Abyss Solo

"Indeed," the Old Emperor nodded slowly, "Hanton, your reasoning makes sense, but that ship is the cornerstone of the Military Department's defense..."

"Majesty, who chose that ship?"

"An elder in the family, that ship has accompanied him in battles for many years."

"Majesty," Yang Ming chuckled, "I only mentioned the first possibility just now, but there are other possibilities, for example, someone might take this opportunity to express their strong stance to the Empire's political situation and its people. Those elders of yours, while superficially respecting public opinion, have actually been disconnected from the public for a century or two. I'm genuinely concerned about their mental state."

The Old Emperor leaned slightly to one side and whispered, "Are you worried..."

"Yes, Majesty."

"Alright," the Old Emperor shook his head slightly, "Hanton, I think your sense of crisis is too strong..."

"Majesty!"

A guard came running from outside, bowing from a distance and reporting loudly, "Princess Daphne found two High Explosive Concentrated Energy Bombs during the scan of the Prince Glory!"

"What!"

The Old Emperor's eyes widened in rage, cursing, "Revolt! They're revolting! The pillars of my Empire, my two sons, do they want to blow them up together? And two bombs, two... two bombs?"

The guard immediately kowtowed.

"Majesty! There are two bombs! One under the podium, and one in the spaceship's energy cargo, both capable of completely destroying a heavy battleship!"

"Bastards!"

The Old Emperor was furious.

Yang Ming was unsure if the Old Emperor was acting or angry because his plan was ruined.

After admiring the Old Emperor's performance, Yang Ming didn't wish to linger any longer.

He stood up and said to the guard, "Has the scan been completed?"

"It's been scanned three times."

"Majesty," Yang Ming turned and smiled, "they must be the two bombs placed by New Federation CIA and your family elders. It's a trivial matter, don't take it too much to heart. I'll head to the Prince Glory now."

"Alright, Hanton," the Old Emperor, whose ears were ringing with anger, "thank you for your hard work... you'll deliver your speech according to the script you have, right?"

"Yes, Majesty, is there any problem?"

"You can actually improvise a bit," the Emperor smiled, "I've arranged a live broadcast across the territory for you, with considerable resources invested, don't be too stiff, and don't always sing praises; that won't resonate with the masses. You can talk about the Empire's problems, as long as you give people some hope and determination to solve these problems, that's enough."

"Yes, Majesty."

Yang Ming performed a knightly salute.

The knight commander's badge on his chest was quite dazzling.

The Old Emperor smiled with satisfaction.

However, as Yang Ming left the great hall, the Old Emperor's expression visibly darkened.

The bomb under the podium was placed by his men, intending to frame the four elders of the Military Department.

Once Yang Ming was confirmed to have boarded the ferry headed to the protective ship in the sky, the Old Emperor kicked over the table before him like an angry and aging lion.

Inside the ferry.

Yang Ming hadn't settled in yet when his watch gently vibrated.

[Go to the restroom.]

Sister Li sent the latest instruction.

Yang Ming glanced at the two guards at the back of the ferry, smiled, rose without further explanation, and walked straight to the restroom.

He had only one minute.

Opening the small restroom door, Yang Ming immediately saw standing in the corner... another himself.

Intelligent Machine?

Yang Ming thought of the Old Emperor of the Luofeng Empire, that old Intelligent Machine that had deceived the Luofeng Empire for years, the one before him was equally lifelike, apart from lacking biological energy, it could deceive most scanning devices.

The Intelligent Machine held a helmet in its hand.

Yang Ming smiled and said, "Is that necessary? Sister, you could have just come directly."

Small characters appeared on the helmet shell.

[I can't mimic your demeanor.

[This is a special Intelligent Machine unknown to the Empire, more precise than those you've seen at Luofeng, and has partial combat ability as well.

[I've placed a Gathering Bomb in the power furnace of that ship, with twelve milligrams of antimatter installed in the periphery.

[Later, you needn't move, just hide in this restroom, and I'll get you off Emperor Star.]

Yang Ming gave a thumbs-up, swiftly sat on the artistically-styled toilet, donned the helmet, and activated the Intelligent Machine.

The borrowing from Li officially began.