Chapter 138 Ming Family Parents (Two in One)
"Is there any big news in the Central Star Region today?"
At three o'clock in the morning, Starnet was still bustling with activity. The most popular post in the discussion forum had already garnered nearly 100 million replies, with many netizens leaving comments below.
"No."
"No."
"Please don't...! I hope everything is safe!"
Over the past week, the Central Star Region has been churning out major news one after another, dominating a series of hotly discussed topics in the Star Network communication community.
On the star network, not only the residents of the Central Star Region were terrified, but even the residents of the Southeast and Southwest Star Regions felt a chill down their spines and shared a common sympathy.
The news explosion started when LUCE, a colorful starship designer and observer of the Central Star Region Star Team of the Star Navigation Competition, posted his first update after creating a social media account.
This highly-watched contestant released several pieces of audio evidence, accusing the Third Army of illegally killing several members of the exploration team in a fight for resources, stirring up a hornet's nest without any warning.
Lucé's accusations against the Third Legion were undoubtedly harsh and sounded absurd.
...Who would be willing to believe that the legion that protects the security of the star field has killed dozens of ordinary exploration team members on the resource star in the past few years?!
That's not what you do even in nightmares!
If Ming Zhilang's inconsistent and hypocritical attitude towards the North Star Region X7 Star Sea Rescue was exposed for the first time, his message would definitely have caused a massive invective that no one could suppress. His account might have been directly closed and deleted due to complaints from his supporters and bystanders who were incited by his emotions.
However, because of Ming Zhilang's hypocrisy, most passers-by in the communication area remained rational. While sucking their teeth in disbelief, they rushed to the social accounts of the Star Navigation Department and the Military, demanding an immediate official investigation.
"If Lucé is spouting nonsense and slandering the Legion's personnel, arrest him and bring him to justice! If there truly is a problem within the Third Legion... then none of these evildoers can be left alive!"
After a few similar comments were posted, supporters of the Third Legion and the Ming family rushed in and began to curse at LUCE on his social media account.
"LUCE must be slandering us!" they were furious. "Wild resource planets are inherently dangerous. The Third Legion was at most responsible for the exploration teams being too late to rescue them! How could they possibly kill people? I think LUCE is just trying to attract attention and traffic! Has he already chosen his next team after making it to the finals? He's not trying to defect to someone and drag the Third Legion down with him!"
"That's not possible! Lucie is so powerful, didn't you see that both the Southeast and Southwest Star Regions are vying for him?! He can't go anywhere he wants! But I also don't think the Third Legion would do such a thing. This information might have been given to Lucie by someone else, and he was deceived..."
"Let's check it out quickly. It'll put your mind at ease." The comments from passersby continued to increase, mixed in with the responses from Ming family supporters. "Luce already said he's submitted the information to the Star Navigation Department and the military. What if something goes wrong?"
"I think he just beat Ming Yan a few times, so he thinks he's superior. He wants to suppress the Ming family as well to create a majestic and glorious image for himself!" Someone else continued, "Is he really believing the stupid rumors on Star Online that Lieyang withdrew from the competition because they were defeated? Is he planning to press on with his victory? To suppress the Ming family to build momentum for himself?"
"I advise LUCE and the colorful fans to clear their heads. Fei Lun has already personally issued a statement announcing his withdrawal from the competition due to health reasons. Given Fei Lun's temper, if it weren't his fault, he wouldn't say such a thing even if the Ming family forced him to!"
This comment was posted and quickly became one of the top comments in the discussion forum, thanks to the likes of Feren's fans. Lieyang's fans, already furious about Lieyang's withdrawal, flooded the comments section, completely distorting the topic and lashing out at LUCE.
But they had just started to speak when LUCE's account posted a new update.
The protagonist in this video is Ferran.
The pilot, who used to act flamboyantly, was bound and invaded by powerful hypnotic mental threads. He looked miserable and struggled and shouted that he insisted on withdrawing from the competition not because of physical reasons, but because Ming Zhilang forced him to cheat in the Star Navigation Competition.
Under this video recording, LUCE posted a short sentence: "The police have been called."
StarNet exploded.
"This can't be grandstanding," someone immediately replied. "If I heard correctly, the voice in the video also includes Deputy Commander Zhao Ying. Judging from their conversation, there's also an awakened human from the Third Legion who can hypnotize..."
"Those previous videos were evidence provided from a third-party perspective. Even if he was sent to jail for defamation, he could explain it as fake news to reduce his sentence... But this one, with both a face and a voice, if it's truly fake, Luce won't be able to argue. Blatantly smearing military members is punishable by at least five years in prison! Why would he even spread such false information?!"
"Holy crap, that hypnosis scene... was it that scary?! It scared my brother to tears!"
"Upstairs, listen carefully to what Fei Lun is shouting. He said he didn't withdraw voluntarily! He said he was forced to cheat... I guess he was forced to cheat and lost to Wu Cai Ban Lan, so he lost his mind... The key point is cheating! Ming Zhilang asked Ming Yan and Fei Lun to cheat in the Star Navigation Competition!"
"So did LUCE call the police?!"
"I've reported it! My home is near the Ming family manor! I saw a police ultra-small starship heading that way!"
"Oh my god."
"Damn it, let's wait for the results of the police investigation!"
Netizens once again flooded the Capital Star Guard's comments section. Everyone eagerly awaited the results of the investigation into Feren's hypnosis. To their surprise, instead of receiving any results, they received an even bigger bombshell.
The Ming family banquet was attacked! Residents near the manor were asked to evacuate!
The police did not immediately release the specific situation, only asking everyone to evacuate, but there were rumors that the house was attacked by high-level black tide creatures!
"My house is also next to the Ming Family Manor. We installed a simple Black Tide Energy alarm. It's my sister's science class homework... The alarm just went off! Although they detected the lowest level of Black Tide Energy... I suspect it spread from the Ming Family Manor."
"Yes! Didn't you see the new police starship that arrived later? The police this time were all fully armed. There must be something wrong!"
"But this is the capital planet!" Everyone was incredulous. "It's located in the central star field, the safest capital planet!"
The Star Network was in an uproar.
The topic quickly gained momentum, with posts being deleted and new ones appearing. Everyone was filled with both panic and excitement, constantly searching the internet for sightings, real and fake.
Sure enough, not long after, someone posted again, saying that an unusual aircraft was seen near the capital's Star Port.
Immediately afterwards, more police satellites were dispatched, and mental powers suspected to belong to LUCE and Mu Baixing suddenly appeared in the dark night, and there was also an extremely violent mental power explosion.
"Even a space rift was blown out!" The poster's voice was trembling. "I swear it must have been LUCE and Mu Boxing!! I was nearby! A police starship flew right over me! It was so scary...!"
"Retreat quickly! Don't stay near the space crack! It's too dangerous!" Someone immediately replied below.
Someone else anxiously asked, "What about LUCE and Mu Boxing?"
"Don't let anything happen to these two! Didn't someone capture another aircraft rushing towards a vehicle suspected to be controlled by a high-level Black Tide creature, ignoring the police? That must be LUCE and Mu Boxing's aircraft! They probably saw the unusual aircraft and acted bravely!"
"I'm not sure if it's LUCE and Mu Boxing! There are many similar mental powers. Mine is still blue mental power. This depends on the ripple measurement."
"Why haven't the officials released any information yet? I saw the colors of those two spiritual powers, too! I think they're similar! Blue and gold spiritual powers are indeed everywhere, but look at the video LUCE released earlier about Feren... Feren, Zhao Ying, and a hypnotist from the Third Legion... The banquet was about to begin, so Zhao Ying must have been near the Ming family manor, probably inside. So LUCE was most likely at the scene of the Kuroshio creature attack!"
"I'm very curious about Luce's identity. Is he the son of some high-ranking official? That's why he was invited to the Ming family's banquet."
"Don't go off topic! I'm waiting for the results of the investigation! Someone saw the police seal off the entire Ming Family Manor! Why is there no explanation yet? The official hasn't even announced whether it was an attack by the Black Tide creatures!"
Over the next dozen hours, the Capital Star Guard's account was flooded with messages. Residents of the Capital Star, other inhabited planets in the Central Star Region, and even those in the outer regions were closely following the developments.
The security team was in a state of panic. According to the above information, the negative impact of the high-level Black Tide creatures attacking the capital planet for unknown reasons was too great. It was impossible to suppress this matter completely, but at least they had to find the reason for the Black Tide creatures' sudden attack, the method of invasion, and a plan to strengthen the security of the capital planet...
It takes time to figure all this out.
The Capital Star Guard worked overtime overnight, and Alexander hoped that someone could help them divert the public's attention.
As a result, something big really happened.
The Black Tide Day arrived early, and the Black Tide invaded the border of the central star field, and the border of the central star field entered the highest alert state.
The Capital Star Guard was stunned: It doesn’t have to be such big news.
Although they are far from the border...but the Kuroshio is invading! Who wouldn't be afraid?
A few minutes later, a new trending post emerged.
"Prayer Post: I hope all the warriors fighting against the Kuroshio and our friends near the border are safe!"
This post was like a tiny flower sprouting from a muddy field amidst the chaos and devastation of war. Countless netizens responded, offering everything from wishing to gain 30 pounds to not eating meat for a year.
"They're in Bird City on the border, and everything is fine now. I heard the Second Legion was nearby and has already headed towards the Star Line to engage."
"Wow, wow, wow, I'm crying! I'm in the Free Sector! I took the risk to go to the Free Sector to mine resources. I was supposed to return before the Black Tide Day, but I didn't expect the Black Tide Day to come early! It's so chaotic outside now, I can't set sail at all! But there's no shelter in the Free Sector! I'm so close! Let me show you! I can even see the flashes of light on the front line!"
"Stop taking photos outside! Hide now! The Black Tide invasion is no joke!"
"There's no shelter! All the ships are docked in the starport... If something really happens, there's no way to escape anyway. I'd rather see it with my own eyes and feel at ease..."
"Which resource planet are you on? This is way too close! Oh my god, are those flashes of light the Second Legion's artillery fire? Is that the Black Tide across the way?"
"Wait, there's light in the black tide! And it's getting closer!"
"OP? OP's signal is down! OP, are you okay?!"
"Hey guys, I just zoomed in on the image you were stuck on. Look at the flash in the black tide across the way... Doesn't it look like a glowing bird? Does it look like the light bird in this colorful competition video?!"
“…”
“…”
“…”
"...What do you mean?" After a series of ellipsis, someone couldn't help but ask, "Light Bird? Colorful again? Why would Colorful run to the front lines again?!"
"I don't know—I don't know! They really look alike to me! I'm a fan of Colorful, let me be the first to say! But I'm not one of those mindless fans who think everything looks alike..."
People on the Star Network flocked back to LUCE's social accounts.
"LUCE!"
"Brother LU!"
"LU God!"
"What the hell is going on! How are you? Are you still alive? Give me an answer--!"
Mingyu: “…”
Mingyu was so overwhelmed by the large number of messages from fans that he couldn't even turn the pages smoothly.
He logged onto the Star Network today because he knew in advance that the Star Navigation Department, the Military Department and the Guard would all announce the results of their investigation into the Ming family, so he went online to prepare to forward them.
I didn't expect that there would be so many messages under my account.
Moreover, more than ten days have passed since the battle, and these messages are still increasing at a visible rate.
Mingyu quickly clicked Ignore All, switched pages, and went to the Guard’s public release account.
The results of the investigation into the Ming family were indeed released on time.
"After investigation, it has been confirmed that the Third Corps killed innocent civilians due to a conflict over resources. All relevant personnel involved have been suspended and detained. Corps Commander Ming Zhilang and Deputy Corps Commander Zhao Ying were negligent in their duties and will be punished accordingly."
"After investigation, it was determined that Lieutenant General Ming Zhilang, Captain Albin, and others actively assisted Team Lieyang in cheating in the Star Navigation Competition. Team Lieyang's Star Domain Competition results will be voided, all rewards will be forfeited, and they will be banned from participating again for life. The military will impose appropriate penalties on Ming Zhilang and others."
"After investigation, Lieutenant General Ming Zhilang, Major General Zhao Ying, and others from the military illegally hypnotized Fei Lun, violating Article 320 of the Awakening Humanity Act. They will be sentenced to a minimum of three years and a maximum of ten years in prison. The relevant trial dates are as follows..."
"After investigation, it was confirmed that around 5:00 PM fifteen days ago, the Ming family manor was attacked by a high-level black tide creature. The incident description and handling method are as follows..."
"After investigation, Lieutenant General Ming Zhilang and Major General Zhao Ying are suspected of murdering General Ming Zhuofeng, starship designer An Qiu, and former councilman Ming Zhengen. They also illegally injected a high concentration of psychotropic inhibitors into Ming Yu, the only son of General Ming Zhuofeng and An Qiu. The relevant court hearing dates are as follows..."
The series of survey results flooding the screen wasn't enough. A few seconds later, the popularity of the original blessing post suddenly dropped three places, and the latest hot post on the Star Network discussion forum suddenly appeared:
"Explode! 'Pretty Waste' Ming Yu is actually General Ming Zhuofeng's biological son! His spiritual realm was destroyed by his father's murderer! He's also been mocked and ridiculed by the Ming family for twenty years!... How can I put it... This is truly too tragic!!"
"Explode! LUCE and Mu Boxing unleash their might in the Star Line Battle! Their powerful alliance is like a divine force descending from the sky! A stunning blast sends the Black Tide trembling in fear, forcing them to retreat thirty miles!"
"Explode! After fifty years of perseverance, they are finally rescued. A survivor of the Battle of Dawn in the North Star Region tells his own story."
The three newly uploaded posts were equally popular, with the rankings being extremely close. StarNet users flocked in, gawking at the contents of the popular posts with their mouths agape.
"??? What? Who? Ming what? What Yu? Who is the son of General Ming Zhuofeng??"
"My spiritual realm was destroyed by the enemy who killed my father...? What else?!"
"Did the above person not read the official investigation post?! Go check it out! Ming Zhilang and Zhao Ying are so ruthless! If Ming Zhilang hadn't replaced General Ming Zhuofeng's soothing agent, General Ming Zhuofeng might not have died at all!"
"I've read the official report, so what does it mean? Ming Zhilang harmed his own brother, and then he was afraid that his brother's son would be too outstanding, so he injected the child with drugs since he was young to prevent him from awakening his spiritual power?"
"Wow, Mingyu is in such a plight too. I remember the Ming family's propaganda used to say how good Mingyu was, saying they were willing to support him even though he was a loser who couldn't awaken his spiritual power... So the Ming family is the culprit, right?"
"I fell silent. My conscience suddenly pricked me. I used to...think Mingyu had no ability, but thanks to the Ming family's well-being, he was able to get into one of the top comprehensive universities in the capital. I often cursed him behind his back."
"Me too……"
"Guys! Excuse me! Have you seen that other trending post? The one about LUCE and Mu Boxing wreaking havoc on everyone! Authentic news! Below is the Second Legion's briefing! The two first helped capture the Black Tide creatures on the Capital Star, then were sucked into the Black Tide by a spatial rift, and then caught up in the Star Line Battle, so they showed off their prowess!"
"That's impressive. Did you see them carefully? They first entered the Black Tide Star Sea and discovered survivors in the Northern Star Region..."
"Wow, that autobiography made me cry. I heard they're helping the survivors contact their families! I hope they can be reunited!"
"Hmm... the replies above are all so normal. Even though it sounds a bit... well, I still want to say this. Am I the only one... who... thinks wrong when seeing the shocking bomb?"
“…”
“…”
“…”
"...You are indeed alone."
Mingyu: “…”
He quickly typed this sentence using an account that had not been authenticated by any identity and closed the screen.
"How does it feel to have dominated the top three most popular posts on StarNet?" Cui Xiaoduo asked him from the other side. "Brother Yu, you really don't plan to merge your two identities into one? Now you don't have to worry about Ming Zhilang and the others! Damn, I knew they were crazy, but I didn't know they could be this cruel!"
Ming Yu: "The situation on Starnet is too intense right now, let's wait and see. I prefer to keep a low profile."
"I don't think there's any need to announce this specifically. It'll just happen naturally."
While talking to Cui Xiaoduo, he slowly replied to the messages on the contact list.
As Gao Siqi had said, after the investigation results were released and his identity was made public, former friends of Ming Zhuofeng began to ask for his help in getting in touch. One of them approached the director of the Starship Design History program at a comprehensive university. The professor then messaged him asking if he would be willing to get in touch.
Mingyu thought about it and finally accepted it.
Some of these individuals were in the Central Star Region, others in the other two, all holding high positions. They felt guilt and remorse, blaming themselves deeply for not spotting Ming Zhilang's atrocities. Ming Yu didn't take any of this too seriously. He exchanged a few polite words with them across the Star Network, but he refused all their requests for meetings, and also declined their offers of connections or financial compensation for his future.
To him, it all felt too surreal and only made him feel like his life was going off track.
He was the child of Ming Zhuofeng and An Qiu, not the child of their old friends. It was always unbearable to take someone else's things.
"What about my grandpa?" Cui Xiaoduo asked from the other side, "Brother Yu! Do you want to meet my grandpa? Brother Lian told you! He is a loyal fan of your Aunt An Qiu!"
"I told him before that we were good friends, but at that time he was still wondering if there were any good people in the Ming family, and he looked skeptical!"
"Now that your identity has been revealed, my grandfather is about to wear my ears out! He spams me with 60-minute voice messages every day, and if I don't reply, he'll call me and start lecturing me. You have to save me, Brother Yu—"
Cui Xiaoduo's wailing, a demonic sound, filled Mingyu's ears. He couldn't bear it any longer. He remembered that Cui Xiaoduo's grandfather was a senior designer in the Central Star Region. Thinking it would be a good opportunity to discuss design-related issues with his senior, he quickly nodded, "Okay, I'll make an exception for you!"
"Brother Yu is so loyal! Let's celebrate this Friday! The day your brother Mu is discharged from the hospital! I'll find a light restaurant! Let's celebrate together!"
He acted quickly and immediately began searching the food map.
Mingyu said a few more words to him, then hung up the phone and looked towards the end of the corridor.
"Mingyu?" The door at the end of the corridor opened, and a police officer waved to him, "You can come in."
This is the Central Hospital where Ming Zhilang and his wife, Ming Yan and Ming Zhuo are located. Any visit related to the Ming family requires accompaniment by police officers.
Mingyu followed him into the corridor and put on a protective suit first.
Ten days had passed since the attack on the Ming family banquet hall, but the Kuroshio energy radiation levels on them were still far above safe levels. The wards for Ming Zhilang and his wife, and Ming Yan and Ming Zhuo, were located on opposite sides of the corridor. Ming Yu, expressionless, pushed open the door accompanied by a police officer.
The moment he saw Ming Zhilang and his wife, Ming Yu almost didn't recognize that they were two living people.
The ward contained two beds and two specialized treatment chambers. The doors of the chambers were closed, undergoing automated cleaning. Ming Zhilang and Zhao Ying lay on their beds, wrapped in gauze, with only their eyes visible. They were plugged into an alarming number of medical tubes, with pale yellow mucus flowing through the transparent tubes and dark red pus and blood seeping from between the gauze.
Anyone with eyes could see that their lives were drawing to a close, but despite the horrific radiation damage, they remained conscious.
Ming Zhilang and Zhao Ying's injuries are very special.
The attack of "Albin" caught everyone off guard. Those who attended the Ming family banquet either died quickly due to serious injuries, or found a hiding place and their injuries were light, and they have been cured and discharged from the hospital.
Ming Zhilang and Zhao Ying, as the people on the stage closest to Ming Zhengen who was parasitized by moths, were exposed to high levels of Kuroshio radiation, but they were still alive.
The condition continued to deteriorate, but he was still hanging on to his last breath, staying conscious, enduring the pain and watching himself die.
...It's almost as if "Albin" did it on purpose.
No part of their bodies could move, and their heads were connected to consciousness transmission devices for communicating with the outside world.
A series of characters were refreshed on the communication screen, which belonged to the silent conversation between Ming Zhilang and Zhao Ying.
"It hurts...it hurts so much...help...help me! Help me!"
The two men could not make any sound from their throats, only the text on the light screen was refreshing rapidly and densely, which made people feel a little chilling.
Mingyu had no expression on his face. He took two steps forward, made himself appear in front of the camera of the external conduction instrument, and uploaded the prepared file to the interactive instrument.
The signal waves belonging to Ming Zhilang and Zhao Ying on the transmitter fluctuated violently. A large number of other words were interspersed between the words "pain" and "save me" on the screen, creating a chaotic scene.
Negative words representing fear, disgust, regret, and curses overlapped and formed into vicious curses, refreshing rapidly.
Mingyu ignored the words and repeated, "Sign."
He glanced at the two slightly shaking bodies on the bed, then glanced at the screen and said calmly, "Sign. I'll have someone replace your high-grade painkillers."
“…”
The text on the screen paused for a moment. The police officer who came in with Mingyu glanced at him but didn't say anything.
"Isn't it very painful?" Mingyu lowered his eyes, his tone calm, and clicked the file transfer again, "Sign, I'll give you more painkillers so you can sleep well tonight."
Ming Zhilang and Zhao Ying: "..."
Just a dozen days ago, they couldn't imagine that being pain-free was such a luxury.
For more than ten days, they were in so much pain that they wanted to die, but they couldn't die.
They applied for euthanasia, but their request was ruthlessly rejected.
Because they still have to be reviewed and tried by the military and the Star Navigation Department.
The doctors at the hospital did their best to prolong their lives and keep them conscious. For the first few days, they were examined daily. To ensure their coherent responses, they were given expensive painkillers during the examinations.
It felt like a temporary escape from hell, making Ming Zhilang and Zhao Ying look forward to the inspection time every day.
But after the whole incident came to light, the two never used that expensive medicine again.
The communication interactive device converted the electronic document uploaded by Mingyu into data and displayed it in front of them. They could control the light screen with their brains and sign their own signatures at the bottom...
Under the lure of the painkillers, Ming Zhilang even forgot to curse Ming Yu. His body trembled twice, and he was the first to sign his name on the document, followed by Zhao Ying.
Ming Yu took back the signed document and took another look at the words "painkillers" that Ming Zhilang and Zhao Ying had written on the light screen.
"You're really confused by the pain." Mingyu sighed softly and looked at them. "You didn't even ask me if I had permission to use the painkillers."
"I'm just a student at a comprehensive university. I don't have any authority in the military or the Star Navigation Department, and I didn't advance the money for the painkillers." He blinked and said in the same obedient tone he used to speak to Zhao Ying and Ming Zhilang, "Of course I lied to you."
“…”
The characters on the light screen paused for a moment, and then turned into a mess of garbled characters, and it looked like the person was about to faint from anger.
Unfortunately, the medical equipment monitoring their bodies detected that their brain activity was too intense and immediately injected them with sedatives, leaving them no chance to faint or temporarily feel no pain in their bodies.
"...Mingyu!" Zhao Ying's interactive screen lit up again. "You can actually do it! You can get painkillers, right? You know someone in the Star Navigation Department... You're their external designer, so you must have been in contact with the department for a long time!" Her screen flickered, and the text refreshed rapidly. "I saw it, in the banquet hall, I saw it!"
Mingyu turned to look at her.
"Mom, I don't want to do this either." Zhao Ying pleaded bitterly, "When you were little, I never deprived you of food and drink. Zhilang didn't want you to go to school at first, but I felt sorry for you and helped you get a chance..."
"That's the 'business' that grandpa negotiated by using his connections as the price." Mingyu looked indifferent.
"Were you the only one who saw what happened in the banquet hall?" He said this, glancing at Ming Zhilang's screen. He saw that he was still cursing. The situation was so chaotic, no one could protect themselves. Ming Zhilang seemed unaware of the blue spiritual power in the banquet hall, nor did he realize that he was Luce.
"I haven't told anyone." Zhao Ying said anxiously, "You don't want anyone to know, right? You've never mentioned it to anyone..."
The young man sighed and interrupted her.
"I don't want to cause trouble, but letting others know is actually no big deal." He raised the corner of his lip very lightly. "Since you asked so, I can only reveal the truth to you."
"Yes, I know someone in the upper echelons of the Star Navigation Department." Ming Yu said calmly, "If I really wanted to, I could give you some more high-grade painkillers."
He looked at Zhao Ying's expectant words on the screen and shook his head.
"But I just don't want to." The young man looked at her, his expression natural, his tone full of obvious doubt. "You caused the death of General Ming Zhuofeng. The main ship he was aboard lost control, and the fleet lost its overall command during the battle against the Black Tide, resulting in heavy casualties."
"Then you killed An Qiu, and within a few decades, you ordered the killing of those innocent members of the exploration team..."
"You can't pay for all the lives you've lost. It's okay to feel the pain a little longer, right?"
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