"Stop, stop, stop. I've been thinking too much in the past few days. My head hurts."
Li Yao rubbed his temples softly and narrowed his eyes. "Give me a couple of days, and we'll deal with the complicated issues and see how we can make ourselves more intimidating, alright?"
"I'm afraid not."
Xiaoming's eyes glittered quickly. "Uncle A Boxing Champion sent a message that the communication channel among the Thunder Fleet, the Arsonist Fleet, and the Gold Crystal Pyramid has basically been established. He can hold a remote meeting with Boss Bai and General Lei at any time. Both of them are in a hurry to contact Dad. Also, Boss Bai said that something is wrong with the Thunder Fleet and asked Dad to be careful!"
"What do you mean by something is wrong?"
Li Yao's head hurt even more. He said helplessly, "Is Lei Chenghu going to abandon him so soon?"
"Not necessarily. All in all …"
Xiaoming said, "Boss Bai and General Lei, please talk to Dad in person!"
Under the command of the two kids, a dozen battle puppets swarmed forward and surrounded Li Yao and his companions. Translucent mystic rays shot out of their crystal eyes and condensed into Boss Bai's appearance in midair.
"Li Yao!"
Boss Bai seemed to be exasperated. The moment he saw Li Yao, he immediately shouted, "How much control do you have over the capital planet? Have you completely controlled the royal palace, the Council of Elders, and a few important military bases and weapon factories? Control those critical facilities immediately. They cannot be handed over to the Thunder Fleet or even allowed to be landed by the Thunder Fleet. Do you understand? "
"Boss Bai, what's going on?"
Li Yao was greatly surprised. "You're not going to fight with General Lei because the four families' ace fleets are unevenly divided, are you?"
"Hehe. Even if we haven't started a fight yet, it's going to happen soon!"
Boss Bai's face was so gloomy that water was almost dripping. He gnashed his teeth and said, "Lei Chenghu does not allow the Arsonist Fleet to control the No. 1 Base on the orbit of the capital planet, but he wants to drive all of us to the No. 9 Base that is the furthest away from the capital planet. It's obvious that he is going to abandon us!"
"Well …"
Before Li Yao figured out what was going on, the emotionless Lei Chenghu, surrounded by smoke, appeared on the light beam, too.
He stared at Li Yao as if he was going to eat Li Yao alive.
Creeped out by his stare, Li Yao managed to smile. "Well, General Lei, are you still mad at me? As I said, I was playing Blackstar the Great's … * * * * in such a sacred and splendid place as the capital because I had no other choice. I really did not mean to strike the beliefs of the Immortal Cultivators. As a matter of fact, I respect the true path of immortality very much. I have never thought to blaspheme it. You don't have to look at me like that every time you see me, do you? "
After staring at Li Yao for a long time, Lei Chenghu finally retreated his eyes and said coldly, "We appreciate your help in settling the riot in the capital, but it's not a reason for you to be arrogant. This is the country of the Immortal Cultivators and the capital of the Imperium of True Human Beings after all. We should be in charge of everything!
"Considering your distinguished contributions this time, we have tried our best to favor you when we divided the trophies. The main-force warships of the four families' ace fleets have all been assigned to your fleet. Right now, the No. 9 Base, which is the largest base around the orbit of the capital planet, has been cleared for you to stay in. We have done everything we can! If you are still dissatisfied with such an arrangement, we shouldn't be responsible for the collapse of the alliance! "
"Hehe. General Lei, do you think I'm a three-year-old?"
Hearing Lei Chenghu's accusation, Boss Bai sneered. "You know that the Arsonist Fleet is a guest troop that is isolated and helpless in the Imperium. Even if you assign all the main-force warships of the four families to my battle order, they will still be garbage because of the lack of ammunition, fuel, and crew members. Why do I need so many starships?
"The ninth base, which is the largest in scale, is empty, too. Once my fleet is anchored there, all the assets will have to be supplied by you. It will be like being choked by the Immortal Cultivators, and you can cut off our supply of assets at any moment!
"I won't do such a stupid thing. The Arsonist Fleet must be anchored in the No. 1 Base and establish our own channels of assets between the surface of the planet and the orbit base. This is not a request but a notification!"
"Is it just for the assets?"
Lei Chenghu narrowed his eyes and sneered in disdain too. "Isn't the No. 1 Base the reason why you have to choose it because it is closest to the surface of the planet and is in the orbit above the royal palace and the Council of Elders, which is the most convenient place for you to attack the capital planet?"
"Rest assured. We will not attack the capital planet. That would be a suicidal move."
Boss Bai said, "But we have to be wary of somebody abandoning us after we've outlived our usefulness. The Immortal Cultivators are best at such tricks. Now that Wuying Qi is dead, and both the ace fleets and the coalition fleets have fallen to the hands of the reformists, your situation cannot be better. The value of the Cultivators seems to have been exploited, right? How do I know that you will not kill us after we've outlived our usefulness? "
"Then, how do I know that you won't do anything stupid after you occupy the No. 1 Base and control the best location to attack the capital planet?"
Lei Chenghu burst into fury and bashed his chest with his iron arm. "I guarantee with my honor and my dignity as a soldier that I have never thought of doing anything stupid like killing you after you've outlived our usefulness. The Thunder Fleet and I will do whatever it takes to ensure your safety!
"But you have to consider my pressure too. I am not the only one who has the final say in the Imperium. The soldiers' obedience and even admiration for me are conditional too! It's one thing to cooperate with a small group of Cultivators temporarily in order to eliminate the eviler enemies, but it's absolutely impossible to let the small group of Cultivators stay at the heart of the Imperium and even stab it into the heart of the Imperium like a sharp blade!
"If I allow such a thing to happen, I can't explain it to all the Immortal Cultivators. Can the Cultivators imagine that the most elite fleet of Immortal Cultivators is stationed in the sky of your capital all the time?"
"That's different. Right now, the comprehensive capability of the Imperium is far higher than that of the Federation. Only by maintaining a certain degree of threat to the heart of the Imperium can we achieve a temporary 'balance of terror'."
Unmoved, Boss Bai said coldly, "Only a 'balance of terror' can bring peace and cooperation. This is my bottom line. There is no room for compromise!"
"Then —"
Lei Chenghu sighed. "It seems that our temporary alliance has to be broken in advance."
"That seems to be the case."
An excited smile popped up on Boss Bai's face, and brilliance beamed out of his eyes like venomous blades. "Last time, we were acting, and neither of us carried out 100% of our strength. This time, let's see if the 'God of War' deserves his name!"
Seeing that the two fleet commanders were about to jump into a fight, Li Yao hurried to wave his hands and interrupt them. "Wait, wait, wait, wait. Don't be hasty. Right now, although the ace fleets of the four families have been crushed, the nests of the four families are still intact. The civil war is not over yet, and the main force fleet of the Holy League hasn't shown up yet. You are not stupid enough to attack each other at such a moment, are you?
"Boss Bai, not that I'm criticizing you, but you are in the wrong in this matter. The Coalition Fleet of Pyromaniacs is indeed the guest army here. Legally speaking, it was the queen and General Lei Chenghu who invited us to help. Right now, we are neither capable nor willing to turn the tables, right?
"The capital will be returned to the Immortal Cultivators of the reformists such as General Lei after all. Naturally, we will follow the host's lead and anchor wherever the host asks us to. How can we be picky?
"Besides, it is already extremely difficult for most Immortal Cultivators to accept a fleet of Cultivators to fight side by side with them. Who can bear it if you are so aggressive and ready to attack the capital planet at any moment? If I were an Immortal Cultivator, I wouldn't be able to bear it either."
"Li Yao, you —"
Boss Bai looked at Li Yao in disbelief. "I remember that you were already adept at the trick of 'balance of terror' when we first met on Spider Den in the Flying Star Sector. Why are you dumbfounded right now?
"Yes, Wuying Qi is dead, but all the secrets of the Cultivators and even the Xing Yao Federation have been exposed to the Immortal Cultivators, including the existence of the Coalition Fleet of Pyromaniacs. The comprehensive capability of the Imperium and the Federation is so unbalanced. How can we cooperate? Are you going to base the future of the Federation and the fate of millions of people, including our family, on Lei Chenghu's promise?
"It's not a matter of whether or not we are willing to believe it. It's just that we don't have the right to believe Lei Chenghu. Do you understand?"
"Of course I do."
Li Yao said gloomily, "But even if the Coalition Fleet of Pyromaniacs occupies the first base, it will still be useless, or rather, redundant. So, I strongly suggest that you obey General Lei's order and don't cause any friction between your allies.
"Of course, in exchange, General Lei, the Coalition Fleet of Pyromaniacs can be stationed anywhere you choose. All the critical facilities on the capital planet, including the royal palace, the Council of Elders, and the cutting-edge magical equipment research centers, will be handed over to you intact. But this place, the Gold Crystal Pyramid, is too important. I hope that it can be set as a demilitarized zone and not accept any military forces for now. After the four families and the Holy League are taken care of, we can consider the ownership of this place slowly."
Shua! Shua! Shua!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
