Evolution - Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Yu Zhiyao didn't quite understand how Sith, a notorious spendthrift with contribution points, had suddenly turned over a new leaf and become so stingy. Not only was he constantly reining in his own impulse-buying urges, but he was also trying to manage hers.
However, after years of being President Yu, she was long past the rebellious teenage phase of exploding the moment someone tried to manage her. She was an expert in the art of circumvention, always agreeing to his face with a "yes, yes, of course," only to turn around and spend as extravagantly as she pleased.
You can say what you want. If I actually listen, I lose.
For some reason, Sith saw a flicker of familiarity in Yu Zhiyao's prim and serious expression. Rummaging through the vast database of his brain, he extracted a similar scene. Hmm, wasn't this the exact same attitude he had whenever people advised him to be more frugal with his contribution points?
Thinking back on the joy he felt when spending his own points, his resolve instantly deflated. He hastily ended the conversation. "As long as you know what you're doing."
Although Yu Zhiyao didn't understand why Sith had suddenly backed down, she was sharp enough to seize the opportunity. She went with the flow, helping to steer away from the dangerous topic, and began discussing work in earnest. "Based on the reaction data from the first twenty-four hours of the experiment, the 2% and 2.5% ratios performed best. For the forty-eight-hour reaction data, the 1.5% ratio was optimal."
Sith watched her quietly, waiting for her analysis and conclusion.
As expected, Yu Zhiyao did not disappoint. She closed the experimental data and opened another file, stating with conviction, "I suspect the processing method was incorrect, so I modified it. This is the new comparative data."
A smile couldn't help but spread across Sith's face.
The news of the three planets' defection sent shockwaves through the Alliance during the New Year.
But this surge of patriotism was confined to the StarNet. The daily routine consisted of hurling insults at the defecting planets' leadership, expressing concern for the civilians left behind, and then blaming the government and military for their incompetence and corruption. Look at the rotten people they'd promoted, holding entire planets hostage to defect for their own power and glory.
In real life, however, daily routines continued completely unaffected.
Even the passionate military cadets were little more than spectators in this affair.
The only thing they could do that ordinary citizens couldn't was to channel their passion into cultivation, preparing themselves to one day enter the battlefield.
On the third day after the planets' defection, the Alliance issued a special decree. It declared that the Empire's ambition to destroy them had not died, that it intended to fracture Alliance territory, and officially declared war on the Empire.
On December 31, 6107, of the Second Alliance Era, the ringing in of the new year was accompanied by news of a victory from the front lines: seven of the Empire's border planets had been annexed by the Alliance.
People are always forgetful. Netizens instantly forgot how they had just been dragging the government and military through the mud, and began to sing their praises with great enthusiasm.
In the brilliant light of the formidable achievement of acquiring seven planets, the defection of the three seemed insignificant.
Most of the time, people only looked at the quantity, completely ignoring the quality.
Ji Changqing and her friends spent an extremely memorable first New Year in the Alliance. The first quarter of their break was spent eating, drinking, and having fun. The second quarter was spent sitting in a row, scrolling through the StarNet, watching netizens creatively insult the government and military and routinely curse the Empire. The new year was a watershed moment; during the third quarter of their break, starting from New Year's Day, they watched the people of the Alliance sing the military's praises.
Perhaps the government was feeling resentful. They were all equally cunning, so why was it that after sharing the blame, the people of the Alliance were now singing praises for the military every day while leaving them out?
We won't stand for it!
The consequence of this dissatisfaction was that the diligent investigation team submitted a shocking report.
The Alliance took a rather hardcore approach, publicly sentencing and punishing a group of people from both the government and the military, though clearly more from the latter.
This instantly struck a sensitive nerve with the netizens, successfully reaping another wave of condemnation.
And so, during the final quarter of their vacation, Ji Changqing and her friends were once again forced to spectate as the people launched a verbal crusade against the higher-ups. Netizens, their patriotic fervor reignited, offered their grand strategies, suggesting that such problems were likely not confined to the border starfields and supporting a full-scale, Alliance-wide investigation to eliminate hidden dangers early.
As they boarded the ship back to the military academy, they were still in heated discussion, feeling that this New Year's vacation had been a perfect transition. It began with creative insults about the government's incompetence and the military's uselessness, and ended with condemnations of the government's corruption and the military's rigidity, even planting the seeds for future conflict.
However, the approval ratings for the government and military mercilessly exposed the duplicitous, tsundere-like nature of the Alliance's people. The more viciously they were criticized online, the higher their approval ratings climbed.
Some people were even extremely dissatisfied, clamoring that the Sixth Fleet—which had acted decisively to rescue the cadets and quell the incident during the Fourth Military's entrance exam—should be sent to the front. Major General Xie'er had a brilliant combat record, they argued, so why was she being suppressed and left idle?
Major General Xie'er, who had been inexplicably dragged into the fray, was completely bewildered.
Are you trying to help me or harm me?
The Sixth Fleet's main forces had previously been transferred away on various pretexts to carry out other missions. Now, nearly half of the Sixth Fleet consisted of new recruits. Sending them to the front lines in this state—wasn't that just asking her to feed the enemy kills?
The moment she saw such talk, she knew someone was trying to use the opportunity to stir up trouble, and that she might actually be reassigned. Even during the New Year's holiday, she was doing her homework, preparing for that "what if" scenario.
Claire was, of course, also aware of this sudden tide of opinion on the StarNet.
Having just finished the year's kickoff meeting for the Blue Star project, Claire returned to the base and went to find Xie'er. She had heard some rumors and needed to discuss them with her.
When she pushed the door open, Xie'er was studying a star chart. The situation on those seven planets was not good; otherwise, the Empire wouldn't have been so neglectful, paying them no strategic military attention. Even another seven planets like these couldn't make up for the loss of the three that had defected.
But as she expanded her view of the region around the seven planets, she saw that the side facing the Empire was ringed by cosmic storm belts and meteoroid fields. The side facing the Alliance was relatively clearer, but it still had many unstable asteroid belts where meteors would constantly play bumper cars, hoping to use their mass and size to burn up others and light their own way.
It was because this region was so difficult to enter and exit that it had long been forgotten by both sides. The Empire simply couldn't be bothered to waste military resources on it.
As a seventy-six-year-old "youth" who had been a major general for several years, her military acumen was top-notch. The more she looked, the more interesting it seemed.
No wonder they had to take all seven at once.
For the Empire, these seven planets were like chicken ribs—tasteless, but a waste to throw away. They were easy to attack but difficult to defend. For the Alliance, however, if these seven planets were designated as a single defensive starfield, they would become easy to defend and difficult to attack.
But they were still very much chicken ribs.
Could it be that some new development had been discovered on one of these seven planets, suddenly giving them value?
Otherwise, why would the Alliance expend so much military force and activate its "superpower of money" to seize them? If there wasn't a significant benefit, never mind the enormous initial military expenditure; the subsequent work of rebuilding star defenses, stationing troops, and helping the inhabitants rebuild their homes and integrate into the Alliance would be a true money pit.
Hearing the door open, she turned her head. Seeing it was Claire, she waved her over languidly. "Hey, come take a look. This is rather interesting."
Claire walked over and rested her hands on the back of the chair, leaning down. But instead of looking at the star chart in front of her, she lowered her head to steal a kiss.
When the kiss ended, Major General Xie'er, who had just been in a dark and serious mood, was now blushing like a peach blossom, her eyes soft with affection. She was especially surprised that someone like Claire, who was always so prim and completely absorbed in her work during office hours, would actually engage in workplace harassment!
"What's wrong?" she asked curiously. What on earth could have happened to make Claire so flustered?
Claire let out a long breath and squeezed onto the chair next to Xie'er. "I heard a rumor. The higher-ups are planning to organize the seven planets into a new sector, and they're saying you might be sent to command the garrison."
Xie'er, now half-cradled in Claire's lap, frowned and replied nonchalantly, "Hmm, that's not necessarily a bad thing. At least this star defense sector is up to a major general's specifications."
She had already figured it out. The commander who conquered the planets could easily claim the military merit, but the one who took over to establish the star defenses and garrison the sector against the Empire would have a much less pleasant time. One small misstep, and the territory could be retaken, turning the commander into a laughingstock.
And that was a very real possibility.
The Alliance had suddenly seized these seven planets at any cost; only a fool would believe there wasn't some unspoken reason behind it. And the Empire, whether they knew the secret or not, would surely want to dispatch troops to take them back.
When something that no one cared about is suddenly fought over, even if you don't understand its value, the normal human reaction is, "Wow, I don't know why it's valuable, but if someone is fighting for it, it must have some unique worth." And so, with potential profit on the line, they would inevitably fight with all their might to get it back.
If she were to take the post of star defense commander, she would have to fight the Empire with one hand and build up infrastructure with the other. She wouldn't be able to catch her breath until the star defense system was fully established.
"From the moment your name was first mentioned online, people from Marshal Tang's faction have been nominating you for the post of star defense commander. The Prime Minister's office hasn't objected, but they've demanded that your original main forces be transferred back to you, and that your fleet be equipped to the maximum limit allowed for a major general's command."
"Huh?" Xie'er was so startled she nearly spat out the water in her mouth. If they went with the Prime Minister's proposal, this would no longer be a veiled attempt to weaken her and place her in a dangerous position.
Hmm, this way, it would still be dangerous, but it would also be a good opportunity. If she nodded and accepted the post, with a fleet equipped to the maximum limit for a major general, then in a few years, after winning over her subordinates one by one, wouldn't she become the most powerful major general in the Alliance?
For years now, she had been a major general in name only, holding the title but wielding the authority of a field-grade officer.
Claire was clearly not as nonchalant. "The Prime Minister didn't object, he only set conditions. That means the Alliance places extreme importance on this region. If you go, you'll easily find yourself beset by troubles both internal and external..."
"So what if your main forces are transferred back? So what if your fleet is equipped to the maximum limit? At least half of your troops will be new recruits—and the difference in combat effectiveness between new recruits and a battle-hardened army is immense."
Xie'er scoffed. "Tell His Excellency the Prime Minister to raise the price even higher. They'll agree."
The implication was clear: there was no need for further discussion. She would accept the post. Raise the price, seize this golden opportunity, and squeeze out every last advantage.
Claire squeezed her arm in exasperation. "How could you just agree to it?"
"If I don't agree, those people will find a way to make me take it anyway. Rather than letting them scheme in the shadows, never knowing when they'll strike, it's better to agree outright and demand benefits." She gave Claire a reassuring kiss, then stood up and pointed at the star chart. "It will only be difficult for the first ten years or so."
Her eyes glittered with a light so bright it seemed it could scorch a person.
Claire couldn't help but laugh. How could she have forgotten? Xie'er never backed down from a fight. The more difficult and challenging the task, the more fired up she became.
Still, a sliver of unhappiness remained in her heart.
The moment this person had suspected she might be sent away, she had started studying the star chart. And the instant she heard the transfer was real, her only thought was to excitedly demand more benefits, without a single trace of sadness about their impending separation.
She was just too cold and heartless.
She turned her head and asked Xie'er with a smile, "Do you still remember Yu Zhiyao?"
Xie'er answered offhandedly, "Of course. Haha, I forgot to tell you. You know how she acted so heartless before? Well, a little while ago, she sent something to Ji Changqing through me."
"Do you remember what you said to Yu Zhiyao when you sent her off from Blue Star all those years ago?"
Xie'er's laughter died in her throat.
What had she said back then? Who could remember that far back?
"I don't remember." She shook her head honestly, tilting it to look at Claire. She even winked flirtatiously, trying to use her charms to distract Claire from this ominous line of questioning.
Claire, completely unmoved, helped unlock her memory. "You said to her, 'You really are a cruel woman, leaving Ji Changqing behind just like that?'"
Xie'er raised an eyebrow. Was there a problem with that statement?
There was no problem!
That's exactly what Yu Zhiyao was like! Hadn't she left Ji Changqing behind to go gallivanting around the Alliance by herself?
She hadn't said anything wrong!
Claire watched in amusement as Xie'er's phoenix eyes widened, her face a perfect picture of "I did nothing wrong."
She sighed internally. "I think if Yu Zhiyao were here right now, she would return those exact words to you."
Xie'er blinked, slow on the uptake, before she finally grasped the point of the conversation.
She raised a hand, hooked Claire's chin, and gave her a light, fleeting kiss, like the brush of a feather that left one's heart itching for more, but was gone in an instant.
"Then why don't you... come with me~"
"Mm, hmm?" Claire's attention was completely stolen by Major General Xie'er's wandering hands.
And so, the Alpha, who was always gentle, reserved, and proper in public, felt her head spin as she was led away by the cunning, wild, and bold Omega, tumbling together onto the bed in the major general's private lounge.
Major General Xie'er thought to herself, Hmm, compared to persuading Claire with words, I'm clearly much better at persuading her in bed!
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