applause rang out. Considering that Tang Bufan was pregnant, Lu Yi led him to sit quietly on the sofa, and then beckoned Anderson to come to his side.
Anderson wanted to roll his eyes, but everyone around him was watching, including his father, mother, and brother, so he had no choice but to play along.
Lu Yi announced to everyone that Anderson had been with him on exploration missions for more than a year. Together they discovered places such as the Poison People Town, the Desert Mothership, and the Xingan Mountains Secret Base. They also fought against the mutated Poison People together many times. He was very grateful to Anderson for this.
Lu Yi wasn't lying, but he embellished it. He respected Anderson's wishes and didn't forcibly reinstate his commander status, but after his statement tonight, Anderson's situation in the Federation will be much better in the future.
Tang Bufan sat on the sofa watching, genuinely happy for Anderson. A man dressed in a white suit, just like him, sat down next to him with a wine glass. Tang Bufan clapped and looked over. He was a handsome sub-beastman, about thirty years old, with short black hair neatly combed back. He was an Easterner, just like Tang Bufan.
Is she the wife of some commander? Tang Bufan thought to himself, Asians are not uncommon in the Western Federation, but they are not rare either.
"Who are you?" Tang Bufan asked politely, feeling a little happy inside. It would be great if he could make some Asian friends here.
The Asian-orc silently watched Tang Bufan, then suddenly revealed a smile, mocking and sinister, making his slightly pale face appear ghostly.
"You don't remember me."
Tang Bufan was momentarily bewildered, then stared intently at the man's face. Soon, the blurry face wearing glasses amidst the black rain and ruins gradually overlapped with the man before him.
Tang Bufan's face turned pale instantly, and Zero reached out to hug him before he could show any signs of distress. Lu Yi and Anderson, who were over there, turned their heads and saw Tang Bufan embracing a sub-beastman in a friendly manner, though neither of them could see the man's face clearly.
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