Chapter 44 Press Conference
Because he was so exhausted from almost overdrawing his mental energy on the virtual map, Mingyu had already drawn the blackout curtains, washed up, and gone to bed at seven in the evening, just as it was getting dark.
His eyelids were drooping, and he fell asleep almost as soon as he touched the pillow. His body was relaxed, and he slept very soundly at first.
Into the ethereal and peaceful dream, a white bird suddenly broke into.
The white bird made of steel is a standard small high-speed exploration ship commonly used in the Northern Star Region sixty years ago, and its body is surrounded by golden spiritual power.
It was incredibly fast, small in size, and moved lightly and swiftly, like a nimble little bird being swallowed up by the black tide while flying.
Mingyu was frightened awake.
His breathing was rapid and his whole body was covered in sweat. When he opened his eyes and saw the dark night, he almost thought he was still dreaming.
But then he saw the moonlight shining through the gap in the curtains.
The light illuminated the storage box above the desk at the other end of the room, which contained high-purity auxiliary agents sent by Mu Bohang.
Mingyu looked at the APA company's highly designed logo on the storage box, then touched the soft quilt on his body, took a breath for a moment, and came to his senses.
"It must be the influence of the Star Navigation Competition..." Mingyu muttered, fell back on the pillow and yawned.
"It's all fake," Mingyu muttered. "It's just a virtual star map."
He closed his eyes, but this time he couldn't fall asleep. He simply opened his bracelet and checked the communication information.
Sure enough, there was a new reply.
Red Hair: "Of course you can tell Brother LU! Our exploration team's base address is the Free Star Region Outer Harbor, 222nd Street, 2nd Floor, Area A."
Mingyu: “…”
Mingyu opened the shopping cart checkout page, entered a string of 2s into the address, and placed an order for all the nutritional supplements that the medical robot recommended to Mu Baixing.
Then he went online into the Star Network in light screen mode.
He had only slept for a few hours. It was just past midnight, and Star Online was bustling with activity, even more so than at noon. Unusually, the most popular section on Star Online tonight wasn't the entertainment section or the gossip section, but rather the serious news section.
The latest and hottest news topics float at the top of the section, and the black number on the left side of the title, symbolizing the amount of discussion, is increasing rapidly at a rate visible to the naked eye.
"The background of the virtual star map of the Star Navigation Competition preliminaries has been revealed: the truth behind the X7 Star Sea accident sixty years ago. The Central Star Region Star Navigation Department once caused the deaths of tens of millions of people due to a struggle for interests."
"Link to the press conference held by members of the Star Navigation Competition organizing committee revealing the truth of that year..."
Mingyu's expression changed slightly and he clicked on the video.
"The Star Navigation Department did make a wrong decision." In the video, Gao Siqi, the director of the third Star Navigation Department, wore a red dress and looked calm but serious.
"Sixty years ago, the Star Navigation Department collaborated with the Northern Star Region to develop Star Sea X7. Upon receiving the news that a Black Tide creature had appeared on the central planet of Star Sea X7, they concealed the news, preventing the Northern Star Region from responding quickly. Three neighboring planets and a space city outside Star Sea X7 were affected by the Black Tide's energy, resulting in heavy casualties."
"The person in charge underestimated the capabilities of the Black Tide creatures, believing that only Star Sea X7 would be affected. Furthermore, they wanted to compete with the Northern Star Region for resources..."
"X7 Star Sea produces rare resource minerals. The Star Navigation Department holds 40% of the mining rights under the development agreement, and mining has been largely completed. The Northern Star Region holds 60% of the mining rights, half of which remains unmined."
"The person in charge hopes that the North Star Region will not be able to cope with the loss of its remaining unmined mineral resources due to its inability to respond, and will buy back our mined resources at a high price due to the temporary resource shortage."
"But the power of the Kuroshio creatures far exceeds the knowledge and imagination of those in charge."
She stood on the podium, and the flash lights below kept flashing, almost blinding people's eyes.
"For some reason, the Star Navigation Department subsequently signed a confidentiality agreement with the Northern Star Region, which expired yesterday."
"As a member of the Star Navigation Competition organizing committee, I believe that using the Star Navigation Competition virtual map as a platform to disclose the truth of that year is the most responsible explanation to the families of all the victims."
"The virtual star map and space station data were transmitted back by the investigation team dispatched by the Space Navigation Department before the Kuroshio creature outbreak..."
"Minister Gao." A reporter in the audience raised his arm, and a camera hovering in the air followed his movements as it approached Gao Siqi. "There's news that the head of the investigation team at the time was General Ming Zhuofeng. Is this true?"
There was a gasp from the crowd.
Gao Siqi turned his brown eyes towards him with a calm expression.
"Yes," she said. "The captain of the investigation team and the pilot of their starship at the time was General Ming Zhuofeng. After discovering the truth, he disobeyed the order of the head of the Star Navigation Department and immediately contacted officials from the Northern Star Region, but it was too late."
"He was also a member of the first search and rescue team to enter the Kuroshio Current at that time."
"We will release all the information and navigation records related to the Central Star Region Navigation Department and the X7 Star Sea accident. We hope that future generations will learn from it and not repeat the same mistakes."
The comments below the video are refreshing rapidly.
"Wow, is Gao Siqi really not going to work in the Star Navigation Department anymore? With such a big incident happening all of a sudden, the reputation of the Star Navigation Department will definitely plummet..."
"Why was it sealed and kept secret at the time? I think there's a reason. I can understand the Star Navigation Department wanting to conceal it, but why is there no news from the North Star Region? There were still ten years between the X7 Star Sea incident and the destruction of the North Star Region... How could they have endured this?!"
"Who knows? There's a lot of water here. Who knows, the North Star Region might be up to some hidden agenda. Over sixty years ago, the ruler of the North Star Region wasn't the last 3S-class ship awakener with lightning-fast tactics, but his father. Back then, the upper echelons of the North Star Region were deeply corrupt..."
"Apart from anything else, during the entire Xinghai incident, the only person in the Central Star Domain Alliance who stood tall and upright was General Ming Zhuofeng. Was that why General Ming left the Star Navigation Department and joined the military?"
"The Ming family has a clear and upright family tradition! The current head of the family is both virtuous and talented! Look, Ming Zhilang is also releasing a statement overnight! The live broadcast link is here!"
Mingyu: “…”
He clicked on the link.
His father Ming Zhilang was wearing a black suit and sitting in the Ming family study, looking solemn and sad.
"Yes, my eldest brother left the Star Navigation Department abruptly, leaving a serious violation record in his file. My parents and I both questioned him. But due to the confidentiality agreement, he never told me any of this. He initially had a difficult time in the military because of his violation record, but I know he will never regret his choice."
"My parents, my wife, my children, and all my family members are proud of my eldest brother's choice. My wife, children, and I deeply miss the days when my eldest brother was still alive. Although he has passed away, his noble spirit and character will always be passed down by the Ming family."
"When the X7 Star Sea accident occurred, the civilian exploration team I was a member of was nearby and rushed to the Star Sea to provide rescue services immediately. Looking back now, I still feel it's a pity. If I had learned the news sooner, I could have rescued more innocent people sooner..."
"The Ming family will fight and persevere for justice, truth, and the progress of all mankind, rather than for personal gain or loss."
"Yes, if I am successfully elected as the Minister of the Capital Planet, I will certainly govern the Capital Planet according to this philosophy..."
Mingyu: “…”
Mingyu couldn't bear to listen any more. Putting aside other things, he didn't feel that his parents missed General Ming Zhuofeng that much.
From childhood to adulthood, Mingyu rarely heard his parents mention Ming Zhuofeng's name. He even heard about General Ming's deeds in history class at school.
He pursed his lips and closed the link, realizing for the first time how good his father was at speaking in official jargon.
This X7 star sea accident seemed to have become the prelude for him to campaign for the executive officer of the capital star.
Mingyu felt a little uncomfortable.
He thought of the two young observers who died in vain in the virtual star map space station, the starship pilot who guarded the edge of the central star until his death, and the countless residents of the northern star region who fell into the black tide and died. He felt really uncomfortable and simply clicked on the relevant information about the X7 star sea accident published by the Star Navigation Department and flipped through it one by one.
The information provided by the Star Navigation Department was very detailed, including records of energy field changes near the central star, communication records between the Star Navigation Department and the X7 Star Sea Space Station, navigation records of the observation team led by Ming Zhuofeng, etc. ... covering dozens of light screens, with a wide variety and large number.
The information had just been released for less than an hour. Although the topic was very hot, almost no one read the cumbersome data charts and long conversation texts, which was in stark contrast to the heated discussions on Star Network.
Mingyu sat on the bed and arranged the light screens in chronological order, recalling the energy changes of the central star seen in the virtual map. By comparing it with the star sea energy record chart on the record chart, he found the time when the two observers in the North Star Region were shot and killed.
He aligned the time record bar on the energy diagram with the time in the communication record, and opened the communication record between the nearby space station and the Star Navigation Department at that moment.
Due to energy interference, the audio in the communication record was unclear, intermittent and difficult to hear amidst the rustling sound. Mingyu thought for a moment, then logged into the library at Designer Headquarters, entered the damaged data restoration room open to senior designers, and input the audio data.
More than ten minutes later, the restored audio was spit out from the port in segments. Mingyu turned on the audio and the first thing he heard was a quiet blank.
The Central Star Region United Star Navigation Department did not issue an order immediately after receiving the message from the X7 Star Sea Space Station, but initiated real-time communication nearly five minutes later.
"Hide the news," the person in charge said casually. "Don't let it leak out. The X7 Star Exploration Team has already evacuated. We don't need to take any further action."
"But judging from the energy chart sent by the North Star Region military, the threshold level of the black tide energy is very high, and the impact range may exceed..."
"Don't worry about it," the person in charge warned. "Do as I say."
"……yes."
The brief call ended. Mingyu turned the clock back. He checked the time and knew that by the time the next communication came through, the observer in the North Star Region would have been killed.
"Captain Ming," the station staff whispered, "We've evacuated. But the threshold level of the Kuroshio energy is getting higher and higher... I... I think my responsible judgment may not be accurate."
He must have taken the chip from the North Star Region Observer and was looking at the energy diagram with an uneasy tone.
"Got it." Ming Zhuofeng's voice rang out, "I'll set sail immediately."
Mingyu paused.
Ming Zhuofeng's voice was not what he had imagined.
His voice was magnetic, unlike Ming Zhilang who always spoke in the tone of a superior, nor was it as awe-inspiring as Ming Yu imagined based on the other party's glorious military achievements.
His tone was serious but calm. After hanging up the call from the space station staff, he sent a signal to the fleet to prepare for departure while dialing the number of the person in charge of the space navigation department.
"The central star of Star Sea X7 has collapsed, and a black tide energy erupted. Fleet support is needed." Ming Zhuofeng said quickly, "You shouldn't have withheld information. I'm about to set sail. Please order the dispatch of other fleets for support."
Person in charge: “…”
"Why are you all so troublesome!" the person in charge said angrily, "The Star Sea of the Northern Star Region! Why are you rushing to start a fight?"
"Xiao Gao and I can't go into detail... But Zhuo Feng, I can tell you that I've informed the high-ranking officials in the North Star Region I know, and they're saying we shouldn't go in and kill the newly born Black Tide creatures for the time being..."
"There's someone they want to kill in there, understand? If we work together, I can take advantage of the opportunity to sell the resources at a high price, and he can achieve his goal... Don't ruin this win-win situation!"
Ming Zhuofeng hung up the phone directly.
He realized that the person in charge would not change his mind. After thinking for a moment, he sent messages to the fleet captains he was familiar with one by one, and even sent communications to the civilian exploration team.
"Brother?" Ming Zhilang's voice sounded in the recording. Ming Yu's expression paused slightly, and he subconsciously turned up the volume.
"Still around Star Sea X7? Take your exploration team out to sea." Ming Zhuofeng said succinctly, "High-level black tide creatures have appeared in the star sea. You are closer, so go ahead and survey the star sea..."
"No way, brother!" Sixty years ago, Ming Zhilang's tone of voice was different from now. He was not calm and steady. He dragged his words a little, and interrupted Ming Zhuofeng with a mixed tone of impatience and dissatisfaction. "I want to enter the X7 star sea to mine resources. You told me that the civilian fleet is not allowed to enter and you didn't give me a backdoor to make money. Now that something happened inside, you let me in?"
"What did you just say? A high-level Black Tide creature? That's so dangerous! The entire X7 Star Sea is being evacuated due to energy collapse, and you let me in... You're my brother! If you want to die, go by yourself, don't take me with you!"
Mingyu: “…”
Ming Yu was silent for a moment, then replayed Ming Zhilang's words and listened to them again. Half a minute later, he turned on the screen again, found Ming Zhilang's recent interview, and cut out a clip from the playback function.
"When the X7 Star Sea accident happened, the civilian exploration team I was in was around the Star Sea and rushed to the Star Sea for rescue as soon as possible. Looking back now, I still feel it is a pity. If I had learned the news earlier, I could have rescued more innocent people sooner..." Ming Zhilang in the picture talked to the camera with a look of regret.
Ming Yu frowned and pasted the recording of his conversation with Ming Zhuofeng sixty years ago below the interview clip, and posted his findings in the discussion area below the interviews with Ming Zhilang and Gao Siqi.
"Excuse me, Mr. Ming Zhilang," the young man said, his expression tinged with anger as he rattled off a long sentence. "What are you regretting?"
"As far as I know, Mr. Ming only has two sons, and General Ming Zhuofeng only has one younger brother. It's understandable that you're afraid of death and don't want to go to the Star Sea to provide support, but insisting on rushing to the rescue immediately and wanting to save more people is truly hypocritical."
His fingers paused, and even though the other person was his father, he couldn't help but curse with disgust:
"...Don't use General Ming's achievements and character to flatter yourself!"
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