BATTLE FOR STARS

“All of you, shut down your Personal AI Assistants. Disable the room’s scanners as well.”

Emperor Hogan looked toward General Frederick and the others as he issued the order.

As the command was carried out, everyone’s retinal scanners and Personal AI Assistants went offline. The room’s detection systems also powered down completely.

Sade gave Belina a slight nod.

After checking, he had confirmed there were no remaining electromagnetic signals from any scanning equipment inside the room.

“You should be satisfied now,” the Emperor said.

“Yes,” Belina replied calmly. “Then let’s begin.”

As she spoke, she raised the small circular chip once again.

Holding it between the fingers of her right hand, she deliberately displayed it for everyone to see.

Then she placed the chip into her left hand.

When her hands separated again, both naturally closed into fists.

The movement itself was extremely simple.

But because the transfer had been concealed during the motion, nobody could tell whether the chip had truly been placed into her left hand—or secretly remained in her right.

The chip itself was slightly smaller and thinner than a one-yuan coin from China on Earth.

As a result, there was no visible difference between Belina’s two fists.

Under normal circumstances, a computer could easily compare the slight size variations between the hands. Or a scan could directly reveal the chip’s location.

But now, with all electronic equipment disabled, everyone could rely only on their own eyes.

That made things vastly more difficult.

Emperor Hogan frowned and glanced toward Frederick.

The General lightly shook his head.

Even he couldn’t determine which hand held the chip.

Standing further back, Balk quietly prepared to activate the透视 scanning function hidden on his body.

He intended to cheat directly.

But that tiny movement didn’t escape Belina’s notice.

“General Balk,” she said calmly, turning toward him, “I should inform you that before the wager began, I activated a signal suppression field. Electronic devices inside this room no longer function properly. So there’s no need to trouble yourself.”

Balk’s expression changed slightly.

He had already realized his scanner was malfunctioning.

He hadn’t expected Belina to prepare so thoroughly, leaving him absolutely no opportunity.

Emperor Hogan shot Balk an irritated glance.

Being caught attempting to cheat was always embarrassing.

Especially in a wager that appeared completely fair on the surface.

This was supposed to be nothing more than a contest of luck.

Although he had no idea which hand contained the chip, the Emperor still decided to gamble.

There was no way he could back down from such a “fair” wager.

That would be far too humiliating.

“I choose...” Emperor Hogan hesitated for a moment. “The left hand.”

He genuinely couldn’t tell the difference anymore.

At this point, all he could do was rely on luck.

“Your Majesty, are you certain?” Belina asked with a smile, looking directly into his eyes.

“This...”

Her response instantly made the Emperor uncertain again.

Which hand was it really?

His thoughts began racing rapidly.

Why had Belina asked that question?

If the chip was in the left hand, perhaps she was deliberately trying to mislead him.

But perhaps the chip was actually in the right hand, and she was merely trying to confuse him psychologically.

“I’ll stick with the left hand,” Emperor Hogan finally declared.

He truly couldn’t distinguish the answer anyway.

There was already a fifty percent chance either way.

Changing his choice now would only make him look indecisive.

And if he switched and ended up being wrong afterward, he would regret it endlessly.

Belina said nothing.

She simply opened her left hand silently.

Every eye in the room focused on it instantly.

A quiet wave of sighs spread through the crowd.

Because Belina’s left palm was completely empty.

Under the bright lights, there was clearly nothing inside.

Emperor Hogan felt deeply disappointed.

So he had guessed wrong after all.

Of course, as Emperor, he couldn’t simply refuse to acknowledge the result now.

He glanced toward Frederick again, but the General clearly had no solution either.

The Emperor sighed inwardly and prepared to admit defeat—

“Wait.”

A voice suddenly interrupted from nearby.

Everyone turned at once.

It was General Balk.

“What is it?” Emperor Hogan asked immediately.

Honestly, Balk’s performance tonight had been rather impressive.

The previous wager itself had been his suggestion.

If not for Ding Yufei’s completely unexpected performance, the Resk Empire would already have won and retained the Fleet.

Since Balk was speaking now, perhaps he had discovered something.

And for the Emperor, any possibility represented hope.

“I would like to see Her Highness’s other hand,” Balk said while staring directly at Belina’s tightly clenched right fist.

As he spoke, everyone’s attention shifted toward that hand as well.

Emperor Hogan’s heart stirred slightly.

Balk’s words clearly carried deeper meaning.

Logically, if Belina had already shown that the left hand was empty, then the chip should naturally be in the right hand.

But if Balk was specifically asking to see it, that implied he believed the right hand might also be empty.

And if that were true—

then Belina must have cheated.

If Belina truly had cheated, then the situation became much easier for the Emperor to handle.

The wager itself would become invalid immediately.

Which would effectively mean the Emperor had won.

“You want to see my right hand?” Belina asked calmly. “You believe I cheated?”

“I never said that,” Balk replied politely. “I merely wish to confirm the final result.”

In his mind, the more unwilling Belina was to reveal her hand, the more guilty she must be.

And that would only confirm his suspicion.

“Very well,” Belina said. “If I refuse to show you, you clearly won’t accept defeat.”

Since Balk had openly raised the issue, it was obvious he already doubted the outcome.

Belina made no unnecessary movements.

Under everyone’s gaze, she slowly raised her right hand—

then gradually opened it.

A small circular chip rested quietly in the center of her palm.

Emperor Hogan let out a long sigh internally.

Now there was truly nothing left to say.

He had guessed wrong.

The tiny hope that had briefly appeared moments ago had completely vanished again.

Naturally, Balk was also surprised.

And disappointed.

Because according to his theory, Belina must have hidden the chip somewhere else entirely.

That would mean no matter which hand the Emperor chose, both hands would be empty, making victory impossible.

But unexpectedly—

the chip was genuinely in her right hand.

Seeing this, Balk had nothing more he could say.

He still felt that something about the situation was strange.

But at this moment, he had absolutely no idea where the problem lay.

“Emperor Hogan,” Belina said immediately, seizing the perfect moment, “that means I’ve won the wager, correct?”