"You came just in time." Su Su was simply dressed and relaxed. Only then did he feel the tiredness of being so exhausted that he didn't even want to move a finger.
Unlike holographic games, real battles consume a lot of physical strength. Su Su has been lying in the nutrition warehouse for the past six months and has obviously neglected exercise.
The situation just now was extremely dangerous. If Yi Qing had arrived a few minutes later, Su Su might not have been able to hold on and would have been dragged ashore by the monster.
The killer whale pushed Su Su to the surface. Yan San saw Su Su and immediately pulled him back to the floating boat. He noticed Yi Qing leaning out of the water and was obviously stunned: "Princess Yi Qing?"
Yan Bai once planned to be Yi Qing's substitute, so naturally he recognized her face.
Yi Qing supported herself on the deck with one hand and jumped up, sitting on the edge of the deck. Her gauze-like top was dripping with water, and half of her tail was hanging in the air, swaying carefreely: "I am no longer a princess. Now I am just a mermaid who has evolved into a killer whale. I don't intend to get involved in your affairs this time. I just came to repay Su Su's favor."
"Su Su, you've worked hard tonight. You rest on the boat first. I'll go to the shore to comfort the members of Undercurrent and explain the situation... They're still confused now." Yan Bai tried to act calm, even though he was shaken as much as anyone else present. His father, who raised him, was a Zerg. He watched with his own eyes as the other party turned into a translucent monster and then turned back into a human. He was shocked, sad, confused, and uneasy, but now he was the leader of Undercurrent. He had to be calm enough to make the Undercurrent feel calm.
"Okay." Su Su watched Yan Bai walk down the stairs step by step. His back was reflected in the dawn light. He tried to stand straight, but it seemed that he could no longer bear the weight of the darkness.
There is no time to rest, think, or mourn. From now on, he must be sober, firm, and resolute, and tell his followers what has happened and where to go next. This is the responsibility that a leader must bear.
"By the way, this is for you. You left in a hurry and didn't have time to take the treasures hidden in the box with you. I thought you might need them, so I brought them to you." Yi Qing took out a chip from her clothes and handed it to Su Su.
It was the teaching material chip that Su Su used to study!
Su Su didn't expect Yi Qing to bring this to him: "Thank you, I really need it."
Su Su untied the rope and hung it around his neck. This was the first proof that he and Qi Hanyi had met. Su Su thought, he hadn't told Qi Hanyi that he was the Yin in Qi Hanyi's heart yet, and he could take out this chip and scare him later.
"Okay, the problem is solved, the things are brought here, and I'm ready to leave." Yi Qing was not used to staying on the water, and seeing that Su Su was safe, she also planned to say goodbye.
"Wait a moment." Su Su, who was exhausted and paralyzed on the deck, struggled to stand up. He had something private to ask the little mermaid.
"Can you teach me the song you just sang?" Su Su still remembered that he wanted to sing for Qi Hanyi to cure his mental breakdown, but he couldn't sing any songs. Instead, the song that Yi Qing hummed just now sounded very beautiful. It didn't have any lyrics, but it seemed to give people strength.
Yiqing's expression became a little strange. She tilted her head and asked, "Do you want to learn singing from me?"
"I know that mermaids can't sing." Su Su explained, "But now I am a real mermaid."
"Well, I can see that, but..." Yi Qing became curious: "Why do you want to learn to sing?"
"I want to save a human being who is suffering from mental breakdown." Su Su said bluntly.
"The general named Qi Hanyi?" Yi Qing vaguely remembered that the other party wanted to marry a mermaid for this reason: "Do you like him?"
"I like it." Su Su answered without hesitation.
The wind blew away the thin clouds at night, revealing a brilliant starry sky. The Milky Way was reflected in Su Su's eyes. Something more brilliant than the starlight flowed out, the purest and most straightforward emotion of a young boy.
"Well, I understand." Yi Qing's eyes were smiling. Su Su fell in love with his partner, which made Yi Qing feel much less guilty: "But I can't teach you."
"Why?" Su Su's expression fell.
"I think you are not qualified to be a mermaid. You don't even have the most basic knowledge about mermaids." Yi Qing sighed: "Do you know how to differentiate mermaids?"
"Eh..." Su Su was stumped by the question. He had indeed never thought about this question carefully: "Seeing someone you like?"
"It can be said that mermaids will have strong emotional fluctuations when they are with their partners. When their mental strength exceeds the threshold, they will separate." Yi Qing said:
"Then do you know why only differentiated mermaids can sing beautiful songs?"
Su Su was like a poor student who was called up to answer a question. Although he didn't even understand the question, he still tried hard to think of the answer: "Do differentiated mermaids have stronger mental power?"
"It's belief. The differentiated mermaid has determined his life, so he has a clearer and more firm belief. Spiritual power is transmitted through belief. It cannot be seen, but it does exist. It will protect what you love and destroy what you hate. The stronger the belief, the more obvious the effect."
"Well, okay." Su Su felt that Yi Qing's explanation had gone beyond science and belonged to the realm of metaphysics.
"Do you remember when I taught you how to speak with your mental power?" Yi Qing asked again.
"Remember." Su Su nodded confidently this time.
Yi Qing: "Then didn't you realize that when I sang just now, I didn't use my throat to make sounds, but my mental power?"
Su Su was stunned for a moment: "But I heard it."
Unlike his mental perception, he was sure that he heard the song.
Yi Qing: "Singing is the embodiment of spiritual power. It is more concentrated than the spiritual power we use to communicate. Even ordinary people without spiritual power can hear it. This is not a song in the human definition. It is more like a kind of feeling and resonance for the people and things you love."
"Do you agree?" Su Su seemed to understand, recalling Yi Qing's singing just now. He could indeed feel the tranquility, depth and vastness of the ocean, as well as the bravery and fearlessness of the killer whale.
Yi Qing undoubtedly loves this ocean, loves a killer whale named Chubby, and loves his tribe. It is a love that can be understood without any language.
“Feel the things you love deeply. The mermaid’s song can’t be imitated. You have to sing your own song.” The little mermaid dived into the sea, and when she floated up, she had turned into a little killer whale. The killer whale made a call like a flute, which soon received a wave of responses from the nearby voices.
The little killer whale swam happily towards the group, and the sweet mermaid singing once again reached Su Su's ears, gradually drifting away.
Exhausted, Su Su fell into a deep sleep accompanied by the singing. When he woke up, it was already noon. A few hours of rest had restored some strength to him. Although he still felt a little sore, it did not affect his normal activities.
Su Su was worried about what Yan San said, that the Zerg and humans might go to war soon, so he wanted to pass the news back as soon as possible. So he prepared to say goodbye to Yan Bai.
Su Su was sent to the top floor office in the central building.
Yan Bai had not rested all night and was still busy taking over various affairs. Beside him, a tall, dark-skinned young man was helping him process documents.
"The rest are just daily matters, just leave them to me. You should go and have a rest first. You will damage your body if you keep working like this." The tall figure of the young man almost completely blocked Yan Bai. At first glance, he looked more like a bodyguard.
Yan Bai took a sip of the coffee at hand, then opened a new file and started reading: "I'm not sleepy yet. Being busy will make me less prone to random thoughts... Su Su, you're awake. How are you feeling? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine. I just don't get enough exercise on a normal day, so I was a little tired from all this trouble. I've almost recovered now." Su Su was speaking when he saw the tall young man turn around. The familiar look made Su Su stunned.
"Go but never return?" Su Su had seen this face during the third game of the preliminary round.
Zheng Hui didn't seem surprised. He smiled and stretched out his hand to Su Su: "It's me. I often heard the young master mention you. I have also dealt with you several times in the game. Today I finally saw you in person."
Su Su had no good feelings towards Zheng Hui and did not intend to shake hands with him. He said unhappily, "So you are from Undercurrent. No wonder you always target me in the game."
"It was my order. I thought that as long as Zheng Hui surpassed you and took first place, I could remove you from the plan." Yan Bai spoke up to help Zheng Hui out: "I know Zheng Hui likes to use some tricks, but he also does it for the mission. If you mind this, just blame me."
Su Su could understand Yan Bai's intention. Although he concealed the truth, it was out of good intentions and he wanted to protect himself. Besides, Yan San, the culprit, was dead, and the previous plan was also aborted. Naturally, there was no need for Su Su to argue with Yan Bai anymore.
"I have no problem with him competing with me," but he still feels bad for Zheng Hui: "I just can't stand the fact that he doesn't play games honestly, but only likes to use dishonorable means."
"The purpose of playing games is to win, within the rules, using any means necessary. I don't think there is anything shameful about that," Zheng Hui retorted.
Su Su was about to explode when he heard Zheng Hui say, "But even after using all those tricks, I still couldn't beat you. I am convinced by your strength."
Su Su felt comfortable listening to this. The corners of his mouth immediately curled up uncontrollably, and his tone softened unconsciously: "You are not bad, just a little bit worse than me."
He ranked first in the preliminary round and also ranked first in the semi-final. If Su Su had not participated in this competition, Zheng Hui would have been able to securely take first place in the entire competition.
"Seriously, Su Su, I have to thank you." Maybe it's because he's no longer pretending online, but Zheng Hui seems more sincere in real life.
"I used to treat playing games as a task. Maybe because I never lost, I always felt bored and thought that driving a starship was just that. But your appearance made me find some fun in games. Although the Undercurrent plan has been cancelled, I will continue to participate in the competition. I will be more serious next time."
"You can't beat me even if you're serious." Su Su raised his chin arrogantly. This confidence that comes from strength is not annoying, but rather constitutes Su Su's unique charm. "
Zheng Hui also laughed when he heard this: "See you at the finals."
"Yeah," Su Su responded, then looked at Yan Bai and talked about business: "I have to go back quickly. The insect tribe member said that he informed the mother insect. The other party might take advantage of the fact that Qi Hanyi can't use his mental power and sneak in."
"I have already contacted the ship, and we will depart from here in the evening. Now Undercurrent and Yan's Shipping are both on the wanted list of the Empire, so I can only send you to the Mermaid Kingdom. There, the high priest will send you back to the Empire." Yan Bai knew that Su Su would ask to go back after waking up, so he arranged the itinerary for him in advance: "I'm afraid that others will think you are an accomplice of Undercurrent this time. Undercurrent has basically withdrawn its influence in the Empire recently, so you remember to be careful."
Su Su waved his hands: "I'm fine. I will tell them what happened here. The undercurrent is no longer the same as before. The bad guys are the Zerg disguised as Yan San, and you are just an organization that wants to protect the mermaids and don't plan to continue to steal the starship."
Yan Bai: "Although we won't rob the starship, I will watch Qi Hanyi and the people in power in the empire, hoping that they can really treat mermaids well. Otherwise, even if we don't rob the starship, things like the attack on the training center will still happen."
Speaking of the training center, Su Su thought of Mo Lin, who was tricked into coming here by him: "Speaking of which, how are you going to deal with Mo Lin?"
"I don't plan to release him for now. With him as a hostage, the Mo family will be afraid to do anything bad to the mermaid. But as long as the Mo family behaves, I won't do anything too extreme to Mo Lin."
Yi Qing said this with a somewhat wicked smile: "Doesn't he like to draw mermaids? There are many mermaids here, so let him stay here and draw as many as he wants."
The setting sun painted the sea a rosy color. The floating ship broke through the wind and waves and flew towards the empire.
After sailing for several hundred miles, Su Su's personal terminal reconnected to the signal. He couldn't wait to open the communication and prepare to share with Qi Hanyi what happened in his day and night on Freedom Island.
But what popped up was not a picture waiting for the call to be connected, but an image left by Qi Hanyi.
In the video, Qi Hanyi is wearing a combat suit, sitting inside the launcher heading to the space station. His cold expression and the silver-white combat suit make him look like a sharp blade. No one can tell that the man in front of him has already been mentally shattered. Perhaps in another month, he will fall into a nightmare and never wake up until death comes.
"Su Su, when you see this video, I should have already set out for the space station." Qi Hanyi in the video spoke.
"The war started very suddenly. I think your guess is correct, and you have successfully exposed Yan San's disguise. The Zerg had to abandon their original infiltration plan and attack the planet while I can't use my mental power."
"This should be a tough battle. If it comes to an emergency, I will use drugs to boost my mental strength. After the effect of the drugs ends, I will probably die immediately."
When he said this, Qi Hanyi paused for a moment. There was no fear of death in his eyes, but there was a deep reluctance: "I used to think that death was a kind of relief, but now that I have really reached this moment, I hope that I can live a few more days, even a few days, so that I can end this war before I die, buy more time for our planet, and let me... see you again."
Perhaps because he seldom expressed his feelings, Qi Hanyi paused for a few seconds when he spoke here, and his eyes unconsciously shifted away.
"I'm sorry that I didn't respond to your feelings until now, because I can't decide whether to live or die, which is very irresponsible to you. Now I am glad that you didn't split up for me like other mermaids, so that you wouldn't lose your life because of me."
"I have convinced Grandpa that whether I live or die, he will do his best to recommend you to become the new starship pilot. Without me, you will have to rely on yourself in the future. This road is difficult and tiring, but I think you may like it."
"The backup authority chip of the Shirazawa is left in Yin's eye, for you as a souvenir."
"But I don't intend to let you inherit the Bai Ze. You should have a starship that is more suitable for you. I have already finished the first draft of the design and handed it over to the design institute. I think it will be produced in half a year. You will have your first real dual-form starship. I want to name it Kunpeng. Kun is originally a big fish, but it can turn into a flying bird and soar into the sky... It's very similar to you."
There was a rapid beep in the background.
Qi Hanyi seemed to want to say something to Su Su. When he heard the voice, he was slightly stunned, as if wondering why time suddenly passed so quickly.
"I'm leaving." Qi Hanyi stared at the camera, as if he wanted to see Su Su outside of time and space through it. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he smiled at the camera unskillfully. The sharpness like an ice blade melted away like spring water in this smile: "Don't worry about me. In the future, I hope you can get what you want and live a hundred years without worries."
"Bah." A tear dripped down Su Su's cheek, and Su Su realized belatedly that he seemed to be crying. He wiped away his tears with his hand, but more tears came out.
"Who wants to live a hundred years without worries? How can I live a hundred years without worries when you are gone?"
Su Su felt as if a huge stone was pressing down on his heart, or as if a fire was burning. He had already turned into a mermaid, he could split into two, he could sing for Qi Hanyi and cure his illness.
However, Qi Hanyi went to fight at this critical moment! He also planned to use his mental strength to win the battle with his life.
"You are not allowed to die! You are not allowed to die!" Su Su clenched the ring tightly, and his fingertips turned blue and white.
No, he had to hurry back and find a way to get to the space station and the interstellar battlefield. As long as he could find Qi Hanyi before he used his mental power, he could cure his illness and bring him back safely.
"Can you please drive faster? We're in time." Su Su urged the crew of the airship.
"This is already the fastest speed." The other party said with embarrassment.
When Su Su was so anxious that he wanted to fly directly to Bai Ze, Qi Hanyi had already sat in the driver's seat of Bai Ze. At this moment, the Zerg was only 700 star ranges away from their defense line. It was estimated that in another five hours, they would encounter the Zerg's vanguard.
This time, as the defending party, the expeditionary force did not leave the space station too far. Instead, it took the space station as the core and cooperated with the local guards to jointly deploy three lines of defense.
"We will defend with this formation. If we can hold out for a month or two, we will surely be able to bring down the Zerg's offensive line." The commander of the space station was full of confidence.
"Too conservative. Let's spend seven days to find out the opponent's approximate strength. After seven days, I will lead a team to launch a surprise attack from behind and try to kill the queen worm in one fell swoop." Qi Hanyi drew a route suitable for a surprise attack on the map.
"Well, judging from the intelligence from the front, this time it's most likely an SSS-level queen insect, and there may be six to eight male guard insects of the same level around her. Isn't this too aggressive? Besides, your mental power is not..."
Qi Hanyi interrupted the other party and said, "Don't worry about my mental strength. It's settled. I will hand over the command to you later. The defense teams left behind by the expeditionary force will be under your command."
After the remote joint meeting ended, the adjutant Jian Cheng, who was on the Bai Ze with Qi Hanyi, entered the cockpit alone.
"Commander, our expeditionary force is good at surprise attacks, but isn't this plan too hasty? The Zerg's attack was very hasty this time, and the supplies needed for the surprise attack could not be prepared in seven days, and there would be a huge lack of intelligence. In another three days, the queen insect might not be able to reach the ideal ambush position, so we can just wait a few more days..."
"I can't wait... I don't have much time left." He had less than half a month left before the drug expired, and Qi Hanyi hoped to resolve this battle while he was still alive. The scale of the Zerg this time was very large, and as long as the queen was successfully killed, perhaps humans could be guaranteed to have half a year to a year of peaceful recuperation time, which was enough time for Su Su to grow from a game player to a real starship pilot.
"Don't worry, we will win this battle." Qi Hanyi had already made plans. Once he used his mental power to confirm the location of the queen worm, he would directly detonate the Bai Ze. The terrifying energy erupted from the Bai Ze was enough to destroy all living things around it. The other members of the assault team only had to wait until the explosion was over, clean up the battlefield, and confirm the death of the queen worm.
Because we had to change boats to the Mermaid Kingdom, the return trip took a total of three days.
As soon as Su Su got off the boat, the executive team of the Noble Council appeared at the dock, surrounded Su Su, and carefully inspected the boat he was on.
The leader of the team was worried about his brother: "Why did you come back alone? Where is Morin?"
"He was painting mermaids on Liberty Island, and Yan Bai said that they would take good care of him." Su Su quoted Yan Bai's words: "Yan Bai said that as long as you stop harming mermaids, they can guarantee that Morin will live a good life."
"You're living well. You can be locked up on Freedom Island and not even allowed to go home. How can you call it living well?" Mo Shan snorted coldly. "It seems that you are indeed colluding with the dark current. I should have thought of it earlier. You and Yan Bai look a bit similar. I think you have some blood relationship. Since he has detained my brother, please come with me. When he returns Mo Lin, I will set you free."
He gestured to the people behind him, and they immediately prepared to kidnap Su Su.
"Master Mo, aren't you stretching your hand too far? Su Su is Qi Hanyi's partner and the wife of the heir of our Qi family. You want to arrest her, but have you asked our Qi family for their opinion?" Qi Yue walked out from a nearby alley, having obviously been waiting at the port for a long time.
Hearing this voice, Su Su breathed a sigh of relief. It was worth it that before coming here, he specially contacted Qi Xingli and told him that he had a way to cure Qi Hanyi's illness, and asked him to send someone to pick him up at the dock.
Mo Shan looked in the direction of the voice and discovered that Qi Yue did not bring anyone with her. She came to the port alone. Come to think of it, it made sense. After all, the military was responsible for guarding space, and ground defense was the responsibility of the Defense Bureau. Using military force on the ground was a taboo for the royal family.
Upon discovering this, Mo Shan showed a look of contempt: "When he colluded with the undercurrent to take my brother away, he did not even ask for the opinion of my Mo family. Before my brother returns safely, I can only ask the young lady of the Qi family to come to my Mo family and suffer for a few days."
"Take the person away." Mo Shan ordered with a cold face. After a pause, he added: "Be careful with your movements. Don't hurt Miss Qi Yue."
Following his order, his men tied up Su Su and planned to drag him onto the aircraft.
A specially painted aircraft landed at the port, interrupting the drama. Princess Tang Xiruo walked out, her tall figure matched with the special dress for the crown prince, making her posture majestic and upright. Behind her was a whole team of fully armed royal guards, surrounding the Mo family's team.
Tang Xiruo walked to Qi Yue's side, protecting Su Su and Qi Yue behind her, staring at Mo Shan and questioning, "Mo Shan, you are so powerful. Without the permission of the royal family, you dare to lead the parliamentary execution team to arrest people from the Qi family privately? Who gave you the right?"
When Mo Shan saw Tang Xiruo show up, he immediately guessed that this must be the reinforcements Qi Yue had brought. He was too concerned, Qi Yue was a clever girl with many ideas, if she really wanted to save someone, how could she come alone?
However, Mo Shan did not intend to let the other party accuse him of disrespecting the royal family. He calmed himself down and explained, "I was just worried about my brother. I was in a hurry and was not considerate of the etiquette. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
"But my arrest of Su Su this time was not entirely personal. Su Su colluded with Anliu and impersonated a male mermaid to marry into the Qi family with the intention of committing adultery. The evidence is solid. I think his marriage is not established, so he should not be considered a member of the Qi family. I took him back this time because the parliament needs to investigate his purpose of replacing Yi Qing and marrying Qi Hanyi, as well as his collusion with Anliu to blow up the mermaid training center and kidnap dozens of married mermaids."
"My father has given me full authority to investigate matters related to the Undercurrent. As for Su Su, General Qi Xingli has already made it clear to my father that he has absolutely no chance of colluding with the Undercurrent, and this action is also to resolve the threat of the Undercurrent and cooperate with Qi Hanyi's actions. As for Mo Lin, the Mermaid Training Center he runs seems to have been engaged in some illegal activities before. After this incident was exposed, it immediately caused great public anger. The Mo family should think about how to give the people a reasonable explanation."
Mo Shan did not expect that Qi Xingli would actually do his best to protect Su Su. As the most loyal Minister of National Defense, Qi Xingli's words carried great weight in front of His Majesty. His guarantee for Su Su was indeed enough to clear the suspicion on Su Su, which completely disrupted Mo Shan's plan.
Although he was unwilling, he could only leave for the time being and make long-term plans: "Your Highness is teaching me that if this is the case, Mo Shan will not disturb the princess from performing her official duties."
After seeing Mo Shan off, Qi Yue breathed a sigh of relief: "This Mo Shan actually wanted to use force, luckily you came."
"Mo Shan usually likes to plan before he acts, and rarely does such an outrageous act. But when it comes to Mo Lin, he is indeed a little unruly." Tang Xiruo put away his aura and looked at Su Su: "You are Su Su, you are really good-looking, I thought Qi Yue was bragging to me."
"I never brag, okay, I'm just very good-looking! Prettier than my older brother!" Qi Yue shouted.
"Yes, yes, yes," Tang Xiruo shook her head and smiled helplessly, "It seems like this journey has been restless. Let's go. I'll take you back to the Qi family."