Chapter 71
The military council was a big event, and even though it was only temporary, all the people in the secretariat were mobilized to set up the venue.
Compared with the past, the workload this time was much less. After all, there was no need to book hotels for the rulers according to their preferences, nor was there any need to hold a cocktail party on the eve of the meeting.
But the incident happened suddenly and everyone was thrown to the ground.
"Is the lounge ready? Please ask the officers attending the meeting to move over and wait for a moment!"
"Go get some massage chairs. They have to be the kind you can recline and rest in!"
"The food in the garrison cafeteria is not good. Find a high-end restaurant quickly. No matter what, they need to start cooking within half an hour and prepare a buffet in the lounge before 6 o'clock!"
"Is the conference room vacant? Hurry up, check the lighting equipment, signal jammers, and sound jammers!"
"Defense forces... how can ten mecha squadrons be enough? Didn't you see the tens of thousands of troops coming from the 33rd Legion? If they break through the defenses, who will protect the commander?! Tell the director of the headquarters to dispatch ten thousand mecha soldiers, no matter what! We can't trust the support from the local star regions!"
…
Everyone is in a state of panic.
In particular, the director of the secretariat, Bo Yucheng, had just died in the contaminated area not long ago, and the deputy director Leng Chengzhou disappeared after conveying the order to convene a meeting. Many unresolved issues had to be decided by the people below.
Fortunately, there were several lieutenant generals and major generals in the secretariat, and all their skills came in handy at this time.
A major general had just finished yelling at his men when his gaze suddenly stopped on someone not far away.
"Ming Jin!" He walked over quickly. "Didn't I tell you to rest at home? Why are you here?"
The two were ten years apart in age, but they had a good relationship and even called each other by their first names. Knowing that Qiao Mingjin's adoptive father had just met with an accident, he arranged for Qiao Mingjin to stay at his home.
"Everyone is busy, how can I rest alone?" Qiao Mingjin looked a little haggard. "I can help at least a little."
The major general frowned and lowered his voice, "This military council meeting is targeting the 33rd Regiment. The incident started with the commander, and he... I'm worried that if there's an argument at the meeting, someone will take their anger out on you."
Qiao Mingjin forced a smile and said, "Don't worry, it won't happen. I'm from the secretariat after all."
The major general was about to persuade him again, but then changed his mind and nodded: "That's right, as long as our own people don't make trouble, the local authorities won't dare to act recklessly. The deputy director is not that kind of person..."
Deputy Director, Leng Chengzhou.
Qiao Mingjin narrowed his eyes imperceptibly.
The major general patted him on the shoulder and said, "You don't look well. Stop running around and go help in the conference room. They're checking the equipment right now, and I'll be relieved if you can go through it again."
Qiao Mingjin: "Okay."
-
The moment she saw the flames rising, Xiyue's heart, which had been secretly restless for many years, finally calmed down.
Maybe she had always been antisocial, she thought.
Other people's panic can make her feel calm.
Just like this night, the smell of gunpowder and the tense atmosphere almost filled the entire central star region, but she slept soundly.
Until I was awakened by Yuan Xu's banging on the door.
Xiyue opened the door, looking a bit grumpy as if she had just woken up: "Are you not only schizophrenic, but also manic?!"
"You're the one with schizophrenia..." Yuan Xu took a deep breath and gave up bickering. "Have you read the message forwarded to you?"
"information?"
Only then did Xiyue see the unread messages on the computer: a notice of the convening of a military council and an agenda document.
As he was browsing, Yuan Xu spoke up, "I thought even if the commander wanted to see you, it would be private. I didn't expect him to go to such a big mile as convening a temporary military council. When I first received the notice, I thought I was about to face interstellar judgment. I didn't expect... What was the commander thinking? He's already showing goodwill before we even have a direct confrontation?"
After saying this, Xiyue also finished browsing the agenda.
Xiang Jia said from the side: "It's more than just a gesture of goodwill, it's a sign of weakness."
Among the several agendas, not a single one blamed the 33rd Legion; on the contrary, they were all praises.
First, the eight star sectors under the 33rd Legion will be merged into one star sector at the administrative level, collectively known as the 33rd Star Sector.
——It eliminated the hidden danger of division due to the change of head coach and made the 33rd Legion more united.
Article 2: Grant Sector 33 a certain degree of autonomy.
——Ensures that Xihai’s reforms will not regress.
Article 3: Yuan Xu’s military rank was promoted to commander out of the ordinary.
Article 4 allows the 33rd Legion to properly place Xi Hai's children within the scope of its authority, and the Asset Management Center will come forward to forgive all remaining debts of the Xi family.
In addition, there is the fifth item that cannot be ignored: Use strange gold to create a portrait of Xihai and enter it into the Central Star District Hall of Fame.
Leaving aside the previous ones, the fifth one alone is enough to appease the anger of Legion No. 33.
The Central Star Region Hall of Fame is only open to high-ranking officers who have made significant contributions to the interstellar system. Xi Hai, significant contributions?
Anyone with a bit of information knew that Xi Hai was always the target of public criticism every time he attended a military council. Of course, this didn't conflict with the rulers lending him money privately. Military councils were a formality, and the Interstellar Codex had to maintain its reputation.
It was because the reforms made by Xihai violated the law in every way.
But the fifth agenda item actually described what Xi Hai did during his lifetime as a "major contribution" in public.
"Xihai's road was blocked, but I didn't expect that thanks to your aggressive actions, it would become a success..." Yuan Xu sighed with emotion, "The commander surrendered without a fight, what do you think?"
Xiyue turned off the screen, covered her mouth and yawned, then glanced at him with tears in her eyes.
"What do you mean? Let's talk about it after we catch up on some sleep."
With a bang, the door closed again.
-
The Command Headquarters is not in the 98th star zone, but in the 100th star zone, which is adjacent to T on the south side.
In terms of natural scenery, there is no place in the entire galaxy more beautiful than Star Sector No. 100. The green mountains, rivers, and lakes are shrouded in another independent small barrier, making the area within a radius of ten kilometers in the center of the star sector a world of its own.
The Commander-in-Chief's Mansion is backed by a mountain and faces the lake. There is an old man sitting quietly by the lake. He has neatly arranged white hair, kind wrinkles on his face, and a slight smile on his face, looking at the barrier above his head.
In the dim light of early morning, Leng Chengzhou in a dark blue mecha came in from there and landed quietly beside the old man.
Not far from the side, the rustling, regular sound of footsteps was heard again.
The other Leng Chengzhou, wrapped in a black windbreaker, approached calmly.
Mecha Leng Chengzhou made way, lowered his head slightly, and stood quietly.
Leng Chengzhou in the windbreaker didn't even look at him and sat down on the bench next to the old man: "Commander, are you really going to break the rules for her?"
The old man smiled silently.
He was eighty years old, but his eyes were not cloudy at all as he looked at the clear lake.
"As long as you can issue orders and put them into practice, it doesn't count as breaking the rules." He spoke slowly, "You'll understand once you sit in my position."
Leng Chengzhou remained expressionless. "According to my calculations, if these agendas are resolved, there's a 78% chance that the rules will be broken in the future."
"Then according to your calculations, if we don't appease her, what are the chances of protecting the rules?"
"…I can't figure it out. In the last 24 hours, the predictability of her behavior has plummeted from 99% to 1%."
"Then let's change the target of our calculations," the commander said. "Without the temporary military council and its resolution, what are the chances that she will replace you, overthrow me, and become the next, unprecedented commander?"
Leng Chengzhou was silent for a moment and replied: "99%."
He then asked, "Isn't there any other way to get a better chance of winning?"
"The system may have it, we..."
The commander shook his head and was silent for a while before patting the bench and asking a question.
"Do you know why people who sit in this position also have to go through birth, old age, sickness and death?"
"Because of the rules?" Leng Chengzhou said, "Everyone experiences birth, old age, sickness, and death, but the commander doesn't. This will also arouse suspicion."
"It's just one aspect, and the least important one."
The commander turned his gaze to the distance again, narrowing his eyes slightly. "But you're right, because of the rules. Let me ask you another question: what is the ultimate destination of programmed life?"
Before Leng Chengzhou could speak, he laughed and answered himself: "There is a 99% chance that you can't answer it because you are still too young."
“The ultimate of program life is life.”
"The longer a program lives, the more the balance tilts towards one side. Sooner or later, it will forget or abandon its primary mission."
"So even if we find a way around it, we will inevitably face death. That's the rule."
Leng Chengzhou pondered calmly for a long time before asking, "So even though we're all Splinterers, we're not as good as him in terms of calculation ability because we've survived longer than him? Are we all degenerated?"
The commander was surprised that his thoughts would turn to this direction and laughed in silence.
But then Leng Chengzhou asked again: "Did the commander make this decision because he abandoned his first mission?"
His thoughts returned to normal, but the old man remained silent for a while.
At 6:30 in the morning, the survival barrier sent out the morning breeze on time. After passing through the col, it turned into a slightly sharp mountain breeze. After crossing the water, it stirred up a fresh and somewhat soft smell.
The smell of water vapor.
This brought the old man back to his senses. He patted Leng Chengzhou on the shoulder, stood up with the help of his cane, and slowly walked towards the commander's mansion behind him.
"Commander." Leng Chengzhou also stood up, but did not chase after him. "I can attend in your place."
The spiritual power value of the God of Pollution is E0.
But the interstellar rulers, without exception, all possess extremely high mental powers.
Therefore, for more than two years, the people who sat on the commander-in-chief's throne were all twins. The brothers were not like brothers, but more like servants and stand-ins who appeared in front of people.
The commander-in-chief had not attended the military council in recent years precisely because his servant had died.
It was from that time that his old age began to appear before the eyes of a few people at an astonishing speed.
The old man walked for a long distance, as if he had just heard Leng Chengzhou's words. Without stopping, he raised one arm and waved it gently.
Inside the Commander's Mansion, a man in uniform was sitting at the bar, slowly turning the Tanbul glass in his hand. The ice cubes and the wine hit the wall of the glass, making a crisp and pleasant sound.
He glanced sideways at the old man who walked into the hall.
"Autonomy, are you serious?"
The commander smiled silently and walked over to sit beside him.
An empty cup had already been prepared with ice cubes in it. Zhen Xingchen poured a small half cup into it and pushed it in with two fingers.
"How can a rubbish citizen with no power and influence be so proud?"
The commander placed his wrinkled hands on the bar, blocking his glass, and shook his head slowly.
Zhen Xingchen narrowed his eyes. "She's the God of Pollution? What level? A messenger or a programmed lifeform?"
Seeing that the commander still had no intention of speaking, he snorted and laughed: "Even if it is a programmed life form, so what? It can't be more powerful than Leng Chengzhou, right? At least, I haven't heard that Xi Hai gave birth to a pair of twin sisters."
The commander finally spoke: "Two thousand years, haven't you lived enough?"
Zhen Xingchen chuckled and asked him, "After two thousand years, why didn't the base simply give up resistance and let the pollution erode the last piece of pure land? After seven thousand years, why have humans been like lizards, refusing to go extinct, insisting on guarding this small piece of land as a living fossil? Commander, your question is so boring."
"Oh," he continued, "that's right. After all, you were born from data. How could you possibly understand the desire for survival etched into human genes? After all, Gu Qin only developed the technology to upload consciousness, but failed to teach you how to decipher human consciousness."
"That fog was so light, seemingly transparent at a glance, yet it's impossible to separate it into its individual particles. Otherwise, you wouldn't have erased our memories so rudely... right?"
These words made the commander silent, his eyelids half closed, as if he had taken a nap.
Zhen Xingchen's eyes flashed with contempt. Just as he was about to drink, he heard an old voice beside him say, "Have you ever thought that the fog doesn't need to be dismantled?"
The commander dipped his hand in the wine and drew a circle on the table.
“It just needs to be cut.”
A straight line runs from top to bottom, passing through the circle.
Zhen Xingchen was stunned: "What do you mean?"
The commander laughed heartily, like a defeated general who had finally won a battle, and every wrinkle on his face revealed a pride that was inconsistent with his age.
He left the bar and headed for the stairs.
Without even turning his head, he said, “Zhen Heshan, you’ve been a human for over two thousand years, and you’re still a failure.”
-
At nine o'clock in the morning, Xiyue finally finished her sleep. After coming out, she ignored Yuanxu who seemed to have a burning butt, and asked Xipo to order a sumptuous breakfast.
By the time we finished enjoying the meal, it was already ten o'clock.
Yuan Xu was almost calling her "Auntie": "Xiyue, what exactly do you want to do? Are you dissatisfied with the settlement conditions proposed by the Central Committee?"
Xiyue wiped her mouth and rinsed it, then looked up and looked around: "Where's Xiaozai? We can leave now."
"I asked him to go back to Sector 33 to look after Uncle Ai," Yuan Xu said, adding, "Xi Yao is also in the Admiral's Mansion."
"Oh, no starships then?"
"The garrison is right next to us, we can just walk there. Why would we need a starship?"
"Walking there is so uncouth." Xiyue looked disdainful and instructed Xipo, "Ask the hotel for a starship and tell them... Admiral Yuan needs it for the military council meeting."
Xipo informed the front desk as instructed, and the receptionist immediately agreed and said that the starship was on the docking deck and the driver would be there immediately.
Only then did Xiyue agree to leave.
"Everyone is going, Han Yi is going too."
A group of three people, plus a boy, accommodated Xiyue's speed and slowly arrived at the docking deck.
"Let's go to the top parking deck of the garrison." Yuan Xu said to the driver, "Forget it, I'll drive, you get off."
Just as my butt touched the driver's seat, I heard Xi Yue say, "No, let's find a shopping mall, or even a high-end clothing store."
"You're still thinking about getting dressed up at this hour?"
"Isn't the mall just opening at this hour?"
“…”
Xipo sat in the passenger seat and turned to persuade Yuan Xu: "General Yuan, please listen to your elder sister."
Yuan Xu closed his eyes and endured it, then pressed the engine button.
Shopping for clothes was pretty quick, after all, except for Xiyue, no one else was very picky. Xiyue alone couldn't really pick out anything either, after all, in her previous life she was just a poor high school student chased by loan sharks.
It took some time to put on makeup, but fortunately Xiyue only wanted light makeup, and with Yuan Xu urging her on, the clerk who helped with the makeup only took fifteen minutes to complete the task.
Finally set off to fly to the military council site.
Yuan Xu breathed a sigh of relief, his mind returning to the upcoming meeting. He asked, "Are you dithering because you're dissatisfied with the central government's conditions? So you want to show your power?"
Xiyue was looking in the mirror on a light screen and made an ambiguous "hmm" sound.
"What exactly are you dissatisfied with? I have an idea. Maybe the central government just missed it. The agenda only mentioned eight star sectors, and didn't include the 29th. But it's a small matter. With the commander-in-chief in charge, it's easy to add it."
Xiyue hummed again, causing Yuanxu to glance at the rearview mirror.
Instead of getting angry, he smiled at himself.
"I've lived like a dog in my 188 lifetimes, and I never realized the interstellar system is so fragile. But don't blame me. After all, Xihai has been the commander for ten years and I didn't think of this."
"Fragile?" Xi Yue finally looked up at him.
"Yes, fragile. Our united efforts to combat pollution and our concerted efforts against external threats have led to intersectoral intrigue but no civil war—aren't you just using this civil war as a pretext to threaten the central government?"
"Ah, yes, threat..." Xi Yue responded ambiguously, looking at the garrison building in the distance.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
