Chapter 379: Invitation (Five-in-One)

Vice City Lord Okens also showed a troubled expression after hearing Su Ming’s words.

Now that he had calmed down, he suddenly felt a little unsure. After all, this was the front line, and all his connections were in the rear.

It was easy to gather fifty people, but it would be difficult to gather fifty experts.

However, he had already made a grand statement, and now he was in a difficult position.

When Zhou Mu and the others saw Vice City Lord Okens remain silent, their hearts also tensed up.

Seeing this, Su Ming spoke.

“Lord Okins, how about we help find people too? Bring over some friends we know well?”

Vice City Lord Okens slowly replied after hearing Su Ming’s words.

“Alright, but there’s a prerequisite: the people you find must be from the Federal Military.”

“Understood!”

Su Ming and the others responded solemnly.

At this moment, Su Yuan hesitated and spoke.

“Uh, Lord Okins, we can still find a way to gather enough people, but where do we get the warships?”

Vice City Lord Okens pondered for a moment after hearing Su Yuan’s words, then said, “You don’t have to worry about the warships; I’ll find a way to solve that. Everyone, disperse and go find people. Meet at 3 PM in the 11th-floor lounge for a meeting.”

“Okay!”

After hearing this, Su Ming and the others left the room.

In the corridor.

Coke spoke with difficulty.

“Su Ming, do you have suitable people you can bring over? We don’t know many people here at headquarters. And even if we did, if the relationship isn’t strong enough, they wouldn’t come to help us.”

“That’s right, even though it’s a fair competition and sparring, who would be foolish enough to offend Commander Alekd?”

Zhou Mu echoed.

“Sigh, and we can’t even find people from outside the Federation.”

Su Yuan also looked troubled; if there weren’t so many restrictions, he could have called his brothers over.

Su Ming also had a bit of a headache after hearing their words, but he still said calmly, “I do have a few people on my side. You all should try your best to find people too. Everyone just do your best.”

“Okay, then we’ll leave first.”

Su Yuan and the others nodded and left one after another.

Su Ming watched their retreating figures, sighed slightly, then raised his wristband and sent a message to Irelia.

“Irelia Senior, this is Junior Su Ming. Are you free? I have something to ask you.”

A few minutes later, a message popped up.

“I’m free. I’m at the Gemini Hotel, Building B, 5th floor, Room 5006.”

Su Ming was startled when he saw the message. He was on the 6th floor of Building A, and she was in Room 5006 on the 5th floor of Building B. Wasn’t that very close? He could just walk directly across the connecting corridor.

He immediately replied to Irelia with a message.

“Okay, I’ll come find you now.”

After sending the message, Su Ming walked towards the connecting corridor.

A few minutes later, Su Ming arrived at the door of Room 5006 on the 5th floor of Building B and reached out to knock on the door.

Thump thump!

A sudden burst of noise came from inside the room.

Su Ming showed a hint of confusion, and soon the door opened.

He saw Irelia wearing a fitted white nightgown, her purple hair draped over her shoulders.

She looked at Su Ming with a slight surprise and said, “Junior, you came quite fast!”

“I just happen to live in Building A.”

“Hmm, come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Su Ming then followed Irelia inside. The room was very tidy, with the windows open, and gentle breezes blowing in.

Just then, a cry of alarm came from downstairs.

“Hey, hey, someone jumped off the building!”

“Something seems to have happened.”

Su Ming was also startled and hurriedly walked towards the window.

Irelia followed him.

They walked to the window and looked down, only to see several patrolling security guards running over in a hurry.

These security guards who ran over came under the window and turned their heads to look around.

But they didn’t see a single figure.

“That’s strange? I clearly saw someone jump down. Where did they go? No sign of life, no body.”

“Oh, don’t bother with it. They must have run away! The risk of an affair is really high these days.”

On top of the tall building.

Seeing that the person who jumped had run away, Su Ming also lost interest and pulled his head back in.

As soon as he turned around, he found Irelia standing behind him, and his whole body jolted.

At this moment, Irelia slowly smiled and said, “Junior Su Ming, I didn’t expect you to be someone who likes to watch the excitement.”

“Haha, no, I was just curious, just taking a look.”

Su Ming replied somewhat awkwardly.

“Let’s not talk about that. Why did Junior come to see me so early in the morning?”

Irelia walked to the small tea table in the room, poured a cup of hot coffee, and handed it to Su Ming.

Su Ming took the coffee and said to Irelia, “Senior, I’m here to invite you to participate in the Haunted Star event of the Shabask Kingdom’s Centennial Celebration, to serve as our commander.”

“Junior Su Ming, you’re really joking. The Haunted Star event is a traditional event of the Shabask Kingdom, and the participants are all their royal family members. What does it have to do with us?”

Irelia was a little surprised to hear Su Ming’s words, then replied calmly.

“Oh, how should I explain this? Forget it, since I’m here to find you, I’m not afraid of leaking secrets. This event indeed used to be participated in by the Shabask Kingdom’s own people, but this year is different. It involves a major division of interests, and the Federation and the other four forces have all been dragged into it.”

“If that’s the case, the Cosmic Military Headquarters is full of experts, and there are two generals. Why would they need me to participate as a commander?”

“Under normal circumstances, that would indeed be the case, but something has happened now.”

Su Ming explained helplessly.

“What happened?”

Irelia’s purple eyes flickered slightly when she heard Su Ming’s words.

“It’s like this: Commander Alekd and Vice City Lord Okens have a serious disagreement regarding the support of their spokespersons. Commander Alekd wants to promote Third Prince Merritt, but this Third Prince Merritt is a two-faced person, secretly supported by the Apocalypse Divine Kingdom. Vice City Lord Okens believes he is very unreliable, so he wants to support the Seventh Prince instead. As a result, the two sides argued, and neither could convince the other, so they simply split the competition slots in half, with fifty slots for each. Our side is severely understaffed, so I thought of asking for your help, Senior.”

Su Ming briefly explained the situation to Irelia.

After listening, Irelia fell into deep thought.

Su Ming inexplicably became nervous, fearing that Irelia would refuse the invitation, which would be troublesome.

However, to Su Ming’s surprise, Irelia did not decline, but smiled and said, “Okay, I accept.”

“Thank you, Senior. Please gather at the 11th-floor lounge in Building A at 3 PM.”

Su Ming said to Irelia.

“Okay, Junior.”

Irelia readily agreed.

“Then I won’t bother you anymore; I still need to find others.”

“Walk slowly!”

“Okay.”

After saying that, Su Ming turned and left.

Irelia watched Su Ming’s departing back, her expression growing increasingly indifferent.

Inside the Twin Towers’ underground hangar.

One mech after another was neatly arranged in their bays.

Su Ming looked out and couldn’t see the end. All the mechs of the entire Federal Envoy Group were parked here.

Therefore, many soldiers and mechs could be seen patrolling.

In addition, some bio-mechs from the Special Operations Department also entered a semi-activated standby state to prevent the area from being completely wiped out.

“General!”

Officers passing by respectfully greeted Su Ming.

Su Ming nodded slightly in response.

Although Su Ming was not wearing a military uniform, he was well-known to many due to the notoriety of the arena incident.

Soon, Su Ming arrived at the area guarded by the Special Operations Department, and immediately saw the IV Generation Bio-Mech- red scale and the IV Generation Bio-Mech- Blue Yama parked in a nearby bay.

Lin Chuyu and An Ruoxue were standing next to the bio-mechs, on duty and on standby.

Su Ming walked up to the two of them and greeted them with a smile.

“Chu Yu, Ruoxue.”

“Su Ming? Why are you here?”

Lin Chuyu and Ruoxue asked in surprise.

“Of course, I’m here to find you two.”

Su Ming said to the two with a smile.

“Is it urgent? We’re on duty right now.”

Lin Chuyu asked curiously.

“Chu Yu, you don’t understand! Su Ming actively seeking us out must be for an urgent matter, and it won’t be anything good. Am I right?”

An Ruoxue looked at Su Ming with a smile.

“Ahem, you’re right.”

Su Ming replied somewhat awkwardly.

“Su Ming, just tell us what it is. As long as we can do it.”

Lin Chuyu said to Su Ming very seriously.

“I want to invite you to join our team to participate in the Haunted Star event.”

Su Ming didn’t stand on ceremony with Lin Chuyu and An Ruoxue either.

“See, I told you it wouldn’t be anything good! He’s asking us to go against Commander Alekd.”

An Ruoxue said to Chu Yu with a chuckle.

“It seems you all know.”

Su Ming chuckled awkwardly.

“How could we not know? Commander Alekd himself came to the Special Operations Department to select the most elite personnel for the competition. General Sanida has already been chosen.”

An Ruoxue explained to Su Ming with a smile.

“So that’s how it is. Then, can you two help me?”

Su Ming looked at the two with anticipation.

“Su Ming, Ruoxue and I are certainly willing to help you. However, we need to ask our superior for leave, as we cannot leave our posts without permission.”

Lin Chuyu said without hesitation.

“Alright, I’ll go with you.”

Su Ming nodded.

“This way.”

Lin Chuyu and An Ruoxue then led Su Ming away, walking towards a nearby area.

However, not long after walking forward, Su Ming saw Tigerdo scolding his subordinates.

“How many times have I said it? You are absolutely not allowed to slack off during duty.”

Su Ming saw Lin Chuyu and the two walking towards Tigerdo, and asked somewhat confusedly, “The superior you mentioned, it wouldn’t be him, would it?”

“That’s right, he’s a Major General.”

An Ruoxue replied with a smile.

“Indeed.”

Su Ming replied somewhat speechlessly.

Soon, the three of them arrived in front of Tigerdo. Tigerdo was also startled, then waved his hand to dismiss his subordinates, and then asked eagerly, “Chu Yu, is there something?”

“General Tigerdo, Major General Su Ming wants to invite us to participate in the Haunted Star competition. We are here to apply for leave from you.”

Lin Chuyu explained coldly to Tigerdo.

Su Ming coughed and reminded Tigerdo, “Tigerdo, this Haunted Star competition is very important. Don’t deliberately make things difficult for me.”

“Tch, you make it sound like I’m that kind of petty person.”

“So you’ve approved it?”

“Approved, but I have a condition.”

Tigerdo suddenly changed his tone.

“I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Go on.”

Su Ming replied helplessly.

“I want to participate with you all too. You must bring me along.”

Tigerdo said with a brilliant smile.

Su Ming and the other two were all stunned when they heard Tigerdo’s words.

“Tigerdo, don’t joke with us.”

Su Ming said with a dark expression.

“I’m not joking with you. If you don’t let me participate, then I can’t approve this leave.”

Tigerdo simply resorted to being unreasonable.

“Alright, I’ll let you participate! But I’ll say this upfront: once you join us, you can’t slack off, you can’t betray us, and you must be wholeheartedly with us.”

Su Ming reluctantly agreed, but he still cautiously instructed.

“Don’t worry, I, Tigerdo, am not a fence-sitter. Since I’m joining your team, we’re all in this together. Even if we run into General Sanida, I’ll be the first to charge at him.”

Tigerdo replied with a solemn promise.

“It doesn’t have to be that extreme; just come normally.”

Su Ming’s mouth twitched slightly as he replied to Tigerdo’s words.

“Alright, whatever you say. But can I bring two more brothers?”

“As long as they’re reliable and skilled, it’s no problem.”

“You can rest assured, absolutely no problem! I’ll vouch for them!”

“Alright, then, gather at 3 PM in the recreational hall on the 11th floor of Building A.”

“Okay!”

Tigerdo replied readily.

An Ruoxue and Lin Chuyu then said to Su Ming,

“Then we’ll prepare and head over this afternoon.”

“Okay!”

Su Ming nodded in response.

At two fifty in the afternoon.

Su Ming walked to the lounge and saw a group of people, the most striking of whom was Dr. Blackes.

He stood there indifferently, with Aris and others standing neatly behind him.

Su Yuan, Zhou Mu, and others subconsciously kept their distance from Dr. Blackes, not daring to get too close to him, instinctively feeling a little afraid.

Seeing this, Su Ming walked in and came to Su Yuan’s side, asking,

“Has Vice City Lord Okens not arrived yet?”

“No!”

Su Yuan shook his head and said.

“Hmm, have you found suitable helpers?”

Su Ming nodded slightly, then asked.

“Big Brother, where can I find them? I asked a few friends I’m not very close with, and they all avoided me like the plague.”

Su Yuan replied with a helpless expression.

“Alright then.”

“By the way, have you found any helpers?”

“Of course I have.”

Su Ming replied frankly.

“Who?”

Su Yuan and the others looked at Su Ming with curiosity.

“You’ll know soon; they should be arriving shortly.”

Su Ming raised his wristband and checked the time.

Just then, footsteps sounded, and everyone turned to look, only to see Lin Chuyu, An Ruoxue, Tigerdo, Wu Li, and Wake walking in.

“Su Ming, we’re here!”

Tigerdo shouted, in a very good mood.

“My goodness, why did you even call your love rivals?”

Su Yuan and the others said in great surprise.

“Oh, this is a long story, I won’t explain it to you now, over here!”

Su Ming waved at Tigerdo and the others.

Tigerdo and the five then walked over, turning their heads to look at the people around them.

“There aren’t enough people here.”

“Don’t worry, not everyone has arrived yet.”

Su Ming replied calmly.

“You invited others too?”

Su Yuan and the others looked at Su Ming in great surprise, not expecting him to be able to find so many people. How good must his connections be?

Just then, a crisp sound of footsteps came.

Everyone turned to look, only to see Irelia, dressed in a lieutenant colonel’s military uniform, walking leisurely over.

Su Yuan and the others were instantly stunned.

Blacks looked indifferently at Irelia, then withdrew his gaze.

Su Ming immediately stepped forward and greeted her with a smile.

“Irelia Senior, you’re here.”

“Mm.”

Irelia nodded slightly in response.

At this moment, An Ruoxue nudged Lin Chuyu with her arm and whispered,

“Chu Yu, I have a bad feeling. Your love rival might have appeared.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Lin Chuyu said, her expression a little unnatural.

“I’m not talking nonsense. When have you ever seen Su Ming actively go to greet a girl? Although this guy is approachable and polite, he’s never overly attentive to girls. Look now, he’s even actively gone to greet her. If you say there’s no problem, I wouldn’t believe it even if you beat me.”

An Ruoxue said with a sigh.

“Even if it’s true, that’s Su Ming’s freedom.”

Lin Chuyu listened to An Ruoxue’s words, biting her lip slightly as she replied.

“Alright, I’ll pretend I didn’t say anything.”

An Ruoxue replied helplessly.

At this moment, Su Ming led Irelia to stand before everyone.

Su Yuan immediately asked impatiently,

“Su Ming, introduce us, who is this?”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen her before.”

Zhou Mu and the others were deeply attracted to Irelia.

“This is my Irelia Senior. I specifically invited her to serve as the commander. During the Three School League, she led us to victory.”

Su Ming introduced her to everyone.

“Hello, Miss Irelia, I am Major General Zhou Mu.”

Zhou Mu and the others eagerly greeted Irelia.

“Hello, everyone.”

Irelia replied politely.

Just as everyone was surrounding Irelia, Vice City Lord Okens walked in with some people.

Upon seeing him, everyone stopped chatting and stood at attention.

Okins walked to the front of the group and asked,

“Is everyone here?”

“Everyone is here.”

Everyone responded.

Okins’ gaze swept over each person, and when his eyes fell on Irelia, he said with some surprise,

“Irelia.”

“Vice City Lord Okens.”

“You’re here too?”

“Major General Su Ming invited me.”

“Good, I remember your excellent command during the Three School League.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Irelia replied courteously.

“Hmm, let’s not chat any longer.”

Okins then walked to the front, clapped his hands, and called out to everyone,

“Everyone gather around and report your positions. We’ll take a count.”

Su Ming and the others came forward, one by one reporting their positions.

Soon, Okins finished counting and said to everyone,

“We now have a total of 47 people, including 30 combat personnel, 5 ship operators (including the commander), 10 prospectors, and 2 mechanical repair technicians. We are still short 3 spots. But it’s alright, I will transfer 2 more doctors and 1 chef to fill them.”

“Vice City Lord Okens, the ship is so large, and there are so few logistics personnel. Is it really okay?”

Zhou Mu asked, feeling a bit unsure.

At this moment, Blacks spoke coldly,

“I will use intelligent robots to replace them.”

“Isn’t it too risky to use intelligent robots? What if we run into the Mechanical Clan?”

Coke and others asked worriedly.

“That’s not something you need to worry about.”

Blacks replied coldly.

“Yes.”

Seeing Dr. Blackes say this, Coke and the others closed their mouths and said nothing more.

At this moment, Su Ming looked at Vice City Lord Okens and asked,

“Now that the matter is mostly resolved, Vice City Lord Okens, which ship are we going to take?”

“This, that…”

Vice City Lord Okens’ expression immediately became unnatural, and he stammered.

“What’s wrong?”

Everyone looked at Okins in confusion.

“Everyone, listen to me. Because my visit this time was rushed, I only brought one Star Destroyer, and I don’t have a Level 5 Battleship on hand. And most of the Level 5 Battleships found in a hurry are too old, without semi-intelligent modules, and their performance is not very good, which does not meet our needs.”

Okins explained with great embarrassment.

Su Yuan heard this and said, bewildered,

“Sir, do you mean you haven’t found a ship?”

“Cough, cough, it means I haven’t found a suitable ship.”

Okins corrected him somewhat awkwardly.

Su Ming was also a little speechless. After all that, it turned out Okins had a problem on his end.

“No way, if we don’t have a ship, how can we participate? The competition starts tomorrow.”

Zhou Mu and the others were dumbfounded.

Vice City Lord Okens also knew he had messed up a bit, but he really couldn’t get a Level 5 Battleship with a semi-intelligent module at the moment.

Just as he was in a difficult situation, Lin Chuyu suddenly spoke up.

“I have a solution.”

Su Ming and the others looked at Lin Chuyu and asked,

“What solution?”

“Lieutenant General Ames has a very high-performance Level 5 Battleship- Light Shuttle. Perhaps we can borrow it from him.”

Lin Chuyu said to everyone.

“Will that work? Will he lend us the ship?”

“Yeah, now, which of the generals in the military department dares to defy Commander Alec De’s will?”

Zhou Mu and the others said worriedly, not thinking highly of the idea.

At this moment, Su Ming said in a deep voice,

“I think it’s worth a try. Although General Ames serves at the Cosmic Military Headquarters, he is upright and also a member of the Royal Court Order. Perhaps we can borrow it.”

“I’ve heard of Ames. He has a very good reputation. We can give it a try.”

Vice City Lord Okens’ eyes lit up.

“Vice City Lord Okens, why don’t you write a secondment authorization letter, and Lin Chuyu and I will go visit General Ames.”

Su Ming thought for a moment and said to Vice City Lord Okens.

“No problem, I’ll write it for you now.”

Okins took out a notebook and pen from his person, then quickly wrote a simple secondment authorization letter, picked up his seal, pressed it, and then handed it to Su Ming.

“Chu Yu, Ruoxue, let’s go.”

Su Ming took the secondment authorization letter and hurried away with Lin Chuyu and Ruoxue.

More than an hour later.

The three of them, Su Ming, rushed back to the Black Luminous Planet Fortress, Cosmic Military Headquarters.

“Lieutenant General Ames is on the 4th floor, in the office on the west side. He should still be there at this time.”

Lin Chuyu looked at the time on her wristband and said.

“Let’s go, let’s hurry.”

Su Ming ran towards the elevator.

An Ruoxue and the other followed closely behind Su Ming.

Soon, they took the elevator to the 4th floor and arrived at the door of an officer’s office.

Thump thump!

Lin Chuyu raised her hand and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

A serious voice came out.

Lin Chuyu then pushed open the door and walked in with Su Ming and Ruoxue.

At a glance, the entire office was simply decorated. The walls were lined with cabinets, filled with various files.

At the very back was a metal desk, where a middle-aged man with distinct facial features, thick eyebrows, graying temples, deep eyes, and an air of authority, dressed in a lieutenant general’s military uniform, sat steadily.

At this time, Xia An and a burly middle-aged man, wearing a major general’s military uniform and bald, stood in front of the desk, listening to Lieutenant General Ames assign work.

“Xia An, Cheng Yao, have you both understood the tasks I’ve assigned?”

“Understood.”

Xia An and the other replied respectfully.

At this moment, Su Ming and the two women walked over. Lin Chuyu and An Ruoxue respectfully greeted them.

“General Ames!”

Ames turned to look at Lin Chuyu and the other, nodding slightly, then his gaze fell on Su Ming, and his brow furrowed slightly.

He felt that this young man looked a bit familiar, but couldn’t recall where he had seen him. He then spoke to Su Ming, saying,

“Have we met before?”

“General Ames, you should have met me before. I was the examinee whose score you deducted during the Thirteenth District City Exam.”

Su Ming explained with a smile.

Ames heard Su Ming’s words and immediately reacted, saying in a cold tone,

“So it was you. No wonder you looked so familiar. Have you joined the military too?”

“Yes, General.”

Su Ming could tell at a glance that Lieutenant General Ames had a very bad impression of him.

“Although you are not my subordinate, you are now a soldier, and I hope you can reflect on what you did wrong during the City Exam and realize the problem!”

Ames sternly admonished Su Ming.

“Regarding that matter, I don’t feel I did anything wrong. However, I will pay attention to your reminder.”

Su Ming replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Xia An and the other looked at Su Ming in surprise. It was their first time seeing such a brave young man who dared to speak to Lieutenant General Ames like that.

Ames raised an eyebrow and said in a deep voice,

“If you maintain this attitude, I don’t mind communicating with your superior.”

Lin Chuyu and An Ruoxue saw that Su Ming and Ames were about to have a falling out, and immediately began to explain.

“General, it’s not…”

Unfortunately, before they could speak, Ames raised his hand to interrupt them. He hated nothing more than people who stabbed their comrades in the back, especially those who showed no remorse.

At this moment, Su Ming said with a strange expression,

“Are you sure you want to communicate with our Legion Commander?”

“Legion Commander? Which legion are you from, and what’s your military rank?”

Lieutenant General Ames immediately sensed something was amiss and asked.

“I am from the Thirteenth Corps, Major General Su Ming.”

Su Ming introduced himself.

Lieutenant General Ames looked at Su Ming in shock, his face filled with disbelief, and said,

“You’re a Major General? And from the Thirteenth Corps?”

It had only been a little over two years, and this guy had actually been promoted to Major General, and from the elite corps at that. This was simply too absurd.

“That’s right.”

Su Ming replied with a smile.

“Wait, what did you just say your name was?”

Xia An suddenly realized something was wrong and quickly asked.

“Su Ming.”

Su Ming repeated.

“Major General Su Ming? Are you the general who defeated Special Operations Department’s Tigerdo in the arena?”

Xia An asked in surprise.

They were on duty that day and couldn’t go to watch the battle, but they had heard Su Ming’s name mentioned often by others.

“Yes.”

Su Ming replied with a smile.

Lieutenant General Ames took a deep breath, looked at Su Ming, and asked very seriously.

“Major General Su Ming, I am now formally asking you, during the City Exam, did you intentionally lure monsters to kill another examinee?”

“Yes, General!”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because he stabbed me in the back; I was just returning the favor.”

Su Ming explained calmly.

“Good! If that’s the case, then I have nothing to say.”

Lieutenant General Ames’s expression immediately softened a lot.

Su Ming admired Lieutenant General Ames even more. After learning his military rank, the other party not only didn’t avoid conflict with him but instead questioned him.

It was clear he was concerned about his bad character, despite his high position.

“Thank you for your understanding, General.”

Su Ming replied politely.

“Tell me, what are you here for?”

Lieutenant General Ames asked in a deep voice.

“I’m here to borrow the Level 5 Battleship- Light Shuttle from you.”

Su Ming got straight to the point without formalities.

Cheng Yao laughed when he heard this and said unhappily.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, asking to borrow a ship right away. Who gave you the courage?”

“The Council gave me the courage. This is a secondment letter from Vice City Lord Okens.”

Su Ming took out Vice City Lord Okens’s secondment letter.

Lieutenant General Ames looked at the secondment letter and said in a deep voice.

“I heard that someone has been going against Commander Alec De recently. It seems the people going against him are you.”

“Yes.”

“Then I can tell you that this secondment letter is useless. Although the Council’s order is the highest command, here, no one will defy Commander Alec De’s will.”

“General, the reason we are going against Commander Alec De is because he chose the wrong person. We are correcting his mistake; everything is for the Federation.”

Su Ming explained sincerely.

“Even if you are correct, do you think I would lend it to you?”

Lieutenant General Ames stared at Su Ming and asked.

“Yes! Because you are not someone who fears power; you are always just.”

Su Ming replied with certainty.

Ames was silent for a few seconds, then spoke.

“Alright, I’ll lend it to you.”

“General, you can’t…”

Major General Cheng Yao immediately became anxious. Lending the ship to Su Ming and his team at this critical juncture would be slapping Commander Alec De in the face.

Although he wouldn’t say anything, it was hard to guarantee there wouldn’t be resentment in his heart.

And the Light Shuttle was their best Level 5 Battleship; if it was damaged by lending it to them, it would be a huge loss.

“Don’t say anymore.”

Ames raised his hand and directly interrupted Major General Cheng Yao.

Major General Cheng Yao reluctantly closed his mouth.

Lieutenant General Ames turned to Xia An and said.

“Xia An, you are responsible for clearing out the personnel on the Level 5 Battleship- Light Shuttle, getting it ready, and handing it over to Su Ming and his team.”

“Yes.”

Xia An replied respectfully.

“Thank you, General Ames.”

Su Ming said gratefully.

“Don’t thank me. I do all this for the Federation. If there’s nothing else, please leave.”

Ames replied seriously.

“Alright, then we will take our leave.”

Su Ming and the other two nodded in agreement.

“This way, please.”

Xia An then led Su Ming and the other two out.

——

The next morning.

The Shabask Kingdom also welcomed the climax of its grand ceremony.

At the center of the Worlds Eye star wall, on a gigantic circular metal observation deck.

Shabask Kingdom soldiers, clad in second-generation exoskeleton armor, cordoned off the entire observation deck.

A bright red carpet was laid on the metal floor, and a huge celebration stage was built in the center.

A dense crowd gathered below the celebration stage, all of them nobles, wealthy individuals, and representatives from various factions.

And on the star wall and the surrounding observation decks, millions of citizens gathered to watch.

At this moment, Chief Minister Barnett, dressed in a magnificent red robe, walked onto the celebration stage and shouted with a brilliant smile.

“Everyone, please quiet down!”

The noisy sounds on site gradually subsided.

Click!

Countless flashes lit up.

Many reporters continuously took photos of Barnett.

In mid-air, mechanical spheres with thin metal wings flew to different angles, beginning a live broadcast from all directions.

“Gentlemen, ladies, hello everyone! I am Barnett, the First Assistant of the Shabask Kingdom. I am very grateful to all of you for coming to watch the once-in-a-century Haunted Star competition. This Haunted Star competition will be hosted by me, and I will introduce and explain it to everyone!”

Barnett said to the crowd with a smile.

“Start!”

“Hurry up and start!”

Countless excited voices kept ringing out.

“Alright, alright, alright, I believe everyone is a bit impatient. But don’t rush, this Haunted Star competition will be unprecedentedly grand. All royal family members will participate, and they will strive for this kingdom, searching for precious minerals. I believe the future of the Shabask Kingdom will be even more prosperous. Let us welcome the participating teams with warm applause!”

Barnett gave an impassioned speech.

Clap! Clap!

Warm applause erupted on the scene.

At this moment, the mechanical spheres focused on the left side of the celebration stage.

There, First Prince Solleca, dressed in a luxurious black robe, walked out with an arrogant expression, leading a team of a hundred people.

Looking closely, one could see that Ting Kun and others were all in the team.

Barnett then introduced him to the crowd.

“First to appear is First Prince Solleca.”

“First Prince!”

Many spectators on site cheered excitedly.

First Prince Solleca showed a brilliant smile and raised his hand, waving to the cheering citizens.

Although he disdained dealing with these citizens, sometimes public opinion still needed to be won over.

At this moment, Third Prince Merritt, dressed in a simple robe, walked out with a gentle smile, leading his team.

“Now appearing is Third Prince Merritt!”

“Third Prince!”

Instantly, in various spectator stands, over half of the citizens erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

Merritt raised his hand and continuously waved to the citizens, showing great closeness to the people.

Amidst the enthusiastic cheers, he led his team and walked to Solleca’s side.

In fact, from the cheers on site, it was evident that Merritt’s image and public reputation far surpassed that of First Prince Solleca.

First Prince Solleca, seeing Merritt so popular, looked at Merritt with a hint of anger in his eyes.

Unfortunately, Merritt completely ignored him.

At this moment, Ohmid, dressed in a gray robe, walked out with a solemn expression, leading a team.

Barnett also quickly introduced Ohmid to the crowd.

“Now appearing is Seventh Prince Ohmid.”

As a result, only a very small portion of the audience on site cheered.

However, Ohmid didn’t care and led his team to stand beside the Third Prince.

At this time, Simak, Shadr, and seven other legitimate royal family members also led their respective teams out.

“Now appearing are royal family members, Simak…”

Chief Minister Barnett continuously introduced the appearing teams to the citizens.

At this moment, the teams from the Federation, Apocalypse, Dark Star, and Saint Jocks Star also walked out.

Compared to the solemn introduction of the royal family members, Chief Minister Barnett only briefly introduced the teams from the four major Federation powers.

After all, the Haunted Star event was ostensibly for royal family members to participate, while the other four powers were merely there to participate.

At this moment, Shadr saw Su Ming and Su Yuan and excitedly waved to the two of them.

Su Ming was also a bit surprised to see this scene and whispered to Su Yuan.

“Shadr also pulled together a team? Didn’t he go with his father?”

“Of course! All royal family members are eligible to participate. Everyone can pilot a ship, and the more ships, the higher the chances of winning!”

“Doesn’t his father worry about anything happening to Shadr?”

“Worry, he definitely worries, but this is a treasure hunt, after all. Under normal circumstances, nothing should go wrong.”

Su Yuan said this without much conviction himself.

Su Ming shook his head and didn’t say much more.

At this time, the royal family members gathered on site were talking excitedly.

Two young men from the collateral branch were seen talking with smiles.

“Sikem, you said the Shatak said that any royal family member who wins can get that Crown Prince Jade Pendant. So, if we win, can we also become Crown Prince?”

“Huber, what you said seems to make sense. Although we are not the Shatak’s direct descendants, we are descendants of his brothers, and we are also royal family members.”

Just as the two were getting more and more excited.

Simak happened to overhear their conversation and immediately cursed in a rage.

“Sikem, Huber, did you two eat the guts of a bear and leopard? Why don’t you take a good look at yourselves? You want to covet the Crown Prince position too?”

“Simak, don’t misunderstand…”

The two were stunned for a moment and quickly stammered an explanation.

“Misunderstand your mother!”

Simak raised his hand and slapped each of them.

Slap!

A crisp slapping sound immediately rang out.

A small commotion broke out for a moment.

Su Ming and the others looked over in confusion.

At this moment, after Simak finished hitting them, the anger in his heart still hadn’t subsided, and he cursed at the two.

“Damn it, letting you participate is already giving you a lot of face. You collateral trash, you actually dream of being Crown Prince.”

At this time, the members of the legitimate faction also sneered coldly when they heard this.

“They’re all losing their minds, dreaming of winning and ascending to the throne, without even looking at who they are.”

“They have no brains at all. They find rich resource points and don’t think about reporting them to us, but instead they’re daydreaming.”

Su Yuan looked at this scene and said to Su Ming with a grin.

“See? They’re fighting among themselves!”

“Normal. This Haunted Star event is about the Crown Prince position. These royal family members must be going crazy fighting for it.”

“I just don’t understand why those legitimate heirs fight for it, and the collateral branches also join in the fun.”

“Power is the easiest thing to make people lose their minds. Even if there’s a bottomless abyss ahead, there will still be people who step into it without hesitation. Just wait, this Haunted Star event will definitely be very lively.”

Su Ming explained calmly.

At this moment, Chief Minister Barnett noticed the commotion within the team and quickly walked over.

He said to Simak and the others with a forced smile.

“Sirs, please calm down, no more cursing!”

“Barnett, this is none of your business.”

Simak and the others replied disdainfully.

“Sirs, this is being broadcast live, making a mess will have a bad influence, and if the State Lord gets angry…”

Barnett said with a fake smile.

Simak and the others’ expressions changed upon hearing this, and they snorted coldly, dispersing one after another.

Barnett looked at the retreating figures of Simak and the others, letting out a slight sigh of relief. Thankfully, he managed to control it, and no trouble arose.