"You are exaggerating. General Lei, you are mistaken."
Li Yao said without changing his expression, "In fact, I have been training in seclusion in the queen's secret base with my brother 'Huang Feng' since I was a child. I barely come out of the society. Therefore, I am rather innocent and sometimes straightforward. I do not have any clandestine secrets in my heart. What can you see through, General Lei?"
Lei Chenghu was frowning so hard that his eyebrows looked like two unsheathed sabers. They were about to slash at Li Yao's carotid artery brutally.
He clenched his fists, and his knuckles were cracking, as if he were holding back his impulse with his astonishing willpower.
"It's true!"
Li Yao said sincerely, and his eyes were as pure and transparent as those of a baby. "General Lei must've noticed that my real age is not very old."
"… Yes."
After a long silence, Lei Chenghu nodded and said, "Your cells are very vigorous, and the waves spreading out of your soul are full of vigor, too. You are not the strongest Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator that I have ever seen, but you are definitely the youngest one. I assume that your real age is no more than a hundred years old, even if you are not in seclusion or hibernation, right?
"A Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator who is less than eighty years old. That is truly incredible. What kind of monster are you exactly? How did you train yourself?"
"I am not a monster. I have spent all my time training in seclusion."
Li Yao said, "If I hadn't seized every second of my time to train myself crazily, how could I have advanced into the Divinity Transformation Stage in only a hundred years? General Lei, you have never heard of my name before, and you cannot find any information about me, right? That's right. It's because I have never been out in society before. This is the first time that I have done so. Therefore, I do not have much experience. If I have said or done anything wrong, please forgive me, General Lei. "
"Enough."
Lei Chenghu took a deep breath and said, "Listen up. I don't care whether or not your bulls * it is true, and I don't care whether or not the queen has other purposes under the ostentatious banner of 'renewing the Imperium'. For me, there is only one thing that I have to fulfill my responsibility as a soldier!
"Tell me, do you love the Empire?"
Li Yao raised his chin high and gave a textbook unity salute. "Infinite love!"
"But I hate the Empire. I even hate this Empire that is emitting a rotten smell from all its pores."
With a gloomy expression, Lei Chenghu said, "However, no matter how many shortcomings the Imperium of True Human Beings has, and how it is too dark and cruel on many occasions, and how it is even taken advantage of by the scoundrels and reduced to a tool for their personal desires, the Imperium has always been the toughest shield, the sharpest saber, and … the only home for the civilization of mankind.
"The Imperium may have all kinds of problems and countless reasons to be hated, but it has gathered the strength of most human beings in the sea of stars after all, allowing billions of human beings to be united to resist the Holy League, the extraterrestrial devils, the bizarre alien species in space, and even the universe itself, which is too dark.
"The universe is too vast, and the ambitions of human beings are too exuberant. Without the righteous name of the Imperium of True Human Beings, believe it or not, even without the invasion of the Covenant Alliance, the extraterrestrial devils, or any other alien species, the disorganized human beings would've been divided into different countries within a hundred years. They would've raised colorful flags and attacked each other with all kinds of absurd reasons.
"By then, no demons or devils will be needed at all. Human beings will be able to transform all the stars in the universe into a bloody hell on their own, just like the thousands of years before the collapse of the Star Ocean Imperium and before the Star Ocean Republic was established!
"Therefore …
"No matter how many shortcomings the Imperium has today, no matter how many spots, abscesses, and tumors grow on its bloated body, and no matter how much I hate it most of the time, I will fulfill my responsibility as a soldier of the Imperium and defend it with my flesh, bones, and soul forever!
"Please tell your queen that she doesn't need to worry that my determination will be shaken. After being imprisoned by the four Kurfürst families for more than half a month, I have completely thought it through. In the past hundred years, I was too weak, hesitant, and concerned too much about the honor and code of the so-called 'soldier' to save the Imperium with all my might.
"But today, I have completely realized my path. Nobody can stop me from saving the Imperium with steel, fire, and even the sordid, shameless, and lawless approaches!
"If the queen's ultimate purpose is as open and aboveboard as she claims, I will pledge my loyalty to her forever. Or rather, when her personal interests are integrated with the overall interests of the Imperium, is there anything wrong with helping her become an unprecedented queen?
"However, if I discover that her ambitions are too violent and will harm the interests of the Imperium, our cooperation will immediately fall apart. I will stop and destroy her whatever the cost is. Do you understand?"
Li Yao nodded his head quickly. "Of course I do!"
"The same goes for you."
Lei Chenghu's eyes were so sharp that they seemed to be piercing through Li Yao's body, the three layers of cabin walls, and the atmosphere outside. "I don't care if you are glib, full of bullsh * t, or really 'simple, innocent, and straightforward'. As long as you are sincerely defending the Imperium and the interests of the civilization of mankind, I am willing to call you 'fellow Cultivator' and fight side by side with you to the end!
"However …
"If I discover that you are hiding any other secrets that will harm the interests of the Imperium, trust me, the cannonballs of ten thousand warships will hit your head at the same time. Even if you run to the edge of the cosmos and a thousand years later, I will find you and kill you at the cost of my life!"
Li Yao took a long breath in relief. "That's great!"
Lei Chenghu frowned. "What's great?"
"Then, I'm relieved."
Li Yao blinked his big, clear eyes. Brilliance that was even more scorching than the sun suddenly beamed out of his eyes. "Because I guarantee with my integrity that I am definitely a loyal patriot. I love my motherland so much that I am willing to shed my blood, grind my bones into powder, burn the powder into ash, and sprinkle the ash into the soil of my motherland just like General Lei. That's how much I love it!
"I firmly believe that my motherland represents the highest interests of the civilization of mankind. Therefore, I will not betray my motherland. No matter how strong, ferocious, and hideous the enemy is, I will fight to the end. Even if I only have one caecum left, I will roll a saber with the caecum and continue fighting!
"Therefore, what General Lei said will never happen. Of course, I'm relieved!"
While Li Yao was swearing, Lei Chenghu stared at his eyes without hiding the fact that he was prying into Li Yao's mind.
Li Yao, on the other hand, opened his mind frankly, allowing Lei Chenghu to perceive as much as he wanted.
After perceiving for a long time, Lei Chenghu's eyebrows were slightly loosened, but the suspicion on his face did not disperse at all. He mumbled, "Why … is everything you said true without the slightest hint of deception?"
"It is true in the first place. I am truly an unwavering, authentic patriot. It is exactly because of my infinite love for my motherland and the civilization of mankind that I am willing to come to this place at the great risk!"
Li Yao said solemnly. "I'm the one who is truly confused. Why is General Lei unwilling to believe that everything I said is true? Is General Lei the only patriot under the vast starry sky? "
"… Forget it."
Looking at Li Yao's flawless big face, Lei Chenghu chose to give up, which he rarely did. "In any case, thank you for saving my life in the Godly Might Prison. If you are a real patriot, I believe that we will get along very well, Fellow … Cultivator Li.
"Now, let's go back to the Third Battle Area!"
Lei Chenghu adjusted his hat with the newly-installed artificial limbs and strode out of the command room to the bridge.
On the bridge were the soldiers who had just been gathered and were still somewhat uneasy in their hearts, only to be covered by ten times more excitement and exhilaration.
A middle-aged officer, whose entire body was covered in bandages and whose left hand and left foot had been replaced by artificial limbs, limped to Lei Chenghu with a cramping face as if he were being tortured by excruciating pain. He saluted Lei Chenghu in the most beautiful way and said, "All the soldiers have been gathered. Please give your instructions, general!"
The man was exactly Lei Chenghu's eldest son, Lei Honghai, who had betrayed his father by the four Kurfürst families a day ago, only to be taught a lesson by his father in return and fought a bloody path in the depths of the Godly Might Prison!
Lei Chenghu nodded his head emotionlessly. Looking around slowly, he detonated the magma in the hearts of the soldiers with the eccentric fire in his eyes before he finally came to the control panel.
Gritting his teeth, Lei Honghai held back the excruciating pain caused by the unsuitable artificial limbs rubbing his wounds and turned on the public communication channel that covered the three starships.
"Soldiers of the First Mixed Division of the Godly Might Fleet!"
Faced with the complicated faces on the hundreds of light beams, Lei Chenghu roared confidently, "The war that will decide the future of the Imperium and even the civilization of mankind has begun, and you and I are the only protagonists in the war!
"Before today, you were still a bunch of mobsters and Mr. Nobodies. You were the losers in the competitions of your families. You were the leftovers that nobody cared about. You were the defective products that were kicked to this world of ice and snow mercilessly for the rest of your life. You were the 'zeros' that did not even exist in the genealogy. You were even the prisoners who violated the law and infuriated the nobles, and you were destined to rot in the dark dungeons until your last bone was rotting!
"But after today, your names will resound in the sky and be cheered by thousands of people. Your names will be carved on the monuments at the central square of every habitable planet in the capital of the Imperium!
"The Imperium will not forget. History will not forget. The civilization will not forget what you have done today. We will not forget your sacred and glorious name — the army of the Imperium!
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