Leto.
Out of caution, Xia Zhiyang had turned off the hovercraft's autopilot system and learned to drive manually. Passing near the Sky Diamond Plaza, he couldn't help but slow down and look from afar.
A "statue protection" event took place in this square not long ago, with countless people gathering together to oppose the rebels' attempt to tear down a group of sculptures standing in a corner of the square.
Only those who have made great contributions to the alliance are qualified to build a statue there.
The protest lasted for three days, and countless people died at the hands of the rebels. However, more and more people joined the protest, as if to protect the last bit of faith in their hearts.
As a result, the rebels stopped destroying the statue, but still chopped off the head of the statue of former Alliance General Lu Jun to vent their anger, and then closed the entire square, not allowing anyone to enter.
The famous fountain show in the Central Administrative District never appeared again, and the entire square looked like a dried-up spring, pale and dilapidated.
Xia Zhiyang sometimes wondered whether humans had thought about today when they left the Earth, opened the first interstellar map, and named this square "Diamond of the Sky" with hope and pride.
The exquisite reliefs will be stained with the blood of compatriots.
On second thought, each generation is responsible for its own affairs. How could people two hundred years ago manage the present? Just like he couldn't manage what would happen to the alliance in the future if he lost this war.
No, if we lose there will be no alliance.
He exhaled lightly, feeling as if he too was becoming gloomy along with the silence of the planet.
He is obviously only twenty years old.
After stopping the hovercraft at the destination, Xia Zhiyang walked along the deserted street, pulling up his collar. He had grown a little taller than he had been this time last year, and the slim grey windbreaker made him look taller than before, with more distinct facial bone contours.
In the box, Chen Mingxuan was concentrating on playing games. When he saw Xia Zhiyang come in, he put the game terminal aside.
After Xia Zhiyang sat down, he habitually looked around. He saw a surveillance camera in a hidden corner, and activated the device in his personal terminal to emit interference waves.
We chatted about the weather and asked about how my uncle and aunt were doing, and suddenly we ran out of things to talk about.
Staring at the coffee cup in front of him, Xia Zhiyang's eyes were somewhat blank. In the past, he always played with Chen Mingxuan, doing homework together, playing games together, each of them had a limited edition hover car, and they would let each other go when they slept in class...
Although we haven't seen each other for many days, why is there nothing much to talk about? Maybe we have become unfamiliar with each other
Chen Mingxuan looked around to make sure no one was around, then he lowered his voice and said hesitantly, "I heard from my mom that you've been doing something not so good recently."
Xia Zhiyang raised his eyes.
Chen Mingxuan was stunned.
It hadn't been long since they last met, but the feeling this brother gave him was... different. He even saw a hint of sharpness and a subtle warning in his eyes.
Although he wasn't quite sure what the warning was about.
After grinding the bag of sugar that came with the coffee, Chen Mingxuan was unable to say what he had prepared. He took some time to reorganize his words: "It's very dangerous. Those people outside," he omitted the word, shrank his fingers, and showed fear in his eyes, "those people will shoot and kill, and they will be punished together! Once discovered, you will die miserably in a place where no one knows!"
Xia Zhiyang nodded: "I know." He smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have made you worry."
Seeing his own smile through the glass wall made him feel a little like he was back in Turan.
The other party's expression and reaction did not meet his expectations. Chen Mingxuan suddenly did not know how to persuade him: "You are only 20 years old, studying in Turan, and you will live for many years... No matter who is in power, it doesn't make much difference to us, right? We can still do business and make money. Why do we have to do those not-so-good things?"
Some of these words were his own thoughts, and some were heard from his elders.
He didn't know whether he was persuading Xia Zhiyang or trying to convince himself.
Xia Zhiyang waited for him to finish, and then he was silent for a while before speaking: "I respect your idea."
When Chen Mingxuan heard this, he subconsciously wanted to pick up the game terminal to avoid the subsequent conversation.
"But at this moment, on the front line countless light years away, the expeditionary force should be fighting the rebels. Many people have died or are facing death." Xia Zhiyang's expression and tone were very serious.
Chen Mingxuan looked away and replied in a low voice: "The military has their own interests."
Xia Zhiyang felt a little cold.
He thought that he might not have worn enough clothes when he went out and overestimated today's temperature.
But a flame of fire emerged in my heart, dispelling the coldness.
He heard himself say, "I respect your choice and understand what you mean."
"I'm happy that you're worried that I'll be in danger, but I also want to tell you, yes, I'm only 20 years old, I have money, I can live without worries for food and clothing, I can live for many years, but living like a dog, trembling with fear, is that living? Nodding and bowing to the rebels, kneeling on the ground waiting for them to give me a bone if they're happy, or a bullet if they're unhappy? Should I be grateful?"
"I have money, but what about those who have no money? Do they have to be treated as non-human beings, waiting for the rebels to step on them and chop them, and then use their dignity and blood to exchange for a drop of nutrient to barely fill their stomachs?"
Xia Zhiyang felt that his bones were getting hot, and his eyes were like burning fire: "Chen Mingxuan, think carefully about what you said! What do you mean by 'the military has their own interests'? Who the hell has nothing to do, rushing to the front with weapons, fighting for fun, huh? Are you bored after eating? Do you think you have lived too long
If the rebels had not already brought their knives into your home, and if the bandits had not entered the capital star and pointed their guns at your loved ones, at the professors who had taught you, at the people you had coffee with in the same store, and were turning everyone into puppets without freedom and thoughts, who would be willing to risk their lives? Tell me, who is willing!"
Gasping for breath, veins bulging on his neck, Xia Zhiyang's eyes were red, and it was unclear whether it was anger or sadness and grief that overflowed from them.
Chen Mingxuan stared at him, his lips moved, but no words came out.
In a few seconds of silence, Xia Zhiyang calmed himself down. He clenched and unclenched his fists and said coldly, "For the time being... let's not meet. Maybe because we are good brothers, I will get you into trouble one day."
His throat was dry. "I understand you, but don't try to persuade me. Even if I die in the next second, I won't regret anything I've done before."
Leaving the whole cup of coffee untouched, Xia Zhiyang took two steps outside and stopped at the table again: "I am afraid of death, but I don't want to live in humiliation."
Coming out of the cafe, people on the street were expressionless and in a hurry. Xia Zhiyang glanced at the buildings that were no different from before, put his hands in his pockets, and looked up at the sky.
There is news that there will be a big battle on the front line, but I don’t know what the situation will be.
He picked up the hat attached to his clothes and put it on, took a deep breath, and silently said in his heart -
May the alliance be invincible.
Across the vast galaxy, at the front line of the Southern Cross Region, Mei Jielin was yelling in the communication channel: "Long Xiyun! Send a laser cannon to cover me. God knows how the other side knew which destroyer I was on. My armor layer is about to be penetrated. I must change to another one quickly!"
On the battlefield, no matter whether he was in the upper hand or being suppressed, Long Xiyun usually had a calm expression and tone, and Mei Jielin often questioned whether all his facial nerves were paralyzed.
He waited for Meijielin to finish howling, then gave her orders while glancing at her position on the radar map: "Got it, I've sent two laser cannons to cover you, you're welcome."
"That's generous!" The blood on Mei Jie Lin's face and the clotted princess cut made her look indecent, but it did not affect her joy. "Wait until I change to a destroyer, and then I will continue to fight guerrilla warfare with them!"
At the same time that Metierin was being caught by the Dingyuan, Hesse, the commander of the 12th Rebel Army, was sitting on the main ship. He was a burly man with a fierce look on his face. He slowly touched a gorgeously decorated dagger and said, "Waste! You can't even kill Metierin!"
His adjutant was respectful on the surface, but secretly he was complaining, a Metierin? That was a famous captain of the expeditionary force! He was just an ordinary colonel in the expeditionary force. If he were to go to another place, he would have been in charge of the defense of a large star field.
If she could be killed so easily, how could the previous legions have been defeated without leaving a single hair? It is not certain that dozens of assassination attempts against her in the past would have failed.
But he didn't dare to refute his boss: "Indeed, these people are incapable of accomplishing anything."
Hesse didn't respond, but just watched the battle situation, thinking about something.
The adjutant knew why Hesse was so anxious.
The United Legion had already pushed them out to serve as the vanguard, a thankless task. If the 12th Legion failed to achieve any outstanding results, such as killing Mei Jielin or Long Xiyun, then nearly half of the sacrifices would be meaningless.
Even if the expeditionary corps was destroyed here, there wouldn't be much benefit after the war.
What's more, there is Helena from the Fifth Legion, who has never known how to be polite, relying on the preferential treatment of two wise men. She has contributed the least, but has the longest hand to grab the credit, and she must try her best to protect him and not let him die, otherwise the wrath of the wise man will come down, and there will be no so-called "tolerance".
At this time, someone reported: "Report! The detection system shows that a high-energy body is approaching quickly! It is suspected to be the expeditionary support fleet, and the number of main ships is no less than three!"
Ever since the battle that killed One-Eyed Dragon and Black Jack, the rebels no longer trusted the images sent back by the "Clairvoyance" and were forced to analyze the environmental data sent back instead, which was slow and not very accurate.
At this time, Mei Jie Lin was hit by dense laser cannons on the right wing again, and a turret was melted. She cursed: "Come and cover me! If I get hit by two more laser cannons at the same position, I will die directly in the cosmic rays!"
He cursed again, "A medium-sized ship is bullying my destroyer. You are bullying the small with your bigness. Do you have any shame?"
She had completely forgotten that before this, she had bullied the larger ones by leading the destroyer sequence to attack medium-sized ships and even the main ship.
Just as he finished speaking, two high-energy particle cannons, carrying terrifying bright lights, crossed the battle circle like a long sword, engulfing three medium-sized ships and several small ships in succession.
Like Moses parting the sea, he used his powerful firepower to clear a large area of the star field.
Mei Jielin's muscles suddenly became sore, and she leaned back, taking a two-second breath: "It's finally here. Two high-energy particle cannons are launched on the field. It turns out that he is a commander and has no shortage of money!"
Long Xiyun almost had tinnitus from listening to her howling all the way: "In the future, when the military has performances, you can take part in them. It's a one-person talk show, and you can carry the whole show by yourself."
Support has arrived. Mei Jielin is in a good mood and rolls her eyes slightly: "My appearance fee is very expensive!"
In the command room, Lu Fenghan tapped the table with his knuckles: "Except for the Fifth Legion, all others have arrived. Mei Jielin and your men will board the Chanyuan and take charge of the remnants of the Twelfth Legion. The Tenth Legion has many heavy ships and lacks mobility. Du Shang will lead the destroyer series to fight guerrilla warfare, and Long Xiyun will cooperate. Weiyin, the Ninth Legion is in your hands."
Du Shang asked: "Commander, are you going to block the Fifth Legion in the jump channel?"
Lu Fenghan took it for granted: "Since we are here now." The upper right corner of the virtual star map showed "Capture the Wind" monitoring the nearby jump channel. "Before the Fifth Legion arrives, I will cooperate with Weiyin."
The time for assigning the mission was short. In the eyes of the rebels, the expeditionary force had displayed a very strong offensive since entering the battle circle, without any concept of "defense" at all. The starships were eerie, revealing a chilling fierceness.
The commander of the Tenth Army, Vasiliev, sneered in the communication channel: "Hesse, are you tripped by these insects that can be crushed to death with one kick?"
The two had been at odds for a long time and never missed any opportunity to mock each other.
Hesse said with a cold expression: "Metierin is fickle and difficult to deal with, but after all, he is the only one giving orders. I advise you to be more careful. Dushan is a general of the expeditionary force and his actions are bold and decisive. Long Xiyun is as cunning as a fox and has a keen judgment of the battle opportunities. These two people are joining forces to besiege you. Don't be careless and lose your life!"
Vasilyev's appearance still shows the characteristics of the Caucasian race. His light golden hair is tied into a bun, he has a high and narrow nose, a somewhat mean look, and a beard.
He scorned Hesse's words: "Only the weak are afraid!"
At this moment, people at both ends of the communication channel shouted almost at the same time:
“Disappeared!”
“Gone!”
Vasiliev frowned: "What are you yelling about?"
His eyes were fixed on the screen outside the ship, and he saw that a team of expeditionary destroyers had become a bird under the gun. Just as the muzzles were raised, the destroyer fleet suddenly disappeared, and suddenly appeared behind the rebels within three seconds!
The two parties immediately switched identities, the dying bird turned into a shotgun, the laser cannon swept across in an instant, and the muzzles broke off at all!
Vasiliev couldn't control his expression for a moment.
impossible!
But, he saw this with his own eyes!
In those few seconds, the entire expeditionary destroyer fleet disappeared, and even there was a brief blank on the radar detectors!
No-
Vasiliev immediately ordered: "Analyze immediately!"
"It's not a trick!" The person reporting swallowed hard, his breath trembling, "It really disappeared! Just a few seconds ago, it really disappeared, and the energy signal could not be captured! The entire destroyer passed through our starship!"
Before he could finish, someone else shouted in horror: "It's gone! Another destroyer fleet has disappeared!"
For a moment, there was an uproar!
Until someone suddenly said, "We are the ones favored by God, aren't we?"
—We are blessed by God, so why do the enemy expeditionary forces have such a "miracle"
Vasiliev cursed in his heart, "Idiot!"
These people have been placed in incubators for concentrated breeding since they were embryos. Soon after they were "born", they were raised separately and sent into the army when they grew up. Their minds were instilled with the concepts of "piety" and "God".
A bunch of mass-produced idiots.
Vasiliev asked Hesse: "No news before?"
Hesse was playing with a dagger inlaid with gems: "What do you think?" He said meaningfully, "The enemy's technology has advanced by leaps and bounds without our knowledge. Once it bears fruit, it will be a huge disaster for us."
Vasiliev said with disgust: "And these idiots."
Continuously brainwashing and instilling the idea of God's authority and absolute power can indeed prevent these people from betraying. But once something impacts their beliefs, it will only take a moment for their morale to fall apart.
"Some of my men have already begun to avoid fighting out of fear." Hesse snorted and laughed, "But his god won't protect him. He has now been blown to pieces by the expeditionary force."
After the particle inverter was officially put into the battlefield, it quickly proved its usefulness.
The expeditionary force's destroyer fleet seemed like an untraceable shadow in space, coming and going unpredictably.
It was still far away in the last second, and in the next second, it was like a deserted place, firmly embedded in the center of the rebel fleet. While no one could react, it immediately opened fire, destroying several small and medium-sized ships in a blink of an eye, and from time to time it could accurately and seriously damage the power system of the enemy's main ship!
It already has a very strong mobility, and now it is even more terrifying—
This strange appearance alone is enough to cause the enemy's psychological collapse.
On the other side, on the command ship, Long Xiyun spoke in the communication channel: "After the particle inverter was activated, many rebels began to retreat, but soon resumed their attack."
Wei Yin continued, "The rebels only have a few tricks. They must have issued a death order now. Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed for treason. They will also be punished together. Even if some people are afraid, they will not dare to retreat."
Lu Fenghan listened to the string of commands flying out of their mouths, and still tried to chat with them without being able to connect with the next sentence - their spirit of persisting in chattering was very "commendable".
Qi Yan stood next to Lu Fenghan, and the two held hands under the table. He reminded: "The particle inverter consumes a lot of energy and cannot be used indefinitely."
Qi Yan paused, and suddenly thought, "General, the particle inverter and the starship central control system are not yet fully compatible. I just had an idea."
As he said that, he wanted to sit back on his sofa.
Lu Fenghan, however, grabbed Qi Yan's wrist with his backhand and ordered Po Jun: "Move the sofa over here."
In less than ten seconds, rollers fell from the bottom of the sofa and moved to Lu Fenghan's side as required.
Qi Yan had no choice but to sit down next to Lu Fenghan.
He called up the virtual screen and began to think about how to embed the data stream of the particle inverter into the central control system.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Qi Yan leaning against the sofa with his long legs bent, and Lu Fenghan always felt his hands were a little empty.
When Qi Yan noticed Lu Fenghan's hand on his knee, he didn't move, nor did he raise his eyelids. He just said "hmm" softly, with the last syllable rising in a questioning tone.
It is also a laissez-faire attitude.
So next, Lu Fenghan looked serious and made judgments and issued orders according to the situation of the battle. Under the conference table, his palm was on Qi Yan's knee, rubbing and kneading it with a heat that could not be ignored.
The most sensitive sense of touch in her body was concentrated under Lu Fenghan's palm. Qi Yan's breathing trembled because of the itchiness. She wanted to speak, but she didn't want to interrupt Lu Fenghan who was speaking. She just half bit her lower lip and endured it.
Such intimate little actions that seemed to carry some meaning made him feel restless.
Qi Yan tried his best to concentrate his mind and focus on the dense data stream in front of him.
Not long after, a reconnaissance ship reported: "The Fifth Legion has appeared!"
Po Jun also warned: "The jump channel monitored by 'Wind Catcher' has a high-density heat signal. There is a 91% chance that it is the Fifth Legion of the Rebel Army!"
Lu Fenghan ordered: "Wein, the Ninth Legion is in your hands. Mei Jielin, you lead a main ship and follow me."
"Yes!" Mei Jie Lin quickly handed over the matter in his hands to his deputy, turned the bow of the ship, and caught up with Lu Fenghan.
She had no self-awareness of her own nagging. "Commander, although the Fifth Legion has brand new equipment, its combat effectiveness is really not good. It would be fine if Helena could listen to the advice of her think tanks, but on the battlefield, she likes to give orders excitedly based on her intuition. I think it's enough for you to command this kind of battle alone. There's really no need to bring me along. The combat personnel configuration exceeds the standard."
I almost said, "You think too highly of Helena, Commander!"
After saying this, she realized something was wrong—
If she could figure it out, how could Lu Fenghan not figure it out
"Commander, what tricks have you come up with?"
Lu Fenghan gave him a look that said "You still have some intelligence" and said, "First let's test whether the illegitimate daughter of the former wise man of the Fifth Legion is an important person."
Mei Jie Lin understood immediately and smiled wider: "What if it is?"
"If it's really so important that Vasiliev, Hesse and the other three would care about it, then," Lu Fenghan narrowed his eyes slightly, his facial features were unruly and flamboyant, "they are not the only ones who can surround the enemy and attack the reinforcements."
The expeditionary force set up a large net at the location that the enemy's Fifth Legion must pass through after exiting the jump channel. Lu Fenghan was the hand holding the large net, just waiting for the arrival of the prey.
During this brief interval, Lu Fenghan turned to Qi Yan who was sitting next to him. The other's calm eyes calmed all his emotions.
Qi Yan's straight and narrow nose was coated with a layer of light by the virtual screen, and countless characters were reflected in his eyes. Lu Fenghan suddenly asked: "There is a war outside, aren't you afraid?"
Qi Yan paused typing the characters, raised his eyes and met Lu Fenghan's gaze. He understood that the other party was asking him why he could concentrate on sorting out the procedures and not be afraid when there was a war going on outside the command ship.
The communication channels were open. Qi Yan did not speak, but instead carefully wrote a sentence on the virtual screen.
After writing, he looked at Lu Fenghan with clear eyes.
Lu Fenghan read these words several times.
The emotions welling up in my heart poured out like a floodgate opened.
He couldn't help himself and grabbed the spherical camera device floating in the air in his palm. Then he pinched Qi Yan's chin with his fingers and kissed his slightly cold thin lips.
The words in the prayer are—
"It's safe with the general."