The activation of the Afterglow Fleet's jump engines had come to the last minute, and the Sinda Company's fleet, led by the Defender-class cruiser, just barely arrived.
They had no way to stop it, and could only watch the Afterglow Fleet leave and shift their attention to other places in hyperspace.
After contacting the remaining company fleet in hyperspace and investigating what had happened before, the captain and commander of the cruiser immediately transmitted all the situations within the entire galaxy back to the company headquarters.
At the Sindar Corporation headquarters in the Asconia system.
In the conference room on the top floor of the headquarters building, where the meeting should have ended long ago, all the directors were still gathered here, waiting for the results.
The appearance of the Defender Captain was displayed on the projection screen in the conference room.
The chairman had already listened to the Defender captain's explanation of the situation in hyperspace. Although he was a little anxious, he still kept a calm face and asked the captain: "What do you mean the military's Ruler class might have been destroyed by Yuhui's cruiser? I need Chen Ming's information."
The Defender Captain lowered his head slightly in response to the Chairman's question and said, "According to the information provided by the surviving Cowherd Captain, Chen Ming did enter this hyperspace channel."
"But in our search, we only found some fragments of the Ruler's wreckage inside the channel."
"There are no wrecks of any mining ships, and no traces left."
"Considering that when we first arrived at the target location, we only saw a fleet of Afterglow that had already reached the final stage of its jump."
"We can only speculate that Yu Hui killed the ruler of the military that was hunting Chen Ming. We are not 100% sure about what happened afterwards."
The chairman's eyes lingered on the captain for a moment, and he said, "Leave some ships to continue searching, and the other ships to be responsible for rescue work. The military will certainly send spacecraft over later. Contact me then."
"yes."
The screen projection is terminated.
The projections of the other directors in the conference room focused their attention back on the chairman.
The chairman cleared his throat and said, "First, let's rule out the possibility that Chen Ming was killed by Yu Hui and the entire spacecraft was wiped out."
"Although Chen Ming's spaceship was converted from a civilian mining ship, it is certain that he mixed Baiyun steel into the materials."
"This material cannot be directly annihilated even when facing the attack of the Tachyon Spear, so this possibility should be ruled out first."
A director followed the chairman's line of thought and said, "Then there is only one possibility left, Yu Hui took Chen Ming away."
Another director agreed: “I think that’s a very high possibility.”
“But there is a big difference between whether someone was taken away by Yuhui and whether they were captured or left on their own.”
"Haven't we discussed the possibility of Chen Ming's ability before? He has the ability to control all spaceships. The Afterglow spaceship is also a spaceship."
The directors present had basically already had some ideas about this conjecture in their minds.
One of the directors immediately asked the question he had been thinking about before: "But if he can already control a cruiser-class ship, is it necessary for him to return to the company? Even putting himself in danger of being hunted down?"
"We all know his past. We can't say that he suddenly has some special purpose for no apparent reason, right?"
The director's question immediately drew a rebuttal from the director who had just proposed the idea: "In fact, I don't think he can control the cruiser yet. The use of psychic power always requires the support of mental strength."
"It has been at most half a year since he awakened his psychic powers. Even the most talented psychic cannot possibly cover an entire cruiser with the amount of mental power they have after half a year of awakening."
"Are you sure?"
"This is the upper limit determined by human physical fitness. I have a say in this regard."
The director said this, and no one else had any objection.
At this time, the chairman, who was listening to the directors' discussion, also spoke up: "My opinion is that Chen Ming definitely has the ability to control Yuhui AI."
"As for Yuhui's fleet, Chen Ming managed to contact it through the Yuhui AI on the Yuhui spaceship that he once controlled."
"Why would Yu Hui come?"
The chairman immediately replied: "Depending on Chen Ming's ability."
"Then Yu Hui isn't worried that Chen Ming will control them in turn?"
The chairman immediately gave another answer: "If Yu Hui and the others were worried about this, they shouldn't have shown up in the first place. Letting Chen Ming die there, isn't that the easiest and most convenient option for Yu Hui?"
"Even if they are worried that Chen Ming is not dead, wouldn't it be better to wait until the military fails and then come out to give Chen Ming a finishing blow?"
"really."
"I think so."
The chairman's statement was recognized by several directors.
"So I think it is very likely that Chen Ming chose to call for Yuhui's help when he was cornered by the ruler. This is the only completely unrestricted force near the edge star field that can support him."
"Wait a minute, it may not be certain when it comes to this. What about Wu An?"
The chairman's question made all the directors present look at the director who managed the Pirate Space Station.
He just spread his hands and said, "I asked him, and he told me he knew the answer. I don't know what he did."
"Then is it possible that it wasn't Yu Hui, but he rescued her?"
"He is not a psychic who can rescue people personally. When our ship arrived, there were no signs of conflict with Yuhui other than the Ruler. It should not be him."
"Maybe he has other plans?"
"The arrangement that almost got Chen Ming killed?"
The chairman reached out and tapped the table lightly, interrupting the discussion about what Wu An had done, and said, "Don't guess. You will never get the answer. We don't know what the Psychic Society has done. Maybe he has already rescued Chen Ming somewhere else."
"And now all the evidence we have found has completely pointed to Yu Hui, so let's assume that it was Yu Hui who took Chen Ming away, and then consider other things."
"Of course, we also have to pay more attention to Wu An's situation during this process."
The director who was in charge of the pirate space station nodded but said nothing.
Another director asked, "What should we do now? Go find Yu Hui? Fight him?"
The other directors answered for the chairman directly: "We can't defeat them, right? Even if there is only a small wave of Yu Hui, we can't handle it."
"We can use the thing in the test. We should be able to give it a try. The combat effectiveness is guaranteed."
The chairman directly rejected the director's proposal and said, "This is the key to our company's competition with several established companies. It is still in the research and development stage and must not be used. Even if we have it, doesn't Yuhui have it?"
"Just surprise attack them like Yu Hui did when he attacked us before. If we are efficient enough, we shouldn't run into them."
The chairman glanced at the director who proposed it and said, "Okay, if we agree to the call, where are you going to find Chen Ming?"
"Do you have Yuhui's star map? Do you know which star system has Yuhui's colony after passing the buffer zone? Do you know where Chen Ming was taken by Yuhui? Looking for someone is just empty talk now."
"And considering Chen Ming's current situation, I'm very curious about what he thinks about Yu Hui. Does he want to stay with Yu Hui forever, or does he have any intention of coming back?"
"Although there is external pressure, since Chen Ming has prepared a backup plan for Yu Hui to rescue him, he must have considered what he will do after going to Yu Hui."
"That's information we have absolutely no way of knowing for sure."
The chairman paused for a moment, sighed slightly in his heart, and said: "Chen Ming can contact us using the spaceship he controls, but we can only send the information we want to convey to his spaceship."
"It's really uncertain when he will see it and when he will reply after seeing it."
"Now we can only wait for Chen Ming to contact us."
"So instead of waiting and wasting time, it's better to do other things first."
"To take back our galaxy and our space station, there is more to do than just bringing Chen Ming back. There are many other things to do."
"And even if Chen Ming hadn't been there, after learning that there was a source of sky steel in the galaxy, we had to do whatever it took to take the galaxy back."
“Compared to the past, now is definitely the best time.”
"In addition, we still have the escort fleet that needs rescue, the government that needs explanation, and the military that needs response."
"These are just some of the new things that have come out, and the company's original work still needs to be continued."
“There is never enough work to do.”
The director sitting to the left of the chairman stood up and said, "Then I will continue to contact the government and explain the matter of the armor-piercing ship. Otherwise, the company's business will be difficult in the future."
"We must also clarify Chen Ming's situation. We will definitely not be able to keep Chen Ming, and it will be difficult for us to bring Chen Ming back in person."
"Since we are not sure whether Chen Ming can come back alive, we should make full use of the last bit of value he left behind."
"We have already lost a lot, at least we can't lose even the money we lost."
The chairman opened his mouth slightly but ultimately said nothing.
Watch as the director exits the meeting after speaking.
Another director suddenly noticed a key word in the chairman's words and asked, "Chairman, what do you mean by the best opportunity?"
"This has to do with the situation on the military side."
The chairman looked at the director who was in charge of military-related matters.
Although there is a military faction within the company, he can be sure that all directors, including this director, are absolutely firm company factions.
The middle management of the company may have some concerns because of the temptation of some interests offered by the military.
But the company's top executives, especially the top executives, that is, the board of directors, are all aware that the military is a hungry wolf that will eat people without leaving any bones, and the mining space station is the best evidence.
If he sells the company for his own interests, he will definitely be completely swallowed up by the military in the end.
The director in charge of military affairs saw the chairman looking at him and said, "The situation on the military side is very strange. They must have created that rebel themselves."
"That man was the stationmaster of a military outpost. He held a very high position of authority within the army and was also an old soldier. There was no reason for him to suddenly rebel and take a Ruler with him to hunt down Chen Ming."
"It is speculated that they thought the ships they sent out at the beginning were not enough to kill Chen Ming, so in order to complete this task, they sent people to rebel and cause trouble."
"Although the military has high authority, the deployment of cruisers still needs to be approved."
"Unless their outpost is attacked by Afterglow like before, other places can immediately bypass the approval process and move the cruiser directly."
After the director finished explaining, he said puzzledly: "I really don't understand how they can do such a thing."
"And they seem to have been complacent for too long. They don't even want to learn about information outside the star zone. There must be something wrong with their brains."
"They dare to mess with anyone who comes from there."
The director who had just asked the chairman a question said, "You mean the rebel destroyed the boat of the man coming over there?"
"Yes, that's why I said they have problems with their brains and they messed with the wrong people."
"So there will definitely be a major reshuffle in the sector's military, and this will be our best chance to take back the space station."
At the same time as the board meeting of Xinda Company ended.
The star gate near the colony planet where the star field capital is located suddenly activated.
The huge ring-shaped star gate lit up with a glow caused by the energy required to activate the star gate.
Then, in the center of the star gate's ring structure, a film like a chaotic starry sky appeared.
A few minutes later, a Ruler flew out of the stargate with a fleet of exactly one hundred ships.
This special ruler, which was very different from ordinary rulers, did not stay in the star region capital. Instead, it led the fleet to turn around and leave the galaxy and enter hyperspace.
And in the center of this ruler's command room, a three-dimensional image of a galaxy was projected.
The galaxy located in the center of the projection is a planet full of volcanoes and unstable geological structures.
This is the Galo-2 star zone where the Pirate Space Station is located, the military's headquarters.
The fleet led by the Special Ruler entered the hyperspace channel.
And in the only military colony on the planet protected by an eco-dome.
The headquarters building of the star zone military.
In the office of the supreme commander, an imperial major general.
The adjutant, dressed in a neat military uniform, was reporting the situation to the major general, whose hair had turned a little gray, sitting behind the desk.
There were two other people listening nearby, also wearing military uniforms. From their shoulder straps one could tell that one of them was a colonel and the other a lieutenant colonel.
The adjutant did not shy away from them and said directly: "The ruler has lost the positioning signal and is suspected to have been destroyed. Before losing the signal, there was no report that the mission had been completed."
The major general's forehead was full of wrinkles. He slammed the table and said, "Impossible! Which force in the fringe star region can mobilize a fleet that can destroy the ruler without making any noise? Give me their last communication records."
The lieutenant colonel next to him reminded: "He has rebelled with his cronies and has cut off contact with us. We can only locate the ruler's approximate location through the background program."
The major general immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing in a hurry, but fortunately, everyone in his office was his own people.
He adjusted himself a little and said, "Xinda Company's support is quite slow. We have already blocked Wu An with other connections. Who else can help Chen Ming escape?"
The lieutenant colonel suddenly thought of something and asked, "Could it be Yuhui? They have a history of crimes."
"Chen Ming was blocked in hyperspace. Why did Yu Hui go to hyperspace for no reason?"
The lieutenant colonel shut his mouth and said no more.
The military had not yet learned of Chen Ming's identity as a psychic, so they were completely unable to understand why the ruler suddenly disappeared.
The major general didn't get a response from anyone, so he could only say, "Go figure out what's going on. I want an answer."
The adjutant nodded and asked, "So where should we start?"
The major general frowned, glanced at the adjutant and said, "There are two places, one at the outpost. It is impossible that all the people who went to kill Chen Ming were dead. Those who came back must know something."
"Another option is Xinda Company. We can also give it a try. Some people in their company have always wanted to establish a good relationship with us. They must know something."
The adjutant noted what the major general said, saluted and prepared to leave.
The major general continued, "As for the station chief, he should still be classified as a traitor. Let the station voluntarily recommend a temporary replacement, and we will arrange someone later."
"Now let's find out whether Chen Ming is dead or not. The output of Sky Steel must not fall into the hands of others."
Just as the adjutant pushed open the office door.
The major general suddenly received an urgent communication.
He immediately called back his adjutant and read the contents of the correspondence.
Emergency communications indicated that a fleet had entered their system from hyperspace without authorization.
The flagship of the fleet was a Ruler, but for no apparent reason, its size was nearly one-third larger than that of the Ruler that the sector military also had.
The ruler's armor has a distinct orange-yellow paint job, and also has an emblem of a spread-winged eagle and an "XIV" logo.
"The markings of the Fourteenth Legion? What's the situation with that Ruler? Is it a new model? Why did it enter our jurisdiction without approval?"
A series of questions came out of the major general's mouth.
But the people in the office couldn't give him an answer.
"I have to go take care of that."
The major general stood up and said to the lieutenant colonel, "Go and increase the wanted list for Chen Ming. Try to use your connections to get other star regions to also start wanted lists for him, and put some pressure on Sinda."
"Add some crime of treason and collusion with Yu Hui, and add more serious charges."
"And you."
The major general looked at the colonel and said, "You continue to appease those people who have been urging us to solve the problem because of Chen Ming, and give them more confidence."
The lieutenant colonel and the major general responded and immediately left the office.
The major general and his adjutant went to the headquarters room in the headquarters building.
At this time, the large screen in the command room showed an ongoing communication.
On the communication screen, we can see that the other party is a soldier wearing the special uniform of the 14th Corps, wearing a pair of glasses, and his rank is also major general.
But it was obvious that the major general of the 14th Legion did not want to talk to others.
It was not until the major general arrived at the command room that the major general of the 14th Legion said as if to inform him: "The military jurisdiction of the Galo-2 star zone will be taken over by our 14th Legion in the future. The formal transfer documents of jurisdiction management rights have been submitted."
"Major General Guo Hongzhuo, please return to the Star Domain Military Headquarters to report on your duties."
Guo Hongzhuo did not show any special emotion because of the words of the 14th Legion. Instead, he asked, "What's the reason? I have been working here for 35 years and will retire in two years. What does it mean to suddenly ask me to go back and report on my work?"
"The star zone where the traitors appeared and lost a cruiser should be yours, right? This alone is enough for you to go back."
Guo Hongzhuo's face suddenly changed.
He had clearly used his connections in the Star Domain Joint Theater, which was a higher level than the Star Domain military, to shift the responsibility for this matter to other people who could take responsibility.
In this case, even though he was somewhat negligent, he should not be sent back directly.
And the person who helps him do this is definitely a trustworthy person and should not be blamed.
Guo Hongzhuo said with some disbelief: "Although I have some responsibility for the traitor's matter, it shouldn't be to this extent."
The major general of the Fourteenth Legion pushed up his glasses, and the reflection from the lenses made it difficult for everyone in the sector military command room to see his expression clearly.
"That's not the case, but I wonder if you have ever heard of the military region actively engaging in smuggling?"
"Someone sent the report to the inspection team, and the inspection team found many problems after verification."
The major general of the 14th Corps briefly named several items under military control and reported several locations, dates and times.
As Guo Hongzhuo listened, some cold sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.
Because the ones mentioned by the Major General of the 14th Legion happened to be the ones in which he made the most profit from smuggling.
But he still said with some reluctance: "If we did something wrong, it should be investigated by the inspection team. Your direct army has no right to dictate to the local army. What right do you have to do these things? Where are the documents of the inspection team?"
"First of all, you call this a wrong thing? You may have some misunderstandings about what it means to do something wrong. What you did is worthy of a military court."
"Secondly, what was just sent to you is the inspection team's document."
"In the end, we drove the inspection team back."
"This is the consent form for temporary replacement of duties with the seals of both the Inspectorate and the Imperial Military Affairs Department. Please accept it."
Each of these four simple sentences brought more beads of sweat to the major general's forehead. He had never heard that the once weak Fourteenth Legion could do such a thing.
In other words, in the more than 30 years he had been here, he had only heard of the reorganization of the 14th Legion once.
Could it be that it was after that reorganization that the 14th Legion underwent such a big change?
The major general of the 14th Corps obviously would not give any explanation for this, anyway, the contents of the document were all true.
He pushed up his glasses again, revealing his terrifying eyes to everyone.
"The reason we sent the inspection team back and came here in person is because we lost one of our men here."
"It seems that he was killed by your traitor."
The threat in the eyes of the Major General of the Fourteenth Legion was almost overflowing.
"For soldiers who violate the law and military discipline, the Imperial Independent Fourteenth Legion now has the power to investigate this matter."
Communication disconnected.
A fleet led by the special ruler of the Fourteenth Legion, composed entirely of ships modified by the Fourteenth Legion itself, has appeared in the orbit of the planet.
(End of this chapter)