Can Ci Pin - - - Chapter 104

Chapter 104 – You’re Too Savage

White felt his waist being crushed by the suit on him and could only see a large crate on the ground. That was where a nuclear missile had landed and demolished the surroundings; there were no corpses to be seen within over a ten kilometer radius from ground zero.

The survivors were forced to migrate. Alpenglow was like Egret, Cayley and Beijing; they would become deserted lands for the next few decades with no forms of life surrounding them.

“Professor,” White turned towards Lu Bixing. “How can we revive a planet that’s been showered by nuclear missiles? Is there some sort of research on it?”

“Yes, it’s like the technology used to artificially change a natural planet to be suitable to live on,” Lu Bixing answered. “Not all planets are blessed with the qualities of mother Earth, so virtually every planet you see nowadays has been artificially adjusted for humans to live on. This process takes a long time; a fully-functional ecosystem is dependent on countless variables that requires generations of people to build, refine, and perfect.”

“Professor, let’s change our research topic then, I don’t want to study mechs anymore.”

“Planet revival is a pretty big topic,” Lu Bixing said, “it may take a few centuries.”

“What about shield systems?” Mint asked, “Teach, let’s work on improving the anti-missile systems!”

“Anti-missile systems require a large amount of funding and support in military factories. Our manufacturing industries are still too new,” Lu Bixing said, “we don’t have the tools needed to start this research.”

“Can we improve the strength of the shield then?”

“We can,” Lu Bixing answered, “but increasing even one unit aspect of a shield would take decades and it’s difficult to estimate the amount of labor and supplies needed to complete this task. Are you all prepared to delay your graduation?”

“Teach,” Huang Jingshu asked quietly, “what if we just continue on the training mech research?”

Lu Bixing answered: “take one more term to perfect the finer technological details and you all can apply for a patent.”

This was the strange part of the NSC era; creation and protection was extremely hard and took a lot of effort to even move one step forward, but the development of galactic-grade weapons was leaping ahead in an unprecedented way.

They were like Sisyphus, forever pushing a giant boulder.

“Professor,” Rickhead suddenly asked, “what have we been doing for so long anyway? What’s the difference between this place and Beijing-β?”

Robots scanning for radioactivity walked back through the small alleyways as Lu Bixing took his students past the broken roads and onto the Model 3’s quarantine rooms in silence. The equipment in the rooms carefully scanned through everyone’s body and removed all radioactive contents on their suits; a special type of white mist filled each individual room and covered the number embroidered behind Lu Bixing’s isolation suit.

“We…we once established a basic social security system and supply fund on Alpenglow, and completed a census on the planet.” He said.

Rickhead: “And then?”

“So we have a list of names for the deceased.”

After “sanitizing,” Lu Bixing and his students walked through a small tunnel as the isolation suits on their bodies fell off.

Zhanlu greeted them from within the mech and courteously called everyone’s names. By the time he was done, they had reached the end of the tunnel.

Zhanlu added: “Headmaster Lu, perhaps you should head to the meeting room. The Prime Minister and my master are waiting for you.”

Lu Bixing quickly gestured for the students to take a break as he turned towards the meeting room.

“Hey Xiao Huang, let’s go!”

Huang Jingshu stood blankly for a moment until she looked up towards the security camera and asked: “Zhanlu, do you have data on the Silver Fortress’s defense and anti-missile systems?”

“Yes I do, Miss Huang.” Zhanlu answered patiently, “the defense system on the Silver Fortress was at the top of the Union.”

Huang Jingshu hesitated as if she didn’t know what to say, and after pondering for a while she asked: “Then…can you ask Commander Lin for us if there’s any part of the data we can read?”

The other three students were shocked and turned their heads up to wait for Zhanlu’s response.

“Academic references and technological data are not protected. Master Lin had set up specifical access for Headmaster Lu and you all to flip through them at any time.” Zhanlu said, “but the data is quite complex and is very different from Headmaster Lu’s curriculum from before, shall I organize them in a more accessible manner for you?”

Huang Jingshu looked a bit shocked at the camera and asked: “How do you know what we’re studying?”

“Sorry, this part is protected information.” Zhanlu paused, “I will send the reorganized data onto everyone’s personal devices in ten minutes, please wait for me in the break room.”

The vaccuocerebral young girl in the Eighth Galaxy who liked to solve problems with her fist and beer was supposed to grow up in a land of ashes and smokes. Yet due to a mistake she once made, she stepped into a completely different course in life.

And faraway in the City of Angels, the blooming flower of the Union that shared her name had just gone through a kidnapping–

Lin Jingshu was on her way back home from her office when a car driving automatically on the higher level highways malfunctioned. Someone hacked into her system like the time she plotted the assasination of secretary general Gordon, the weapons on the car all pointed towards her. However, the security guards around her this time were much more careful than the arrogant late secretary general. Two of the guards quickly jumped in front of her, yet within an instant one of the guards took a laser knife to his body while protecting her, buying a few seconds of time for her to escape. The other guard pulled out a knife from his pocket and forcefully opened the car door as he escorted her towards the emergency exit off the side of the road.

The heels of her stiletto snapped automatically and transformed to comfortable flats for running; the tip of her shoes revealed a small opening with a hidden blade she could shoot out at anytime. She swiftly passed through the emergency tunnel while escaping pursuit, but a sudden quiet sound inside the tunnel stopped her footsteps. Lin Jingshu stared wide-eyed at the glass wall at the other end of the tunnel that exploded into pieces. The guard turned his back and protected her from the impact of the explosion; at the same time, a broken service robot on the side suddenly moved. Within the blink of an eye, the robot’s arm pierced through the guard’s chest. The moment the robot hand passed through human flesh, the outer metal layer began heating up; before the guard could utter a final word, his body stiffened and fell onto Lin Jingshu, the hole on his chest reeking of burnt meat.

Lin Jingshu quickly tossed the corpse on her to the side, but the heated metal buttons on the person’s clothing still slashed through her arms. Her smooth and white skin suddenly gained a fresh bright-red mark.

All the robots around the tunnel turned towards her eerily and surrounded her.

Lin Jingshu lifted her uninjured arm up to fix her fringes and smiled as she spoke, as if she was making a public service announcement on behalf of the Eden Committee, “Who are you? Are you out of medication and mad that I no longer allow the use of these drugs anymore?”

The robots didn’t answer and only held a laser gun to her back.

Lin Jingshu shook her head in defeat as she walked under the pressure of gunpoint and gave a difficult laugh: “I’m merely a tragic widow who doesn’t even know whom she’s grieving for anymore, if you…”

Another robot three steps away from her shot towards her before she could finish.

Lin Jingshu’s eyes widened as she watched the laser bullet shoot past her and accurately hit the robot behind holding her hostage. The core energy on its chest shattered as the crowd of robots began to panic and fight among themselves. Immediately after, Lin Jingshu felt the ground below her disappear as she fell straight down into the hole.

The next moment, a silhouette flashed in the night sky as an armed mobile parked right below the hole of the tunnel and caught her from the fall. The protection airbag shot out the moment she landed and quickly enveloped her; Lin Jingshu stared in shock as she landed safely inside the mobile. There were two men in the front seat, one of them furiously typing something out on his personal device, while the other turned his head over and tipped his imaginary hat off to greet Lin Jingshu.

“Good evening, beautiful.” The man’s voice was cheery and friendly even as it reeked of conceit; he was definitely the type that would praise his own good looks in front of a mirror on a daily basis. “I’m the Captain of the Silver Ten’s Third Squadron, Thomas Young–not ‘that’ Thomas Young, this one here’s much more handsome and chic–I’m your personal knight and guard today, please don’t forget to give a five-star rating and a smile for my service.”

Confusion flashed across Lin Jingshu’s face for a second before she cordially gave him a smile.

The self-proclaimed Captain of the Third Squadron Thomas Young immediately turned his head to punch his partner’s shoulder: “Check it out, doesn’t that feel like the commander just smiled at me?!”

The person beside him frowned at the gesture and answered: “That’s probably a sign that you won’t live long—Good evening, Miss Lin, I’m Poisson Young from the Silver Third Squadron.”

His gaze rested on the burn on Lin Jingshu’s arm for a second; then, a robotic arm reached out from the side of the armed mobile and gently sprayed some medicine on her wound, easing the pain and burning almost immediately.

Lin Jingshu only noticed now that despite looking similar, the two men were clearly twins with very distinct demeanors.

Before she should thank him, Poisson turned his gaze up and warned: “Watch out.”

The armed mobile shook violently as it dodged a wave of particle beams. Lin Jingshu turned and looked down below to see another armed mobile pass through the pedestrian roads. Soon after, another group of armed mobiles appeared around them and blocked them off, firing without hesitation.

Thomas chuckled lightly and said: “Looks like the news about our commander is already making people restless.”

Lin Jingshu’s heart jumped.

The former location of the Union Parliament was now fully under pirate control. The Glory Troops re-established themselves as the “Glory Empire Presidential Office” within the former parliament building.

The old parks and woods around the area were replaced by concrete that shone with a unique light, packed fully with tanks and armed mobiles.

A row of armed mobiles quickly drove into the parking lot and parked neatly in a line. There was a small car in the middle of the fleet; a middle-aged man wearing a black coat walked down from the car. His lips turned down coldly as his expression remained stern–he was the President of the new Glory Empire.

“Mister President, General Yelvich is on the line.”

The president nodded and quickly walked into his office. His secretary followed him and connected to General Yelvich, the former subordinate of the Union Commander Lu Xin; Yelvich’s image floated on the screen beside the President like a ghost as he spoke in a taunting manner while still in his pajamas: “What, did that dream lover of all masochists in the Union also get to you?”

“We need to act first.” The president wasn’t in the mood to joke around with him. “Lin Jingheng isn’t the type to stay undercover for so long. The reason why he’s still hiding in the Eighth Galaxy must be because there is something stopping him from reassembling the Silver Ten; and now that everyone knows he’s alive, we need to take him down before he has the chance to gather up his forces. Unfortunately, I don’t have any forces in the Eighth Galaxy, what about you?”

Yelvich answered emotionlessly: “All my forces are near Wolto, shouldn’t you know that already?”

“I’m talking about your old comrades,” the president said, “the ones that are wandering in the Eighth Galaxy.”

Yelvich’s expression hardened: “If Lu Xin knew that I’m working with you right now, he would crawl out of his grave and beat my ass. You really want to use his men to fight against Lin Jingheng? Even if that little shit is a heartless bastard, he is still a commander of the Union raised by Lu Xin and someone remembered by the Union, are you stupid or what?”

The president wasn’t fazed by the comment and shot a sharp glance at Yelvich: “Someone remembered in the spirit of the Union? That’s doubtful, General. How did the Silver Fortress get annihilated completely so easily? And how did we manage to take over Wolto without any trouble? Did your old comrades not question you? I’m sure you won’t be able to answer either way…but didn’t we just find the answer to those questions?”

Yelvich lifted his head.

The president lifted his lips. When he wasn’t smiling, he had an unshakable aura of a dependable politician, but his smile added some hints of corruption to his image: “Commander Lin Jingheng had always been a dependable ally of the Glory Empire. For the past years, we’ve helped him build his reputation on the battlefield and helped him rise up to the high ranks of the Military Council. Five years ago, we even helped him stage his fake death to escape the Union, and in return he gave us the key to entering the First Galaxy and the Silver Fortress. How’s that, General Yelvich? Doesn’t this story make sense?”

Yelvich: “You’re too savage.”

“You can’t show mercy when you need to be heartless,” the president responded. “General, if this isn’t the ‘truth’, you wouldn’t be able to explain your way out of being in the Hummingbird Fortress. Plus, you’ve also helped us chase down those rabid dogs of the AUS without knowing already; you wouldn’t want to lose the trust of your old comrades, right?”

Yelvich couldn’t respond.

Lu Bixing could feel the heavy atmosphere in the meeting room the moment he stepped inside and heard Lin Jingheng speak to Prime Minister Edward.

“…I’ve already made an emergency summons to the Silver Ten through the backup central. Either way, I’ve already exposed myself to every armed force within the Union. I must remind everyone; among the three large pirate forces, I’ve kicked the asses of two before and recently kicked the asses of the third. They won’t be too happy about this news. As for the Union, they may also treat me as a traitor for leaving…”

The Prime Minister wanted to speak up at this point but was interrupted by Lin Jingheng before he could say anything. This commander never really gave much respect to his elders and was rumored to be this arrogant back in the Union Parliament as well, earning him a lot of political enemies.

“This war exposed everyone’s weakness; everyone who has lost Eden is suffering in times of crises as they struggle to survive. Pain and anger may be a motivation to fight in the beginning, but as time passes it will simply become hatred towards the uselessness of the Union government. The Union can’t fight off the pirates right now so they desperately need a new target to distract the attention of the people.” Lin Jingheng’s gaze lowered as he looked at the concerned faces in the meeting room. He was used to keeping a blank face on, but when he lowered his gaze, the corner of his eyebrows would lift up on instinct and create a colder expression. “I’m saying this to remind you all that you need to make a decision on behalf of the Eighth Galaxy government right now–I can remove the Ninth Squadron from the Eighth Galaxy’s Defense Force and take them outside of the galaxy. That way, even though you all still need to rebuild the defense department, the Eighth Galaxy is less likely to be dragged into war by me. The other option is that I can still stay here and publicly announce that the Eighth Galaxy will be officially under the control of the Silver Ten. I can continue to protect you all as part of the Defense Force, but the galaxy will also be forced to walk on the frontlines because of me. Am I clear, Prime Minister?”

Prime Minister Edward’s eye twitched uncomfortably as he remembered the incident of Alpenglow. In ten minutes, he would need to speak on behalf of the new government on the incident to the entire galaxy.

The draft of his speech was still in his personal device, but Lin Jingheng had forcefully dragged him over to make him decide the fate of the Eighth Galaxy within ten minutes.

“I….” The old Prime Minister wiped off some cold sweat off his face. “Commander Lin, can you give me some time to think?”

“Then you better be quick,” Lin Jingheng said, “since both the Silver Ten and people that want me dead are all fighting against time right now.”

Minister Edward grew more anxious at this comment. Then, the secretary walked over, frantically fixed the Prime Minister’s clothing and reminded him: “The broadcast is ready, it’s almost time.”

The Prime Minister nodded and got ready to leave, but before he walked out he turned and asked Lin Jingheng as if he had suddenly remembered something: “Commander Lin…is it true then that you never betrayed the Union?”

Lin Jingheng lifted his lip mockingly as he heard the question; Lu Bixing instinctively knew that the next word out of his mouth would not be pretty and quickly intercepted: “Prime Minister, if the Silver Ten really betrayed the Union, the government wouldn’t have stood a chance against the pirates when they invaded Wolto.”

Not only did he choose not to explain, the master of snapping aggro was determined to mock the Prime Minister back without hesitation. However, the fearless commander was scared of offending his accidental spokesperson Lu Bixing and pulled back his sneer as he sat quietly pretending he hadn’t heard the question.